Recent Articles

YOUNGSVILLE -- Planning board members have recommended that Youngsville, essentially, cover the cost of a roundabout -- part of Rolling Meadows' portion of the Youngsville bypass.
The development agreement will next go before the Youngsville Board of Commissioners for approval.
As part of its permitting through the town, BRD Land and Investment agreed to build a third of a bypass as part of the 1,056-unit Rolling Meadows -- a mix of residential and commercial development.

LOUISBURG -- Louisburg leaders sent staff back to consult with stakeholders before making a decision about a downtown social district.
The goal, officials said during a June 10 session, is to generate business for folks by creating a mechanism that's not currently in place.
"We had incidents where people wanted to buy alcohol from [an establishment] and they couldn't bring it into another place, defeating the whole purpose [of trying to generate economic development]," said Council member Dr. Phillip Stover.

LOUISBURG -- A woman charged with killing two Louisburg women in a three-vehicle crash, including a head-on collision, is being sued by the surviving dump truck driver.
Authorities charged Wake Forest resident Jennifer Baker Pearce with a multitude of crimes, including second degree murder, for her role in a November 29, 2023 crash that instantly killed Emily Hodges and led to Pamela Hayes' death more than a week later.

Joe Wood, Louisburg Senior Center member, celebrates turning 90!

YOUNGSVILLE -- Police arrested a Youngsville-area man on choking charges.
According to a magistrate's warrant and court documents, Curtis Jerome Cooke Jr. is alleged to have assaulted a woman by choking her, leaving hand prints and scratch marks around her neck.
He's also alleged to have punched her and burnt her with a cigar.

This week, maybe because of the heat, I had a flashback to several years ago, back when we had a large Strawberry Festival in Louisburg, complete with a best-dessert using strawberries contest.
Somehow my old newspaper buddy Asher Johnson let himself be talked into becoming one of the judges -- although perhaps he didn't think that through.
The day of the contest, there were entries galore and the judges eagerly lined up to taste and judge each one -- Asher included.

KJ Muldoon was only a few days old when his parents received devastating news: their son was born with a rare genetic disorder affecting his liver. KJ was immediately put on dialysis and waitlisted for a liver transplant.
His family could only hope that he would avoid neurological damage while waiting.
KJ's story could easily have ended there, but what happened next was a remarkable feat of science.

WARRENTON -- The Oxford-Henderson Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc celebrated its 80th anniversary, recognizing local women with significant community service -- including one from Franklin County.
Armenta Eaton and four other women received the Community Service Merit Award for their contributions to communities in Franklin, Granville, Vance and Warren counties in North Carolina, and Clarksville, Va.

Solid Waste Operations Supervisor Mike Epps, second from right, performs a ribbon cutting earlier this month, marking the ceremonial opening of the new Youngsville convenience center site at 2275 Long Mill Road. With Epps are, from left, County Manager Ryan Preble, and Commissioners Stuart May and Logan Davis. The new 4.72 acre site replaces a Park Avenue site that had become too small for the volume of waste generated in growing southwest Franklin County.

FRANKLINTON -- Putting out a fire requires more than water.
It takes emergency communications to take and dispatch the call.
It takes automatic and mutual aid departments to provide backup.
It takes a trained and dedicated staff to roll trucks, maintain and utilize equipment to knock down a blaze or respond to a wreck, rendering life-changing and live-saving aid.

Look, anyone who knows me knows this: I'll take vibrant, lazy summer days with late sunsets over cold, depressing, dreary, drizzly winter nine times out of 10.
But, certainly, it's not lost on me that this summer has been intense, with humidity pushing 100 percent most days.
I mean, it's gotten to the point that WRAL has issued so many Weather Alert Days because of heat, they might as well only note the days when weather alerts ARE NOT issued.

KITTRELL, NC -- Irma Ayscue Hoyle, 93, of Sims Bridge Road, died Tuesday, July 29, 2025 at Franklin Oaks Nursing and Rehab.

Bobby Sylvester Strickland, 89, was called home to be with Jesus on Thursday, July 24, 2025, with his devoted wife, Dollie, by his side in their home.

LOUISBURG -- A Louisburg man is slated to appear in court on charges that he shot into a car occupied by three minors, hitting a woman in the shoulder.
Rontavious Lee Williams, 36, was arrested on March 6 and charged with one count of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill and four counts of firing a weapon into an occupied vehicle.
According to Franklin County Sheriff's Dep. R. Curtis' warrant for arrest, a day before the arrest, Williams assaulted Denise Hartsfield by firing a 9-mm gun into a Ford Escape, hitting Hartsfield in the shoulder area.

LOUISBURG -- The Franklin County Board of Education is considering a policy change/clarification regarding comments from the public through the district's website.
The move comes at a time when the Franklin County commissioners, by switching to only one meeting a month and tucking more issues into "consent agendas" which spur no discussion, have reduced the public's opportunities to comment on public business.

LOUISBURG -- Last week's filing deadline set up an immediate test of Louisburg's new mayoral election process. And, it'll also produce contested municipal races in Bunn, Louisburg, Franklinton, Youngsville and Wake Forest.
Incumbent Louisburg Mayor Christopher Neal, former council member Boyd Sturges and political newcomer William Goedert Jr. will face off on Oct. 7.
If the winner of that race doesn't secure more than 50 percent of the vote, the top two candidates will meet in a runoff election on November 4.

FRANKLINTON -- Town management acknowledged that removing properties from its primary fire district is a way to make new construction and renovation more feasible.
But, they couldn't say if it makes those and nearby properties less safe.
However, building codes within primary fire districts, county inspections staff said, do serve to make buildings and surrounding properties more resistent to the ravages of fire.

LOUISBURG -- The District Attorney's Office has petitioned Franklin County Schools to turn over all internal investigation records that led the school system to part ways with former Franklinton High School Principal Russell Holloman.
Those documents, Assistant District Attorney Jamie Lamancusa argued in a July 21 petition, would help Franklin County sheriff's deputies with their investigation into allegations of a sexual assault involving members of Franklinton High's baseball team -- the handling of which led Superintendent Rhonda Schuhler to recommend his termination.

LOUISBURG -- Franklin County commissioners made some changes to the county's Unified Development Ordinance, including how it governs accessory structures, limitations for teaching and tutoring home occupations, and making sure its rules are in compliance with FEMA's national flood insurance program.
Franklin County Interim Planning and Inspections Director Jason Rogers presented the changes to officials during their July 14 meeting.
The most important change, Rogers told commissioners, was enacting recommendations made by the State Department of Public Safety and FEMA, which conducts periodic checks to make sure governments are in compliance with FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program.

LOUISBURG -- A local foundation donated more than $6,000 to bolster community efforts in and around the county.
"Investing in local nonprofits and community,," said Franklin County Community Foundation Advisory Board President Ashley Jarema, "is crucial for community resilience.
"Our permanent philanthropy ensures our grants make a significant difference."

WAKE FOREST -- A Franklin County man is slated to appear in court next month on charges that he killed his seven-week-old son.
Franklin County sheriff's deputies arrested Patrick R. Jordan in April, alleging he seriously injured and killed Chozen Jordan in January of 2024.
Court documents do not account for the time between the date of offense -- Jan. 22, 2024 -- and the April 21 arrest this year.
Court documents indicate the child sustained broken ribs and a broken clavicle.

Maria Parham Franklin has announced the start of a renovation project to transform its Emergency Department, with construction set to begin in late July or early August.
This project will focus on improving care for individuals facing behavioral health challenges.
The renovation is to create designated areas within the Emergency Department tailored to meet the needs of behavioral health and mental health patients, providing a safer, more supportive environment for patients and care team members.