Recent Articles

RALEIGH -- Louisburg has secured $4.3 million to bolster some aged components of its sewer system.
Funding to expand the Green Hill sanitary sewer pump station remains elusive, though.
The State Water Infrastructure Authority awarded $244 million in funds to 45 applicants during its July 15 meeting.
That funding will help cities, towns, and counties bolster infrastructure to better withstand future storms, improve existing drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, reduce forever chemicals contamination, and identify and replace lead pipes.

LAKE ROYALE -- The community mourned the death of a swimmer who drowned over the weekend.
Next of kin have been notified, but authorities have not released the name of the 25-year-old victim.
"... I extend our deepest condolences to the victim's family, friends, and loved ones during this difficult time," Lake Royale Interim Police Chief Robert Smith said following the late afternoon incident on July 26.

Presley Gibbs and Romeo demonstrate their pole bending skills during the National High School Rodeo Finals competition in Lincoln, Nebraska last week. Gibbs and Payton Frizzelle put their skills to the test in pole bending and cutting against the best young athletes in the world during the week-long event.

LOUISBURG -- A call of shots being fired not far from South Main Street and a church sent law enforcement scrambling Tuesday afternoon.
According to Louisburg Police Chief Travis Lincoln, officers responded to reports of shots being fired just after 2 p.m. in the 300 block of Ridley Street on July 28.
Further investigation, he said, revealed that shot were fired into an occupied vehicle at that location.
No injuries have been reported.

LOUISBURG ­-- Trails are a big thing with horse lovers, but operators of Shining River Ranch don't necessarily want folks going down the same path they did.
The central Franklin County farm provides clinics, training and education for horse and owner.
Kelli Worley, who operates the facility with her husband, George, said she got into horses about five years ago because of her "horse-crazy" daughter, Georgia.
They soon realized they were in over their heads.

Members of Youngsville's Emerald Dance Academy were on display at the Kid Zone, one of the areas hosted by businesses along Main Street that had fun, food trucks, craft vendors, or all three. It was all part of Summer Fest activities last Saturday in downtown Youngsville. The family-friendly event featured plenty of activities and entertainment and persisted, even in the midst of some rain drizzle.

Above, Mason Kratz, Mackenzie Cummings, Sadie Cummings and Lucille Kratz get up close and personal with some goats. Goat Hollow Farm had the pen set up next to Scoops on Main in downtown Youngsville as part of Summer Fest, a partnership between the town's Parks and Recreation Department and local businesses.

LINCOLN, NEB. -- When more than 1,500 of the world's best young rodeo athletes compete, not everyone can win.
A podium finish eluded Louisburg's Presley Gibbs and Payton Frizzelle.
But, making the National High School Finals Rodeo competition was a win, itself.
"Nationals was a whirlwind," Gibbs said of the week-long competition that brought the best young rodeo enthusiasts together from around the world.

LOUISBURG -- A Loisburg man whom police allege fired shots into an occupied vehicle is slated to appear in court next week.
Louisburg police arrested Jaeion Hicks on July 16, alleging that on evening of June 29, he shot into a 2019 Ford Edge that was at the intersection of Mineral Springs Road and Ridley Street.
The vehicle was occupied by Katherine Pepler, Katie Brandt and Ornikey Pressey.

If memory serves correctly, in baseball it's three strikes and you're out.
If that rule applies in the real world, then both State Rep. Matthew Winslow and State Sen. Lisa Barnes have struck out -- damaging not only the General Assembly's credibility (as if it still has any!) and the town of Louisburg as well.
Here's the history of this "ball game" which shouldn't be a game at all:
•Strike One: More than a year ago, the legislature slipped a clandestine "pitch" into law that changed the way that Louisburg elected its mayor.

Dear editor: I have served Louisburg for years, and I have never seen our town lose this much control this fast. The people I serve deserve an honest answer about why.
When I took the oath as mayor of Louisburg, I made a promise to look out for this town and everyone in it. I take that promise seriously, which is why I want to speak plainly to my neighbors about something that has been weighing on me.

Dear editor: North Carolina has a flat individual income tax and this proposed amendment would not change the rate anyone pays today.
Instead it would rewrite the state constitution to lower the ceiling on what future legislators could ever set the income tax rate at from the current 7% down to 3.5%.
Here's why that matters. Regular laws can be changed by the general assembly when current circumstances change.

LOUISBURG -- Franklin County sheriff's deputies arrested a Louisburg man in a shooting incident.
Alvin Corey Swinney, 47, was arrested July 20 and charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury, and two counts of discharging a weapon into an occupied vehicle.
According to law enforcement communications captured by Broadcastify and court documents, Swinney fired shots into a 2007 Honda Accord, occupied by Rashad Coppedge and Omaris Coppedge, who were in a vehicle at Swinney's Pete Smith Road home around 1 p.m. on July 20.

The Louisburg Board of Zoning Adjustment will meet at 9 a.m. Friday, July 31, at the Louisburg Town Hall on West Nash Street.
The only item of business on the agenda is consideration of a special use permit that will allow a 150-foot monopine wireless communications town to be built just behind Wal-Mart at 705 Retail Way, Louisburg. o resemble a pine tree.)
The applicant for the permit is SBA Towers.

Franklinton High Principal David Westbrook at Relay for Life

Quite frankly, this is an interesting time of year for reporters.
In the middle of summer, folks are on vacation or, at least, have settled into a more leisurely pace.
It's a great time for feature articles, as can be seen by front-page news in the last handful of editions.
But, generally, this time of year proves difficult when it comes to hard-hitting news.
So, we reporters have to dig a bit more and beat the bushes.

When it comes to wholesome comfort food, few ingredients are as cherished in Southern kitchens as Southern peas. Whether you know them as field peas, crowder peas, cowpeas, or black-eyed peas, these humble legumes have earned their place on the dinner table for generations.
While they're often celebrated for their rich, earthy flavor, Southern peas also offer an impressive array of health benefits that make them a smart addition to any meal.

Nashville, NC -- Funeral services for Annie Laura Lancaster, age 91, who died on Thursday, July 23, 2026, will be held on Saturday, August 1, at 2 p.m. from the Galatia A.M.E. Church in Nashville, NC.

Louisburg, NC -- Funeral services for Irene Bullock, age 105, who died on Saturday, July 25, 2026, will be held on Monday, August 3, at 2 p.m. from the Allen Chapel Baptist Church in Louisburg, NC. Burial will follow in the Allen Chapel Church cemetery.

Warrenton, NC -- Funeral services for Merle Lee Richardson, age 77, who died on Thursday, July 23, 2026, were held on Wednesday, July 29, at 1 p.m. from the Richardson Funeral Home Chapel in Louisburg, NC.

Louisburg, NC -- Funeral services for Marie Long Epps, age 72, who died on Friday, July 24, 2026, will be held on Saturday, August 1, at 11 a.m. from the Richardson Funeral Home Chapel in Louisburg, NC.

Columbia, SC -- Graveside services for Terence Omar Hayes, age 42, who died on Monday, July 20, 2026, will be held on Thursday, July 30, at 12 p.m. from the Hayes Family Cemetery in Louisburg, NC.

Thomas Pandolfi will return to Cherry Hill for a concert on Sunday, July 26, beginning at 3 p.m.
In demand for his virtuosity and narrative programming, Pandolfi last played to a full house at Cherry Hill in 2024. This season he will present a program that bridges European Romantic brilliance and the unmistakable sound of America's musical voice.
The first half will showcase the world of Franz Liszt, featuring works that combine lyricism, brilliance, and transcendental virtuosity.