Recent Articles

LOUISBURG -- The Franklin County Board of Commissioners took action to ensure that any law enforcement agreement between Lake Royale and the sheriff's office gets public scrutiny.
In January, commissioners authorized the county manager to finalize and execute a memorandum of understanding whereby Lake Royale would pay money to support Franklin County Sheriff's Office law enforcement operations within the Lake.

Natalie and Jason Farmer, center, along with their son and daughter, Noah and Tenley, received the Greater Franklin County Chamber of Commerce's Small Business of the Year award from Chamber member Gerald Lloyd, second from right, and Chamber Executive Director Richie Veverka. The Farmers operate Farmer's Mercantile and Wester Feed.

Above, Olivia Hiller prepares to fill her Easter basket with goodies during Franklin County's annual Easter Egg Hunt held last Saturday on the ballfields at Franklinton Park.

Wells Abbott has his eyes set on two colorful Easter eggs during Franklin County's annual Easter Egg Hunt.

LOUISBURG -- Franklin County continues to round out its administrative staff, hiring a new assistant county manager with nearly 25 years of local government experience.
David Bridle will begin filling that post on March 30.
"I'm honored to join Franklin County and grateful for the opportunity to serve its residents," Bridle said.

LOUISBURG -- Another of the county's advisory boards got a reprieve, at least temporarily.
In February, commissioners were set to shut down four advisory boards, arguing that they said were either no longer meeting, performing a public service or needed to be revamped.

Eager Easter Egg hunter Jackson West

The American Legion Post 52 of Franklinton held its annual Awards Banquet on Sunday, March 22, to honor community servants of the Police, Fire Department, and EMS as well as community volunteers and Legion Family members that deserve special recognition. Also celebrated was the Legion's 107th Birthday.

Through a partnership with Celebration Church in Raleigh, the Franklin County Interfaith Council was able to provide 4,000 pounds of frozen chicken to 10 food pantries in the area. Above, Floyd Vick and the Rev. Stanley Dunston load chickens onto a truck bound for St. Paul Presbyterian Church and their distribution effort.

Above, the Pastor Chris Fair with Trinity United Methodist Church loads chicken into a vehicle bound for Sowing Seeds, one of the county's growing food pantries serving Franklinton and beyond.

LOUISBURG -- A Youngsville man is slated to appear in court on charges that he assaulted officers and tried to use a gun on them when they were making a domestic violence arrest.
One of the deputies involved -- Taylor Lucas -- survived a point-blank shooting just before Christmas last year.
According to an arrest warrant and court documents, Deputies Lucas, Christopher McLawhorn and Keegan Clark attempted to arrest Jason Lee Freeman after he assaulted and threatened his child's mother on March 16.

WARRENTON -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is hosting a community engagement meeting today to address Franklin County's request to pull more water from Kerr Lake.
According to the Corps, Franklin County is petitioning for more water because it anticipates a shortage of available water supply for the next 50 years.
In light of its long-term water concerns, Franklin County, in recent years, has taken a number of steps, including:

LOUISBURG -- The State Highway Patrol is investigating a Tuesday evening wreck that proved fatal.
Specific details about the wreck were not available before press time, but staff at the highway patrol confirmed the wreck resulted in a fatality.
According to Franklin County Emergency Management, the single-vehicle wreck happened after 6 p.m. in the area of N.C. 39 and Strickland Way.
Two occupants were in the vehicle, authorities said, and one was pronounced dead at the scene.

Ask any avid gardener or farmer and you're going to quickly learn that finding the proper place to plant -- the right amount of sunlight, proper drainage, well-prepared soil -- is essential to ensuring a good harvest.
I suspect much the same is true with housing developments, although the requirements are quite different.
Simply having a demonstrated need for a particular type of housing isn't enough. You still have to locate the right place -- and ensure such factors as adequate access and utility availability.

It's always amazing to me how there can be such incredible failures to communicate.
In my experience, though, such failure more often has to do with an unwillingness, rather than an honest-to-goodness oversight.
Maybe I'm wrong, here, but we'll see.
If you've kept up with your Franklin Times, you would know that, going back to January, the Franklin County Board of Commissioners have had a potential agreement with Lake Royale on their consent agenda.

Dear editor: The third No Kings national day of action is taking place this Saturday, March 28. You can add your own patriotic voice to defend democracy at the protest event right here in Louisburg.
From 1 until 3 p.m., you can join hundreds of others uniting to resist tyranny on Bickett Boulevard in front of the Sheetz convenience station.
Almost 300 people came out for the previous No Kings event last October, adding Franklin County's voice to the 7 million who participated nationwide.

Dear editor: In a recent letter titled, "America has money for war, not its citizens," Mr. Strickland once again vents his spleen on the President and what he calls "evangelical religious fanatics" (ERFs). I get he is upset but I'm not sure who upsets him more, Trump or the ERFs. He seems to blame ERFs as solely responsible for voting in the "rogue" Trump, who has single-handedly started an "illegal" war with Iran. Strickland thinks, among other things, Trump's moral failures of three marriages and a vulgar instance of locker-room banter caused him to fall short of the criteria normally required of a good Sunday school teacher.

YOUNGSVILLE -- Fred Keller's service to the community has been in boardrooms, the background and behind the scenes.
But, when Greater Franklin County Chamber of Commerce brass Richie Veverka and Kim Kaid presented him with its Citizen of the Year Award, it was Keller who was front and center.
"It was a big surprise," Keller said following the festivities. "I certainly didn't expect it.

LOUISBURG -- The threat of inclement weather prompted Franklin County commissioners to postpone their meeting until next week.
It's the third time officials moved their March meeting date. Moving Monday's meeting to March 23 is the only one that came with a public explanation.
"Due to anticipated weather expected to arrive in Franklin County this afternoon and evening and out of an abundance of caution, the Franklin County Board of Commissioners meeting scheduled for ... March 16 ... has been canceled and is rescheduled for ... March 23 ...," a Monday morning notice from County Clerk Kristen King stated.