Recent Articles

Kittrell, NC -- Funeral services for Howard Jones Jr., age 74, who died on Monday, September 14, 2026, will be held on Saturday, September 19, at 2 p.m. from the Kinches Chapel Christian Church in Franklinton, NC.

RALEIGH, NC -- Delina Roosevelt "Boo" Medlin, 91, of Raleigh, NC, passed away on Friday, September 4, 2026.

LOUISBURG, NC -- Funeral services for Eddie R. Neal, 71, who died on Monday, September 7, will be held on Saturday, September 12, at 2 p.m. from the Richardson Funeral Home Chapel in Louisburg.

LOUISBURG, NC -- Funeral services for Annie Mitchell, 81, who died on Tuesday, September 8, will be held on Tuesday, September 15 at 2 p.m. from the Richardson Funeral Home Chapel in Louisburg.

LOUISBURG, NC -- Funeral services for Almer Hedgepeth, 79, who died on Tuesday, Sept. 9, will be held on Wednesday, September 16 at noon from the Richardson Funeral Home Chapel in Louisburg.

Suddenly Labor Day is behind us -- and that marks the unofficial end of summer, especially for the kids who are now dealing with homework, schedules and teachers who are trying to impart some knowledge.
Granted, the temperatures have often been in the mid-July range and the humidity has stayed about as high as it can get but that is gradually changing and in coming days and weeks, whether we're ready or not, even bigger changes will happen!

LOUISBURG -- After meeting in a secret executive session for 50 minutes Tuesday night, the Louisburg Town Council voted to accept a settlement to end the lawsuit with former Fire Chief Randy Lanham.
But officials refused to disclose the terms of that settlement, saying those details may be released at a later date by town attorney Ben Williamson. Attempts to contact Williamson were unsuccessful.

FRANKLINTON -- Police have arrested a second man in a fight reported at a downtown establishment.
Authorities arrested Tyler Austin Williams the evening of Aug. 29, alleging he hit a man in the head with an aluminum chair during a fight inside Owl's Roost on N. Main Street.
On Sept. 4, officers arrested the man in that fight, John Derek Pleasants, charging him with felony assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury and misdemeanor assault with a deadly weapon.

A century of Franklin County educational heritage will take center stage this Saturday when the 100th anniversary of Edward Best School will be celebrated.
Now known as Edward Best Elementary School, the school also existed as a high school and was named after Edward Leigh Best, a long-time Franklin County educator who passed away in the summer of 1940 and was buried in Louisburg's Oakwood Cemetery.
This Saturday -- to mark "Panther Pride" -- school officials are planning a celebration from 3 until 7 p.m. at the school.

LOUISBURG -- Town officials agreed to settle a wrongful termination lawsuit filed by its former fire chief.
Officials did not reveal the specifics of the settlement they agreed to accept following a closed session on Tuesday.
And, immediate attempts to reach town attorney Ben Williamson and the town's legal counsel in the federal case -- Charlotte-based attorney Jake Stewart -- were not successful.

LAKE ROYALE -- Lake Royale swore in a new police chief, according to its social media account.
On Sept. 2, Interim Police Chief Robert Smith posted that he had officially stepped down.
The next day, a post on the Lake Royale Police Department announced the swearing in of James Crissman as the company police department's new chief.
"As one chapter closes, another begins," Smith said in his post. "I am pleased to welcome Chief Crissman as the new Chief of Police for the Lake Royale Company Police Department.

BUNN -- It wasn't water cooler talk, but town officials decided how it would adorn its water tower.
The town has reached out to a Roanoke Rapids-based Southern Corrosion, to maintain the town's water tank.
As part of that effort, the company would place a logo on the tower, which sits behind the Bunn Methodist Church on Main Street.
The town had three options, two of which featured Bunn Wildcats graphics, and one that simply says 'Town of Bunn.'

Nathaniel Poole at the most recent 4-H Livestock Fun Show

There was a time, perhaps, that I felt I wasn't truly doing my part for public education.
From 1999 until 2002, I lived in Virginia. It's for lovers, sure, but it's also a lottery state.
How many times did I play the lottery while I was there?!?
Zero. Zero would be the correct answer.
Then, I moved back to North Carolina. No lottery, so no guilt.

Dear editor: Have you heard of the constitutional amendments that will be on the next ballot for the midterms? North Carolina voters will decide three proposed amendments to the State Constitution in the Nov. 3, 2026 general election. And they have strong scam vibes.
Let's break them down:
State income taxes: They want to slash the maximum tax rate allowed by our Constitution, dropping it from 7% all the way down to 3.5%. Where's the scam?

Dear editor: This letter responds to a comment that I made questioning the constitutionality of Medicaid and Medicare. In response to my comment, someone cited Article I, Section 8, Paragraph 1, implying that the General Welfare Clause in this section gives Congress that power.
Like the commenter, most people believe that the General Welfare Clause in Article I, Section 8, Paragraph 1 of the Constitution grants Congress the power to enact any law that it deems to be in the "general welfare."

LOUISBURG -- The Franklin County Firefighters Association is hosting a 9/11 ceremony on Friday -- recognizing the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks that killed thousands.
On Sept. 11, 2001, terrorists hijacked four commercial planes, crashing two into the World Trade Center in New York and one into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C..

LOUISBURG -- Emergency crews gave the all clear Wednesday morning, about two hours after a gas leak behind the courthouse forced a three-block evacuation in the heart of downtown.
According to authorities, a construction crew working on the judicial complex hit a gas line behind the courthouse annex on Church Street at about 9:30 a.m.
First responders evacuated both courthouses, Louisburg Town Hall and buildings for two or three blocks in the surrounding area, said Franklin County Spokesperson James Hicks.

RALEIGH -- More than a dozen Franklin County 4-H'ers attended the NC 4-H Congress this summer, spending a week on NC State's campus.
They participated in presentations, leadership workshops, teaching workshops, community service projects, campus tours, officer inductions, a silent disco and banquet/dance.
Kendal Thornburg and Sophia Bobbitt served as officers for 2025-2026 Northeast District and Meredith Potter served as the state 4-H Vice President for 2025-2026.

On June, 14 youth participated in the Northeast District 4-H District Activity Day, making presentations and demonstrating their public speaking skills. They were competing for the chance to attend NC 4-H State Presentations. Franklin County 4-H brought home seven Gold, two Silver and three Bronze medals.

LOUISBURG -- Over the summer, young people with Franklin County 4-H visited the Louisburg Fire-Police-Rescue Museum.
Visitors got the opportunity to step back in time to visit "Maude" the first fire engine for Louisburg in 1921.
Riders got to ring her bell and explore the museum with all the artifacts.

Franklinton, NC -- Funeral services for Barbara T. Jones, age 94, who died on Friday, September 4, 2026, will be held on Saturday, September 12, at 11 a.m. from the First United Church of Christ in Franklinton, NC.

LOUISBURG, NC --Funeral services for James E. Edgerton, age 82, who died on Thursday, September 3, 2026, will be held on Thursday, September 10, at 2 p.m. from the Hickory Grove Missionary Baptist Church in Castalia, NC, with Rev. Dean Jones presiding. Burial will follow in the Hickory Grove Missionary Baptist Church cemetery.