Recent Articles

LOUISBURG, NC -- Sharon Mabrey Gourley, 50, of Louisburg passed away peacefully at her home surrounded by her family. She was born on November 16, 1975 to the late Timothy and Brenda Grady Mabrey in Wake County, NC. In addition to her parents, Sharon is preceded in death by her son, Jacob Gourley, her maternal grandmother Lula Gray, and her father-in-law, Paul Gourley Sr.

Nashville, NC -- Funeral services for Annie B. Lynch Richardson, age 93, who died June 7, 2026, were held Sunday, June 14, at 2 p.m. at Social Union Baptist Church in Nashville, NC.

Louisburg, NC -- Charles Leonard Watkins, 86, passed away on Tuesday evening, June 9, 2026 at his home surrounded by his family.

Franklinton, NC -- Funeral services for Tyrone Wall Sr., age 58, who died on Sunday, June 7, 2026, will be held Saturday, June 20, at 2 p.m. from the Franklinton Elementary School gymnasium, Franklinton, NC.

Louisburg, NC -- Funeral services for Kevin L. Dunn, age 48, who died on Saturday, June 6, 2026, were held Wednesday, June 17, at 1 p.m. from the Richardson Funeral Home Chapel, Louisburg, NC.

Louisburg, NC -- Funeral services for Melvin Alston Jr., age 92, who died on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, will be held Saturday, June 20, at 11 a.m. from the Richardson Funeral Home Chapel, Louisburg, NC.

BUNN, NC -- Tracy Lynne Winstead, 62, of Bunn, passed away Friday evening, June 12th, 2026.

Franklinton, NC -- Douglas Allen Eso, 79, of Franklinton, passed away Sunday evening, June 14th at the Durham VA Medical Center.

LOUISBURG, NC -- Her spirit was strong, but her body weak. Lucille Mae Clifton, 89, passed away June 10, 2026, peacefully taking her last breath with faith.

FRANKLINTON, NC -- Conerd K. Frederickson, 84, of Franklinton, passed away at his home on Saturday, June 13, 2026.

KITTRELL - John Allison Rogers, 95, of Kittrell, North Carolina, passed peacefully into his heavenly home on June 17, 2026.

LOUISBURG -- Town Fire Chief Russell Fuller informed the Town Council that some past transgressions could affect its future fire rating.
During the council's June 4 budget session, officials discussed the prospect of raising the town's fire tax to help cover the purchase of land for a new fire station south of town.
That discussion prompted a question about the state of the department and its upcoming review by the Office of the State Fire Marshal -- whose rating reflects a department's capability and determines what property owners pay for fire insurance premiums.

LOUISBURG -- Beverly Kegley was born upon the soil of Kentucky.
But, last week, she solidified her roots in North Carolina when she received the Order of the Long Leaf Pine -- among the most prestigious awards presented by the governor of North Carolina.
"To be recognized in this way by the State of North Carolina is something I never expected and will treasure for the rest of my life," Kegley said, noting that she never would have gotten this achievement without the support of family and friends who have supported her and her community service.

LOUISBURG -- Long-simmering allegations of disciplinary problems at Franklinton High School again came to the forefront at a Board of Education meeting when two parents demanded answers and data about the situation at the school.
The requests came from Gary and Jennie Tober -- and their requests were met with stoney silence from the school board which is the usual greeting those using the "public speaks" portion of the meeting receive.

LOUISBURG -- Earlier this year, the Franklin County commissioners considered disbanding the Franklin County Historic Preservation Commission (HPC), but after a large group of citizens attended its April 6 meeting in support of maintaining the HPC, the board gave them 120 days to find seven new members and to develop a plan of action for the future.

LOUISBURG -- The Louisburg Town Council took at peek at the future -- and decided to endorse one project and then learned more about efforts to improve town economic development efforts.
The council endorsed the Oasis Protect that has been months in development, according to Beverly Kegley, one of the principals.
She, Rev. Chris Fair and Carlos Geyer gave the council an overview of what Oasis is and how it is developing.

Shirley Hicks at the most recent Relay for Life

Slipped out of the office for a couple of days last week -- and driving past Falls Lake a couple of times was a real eye-opener.
Anyone who gardens, has a lawn, grows flowers or just spends a little time outside knows that it is dry out there.
In fact, those who keep such records say that this year's rainfall since January is at least a foot below normal.
Hopefully, by the time you are reading this -- and if the weather prognosticators are at least partially correct -- we'll have gotten a bit of much-needed rain.

A few weeks ago, I wrote a column about a recent, testy Franklin County Board of Commissioners meeting where the prospect of removal arose.
I also noted that something similar happened in 2023.
My takeaway was that it was weird that government meetings could elicit such passions.
But, then again, I'm not surprised.

Transparency in local government is not merely a democratic ideal; it is the bedrock of fiscal responsibility.
Having recently attended the Louisburg Town Council special meeting regarding the 2026-2027 budget, I found myself compelled to share my findings. With a 32-year Naval career -- including serving as Commanding Officer of a floating city -- and over 20 years of experience in high-level budget analysis and review, I do not make these observations lightly.

Dear editor: During the June 1st commissioner's meeting, Vice Chair Michael Shriver requested the Finance Manager provide a comprehensive overview of the budget amendment to ensure transparency.
After discussing general accounting adjustments, an unmentioned budget item was a $70,000 allocation for additional legal and professional fees.

Wyatt Pearce, a senior at Millbrook High School, signs a scholarship grant in aid with East Carolina University where he plans to run track next year. In his four years running track and cross county at Millbrook, Wyatt holds several school and conference records, has garnered all tournament, all region and all state honors, was named conference runner of the year and has won a state championship. Shown here at the signing (above) are (left to right) his sister Alice Jane, mom Kelly, Wyatt, his dad Jason, and his sister, Lucy.

Thirteen Franklin County students were honored by the county Board of Education Monday night for exemplifying "courage and determination" last month.
Honored students were:
•De'Marco Alston, a Bunn High School senior.
•Analy Francisco Ramirez, a Franklinton Elementary third grader.