Recent Articles

Clayton, NC -- Funeral services for Zachary "Zack" Wilkins Sr., age 54, who died on Tuesday, January 21, 2025, were held Wednesday, January 29, at 1 p.m. from the Pine Chapel Baptist Church in Hollister. Burial followed in the Lynch Family Cemetery.

HENDERSON, NC -- Edward Allen Newton, 54, of Henderson (Epsom community), died unexpectedly on Wednesday, January 22, 2025 at his home. He was born on June 5, 1970, to Mr. Robert "Bobby" and Theresa Newton in Vance County.

NASHVILLE, NC -- Funeral services for Deryl Battle, age 68, who died on Thursday, January 23, 2025, will be held Thursday, January 30, at 12 p.m. from the Galatia AME Church in Nashville, NC with Pastor Cathy Kearney officiating.

Whitakers, NC -- Funeral services for Charlie Lewis Mills Sr., age 81, who died on Wednesday, January 15, 2025, were held 2 p.m., Friday, January 24, from the Trinity Missionary Baptist Church in Hollister with Pastor Al Cooper officiating. Burial followed in the Trinity Church Cemetery.

FRANKLINTON, NC -- John Thomas Montague, 62, was born to Evelyn Marie Montague in Wake County, North Carolina on March 6, 1962 and died January 24, 2025.

LOUISBURG, NC - William Eaton Champion, Sr., 92, of Louisburg, died Sunday, January 26, 2025 at the Durham VA Medical Center Heroes Way Hospice Unit.

LOUISBURG, NC -- Funeral services for Connie Faye Harris Richardson, age 70, who died on Saturday, January 25, 2025, was held Tuesday, January 28, at 11 a.m. from the Shady Grove Baptist Church in Louisburg, NC with Pastor John A. Hopkins, Sr. officiating. Burial will follow in the Shiloh Church Cemetery in Kittrell, NC.

LOUISBURG, NC -- Ms. Deborah Rose Bullock, 62, of Louisburg died Thursday, January 23, 2025. She was born on June 8, 1962 to Tommy and Sandra Pearce Bullock.

Franklinton, NC -- Raymond H. Huber Jr., 66, of Franklinton, NC passed away on Thursday, January 23, 2025 at Wake Med Hospital in Raleigh, NC with his family by his side.

LOUISBURG, NC -- Willis Frank Eatman, age 77, of Louisburg, passed away Friday evening, January 10, 2025 at WakeMed.

Louisburg, NC -- Ernest "Pete" Clemmon Burnette, 87, of Louisburg, passed away early Monday morning, January 27, 2025, at his home.

LOUISBURG -- One member of an elderly Alert couple accused of sexually assaulting a minor, and attempting to cover it up, is slated to appear in court next month.
Franklin County sheriff's deputies arrested Perry Moseley on Dec. 23, alleging the 80-year-old was responsible for sexually assaulting and taking indecent liberties with a child.

FRANKLINTON -- Town commissioners agreed to a rezoning that would make Novonesis expansion possible.
Company officials, though, told commissioners and residents they don't yet know what that development will be.
"We don't have any plans," said Mike Hess, senior manager of Regional Technical Strategy for the company formerly known as Novozymes.

FRANKLIN COUNTY -- Communities in Franklinton and Louisburg celebrated the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. -- being urged to be selfless, not selfish, and use God's gifts to move King's message of equality forward.
On Saturday, the Franklinton MLK Jr. Committee hosted its 19th annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebration at First Baptist Church.

LOUISBURG -- A Charlottesville, Va.-based energy development firm is months away from presenting a nearly 1,000-acre solar farm proposal to county commissioners.
But, Hexagon Energy Project Manager Ross Svetz said the Jan. 14 community meeting with neighbors appears to have been successful.

Will Doerfer takes the oath as Youngsville's assistant town manager

Newly hired Louisburg police officer Robert Maxbauer III, third from the left, was sworn in by Mayor Christopher Neal during the most recent town council meeting. Witnessing the ceremony were the officer's son, Carson, and his wife, Stephany.

LOUISBURG -- Prosecutors said they want to confer with federal authorities on a parallel-running case before they decide how they'll deal with a co-defendant in a series of armed robberies -- one of which included shooting at officers.
Back in October, authorities arrested Achontay Malik Cotten and three juveniles they allege used guns to rob Dollar General stores around Louisburg in early October.

LOUISBURG -- When the state dinged the county when the animal shelter illegally euthanized a dog, management fired the director and two other administrators.
They installed former sheriff Jerry Jones in September as the interim director, believing in his leadership and love for animals.
While Jones has done a considerable job to improve the shelter's culture, animal advocate Krista Duncan said he doesn't bring the one thing the shelter needs right now -- experience.

These Franklin County students were named to the Dean's List at North Carolina State University for the fall semester:
David Richard Oros, Alana Sofia Bengoa, Christian Joseph DiLorenzo, Zachary Thomas Lawson, Galen Day (Perfect 4.0 average), Caitlyn Ann Williams, (Perfect 4.0), Bethany Renee Lee (Perfect 4.0), Jarrett Parker Southall, Joshua Hering Glasheen, Isaac Elias Watkins, (Perfect 4.0), Victoria Gray Phillips, (Perfect 4.0), Hope Olivia Latta, Enya Leigh Jones (Perfect 4.0), Cameron James Middleton, (Perfect 4.0), Alexander Charles Kowalewski, Jacob Tyler Jones.

Pruning is the removal of plant parts to improve form and growth of plants. The reasons for pruning include: training, maintaining health, improving quality and controlling growth.
The first pruning of young trees and shrubs always consists of removing broken, crossing, and weak-structured branches.
Trees with a central leader (excurrent form), such as cedar, sweet gum, or pin oak, may need little or no pruning except to eliminate branches competing with the central leader.

BUNN -- In an effort to smooth out their plans for a basketball court and a combination tennis/pickleball court, town officials agreed to bring another surfacing contractor.
In the spring of 2024, the United Way of Franklin County pledge to provide leaders in Bunn, Franklinton and Louisburg with $35,000 each to build a basketball court in those communities.

Br-r-r-r, it's c-c-c-old outside.
Of course, it's also mid-January and, lest we forget, it's supposed to be cold out there.
That doesn't mean we all have to like it -- it just means that it's cold and we have to endure until spring makes its much anticipated arrival in several weeks.
In the meantime, just bundle up, stay warm and try to stay healthy because, here lately, the biggest threat from winter is the epidemic of viral diseases that seem to be everywhere and affecting almost everyone.

So, before I offer a well-intentioned critique, let me first give some flowers.
For nearly 20 years, members of the Franklinton MLK Jr. Committee, along with members of First Baptist Church, have hosted a service to honor the life and legacy of slain civil rights activist, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
And, for longer than that, REEP, the acronym for a grassroots organization that stands for Recreation Education Economics and Politics and/or the Franklin County NAACP, along with St. Paul Presbyterian Church have hosted an MLK service in Louisburg.

Dear editor: Six Flags over Georgia and Underground Atlanta were primary destinations for our vacation in August of 1973.
After thoroughly enjoying Six Flags, we went to Atlanta but discovered Underground Atlanta was closed for renovations.
The Georgia State Capitol building was nearby and we entered the building around 5 p.m. on Friday.