Archives

LOUISBURG -- In many ways, Seneca County, New York is worlds away from Franklin County.
They are separated by three states, at least 572 miles and more than 10 hours by car.
Upon closer inspection, though, they are both rural communities, with strong agricultural ties.
Beginning next month, the man who steered behavioral health and rehabilitation efforts in that upstate New York community -- Scott LaVigne -- will be in charge of Franklin County's Health Department, overseeing a host of services, ranging from home health to public health to clinic services.

Allen de Hart, a genteel force whose generosity and perseverance brought culture, an appreciation for history and nature, and a legacy of environmental stewardship to Louisburg College, died Oct. 14.
De Hart, 90, professor emeritus of history, was one of the most influential people in the college's 229-year-old history and an active advocate for the arts in Franklin County.

LOUISBURG -- A small Wake Forest company got a chance to relocate to Louisburg -- and perhaps expand -- thanks to action taken by the Louisburg town council Monday night.
The council unanimously passed an amendment to the Louisburg Zoning Ordinance allowing anodizing as a permitted use in the B-1 District.
That will allow R & M Metalworks to relocate to the South Elm Street building that previously housed Mullis Millworks.

LOUISBURG -- Safe Space, a non-profit domestic violence agency serving Franklin County, will host a candlelight vigil tonight.
The 18th Annual Candlelight Vigil on Thursday, Oct. 20, at 7 p.m. in the lobby of the Dickson Auditorium of Louisburg College is set up to remember victims and survivors of domestic violence.
For additional information about the event, or Safe Space services, visit the Safe Space website at www.ncsafespace.org or they can be reached at (919) 497-5599.

Commissioners select Duke Lifepoint for county medical care

'Meet and Greet' date corrected; it is Oct. 27

YOUNGSVILLE -- Contractors are knee deep in town hall/police department renovations.
It's a welcome sight for town officials and staff who first began looking at the need for a new town hall and police department space more than a year ago.
"We have a building permit, and we actually have progress," said Police Chief Darin Kirts, who has relied upon his background in contracting to guide the project along.

Franklinton resident Douglas Wooten

It was sad but somehow fitting that we -- Donna, Nick and I -- had just returned from a hike to visit Virginia's Natural Bridge area when we learned of the passing of one of Franklin County's icons and good friend, Allen de Hart.
De Hart was an avid hiker, author, retired professor and creator of gardens in both North Carolina and Virginia which he donated to Louisburg and Ferrum colleges a few years ago.

Granted it's probably already too late for this level of out-of-the-box thinking but stick with us for a minute just in case.
As virtually everyone in Franklin County knows by now, three companies are interested in providing some level of health care in Franklin County after we were so unceremoniously abandoned by Novant Healthcare about a year ago.
In a nutshell, these three companies are looking at leasing the 60-year-old Franklin Medical Center and re-creating the emergency room, reopening a few acute care hospital rooms and using a lot of the facility for behavioral health care needs.

When I graduated college after four and a half years, I was dead broke.
And, it was the best feeling in the world.
I come from a hard-working family, but paying for two kids in college would have been a stress and a financial situation that might have been just beyond us.
Fortunately, I had a steady part-time job through much of high school and all through college.

Today is the first day (albeit limited) of early voting in North Carolina.
It is also the last day to present new issues in this newspaper and still abide by its policy, designed to prevent the raising of a last-minute issue that cannot be replied to.
After some pondering I decided to provide my readers with an economic capsule case against the radical Republican regime in Raleigh that has tarnished this state's national and international reputation.

He is a liar, she is a crook. Would you like to read a big juicy story about corruption or a sex scandal?
Well, then this one is not what you are looking for. Turn the TV on or pick up another paper, I am sure you will find that story.
Those stories are easy to write; they boost ratings, entertain the masses, and sell really well. They are about as challenging to craft as it is to open a can of peas.
I promise this story is not going to be very entertaining.

FRANKLINTON --Funeral services for Archie Alvin "Bro" Alston, 73, who died Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2016, were held Monday, Oct. 17, at Mt. Moriah Baptist Church in Louisburg. Burial followed in the Sandhills Veterans Cemetery in Spring Lake.

WASHINGTON, DC- Funeral services for Frederick Cecil "Jack" Richardson, 50, who died Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2016, will be held Saturday, Oct. 15, at 12 p.m. in the Richardson Funeral Home Chapel in Louisburg. Burial will follow in the Perry's Missionary Church cemetery.

SPRING HOPE - Funeral services for Marvin Donel Richardson, 47, who died Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2016, were held Wednesday, Oct. 19, at Pine Chapel Baptist Church in Hollister. Burial followed in the Pine Chapel Church cemetery.

LOUISBURG - Shirley Jean Hawkins Williams, 75, died Sunday, Oct 16, 2016, at Wake Med in Raleigh. A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 22, at Haywood Baptist Church. Interment will follow in the church cemetery.

LOUISBURG -- It's no longer the 'Big Three' in the Region X women's soccer standings, which could make for some interesting matches when the league holds its annual tournament next week.
For years, the trio of Louisburg College, Cape Fear Community College and Spartanburg Methodist College have teamed up to rule the competitive conference.
But recent growth within the programs at Patrick Henry, Wake Tech and USC-Lancaster have made the region much more balanced.

ROANOKE RAPIDS -- Two teams with one combined loss. A share of first place in the Northern Carolina Conference at stake. An overflow crowd at one of the state's most storied gridiron venues. Bunn's first game since legendary coach David Howle announced that he would be retiring at the end of the season.
And a star player for one club -- Bunn's D.J. Jones -- who was a former standout at the opposing school (Roanoke Rapids) before transferring to BHS last year.
Certainly, the Bunn-Roanoke Rapids showdown last Friday had plenty of subplots, and it delivered in entertainment value before the Wildcats rallied in the second half to defeat the Jackets 28-17 in a hard-fought NCC event at RR's historic Hoyle Field.

LOUISBURG -- Louisburg High School has made it through the regular season of volleyball with a perfect record -- but veteran head coach Erica Wammock hopes the best is yet to come.
Certainly, Wammock is thrilled by the 22-0 regular season, which was capped Monday when LHS clinched the Tar-Roanoke Athletic Conference crown with a three-game sweep at rival Granville Central.

BUNN -- Franklinton roared to a successful defense of its Franklin County Cross Country Championships last Friday -- and even put together some personal bests as part of the festivities.
Both individual winners put together PRs, including FHS' Baretta Exley, who won the boys event with a time of 17:53.99.
It was the first time that Exley, a junior, has gone below the 18-minute mark during his distance career.

LOUISBURG -- For most of the season, the Louisburg College men's and women's cross country squads have been training hard to peak for the postseason -- and that moment will begin Saturday.
Louisburg will serve as the host for the annual Region X Cross Country Championships, which will be held Saturday morning at Owens Park in Louisburg (the former Bull Creek Golf Course).

FRANKLINTON -- Needing a victory to stay alive in the Northern Carolina Conference football race, the Franklinton Red Rams came up with one last Friday -- but it certainly didn't come easily.
Instead, Franklinton and Warren County dueled into double overtime before the host Red Rams used a 13-yard touchdown run from Tyreese Williams to defeat the Eagles by a 41-35 total at the FHS Football Field.

GASTON -- Louisburg prepped for its key Tar-Roanoke Athletic Conference football showdown this Friday at Granville Central by picking up another league decision last Friday.
The Warriors broke open a tight game at halftime and went on to defeat homestanding KIPP Pride by a 42-20 margin in Northampton County.
Louisburg is now 4-3 overall and 2-0 in the TRAC heading into the meeting at Granville Central, which will feature first place in the conference going to the winner.

CHAPEL HILL - The North Carolina High School Athletic Association Board of Directors and Commissioner Que Tucker have made the difficult decision to move playoff dates following historic flooding in many parts of Eastern North Carolina.
"The logistics of moving the fall championships dates, especially this close to the events are complex; however, we must do everything in our power to do what is best for our student-athletes in the state," Tucker said.

GREENVILLE -- East Carolina University's 2016-17 baseball recruiting class has garnered a No. 23 national ranking by Baseball America.
It's the first time in the programs history the Pirates have been tabbed with a Top 25 recruiting ranking by Baseball America.
The 2016-17 recruiting class consists of three infielders (Nick Barber, Spencer Brickhouse and Bryant Packard), one catcher (Zack Moore), four outfielders (Dusty Baker, Tyler Edwards, Andrew Henrickson and TJ Riles) and six pitchers (Jake Agnos, Trey Benton, Hunter Britt, Hunter Hood, Ryan Ross, Tyler Smith).

WILSON -- For the 5th consecutive year, the Wilson Tobs will be hosting a college diamond prospects camp for area high school baseball players.
The event will be held Nov. 3 from 4-7:30 p.m. at Fleming Stadium in Wilson.
The prospects camp is an ideal opportunity for young student-athletes to showcase their baseball skills for one last time before the NCAA dead period, which starts November 7.

The Youngsville Heat Travel Baseball Team recently won its first tournament on the 9-Under level at the Top Gun Fight for the Girls Breast Cancer Awareness Zone Qualifier after previously excelling in Coach-Pitch. The Heat defeated the Wake Venom 18-3 in the Silver Bracket championship game in Angier.

The Youngsville Punishers Travel Baseball Team recently won the Gold Bracket in the 11-Under Division at the Top Gun Tournament. The Punishers are affiliated with the Youngsville Parks and Recreation Department.

Bunn High School's Octavio Acuna takes part in the annual Franklin County Cross Country Championships last Friday at Vollmer Farm in Bunn.

The Youngsville Hitmen Baseball Team recently won the the 12-Under Division at the AAU Hold Bracket Tournament. The Hitmen are affiliated with the Youngsville Parks and Recreation Department.

The world-famous Glenn Miller Orchestra will perform on the campus of Louisburg College beginning at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 21. With its unique jazz sound and hits, including "In The Mood," "Tuxedo Junction," "Little Brown Jug," and "Pennsylvania 6-5000," the group is considered to be one of the greatest bands of all time.
This concert will take place in the Frances Boyette Dickson Auditorium in Louisburg College's Seby B. Jones Performing Arts Center (JPAC). Tickets are available by calling the Louisburg College box office at (919) 497-3300 or toll-free at 1-866-773-6354.

Amy Morgan of Louisburg and David Meffert of Swansboro announce the engagement of their daughter, Haleigh Morgan Meffert to Adrian Scott Tharrington of Louisburg, the son of Adrian Tharrington and the late Kimberly Smith. The wedding will take place on June 17, 2017 at Sandy Creek Baptist Church, Louisburg.

Hurricane Matthew blew through Franklin County Saturday, Oct. 8, and forced the Franklin County Arts Council Photography Guild to cancel its reception for its fourth annual photography show.
But, not before the 28 photos entered by nine local photographers were hung and judged on Friday night.
Jim Liestman was the big winner this year.

LOUISBURG -- The Franklin County Board of Education got a new look at its current budget last week after the district's new Chief of Finance, Doug Hale, explained the format he is using.
The numbers are essentially the same but the way the budget is being compiled is what Hale hopes will turn it into a more effective tool for school board members and administrators.

CONCORD -- The Cannon Foundation Board of Directors recently approved a $150,000 grant to the Vance-Granville Community College Endowment Fund to renovate a 3,200-square-foot space on the college's Main Campus for an Emergency Simulation Lab.
The new lab will enable law enforcement and emergency services departments in Vance, Granville, Franklin and Warren counties to train and certify their current and future public safety workers using a realistic scenario-based curriculum in a controlled environment.

YOUNGSVILLE -- The most recent town meeting featured a call to service and a means to trumpet the town's accomplishments.
If the call to service isn't heeded, though, one of the town's mainstay events could go away.
During the meeting, resident Keith Falt, Lila Hedlund with the Youngsville Woman's Club and David Jerose, past president of the Youngsville Kiwanis Club, asked officials and residents to be more outspoken about activities going on in the community, while also putting out a call to volunteer.

FRANKLINTON -- Over a meal of hot dogs and hamburgers, and through games and music, residents got together this past weekend in an effort to unify many corners of the community.
The Unity & Surrounding Churches, made up of half dozen churches in the area, organized the event, which featured messages from church leaders, elected officials, town representatives and law enforcement.

FRANKLINTON -- Within a week, three people were killed on Franklin County roads, including one hit and run where authorities are still looking for the assailant.
The most recent was a two-vehicle accident Tuesday afternoon at the intersection of U.S. 1 and U.S. 1-A, just south of Franklinton.
According to the State Highway Patrol, a 49-year-old Indian Trail woman was pulling out from 1-A onto U.S. 1 when she drove her Ford Mustang into the path of a Hyundai heading north on U.S. 1 at about 1:30 p.m.

LOUISBURG -- Sheriff's deputies arrested a Louisburg man on charges that he stole school fundraising money.
According to authorities, the principal at Louisburg Elementary School became suspicious on Oct. 16 that money from a cookie dough fundraiser was missing.
Surveillance footage revealed that someone was taking money that was placed inside envelopes that were set aside for the fundraising money.
That suspect was identified as 21-year-old Markee T. Burnette and he was arrested Tuesday.