Showing 32 articles from
July 28, 2009.
FRONT PAGE
TREE HOUSE. A wind storm that flashed through Franklin County over the weekend caused a tree to nearly smash through a home on Edward Best Road.
By: CAREY JOHNSON, Times Staff Writer
A microburst of wind and rain slammed down in central Franklin County on Sunday evening, snapping power poles like toothpicks and nearly sending a tree through a house.
No injuries were reported, but Ed Boone was taken to Franklin Regional Medical Center for safety after a tree crashed into the ceiling of his Edward Best Road home.
“He’s alive by the grace of God,” said Boone’s son, Jimmy. He was at the house on Monday, surveying the damage.
The storm uprooted about 15 trees and twisted the metal roofs of a handful of outbuildings.
By: CAREY JOHNSON, Times Staff Writer
Investigators allege a Spring Hope woman who went to Ohio in hopes of starting a new life was abusing drugs before a man dumped her body in a rocky village.
Scioto County sheriff’s deputies arrested Ohioan Richard E. Howard on Friday, charging him with the death of Nichole Alloway, 20, of Spring Hope.
Alloway had gone to Portsmouth, Ohio, in May to meet a man she encountered on the Internet.
Weeks after meeting, the relationship went sour.
By: GARY CUNARD, Times Publisher
When Franklin County schools get fully cranked up in late August, there will be 15 fewer teachers teaching an anticipated 34 more students than attended the school district last year.
That was the word Monday night as Doug Moore, assistant superintendent for business and finance, briefed the board on how administrators are dealing with the economic crunch caused by the recession.
Chiding state officials, Moore told the board, “the big news is we’re still waiting on a state budget,” but quickly added that “we can’t wait any longer to hire teachers, estimate class sizes and assign students” as well as a number of other tasks necessary before students on the traditional school calendar return Aug. 25. Youngsville, on a year-round calendar, began classes last Friday.
Firefighters were able to douse a fire before it was able to significantly damage a business. Louisburg and area firefighters were called out to D.A. Thomas’s construction offices on N.C. 56 a little after 5 p.m. on Monday to extinguish an attic fire that authorities believe was caused by a lightning strike. Investigators said the fire caused about $2,500 worth of damage, mostly to sheetrock and insulation. The structure was not compromised. There were workers inside, but no injuries were reported.
By: CAREY JOHNSON, Times Staff Writer
Since Franklin County’s unemployment rate hit 10 percent, the rate of people out of work hasn’t fluctuated a whole lot.
The state’s Employment Security Commission released figures for June and 2,988 of those in the labor force were out of work.
That accounts for a 10.7 percent unemployment rate — a slight uptick from May’s 10.6 percent unemployment rate.
The rate hit 10 percent in January and was as high as 11 percent in February.
Since then, it has settled in between 10.6 percent and 10.8 percent in the spring.
Gavin and Rainna Yarborough at park
OPINIONS/EDITORIALS
We’ve all been hearing for several years that we are part of something called a global economy -- and, to be sure, definitions of exactly what that global economy is can differ greatly.
But, when all the “chaff” is removed, the bottom line of most definitions is that education will be the key to a better future for all of us -- and the younger the person, the more critical education is said to be.
Yet, it’s amazing to us that such a message is still not getting through to our young people -- those who would benefit most from a solid education -- and to their parents and other family members who often hold one of the keys to a child’s success in school.
GOOD MORNING: That series of thunderstorms that roared through the area early Sunday night proved to be pretty much of a bust for me. Except for a lot of thunder and barely a trace of rain, that was about it out my way.
It was a different story for Edward Boone and others in the Justice and Seven Paths area east of Louisburg Sunday night, however, where trees and electric power lines were downed resulting in widespread power outages that included Louisburg and vicinity.
I always chuckle when someone says this nation’s pastime is baseball.
It’s a grand sport, for sure, and I have taken in my share of minor league baseball games.
But, as long as I’ve been a reporter, I’ve learned there is no greater spectator sport than complaining — particularly complaining about politicians.
In all my years, I’ve not met one person — who wasn’t a spouse of a politician — who had anything truly nice to say about this country’s elected.
Last Week’s Poll
Internet Social Sites Healthy?
Are Internet social sites like FaceBook, MySpace and Twitter playing too big a part in today’s society and culture?
To paraphrase the late Paul Harvey, you know what the news is concerning the school governance lawsuit. Now you are going to hear the rest of the story.
Governor Dan K. Moore knew it. So did Legislators and government insiders. North Carolina’s Constitution was badly in need of revision. Our state had functioned with only two constitutions. The first, drawn in 1776, set out guidelines for this newly declared state. It was greatly modified to give the public more voice in government in 1835 and further modified in 1861, when we reluctantly seceded from the Union.
By: Janet Cowell, State Treasurer of North Carolina
Owning a home is one of life’s most important milestones, but what happens when an unexpected financial difficulty puts your home in jeopardy?
Linda, a Wake County homeowner, faced that situation when she lost her job early this year and fell three months behind in her mortgage.
Sadly, she is not the only North Carolinian facing this problem. Last year, there were nearly 54,000 foreclosures in the state, and that number is already closing in on 30,000 this year. With unemployment swelling and continued economic woes, that number could climb significantly.
OBITUARIES
ROCKY MOUNT — James M. Allen Jr., 74, formerly of Louisburg, died Sunday, July 26, 2009. Arrangements by Lancaster Funeral & Cremation Services, Louisburg.
LOUISBURG - Funeral services for Viola Trader, 71, who died Friday, July 24, 2009, will be conducted at 2 p.m. today (Wednesday, July 29) at Ambassadors for Christ Ministries, with the Rev. Barbara McKnight officiating.
RALEIGH - Coreen Ann Gregory, 64, died Friday, July 24, 2009 at Duke University Medical Center. A funeral service was conducted Tuesday, July 28, at Brown-Wynne Funeral Home Chapel, St. Mary’s St., Raleigh. Interment followed at Raleigh Memorial Park.
LOUISBURG - Richard Barbee Taylor Sr., 87, died at his home on Thursday, July 23, 2009. A memorial service to celebrate his life was conducted Monday, July 27, at First Presbyterian Church, Hargett St., Raleigh.
LOUISBURG - James Ross Collins, 23, died Thursday, July 23, 2009 in Rocky Mount. Services will be held at a later date.
LOUISBURG - Edna Edwards Ellington, 78, died Saturday, July 25, 2009 at Louisburg Nursing Center. Graveside services were held Monday, July 27, at Corinth Baptist Church cemetery.
GARNER - Joyce James Tyson, 75, died Saturday, July 25, 2009. Funeral services were conducted Sunday, July 26, in the Wilkerson Funeral Chapel in Greenville. Burial followed in Pinewood Memorial Park.
RALEIGH - Robert L. “Bob” Evans, 84, died Tuesday, July 14, 2009 at his home in Raleigh. A memorial service will be conducted on Saturday, Aug. 15, at 11 a.m. in the chapel at Gracelawn Memorial Park in New Castle, Del. Friends may greet the family at 10:30 a.m.
LOUISBURG – Larry Wayne Carter, 65, died Monday afternoon, July 27, 2009 at his home.
LOUISBURG - Louis Donald Cottrell of 2471 NC Hwy 39 N., Louisburg, went home to be with Jesus on Tuesday, July 28, 2009. Donald was preceded in death by his parents, H.B. and Doris C. Cottrell. A celebration of his life will be held Thursday, July 30, from Corinth Baptist Church with the Rev. Brent Farrar officiating. Burial will follow in Oakwood Cemetery.
ROCKY MOUNT - Beulah Lancaster Price, 91, passed away Friday, July 24th, 2009. She was born December 11th, 1917 in Nash County. She is preceded in death by her first husband, George Boulden, and her second husband, Jack Price.
LOUISBURG - Funeral services for Viola Trader, 71, who died Friday, July 24, 2009, will be conducted at 2 p.m. Wednesday, July 29, at Ambassadors for Christ Ministries, with the Rev. Barbara Mc-Knight officiating.
SPORTS
By: GEOFF NEVILLE, Times Sportswriter
LOUISBURG -- Crawford Bolton has become accustomed to team success on the baseball diamond, as evidenced by Louisburg High’s 79 victories during Bolton’s outstanding four-year career.
Over that span, LHS dropped just 18 contests, in part because of Bolton’s consistent play.
If winning is important to Bolton, he certainly chose the correct destination to continue his career on the collegiate level.
Bolton’s next stop will be at perennial power Mount Olive College -- one of the nation’s top Division II diamond programs.
FIRING ONE IN. Current Louisburg College and former Louisburg High School ace Brett Garrett was one of the key pitchers for the Triangle All-Stars at the Babe Ruth 18-Under State Baseball Tournament, which was held in Tarboro.
TARBORO -- The only way to get better is to take on the best -- or at least that’s how the old adage goes.
Such was the case for a handful of Franklin County diamond stalwarts at the annual Babe Ruth 18-Under Baseball Tournament, which concluded two weeks ago at Municipal Stadium in Edgecombe County.
Countians Brett Garrett, Crawford Bolton, Sport Williams, Brandon Yarborough, Brandon Williams and Casey Bolton were part of the Triangle All-Stars -- a squad that earned second place overall at the tournament.
FRANKLINTON -- Franklinton High School will conduct the first day of fall practice for its sports teams on the following dates:
• Football -- Aug. 1 at 8 a.m. (meet at the FHS Gymnasium)
• Boys Soccer -- Aug. 3 at 8 a.m. at the Franklinton Recreation Park
• Volleyball -- Aug. 3 at 5 p.m. at the FHS Gymnasium
• Cross Country -- Aug. 10 at 8 a.m. at the Franklinton Recreation Park
• Girls Tennis -- Aug. 10 at 9 a.m. at the FHS Tennis Courts
You’ve got questions. I really wish I had some answers.
With high school sports taking a hiatus for a few months, summertime talk usually revolves around speculation.
Everybody wants to know how their favorite prep team is going to be this fall, whether it be in football, volleyball of soccer.
I get asked a lot of questions about this in the summer. And usually, I don’t have any answers.
Which is the beauty of watching a season unfold, or seeing a team make progress.
HUNTSVILLE, ALA. -- David Welch tossed seven strong innings en route to his first win in nearly two months as Huntsville defeated Carolina 4-1 last Saturday before 5,782 fans at Joe Davis Stadium in a Class AA Southern League baseball matchup.
Welch (W, 5-7), who last beat West Tenn on June 5, allowed just a solo homer to Shaun Cumberland in the seventh inning.
Otherwise, Welch permitted five hits and fanned four as the Stars (13-17) shook loose from a fourth-place tie with the Mudcats (12-18).
COMMUNITY NEWS
By: Amanda Clark, Special to The Times
Rocky Mount Police are investigating the death of a 23-year-old man with Louisburg connections at Coastal Plains Hospital.
According to a police report, 23-year-old James R. Collins, who has ties to both Louisburg and Raleigh, was found dead in an isolation room by staff members at the hospital. The report states Collins had been dead for about six hours when he was discovered by staff and police were called. Collins’ body was sent to Pitt Memorial Hospital, where an autopsy will be done to determine the cause of death.
Above, Friends and family look on as Youngsville Mayor Sam Hardwick (right front), offers congratulations to owner Lindsay Smith during the ribbon cutting at the grand opening of the All About Kids Learning Center.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at the new All About Kids Learning Center, 1513 US 1 Highway in Youngsville (just north of the Youngsville Shopping Center), on Wednesday, July 22.
The Youngsville Area Business Association (YABA) hosted the event and Mayor Sam Hardwick joined owner Lindsay Smith for the ceremony. Operating hours are from 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday-Friday, for children from six weeks to 12 years old. There is also an after-school program.
|
