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YOUNGSVILLE -- U.S. 401 has withstood a number of hurricanes, but a torrential downpour last Saturday forced rushing water downstream, buckled a culvert and dropped a roughly 40-foot section of the two-lane highway into the Little River near the Franklin-Wake County line.
Department of Transportation officials anticipate it won't be open to through traffic until the end of July or early August.

The Franklin County Board of Education tentatively settled on a contractor for the Louisburg High School athletic complex Monday night after disqualifying two bidders for defects in their bid documents.
When the dust settled, the school board unanimously agreed that Daniels and Daniels Construction Co., Inc., of Goldsboro was the lowest responsive and responsible bidder.

LOUISURG -- More than 600 students from the county's three high schools crossed stages this weekend, earning the right to call themselves high school graduates.
Crossing the stage is just the first of many feats that Bunn High salutatorian Katelynn Roark figures she and her fellow 214 graduates will accomplish.
Bunn High kicked off a trio of graduations on Saturday at 10 a.m. at Louisburg College's auditorium.

LOUISBURG -- Franklin County Commissioners adopted a revised budget that erased a proposed tax increase and slashed some governmental resources.
The sheriff's office sustained a third of the $1.3 million in reductions.
On May 20, County Manager Angela Harris presented a budget that proposed to raise taxes, use general fund money to hire 18 full-time employees, get new vehicles and provide departments with a host of resources in a growing county.

Rashaad Petty, Seven Months Old

While writing the story about the long-awaited and greatly needed new athletic field complex at Louisburg High School last week, I realized there was one thing missing.
It appears that construction bids for the first phase of the complex are in line and that construction money is available.

Some say that a picture is worth a thousand words.
And we're not talking selfies, here.
But some pictures do tend to tell a story as well as words -- which is one of the reasons there have been photographs in newspapers almost since there were photographs.

In a previous column, my boss wrote a column about the inevitable brain drain that happens in counties and communities like Franklin -- where higher education and employment opportunities most often take our high school graduates from Franklin County, only to return for visits and, perhaps, retirement.
Those things may eventually change in this community, and I hope that they do.

KITTRELL--Funeral services for Brenda L. Davis, 57, who died Saturday June 8, 2019, will be held Saturday, June 15, at 1 p.m. at Jones Chapel Missionary Baptist Church in Louisburg.

ENFIELD--Funeral services for Maggie Beatrice "Bea" Carter Evans, 79, who died on Sunday, June 9, 2019, will be held Saturday, June 15, at 12 p.m. at Social Union Baptist Church in Nashville with Apostle Allen H. Simmons officiating. Burial will follow in the Pleasure Church cemetery.

CARY--Naomi Lee Holmes Teasley, 73, died Friday, May 31, 2019 at her residence. Funeral service was held Friday, June 7, at Kinches Chapel Christian Church in Franklinton. Burial followed in the church cemetery.

LOUISBURG--Richard John Leya, 86, of Wake Forest, died Monday, June 10, 2019 at Transitions LifeCare of Raleigh. A memorial service will be held Saturday, June 22, at 11 a.m. at Zebulon United Methodist Church, with the Rev. Clyde Denny officiating.

LOUISBURG - Treva Diane Driver, 51, of Louisburg, died Tuesday evening, June 4, 2019. A funeral service was held Friday, June 7, in the chapel of Strickland Funeral Home.

FRANKLINTON -- Franklinton's outdoor track and field depth was tested this spring due to injuries -- but FHS head coach Clennie Wilkins was able to find that depth, thanks in part to one veteran and one newcomer.
The veteran was four-year middle distance standout Lauren Esselborn, while the newcomer was Grace Petty, a transfer from Rolesville High School who made an instant impact.

Franklinton High School's Grace Petty signs a letter-of-intent to join the track and field program at Fayetteville State. Also pictured are (back, l to r) FHS assistant coach Ben Snelling and FHS head coach Clennie Wilkins; (front, l to r) Neh Petty (mother), Julian Petty (father) and Rashaad Petty (nephew).

FRANKLINTON -- Franklinton's Red Rams made plenty of upward progress this season in the Big East Conference as part of Donnie Ray's initial campaign as the school's head baseball coach.
And there is promise for the future as FHS fielding a strong junior varsity squad in 2019 -- and Cedar Creek Middle School is coming off back-to-back league championships in the Middle Athletic Conference.

LOUISBURG -- Another former Louisburg College standout pitcher has been selected in the 2019 Major League Baseball Draft.
Jason Parker, who was a member of LC's starting rotation during the 2017 and '18 seasons, was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the 16th Round (474th overall).
Like former LC teammate Seth Johnson (who was taken 40th overall in the Supplemental First Round by Tampa), Parker was predominately a position player in high school, starring in the outfield at West Craven High School near New Bern.

LOUISBURG -- Accolades continue to pour in for the Louisburg College softball team after its star-studded 2019 campaign.
LC, coached by Eric Lee, went 38-11 overall and won the Region X Tournament Championship en route to competing in the National Junior College Athletic Association Division II National Tournament, where the Lady Hurricanes reached the Elite Eight.

LOUISBURG -- Jim's Cricket Ranch recently held its annual Kids Fishing Contest for ages 12 and younger.
There were four categories for largest catch in the following types of fish:
• Bass
• Bluegill

CARSON CHAMPION - BIGGEST BASS

LOUISVILLE, KY. -- Bobby Miller tossed eight innings of one-hit ball while flirting with a no-hitter and helped No. 7 Louisville to a Super Baseball Regional clinching win, 12-0, over East Carolina University last Saturday afternoon at Jim Patterson Stadium in the Bluegrass State.
With the win, the Cardinals (49-16) advance to their fifth Men's College World Series since 2007 while the Pirates (47-18) saw their season come to an end.

BUNN -- After a slow start to the 2019 campaign, the Bunn Ladycats were able to find their footing -- and raced all the way to the second round of the Class 2-A Girls Soccer State Playoffs.
The Ladycats, led by senior offensive threats Morgan Williamson, Alex Husinko and Rachel Alford, went 9-6 overall and 8-4 in the Northern Carolina Conference -- a mark that was good for third place.

The spring concert season at Cherry Hill continues on June 16 with the annual student recital, performed this year by outstanding pianist Timothy Jones.
His program will consist of music of Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt, and Grieg.
The 3 p.m. performance is one of two free concerts sponsored by the Cherry Hill Historic Foundation each year. A reception will follow the performance.

Two new principals were hired for Franklin County elementary schools for the 2019-2020 school year during Monday night's school board.
Frank Wiggins Jr. is the new principal of Youngsville Elementary School; and, Jamie Wilkerson is the new principal of Franklinton Elementary School.
"We are excited to welcome Mr. Wiggins and Ms. Wilkerson to their new leadership positions within our District," said Dr. Rhonda Schuhler, superintendent of Franklin County Schools.

YOUNGSVILLE -- Youngsville officials and staff will soon begin their hunt for a new police chief.
Daren Kirts retired from that post, abruptly, on June 5 after submitting a letter to Town Administrator Phillip Cordeiro.
"We were going to announce it at the [June 13] board meeting and thank him for his service to the community," Cordeiro said last week.

LOUISBURG -- Two people were rushed to the hospital, one by land, the other by air, following a two-vehicle spinning crash on Monday.
According to Trooper J.T. Southerland, Jerlean Alston, 57, of Castalia, was heading east on N.C. 56 near Leonard Farm Road when the 2006 Jeep Liberty she was driving hydroplaned just before 2 p.m.

LOUISBURG -- The Franklin County Board of Elections will hold two educational seminars about voter photo identification requirements.
The first is slated for Thursday, June 20, at 6 p.m. at Cedar Creek Middle School in the cafetorium.
The address is 2228 Cedar Creek Road, Youngsville.

SAN ANTONIO -- U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Luke T. Gabbert graduated from basic military training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, San Antonio, Texas.
Gabbert completed an intensive, eight-week program that included training in military discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness, and basic warfare principles and skills.

The Taekwondo Grandmasters Society recently hosted its 14th Annual Hall of Fame Award event in Chicago, IL. The event was held at Crowne Plaza Chicago O'Hare and attracted over 300 masters and grandmasters from across the country. The organization honored 10 grandmasters for their lifetime dedication to the art of Taekwondo and their teaching.

KITTRELL -- A Vance County man died in a single vehicle wreck in Franklin County last Saturday -- just 3 miles shy of his home.
Charles Franklin Stone, 62, died at the hospital as a result of injuries sustained in the single-vehicle wreck.
According to a report by Trooper D.J. Ball, Stone was driving a 2002 Chevy Silverado west on Rocky Ford Road just before 5 p.m. on June 8 when he rounded a curve and ran off the road to the right.