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LOUISBURG -- Two suspects accused of killing a Youngsville teen are slated to, again, appear in court.
The family of Hamilton Woods Jr. say they aren't the only two who should be facing justice.
Franklin County sheriff's deputies arrested Gavin Lloyd Miller, 18, and 19-year-old Dillon Thomas Piper -- charging them with second degree murder in Woods' Jan. 29 death.

LOUISBURG -- County commissioners agreed to support the Youngsville bypass, but refused to commit to any action that would let a subdivision leapfrog the allocation process.
In November, Youngsville commissioners adopted and agreed to forward a resolution to county commissioners, asking them to expedite water allocation for the Rolling Meadows subdivision -- which has committed itself to building a third of the Youngsville bypass when their buildout warrants.

BUNN -- Town commissioners officially said goodbye to long-time public servant and Commissioner Mack Jones.
Then, they announced that long-time resident and zoning board member Audrey Jones would be appointed to fill his vacancy.
During Monday's meeting, though, officials invited Jones' family to attend and shared with them his impact on the community.

LOUISBURG -- Louisburg College, in partnership with the Tar River Center for History and Culture and Preservation North Carolina, is hosting an exhibit recognizing Black architects and builders from across the state.
Louisburg craftsman Merlyn Macon, who died in 2009, is part of Preservation North Carolina's roving exhibit called We Built This -- recognizing African American builders and their contributions.

SPRING HOPE -- The State Highway Patrol continues to investigate the circumstances that left a truck submerged in a pond and two people dead inside.
Authorities confirmed that Joshua Autrey, 14, and Milton Ray Vick, 38, were found dead inside Vick's Dodge Ram truck, which apparently ran off the road and into the water.
The vehicle was found shortly after Autrey's family reported him missing at about 7:15 p.m. on Feb. 5.

Bunn HS senior wrestler Damarion Watkins

With all due respect to one of North Carolina's favorite sons, all I can say after trying to watch Sunday's Pro Bowl is that "what it was, wasn't football."
I suspect everyone has heard the late Andy Griffith's ode to the gridiron called "What it was, was football."
That was recorded in November, 1953, when Griffith portrayed a country preacher who finds himself watching a football game.

Last month, I watched a pretty preposterous plot play out.
It was about a troubled little girl who found comfort in her best friend.
It just turns out that her best friend was essentially an overprotective android with murderous tendencies.

Dear editor: The Feb. 2 edition of The Franklin Times included a letter from a reader titled, "Davos event filled with global elitists."
I agree with his anger at the 1,040 private jets that flew to a conference about climate change.
However, the writer also said, "If we are to take climate change seriously, we need to hear from someone other than the elitists that travel to Davos every year."

LOUISBURG, NC--Allie Perry Ayscue Jr., "Peter Rabbit" 77, of the Alert community died at his home on Tuesday, February 7, 2023. He was born on January 28, 1946 in Warren County, NC.

LOUISBURG, NC--Justin Lane "Tank" Williams, 27, of Louisburg died at his home Thursday, February 2, 2023.

WAKE FOREST, NC--Nancy DeWolfe Kyle, 65, of Wake Forest died Tuesday, January 31, 2023 at her home.

GREENSBORO - Admittedly, Bunn High School encountered a happy-to-be here situation at the 2022 Class 2-A State Dual Team Championships as the Wildcats reached heights nowhere near previously imaginable.
During that historic run, Bunn claimed the Class 2-A East Regional title at home to qualify for a state finals matchup with a powerful Bandys club.

BUNN -- Bunn's self-proclaimed 'Revenge Tour' took an unexpected journey last Wednesday to Vanceboro.
After being the number-one East Regional seed for the Class 2-A State Wrestling Tournament, the Wildcats were anticipating hosting the regionals for the second consecutive campaign -- and defending their crown at the Bunn Dome.

ROCKY MOUNT -- When the clubs played earlier in the season, the star-studded Rocky Mount Lady Gryphons soared to an early lead -- and then had difficulty putting away a feisty Franklinton squad in Big East Conference girls basketball action.
FHS stayed somewhat within striking distance during that outing and even had a few chances to come within single digits before the Lady Gryphons tacked on a late cushion to win by 16 points.

RED OAK - The train kept rolling for Northern Nash last Friday night, as the Knights' boys basketball team picked up its 22nd win of the season and improved to a spotless 22-0 on the season with a 79-63 defeat of Big East Conference foe Franklinton.
A highly-anticipated matchup saw the Red Rams bring a 17-2 record into Northern, with the Knights winning the previous matchup at Franklinton on Jan. 6 at a 61-54 margin.

ZEBULON -- The Milwaukee Brewers have announced that Victor Estevez will return as manager of the Carolina Mudcats for the 2023 season.
Estevez leads a Carolina field staff that will include Pitching Coach Michael O'Neal, Hitting Coach J.J. Reimer, Bullpen Coach Jorge Ortega, Development Coach David Valdez, Athletic Trainer Myles Fish and Strength and Conditioning Specialist Jonah Mergen.

ZEBULON -- The Carolina Mudcats are hiring.
The Mudcats will host their annual job fair event on February 18 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at Five County Stadium in Zebulon.
Through the job fair, the Mudcats will look to fill open part-time, game-day, and seasonal full-time staff positions for the upcoming 2023 season.

NCHSAA SPORTSMANSHIP WINNERS (L TO R) MYKIE XIONG (NEWTON-CONOVER) AND NELSON AGUILAR (BUNN)

Franklinton's Kayla Wilkins (middle) tries to escape the Rocky Mount pressure defense during Tuesday night's Big East Conference girls basketball showdown at the RMHS Gymnasium.

Bunn's Damarion Watkins (top) maintains a hold during his match as part of the Class 2-A State Dual Team Wrestling Championships, which were held last Saturday afternoon at the Greensboro Coliseum Annex in Guilford County.

Bunn High School's Dyllin Ellis (left) got things going in style for the Bunn Wildcats with a victory in the Heavyweight class during last Saturday's Class 2-A State Wrestling Championships.

Bunn High School's Jayden Alston (left) registered a pinfall in just 58 seconds during last Saturday afternoon's Class 2-A State Dual Team Wrestling Championships in Greensboro.

BUNN WRESTLING COACHES CHEER ON A VICTORY

BUNN'S AUSTIN CHASTAIN WRAPS UP HIS NEWTON-CONOVER OPPONENT

Parker Haake has done a masterful job as the head coach of the Bunn High School wrestling squad -- including back-to-back Class 2-A East Regional Team Championships.

Bunn High School head coach Parker Haake (right) celebrates with Austin Chastain after Chastain delivered a pinfall during last Saturday's Class 2-A Dual Team State Championships at the Greensboro Coliseum Annex, which is located in Guilford County.

LOUISBURG -- Louisburg College officials extended the tenure of its president.
On Jan. 24, the Louisburg College Board of Trustees announced the contract extension of Gary Brown.
The five-year extension will begin at the end of his current contract in 2024.

North Carolina State University released their Deans's list for the Fall 2022 semester.

LOUISBURG -- Franklin County commissioners are set to consider providing a business incentive to bolster an Indiana company's efforts to locate here.
Short- and long-term, said County Economic Development Director Richie Duncan, Franklin County's business park could be home to development and expansion for Advanced Systems & Integration's headquarters.
And, North Carolina could be the new home for the company's headquarters.

LOUISBURG -- A Louisburg man was killed Tuesday following a head-on collision.
According to Trooper C.R. Lanham, Antonio Morales was traveling west on Flat Rock Church Road just before 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday when he ran off the road to the right, hit a mailbox over-corrected, crossed the center line and crashed head-on into a van.
Morales, 62, who was wearing a seat belt, was pronounced dead at the scene.

LOUISBURG -- A Louisburg man was charged with reckless driving after crashing into Walmart last week.
Police responded to the Retail Way store just after 8 p.m. on Feb. 2 to find a Ford Explorer had crashed though a barrier, then the grocery and pharmacy doorway -- coming to rest in the breezeway between the outer door and main entrance.

The Franklin County Farm Bureau Women's Committee received the 2022 Women's Program Award at the North Carolina Farm Bureau annual convention in Greensboro early December. This award is for excellence in the women's program exemplifying the strength of Farm Bureau through voluntary efforts.