Recent Articles

LOUISBURG -- The Franklin County Board of Elections agreed to the fixes necessary to resolve an issue for four voters -- so far -- who alleged they received the incorrect District 3 ballots.
On Tuesday, elections staff assured the board and the public that a broader breakdown in election integrity is very unlikely.
Elections Director Michelle Chavis told the board and the public that, daily, staff does an inventory on ballots for "checks and balances."

FRANKLINTON -- Lisa Lawrence penned the Franklinton Area Community Theatre's first play, profiling many of the town's historic figures, from Soupy Sales, to T.H. Pearce to the Bibby Brothers.
Twenty years later, FACT is generating its own history, marking two decades as an artistic cradle for actors, singers, musicians and technicians that all have a love for the stage and its lights.

Louisburg's Andy Harrison (left) and Kenneth Clark chop barbecue last Saturday morning in downtown as part of the BBQ in the 'Burg contest. Harrison, who "got the bug" about cooking barbecue at the very first BBQ in the 'Burg now does as many as 16 competitions a year. He finished second the week before in a state contest in Washington, NC., and captured third last week in Louisburg's event.

LOUISBURG -- Franklin County animal shelter is making tangible and intangible improvements under its new management, say county officials, advisory board members and animal welfare advocates.
During Monday's Animal Services Advisory Board meeting, members urged county leadership to give Jerry Jones more of the reins.
Franklin County management named former sheriff Jerry Jones interim manager of the department at the start of September.

Lisa and Earl Bennett passed out treats at Scoops on Main as part of Youngsville's Halloween festivities.

LOUISBURG -- In the spring of 2022, town leaders adopted the Louisburg 2030 comprehensive plan that established the town's vision for its development future.
Right now, town planners are crafting a new zoning ordinance that would turn that vision into reality.
Last week, residents, property owners and other interested parties got a chance to review the proposal.
What they saw was a plan that, among other things:

Ashton Swank & Katharina Paxton

Communities in Youngsville and Franklinton celebrate Halloween with events last Friday and Saturday. Above, Amber Barker and Katie Preddy were in the spirit during trick or treating, hosted Friday by Youngsville's downtown merchants.

Eliza and Nina Cirino expressed their artistic skills at an art wall set up for Frankenfest on Main in downtown Franklinton on Saturday.

LOUISBURG has rarely smelled as delicious as it did Saturday morning as 22 pigs, each weighing about 120 pounds, came off cookers manned by those who love barbecue pork. These four were packing containers of the pork for sale. They are, from the left, David Ford, Carlotta Ford, Maryann Montano and Megan Arnold. Capturing second place in the event were the Pocosin Boys, Billy Perry and Mark Copeland and in third was Mr. Curly's Que Crew with Andy Harrison.

In a development that is more frightening than anything involving Halloween or the election, we've learned that Louisburg and Franklin County could be on the verge of losing public access to a beloved landmark.
And we may be losing it without even a last-ditch effort to save it!
For more than 30 years the restored historic Person Place home has stood on North Main Street in Louisburg as a monument to this community and this county's diverse and historic past.

Dear editor: Hurricane Helene formed in the Gulf of Mexico and came ashore in the Big Bend area of Florida. It then came into Georgia, upstate South Carolina and then to Western North Carolina and Eastern Tennessee.
I traveled to South Georgia and saw the wind damage, especially in the Valdosta area. The damage was extensive but was far less than the wind and flooding damage in Western North Carolina. This was the storm of our lifetime for the western part of North Carolina.

Dear editor:
Elections should really be about personal and collective values, even though they are not written on the ballot.
The Nov. 5 election provides an opportunity to sort out value choices and to decide which road of life you prefer.
Those values include:

SHOW NEXT WEEK. Dealing Stan, a Triangle-based band dedicated to performing the music of Steely Dan, will be performing 7:30 p.m., Friday, Nov. 8 at the JPAC. They will sing all your favorite hits such as "Reelin' in the Years," "Peg," "FM," "Deacon Blues," "Do it Again" and many others. Tickets are available on-line at www.jpacarts.com, or by calling the Louisburg College Box Office at (919) 497-3300. The box office is located in the Holt Lobby of the JPAC.

I don't need to look in the mirror and see gray hairs on my head and face to know I've been at The Franklin Times long enough to consider myself institutional history.
I think about that often as I'm crafting stories that I remember covering from the very beginning.
As a young news scribe, it used to be that I would holler around the newsroom to see if anyone else had a particular insight on a story or issue I was covering.
Now, I'm the guy that's supposed to know it all.

LOUISBURG, NC--Louis Henry Roundtree, 86, of Louisburg, formerly of Vanceboro, died on Monday, October 21, 2024, at Maria Parham Health, Henderson, NC.

Franklinton, NC-- Funeral services for Napoleon Walker, age 89, who died on Thursday, October 24, 2024, will be held 2 p.m., Thursday, October 31 from the Gospel Unlimited Church of Christ Disciples in Castalia with Elder Shelton Wilkins officiating. Burial will follow in the Gospel Unlimited Church Cemetery.

LOUISBURG, NC--Lucinda Rose Mize Ayscue, 81, passed away on October 23, 2024 at her home. Lucinda was born on April 9, 1943 in Granville County to the late Lenward Tyree Mize and Louvelle Stem Mize. In addition to her parents, Lucinda was preceded in death by her husband, Jack Thomas Ayscue, Jr.; and her brothers, Lenward T. Mize Jr. and Dr. Lou Stem Mize.

LOUISBURG, NC--Denise Marie King Barsom, 51, of Louisburg, NC, peacefully passed away on October 6, 2024, at her home. Denise was born on September 5, 1973 in Raleigh, NC, to the late Burnice Edward King and Gloria Jean Ward King.

RALEIGH, NC--Carson Douglas Culbreth, 80, of Raleigh went to meet his Lord and Savior in his home on Sunday, October 20, 2024. Diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2022, the disease remained in remission until April of this year and then progressed rapidly.

LOUISBURG -- North Carolina voters got off to the races, setting a first-day record for voting.
And, while it wasn't clear whether Franklin County set a record, more than 4,000 ballots were cast in Franklin County on the first day of early voting.
In 2020, 3,114 ballots were cast on the first day of early voting in Franklin County.
Overall, during the presidential election in 2020, more than 25,680 Franklin County voters cast a ballot during early voting.

LOUISBURG -- Franklin County commissioners are considering providing employees with another pay increase.
They tasked management with looking at current pay levels and fiscal impacts before moving forward with any adjustment.
"... This county is bleeding employees, losing them left and right to other counties," said Commissioner Mark Speed, who, during the "other business" portion of Monday's meeting, proposed the increase, suggesting that the county's performance pay policy that governs employee salary increases isn't sufficient.

FRANKLINTON -- Franklinton used a recent gathering of interested parties along a developing rail corridor to advocate for a stop in town.
This summer, state officials and federal transportation staff broke ground on a rail line, connecting Richmond Va., to Raleigh -- and further south into Florida.
The 162-mile passenger route has been in development for about 20 years and, as it stands, stops are planned for Norlina, Henderson and Wake Forest before getting to Raleigh.

LOUISBURG -- Franklin County staff, emergency radio system engineers and consultants said they're still working through plans to address an anticipated coverage shortcoming.
On Monday night, Emergency Communications Director Christy Shearin, Ken Steere, director of programs for Williams Communications, the company hired to upgrade the system, and Norm Folger, with TUSA Consulting, the engineering firm hired to oversee Williams' work, all updated commissioners on the project.