Recent Articles

During Monday's Franklin County Board of Commissioners meeting, it sounded like the property tax monster is coming to roost.
Going back to last spring, the word out of the county, its tax office and the company performing revaluation was that folks should prepare themselves to see their property values increase after a wild eight years of property purchases.
A year later, when property revaluations started going out in the spring of 2024, one thing you can't accuse the county of doing is lying.

Dear editor: I read with interest your August 8, 2024 edition of The Franklin Times and want to make a brief statement on several of the issues.
It appears, as I suspected it would, (when the county allowed the formation of the "animal rights" group to review and provide feedback of the animal shelter operations a year or so ago), that the "tail" (animal rights group) would end up wagging the "dog" (county commissioners).

Dear editor: ESSE QUAM VIDERI
Ten years ago seven local contractors came together to create Louisburg's ESSE QUAM VIDERI wall.
It remains the largest depiction of our North Carolina motto which means, "To Be Rather than to Seem."

FRANKLINTON -- The next generation of Franklinton High School volleyball has arrived -- but not quite in the way veteran coach Tom Harris envisioned it.
Certainly, Harris knew some reloading was in order after last year's star-studded graduation class exited the program after leading FHS to a sweep of the Big East Conference regular season and tournament championships.

FRANKLIN COUNTY -- The Big East Conference cross country season is set to begin, and plenty of talent returns from last year's exceptional campaign.
Defending champions Northern Nash (boys) and Rocky Mount (girls) should both be strong again, while girls individual title winner Brinkley Robinson from Franklinton will return after dominating league competition in 2023 as a freshman.

FRANKLIN COUNTY -- Challenging tests await each of Franklin County's three high school football teams as the 2024 campaign is set to begin this Friday night.
At Franklinton, the Red Rams will kick off the Michael Justice Era as head coach with a home game against the Apex Cougars out of Wake County.
This is the second game of a two-year contract between the schools, and last season's event saw the homestanding Cougars post a 48-0 conquest over the Red Rams en route to posting a 7-4 overall record.

FRANKLIN COUNTY -- The Big East Conference girls golf season will kick off September 4 with a nine-hold match at Brevofield Golf Links, which is located near Wake Forest.
Southern Nash is the defending league champion, with runner-up Nash Central positioned to make a strong run this fall to test the Ladybirds.

LOUISBURG -- Even after an uncharacteristic rough start to the season, don't give up on the Louisburg High School volleyball squad just yet.
Veteran LHS head coach Erica Wammock isn't about to, and for good reason.
That's because this version of the Lady Warriors is young and inexperienced, and Wammock expects her group to continue to improve as the season progresses -- and hopefully make a surge toward one of the top spots in the competitive Northern Lakes Athletic Conference.

ZEBULON -- The Carolina Mudcats, in conjunction with Major League Baseball, have announced their 2025 regular-season schedule beginning on April 4 with the season opener at Five County Stadium against the Fredericksburg Nationals.
Key home dates include Independence Day Week (July 1 - July 3 vs. Fayetteville) and Labor Day Weekend (August 29 - August 31 vs. Delmarva).

John Rogers enjoys BINGO at the Senior Center

Maria Parham Franklin Specialty Care has announced that Mark Messmer, DO, will be expanding orthopedic services in Louisburg, alongside Darius A. Divina, DO, FAOAO.
Dr. Messmer comes from a military background and joined Maria Parham Health in Henderson in August, 2022, following a position as staff orthopedic surgeon at Camp Lejeune. His patient population there was primarily active-duty Marines and Sailors with a variety of sports-related injuries and trauma.

LOUISBURG, NC--Robert Eugene Jackson, 57, died August 18, 2024. Robert was born on November 2, 1966 to the late Kenneth and Jacqueline Lumley Jackson. In addition to his parents, Robert was preceded in death by a sister, Cheryl Lynn Jackson; and a nephew.

Hollister, NC--Funeral services for Yvonne Marie Richardson, age 79, who died on Monday, August 19, 2024, will be held on 1 p.m., Friday, August 23, from the Walnut Grove Baptist Church in Warrenton with Rev. Al Louis Cooper, Jr. officiating. Burial will follow in the Walnut Grove Church Cemetery.

Hollister, NC--Funeral services for Mattie Ree Copeland-Parker, age 66, who died on Thursday, August 15, 2024, will be held 2 p.m., Saturday, August 24, from the Greater Joy Church in Rocky Mount with Bishop Shelton Daniel officiating.

Louisburg, NC--Funeral services for Veronica Alston, age 43, who died on Friday, August 16, 2024, will be held 2 p.m., Thursday, August 22, from the Old Liberty Missionary Baptist Church in Louisburg with Pastor Michael Alston officiating. Burial will follow in the Alston-Ellis Family Cemetery.

LOUISBURG, NC -- Janie Marie Young Satterwhite, 86, of Louisburg, passed away Wednesday afternoon at her home.

Livestock judge Taylor Joyner quizzes Nolan Cross about his knowledge of sheep during the Franklin County Fun 4-H Livestock show last Friday at Wildywnne Stables.

Valerie Poole demonstrates a fountain of poultry knowledge.

LOUISBURG -- Franklin County Schools are now free to operate just like virtually all other school districts in North Carolina -- and must follow all the state and federal regulations that are in place to govern schools.
That was the result of a federal court order filed at 2:26 p.m. Monday in the case of Coppedge et al v. the Franklin County Board of
Education.

LOUISBURG -- Crucial meetings between Franklin County commissioners and the county's Board of Education members are tentatively slated to begin in early September, with a specific focus on developing a long-range plan to maintain school facilities.
The meetings, first suggested by County Commission Chair Harry Foy, are supposed to foster better communication between the two boards with the goal of preventing another budgetary fiasco as has happened each of the last three fiscal years.

Josiah Talley was chasing bubbles during Bunn's National Night Out festivities on Monday. Rain postponed the event from its initial date of Aug. 6. The nationally recognized day serves as an opportunity for the community to gather with first responders and other civic and community leaders to foster better relationships. Louisburg held it's event inside on Aug. 6.

LOUISBURG -- Franklin County fired its animal services director, two other employees and agreed to pay a fine after the state found shelter staff improperly euthanized a dog and mishandled cats that were being put down.
Franklin County spokesperson James Hicks confirmed that three employees that were suspended as a result of the state's investigation were terminated on Aug. 7 -- two days after the State Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services' Veterinary Division issued its civil penalty and notice of warning.

LOUISBURG -- The Louisburg Town Council closed an unnamed alley downtown to help clear the way for the controversial county courtroom expansion project, agreed to hold a special planning meeting this fall to discuss long-range projects and made much stronger the town's noise ordinance during a long Monday night meeting, about two hours of which was spent in a secret, closed-door session to discuss "personnel and real estate."

YOUNGSVILLE -- Town commissioners agreed to put a financial windfall, of sorts, toward bolstering town administration.
By unanimous decision, commissioners agreed to create and hire an assistant town manager.
Town Manager Nathan Page explained that the town received an updated tax scroll from Franklin County, indicating the town would receive $150,000 more in income than it anticipated.