Recent Articles

Franklinton's first outdoor movie night was recently held.

LOUISBURG -- Franklin County voters have been taking advantage of early voting, election staff said.
As of Wednesday, about 10 percent of the county's registered 50,000 voters had cast a ballot.
"Turnout has been fantastic," said Board of Elections Director Michelle Chavis.

It is autumn in North Carolina and as the trees begin to show their stuff as they do every late October, the fall sunsets also have been something special to behold. This photo captures one of many similar and spectacular sunsets visible in Franklin County recently, making it almost seem as if the sky is competing with the leaves to present the brightest displays.

FRANKLIN COUNTY -- Halloween weekend is coming up and as usual there are many local events where you can come face-to-face with frightening creatures, have fun and maybe snag a little candy or other treats in the processs.
Events kick off tonight (Thursday) when Maria Parham Franklin in Louisburg will have its drive-through Trunk-or-Treat from 4 to 6 p.m.

FRANKLINTON -- As its board of commissioners, Franklinton leaders took two actions to bolster business in town.
Sitting as its board of adjustment, commissioners held off an action to convert the operation of another business.
First, during its Oct. 18 meeting, the Franklinton Board of Commissioners adopted a text amendment, creating a biotechnology and life sciences zoning district in town.

YOUNGSVILLE -- The town of Youngsville engaged 3TP Ventures to help develop a combination land use/transportation plan that will outline those infrastructure needs for the next 25 years.
On Tuesday, they engaged residents in a series of activities to make sure their desires are reflected.

The Franklin Times is not conducting exit interviews of voters at any Franklin County polling place!
The newspaper has had reports of what is described as a "thin, young white male who is wearing a hat" who claims to be working for "the newspaper" asking voters how they voted.
That person -- whoever he is -- is not associated with The Franklin Times.

Jekiva Gupton and Reggie Brake

LOUISBURG -- Franklin County will be shining a light on the service of local veterans in November.
In advance of the upcoming Veterans Day holiday, Franklin County has announced that the Franklin County Courthouse will be illuminated green from Nov. 7 through Nov. 13 as part of Operation Green Light, a new national collaborative initiative to support military veterans, raise awareness about the unique challenges and the resources that are available at the county, state, and federal level to assist veterans and their families.

LOUISBURG -- Authorities are looking for a suspect in a vehicle break-in where a gun was reportedly stolen from a school employee's vehicle.
According to authorities, a cafeteria worker at Royal Elementary reported at about 11 a.m. on Monday that someone broke into a vehicle she parked in the school's parking lot.

FRANKLIN COUNTY -- Authorities are investigating two cases of stolen vehicles, one in Franklinton and one in Louisburg.
First, just after 10:30 a.m. on Oct. 24, someone reported a vehicle stolen from the 600 block of Hill Road.
Next, just after noon on the same day, someone reported a motor vehicle theft in the 3400 block of N.C. 39 South.

LOUISBURG -- The owner of a property that investigators allege was torched via arson filed suit against the insurance company that axed her claim.
In October 2021, firefighters responded to a home at 111 N. Church Street to find the structure engulfed in flames.
The owner, Sharon Anders, was not home at the time and no injuries were reported.

LOUISBURG -- Police applied for an involuntary commitment order after a man ran into traffic and was hit by a car.
The 22-year-old sustained minor injuries.
Just before 5 p.m. on Monday, emergency crews and law enforcement officers responded to S. Main Street near Cooper Street after receiving reports of a vehicle striking a pedestrian.

FRANKLINTON -- Sheriff's deputies are investigating reports of drugs on school grounds.
The incident was reported Oct. 24 at about 9:45 a.m. at 910 Cedar Creek Road -- the address for Franklinton High School.
According to the incident log, the case revolves around possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Older adults recognize the threat posed by cognitive decline, which can make it hard for individuals to live independently. According to data from the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research published in 2020 in the journal Epidemiology, since the mid-1990s, rates of dementia cases in the United States have risen steadily. Since that time, the annual increase for men is 2 percent and for women it is 1.7 percent.

Franklinton held it's first pool tournament of the year. First place went to Jon Shriver, second place was William (Butch) Ferrell.

Hang on for a minute. I'm about to do something I swore I would never do in the newspaper business -- and I've been in this racket a long, long time!
But one issue is so far-reaching -- and so important right here in Franklin County as well as across the state -- something has to be said.
And although I've often vowed that I would never publicly endorse a candidate for election, this will come about as close as I'm comfortable.

I feel like I've written this column before.
Just change the names and tweak the circumstances just a bit, and you've probably heard or read this before: Recently, some folks were sentenced to prison for misusing (stealing) COVID-19 relief funding.
There is a bit of a twist in this one, though.

Dear editor: The unabridged Oxford English Dictionary defines Democracy as follows: Government by the people: a form of government in which the power resides in the people and is exercised by them either directly or by means of elected representatives; a form of society which favors equal rights; the ignoring of hereditary class distinction and the tolerance of minority views.

Dear editor: Government - local, state, and federal - should represent ALL of its constituents through use of political parties and honest efforts to garner citizen input and understand citizen priorities.
Today, I am lamenting the disappearance of the N. C. Local Government Commission.

Name:
Samuel "Troy" Wheless
Age: 41
Occupation: Major of Patrol Operations-Franklin County Sheriff's Office

Name:
Kevin White
Age: 49
Marital Status: Married

Name:
Patricia Burnette
Chastain
Age: 62