Recent Articles

OXFORD -- The world was on display as CultureFest, sponsored by The John Chavis Historical Society, brought more than 3,500 visitors into the downtown Oxford, area earlier this year.
Brilliant displays of colorful costumes, dancers sharing their well-choreographed routines bringing their diverse cultures to life for festival attendees, food from multiple nations and artisan vendors with beautifully crafted items representing so many regions around the world were featured.

LOUISBURG -- The O. Henry Book Club of Franklin County presented Louisburg College with a book donation and dedication last week.
The book, "North Carolina Pottery: The Collection of The Mint Museum," was gifted to Louisburg College's Robbins Library in memory of club member Dr. Linda Holley.
Dr. Linda Holley was a proud member of the O. Henry Book Club based in Louisburg.

FRANKLIN COUNTY -- Storylines will be plentiful when Franklin County's high schools open their respective boys soccer campaigns, beginning in two weeks.
At Bunn, the Wildcats will look for another deep postseason run after making it to the third round of the Class 2-A State Playoffs in 2023.
But BHS will have a different head coach this fall as former assistant Brad Davis will take over the program -- and ex-head coach John Rappold will step down to be his assistant.

LOUISBURG -- Mark Vanderslice brought an expectation of excellence during his successful tenure as the men's basketball coach at Louisburg College -- a streak of greatness that spanned from 2010-2015.
Nothing has changed since then.

BUNN -- With a lineup dominated by underclassmen, the Bunn Wildcats arrived ahead of schedule at the top of the Big East Conference standings during the 2024 baseball season.
Bunn, with just two seniors on its roster, went 17-8 overall and tied for the regular season Big East championship with Northern Nash before reaching the third round of the Class 2-A State Playoffs.

NASH COUNTY -- It's become almost a tradition for the Big East Conference to be represented at the North Carolina Coaches Association's East-West All-Star Games -- and the 2025 series will be no different.
Just after Northern Nash's Henry Drake served as the boys head coach at the annual East-West Basketball Game two weeks ago, it was announced that Rocky Mount's Jason Battle will be in charge of the East squad for the annual E-W Football Game -- slated to be played in December at historic Jamieson Stadium on the campus of Greensboro Grimsley High School.

SALEM, V.A. -- Luis Castillo drove had three hits and drove in eight runs as the Carolina Mudcats clinched the series from the host Salem Red Sox with a 12-3 victory on Sunday afternoon in Minor League Baseball action at Carillion Clinic Field in the Dominion State.
Carolina (57-37 overall, 16-13 second half) broke open the game in the second with a five-run inning that was highlighted by a three-run home from Castillo -- his 13th of the season.

FRANKLINTON, NC--David James Phillips, 50, died July 25, 2024. David was born in Franklin County, NC, on Sept. 10, 1973 to Barbara Ross Phillips and the late Richard Allan Phillips.

LOUISBURG, NC--James Melton Buchanan, 76, of Louisburg died Wednesday, July 24, 2024 at his home. He was born September 16, 1947 in Cumberland County, a son of the late Deberry & Viola Buchanan.

LOUISBURG, NC--Robert Allen Shields, 77, of Louisburg, died Thursday afternoon, July 25, 2024 at Wake Med.

LOUISBURG, NC--Ralph G. Davis, 86, of Louisburg passed away on Friday, July 26, 2024. He was born on June 1, 1938, in Franklin County, NC to parents William Wallace and Maggie Fuller Davis.

In addition to his parents, Ralph was preceded in death by his two brothers, Winston Davis and Donald Davis; one sister, Barbara McLean, and his granddaughter Madison Nelms.

Louisburg, NC--Funeral services for Elna Alston Edgerton, age 87, who died on Wednesday, July 24, 2024, will be held 2 p.m., Monday, July 29, from the Cedar Rock Baptist Church in Castalia with Pastor Sylvester White officiating. Burial will follow in the Cedar Rock Church Cemetery.

Sometimes in this business, we write about events -- often the launching of a new venture or project -- and wonder quietly to ourselves how history will judge this action.
Recently, while cleaning up some old news files on our server, I stumbled across a story that I wrote back in April, 2007 -- and one of the folks quoted in that story issued a challenge.

LOUISBURG -- The Cooperative Extension's annual Regional Horse Farm Tour does include a catered lunch.
But, those who've attended or hosted say they've feasted the most away from the lunch table.
"When we went on the tour last year, we didn't know what to expect," said Keith May, who, along with his wife, Laura, will have their property -- The Farm -- as one of the stops on this year's tour.

BUNN -- The town's planning board figures they've found a balance in determining how development will occur in its Village Mixed Use zoning district.
In June, the planning board presented commissioners with additional standards to the district designed to pair commercial and residential development.
Town commissioners, though, had heartburn about two issues: Development density and street setbacks.
Because of that, they asked the planning board members and staff to reconsider their proposal.

FRANKLINTON -- Commissioners agreed to rezone nearly 40 acres from a medium density residential area to a more innovative Planned Development zone.
The change would allow for a mix of single family homes and townhomes.
Commissioners said the beneficial aspect of a Planned Development zoning district is that it gives officials and nearby residents more input on the project design when developers submit a master development plan -- which is expected to occur at the board's August meeting.

LOUISBURG -- For Adam Fowler, charity starts at home.
So, for an organization that's made his son, Dakota, feel like family, it was appropriate that he figured out a way to give back.
Earlier this month, Adam Fowler used a business connection to donate $1,000 to the Miracle League of Franklin County -- putting another drop in their bucket towards efforts to expand their field and playground setup at Long Mill Elementary School.

At most of the jobs I've had, I always felt a bit guilty about grabbing an extra company pen, or maybe even toiletries.
For some folks, though, I guess they don't have the same switch.
Below, see Exhibit um ... well, this has to be Exhibit D, E or F by now.
According to published reports, a Texas woman stole about $109 million from a youth development program for children of military families.

Dear editor: As a close friend of Anna Meadows I was so touched and pleased to see your kind words about Anna who was a long-time reporter at The Franklin Times and a familiar face around Franklin County.
Yes, she often reached out to others less fortunate. Kamliah Perry is a prime example of that reach. Anna met Kamliah just as she graduated high school last year with the help of the McKinney-Vento program which enables homeless youth to shower, eat at school and receive guidance.

Dear editor: Fool me once, shame on you.
Fool me twice, shame on me.
Fool me thrice, you've made a complete fool of me.

Watermelon, one of summer's most iconic fruits, is low in calories and rich in water. It's also an excellent source of vitamins A and C and lycopene while being less acidic than citrus fruits and tomatoes--other well-known providers of lycopene and vitamin C.

Internationally acclaimed pianist Thomas Pandolfi will present the music of Frederick Chopin at Cherry Hill on Sunday, July 28. The concert will begin at 3 p.m. and will be followed by a reception for attendees and the artist. Pandolfi will play etudes, ballads, polonaises, nocturnes, and other works by the beloved composer. Entitled "The Language of Infinity," the concert has been endowed in memory of Warrenton native Edwina Rooker, a friend of the former owner of Cherry Hill, Edgar Thorne, and a faithful supporter of the concert series.

FRANKLIN COUNTY -- Pressure. Expectation. Responsibility. Every minute of every that.
Those are some of the many intense intangibles that go with being a football coach or player on the collegiate level -- and they've been hallmarks of Ty Howle's tenure since he arrived at Penn State University as a freshman offensive lineman in 2009.
Other than brief stints as a graduate assistant at North Carolina State and an assistant at Western Illinois, Howle has been in Happy Valley ever since -- and he couldn't be happier.