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Cooperative Extension helps create prosperity for NC through programs and partnerships focused on agriculture and food, health and nutrition and 4-H youth development. Cooperative Extension connects farmers, agribusinesses and communities with vital research-based information and technology. Extension offers a wealth of educational programs that address public health issues, improve economic well-being, and help people make healthier, better informed decisions.

Farming can be challenging. The labor involved in an agricultural enterprise is a big part of that, but even more so are the business skills that deal with making an agricultural enterprise profitable. Making a profit is tougher in today's volatile economic environment, and farmers are looking for a way to improve their bottom line.

A few weeks ago, the first Med Instead of Meds 6-week class series ended. During the six weeks, participants learned the seven basic steps to eating the Med Way while also enjoying Mediterranean dishes each week. Med Instead of Meds refers to adapting the Mediterranean way of eating to reduce the risk of heart disease and cognitive decline instead of relying on medications.

If you want to join a dynamic, energetic group, then the Franklin County Beekeepers is the organization for you! During the last Wednesday of the month, the membership which is constantly growing, convene at the Franklin County Agricultural Building at 7:30 p.m. and learn the latest and best practices to successfully produce and market honey (bees) and honey products.

Franklin County 4-H'ers have been busy the past few months as they prepared their crafts, produce, canning items, poultry, and livestock for the 2018 NC State Fair. We had an overwhelming 43 4-H'ers participate in the State Fair this year. There were 10 youth who entered items in arts/hobbies/crafts and 33 kids that showed livestock.

I was asked a few months ago by a beloved lady in our small town to write about the foundations of farming in our county. Her great concern is that we have forgotten the very ones that cleared the fields which produced the bountiful harvest that sustained the founders of Franklin County. Who made the paths we now call streets? Who drove the teams of oxen, mules and horses that pulled the lumber from the sawmills to build the stores and homes that opened the gate for the birth of small towns?

Full name: John Marshall Dunlow
Age: 50
Occupation: Attorney
Marital status: Married to Melissa W. Dunlow for 26 years.

Full name: Paul Randall Ross
Age: 56
Occupation: Attorney/CEO Henderson Family YMCA
Marital status: Married

Full name: Lawrence Edward Tickle Jr
Age: 33
Occupation: Attorney
Marital status: Married to Kaitlyn Tickle

Editor's Note: Judge Henry W. Hight Jr. holds this seat, but opted not to seek re-election.
Four people, including Steven Hight, are seeking the seat.
Steven Hight, no relation to Judge Hight, did not respond to our request for feedback.

A greater sense of independence is often cited as the reason so many young people anxiously await the day they earn their drivers' licenses. But the connection between driving and independence is not lost on seniors, either.
Aging can take its toll on drivers, prompting such drivers' families to feel as if their loved ones' ability to safely operate motor vehicles has been compromised.

DEBATE IN THE RAIN. The second-annual debate between Alexander Hamilton (Wally Hurst) and Thomas Jefferson (Bill Barker) went on as scheduled despite periodic showers that failed to dampen spirits at the "River of Yesteryear" festival last Saturday in Louisburg. The event featured a step back into Colonial times, although many of the scheduled craftsmen did not attend because of the weather.

Full name: Mack Paul
Age: 54
Occupation: Attorney
Marital status: Married

Name: John McKnitt Alexander Jr.
Age: 69
Occupation: President, Cardinal International Trucks -- a medium and heavy duty truck dealer
Marital status: Married to Susan for 40 years

The three candidates running for the State Senate District 18 seat will be taking over for Sen. Chad Barefoot, who opted not to seek re-election.
Candidate Brad Hessel did not respond to our request.
At about the time new election lines were drawn, putting Barefoot and Sen. John Alexander in the same district, Barefoot opted not to seek re-election, saying that he wanted to spend more time with his family.

LOUISBURG -- In theory, the stakes weren't that high when Louisburg hosted South Granville last Thursday in the championship match of the Northern Carolina Conference Volleyball Tournament.
After all, both clubs had already punched their high-seed tickets for the state playoffs -- Louisburg on the 1-A level and South Granville in the 2-A classification.

FRANKLINTON -- Before the season even started, Franklinton High School volleyball coach Crystal Barnes made it clear what her chief goal was for the 2018 spike campaign.
Certainly, the Big East Conference regular season and tournament championships are nice -- and Franklinton was able to successfully defend those titles -- but Barnes hadn't quite gotten over the fact that her Lady Rams were defeated last fall in the first round of the Class 3-A State Playoffs.

LOUISBURG -- A strong ASA Miami squad wasn't Louisburg College's only opponent during last Saturday's home football contest at Patterson Field on the campus of Louisburg High School.
Both teams had to also deal with poor weather as a consistent rainfall meant for slippery conditions, especially when pertaining to hold on to the football.

RED OAK -- The current and future state of area distance running collided last Wednesday at the Big East Conference Cross Country Championships.
The boys individual champion was no surprise as No. 1 seed and long-time senior standout Jordan Richardson from Northern Nash pretty much raced against himself en route to an easy victory at the Red Oak Middle School Course.

CREEDMOOR -- Bunn had only 96 hours to shake off the disappointment of an overtime loss to Granville Central -- and prepare for the Northern Carolina Conference's toughest football test in the form of the undefeated South Granville Vikings.
The Wildcats' challenge last Friday was a tall one, but BHS responded to the moment, only to see the powerful Vikings pull away late to earn a 28-17 triumph over Bunn in a NCC thriller at the SGHS Football Field.

FRANKLINTON -- The Game of the Year in the Big East Conference Boys Soccer Standings came last week, when host Franklinton edged Southern Nash in a double-overtime thriller with second place in the league at stake.
As fate would have it, the clubs would meet again Tuesday in the semifinals of the Big East Tournament on the FHS campus.

RED OAK -- Just in case anyone thought their miraculous comeback victory two weeks ago was a fluke, the Franklinton Red Rams offered Exhibit B last Friday in their quest to break into the upper echelon of the Big East Conference football standings.
Certainly, Franklinton took a huge step during that earlier decision at Wilson Fike -- and looked to keep the momentum trending upward this Friday as part of another key league meeting at Northern Nash.

OXFORD -- Keeping the ball on the ground proved to be a wise and bountiful decision last Friday for the Louisburg Warriors during their key Northern Carolina Conference football contest at Oxford Webb.
Louisburg racked up 325 rushing yards and was strong defensively en route to defeating Webb by a 22-12 margin for LHS' third victory over its past four outings.

ZEBULON - Charles Gray Bennett, 84, of NC 39 Hwy., Zebulon, died Friday morning at Wake Med in Raleigh. He was born in Franklin County, a son of the late James Edwin and Sophie Strickland Bennett. He was also preceded in death by a sister, Nell B. Boone, and brother, James Leo Bennett.

WILMINGTON--Lela Ann Gardner Laughter, 84, of Wilmington, NC, passed away peacefully on October 21st, a cool, crisp, and sunny Sunday morning. Born in the small Nash County town of Battleboro, NC to the late Elizabeth and Edward Gardner, she grew up in New Bern where she graduated from high school.