Meat Conference Dec. 6 In Rocky Mount

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The Northeast District Local Meats Conference will be held in Rocky Mount, NC on Tuesday, Dec. 6. The conference is designed for individuals interesting in creating or expanding a local meat marketing business.

The conference will begin at 9 a.m. at the East Carolina Livestock Arena, located at 1175 Kingsboro Rd. in Rocky Mount.

Some of the topics that will be discussed include N.C. Department of Agriculture meat handlers’ licensing, as well as rules and regulations, labeling claims and laws about meat sales.

In addition, there will be information about carcass evaluation, and planning, marketing and pricing.

Lunch will be included. Pre-register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/northeast-district-local-meats-conference-tickets-419613434077

 

Warren County EMS To Receive AED Devices As Part Of Duke Clinical Trial Study

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You’ve probably walked right past an AED and never even noticed it – they are small devices, usually mounted on a wall, that can literally save the life of someone in cardiac arrest.

Warren County Emergency Services is getting 10 AEDs – automated external defibrillators – on Wednesday, Nov. 16.

A team from Duke University’s RACE CARS program is heading to Warrenton Wednesay morning to make the presentation.

Warren County has been highlighted for its “outstanding work with cardiac arrest survival,” according to information from Charla Duncan.

Chief Joel Bartholomew and Capt. Chris Tucker are just a couple of local officials who will be on hand at 9:30 a.m.
The emergency services headquarters is located at 890 U.S. 158 Bypass in Warrenton.

RACE CARS is an acronym that stands for Randomized Cluster Evaluation of Cardiac Arrest Systems and Warren County is taking part in the trial study to test the implementation of community interventions to improve survival for people with cardiac arrest.

See more about the program here: https://racecarstrial.org/

Warren County’s Duncan Among 20 “Trailblazers” Honored For Work In Small Towns

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Warren County’s Community and Economic Development Director, Charla Duncan has been named a “trailblazer” by Business North Carolina magazine.

Duncan is among a group of 20 young leaders identified in the October issue of the magazine for their efforts in improving some of the state’s smaller cities.

“On behalf of the county, I would like to congratulate Ms. Duncan on this well-deserved recognition. We are looking forward to her continuing to help us move forward into a bright future ahead for Warren County,” said County Manager Vincent Jones, in a press statement announcing the honor.

This award focuses on identifying and recognizing thriving business owners and professionals under the age of 40 who work in N.C. cities and towns that have fewer than 100,000 residents.

The magazine received nominations through July 15, 2022 for leaders who were under the age of 40 as of June 30, 2022.  Nominations included short statements supporting these influential business leaders, citing key accomplishments in the last two years and basic biographical information including age, title, hometown, and number of years spent in their current community.

Duncan’s profile, where she shares her perspective, is featured in the October edition of the magazine. She served as interim director for about seven months before the Warren Board of Commissioners appointed her to fill the job in April 2021.

Harry Mills, economic development director in Granville County, called Duncan “a real rising star” in the area of economic development in North Carolina. Mills told WIZS News Friday that he loved Duncan’s passion for what she does and her compassion for people and her community. “She is a real trailblazer,” he added.

Find the article here: Trailblazers: 20 young leaders focused on improving the state’s smaller cities – Business North Carolina (businessnc.com)

Reminder: Turn Back Clocks, Test Smoke Alarms This Weekend

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-information courtesy of American Red Cross

 As daylight saving time ends on Nov. 6, the American Red Cross reminds people that it’s also a good time to test smoke alarms to stay safe from home fires.

“Home fires claim more lives in a typical year than all natural disasters combined, but working smoke alarms can cut the risk of dying in a home fire by half,” said Barry Porter, Regional CEO for the American Red Cross Eastern North Carolina region. “The sooner an alarm alerts you to a fire, the sooner you can get out. When you turn your clocks back this weekend, also test your smoke alarms to help prevent a tragedy in your home.”

Over the past month, local Red Cross volunteers responded to help 306 people suddenly displaced in Eastern North Carolina affected by 100 home fires, which account for most of the more than 60,000 disasters that the Red Cross responds to annually across the country.

When turning your clocks back this weekend, test your smoke alarms and replace the batteries if needed. Visit redcross.org/fire for more information, including an escape plan to create and practice with your family, or download the free Red Cross Emergency app by searching “American Red Cross” in app stores.

  • Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, including inside and outside bedrooms and sleeping areas.
  • Replace smoke alarms that are 10 years or older. Components such as sensors can become less sensitive over time. Follow your alarm’s manufacturer instructions.
  • Practice your two-minute home fire escape plan. Make sure everyone in your household can get out in less than two minutes — the amount of time you may have to escape a burning home before it’s too late.
  • Include at least two ways to get out of every room and select a meeting spot at a safe distance away from your home, such as your neighbor’s home or landmark like a specific tree in your front yard, where everyone can meet.

Since October 2014, the Red Cross Home Fire Campaign with community partners has saved at least 1,414 lives — including 43 in North Carolina — by educating families about fire safety, helping them create escape plans and installing more than 2.4 million free smoke alarms in high-risk neighborhoods across the country. Visit redcross.org/homefires for more information.

The Red Cross Home Fire Campaign is made possible with generous financial donations from our North Carolina’s statewide presenting Sound the Alarm sponsor Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina.

Farmland Preservation Grant Applications Due Dec. 19

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-information courtesy of the N.C. Department of Agriculture

County governments and nonprofit groups may now apply for funding assistance from the N.C. Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund for farmland preservation projects. Applicants have until Dec. 19 to apply.

“The latest study from the American Farmland Trust projects North Carolina losing more than a million acres of agricultural land over the next 20 years,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “These Farmland Preservation grants provide options for families and are critical in saving family farms across our state.”

Grants are available for agricultural conservation easements on working lands used for agricultural production; to support public-private enterprise programs that promote profitable and sustainable agricultural, horticultural and forestland activities; and for the development of agricultural plans.

Landowners interested in preserving their farms through conservation easements must work with county governments or land trusts to apply for grant funds. If awarded a grant in which the application requests funds for the conservation easement purchase value, landowners will be compensated for the purchase of the development rights.

Grant applications and guidelines are available online at www.ncadfp.org/Cycle16.htm. For more information, call the Farmland Preservation office at 919.707.3074.

Warren County Getting Slice Of $17.5M Grant To Establish High-Speed Internet Connections

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Warren County residents are going to reap the benefits of part of $17.5 million in grant funding to create high-speed internet connections for thousands of its residents.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture released information Thursday stating that AccessOn Networks Inc. is getting the money to connect residents, businesses, farms and educational facilities in Warren and Halifax counties in North Carolina as part of $759 million in loans and grants awarded in the third funding round of the federal ReConnect Program.

The company will make high-speed internet service affordable by participating in the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Lifeline and Affordable Connectivity Programs, according to a USDA press release. This project will serve socially vulnerable communities in Halifax and Warren counties and people in the Haliwa-Saponi Tribal Statistical Area.

“People living in rural towns across the nation need high-speed internet to run their businesses, go to school and connect with their loved ones,” said USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack. “USDA partners with small towns, local utilities and cooperatives, and private companies to increase access to high-speed internet so people in rural America have the opportunity to build brighter futures. Under the leadership of President Biden and Vice President Harris, USDA is committed to making sure that people, no matter where they live, have access to high-speed internet. That’s how you grow the economy – not just in rural communities, but across the nation.”

To be eligible for ReConnect Program funding, an applicant must serve an area that does not have access to service at speeds of 100 megabits per second (Mbps) (download) and 20 Mbps (upload). The applicant must also commit to building facilities capable of providing high-speed internet service with speeds of 100 Mbps (download and upload) to every location in its proposed service area.

To learn more about investment resources for rural areas, visit www.rd.usda.gov or contact the nearest USDA Rural Development state office.

Dale Folwell

Folwell Announces One-Month “Bump” In State Employees’ Retirement Benefits

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School systems across the state are offering bonuses of all sorts to attract and retain educators. The Social Security Administration recently announced a bump of more than 8 percent in the amount it pays to folks who receive benefits.

And today, there’s some good news from State Treasurer Dale Folwell that should put smiles on the faces of benefit recipients of retired state employees – they’re getting a supplement, too.

It’s only this month, but it’s a 4 percent bump, and Folwell issued a press release today that coincides with the day that those payments are issued. Retired employees of the Teachers’ and State Employees’ Retirement System, as well as the  Consolidated Judicial Retirement System, Legislative Retirement System and the Local and Governmental Employees’ Retirement System should see a little extra in their monthly benefits, Folwell said in a written statement.

“When retired state employees and teachers check their bank accounts or open their mail, they will find an additional 4 percent of their annual benefit included with this month’s payment,” Folwell stated.

“The TSERS, CJRS and LRS payments were appropriated by the General Assembly and signed by Gov. Roy Cooper. The LGERS payment will come from retirement funds. The LGERS one-time supplement was approved by the LGERS Board on Jan. 27 following my recommendation and is in line with the funding policy. We were able to provide the LGERS benefit without increasing the rates we charge to cities and counties across the state,” Folwell continued.

“While payments starting in November will return to the levels they would have been without the supplemental increase, the October payment will include a much-needed boost for those who served the citizens of North Carolina as we see rising costs in everyday expenses.

I want to thank the General Assembly, retirement boards, North Carolina League of Municipalities, North Carolina Association of County Commissioners and staff for recognizing a need and providing those that taught, protected or otherwise served the citizens of North Carolina a timely increase to the October benefit,” the statement concluded.

Early Voting For Nov. 8 Election Kicks Off Thursday, Oct. 20

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North Carolina’s in-person early voting period begins Thursday, Oct. 20, and ends at 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5.

There are two early voting locations in Vance County, three in Granville, one in Warren and four in Franklin, according to information from the N.C. State Board of Elections.

In-person early voting accounted for 65 percent of the votes cast in the 2020 election. There are 359 early voting sites open across the state, up 17 percent from the 307 sites for the 2018 midterm elections.

“The 100 county boards of elections have spent months preparing for the start of in-person voting for the important 2022 general election,” said Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the State Board of Elections. “The bipartisan election officials who work in each early voting site are prepared for a smooth voting process and to ensure the ballots of all eligible voters are counted.”

 

Below is a list by county of the early voting sites:

Vance County:

·      Andrea Harris Henderson Operations Center, 900 S. Beckford Dr., Henderson

·      Aycock Rec Complex, 307 Carey Chapel Rd., Henderson

Granville County:

·      Oxford Public Works Building, 127 Penn Ave., Oxford

·      South Branch Library, 1550 South Campus Dr., Creedmoor

·      Tar River Elementary School, 2642 Philo White Rd., Franklinton

Warren County:

·      Warren County Board of Elections Office, 309 N. Main St., Warrenton

Franklin County:

·      Franklin Plaza Service (County Training Room, 279 S. Bickett Blvd., Suite 102, Louisburg

·      Franklinton Lions Club, 205 S. Chavis St., Franklinton

·      Sheriff Substation, 382 NC 98 W, Bunn

·      Youngsville Public Library Meeting Room, 218 US-1 Alt., Youngsville

 

For more information about early voting, please visit Vote Early in Person.

The State Board offers the following 10 tips for early voters:

1.    Voters may cast a ballot at any early voting site in their county. For sites and hours in all 100 counties, use the One-Stop Early Voting Sites search tool. Also see One-Stop Voting Sites for the November 8, 2022 Election (PDF).

2.    Sample ballots for the primary election are available through the Voter Search tool. For more information on candidates for the N.C. Supreme Court and N.C. Court of Appeals, see the State Board’s Judicial Voter Guide 2022: Midterm General Election. The State Board does not provide information about candidates for other contests, but some media outlets and advocacy groups do. Many candidates also have websites and social media accounts. Knowing your candidate choices in advance and being familiar with the ballot will help your voting experience go more smoothly.

3.    Individuals who missed the regular voter registration deadline on October 14 may register and vote at the same time during the early voting period. Same-day registrants must attest to their eligibility and provide proof of where they live. For more information, visit Register in Person During Early Voting. This is the only option for individuals who missed the regular registration deadline to be able to register and vote in the general election.

4.    When you check in to vote at an early voting site, you may update your name or address within the same county, if necessary.

5.    Voters who receive an absentee ballot by mail may deliver their completed ballot to an election official at an early voting site in their county. Ballots will be kept securely and delivered to the county board of elections for processing. For more information on returning absentee-by-mail ballots, see Detailed Instructions to Vote By Mail.

6.    Voters who requested an absentee-by-mail ballot but have not yet returned it may choose instead to vote in person during the early voting period or on Election Day, November 8. Voters may discard the by-mail ballot and do not need to bring it to a voting site.

7.    Under state law, all early votes – by mail and in person – are considered absentee votes because they are cast “absent” of Election Day. You can see that your early vote counted in the “Your Absentee Ballot” section of the Voter Search database. Type in your first and last names to pull up your voter record. Scroll down to the “Your Absentee Ballot: By Mail or Early Voting” section. Once your ballot is received by your county board of elections, “Absentee Status” will show “VALID RETURN,” the “Return Method” will be “IN PERSON” and your “Return Status” will be “ACCEPTED.” Your ballot status also will show up in the “Voter History” section of your voter record as soon as your county completes the post-election process of compiling the information on who has been recorded as having voted during the election through the various voting methods. This may take a couple of weeks or longer.

8.    The State Board asks that all voters respect the rights of others to participate in the election. Intimidating any voter is a crime. Voters who feel harassed or intimidated should notify an election official immediately.

9.    Voters at one-stop early voting sites are entitled to the same assistance as voters at a voting place on Election Day. Curbside voting is available for eligible individuals at all early voting sites. For more information, visit Curbside Voting.

10. North Carolina law prohibits photographing or videotaping voted ballots. Voters may use electronic devices in the voting booth to access a slate card or candidate information, provided they don’t use the devices to communicate with anyone or take photographs of their ballot.

Warren Cooperative Extension Hosting Forestry Field Day Nov. 18

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A free workshop is being offered next month in Warren County to help owners of woodland property learn about programs to help them manage their investments.

The Forestry Field Day will be held on Friday, Nov. 18 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Buck Springs Park, located at 217 Nathaniel Macon Dr., Littleton.

Warren County Cooperative Extension Agent Matthew Place said there will be indoor and outdoor instruction and participants will get updates on everything from forest pests and tax issues to timber valuation, cost share programs and managing beaver damage.

Lunch will be provided for all who register.

Contact Matthew Place at 252.257.3640 or email at mbplace@ncsu.edu

To register, visit https://go.ncsu.edu/warrenforestry2022.

Kerr-Tar Reentry Roundtable Shares Resources For Justice-Involved

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The Kerr-Tar Reentry Roundtable is hosting a regional reentry resource fair for justice-involved individuals on Wednesday, Oct.19, from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Warren County Armory and Civic Center.

This event is sponsored by the Kerr-Tar Workforce Development Board, NC Works, New Start, and Warren County Community and Economic Development.

Regional organizations will be present and conducting outreach and education about their services, including resources on criminal record expungement, housing, transportation, food assistance, financial literary, mental and behavioral health and more.

The event is free to attend and open to all in the Kerr-Tar region of Warren, Vance, Franklin, Granville and Person counties. Justice-involved individuals may include those that have been formerly incarcerated and those involved with the court system, as well as their family members and friends.

All are encouraged to come out to learn more about the resources available in this region.

For more information, contact Sharon Thomas at 252.436.2040 or visit www.kerrtarworks.com.