NC Dept of Agriculture

Vance and Warren Counties May be Eligible for Agricultural Disaster Assistance

/by

-Press Release, N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

Farmers with damage from Tropical Storm Michael may be eligible for disaster assistance from the Hurricane Florence Agricultural Disaster Program of 2018. The $240 million bill approved today by the N.C. General Assembly would help farmers with storm damage and agricultural losses from both Hurricane Florence and Tropical Storm Michael.

The program will directly assist farmers who suffered losses to commodities planted but not harvested before Sept. 13, 2018, and livestock. The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services will administer the program.

“With only two weeks left in the sign-up period, farmers cannot afford to wait to sign up for assistance,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “The application process takes about 30 minutes per farm and assistance is available through N.C. Cooperative Extension and the NCDA&CS disaster hotline at 1-866-6459403.”

The seven additional counties pending a federal disaster declaration include Avery, Vance, Wake, Warren, Washington, Watauga and Yadkin counties. With this addition, 61 of the state’s 100 counties would have received either a primary Presidential or Secretarial-disaster declaration.

“Both Hurricane Florence and Tropical Storm Michael had significant impacts to agriculture,” said Troxler. “Without this immediate assistance, it will be difficult for many farmers to continue operations.”

Initial estimates for crop damage and livestock losses to North Carolina’s agriculture industry from Hurricane Florence are estimated at $1.1 billion.

To be eligible for assistance, farmers must sign up online by the Dec. 10 deadline. For more information, visit www.ncagr.gov/agriculturaldisasterprogram.

First of Six ‘Future Focus’ Sessions Held at AdVance Academy

/by

-Press Release, Vance County Schools

The first of six “Future Focus” sessions for juniors and seniors at AdVance Academy was held on November 28, with Dr. James Hunter, a certified counselor with Vance County Schools, as the featured speaker.

LaShawn Hawley, career placement specialist with the district’s Career and Technical Education Program, is coordinating the sessions.

Hunter is shown in the accompanying photo as he talks with students at the school about their career choices. He told them their strategies for future success should include: researching colleges and careers; building and maintaining support from others; planning; setting goals; and persevering through obstacles.

The remaining “Future Focus” sessions will be held once each month January through May and are designed to provide diverse guest speakers who can discuss with the students their future plans and how to enhance their chances of successfully getting into college and beginning their vocational careers.

Dr. James Hunter, a certified counselor with Vance County Schools, talks with students at AdVance Academy about their career choices. (Photo Credit: Vance County Schools)

Granville County Public Schools

Additional Guidelines for Public Hearing on Possible Closure of Joe Toler Elementary

/by

-Information courtesy Dr. Stan Winborne, Public Information Officer, Granville County Public Schools

The Granville County Board of Education will hold a public hearing on the possible closure of Joe Toler – Oak Hill Elementary School at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, December 4, 2018. The hearing will be held at the school, located at 8176 Hwy 96 in Oxford.

Public hearing guidelines and procedures include:

  • Guest speakers must “sign up” to speak (up to 30 minutes prior to the 7 p.m. public hearing start time);
  • The guest speaker sheet will be pulled to close sign up at 7 p.m.;
  • Guests will have four minutes to speak;
  • The hearing is scheduled to last until 8:30 p.m. If there are still guests who signed up waiting to comment at 8:30 p.m, the Board can decide by majority vote whether to extend the hearing or make some other accommodation;
  • The Board of Education will only listen to guests, as no responses or decisions will be provided that evening;
  • The Board of Education will take the public input and study information under advisement and will deliberate and make a final decision at a later public meeting.
Vance County Logo

Vance Co. Board of Commissioners to Hold Monthly Meeting Dec. 3

/by

-Information courtesy Kelly H. Grissom, Clerk to Board/Executive Asst., County of Vance

The Vance County Board of Commissioners will meet Monday, December 3, 2018, at 6 p.m. in the Commissioners’ Meeting Room, 122 Young Street, Henderson. The Invocation will be given by Pastor Carolyn Roy, Plank Chapel United Methodist Church.

Agenda items:

1. Reorganization of Board

  • Swearing in of Re-elected Commissioners
  • Election of Chair
  • Election of Vice-Chair

2. Adopt Schedule of Holidays

3. Renewal of Board of Commissioners Meeting Schedule

(First Monday of each month at 6 p.m., unless otherwise noted)

4. Special Recognition 

Bearpond and Epsom Volunteer Fire Departments

5. Public Comments (for those registered to speak by 5:45 p.m. – speakers are limited to five minutes)

6. Appointment

Porcha Brooks, Tax Administrator – Untimely Exemption Applications

7. Public Hearing

Angie Blount, County Planner Rezoning Request – Case RZ20181108-1 616 Bearpond Road; Parcel 0453 05005

8. Public Hearing

Angie Blount, County Planner Rezoning Request – Case RZ20181108-2 651 Bearpond Road; Parcel 0224 01009

9. Water District Board

a. Committee Report – Phase 1B Project Review

b. Monthly Operations Report

c. Recess Water District Board for Closed Session – Property Matter

10. Committee Reports and Recommendations

a. Properties Committee

– REO Property Offers

– Agricultural Land Lease

b. Public Safety Committee

– Rapid Entry Resolution

– Open Burning Ordinance

– Addressing Ordinance

– Fire Service Reorganization

11. Finance Director’s Report

a. Surplus Property

b. Fire Truck Financing

12. County Attorney’s Report

a. REO Property – Lot 6 Big Ruin Creek Lane; Parcel 0404 03029

13. County Manager’s Report

a. Schedule Annual Planning Retreat

b. Broadband Update

14. Consent Agenda Items

a. Budget Amendments and Transfers

b. Tax Refunds and Releases

c. Ambulance Charge-Offs

d. Monthly Reports

15. Miscellaneous

a. Appointments

16. Closed Session

a. Water District Board – Property Matter

b. Economic Development Project

The agenda for the December meeting may be viewed in its entirety on the Vance County website.

Henderson Family YMCA Presents Jingle Bell 5K Run at Satterwhite Point

/by

-Information courtesy Henderson Family YMCA

Participate. Volunteer. Donate.

Jingle Bell Run 5K benefitting Girls on the Run and STRIDE programs will be held on Saturday, December 8, 2018, at Satterwhite Point! Check-in and race day registration will begin at 9 a.m. at the Glass House and the race begins at 10 a.m. Entrance gate will close at 9:50 a.m. Please arrive on time!

Pre-race packets will be available for pick-up on Friday, December 7 from 12 – 1:30 p.m and 4 – 6 p.m. in the Big Gym at the YMCA.

Open Registration: Now — December 7

Cost: $15/Child* $25/Adult

Race Day Registration: December 8

Cost: $20/Child* $30/Adult

*Child = ages 0—12; Adult = ages 13+

T-Shirts are NOT included for registrants who register on the day of the race.

(The Henderson Family YMCA is an advertising client of WIZS; however, this is not a paid advertisement.)

Vance County NC

Quarantine Area for Imported Fire Ant Expanding to Include All of Vance County

/by

-Press Release, NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is expanding a state quarantine for the imported fire ant (IFA) to include all of Davidson, Orange and Vance counties effective Jan. 1, 2019. With the expansion, the quarantine now includes portions or entire areas of 75 counties.

According to popular pest control vaughan, quarantine continues efforts to monitor the spread of this pest and address mitigation or control measures. Under quarantine rules, residents and business owners in these counties will need to obtain a permit before moving plants, sod and related equipment into or through non-infested areas. Certificates can be obtained from a local plant protection specialist or by contacting the Plant Protection Section at 800-206-9333 or 919-707-3730.

Items requiring a permit include nursery stock, sod, soil, hay and straw, logs or pulpwood with soil, and soil-moving equipment. Also, the movement of any other products, items or infested materials that present a risk of spread from established IFA areas to non-infested areas is prohibited.

“Failure to obtain the needed inspections and certifications may result in the issuance of a stop-sale notice and rejection or destruction of the regulated article,” said Phil Wilson, director of the NCDA&CS Plant Industry Division. “Fire ants can be harmful to humans and livestock. It is critical we continue proactive efforts to slow down fire ant movement into non-infested areas of the state.”

The imported fire ant was first identified and classified as a pest by SafeGuardPest in Brunswick County in 1957. As it spread and became established, it was recognized as an aggressive pest of farmlands, pastures, residential areas and wildlife, Wilson said. The imported fire ant is considered to be a nuisance and a health concern to humans, livestock and wildlife due to its painful sting.

For a map of the quarantine area, click here.

Note from local Vance County Cooperative Extension Agent Paul McKenzie:

The quarantine affects people and businesses who want to move certain materials FROM Vance County INTO a non-quarantined area. For example, if a hay producer in Vance County wanted to sell hay to a cattle farm in Person County, they would have to comply with the requirements of the quarantine (inspections and permits). That hay producer would have to certify that their hay was free of fire ants so they wouldn’t be spreading it into a new area. However, that Vance County hay producer would have NO restrictions on moving hay into, for example, Warren County, since Warren is also in the quarantine area.

Examples of other restricted materials would include nursery stock, sod, soil, etc.

Fire ants have been in Vance County for several years now. People need to learn how to recognize them and how to manage them.

Granville County Logo

Granville Co. Board of Commissioners to Hold Monthly Meeting Dec. 3

/by

-Information courtesy Debra A. Weary, Clerk to the Board, Granville County

The Granville County Board of Commissioners will meet Monday, December 3, 2018, at 7 p.m. at the Granville Expo and Convention Center, 4185 US Highway 15 South, Oxford.

Agenda items include:

Consent Agenda

1. Contingency Summary as of 12/3/18

2. Budget Amendment #4

3. Law Enforcement Center Project Ordinance Amendment

4. Minutes

Recognitions and Presentations

5. Recognition – Falls Lake Academy Volleyball Team

Oaths of Office

6. Oath of Office – David T. Smith

7. Oath of Office – Timothy Karan

8. Oath of Office – Edgar Smoak

Break

9. Break*

Organizational Matters

10. Election of Chairman and Vice Chairman

11. Set Meeting Time, Place and Schedule for Calendar Year 2019

12. Appointment of Members to Board/Committee/Liaison Assignments

13. Approve Bonds for County Officials for 2018-2019

Public Comments

14. Public Comments

Planning Matters

15. Resolution Identifying Additional Review Officers

Finance Matters

16. Amendment to Audit Contract

Solid Waste Matters

17. CPI Adjustment for Waste Industries Contract

Surplus Property

18. Transfer of Surplus Property to VGCC

Appointments

19. Butner Board of Adjustment – ETJ

20. Butner Planning Board – ETJ Member

21. Granville Health System Board of Trustees

22. Orange Street Community Center

23. Opioid Advisory Committee

24. Kerr Tar Regional Council of Governments’ Advisory Council on Aging

County Manager’s Report

25. DHHS MOU Modification

26. DSS Corrective Action Plan Update

County Attorney’s Report

27. County Attorney’s Report

Presentations by County Board Members

28. Presentations by County Board Members

Any Other Matters

29. Any Other Matters

Closed Session

30. Closed Session – Personnel Matters

*Board will take a short break for a reception to honor the newly reelected Commissioners

News 11/30/18

/by

Town Talk 11/30/18

/by
Henderson Fire Dept

Edmonds Discusses Annual Smoke Detector Campaign, Shares Heating Safety Tips

/by

Captain Lee Edmonds was on Thursday’s edition of WIZS’ Town Talk program to discuss the Henderson Fire Department’s annual smoke detector and battery inspection program along with winter heating safety tips.

The annual campaign kicked off at the beginning of this month and is expected to continue through early spring.

Started in 2009 after a Vance County family lost several of their children to a house fire, Edmonds said the door-to-door home inspection program is “a good opportunity to check houses and check smoke detectors to make sure everything is working properly.”

The inspection, which begins anew each November following Fire Prevention Month in October, is free of charge to City of Henderson residents. “We put new batteries in smoke detectors, replace old smoke detectors and install smoke detectors in places that did not previously have them,” said Edmonds.

For the month of November, Edmonds estimated that the department has visited approximately 950 homes and has been successful in inspecting just shy of 200. In a previous interview with WIZS, Edmonds stated that the fire department’s goal is to visit 6,000 homes per annual campaign.

“We aren’t able to get into all of the homes we visit because either people aren’t home or they say they regularly check their batteries and smoke detectors,” said Edmonds. “If they aren’t home, we leave a note on their door asking them to call us so we can come back out.”

In addition to homes, the department inspects downtown businesses annually and most other businesses on a three-year basis.

With the number of fire-related deaths in 2018 topping previous years, the Henderson Fire Department urges residents to check their detectors regularly and to allow fire department personnel inside their home during the annual door-to-door campaign.

Additional Safety Tips Courtesy of Captain Edmonds:

  • Carbon monoxide detectors like the GasAlert Quattro are inexpensive and should always be used in homes that heat with a fuel source such as propane, kerosene or natural gas.
  • Leave three feet of clearance around any type of heater – fireplace, electric heater or gas heater.
  • Unplug electric heater when not in use and always plug directly into wall outlet. Never plug a heater into an extension cord. Extension cords are not rated for a heater and may overheat and cause a fire.
  • Have heaters and furnaces serviced at least once, preferably twice, a year by a certified technician to ensure everything is in working order and to minimize safety hazards.
  • During the holidays, make sure real Christmas trees are watered properly. Christmas lights will catch a dry tree on fire very quickly. Inspect light cords on all types of Christmas decorations and plug directly into wall outlet. Christmas lights should always be unplugged when you aren’t at home.
  • Never attempt to leave the stove open as a means of heating your home.
  • Families should have at least two escape routes mapped out in their home that everyone knows. An outside meeting place should also be discussed in case members of the family escape the home different ways. Make sure windows can be opened and aren’t painted or nailed shut.

With questions regarding your smoke detector, fire safety or to schedule a time for a free home inspection, please call the Henderson Fire Department at (252) 430-1877.

To listen to the interview in its entirety, please click here.