Raccoon Found on Currin Rd. Tests Positive for Rabies

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-Information courtesy Vance Co. Animal Services

Vance County Animal Services responded to a call on March 12, 2020, in reference to a possibly rabid raccoon in the 300 block of Currin Road in Henderson. The raccoon was sent off for testing and has tested positive for rabies.

At this time, Animal Services is asking residents to please make sure that all dogs and cats are up-to-date on their rabies vaccines. Even if your pet is up-to-date, a booster vaccine is recommended if you live on or near Currin Road.

The Vance County Animal Shelter offers rabies vaccines for $5. Hours of operation are Monday 12:30 – 4:30 p.m.; Tuesday – Thursday 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.; and Saturday 8 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Henderson American Legion Post 60 to Hold Chicken Plate Sale

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-Information courtesy Henderson American Legion Post 60

The Henderson American Legion Post 60 will hold a Chicken Plate Sale on Friday, April 3, 2020, from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.

Tickets are $8 for a plate of 1/2 chicken, green beans, red-skinned potatoes, dessert and bread. Pick up and go or stay and eat. Beverage included for eat-in only.

Location: Corner of E. Spring Street and S. Garnett Street in Henderson, NC.

Proceeds benefit Vance County Veterans. See a Legion member for tickets or call Andy Roberson at (252) 432-2432.

Meet Ken Reeves, Granville County’s New Fire Marshal

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-Press Release, Granville County Government

Ken Reeves is Granville County’s newly-hired Fire Marshal. Reeves comes to Emergency Services with training and experience, as he has served as Battalion Chief, Fire Investigator and Training Officer of the Vance County Fire Department, as well as working with the City of Oxford’s and the City of Henderson’s Fire Departments.

Ken Reeves was recently named Granville County’s new Fire Marshal. (Granville Co. Govt. photo)

He is a certified N.C. Fire Inspector and a certified N.C. Fire Investigator, in addition to being a Fire and Life Safety Educator and earning the Associate Level in Emergency Management.

In his new role, Reeves will provide fire prevention inspections, as mandated by the North Carolina Office of State Fire Marshal, as well as public fire education, coordination of overall firefighting efforts in the county, fire investigations, and regulatory reporting of fire conditions within the county.

A native of Maryland, Reeves is a thirteen-year resident of Granville County and now lives in Stem with his wife and three children. He is a graduate of Keiser University (Sarasota, FL), with a two-year degree in Fire Science, and teaches fire and rescue classes at Vance-Granville Community College on a part-time basis.

The office for Granville County Emergency Services is located at 5662 Cornwall Road in Oxford. Residents or businesses with questions or concerns can contact Reeves at 919-603-1310.

Granville County Logo

Granville Co. Board of Commissioners to Meet Mon., March 16

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

The Granville County Board of Commissioners will meet Monday, March 16, 2020, 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
2. Minutes

Introductions, Recognitions and Presentations
3. 100th Year of League of Women Voters and 19th Amendment
4. Granville-Vance District Health Department and COVID-19 Update
5. Town of Stem’s 20 Year Plan

Public Comments
6. Public Comments

Human Resources Matters
7. Position Reclassifications and Market Adjustments

Purchasing
8. Granville County Law Enforcement & Detention Center Inmate Operational Supplies
9. Granville County Law Enforcement, Detention Center & Animal Shelter Administrative Furnishings
10. Granville County Law Enforcement & Animal Shelter Owner Processed Change Orders
11. Granville County Animal Shelter Containment and Shelter Accessories
12. Granville County Law Enforcement Center VoIP Phone System
13. Granville County Law Enforcement Center Virtual Server Infrastructure

Appointments
14. Senior Services Advisory Committee
15. Nursing Home Community Advisory Committee
16. Granville County Citizens Advisory Committee for Environmental Affairs
17. Granville County Library System Board of Trustees
18. Human Relations Commission
19. Community Advisory Council – Granville Appointments
20. Agricultural Advisory Board
21. Creedmoor Planning Board – Extraterritorial Member
22. Granville County ABC Board

County Manager’s Report
23. ABC Board Update
24. Cannady Mill Property
25. Proposed Street Lighting for Oxford Loop Road and Goshen Street Intersection
26. Granville Employee NCDOT Spring Litter Sweep
27. County Department Expo
28. Announce Joint Meeting with Board of Education

County Attorney’s Report
29. County Attorney’s Report

Presentations by County Board Members
30. Presentations by County Board Members

Any Other Matters
31. Any Other Matters

Closed Session
32. Closed Session as allowed by G.S. 143-318.11(a)(3) – Attorney-Client Matter
33. Closed Session as allowed by G.S. 143-318.11(a)(5) – Property Acquisition

To view Granville Co. Board of Commissioner meeting agendas and minutes, click here. 

Granville County Public Schools

Granville School Board to Hold Special Meeting on Procedures, Health Updates

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-Information courtesy Granville County Public Schools

NOTICE TO PUBLIC AND PRESS

The Granville County Board of Education will meet for a Special Meeting on Monday, March 16, 2020, at 6 p.m. at the Central Services Building, 101 Delacroix Street, Oxford, North Carolina.

The purpose of this meeting is for the Board of Education to discuss Board trainings, Board procedures, health updates and mid-year information with the Superintendent.

The Board will also meet in a Closed Session with the Board’s attorney in accordance with N.C. General Statute pursuant to G.S. 143.318.11 (a)(6), 143-318.11 (a)(3), 143.318.11 (a)(5) and Section 115C-321 for Personnel, and Attorney/Client Privilege on this evening.

To view the agenda for this meeting, please click here.

State Offers $5K Reward in HPD Sgt. Brandon Mitchell Shooting

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THIS STORY IS PRESENTED IN PART BY DRAKE DENTISTRY

-From the Office of Governor Roy Cooper

Governor Roy Cooper announced on Monday that the State is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the shooting of Sergeant Brandon Mitchell, age 31.

During the evening hours of Wednesday, July 10, 2019, detectives from the Henderson Police Department began investigating the homicide of 16-year-old Adonious Hawkins, Jr. Shortly after midnight on Thursday, July 11, 2019, detectives traveled to 1043 North Pinkston Street, home to one of the suspects. Investigators attempted to speak to individuals at this address and were unsuccessful. Henderson Police Sgt. Brandon Mitchell and Lt. David Elliott then went to a house next door to seek information.

While the two officers stood just inside the home, shots were fired from outside into the residence. Sgt. Mitchell was shot in the right shoulder and rushed to a local hospital. Other police detectives who were outside the home identified two passing vehicles as the source of the gunfire. The vehicles left the scene without being captured by law enforcement.

Police have previously made arrests in connection with the shooting death of Adonious Hawkins, Jr.

Anyone having information concerning the shooting of Sgt. Mitchell should contact the Henderson Police Department at (252) 438-4141 or the State Bureau of Investigation at (919) 662-4500.

Vance Co. Schools Announces Procedure Changes Due to Coronavirus Risk

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-Press Release, Vance County Schools

Over the past few days, Vance County Schools has been in close dialogue with the Health Department and can confirm that at the time of this writing there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 or Coronavirus in Vance County.

As such, our efforts will continue to be focused on prevention and following best practices to keep students and staff healthy. These include:

  • Regular, thorough cleaning in our buildings
  • Frequent hand-washing and use of hand sanitizer
  • Respecting personal space

Also, we ask that all students and staff who have cold or flu-like symptoms to stay home until fever-free for 24 hours and seek medical care as needed. These efforts will promote healthy school environments for everyone. Consistent with guidance from the Granville Vance Health Department, we are implementing the following:

School Closure: Currently, there are no plans to close schools. Should this change, we will alert you via our standard communications procedures (ConnectED, Twitter, Facebook, District Website).

Field Trips & Travel: Out of an abundance of caution, all field trips will be suspended for the next four weeks, effective immediately. We will attempt to reschedule these events at a later date if possible. While we make no promises, for those trips that may have involved fees or deposits, we will do our best to work with the companies to secure refunds and/or credits as allowed, given the uniqueness of the situation. We are also suspending all non-essential work-related travel for Vance County Schools staff, including professional development workshops and conferences.

School Events & Visitors: All school-based events that draw crowds will be evaluated by the district to determine the best scenario, as we gain an understanding of COVID-19 and its progression. We are also monitoring our volunteers and visitors on all campuses to reduce potential exposure to our students and staff.

Athletics: The North Carolina High School Athletic Association Board of Directors decided to suspend all interscholastic athletics beginning at 11:59 p.m. on Friday, March 13, 2020, through Monday, April 6, 2020. This means that all workouts, practices, games and skill development sessions for all middle and high school athletics in the state of North Carolina must be suspended. The NCHSAA will continue to assess the situation with COVID-19 to determine the next steps and we will keep our community informed of new information.

This situation is very fluid and we will continue to post updates on our website at www.vcs.k12.nc.us.

Facility Rentals: All facility rentals for Vance County Schools will be canceled until further notice. This allows us to keep our schools disinfected, ensuring the safety of our students and staff. If you have a rental scheduled you will be contacted by the district on the next steps.

Proactive Steps: As previously shared, our custodians, maintenance and transportation are continuing to proactively disinfect frequently surfaces and buses. We will also continue sanitizing our buildings and provide hand sanitizing stations throughout every building in the district.

We realize these cancellations and changes will come as disappointments to many, but please understand our Vance County Schools family is of the utmost importance – and is what drives our decisions as we work to keep everyone safe.

We hope you will join us in taking precautions to keep our students, staff and schools healthy so we can continue educating our students. We will keep you posted with additional updates as needed.

NCHSAA

NCHSAA: Basketball State Championships, Interscholastic Athletics Suspended

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-Press Release, NCHSAA

Due to the threat from COVID-19, the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) has made the decision to postpone the 2020 Men’s and Women’s Basketball State Championships indefinitely.

“As much as we would like this opportunity for our student-athletes, coaches, and their communities, we know that ultimately any decision we make must err on the side of caution,” said Commissioner Que Tucker.

The Board of Directors also moved to suspend interscholastic athletics beginning at 11:59 p.m. on Friday, March 13, 2020, through at least Monday, April 6, 2020. The NCHSAA Board of Directors will assess this situation regularly over the next few weeks. This includes all workouts, skill development, practices and contests.

Town Talk 03/12/20: Fourth Annual VCS Arts Alive! to Showcase Student Talent

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Aarika Sandlin, public information officer for Vance County Schools, appeared on WIZS Town Talk Thursday at 11 a.m. Discussing upcoming district events, Sandlin said students and staff are busy preparing for VCS’ fourth annual Arts Alive! talent showcase.

Arts Alive! will be held at the McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center in downtown Henderson on Saturday, April 25, 2020. The showcase will feature VCS student talent in a variety of mediums including painting, drawing, dancing, singing and dramatic performance. All grade levels will be represented.

Parents, students, family, educators and community members are invited to view the artwork that will be on display in the McGregor Hall Gallery beginning at 3 p.m. Gallery viewing is free of charge.

New this year, a silent auction will be held to allow the public to bid on their favorite pieces of art.

In addition to the art gallery, performing acts ranging from large to small groups of vocalists, musicians, dancers and more will entertain on McGregor Hall’s stage beginning at 7 p.m.

Tickets for the Arts Alive! show are available for purchase at McGregor Hall’s box office beginning at 3 p.m. the day of the event. Tickets for adults and children are $5 each; all seating is general admission. Proceeds from the event benefit the Vance County Public School Foundation.

Returning this year will be a series of “master classes” offered in drama, art, dancing and musical instruments offered the morning of the Arts Alive! event. The classes, ranging in target age from Pre-K through 12th grade, will be offered by Hill’s Music Shoppe, Ballet Arts, Wolf Trap Education and Vance-Granville Community College. For more details on these classes, please visit VCS’ newly designed website at www.vcs.k12.nc.us.

Master classes are free of charge and are offered at McGregor Hall and across the street from the performing arts venue at First Baptist Church in Henderson.

“It’s a really exciting day for our district to come together and show what our students are capable of doing,” Sandlin said.

To hear the interview with Sandlin in its entirety, including a series of brief updates from the most recent School Board meeting, go to WIZS.com and click on Town Talk.

Granville County Public Schools

Coronavirus Prompts GCPS to Cancel Field Trips, Suspend Work-Related Travel

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-Press Release, Granville County Public Schools

Granville County Public Schools has been in close dialogue with the Health Department and can confirm that there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 or Coronavirus in Granville County.

We continue to focus our efforts on prevention and following best practices to keep students and staff healthy. This includes regular, thorough cleaning in our buildings, frequent hand-washing and use of hand sanitizer, and respecting personal space. Also, we ask that all students and staff who have cold or flu-like symptoms stay home and seek medical care as needed. These efforts will promote healthy school environments for everyone.

Out of an abundance of caution, we have decided to temporarily suspend all out-of-county and overnight field trips for the next four weeks effective immediately. We will attempt to reschedule these events at a later date if possible. While we make no promises, for those trips may have involved fees or deposits, we will do our very best to work with the companies to secure refunds and/or credits as allowed. Schools will be sending out details about impacted trips soon.

Also, we will follow the guidelines set forth by the NCHSAA as it relates to our student-athletes. Finally, we are also suspending all non-essential work-related travel for staff.

We apologize in advance for any inconvenience this may cause. We hope you will join us in taking precautions to keep our students, staff and schools healthy so we can continue educating our students. We will keep you posted with additional updates as needed. In the meantime, wash those hands and stay healthy!