NCDHHS

NCDHHS to Provide Additional Food Benefits for More than 800,000 Children

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-Press Release, Office of Governor Roy Cooper

Governor Roy Cooper announced today that North Carolina has been approved for the new Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) program, to help families purchase food for children impacted by school closings due to COVID-19. NCDHHS is working to operationalize the program and families will begin to receive this benefit in the coming weeks.

“So many families are in need, especially with so many out of work right now. This approval helps people get assistance faster to feed their families,” said Governor Cooper.

The program provides a benefit on an EBT card to North Carolina families whose children are eligible for free and reduced lunch at school. Families will receive $250 in P-EBT benefits per child, provided in two installments, with the possibility of an additional benefit if North Carolina schools are closed beyond May 15. Families will be able to use the P-EBT benefit to purchase food items at EBT authorized retailers, including most major grocery stores.

Families will not need to apply for the P-EBT program. P-EBT eligible families already receiving Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) benefits will receive an additional benefit on their existing EBT card. P-EBT eligible families not already enrolled in FNS will be mailed a new EBT card in the next few weeks. Families who receive a new EBT card will receive a letter from DHHS in the mail explaining how to activate and use their card.

“As our schools closed, many families across the state worried about where their next meals would come from—and we knew we had to take action,” said NC Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy Cohen, M.D. “The P-EBT program will provide extra help buying groceries for the families of the more than 800,000 children who normally receive free and reduced lunch at school.”

North Carolina is one of the first four states to receive federal approval from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide P-EBT benefits, which are entirely federally funded.

The new P-EBT program is in addition to other services families may be participating in. As announced previously on March 30, 2020, all families that receive Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) will receive the maximum amount allowed for March and April 2020 for their household size. Families are encouraged to continue utilizing feeding programs at local school and community meal sites for free, nutritious meals for children.

NC Coop Extension

Cooperative Extension with Jamon Glover 04/16/20

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Granville Co Sheriff

Granville Co. Sheriff’s Office Conducting Annual Firearms Qualifications

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-Information courtesy the Granville County Sheriff’s Office

The Granville County Sheriff’s Office will be conducting annual firearms qualifications from Monday, April 20 through Friday, April 24, 2020, in accordance with the guidelines set for by the North Carolina Sheriff’s Education and Training Standards Commission.

This training will be held at the Sir Walter Raleigh Gun Club at 2507 Hester Road in Creedmoor, NC after 5:30 p.m.

Residents of this area are being made aware of the scheduled training and the increased noise in the area, especially after daytime hours.

Please contact the Sheriff’s Office at (919) 693-3213 with any questions.

Vance County Regional Farmers Market Opens Sat, Apr 25

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— press release

The Vance County Regional Farmers Market will open for the 2020 season on Saturday, April 25th, according to Tracy Madigan, Market Manager. Ms. Madigan reports that she has been carefully reviewing expert recommendations on procedures that minimize risk for customers, vendors and employees. “The Farmers Market is a vital community resource for both consumers and farmers,” noted Madigan, “so we want to set an example of using good practices.” Thus, all customers will be asked to strictly observe social distancing and hygiene practices, and Madigan indicated that signage and floor markings will be in place as reminders.

Paul McKenzie, Horticulture Extension Agent for Vance County, said that Farmers Markets across the state are sharing information about best practices so that they can continue serving as a source of fresh and nutritious food. “Most markets,” he reports, “are providing additional hand washing facilities, doing more frequent cleaning, and spacing vendors further apart. North Carolina producers raise the best farm products you could find, and I’m very glad farmers markets can continue to make it available. In many cases,” he said, “farmers markets have been way ahead of the curve in implementing safety practices.”

Customers of the Vance County Regional Farmers Market are asked to wear face coverings, wash hands frequently, and keep visits short. “We are asking customers to let vendors handle the product and to make pre-orders that can be picked up quickly,” said Madigan. She also asked customers to please visit the Farmers Market website or Facebook page for complete details on the new shopping procedures. “Above all, we want our customers to have access to the fresh and nutritious food that is grown by our local farmers.” The web address for the Vance County Regional Farmers Market is http://go.ncsu.edu/vcrfm. The Market will be open on Saturdays from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday hours will start on June 1st. For more information call 252-438-8188 or email farmermarket@vancecounty.org.

Henderson Family YMCA to Hold American Red Cross Blood Drive

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-Information courtesy the Henderson Family YMCA

The Henderson Family YMCA will hold a blood drive for the American Red Cross on Thursday, April 30, 2020, from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. in the YMCA gym.

To support social distancing, appointments are required for this event.

The need for blood is constant and patients need your help. To schedule your appointment, please go to https://www.redcrossblood.org/give.html/drive-results

 

Local Area Eligible for U.S. Chamber’s Small Business Financial Relief Initiative

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-Information courtesy the Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce

To extend a helping hand to small businesses suffering from the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation – in partnership with Vistaprint and a coalition of supporting companies, foundations, and philanthropic donors – is working to provide financial relief through the Save Small Business Fund.

The Fund is providing $5,000 in short-term relief to employers across the United States. These one-time supplemental cash grants are for businesses that have between three and 20 employees and operate in an economically vulnerable community.  You will be asked to put in your zip code (27536 is an approved area) and you will need your business W-9 form.

Grants will be awarded on a weekly basis, but you only need to apply one time to be eligible for funding. Once the grantee has been notified and submitted payment information that meets compliance checks, it will take 3-5 days to process the payment. The number of grants awarded will be scaled in proportion to the demand and available funds.

The grant application will go live on Monday, April 20, 2020, at 3 p.m. ET.  To learn more about the Save Small Business Fund and to apply for a grant, visit savesmallbusiness.com.

Latest Covid-19 Vance Co. and “Recovery” Info

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Brian Short, H-V Director of Emergency Operations, and Lisa Harrison, Director G-V District Health Department, provide email correspondence daily and include WIZS News.

To quote a few lines from Short’s Sunday afternoon situation report:

“As of now, the total number of confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 in Vance County has increased to 30. Five (5) individuals have now been released from isolation, three (3) more remain hospitalized, 22 individuals are currently isolated at home and [there has been] one (1) death as a result of complications associated with Coronavirus infection.

“Keep in mind that even though you are not feeling sick, you could still be infected with this virus. Please think not only of yourself but of those around you. Each and every one of us has the power to directly affect how quickly or slowly this virus spreads.

“Testing is ongoing through both Maria Parham Health, our local Health Department and private institutions. There are currently 6,493 confirmed cases of the Coronavirus in North Carolina with 465 currently hospitalized and thus far 172 deaths. Please visit the NC Department of Health and Human Services Coronavirus statistics page at the following link to stay current on the number of cases in our state: https://www.ncdhhs.gov/covid-19-case-count-nc”

Harrison took the time Sunday afternoon to respond to some Facebook questions, and we are linking a WIZS Facebook post, click here, for you to review about Covid-19 “recovery” information.  The “recovery” info is in the comments.

As you will see, there are still a lot of ifs, ands and buts to declaring someone recovered.  Harrison said making that declaration is “a clinical assessment.”

 

Express Employment Professionals: Muetzel Says ‘Essential Industries Hiring’

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THIS STORY IS PRESENTED IN PART BY DRAKE DENTISTRY

Hal Muetzel, owner and operator of Express Employment Professionals, appeared on WIZS Town Talk Thursday at 11 a.m.

Located at 124 Main Street in Oxford, Express Employment Professionals is a staffing company focused on helping people find jobs and providing workforce solutions to businesses. Services include a full range of employment solutions, including full-time, temporary and part-time employment in a wide range of industries.

With the current COVID-19 pandemic, Muetzel explained that those industries deemed “essential” by the government, including manufacturing, distribution, food, logistics, infrastructure and healthcare, are the ones hiring at present.

“We are busy here at Express,” Muetzel stated. “We are working with companies like essential businesses that are still looking for people, and many of these companies are starving for the type of laborers needed for these positions.”

Muetzel pointed out that many manufacturers, including the Oxford-based Home Care Products, LLC, have either switched to or have added assembly for goods needed during the pandemic, including masks and other Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

Another local employer, Walmart Distribution Center in Vance County, has also been on an “aggressive hiring campaign to get supplies, mostly food supplies, shipped out and into stores,” said Muetzel.

While some companies have been in a holding pattern for the last few weeks, Muetzel said the movement he is starting to see gives him hope that the near future looks bright for the workforce.

“Some companies have stalled out for a little while but are coming back online as early as next week in the manufacturing sectors. There are a fair number of economists that say this will be short-lived and, as soon as we can start to get people back to work, we should start to see the economy creep up again.”

If you are currently seeking employment, Muetzel said the best bet is to target essential businesses. “Keep informed and stay focused on your job search because, eventually, we are going to all be back in a situation where we are looking for work again or are being recalled back to our previous employment.”

Express Employment Professionals is available to assist you in your job search and has the means to conduct the majority of the employment process, including an initial interview, remotely.

For more information, please visit www.expresspros.com/oxfordnc/ or call (919) 693-1730.

To hear the interview with Muetzel in its entirety, go to WIZS.com and click on Town Talk. Muetzel’s segment of the interview begins at the 15:13 mark.

(This is not a paid advertisement)

U.S. Department of Justice

Convicted Drug Trafficker Charged With Escaping Custody of Butner Federal Prison

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-Press Release, U.S. Department of Justice

United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr. announces that today, RICHARD R. CEPHAS, of Wilmington, Delaware, was charged in a federal Criminal Complaint with escaping from the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) in Butner, North Carolina on or about April 1, 2020.

The Criminal Complaint was authorized by United States Magistrate Judge Robert T. Numbers, II, and supported by the sworn affidavit of a Deputy United States Marshal. The United States Marshals Service (USMS) has been investigating CEPHAS’ alleged escape since he was discovered missing on April 2.

In June 2017, CEPHAS was sentenced by the United States District Court for the District of Delaware to a term of 66 months in federal prison – for his violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841 (a)(l) and (b)(l)(A) and 846, Conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute, five kilograms or more of cocaine.

The conviction and sentence resulted from a long-term High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) federal wiretap investigation spearheaded by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Drug Trafficking Task Force in Delaware.  More about that investigation here.

As alleged in the publicly filed affidavit attached to the Criminal Complaint, CEPHAS had been serving the remainder of his prison sentence at the Federal Prison Camp in Butner, NC. On April 2, 2020, CEPHAS was placed in an escape status by the BOP following his absence from a bed count conducted by staff at the Butner facility. At the time of his absence, CEPHAS was not authorized to be away from the Federal Prison Camp. He remains in an escape status and law enforcement is working to determine his whereabouts.

U.S. Attorney Higdon issued the following statement:

“This morning, members of my office obtained a criminal complaint charging Richard R. Cephas with violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 751(a), escape from the custody of a facility to which he was confined at the Direction of the Attorney General.

The complaint alleges that Mr. Cephas began planning his escape as early as March 30. At that time, he had email communication with at least one family member. Two days later, Mr. Cephas contacted another family member regarding his plan to escape. When a headcount was conducted later that day, and again very early in the morning of April 2, Mr. Cephas was missing. A search of the entire prison complex resulted in a determination that Mr. Cephas had escaped.

Media reports surfaced late yesterday afternoon in which an individual identifying himself as Richard Cephas during a recorded video interview explained that he escaped from Butner because of health concerns related to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and his belief that he is particularly vulnerable because of an ongoing chronic health condition. This, he explained, justified his escape and warrants a modification to his underlying sentence. He also argued that it requires the Justice Department to overlook and tolerate his escape.

Let me be clear, Mr. Cephas is a convicted drug trafficker who was sentenced to federal prison for his role in a wide-ranging drug conspiracy that imported cocaine and methamphetamine into the United States from Mexico. He was convicted in federal court in Delaware and sentenced to a term of imprisonment, which he was serving at the Butner facility. Mr. Cephas’ decision to escape federal custody is nothing more than an opportunistic move to use the coronavirus pandemic as an excuse to cut his prison term short. He is a fugitive from justice and federal law enforcement will find him and bring him to Court here in the Eastern District to answer these charges.

Should Mr. Cephas choose to turn himself in, he may do so at any law enforcement office; to the United States Marshal for the Eastern District of North Carolina (call 919-856-4153); or to the United States Marshal in any federal district in which he is currently located (call 877-WANTED-2). Otherwise, federal agents will pursue his arrest.

Mr. Cephas will, of course, be extended his Constitutional rights when he appears in Court, including the presumption of innocence and the requirement that the Government prove the escape case against him beyond a reasonable doubt. We look forward to presenting our case before the Court.

In the meantime, the public should assume that Mr. Cephas is dangerous and they should take caution if they encounter him. The public should also know that anyone who knowingly harbors or assists Mr. Cephas in avoiding arrest may be in violation of federal law as well.

I want to thank the law enforcement officers who have been tasked with investigating this case and pursuing Mr. Cephas’ arrest. His decision to escape has increased their already heavy workload and has raised the risk of illness and harm to them by drawing them out into the community at this difficult time. This is another example of the dedication of law enforcement who serve us no matter the circumstances.”

The charges and allegations contained in the Criminal Complaint are merely accusations.  The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

Warren County Memorial Library Celebrates National Library Week

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-Press Release, Warren County Government

April 19 – 25, 2020, is National Library Week, and Warren County Memorial Library invites all community members to “find the library at their place” by visiting www.wcmlibrary.org to access virtual services and resources.

This is a time to highlight the valuable role libraries, librarians and library workers play in transforming lives and strengthening communities. The original theme for National Library Week 2020 – “find your place at the library” – was chosen months ago before the emergence of a global pandemic forced libraries to close their buildings.

In response to our rapidly changing times, the theme was revised to “find the library at your place” to bring attention to how libraries are open for business online, offering the electronic services and digital content their communities need now more than ever.

While the library’s physical spaces may be temporarily closed due to COVID-19, the public can discover ebooks, movies, online storytimes, language learning software, virtual tours of NC parks, and much more—all from home.

In times of crisis, libraries respond to their community’s needs in innovative and inspiring ways. Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, libraries are continuing to make a difference in people’s lives by providing electronic resources, including virtual homework help, resume building tools, and information about keeping your family well and safe.

At the Warren County Memorial Library, there is a wide array of free virtual services available from providers such as NC Kids and NC Live.

Library staff encourage Warren County residents to make use of the myriad of electronic materials as well as screen-free activities highlighted on the library’s website www.wcmlibrary.org. All of the services mentioned can be accessed completely free of charge.

For more information, or help accessing electronic resources, call library staff Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., at 252-257-4990.