Cooperative Extension with Wayne Rowland 04-08-21 – What to Plant
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37th Annual VGCC Golf Tourney May 3 and 4
Vance-Granville Community College’s 37th annual golf tournament is less than one month away, and VGCC Foundation Executive Director Eddie Ferguson said the event is shaping up to be the most successful ever.
There’s a wait list for golfers, and more than 70 sponsors have signed on so far, Ferguson said on Thursday’s segment of The Local Skinny.
He said the tournament has pledges of about $131,000. Last year’s tournament netted about $110,000. There are still plenty of opportunities to sponsor – $500 to be a greens sponsor and $150 to sponsor a tee box. Each of these sponsorships includes signage with the sponsor’s name, logo and phone number, Ferguson said.
This year’s tournament will be held at Henderson Country Club over two afternoons – Monday, May 3 and Tuesday, May 4. Proceeds are used to help students not only with tuition and books, but with other emergency needs that arise as well.
The tournament consistently brings in at least $100,000 that can be given “directly to students with these different needs and other initiatives of the community college,” Ferguson said. The support over the years from the community and the success of the tournament year after year is “a testament to the community and how they perceive and recognize and value the community college,” he said.
Employers in the four counties that VGCC serves rely on the college for future employees, as well as workforce training and other points associated with economic development. “Honestly, the biggest thing is that the community appreciates what the community college does,” Ferguson said.
Other sponsors include:
Title Sponsor – Gupton’s Services
Afternoon Round Sponsors – Altec and Killian Engineering
Health care Sponsor – Granville Health System
Scoreboard Sponsor – Rose Oil
Car Sponsor – Charles Boyd Chevrolet
Pharmacy Sponsor – Mast Drug.
Driving Range Sponsor – Wester Insurance
Soft Drink Sponsor – Durham Coca-Cola
Contact Ferguson at fergusone@vgcc.edu or 252.738.3264.
NC MedAssist to Henderson April 30; Free OTC; Pre-Order Now
NC MedAssist is coming to Henderson at the end of the month and is giving away free over-the-counter medication. The event will take place at the Salvation Army, 2292 Ross Mill Road, on April 30, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., according to information from Sheila Kidwell, NC MedAssist’s director of foundations and communications.
Triangle North Healthcare Foundation of Vance County is partnering with the Charlotte-based organization to host the giveaway, which is open to people 18 years or older. Some of the medicines that will be distributed include cough and cold medicine, vitamins, allergy medication and first-aid supplies. No identification is required; however, all participants must wear facemasks.
This is a drive-thru service only – all participants will remain in their vehicles and volunteers will deliver their medicines. Participants are highly encouraged to preorder their over-the-counter medicine online at https://medassist.org/mobile/ and select Vance County.
Online ordering will be closed two days prior to the event. Anyone NOT able to order online should come as early as possible on April 30, Kidwell said, because the medicines will be given out on a first come, first served basis, while supplies last.
“Due to the pandemic, we had to create a new and innovative way to continue serving the community. We will be bringing close to $100,000 worth of OTC medicine to the event to be distributed to those most in need in our community,” Kidwell said. “We understand there is a pressing need, especially in the midst of allergy season. Our goal in this partnership with Triangle North Healthcare Foundation is to improve the health of the community, one family at a time.”
If you can volunteer to help on April 30, please sign up at www.medassist.org/volunteer.
The medicine distribution depends on volunteers to ensure things run smoothly, Kidwell said. Community volunteers will help with pharmacy consultations, as well as sorting medicines and collecting medicines for clients.
All participants will receive information on NC MedAssist’s Free Pharmacy Program, which mails free prescription medications directly to a patient’s home. NC MedAssist’s overall goal is to help ease the burden for those in need; it is aiding people who are making the choice between buying food and purchasing life-saving medication, Kidwell stated.
NC MedAssist is a statewide non-profit pharmacy that was founded in 1997. The organization provides free prescription medication to all low-income, uninsured North Carolinians who qualify for their Free Pharmacy Program. NC MedAssist offers three programs that address the needs of children and adults: The Free Pharmacy Program (for prescription medication), the Mobile Free Pharmacy Program (for over-the-counter medicine), and the Transitional Jobs Program (for individuals with barriers to employment). Last year, NC MedAssist distributed $76 million worth of prescription and over-the-counter medicine to NC residents across the state. Learn more about NC MedAssist right now at www.medassist.org. You can also visit their Facebook and Twitter pages, or contact them to find out how you can help.
WIZS Local News Audio 04-08-21 Noon
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TownTalk 04-08-21 History Of Franklin Co. with Eric Medlin
Although a native of Creedmoor and Granville County, when Eric Medlin was inspired by a professor at NC State to write a book on a local North Carolina county it wasn’t Granville that he chose to write about but Franklin County. His book, A History of Franklin County North Carolina, has recently been published by Acadia Publishing.
Medlin’s interest in history didn’t begin at the local level. He studied European history at both UNC and NC State. His interest in that particular area of history, however, would change. “Coming out of grad school I decided European History was not where I wanted to go,” Medlin said. He began to take weekend trips throughout North Carolina to visit county courthouses and became interested in the history of North Carolina’s counties. Medlin noted several reasons to write about Franklin County. One reason was because it had been forty years since a book on the county had been written, the beautiful churches in Louisburg and Laurel Mill. According to Medlin, “Franklin County captured my imagination.”
Medlin said the process of writing the first word to the moment it was submitted to the publisher took about a year. With access to the Franklin Times, diaries of families, and access to previous books Medlin was able to pull the book together fairly quickly. Weekends were used to take photographs and he spent numerous days at the state archives office gathering material for this book. “I have no writer’s block,” Medlin said about the writing process.
Medlin said the most difficult decision in writing the book was what to include and what not to include. Earlier books by E. H. Davis and T. H. Pearce focused on different areas of the country history and Medlin wanted to update those earlier works to include more about the post-World War II era including Civil Rights and county’s evolution through the 20th century. He also felt it important to talk about Louisburg writer and poet Edwin Wiley Fuller and Franklin County being the site of the last battle of the Tuscarora war.
When not writing Eric is a Professor of History at Wake Tech. Medlin’s next book project will focus on the history of the North Carolina Furniture industry.
“A History of Franklin County, North Carolina” can be purchased from any local bookseller and online.
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Vance County Employee Satisfaction Survey Conducted in Dec. and Jan.
Vance County commissioners got an update Monday regarding results from a recent employee satisfaction survey. Although there are some positive takeaways from the survey results – valuing diversity and general job satisfaction – the board’s Human Resources Committee has identified several priorities for follow-up attention.
County Manager Jordan McMillen said 70 percent of the county’s employees responded to the online survey, which was conducted in December 2020 and January 2021. The UNC School of Government, which facilitated the survey, reported that the results were “typical of government organizations that are early in the organizational development process,” McMillen told WIZS News.
“On the positive side our employees identify very well with the organization, they feel good about the level of teamwork shared across and within departments and generally employees feel good and are satisfied with their jobs,” he said.
But other employees said they feel “emotionally drained” from the work they do and turnover is higher in some departments than others, he noted. “We intend to bring the School of Government back in to take deeper dives into some of the negative areas,” McMillen added. Among the more negative comments from the respondents were “organizational silence” and “workplace incivility.” McMillen said. Public safety and human services (Department of Social Services) respondents accounted for most of the negative results, he added.
The Human Resources Committee members Carolyn Faines, Archie B. Taylor Jr. and Gordon Wilder met on Mar. 30 to review staff recommendations for priorities and agreed to begin with workplace incivility and organizational silence. The committee also decided to revise a third issue to only include morale/burnout/emotional toll of work, McMillen said.
“We want employees to feel comfortable speaking up if they have ideas and want to ensure our employees feel their ideas are given the attention that is needed, McMillen said.
“As we strive for creativity from our employees, we want them to feel comfortable sharing ideas that can lead to improvements for our county and citizens.”
County staff will coordinate with the school of government to organize small groups of employees that will examine the priority areas and report back to the committee with recommendations later this year.
Creedmoor’s New Community Center Opens April 28
Creedmoor’s new community center will be officially open for business on April 28, just one day after it celebrates the new facility with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The ribbon-cutting will be April 27 at 7 p.m.
The Creedmoor Community Center is part renovated building and part new recreational facility that provides space for the city’s community events and programs, according to Angie Perry, city recreation and events coordinator.
“We are thrilled to open the Creedmoor Community Center to the public,” Perry said. “It has been a long year without recreational events and programs. We can’t wait to bring the community back together in this new space.”
Among the indoor spaces is the Willow Oak Room, a rentable ballroom for community and private events, as well as flexible classroom space that can be divided into two spaces, an aerobic exercise room and a computer lab. In addition, it is the new home for the South Granville Senior Center, which includes a prep kitchen, administrative offices, and a sunroom leading outside to a deck.
The new gymnasium features a full-size basketball court, an open exercise area with gym equipment, an indoor walking track, and recreation staff office space. Just outside the gym is a partially shaded, paved walking track and a multipurpose athletic field.
A new recreation software program is scheduled to be in place closer to the official opening, Perry said, which will be used to sign up for all programs and classes at the new facility.
The project was begun in January 2018 with design work by Durham architect firm MHAworks, PA, a commercial architectural firm that does planning, architecture and interior design. The driveway configurations were changed to accommodate the multipurpose space, Perry said.
The newly constructed gymnasium portion is located at 108 E. Wilton Avenue. The Senior Center’s address is 114 Douglas Drive and the Willow Oak Room space is 116 Douglas Drive.
Maria Parham Health Visitation Policy Adjustments Made April 6
Maria Parham Health’s visitation policy was adjusted effective Tuesday, April 6th.
Donna Young, coordinator of marketing and communications, told WIZS, “Maria Parham Health is pleased to announce that we are adjusting our visitation policy.”
The list of changes provided includes:
- Patients are now allowed two visitors per patient per day on the inpatient floor, with no swapping out
- Patients are allowed to have two new visitors the following day, under the same guidelines
- ED patients will be allowed one visitor, who must remain at the patient’s bedside at all times
- Patients will be allowed one visitor to stay overnight
- Visitors must comply with mask mandate and pass the screening process (no temp, symptoms, recent exposure, etc)
- All visitors must be 18 years or older, and should not roam the hospital
Young said, “We are continuing our current policy of no visitors for Behavioral Health Units, and no visitors for any COVID-19 positive patients.”
Visiting hours remain unchanged. You may visit 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
WIZS Local News Audio 04-07-21 Noon
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The Local Skinny! April 7; Home And Garden Show
Wayne Rowland and Paul McKenzie of the Vance Co. Agriucultural Extension Service offer home and garden tips.
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