TownTalk 04-27-21 VGCC 9th Annual Small Business Summit

 

Niche crops, innovative practices and agritourism may not be the first things that come to mind when people think about farming, but participants in an upcoming daylong workshop will learn more about these topics and more.

Vance-Granville Community College will present the 9th Annual Small Business Summit on Thursday, May 20, from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. The event will be held outside, at Seven Springs Farms and Vineyards, 332 Axtell Ridgeway Road, Norlina, NC. All CDC-recommended social distancing and mask protocols will be followed.

This year’s theme is Ag Alternatives & Legacy Farms. VGCC’s Tanya Weary and Sheri Jones spoke with John C. Rose on Town Talk Tuesday about the event, which will provide attendees with a day of agriculture education, including discussions of niche farming, agritourism and farm modernization. The workshop will be led by a diverse group of successful farmers and business owners. Attendees will also learn about agriculture-related grants and financing options.

Register by May 10 by visiting www.vgcc.edu. Or contact Jones  via email joness@vgcc.edu or call 252.425.8385. Lunch is included with registration and will be provided by The Meat Up Spot, a regional food truck (a vegetarian option will be available).

It is “quite fitting” to hold the workshop at Seven Springs, Weary said. Agritourism is growing, and Weary said “we’re excited that Seven Springs has agreed to host us, and to share their knowledge with those in attendance that day on what agritourism has done for them and for Warren County.

Jones, director of VGCC’s Small Business Center, said the outdoor venue will allow for social distancing for participants. “The owners have been so cooperative in making sure that everything stays in compliance and will keep everybody safe. It is a beautiful venue and I think people will really enjoy it.”

“Agriculture is an important part of our local economy, with many of our small businesses being involved in food and farming, so we are excited to focus on this sector,” said Weary, VGCC’s Dean of Business & Industry Solutions.

Derrick Jackson of Grass Grazed Farm in Durham will serve as the keynote speaker, discussing “A New Farming Model.” Jackson and his wife, Paige, operate a 60-acre farm, where they focus on sustainable pastured livestock, ethical practices and regenerative agriculture.

Other sessions include a panel on “High Tunnel Production,” led by N.C. Cooperative Extension including Dean’s Greens Farm, Rocky Ridge Farms and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service; “Land of Opportunity: Heir Property, Startups, and Finding Your Niche” with Patrick Brown of Brown Family Farms/Hempfinity; a session on “Agritourism, Partnerships and Building Community,” featuring Seven Springs Farms & Vineyards and Lake Gaston Outfitters; and a presentation on “Finding Resources: Cost-Share, Grants, and Financing Your Agribusiness.”

The event is hosted by the VGCC Small Business Center, with co-sponsors including Warren County Economic Development, The Meat Up Spot, Sweet Delights, Grass Grazed, and Seven Springs Farms & Vineyards.

“I think the main goal that Tanya and I have had as a team is to listen and to hear what each community needs that may be specific to their community and we try to meet them there,” Jones said.

The Local Skinny! April 27 Jobs In Vance

In partnership with the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce…Jobs in Vance on WIZS…The Chamber compiles and provides the information, and it is presented here and on the radio.

 

The First Baptist Church of Henderson is seeking a highly qualified and motivated person to fill a part-time position as Administrative Support Coordinator. This position provides administrative and communications support for Ministerial staff and lay leaders. Candidates must be proficient in word processing, publishing, database, and spreadsheet management. The ideal candidate will possess excellent written and verbal communication skills, be detail oriented. Knowledge and experience with best practices for use of print and social media is preferred.  A minimum of an Associates Degree from an accredited College or University is required.  Hours: Monday through Thursday, 8:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m Compensation is commensurate with education and experience.  Please submit resume to First Baptist Church, PO Box 75, Henderson, 27536 Att: Ron Cava.

Hoyle’s Tire and Axle — We buy used mobile home axles and tires. Supply re-manufactured and new axles and tires to the manufactured housing industry. Looking for a General Laborer. Hours are 6:30-3:00 Monday-Friday. To learn more about the job, please apply at the business, located 175 Bearpond Rd, Henderson, NC 27537.

Versatrim — We currently have openings for an electrician, first and second shift packers and shippers, quality control people and machine operators. People can apply on our website, www.versatrim.com or send resumes directly to karen@versatrim.com.

SERVPRO of Franklin, Vance & Granville Counties is hiring service technicians.  Servpro works to provide fire, water and mold cleaning and restoration services to homes and businesses.  Apply in person at 260 Industry Drive or email office@servpro-fvg.com for an application.

Henderson-Vance Recreation & Parks Department is hiring for the following part time positions: Summer Day Camp Counselor, Summer Day Camp Junior Counselor, Lifeguard, Athletic Scorekeeper, Parks Maintenance Worker and Facility Supervisor. Potential candidates can pick up applications at Aycock Recreation Center (307 Carey Chapel Road, Henderson, NC) or on the City of Henderson webpage (ci.henderson.nc.us/departments/human_resources/jobs.php) Applications will be accepted Monday-Friday, 8:30am-5:00pm at City Hall (134 Rose Avenue, Henderson, NC).

 

Some of these business are present or past advertisers of WIZS.  Being an ad client is not a condition of being listed or broadcast.  This is not a paid ad.  Contact the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce at 438-8414 or email christa@hendersonvance.org to be included.  Listings are provided each Tuesday around 11:45 a.m. on “The Local Skinny!” as well as during local news at 5 p.m. Tuesdays and 8 a.m. Wednesdays as well as weekly posts here and social media.

For the audio version click play.

 

Granville Crime Stoppers

Granville Crime Stoppers Golf Tournament Set For May 20 – Sponsors, Players Needed

The 3rd annual Granville County Crime Stoppers golf tournament is scheduled for May 20, 2021 at South Granville Country Club. The tournament is a major fundraiser for the group, which provides cash rewards for people who provide information that leads to the arrest and indictment of criminals.

The Granville Crime Stoppers, part of the North Carolina Crime Stoppers Association program and a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, needs sponsors for the tournament, according to information from tournament chair Bobby Wheeler.

There are two levels of sponsorship:

  • Corporate Sponsorship – $500 – includes a four-person team, with your name included on a banner displayed on tournament day, with additional recognition in print and social media, as well as the Crime Stoppers banquet in October.
  • Hole Sponsorship – $100 – your name will be posted at one of the 18 holes on tournament day, with additional recognition in print and social media, as well as the Crime Stoppers banquet in October.

Teams also can register for $200 – $50 per player. Registration begins at noon and tee time is at  1 p.m.

South Granville Country Club is located at 2539 Sam Moss Hayes Road, Creedmoor, NC 27522.

Frank Sossamon is the chair of the Granville Crime Stoppers, and David Smith is the vice-chairman.

Contact Wheeler at 919.691.0526 to learn more about becoming a sponsor or how to register for the tournament.

Make checks payable to Granville County Crime Stoppers.  Submit payment with application to:

Bobby Wheeler 607 Forrest Lane Creedmoor, NC 27522.

 

 

 

Cooperative Extension with Wayne Rowland 04-26-21 – Container Gardening

Listen live at 100.1 FM / 1450 AM / or on the live stream at WIZS.com at 11:50 a.m. Mon, Tues & Thurs.

TownTalk 04-26-21 NC MedAssist Mobile Pharmacy Visits Henderson April 30

NC MedAssist is coming to Henderson Friday, April 30 to distribute various types of over-the-counter medications and other first-aid items to residents in a drive-thru event. Online registration continues until noon on Wednesday, and that’s the best way to make sure that individuals get the medicines they need.

Kinsey Luce, mobile events and project manager for NC MedAssist, was a guest on Monday’s Town Talk. She told John C. Rose that the mobile pharmacy will bring about $100,000 in medicines to distribute. The event runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The drive-thru format is a response to COVID-19 restrictions, she said. “We’re so excited to be back” in the area; last summer’s event in Granville County had 1,100 people come out to pick up cough and cold medicines, allergy medicines and other over-the-counter remedies.

The mobile pharmacy will be at the local Salvation Army facility, 2292 Ross Mill Road and is the result of a partnership with Triangle North Foundation.

“We’re still going to do everything we can to keep everyone safe,” Luce said, and added that all participants will be required to use facemasks. “We want to have a safe event and give out tons of free medicine.”

The program is open to individuals and families needing medications. Although no ID is required, participants must be 18 years or older to get medicines.

The advance, online registration will allow participants to choose exactly which medicines they need. “We’ll shop for your order, and it’ll be labeled and ready for you to pick up,” Luce said.

Pre-registration is not a requirement, but it would be helpful to get people in and out quickly.

NC MedAssist can also provide ongoing assistance for qualified individuals and families, she said. The enrollment process has been simplified and guidelines eased to help the uninsured get the medications they need.

For complete details and audio click play.

 

ALE Operation Nets 28 Misdemeanor Charges in Henderson

On Tuesday, April 20th, agents with NC Alcohol Law Enforcement issued 28 misdemeanor charges in Henderson.  A total of 15 people were charged.

Clay Joyner, special agent in charge for ALE in District 4 – Raleigh told WIZS News, “Our main focus of what we went that day for was to focus on any criminal activity in and around ABC permitted establishments, with a focus on underage possession, consumption and sale to underage.”

Several areas in the district were targeted during the week last week, and one of those areas was Henderson.

Statewide, in recognition of Alcohol Awareness Month, ALE special agents concluded the statewide enforcement operation on Friday resulting in over 200 people charged, according to a press release from ALE. There were also seizures of alcoholic beverages, drugs, firearms and cash across the state.

ALE special agents will submit violation reports to the North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission documenting the criminal and regulatory violations which could result in fines, suspensions, or revocations of ABC permits.

Vance County was one of 18 counties statewide involved in last week’s efforts.

The Local Skinny! April 26, VCS Budget, Classified Staff

Vance County Schools Superintendent Dr. Anthony Jackson says the VCS budget will consider an increase in classified staff compensation.

Q: Middle and high schools were consolidated a few years back and it seems like there was about a $2 million per year savings that was talked about at that time. As we head into the 21-22 budget year, what’s affecting your upcoming budget the most right now and what does your budget look like in terms of savings that you’re realizing from past consolidation?

A: As you can see, we’ve been able to expand programs. Our goal was the savings would be poured back into programming and so since that time, we’ve been able to launch our center for innovation, we’ve been able to launch our V3 Academy, we’ve been able to expand our athletic programs, we’ve been able to expand our fine arts programs, we’ve been able to lower some class sizes at our secondary schools and things like that…the things we promised, we’ve been able to refresh our technology devices and add Z Space labs, so we’ve been able to do the things we said we were going to do while not asking for one additional dime from our county.

Our challenges this year are different. COVID has presented a huge challenge, and we’ve talked about it before, and it’s around the ‘people’ part of this work. The workforce has become far more competitive than it has been and that means that salaries are shifting and so our local…we’re challenged right now to keep up with salaries for our classified employees, particularly in our maintenance area. We’re in the middle of doing a salary study and we’ve found that our employees are significantly behind those in the region. We’ve always known that with our teachers and our professional staff. But our classified staff are equally challenged. So that’s our biggest budget challenge. You’ve got to find recurring dollars for that – you can’t just take savings from one place and move it over there for one year or you can’t just use COVID dollars to backfill. We’ve got to make an investment in our people and that’s our biggest challenge. And so we’ve made a modest request in our budget this year to help us at least begin that process. We can’t do it in one swoop, but that’s our goal to try to do that. Every single metric that we set with consolidation, in terms of reducing our footprint, in terms of expanding programs, in terms of increasing enrollment at our middle and high schools, and as well as offering more innovative programs to our students in our community.

We feel good about that and now we’ve got to go to the next steps of balancing all of that out and making sure we keep the right people in the right seats on the bus so we can keep moving forward.

Vance DSS Info Events to Help with NC Medicaid Deadline May 14

Vance County residents enrolled in Medicaid have until May 14 to choose from one of six managed health plans that best suit their needs, and the local Department of Social Services is sponsoring a couple of drive-thru informational events to help in the decision-making.

The first event is scheduled for Friday, April 30, with a second on Friday, May 7, according to DSS Director Denita DeVega.

She and Goldie Davis, income maintenance administrator with DSS, spoke with John C. Rose on Town Talk April 13, 2021. Both events will be held at the DSS offices, located at 350 Ruin Creek Road, Henderson. Times for each day are 10 a.m. to noon and 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

DeVega said that, so far, only about 400 of the county’s more than 13,000 Medicaid recipients have chosen a managed care plan. “I’m afraid that people may not be taking it seriously this time.” The process was started last year but ultimately wasn’t approved at the state level. Davis said those who haven’t chosen a health plan by the mid-May deadline will have a plan chosen for them. The new plan goes into effect on July 1, she said.

“One of the advantages of enrolling yourself,” Davis said, “is that you’ll be able to choose the plan that best suits you.” For example, beneficiaries may decide to choose a plan based on which plan their current primary care physician (PCP) is included in, Davis added.

DeVega said the benefits of Medicaid will not change, rather it will be managed more like traditional health care. Medicaid is currently managed by the state, but Medicaid recipients will choose from six managed health care plans to administer their health coverage.

There will be printed information about each of the plans at the drive-thru events so people can read more about what each plan offers before making a decision. DSS is not involved in choosing the health plan for recipients, but the department is providing information and having plan representatives available to answer questions. Each county DSS has a liaison assigned to help people choose the plan that is best for them. Call the toll-free number 833.870.5500 or learn more online at ncmedicaidplans.gov.

DeVega and Davis invite the community to come to the drive-thru event if they have questions. “If they’re not sure what to do,” Davis said, “we can assist them in getting the information they need to enroll in the health plan.”

For complete details and audio click play.