Open Broadband Opening Up to Vance

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Three years ago surveys about local broadband service went out.  Almost two years ago area local governments in Vance, Granville and Franklin Counties began approving contracts.  Now, more and more potential from the process is being realized.

Specifically in Vance County, the latest on Open Broadband was revealed earlier this month at the monthly meeting of the Vance County Commissioners.

Open Broadband is a North Carolina company serving 19 counties by offering broadband to underserved communities.

Vance County Manager Jordan McMillen told WIZS News, “Open Broadband has installed equipment and is offering service to customers within sight of our Warrenton Road Water tank and our New Hope Elementary School water tank. They are in the process of testing the equipment and intend to open up LTE service within the next month or so from these tanks.”

LTE service is scheduled to be fully up and running by the end of May.

McMillen confirmed in an email to WIZS, “This will allow our citizens within approximately 5 miles of each tank to sign on for monthly wireless broadband service with Open Broadband at lower rates than the currently available options.”

The company acknowledged that the timeframe for rolling this out is behind schedule approximately a year and a half.

“Over the next 3-4 years Open Broadband intends to spread coverage out to cover larger portions of the county,” McMillen said.

Details, monthly emails and signing up to be on a waitlist for service are available options at the company’s web page — openbb.net.

Learn How To Fly a Drone With 4-H Project

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Is your child interested in drones and learning how to fly them? Registration is free and open now for young people between 12-18 years to participate in the 4-H Drone Pilot Program.

Over the course of the two-week program, participants will receive a kit that includes the Parrot Mambo mini-drone, 2 drone batteries, battery charging cord and a tracphone, according to Stephen Misenheimer, Warren County 4-H agent.

Families will use the curriculum login instructions in the kits to access the course and will have regular access to a flight instructor should questions arise. Contact Misenheimer 252.257.3640 or scmisenh@ncsu.edu by April 30, 2021.

Read more about the drone program at https://warren.ces.ncsu.edu/2021/04/4-h-drone-program/

TRLC Adds 83 Acres To Create Horseshoe Road Nature Preserve

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More than 80 acres of land has been donated to Tar River Land Conservancy (TRLC) in recognition of Earth Day, which was April 22, the preservation group announced.

The new tract – 83 acres along Smith Creek in southern Granville County – adjoins a 158-acre tract purchased by TRLC in 2018, according to Derek Halberg, TRLC Executive Director. The property, now 241 acres in size, will be managed by TRLC as the Horseshoe Road Nature Preserve.

“It is very timely,” Halberg said of the donation. “This land plus a significant financial contribution were gifted by Mark and Tara Rein of Raleigh.” The plan is to start building hiking trails on TRLC’s Horseshoe Road property in the fall of 2021.

“This gift will ensure that the land remains permanently undeveloped,” Hallberg said in a press release to WIZS News.  He described the property as a combination of hardwood and pine forest and marshy wetlands, which offers refuge for waterfowl and water birds.

In addition to wildlife benefits, the land donation will protect drinking water for downstream communities.

The property has 0.6 miles of frontage on Smith Creek, one of several large Granville County streams that flows into the Falls Lake Reservoir. Falls Lake supplies drinking water to the City of Raleigh and six nearby communities.

The newly donated tract allows the conservancy to expand the trail network currently planned for public use. Trail construction at the Horseshoe Road Nature Preserve is expected to begin in October 2021 and to be completed in time to open two miles of trails to the public in June 2022.

TRLC will begin publicizing opportunities for the community to get involved with the project this summer. To receive notices about volunteer opportunities, individuals are encouraged to contact TRLC at volunteer@tarriver.org or 919-496-5902.

Tar River Land Conservancy is a nationally-accredited land trust that preserves natural resources across an eight-county region of North Carolina – Edgecombe, Franklin, Granville, Halifax, Nash, Person, Vance, and Warren counties.

Since 2000, TRLC has protected 22,267 acres of land and 190 miles of streams. To learn more, please visit www.tarriver.org.

Vance Board of Education Recognizes Athletes at April Meeting

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— courtesy of Vance County Schools and the latest Board Briefs Publication

The Board of Education recognized student athletes. Rosie Kanouff, senior at Early College High School, was recognized as an all-conference selection in Volleyball. Tra’On Lyons, a senior at Vance County High School, was recognized as an all-conference selection in Boys Basketball. Yumyah Hargrove, a senior at Early College High School was recognized as an all-conference selection in Girls Basketball. Blake Vick, a freshman at Early College High School, pitched a complete game no hitter in her first career varsity softball game on 3/17 in a 13-1 victory over Chapel Hill High School. She finished the game with 11 strikeouts in 5 innings pitched. We are extremely proud of our student’s athletic accomplishments.

H-V Chamber Logo

Nominate Someone for Citizen of the Year 2020

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From the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce — 

The Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce is now accepting nominations for the 2020 Citizen of the Year!  This award is presented each year by the Chamber to recognize an individual for their volunteer work to make our community a better place to live.  The Annual Banquet and Meeting is the setting for the award presentation.  Due to the pandemic the Annual Banquet will be held virtually at a later date that will be announced in the near future.

Please send in those nominations by using the attached form.  The deadline is May 21st.

Nomination Form for Citizen of the Year – 2020

 

The Citizen of the Year award is presented each year by the Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce to recognize an individual for their volunteer work to make our community a better place to live.

The criteria used in making the selection includes:

  • The person must be a resident of the Henderson-Vance County community.
  • The acts and good deeds for which the award is presented must have been performed for the benefit of Vance County and its citizens.
  • The community at large should recognize, once the award is made, that it is deserved.
  • The activities resulting in the award should be regarded outside the recipient’s normal business or profession.
  • The recipient does not have to be a member of the Chamber.

 

———————————————–

 

To nominate an individual for this award, fill out the information below and attach a letter describing the things you think make this individual eligible for this award. If possible, please attach other letters of support for this individual.

 

Name:                                                                                                             

Address:                                                                                                         

Place of Employment:                                                                                 

 

Your contact information:

Name:                                                                                                               

Email Address:                                                                                               

Phone Number:                                                                                              

 

Submit nomination form and letter(s) to the Henderson-Vance County Chamber of

Commerce, P.O. Box 1302, Henderson, NC 27536 or by email to

michele@hendersonvance.org by Friday, May 21, 2021

Warren County Native Named EDC Director

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Charla Duncan has been appointed permanent executive director of the Warren County Economic Development Commission, according to information from County Manager Vincent Jones.

Duncan has served for the past seven months as interim director, but the county’s board of commissioners approved Jones’s recommendation in a work session April 21.

A Warren County native, Duncan brings private sector and public sector experience to the position. She has chaired the county arts council and previously served on the tourism committee and is past executive director of the local Chamber of Commerce. She was grants coordinator and management analyst in Granville County before becoming interim EDC director.

She has a bachelor’s degree from UNC-Greensboro and a master’s of public administration from New York University.

She said she looks forward to helping her home county realize value-added economic development.

“I am excited to bring a perspective to the economic development team that is a new one for us—born and raised here, graduate of Warren County public schools, female, millennial, daughter of a small business owner,” Duncan stated. “It’s a new combination of perspectives for this role in our community, and I look to be an asset to our county’s progress.”

Duncan added, “I am looking forward to not just building an environment for successful business attraction and growth, but also working to grow the economic health and vitality of our residents.”

In her free time, Duncan enjoys renovating her family home in Wise, riding her bike or going to the gym, spending time with family and friends, and volunteering in the community.

Cooperative Extension with Paul McKenzie 04-22-21 – Master Gardener Message

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

The Local Skinny! Apr 22 Abandoned Mobile Homes

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Vance County residents can participate in a state-funded program to remove abandoned mobile homes from their property. Jason Falls, county solid waste director, said the program is seeking four or five more applicants to sign up for the program.

Participation is voluntary, but savings are big, Falls said on Thursday’s segment of The Local Skinny! Grant applicants pay $250 to remove a single-wide mobile home and $500 for a double-wide. The typical deconstruction and removal cost is about $3,500, Falls said.

“The program identifies abandoned mobile homes across the county that pose aesthetics, health and safety hazards. This is a voluntary program on behalf of the homeowner and is meant to enhance the beauty, safety and appearance of Vance County,” Falls said.

The county has participated in the state program in the past and Falls estimated that about 100 abandoned mobile homes have been removed from properties as a result.

Sign up by calling Chris Fowler in the county planning department, 252.738.2092. Applications are also available at the Planning Department, 156 Church Street, Suite 003, Henderson.

TownTalk 04-22-21 Vaccines, Restrictions, Latest in NC

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TownTalk Broadcast Audio 4-22-21

The base of information for TownTalk 4-22-21 comes from the following press release from the State of North Carolina, Governor Roy Cooper and NCDHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen.

April 21, 2021 Press Release

Governor Cooper Outlines Timeline for Lifting State’s COVID-19 Restrictions
As vaccinations continue and trends stabilize, NC will lift mandatory social distancing, capacity, and mass gathering restrictions by June 1

Governor Roy Cooper and North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy K. Cohen, M.D. laid out a timeline for lifting current pandemic restrictions today. With stable trends and continued vaccination success, the state expects to lift mandatory social distancing, capacity, and mass gathering restrictions by June 1. The Governor plans to issue an executive order next week outlining safety restrictions for the month of May.

“Each shot in an arm is a step closer to putting this pandemic in the rearview mirror,” said Governor Cooper. “North Carolinians have shown up for each other throughout this entire pandemic and we need to keep up that commitment by getting our vaccines.”

North Carolina continues to focus on distributing vaccines quickly and equitably. This fast and fair approach to getting shots in arms is the best way to beat this pandemic, protect one another, boost the economy and make it possible for restrictions to be lifted.

To date, the state has administered over 6.5 million vaccines. 46.9 percent of adults are at least partially vaccinated, and 35.1 percent are fully vaccinated. More than 76 percent of people 65 and older have had at least one shot.

With vaccine now widely available across the state – often with no wait for an appointment, all North Carolinians 16 and older can plan to take their shot. The state anticipates lifting the mask mandate and easing other public health recommendations, once two thirds of adult North Carolinians have received at least one vaccine dose and if trends remain stable.

“We are at an exciting moment. We now have enough vaccine for everyone,” said Secretary Cohen. “If you are 16 and older, it is your turn to join the more than 3.6 million North Carolinians who have already taken their first shot. It’s up to you to get us to the two thirds goal as quickly as possible so we can live with this virus and begin to put this pandemic behind us.”

Gov. Cooper and Sec. Cohen urged North Carolinians continue to get vaccinated and exercise good judgment even when restrictions are lifted. Businesses should continue to follow voluntary health recommendations and North Carolinians should continue to take safety measures in order to boost the economy, keep children in schools and protect each other.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released statistics indicating that North Carolina is among the states with the fewest deaths and fewest job losses per capita.

State health officials are continuing to monitor the presence of COVID-19 and its more contagious variants in North Carolina, which is why it is important to continue to follow the state’s mask mandate and continue to practice safety precautions, including the Three Ws—wear a mask, wait 6 feet apart, and wash hands often.

If you avidly follow the latest information in North Carolina about covid, the following press release from North Carolina came out Thursday, April 22, 2021 AFTER TownTalk was already complete.

NCDHHS Announces Summer Community Get-out-the-Vaccine Campaign
Initiative Aims to Vaccinate Majority of North Carolina’s Adults by Summer

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today announced the Bringing Summer Back get-out-the-vaccine campaign that will engage community organizations across the state to fully vaccinate as many people as possible by summer.

To date, more than 3.6 million adults in North Carolina have been vaccinated with at least one dose. While the state has made great progress in helping people schedule and get to their vaccine appointments, more than half of the adult population is still completely unvaccinated, putting them at higher risk of contracting and spreading the virus.

Being fully vaccinated means getting back to hugging loved ones who are also fully vaccinated, gathering with fully vaccinated friends and family and going to small indoor gatherings with less worry. Getting the majority of North Carolina’s adults vaccinated by summer means getting back to the summer activities we all love — like backyard gatherings with families and friends, public fireworks, outdoor festivals or parades — all without wearing masks.

The Bringing Summer Back campaign is a fun, flexible and community-centered approach that creates a space for every organization and individual to roll up their sleeves and do their part to stop the spread of COVID-19 and get everyone back to the people and places they love. The campaign will run during two weeks in May (May 9–15 and May 16–21) and two weeks in June (June 6–12 and June 20–26), during which organizations across the state will rally together to promote vaccination.

Organizations can get involved in a number of ways:

    • Organize volunteer days: Invite members, volunteers and others to participate in a day(s) of phone banking, door knocking or other forms of outreach to the communities they serve.
    • Distribute resources: Notify communities about efforts to help people get COVID-19 vaccine appointments through emails, social media or other creative ways.
    • Host a get-out-the-vaccine challenge: Create friendly competition. See who can reach out to the most people via phone, door knocking, social media or other ways. Offer an incentive to get people motivated and involved.
    • Get creative: Come up with your own approach to encourage people to get vaccinated.

Organizations that would like to get involved can register to participate and access toolkit materials at covid19.ncdhhs.gov/BringSummerBack (Spanish: covid19.ncdhhs.gov/Devueltaalverano) or by emailing BringingSummerBack@dhhs.nc.gov.

The toolkit offers simple, specific steps everyone can take to navigate people to an appointment, such as calling loved ones who haven’t been vaccinated yet, sharing their experience on social media and asking if anyone needs support in getting vaccinated.

For more information about COVID-19 vaccines in North Carolina, visit YourSpotYourShot.nc.gov or call the state’s COVID-19 Vaccine Help Center at 888-675-4567. Appointments can be made by visiting myspot.nc.gov.