Warren County Board Opens FY 23 Non-Profit Grant Funding Cycle

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Warren County is now accepting applications for its FY 23 non-profit grand funding cycle. The FY 23 budget allocates $50,000 for this program. The grant program is accepting applications until Aug. 31. Interested organizations are encouraged to apply.

Warren County adopted its current funding for local non-profit agencies policy in 2014. Funded services through this program must be equally available to all residents.

For more information, contact the Warren County Manager’s Office at 252.257.3115 or visit the website at warrencountync.com.

TownTalk: 911 Dispatchers Recognized For Their Role In Saving Woman In Burning House

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When we see firetrucks or emergency vehicles dashing down the road with sirens blaring and lights flashing, chances are that the men and women in those vehicles are on their way to help someone in distress. But an important group of people who aren’t on those trucks are vital team members – they are the 911 telecommunicators, stationed in front of computers and phones to receive and dispatch calls.

A team of Vance County dispatchers were recognized Monday during the county commissioners’ meeting for their life-saving role during a housefire earlier this year.

Emergency Services Director Brian Short presented Meritorious Service Awards to the dispatchers, who, on March 27, were able to stay on the line and help the victim – trapped in the burning home – find her way to a safer part of the house until firefighters could arrive.

Short and Vance County Fire Chief Chris Wright spoke with John C. Rose during Wednesday’s Town Talk and offered praise and appreciation for the 911 dispatchers and the role they play in emergency services.

“We’ve got the best technology, we’ve got the best things money can buy to do our jobs, but all that is completely worthless without the people that actually do the job,” Short said.

The county’s dispatchers have completed emergency fire dispatch certification that equips them with a checklist of tools, suggestions and advice to help those who call 911 with an emergency.

“They gave this lady life-saving instructions,” Short said, adding that the situation was a perfect example of everybody working together and doing their best, which resulted in saving the woman’s life.

Seconds can seem like minutes when you’re in distress, and that also holds true when you’re a dispatcher receiving a call from someone in distress. Short said it was bound to be gut-wrenching for dispatchers to keep a victim focused while providing those step-by-step instructions that prolong safety until help arrives.

Those instructions and prompts, Wright said, are critical components. “It gives them an extra few minutes,” he said, “that could mean a life-changing experience for them.”

In this case, “the whole front end of the house was on fire,” Wright recalled. Dispatchers were able to get the woman to the back part of the house while firetrucks were en route. The front entry had a vaulted ceiling, which meant that the fire went up before spreading to the back of the house.

“That open floor plan and vaulted ceiling played a role in the fire behavior,” Wright said, allowing the woman to seek safety at the rear of the home.

But it was 911 dispatchers who started the process and then helped put the plan in place, all of which helps emergency responders on the scene. “The advice they were able to give her gave first responders the extra time that was needed to go in and make the save,” Wright said.

“Of course, they were overjoyed to receive the award, and to see that they were being appreciated,” Short said of the Monday recognition before the county commissioners. But in reality, dispatchers have to be able to pivot flawlessly from one call to the next.

“We do our very best with every call we take and then try to move on to the next one.”

The county reviews all multi-agency calls as a matter of course, and the March 27 housefire was no exception. In addition to ensuring that all agencies performed their duties in a satisfactory manner, Short said a review also can help determine if grief counseling is needed. “They’re not machines, they’re human beings,” he added. We have to be aware of their mental health, too.”

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Home And Garden Show

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On the Home and Garden Show with Vance Co. Cooperative Ext.

  • Start planting your fall garden. Ex Collards, yellow squash, turnips, broccoli, squash
  • Freezing is a great way to preserve many summer fruits and vegetables that requires no special equipment. For many vegetables, it’s simply a matter of blanching them in boiling water and then storing in plastic freezer bags. Others such as peppers and fruits can simply be cut up and frozen.
  • Keep weeds and grass under control. Use straw mulch to shade out the weeds
  • Harvest vegetables at their peak of flavor. A common newbie mistake is to leave cucs, beans, squash, okra and other fruit on the plant for too long.
  • With recent rains your garden soil maybe too wet to work check moisture by taking some soil and rolling it into a ball then drop it if it completely breaks up the soil is dry enough to till.
  • Any time you use a pesticide, check the instructions for rainfastness.
  • Avoid the rush and start taking your soil samples now!
  • Keep grass clippings out of the compost pile.

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Granville School Board Opens Process For Filling Unexpired District 2 Seat

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The Granville County Board of Education approved the formal process for filling the District 2 seat after the resignation of school board member Tom Houlihan.

Houlihan’s resignation was effective July 31, and the board met Monday, Aug. 1 to determine how to proceed to fill the unexpired term.

The board will continue with six members until a replacement for District 2 is appointed, according to information from Dr. Stan Winborne, public information officer.

Interested candidates should submit a letter of interest, along with a resume and three letters of recommendation by the close of business on Friday, Aug. 26.

The board will interview candidates during a special called meeting set for Thursday, Sept. 8 at 2 p.m. The interviews and subsequent vote will occur in open session, Winborne noted, and the candidate selected will be sworn in and take the oath of office on Sept. 12.

If no suitable candidate is selected, the process will be repeated – with new deadlines selected – until the position is filled.

The letter of interest, resume and references can be emailed, hand-delivered or mailed to:

Mrs. Alston Shave

101 Delacroix St.

Oxford, NC 27565

The phone number for Central Services is 919.693.4613; the email is

shavea@gcs.k12.nc.us

These documents should provide information that highlight and demonstrate the candidate’s ability and experiences related to education and service to children, Winborne said.

Candidates should review the “Duties of the Board” guidelines issued by the NC School Board Association, which may be found at the NCSBA website url:  https://www.ncsba.org/news-resources/board-member-knowledge-base/duties-of-the-board/

All candidates must reside in District 2 in order to be considered for this position.  Proof of residency will be required. District 2 map and information may be found at the Granville County website url:  https://www.granvillecounty.org/government/county-commissioners/approved-redistricting-map/

Warren Co. Memorial Library

Symphony Trombonist Coming To Warren Co. Library For Musical Program Aug. 10

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Normally, a library is a quiet place where book lovers can sit and read and students can do research and get their homework done. But thanks to a partnership with Warren County Schools and the North Carolina Symphony, Warren County Memorial Library is pulling out all the stops for a morning of music and fun on Wednesday, Aug. 10.

Families are invited to stop by the library at 10 a.m. as Matthew Neff with the N.C. Symphony reads a book about music, talks about the sounds that instruments make, especially his instrument, the bass trombone.

The fun-filled event is part of the symphony’s Music Discovery program, funded by PNC Grow Up Great and the Warren County Community Foundation. It is geared for preschool and elementary-age children and their families.

Neff joined the symphony in January 2020 as a bass trombonist. Prior to joining the symphony, he was a member of the U.S. Navy Band in Washington, D.C., where he performed bass trombone in the Commodores jazz ensemble, brass quintet and ceremonial band. During his years in Washing on, he had an extensive freelance career and performed with symphonies across the Mid-Atlantic States. An advocate for music education, Neff has conducted master classes and clinics throughout the country and served as Adjunct Professor of Trombone at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, all while maintaining an active private low brass studio in his home. Neff is enjoying his new home in Raleigh with his wife, Tricia, and two of their four daughters.
For More Information about the Library or to Access eResources: Go to www.wcmlibrary.org for event details and additional services offered. All library programs are free to access. Call the library for more information at 252.257.4990. The library is located at 119 S. Front St., Warrenton, NC 27589.

Terry Garrison

TownTalk: Garrison Seeks 4th Term, Discusses Water, Sewer Projects In District 32

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Several towns in the area have recently received state and federal funding to make improvements to water and wastewater services, and N.C. Rep. Terry Garrison said it was important to him to make sure projects in his district were on the state’s “radar” to get that much-needed money.

Garrison is seeking his fourth term as a legislator representing District 32, which includes Vance, Warren and most of Granville counties. He faces challenger Frank Sossamon in the November midterm elections.

Although the General Assembly is in recess right now, Garrison told John C. Rose Tuesday that it’s less of a vacation and more of a quasi-adjournment. Legislators regularly are called back into session, not necessarily to take votes, but to hear information and discuss issues. In fact, they were called back last week. “We can pretty much expect to go back each month through December to address matters,” Garrison said.

When legislators are called back into session, you need to be ready, he said. “You never know what may occur in your absence.”

Garrison, along with colleagues, was able to secure millions of dollars in funding to help several municipalities in the district with water and water treatment projects. The city of Henderson has gotten more than $10 million from a couple of different funding streams, the legislator explained.

One $5 million allotment is for the Kerr Lake Regional Water System and a second $5.4 million comes from the American Rescue Plan and was awarded through the state’s Department of Environmental Quality.

The ARP appropriation was dedicated to address drinking water and wastewater projects, he said. “Our situation was severe enough to qualify us to receive the money,” Garrison noted.

“I yelled as loud as I could to make sure persons were aware of our critical needs,” he continued.

During the most recent long session, as it’s called, legislators made history, Garrison said. “The last session was the longest in the history” of the General Assembly. It convened in January 2021 and didn’t adjourn until March 2022. “It was extensive and it was intense,” Garrison recalled.

Then the “short session” began in May. Although the bulk of the work of the state House and Senate has been done, there are matters that are lingering, he said. “We’ll just have to see how it goes – we’re on standby.”

He said he’s hopeful about the possibility of Medicaid expansion, which had been a sticking point in getting the most recent state budget passed. “It does appear that we’re back on track to get something on Medicaid expansion,” he said, adding that the fate of the issue most likely will be determined by the November elections.

Garrison said he voted for the budget, despite its shortcomings. “We absolutely needed to have a budget,” he said.

Before heading off to Raleigh to represent House District 32, Garrison had been dean of workforce development at Vance-Granville Community College. His realty firm, Tegarris Associates has been in business for more than 40 years. Much of that time, Garrison served as a Vance County commissioner.

“I stand for democratic principles and values, and I stand for you,” he said. In addition to being a proponent of Medicaid expansion, Garrison said education, jobs that pay a liveable wage, the expansion of rural broadband internet access are other top-of-mind issues for him.

Adequate and appropriate funding for schools, teachers and for community colleges are vital to the state’s education system. And although he acknowledges that charter schools and private schools both have a place in the education system, he does not favor using public funds to pay for families to send their children to private schools.

He is an advocate for affordable housing, as well as services for veterans the elderly. In addition, he supports community development – and redevelopment efforts.

“I will always play the game fair,” he said.

Subscribe to Garrison’s monthly newsletter to stay on top of legislative updates. Email terry.garrison@ncleg.gov to learn more. And he said constituents are always welcome to phone his office at 919.733.5824.

 

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Vance Sheriff’s Office, Kerr-Tar COG Host Bike Rodeo Aug. 13

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The Vance County Sheriff’s Office is teaming up with the Kerr-Tar COG to host a bike safety rodeo on Saturday, Aug. 13 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The rodeo is designed to test bike-handling skills of children ages 4 to 15 and will be held in the parking lot of the Vance County Courthouse, 156 Church St. in Henderson.

Participants may bring their own bikes, but there also will be bicycles available to borrow for the rodeo.

There will be a free helmet giveaway, as well as goodie bags, Pelican’s snoballs and more!

For more information, contact the sheriff’s office at 252.425.0933.

The Local Skinny! Jobs In Vance 08-02-22

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The H-V Chamber of Commerce and WIZS, Your Community Voice, present Jobs in Vance for August 2, 2022. The Chamber compiles the information, and it is presented here and on the radio. Contact the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce at 438-8414 or email Michele@hendersonvance.org to be included.

Business Name – Henderson Collegiate School

Job Opening –  Work at a high performing NC K-12 public charter school serving over 1300 students in Henderson.  Offering a $2000 teacher signing bonus.  Immediate openings for the following positions:  Elementary Lead Teacher, Elementary Teacher Assistant, High School ACT Prep Teacher, High School English Teacher, High School Spanish Teacher, College Counselor, Middle School Art Teacher, Middle School Science Teacher, ESL Teacher, Special Education Teacher, and many other positions.

How To Apply – Contact Kate Liddle, Director of Talent Acquisition by phone 252-820-2070.  Email resume to kliddle@hendersoncollegiate.org .  Apply online at Careers Page, https://hendersoncollegiate.org

 

Business Name – Accounts Receivable Clerk

Job Opening –  An Accounts Receivable Clerk is needed to research and process unapplied payments, credits, and past due balances following new ERP system implementation.  Provide support to the Accounting Department in collecting payments and working with past due accounts.  Excellent data entry skills required.  Applicants need to have strong written and verbal communication skills, telephone and customer service skills.  Acumatica experience preferred.  High School Diploma or equivalent required.  Associates Degree preferred.  Full-Time. Salary is $14-$16 per hour.

How To Apply – Contact Michele Walker at Huff Consulting LLC – Email your resume to michele.walker@huff-consulting.com.  Or apply online at their website  https://huffgrp.com .

 

Business Name – Vance-Granville Community College

Job Opening –  Senior Accountant Position.  The position requires supervisory oversight and responsibility for the financial accounting of accounts payable, payroll, and Foundation operations and activities of the college.  Duties are focused on performing detail-orientated accounting work.  This position supervises a staff of three employees and reports to the Associate Vice President of Finance.

How To Apply –  Apply online at https://www.vgcc.edu, click on top tab jobs@vgcc.  Or contact Kevin Tompkins, VGCC Human Resources Department at 252-492-2061 or email resume to tompkinsk@vgcc.edu.

 

Business Name – Vance County Government

Job Opening –  Multiple positions are open with the Vance County Government.  These include, but not limited to:  Senior Center Program Assistant IV and Social Worker II; Social Services Accounting Specialists I, Social Work Program Administrator II, Processing Assistants; Fire Department part-time firefighters/engineers; and EMS full and part time Paramedics.

How To Apply – Apply online at www.vancecounty.org, or email resume to Argretta Johen, Director of Human Resources at  ajohen@vancecounty.org.

 

 

Business Name – Maria Parham Health

Job Opening –  Lab Phlebotomist Position Open.  $500 Sign on bonus for qualified candidates.  Various shifts available.  Experience is preferred.

How To Apply – Apply online at www.mariaparham.com/careers.

 

Business Name – NC Works in Vance, Granville, Franklin, Warren, and Person Counties – Job Fair

Job Opening – Multiple job openings will be available from 25+ employers on site at Hix Complex, 313 East Spring Street, Oxford, NC on Wednesday, August 10th from 10 am – 2 pm.  This is an excellent opportunity to bring multiple copies of your resume and talk one-on-one with area business and industry who have many job openings.  There will be drawings for gift cards and prizes for those attending and registering.

How To Apply – For additional information, contact NC Works at 252-438-6129.

 

Some of these businesses 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.

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