Granville County Public Schools

Southern End Elementary Schools Could Shrink From 5 to 4 In Granville County

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The topic of school consolidation once again is circulating in Granville County, and the school board voted Monday to reconsider closing an elementary school in the southern end of the county and make it a middle school.

During a work session to discuss the matter of closing and consolidation, the Granville County Board of Education voted unanimously to move forward with making Creedmoor Elementary the new home of G.C. Hawley Middle School.

The updated study will be presented to the board at its Jan. 9, 2023 meeting, according to information from GCPS Public Information Officer Stan Winborne and a public hearing is scheduled for Jan. 17, 2023 at 6 p.m.at South Granville High School, 701 North Crescent Drive, Creedmoor.

The purpose of the hearing is to receive comments from the public regarding the proposed closure and relocation of the Creedmoor schools.

Members of the public wishing to comment on the proposed consolidation may sign up beginning at 5:00 p.m.  Each speaker who has signed up prior to 6 p.m. will be given the opportunity to address the board on this topic for up to three minutes.

View the hearing via livestream here:  https://live.myvrspot.com/st?cid=MDhkZj.

If the plan goes through, the attendance zones of five elementary schools in the Butner/Creedmoor/Wilton area would be redrawn to redistribute the students currently in the Creedmoor Elementary zone.

Portions of the current Hawley Middle School campus, including athletic facilities, would still be used by students and staff, Winborne noted.

New school board member Dr. Taylor Frederick made a motion to study additional middle school redistricting, K-6 schools and K-8 options in the future to be presented by staff no later than June 2023.

Additional information may be found at BoardDocs, at this link, https://www.boarddocs.com/nc/gcsd/Board.nsfto,

 

 

Representative-Elect Sossamon To Be Sworn In On Jan. 10 At McGregor Hall

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Frank Sossamon will be sworn in as the newest representative for N.C. House District 32 Tuesday and the public is invited to attend.

The swearing-in ceremony will be held at McGregor Hall on Jan. 10 at 6 p.m.

Superior Court Judge John Dunlow will administer the oath of office.

District 32 includes Vance and Granville counties.

During the run up to the 2022 midterm elections, candidate Sossamon focused on priorities which include generating local jobs, encouraging small business development, improving education and reducing crime throughout the district.

TownTalk: Does Anyone Want To Talk About The Jail?

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No matter where you stand on the issue, the Vance County Detention Center is not an ideal facility, neither for staff nor inmates. Sheriff Curtis Brame has been vocal about the physical condition of the jail, which has racked up numerous deficiencies in recent state inspections.

The Vance County commissioners asked a Raleigh firm to conduct a facilities needs assessment, which County Manager Jordan McMillen is still in the early stages. The county is paying Moseley Architects more than $48,000 to complete the needs assessment.

“It is a comprehensive study,” McMillen told WIZS News via email Tuesday. “I would anticipate some results as we get into the spring” of 2023, but said commissioners may hear an update at the regular meeting in January.

Brame acknowledged that a cell phone video – aired Monday on a Raleigh television station – showed an inmate on the floor, surrounded by several other inmates who were hitting him.

In a brief written response to WIZS News Tuesday, Brame said charges had been filed in connection with the assault, but he provided no further details about the incident.

It is the latest challenge for Brame and county leaders, who seem to be at odds at times over what exactly needs to be done at the jail.

“The county has invested a good bit into the jail the past few years as the sheriff has requested items,” McMillen stated.

In fact, over the past five years, capital expenditures for the jail have increased almost $1 million – from $3.47 in 2018 to $4.34 million.

The 2023 budget is $4.86 million, which includes an extra $400,000 that commissioners approved in October that is designated for providing health care for inmates.

Brame has said he would like to see a new jail facility built for Vance County. Running the jail is the sheriff’s responsibility, and he has called for increased salaries for detentions staff.

According to McMillen, the new part of the jail was built in 1990 and comprises 32,355 square feet of space. The older part of the jail is smaller – about 2,400 square feet – and was also renovated in 1990 when the new portion was constructed.

The entire facility was renovated in 2010.

In addition to the needs of the physical plant are needs to have sufficient staff at the jail. Detention staff was included in a salary study the county put into place in July 2022 that raises hiring rates from $33,432 to $36,433.

“We are in a facility that has long outgrown its needs,” Brame told WIZS News back in August 2022. “Our detention center is antiquated and outdated,” he said, and noted safety issues – for staff and detainees alike – as a result of the condition of the physical plant.

Commissioners received the 9-page report at its August meeting, which detailed everything from non-functioning locks on food passage doors to dirty showers, as well as deficiencies in staff trainings and supervision.

But the overall physical condition of the jail, located at 516 Breckenridge St., looms larger for Brame. “Over 31 years ago the county decided to renovate the detention
center,” he said at the time, adding that the renovations do not meet current standards and needs and he maintains that the jail is unsafe for both staff and detainees.

 

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Murder Charge Added For Father Of Child Who Died Dec. 3

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The father of a 6-year-old who died earlier this month has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the shooting death of his son.

Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame issued a press statement Tuesday, in which he said Eric Eugene Allen Powe, 31, was charged with murder on Dec. 8. Rowe surrendered himself to authorities on Dec. 9, Brame stated. He is being held in the Vance County jail under a $200,000 secured bond.

The incident occurred on the afternoon of Dec. 3. Members of the sheriff’s office were dispatched to 67 Hoyle Lane in Henderson after receiving a call about a gunshot victim.

The boy was transported to Maria Parham Hospital, where he was ultimately pronounced dead from a gunshot wound.

The Vance County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Unit, with the assistance of the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, responded to the scene to conduct an investigation into the incident.

Rowe originally had been arrested on a felony child abuse charge, but murder charges were brought against him as the sheriff’s office and the SBI continued their investigation.

The investigation is still ongoing and anyone with information is urged to contact the Vance County Sheriff’s Office at 252.738.2200.

Cooperative Extension With Paul McKenzie What Works in the Garden

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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.

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16 Year Old Shot, Killed

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Press Release —

On December 17, 2022 at approximately 7PM, officers of the Henderson Police Department arrived at the intersection of E. Montgomery Street and N. College Street in reference to a person with a gunshot wound. Officers found Krystal K. Gray, 16, in the passenger area of a 2005 Silver Acura MDX. Ms. Gray was transported to a local medical facility where she later succumbed to her injuries. At least two other male individuals were in the vehicle at the time of the incident and did not suffer any known injuries.

Henderson Detectives, along with the SBI, are currently following up on generated leads and incoming information from the public and witnesses.

If anyone else has any information that may help further this investigation, please contact us through calling the Henderson Police Department at (252)438-4141, Crime Stoppers at (252) 492-1925, the P3 App, or Facebook Messenger.

Rewards of up to $2,000 are offered for information leading to the arrest of the perpetrator(s).

Authority Chief Marcus W Barrow

The Local Skinny! Getting Your Packages Shipped For The Holidays

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Remember the 1980’s slogan “when it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight?” As the calendar marches on toward Christmas in less than a week, Mike Moore at Postal Plus has a few suggestions for gift-givers who also must be gift-senders.

“It’s crunch time,” Moore said Monday, but he noted that anything headed up or down the East Coast should make it in time for Christmas Day.

But, as the week goes on, the price for that timely delivery is going to go up.

“We can overnight on Friday, the 23rd, and they have it – in some areas – on Christmas Eve,” Moore said on Monday’s segment of The Local Skinny!

That’s not the case for every location, and it gets more and more expensive as the days tick by, he noted.

Customers who want to send packages will be doing themselves – and Moore – a favor by dropping them off before 3 p.m. so he’ll have time to get the items packed properly and ready for pickup later in the afternoon.

Bring your own box or let the folks at Postal Plus provide the packing materials, Moore said. “We make sure they arrive in time and in safe condition,” he added.

In the 32 years Moore’s been in this business, he said he’s seen a little bit of everything get shipped out of the store, from Christmas gifts to barbecue and stew.

Technology has changed the way things get from one place to another, he said. The use of barcodes makes everything trackable, which allows the industry to handle much higher volume.

Customers shouldn’t wait too long, however, if they still have packages to send. Inclement weather can still put a damper on things, Moore said, which can affect deliveries.

The number one question he answers at this time of year?

That’s easy: “Is it going to be there before Christmas?”

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TownTalk: Stanley Takes On New Role At Kerr Lake

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In his previous role as Superintendent 1 at the Kerr Lake State Recreation Area, Bill Stanley said his main focus was on the rangers and their development and making sure the other staff also was properly trained to do the wide assortment of jobs that take place across the various campgrounds, public access points and shelters with the park.

In his new role as lead superintendent, Stanley chuckled when he said there’s a lot more paperwork involved.

But the ultimate mission remains the same: “making sure Kerr Lake is moving forward in a direction for the future,” Stanley told John C. Rose on Monday’s TownTalk.
He’s got his sights set on three broad areas: conservation, education and safe recreation.

Those umbrella categories cover a wide range of projects, from prescribed fires to making sure all visitors can have an enjoyable lake experience.

“Prescribed fires are a big thing in NC state parks,” Stanley said. “It’s a good thing for the environment and a really good things for visitors also.” Prescribed fires help reduce leaf litter and help clear out the understory of wooded areas, which helps campers have a better lake view and reduces the chance of a campfire getting out of control.

But there’s the little detail of when to conduct a prescribed fire. “When there’s tons and tons of campers here, you can’t smoke ‘em out,” Stanley said.

There are 13 rangers that serve the entire recreation area, he said. They are law enforcement officers in addition to all the other duties that go along with the job. Some will be joining other local law enforcement officers in the “Shop with a Cop” event happening this week, he said. And they also do programs at schools and at Perry Memorial Library.

In addition to the ranger staff, Stanley said there’s the 15-member maintenance team stays busy with various improvement projects throughout the recreation area. Add 60 or so seasonal employees to keep grass mowed and bathrooms cleaned during the peak season and suddenly the staff becomes a small army.

Maintenance recently completed a renovation of 13 campsites at Hibernia. By doing the job themselves, the team was able to make the money go further, he noted.

He said visitors who use the campsites love the fact that they’re so close to the water. “They say they love our campsites,” Stanley said, adding that many have been camping at Kerr Lake for many years.

Whether you just want to enjoy the natural beauty of the lake or whether you’d prefer to be in a bass boat on the water, Stanley said Kerr Lake is the perfect spot.

“Kerr Lake is a great fishing lake,” he said and 2023 is shaping up to be another good year for fishing competitions here.

 

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