VGCC Foundation’s $5M ‘Building Futures Campaign’ Well On Its Way To Goal

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The Vance-Granville Community College Foundation’s $5 million fundraising campaign is well on its way, with more than $1 million raised since the campaign kicked off in March.

Building Futures: Empowering Students, Strengthening Communities is a 10-month campaign to raise money to address a funding deficit and ensure the successful completion of two transformational workforce training facilities, namely the Center for Advanced Manufacturing & Applied Technology (CAMAT) and the Transportation Training & Technology Center (TTTC).

The $1,051,000 in philanthropic support demonstrates strong early momentum, donor confidence, and measurable community impact, according to school officials.

Building Futures represents a high-impact workforce development initiative, advancing economic mobility and career pathways for students across Vance, Granville, Franklin, and Warren counties.

While state funding and grants have supported both facilities, increased construction costs have created a funding shortfall. The Building Futures fundraising plan seeks to raise $5 million in transformational philanthropic investment to ensure both facilities open fully equipped with modern technology and industry-grade training equipment.

This investment directly supports student success, workforce readiness, and long-term regional economic growth, while strengthening the talent pipeline for high-demand industries.

The Center for Advanced Manufacturing & Applied Technology will serve as a state-of-the-art training center designed to prepare students for high-demand, high-wage careers in welding, mechatronics, electrical systems, and HVAC.

This facility will expand access to quality jobs, industry-recognized credentials, and upward economic mobility, while supporting employers seeking a highly skilled workforce.

The Transportation Training & Technology Center will expand and modernize instruction in CDL-A and B, heavy equipment operations, and diesel and heavy equipment mechanics.

This facility addresses critical workforce shortages while providing hands-on, career-connected learning opportunities that lead directly to employment and family-sustaining wages.

Together, these two facilities represent a transformative investment in community impact, workforce innovation, and economic development. By aligning education with industry demand, VGCC is advancing scalable workforce solutions, employer partnerships, and student-centered outcomes that strengthen communities and regional competitiveness.

The Building Futures initiative reflects a commitment to evidence-based impact, measurable outcomes, and expanding opportunity at scale—key priorities for national philanthropic leaders investing in systemic change.

Individuals, families, corporations, and philanthropic organizations are invited to participate in the Building Futures initiative through a variety of major gift and naming opportunities. Donors may choose to name classrooms, labs, and more.

For more information about supporting workforce training, transformational giving opportunities, philanthropic partnerships, or community impact investments, please contact the VGCC Foundation at foundation@vgcc.edu or 252.738.3264 or visit www.vgcc.edu/building-futures.

Franklin County Hosts 5-County Beef Tour On June 12

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Franklin County is hosting the 2026 5-County BEEF Tour on Tuesday, June 16. Participants will carpool to three innovative beef cattle farms, both large and small, that are participating in the Southeastern US Regenerative Agriculture Project, according to information from Matthew Place of the Franklin County Center of N.C. Cooperative Extension.

There will be lots of networking, but also use of new technology for the cattle producer, demonstrations (grazing forages, rainfall simulator), and expert insights designed to help your farm thrive.

Participants will hear about the latest in agricultural tech and management strategies, including:

  • Nutritional Efficiency: Learn how to maximize your herd’s performance while managing costs. Grazing efficiency using the “grazing forage stick”, one free per family.
  • Forage & Drones: See how drone technology is changing the game for pasture management, heat checks, etc. See a live demonstration using the forage rainfall simulator.
  • Virtual Fencing: Explore the future of grazing without the wire.
  • Trade Show during lunch: new Hay Equipment, Seed companies, “No Fence” company, Farm Conservation and more.
  • Lunch speaker: Regenerative Agriculture and Programs Available.

Registration is required and the $30 fee includes lunch. The deadline to register is Friday, June 12.
Register at go.ncsu.edu/2026-5-county-beef-tour

For more information, contact Franklin County Center, 919.496.3344, Agricultural Extension Agent Martha Mobley or the Sampson County Center, 910.592.7161, Agricultural Extension Agent Paul Gonzalez.

The link to the tour brochure is Brochure & Tour Map.

 

 

 

SportsTalk: William Hardin Tapped As New Louisburg College Head Baseball Coach

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With about 10 days in his new role as Louisburg College’s head baseball coach, William Hardin has hit the ground running, with recruitment in full swing, meeting current players and getting ready for the upcoming season.

But like they say, it’s not work if you love what you do.

“I do care deeply about Louisburg baseball and Louisburg College,” Hardin said on Thursday’s SportsTalk segment with WIZS’s Scout Hughes and George Hoyle.

And now, he’s coaching at the very school that gave him so much as a young junior college athlete who headed off to Elon College (before it became a university) and then settled into a coaching and teaching career at the high school and college levels.

His coach at Louisburg was the venerable Russ Frazier, and Hardin said he’s had many conversations with his former coach since he took the job.

When Coach calls, Hardin says he drops whatever he’s doing.

“It’s like two people taking who have best friends forever,” Hardin said. “All the advice he gives me, I take it.”

Another role model who helped shape Hardin as a coach is longtime AD at Greensboro’s Page High School – and fellow Elon ballplayer Rusty Lee.

Hardin said he learned the value of being proactive from Lee, so when someone calls him to share the name of a possible recruit, Hardin calls. Right then.

“My job is to get on the phone right then and there, not wait a week,” he said.

He’s hitting the recruiting pretty hard now, and he said he has until mid-August to “say yes to as many quality players as we possibly can.”

He said he’s ready to build on the success that previous head coach Blake Herring had with the Hurricanes, and elevate the program a little bit in the process and return to national relevance.

One way to do that is through hard work. Another way is by showing players you’re passionate about your school, your program and your players.

“I do have a lot of passion,” Hardin said. Recruits have remarked about seeing and feeling that passion, which tells Hardin he’s doing the right thing and doing it the right way.

“The day I met the players, I had probably five or six alumni with me who showed up,” Hardin said, which created a “buzz” among current players and in the Louisburg fanbase and alums.

There are some good players coming back for the upcoming season, and Hardin said right now, he’s looking for arms.

“The more arms we get, the more chance that we can win those weekend series,” he explained. He said he’s going to look at those weekend series as if they’re the conference tournament. “We want to win that two out of three, we want to sweep,” so the team can develop that mindset of playing baseball hard for a short period of time.

A pitcher’s speed is great, but Hardin said there’s a place in the lineup for pitchers who can provide long relief, short relief  – players he can put on the mound for specific tasks.

“We’re looking for arms that come in and get people out,” he explained. “It’s about hitting your spots and mixing your pitches…throwing off the timing and the balance of the hitter – that’s what it’s all about.”

He’s doing all the things a college head coach needs to do, at a dizzying pace – networking, recruiting, learning, planning and strategizing.

“That’s something I’ve been eager to do all my life, is to be a college coach,” Hardin said. “But there’s only one place I really wanted to be and that’s Louisburg College and that is the truth.”

To be able to coach at the school that gave him his start that included playing college baseball and a career as a coach is not something Hardin takes for granted.

“It changed my entire life, being able to go to school there,” he said.“Everything I have is attributed to Louisburg College.”

He said he’s livin’ the dream right now – a great family, a job he loves at a school that he loves.

 

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High School Baseball Playoffs

NCHSAA

4A – State Championship Series – Best of 3

Game 1

  • Bunn 3 Burns 2

Game 2

  • Bunn 7 Burns 5

Congratulations to the Bunn Wildcats on winning the 4A Baseball State Championship!

The Local Skinny! Maria Parham Franklin Hosting ‘Stomp the Stigma’ 5K May 30

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Lace up your running – or walking – shoes for the second “Stomp the Stigma” 5k on Saturday, May 30 in Louisburg to support mental health awareness and care for mental health treatment.

Not feelin’ it for the 5k?

There’s a Family Fun Run and a Kids Dash, too, thanks to event organizers from the Maria Parham Franklin campus, where the focus is on mental health and behavioral health.

Emilee Johnson, vice president of operations at Maria Parham, said this year’s event is shaping up to be another success.

May is National Mental Health Awareness month, a time when mental health professionals emphasize the normalization of seeking help when it’s needed.

Last year’s inaugural event raised about $5,000, Johnson said. “This year we want to do a lot more,” she said on Thursday’s The Local Skinny! This year’s recipient again is First in Families of North Carolina, a local nonprofit that supports people receiving mental health care.

They’ve been able to touch many lives through last year’s donation, Johnson said and they’re very excited and very supportive of this year’s fundraiser.

The stigma that needs stomping is the stigma around mental health and people’s reluctance to talk about it, learn about it and seek treatment for it.

Morgan Barnes, MPH’s manager of Human Resources, said “I feel that mental health is not a ‘someone else’ issue.” It affects us all, she said, from family and friends to co-workers. Whether identified as stress, anxiety, burnout or something else, there are resources available to support and promote positive mental health.

Making treatment more of the norm goes a long way to stomp the stigma, Johnson said. “We’re really excited to do something that benefits the community.”

Mark Speed returns this year, bringing his DJ skills to the day’s activities. Speed is a big proponent of the hospital, Johnson said. “He brought a lot of fun and energy last year to the crowd” she added. Having 150 participants join in the fun last year was a good start. “If we could double that, that would be amazing,” Johnson said. The event provides a fun activity for the community to participate in and also helps support a great cause, she added. “It’s a win all around.”

Everyone who registers at least two weeks before the event will get a t-shirt and swag bag. Register at https://runsignup.com/. There’s also a place on the event’s link to sign up as a volunteer. Register at least two weeks before the event to get a volunteer t-shirt.

The race route takes participants from the hospital, through the town’s historic district around Louisburg College and the downtown area and then back to the hospital, located at 100 Hospital Dr. off Hwy 39.

It’s designed for fun, but for those with a competitive edge, awards will be given to the top three male finishers and top three female finishers. The first 150 to cross the finish line will get race medals.

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(This content was originally published on May 7, 2026.)

TownTalk: Around Old Granville – 250th Anniversary of the USA in Old Granville County Part 2

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With the nation’s approaching 250th birthday as a backdrop, WIZS’s Bill Harris and local historian Mark Pace continue their conversation about people, places and events from right here in the four-county area, “Old Granville County.”

Franklin County’s Regiment of Militia was officially formed in January 1779, in the middle of the Revolutionary War. This group of men, along with the Granville County militia, fought the British troops in battles across the Carolinas in the early 1780’s, including the Siege of Charleston, Camden and Charlotte before giving the Brits a fit at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse.

Gen. Charles Cornwallis led his troops to major victories, but they met their match at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse.

Local historian Mark Pace said the British technically won the battle, but suffered such heavy casualties at the hands of the Patriots – led by Gen. Nathaniel Greene – that it was a hollow victory.

Just a year earlier, Cornwallis had spent 16 days in Charlotte trying to suppress the Patriots in that area, Pace said. Most likely members of the local militia were there as well and contributed to Cornwallis’s description of the then-small town as a “hornet’s nest.”

(A couple of hundred years later, the NBA team that called Charlotte home took note of the description and now the Charlotte Hornets play in an arena called The Hive.)

The Granville County militia performed well at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse, Pace said on Thursday’s Part 2 of Around Old Granville on TownTalk.

The Continental Line, akin to a national Army, of sorts, Pace explained, got much-needed assistance from states’ militias. North Carolina furnished about 4,000 or so men to the militia, each county calling up recruits or volunteers to join the effort.

Why did the states feel the need to call up militias in the first place?

Well, it’s probably not the only reason, but back in the mid-1750’s, the Colonists were being required to pay all kinds of taxes to the British Crown. But they didn’t have anyone in England to speak on their behalf, which was how the phrase “no taxation without representation” came about.

Two big taxes “that irritated Americans to no end,” Pace said, were the Stamp Act and the Sugar Tax. The Stamp Act taxed printed materials, from wills and deeds to newspapers and playing cards. The Sugar Act is self-explanatory, but it became a thorn in the side of Americans because of what was the most popular drink at the time – rum, which is derived from molasses. And molasses is made from sugarcane juice.

The Granville militia, in the mid-1770’s was under the leadership of Micajah Bullock, who is buried near Bullock’s Church located along U.S. Hwy 15 South near Creedmoor and Col. John Taylor of the Williamsboro vicinity.  Another prominent Granville County resident was Thomas Person, who was a general in the militia. At the time, he was the wealthiest person in the county and he opened up his estate for training purposes during the Revolution.

Pace called Person “the heart and soul of the Revolution in this area.”

During previous “Around Old Granville” segments, Pace and Harris have talked about the significance of Williamsboro, once a prospering center of commerce that today is merely a crossroads that people pass through as they travel N.C. Hwy 39.

The community was named for John Williams, Pace said, whose name can be found among a list of Founding Fathers for this nation.

Williams, along with Robert Burton, John Penn and Benjamin Hawkins, all hailed from the Williamsboro area and were elected to the Continental Congress. Penn signed the Declaration of Independence, but Williams signed the Articles of Confederation. He also became speaker of the N.C. House, and was one of the first N.C. Supreme Court judges.

Sadly, Williams’s home, Montpelier, no longer stands. But it was a hub of activity back then, Pace said.

Montpelier was where N.C. Gov. Burke went when it became  clear he needed to evacuate Hillsborough (then the capital) in advance of Cornwallis’s arrival.

Montpelier is also where Leonard Henderson, for whom Henderson is named, is buried.

In fact, Williamsboro had been considered as the state’s capital, but leaders ultimately chose the more centrally located Raleigh.

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Convicted Drug Dealer Gets 21-Year Federal Prison Term In Connection With 2024 Overdose Death In Franklin County

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— from the office of U.S. Attorney Eastern District N.C. Ellis Boyle

A federal judge sentenced Cordell Antonio Mendoza to 21 years in federal prison for selling fentanyl that caused an individual in Franklin County, North Carolina to overdose and die. On February 17, 2026, Inmate Mendoza pleaded guilty to conspiracy to sell and possess with the intent to sell heroin and fentanyl, and selling of fentanyl resulting in death.

In a press statement issued Thursday, May 7, U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle stated, “Selling poison that you know kills people goes far beyond just run-of-the-mill dealing. The defendant accepted death as the cost of doing business, and went right back to the street to find his next victim after he knew of at least one dead customer. 21 years in federal prison protects the residents of the EDNC for decaes and punishes this murderous scofflaw for his heinous crimes. Simple Lesson: Drugs Kill, Prison Awaits – Do Right.”

In October 2024, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) found an individual at his home in Franklin County who died from a drug overdose. FCSO found fentanyl in the victim’s pocket with the label “Try This” and empty fentanyl bindles in the trash can eponymously labeled “Dead on Arrival.” FCSO and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) investigated the case and determined that Inmate Mendoza sold the victim the deadly fentanyl just over an hour before the victim was found dead. Two days later, Inmate Mendoza spoke on a recorded telephone call describing how one of his customers had died from an overdose from using his product, before immediately pivoting to say he would keep selling drugs. In November 2024, law enforcement searched Inmate Mendoza’s house and found 102 bindles of a fentanyl and heroin mixture.

“This sentence underscores the relentless efforts of federal and local law enforcement to deliver justice when drug trafficking leads to a tragic loss of life,” said Mark M. Zito, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in North and South Carolina. “The combined dedication of the FCSO, HSI, and the EDNC United States Attorney’s Office demonstrates our unwavering commitment to protecting the community. HSI will continue to pursue and hold accountable those dealers who knowingly distribute deadly fentanyl, recognizing the devastating impact these actions have on families and neighborhoods.”

“The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office has made addressing drug trafficking in our county a priority and this case and the results of it are proof that we can and will hold those individuals accountable for the tragedies they cause when dealing drugs that kill. I am grateful for our investigators and the relationships we have with HSI and the EDNC United States Attorney’s Office to partner together to enhance our efforts.” said Franklin County Sheriff Kevin White.

Boyle made the announcement after sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II.  HSI and the FCSO investigated the case and Assistant United States Attorney Casey L. Peaden prosecuted the case.

Click play to hear this story.

The texted above was originally posted May 8, 2026.

VGCC Logo

VGCC Schedules 2 Commencement Ceremonies At McGregor Hall May 14, 15 At 7 P.M.

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Vance-Granville Community College spring 2026 commencement exercises will take place at McGregor Hall on Thursday, May 14 and Friday, May 15.

Because of the growing number of graduates, school leaders decided to split the graduation ceremonies. Graduates are assigned a date based on their program of study:

Thursday, May 14:

  • College and Career Readiness Programs
  • School of Business, Applied Technology and Public Safety
  • School of Health Sciences

Friday, May 15:

  • School of Arts and Sciences

McGregor Hall, located at 201 Breckenridge St., is wheelchair accessible and equipped with accessible seating.

Each graduate is guaranteed four guest tickets for their assigned ceremony, which must be claimed in advance. Tickets are scheduled to be electronically distributed to graduates on Wednesday, May 6. Graduates are responsible for distributing tickets to their guests.

Unclaimed tickets will be released, and graduates will have an opportunity to claim additional tickets.

An important reminder for those who plan to attend either of the graduation ceremonies: Each guest must present a ticket with a unique, scannable QR code to enter McGregor Hall. Guests without a scannable ticket will not be admitted. All attendees aged three (3) and older must have a ticket to enter the ceremony, including current VGCC students who plan to attend as guests. Children under the age of three do not need a ticket if they will sit on a guest’s lap during the ceremony. Graduates do not require a ticket.

Those unable to attend in person may join the event livestream on the official VGCC YouTube channel.

Visit vgcc.edu/student-portal/graduation-information for developing event information.

Statement From Dist. 7 Rep. Winslow On Senate Bill 214, Future Water Needs And Future Negotiations

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Editor’s note: WIZS News received the following press statement Monday afternoon at 4:58 p.m. from the office of Rep. Matthew Winslow. The statement appears below, in its entirety:

Regarding Part V, Section 5 of SB 214 Proposed Conference Committee Substitute, Representative Matthew Winslow (R-Franklin and Vance Counties) shares the following statement:

“Franklin County faces a growing water supply challenge that threatens both residential growth and economic development. Our county has carefully reserved limited allocations for future homes and job-creating projects. Once those reserves are exhausted, the primary alternative is Kerr Lake. However, current arrangements with the City of Henderson have proven difficult.

For nearly 20 years, good-faith negotiations between Franklin County and Henderson have yielded little progress on securing adequate additional water at reasonable rates. Henderson has sought to restrict allocation volumes— requiring repeated future negotiations—and to charge Franklin County citizens rates nearly four times higher than those paid by other users. Passing exorbitant costs directly to our residents would be the easy choice, but it would not serve the long-term interests of our community.

Henderson’s position stems from geography, not ownership. The water in Kerr Lake, which is one of the largest in the state, belongs to the people of North Carolina. Franklin County needs reliable access to support responsible growth, while Henderson requires support for system upgrades. This mutual dependence has created a prolonged standoff and missed opportunity.

SB 214 provides a targeted, common-sense solution. It authorizes Franklin County to draw raw water directly from Kerr Lake and treat it locally. This would eliminate the need to pay inflated rates compared to our neighbors and give Franklin County greater control over its water future. Importantly, the bill is narrowly tailored: it limits these authorities to counties adjacent to the lake, unlike 12 other North Carolina counties that currently have  broader, unrestricted annexation or condemnation powers across the state.

To address concerns circulating in the community:

  • This is not a data center project.
  • It does not authorize Franklin County to condemn or seize Henderson’s existing water treatment plant.
  • The provision is strictly for constructing a direct raw water line from Kerr Lake to a future Franklin County treatment facility. The 10 million gallons per day that Franklin County has requested from the Army Corps by comparison is extremely minor compared to the 10 billion gallons a day that cross over the dam.

As the elected Representative for Franklin and Vance Counties (and previously Nash and Granville Counties as well), I evaluate issues through a regional lens focused on what best serves all our citizens. When Franklin County leaders approached me about this language, I did not take the request lightly and I asked for a meeting to discuss.  They explained this was their last resort after exhausting all other avenues and negotiations. This closed session meeting was attended by all seven Franklin County Commissioners. Prior to this meeting, they had all been informed and updated long before we met, but I wanted the attorney to go through everything one more time so there would be no miscommunications. After the attorney revisited the strategy, I asked each member if they agreed.  They all said yes, then I asked again if anyone was against this and no one spoke up.

I continue to pray for a successful regional solution. A cooperative water system across our communities would equitably share costs, maintain affordable rates, create jobs, and drive economic growth for everyone involved. SB  214 is not intended to replace partnership—it serves as a necessary backstop if negotiations continue to stall.”

Statement On ‘Long-Term Water Statement’ From Franklin County Manager’s Office

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WIZS received the following statement late Friday afternoon from Michelle Kenny, research assistant in the office of Rep. Matthew Winslow, Dist. 7.

It appears below, in its entirety:

Franklin County has been working to secure a long-term water supply for its residents and businesses for more than twenty years. This legislation is one step in a long process, and it is not our first step.

For years, Franklin County pursued every available regional option. We have purchased water from multiple sources, including the City of Henderson through the Kerr Lake Regional Water System, the Town of Louisburg, and the City of Raleigh. Franklin County requested expanded capacity through existing regional arrangements repeatedly and has been unable to secure a long-term solution. Expanding the existing regional infrastructure to meet Franklin County’s projected demand would require a construction investment of more than $78 million, and even that investment would not provide sufficient capacity to meet Franklin County’s long-term needs. Obtaining water from multiple sources at the scale Franklin County requires is simply not cost-effective or sustainable.

The Army Corps of Engineers reallocation process at Kerr Lake is the right path forward. It is a formal, federally managed process which requires strict public notice and meaningful opportunities for input from all affected jurisdictions. The Army Corps of Engineers requires transparency. Franklin County did not bypass any process; we initiated the process that exists specifically to evaluate requests like this one.

On the legislation specifically, this bill gives Franklin County a legal tool it may need to position water infrastructure as the Army Corps process moves forward. The condemnation authority exists as a last resort if good-faith negotiation fails, but negotiation in good faith is absolutely Franklin County’s plan and our preference.

Franklin County’s growth benefits the entire region. The employers, families, and businesses choosing Franklin County create jobs and economic activity that extend well beyond our borders. Securing reliable, affordable water supply is how Franklin County continues to support that growth, for our residents and for the region. Franklin County growth is likely the best opportunity for economic growth for Granville, Vance and Warren Counties.

Franklin County respects its relationships with neighboring counties. Legislative advocacy is a normal part of local government, and the County pursued this through a process that would provide the best opportunity for success. Franklin County recognizes that affected jurisdictions were not notified in advance of this provision but are committed to ongoing dialogue as this process moves forward. The Legislative process and the Army Corps process provide meaningful opportunities for all affected jurisdictions to be heard, and Franklin County welcomes that engagement.

Democratic Party

STATEMENT FROM FRANKLIN COUNTY COMMISSIONER MARK SPEED ON SECTION 5 OF THE CONFERENCE REPORT FOR SENATE BILL 214

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— from Vance County Democratic Party Chair Angie Thornton

Franklin County Commissioner Mark Speed said:

I serve on the Franklin County Board of Commissioners, and I am speaking out today against Section 5 of the conference committee report on Senate Bill 214.

Section 5 would allow Franklin County to acquire property, including through condemnation, in Halifax County, Vance County, and Warren County without the consent or approval of the boards of commissioners in those counties. I cannot support that, even when the authority is being handed to the county I was elected to serve.

Every county in North Carolina is sovereign over the land within its borders. It is the foundation of local government in this state. When the people of Vance County go to the polls and elect a board of commissioners, they are choosing the officials who answer to them for what happens on their land. Those commissioners are accountable to their neighbors at the grocery store, at church, at the ballpark. That accountability is what makes local government work.

Section 5 cuts that accountability out. It could allow officials elected by the people of Franklin County can reach across a county line and take property from a family in Vance County, or Halifax County, or Warren County, and the elected officials of those counties have no seat at the table. The people losing their property would have no one on the condemning board to hold accountable. They could not vote them out. They could not call them. They would have no representation in the decision being made about their own land.

That is not how co-equal local governments operate. That is one county overriding another, with the General Assembly’s permission, and it sets a precedent that every county in this state should be alarmed by. If it can be done to Vance, Halifax, and Warren today, it can be done to any county tomorrow.

G.S. 153A-15 has required the consent of a county’s board of commissioners before another county acquires property within its borders for a reason. It protects citizens. It mandates cooperation. It ensures that when two counties disagree about a project that crosses a boundary, they work it out as equals, through their elected representatives, on the record. Section 5 throws that process out for a shortcut, and the shortcut runs over the rights of citizens in three counties who had no voice in its drafting.

I took an oath to uphold the law and to serve the people of Franklin County. Part of that oath is recognizing that my authority ends where another county’s authority begins. The commissioners of Vance, Halifax, and Warren Counties were elected by their people the same way I was elected by mine. Their judgment about what happens on their soil deserves the same respect as mine does about what happens on Franklin County’s.

I am calling on the conference committee to strike Section 5. I am calling on my fellow commissioners in Franklin County to join me in rejecting a grant of power that should never have been offered. And I am standing with the elected leaders and the citizens of Halifax, Vance, and Warren Counties, because the principle at stake here is bigger than any one project, any one parcel, or any one county.

Local sovereignty is sacred. It is how the people of this state govern themselves. I will not trade it away, even when the trade is being made in my favor.