Officials Brave Chilly Temps For Epsom Park Groundbreaking Dec. 6

/by

The long-awaited Epsom Park is one step closer to completion following a recent ground-breaking ceremony to turn over those first shovels full of dirt on the property of the former Epsom School.

Franklin County purchased the 7.62 acres at the corner of Eaves Road and N.C. 39 way back in 2006. A sign marked the site as the “Future Home of Epsom Park” for years, and that dream is becoming a reality some 18 years later.

Thanks to a $434,625 grant from the N.C. Parks and Recreation Authority’s Trust Fund – which was matched by Franklin County – the park is embarking on Phase 1, which Franklin County Parks and Rec Director K.P. Kilpatrick said should be complete by fall 2025.

Phase 1 will feature paved walking loops, a multi-purpose field, sand volleyball, cornhole and playground, as well as a picnic shelter and restrooms.

Kilpatrick spoke to the group gathered at the groundbreaking ceremony that chilly, breezy Dec. 6 morning and said the park will stand as a symbol of what can be accomplished when people and entities work together.

“Creating a space for one another,” he said, “brings the promise for a brighter future.”

District 2 Commissioner Roxanne Bragg said the park has been a dream for the Epsom community for a long time, and she looks forward to having the community in her district be able to enjoy its amenities.

Visit https://www.franklincountync.gov/county_services/parks___recreation/index.php 

and click the Epsom Park link on the left side of the page to view site plans, maps and a video of the groundbreaking.

VGCC Logo

VGCC Community Band Winter Concert Dec. 16

/by

–information courtesy of VGCC Public Information Officer Courtney Cissel

The holiday season has officially begun, and the VGCC Community Band is back in action this month to present its annual Holiday Concert.

This year’s event will occur on Monday, Dec. 16, at McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center in downtown Henderson. The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. and will last about an hour. Admission is free to the public.

“Nothing is better than a big old-timey band concert,” said band director Brian Miller, “and the Vance-Granville Band is delighted to present to you our Winter Concert in the heart of historic downtown Henderson. We invite everyone to this free event featuring Christmas music, band classics, popular music, and classical music!”

Concertgoers can expect to hear festive favorites like “Feliz Navidad” and “Good King Wenceslas” alongside music from blockbuster soundtrack composer Michael Giacchino.

Some songs will be performed by the entire 39-piece band, while others will feature smaller groups.

Betsy Henderson, department chair of Fine Arts at the College, echoes Brian Miller’s invitation to the community. “This concert always kicks off my holiday season; it’s a lovely way to spend an evening. I urge you to come get into the holiday spirit with me!”

The VGCC Community Band contains both VGCC students and non-student adult community members with a wide range of abilities and experience. Participants represent the College’s four-county service area and beyond, some traveling from as far away as Virginia. The VGCC Community Band rehearses every Monday evening at the College’s Main Campus Civic Center in Henderson, and there is no membership fee for participating.

To learn more about the band, contact Director Miller at bmiller9302@vgcc.edu.

(This story was originally posted Dec. 6, 2024.)

SportsTalk: Louisburg College Football Headed To JUCO National Title Game

/by

UPDATE – FINAL SCORE 

College of DuPage 31

Louisburg College 14

Hurricanes finish the season at 8-3

Congratulations on a Great Season Louisburg!

Go Hurricanes!

••••••••••••••••••••••••• 

SportsTalk on WIZS 12:30 p.m. M-Th

Louisburg College Head Football Coach Quinderra Spellman joins SportsTalk with Scout Hughes and George Hoyle to talk about the Hurricanes great season, as they prepare for the NJCAA DIII National Championship Game.

Louisburg College will play the College of DuPage this Saturday, December 7th, 2024 in the NJCAA DIII Football National Championship Game. Kickoff will be at 1:00pm EST. The game will be broadcasted live on ESPN+. For those that want to cheer on the Hurricanes in Chicago the address to the stadium is College of DuPage Stadium, College Rd, Glen Ellyn, IL 60137.

Go Hurricanes!

CLICK PLAY!

Franklin County DSS “Tree Of Hope”

/by

Franklin County Department of Social Services is seeking help from the community to fulfill the hopes and wishes of our foster children this year.

Franklin County DSS — in partnership with Wal-Mart in Louisburg– has a “Tree of Hope” located at the front entrance of the store with paper ornaments that represent a child in foster care. Each ornament has a list of wishes for a child that can be donated to help put a smile on a child’s face this year.

Those considering sponsoring a child this year can pick an ornament from the tree and deliver the unwrapped gifts to the Louisburg Wal-Mart Service Desk or DSS located at 107-A Industrial Drive, Louisburg NC 27549 by Dec. 13.

If you have any questions or would like to donate toys for other children DSS serves, please contact Susan Weathers at 919.496.8171 or call the main number at 919. 496.5721.

$2M In ARPA Funds To Help Franklin Schools Get HVAC Upgrades

/by

 

 — Information courtesy of Franklin County Public Information Officer James F. Hicks, III

Franklin County’s Board of Commissioners approved more than $2 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds to be used for Franklin County Schools HVAC capital needs.

Commissioners approved assigning of the remaining $2,564,623 of ARPA funds to FCS as a subrecipient for approved HVAC projects – which make up a significant portion of the capital needs for FCS as submitted in its needs request.

“I think this is a great way for Franklin County to help Franklin County Schools with its capital needs,” said Board of Commissioner Chairman David Bunn. “Utilizing these remaining funds will help our schools with their upcoming projects.”

After passage of recent state legislation, the previous funding of a $2 million match by Franklin County for the NC Department of Information Technology Completing Access to Broadband (CAB) program became available because the program is now funded by a combination of state and federal funds. The remaining ARPA funds would have to be utilized according to the stringent ARPA rules or be returned.

Duke Energy

Duke Energy Customers Will See Slight Drop In Rate Prices

/by

The North Carolina Utilities Commission approved the Duke Energy Progress request to lower customer rates by 4.5 percent.

The lower rates begin this month.  In a message to WIZS, Duke Energy’s Local Government and Community Relations Manager Beth Townsend said, “It’s important to note that with the cold snap we’re having right now, most customers are using more energy compared to last month – we had a very warm fall. If you’re running your heat around the clock, your next bill will be higher of course – but it will be 4.5 percent lower than what it would have been under the old rates.”

In a press release from Townsend, it’s indicated that Duke Energy Progress residential customer rates in North Carolina will decrease 4.5 percent as part of an annual adjustment for the cost of fuel used to generate electricity at the utility’s power plants.

The release said, “A typical residential customer in North Carolina using 1,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per month will see an overall decrease of $7.34, or about 4.5 percent lower than prior rates… That is 11 percent below the national average of $174.21 – a difference of approximately $235 per year.”

Commercial customers will benefit too, from an average decrease of about 6.3 percent, while industrial customers will see an average decrease of less than 0.1 percent.

Duke Energy Progress serves about 1.5 million customers in central and eastern North Carolina, including Raleigh, as well as the Asheville region.

Franklin County ‘Care And Share Center’ Gets $2,500 To Fight Food Insecurity

/by

— Courtesy of Franklin County Public Information Officer James F. Hicks III

Franklin County Care and Share Center Inc. has received $2,500 from the Food Lion Feeds Charitable Foundation to help nourish neighbors experiencing hunger.

The “Nourishing Our Neighbors” grant supports the Franklin County Department of Social Services Care and Share Center’s efforts to purchase nutritional food for distribution in the community. In addition, the grant supports community feeding partners by helping neighbors increase their access to nutritious food and providing nutritional education initiatives to help eliminate health risks for those experiencing food insecurity.

It is the mission of the Franklin County Department of Social Services to serve the community through the effective delivery of family-centered services, which will promote and achieve self-sufficiency and enhance the quality of life for all its residents.

Franklin County Department of Social Services and the Care and Share Center staff and volunteers are dedicated to the management of resources and enhancing the quality of life of the county’s residents.

“We are excited to again receive these funds provided by the Food Lion Feeds Charitable Foundation as it will enrich our efforts to address food insecurity in our county,” said Franklin County Director of Social Services Andrew Payne.

Care and Share Center Inc. is located at 110 Industrial Dr., Louisburg and is open to the public on Wednesday mornings to provide nutritious food items to county residents in need of emergency food assistance.

The Food Lion Feeds Charitable Foundation is committed to supporting families facing food insecurity across its 10-state footprint. Established in 2001, the foundation provides financial support for programs and organizations dedicated to feeding local neighbors in the communities it serves. Since its inception, the foundation has awarded more than $19.6 million in grants.

TownTalk: Alert Christmas Parade Is Coming

/by

Looking for some good old-fashioned entertainment to help get you in a festive holiday mood? Check out the Alert Christmas Parade, set to kick off at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 14.

That’s right, A-lert, the community that’s just over the Franklin/Vance County line beyond Epsom.

Larry Ayscue is one of this year’s parade organizers, but he also is credited with being the original organizer of that first parade 34 years ago.

“I would love to get the word out, just come and see it – check it out and see what you think of it,” he said on WIZS TownTalk. He wants to promote participation in the parade, as well as inviting spectators to come out and enjoy the eclectic variety of entries.

Unlike Christmas parades that are held inside town or city limits, Alert’s parade isn’t fettered by rules and regulations.

“Alert is not a town,” Ayscue said. “I always tell people, don’t come expecting a town – it’s just a little community.”

No forms to fill out, no official lineup to follow translates into good, old-fashioned fun, with “a lot of hollering, wavin’ and carrying on,” he said.

“We’ve had people to tell us that they’d rather be in that parade than any other one they’ve ever been in,” he added. “It’s just a lot of fun.”

Melanie Bobbitt helps Ayscue and his wife, Nancy, out and maintains a Facebook page complete with photos from previous parades and other information to promote the event, which had a pretty humble beginning.

“It started out as a kind of a joke,” Ayscue said, when he and others were putting in tobacco. It was summertime hot, and Ayscue said he made a comment that Alert ought to have a Christmas parade, any reason to think about cooler weather. Later on in the year came the questions: Well, are we going to have a parade? Are we? Ayscue checked with the Franklin County Sheriff’s office and “everybody gave me the ok.”

And what was supposed to be a one-shot deal has become a tradition like no other. Ayscue explained that a lot of older folks simply weren’t able to get out and go to town to watch parades, so the parade came to them.

Over the years, there have been some pretty interesting entries in addition to the usual firetrucks, church floats and children dressed up in Christmas costumes.

Ayscue has fond memories of one particular entry in the parade a few years ago. “It was the prettiest little thing,” he said, describing a goat hooked to a cart, both decorated up for the occasion.

“Anyone who has anything they’d love to put in the parade,” he said, should just show up by 1 p.m. at the intersection of Alert and Jordan School roads. The parade route is about 1.5 miles, ending at G.F. Ball Road.

For more information, contact Bobbitt at 919-497-6081, Nancy Ayscue at 252.458.1600 or Larry Ayscue at 252.343.9275.

“I believe you would thoroughly enjoy it if you come out,” Ayscue said.

CLICK PLAY!

Franklin County Commissioners Appoint John Preston As Tax Administrator

/by

 

— information courtesy of Franklin County Public Information Officer James F. Hicks, III

 

Franklin County’s Board of Commissioners has appointed John Preston to be the county’s tax administrator.

This appointment fills the vacancy created by the retirement in July 2024 of Marian Cascone, who resigned in July from that position, according to information from Franklin County Public Information Officer James F. Hicks, III.

Preston comes from Warren County where he has served as tax administrator for the past five years. Prior to his time in Warren County, he was a home inspector in Maryland.

“I am looking forward to coming to Franklin County as the new tax administrator,” Preston said.

The tax administrator is one of four positions appointed by the board of commissioners. The other positions are county manager, county attorney and clerk to the board.

“The Tax Department is responsible for the fair and equitable assessment of all personal and real property within the county and generates the funding through tax dollars for county operations, new projects to attract new businesses and growth within the county to benefit all Franklin County residents.”

Preston also served as the appraiser for Warren County from 2015-2017 when he left to become a property tax valuation specialist with the North Carolina Department of Revenue’s Local Government Division. He then returned to Warren County as the assistant tax administrator in 2019 prior to being appointed as tax administrator.

NC Coop Extension

Free Soil Samples End Nov. 26; Submit Samples Now To Avoid $4 Fee Per Sample

/by

The time for getting free soil samples from The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services soil testing lab is almost over – it’s about to hit its busy season, but growers and homeowners have until Tuesday, Nov. 26 to squeak in under the wire before the fee of $4 per sample begins.

“Accurate lime and fertilizer recommendations are critical to producing healthy plants and crops and to avoid unnecessary expenses and protect our natural resources,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “Recommendations that come from soil testing lets you know exactly what you need to add for optimal production. When it comes to fertilization needs, don’t guess, test.”

Peak-season fees are implemented annually to encourage growers to submit samples early, which helps spread out the testing time frame and to invest in equipment and temporary staff to decrease turnaround times. This year, the peak laboratory season starts Nov. 27 and runs through March 31, 2025.

Samples must physically arrive on the Agronomic Services’ loading dock no later than 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 26, to avoid that $4 per sample fee.

“This year the Agronomic Services Division is renewing its efforts to improve operational efficiency and optimize our customer service. To help in this mission, growers are asked to pay particular attention to the submission process,” said Dr. Don Edralin, soil testing section chief. “Small details matter when you consider that the Soil Testing Lab processes about 300,000 samples annually.”

Soil samples submitted without adequate grower, consultant, and/or sample information will not proceed through the lab but will be set aside.  This information is essential to associate samples with the correct existing client account or to establish a new unique client account. Samples will be held for at least five days, and an attempt will be made to obtain the missing information. Due to limited storage space, samples cannot be held indefinitely.

To avoid samples ending up in the “holding area,” simply follow the instructions listed below. In doing so, you will help the Soil Testing Lab be more efficient, and in turn, avoid unnecessary delays in sample processing.

  1. Only use soil sample boxes provided by NCDA&CS. Soil sample boxes and submission forms are provided at local county Cooperative Extension Centers and at the Agronomic Services Division, 4300 Reedy Creek Road, Raleigh, NC 27607. Fill the soil box to the red line found on the outside of the box. Required information on the box includes the client’s name, address and sample ID.
  2. With your samples, send a completed soil submission form. Needed information includes client’s name with their full address and a crop code which is critical for plant-specific recommendations. The list of codes is found on the second page of the sample submission form. Since soil test results are emailed to clients, it is extremely important that a valid email address is provided. Additionally, providing a current phone number is highly encouraged as it is helpful for faster contact if there is an issue with soil sample submission. For convenience, a fillable soil submission form for routine homeowner samples can be found at https://www.ncagr.gov/media/3727/open.
  3. Make sure that information listed on your soil submission form matches what is on your sample boxes.
  4. Save a copy/photo of your sample submission form for your records.
  5. Ensure that sample boxes are packed securely inside a sturdy shipper to avoid damage during transport. Do not use padded mailing envelopes. For faster delivery, private carriers such as UPS or FedEx deliver directly to the Agronomic building rather than an off-site mail center that USPS is required to use. Some Cooperative County Extension offices collect samples from homeowners for delivery to the division; clients are encouraged to make sure that delivery meets their intended expectations and needs.
  6. If you have access to a computer and printer, use the online data entry feature on PALS (www.ncagr.gov/agronomi/pals) to ensure the most accurate delivery of sample information to the lab but enclose a copy of the submission form with soil sample boxes.