VGCC Board Of Trustees Votes Against Hosting Educational Forum On Data Centers

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In a special called meeting on Thursday, Sept. 3, the Vance-Granville Community College Board of Trustees decided against hosting an educational forum to discuss the issue of data centers.

At its regularly scheduled meeting on July 20, the board heard two requests from residents during the Public Comment period requesting the board consider hosting a public forum to give the community an opportunity to learn more about data centers, which has been a hot-button topic in Vance County for months.

At that meeting, the board instructed VGCC President Dr. Rachel Desmarais to create a framework for a public forum.

“They specified that the framework should include a forum structure and guidelines,” Desmarais said in a statement Friday afternoon to WIZS News. “They also requested that I articulate the pros and cons of hosting such a forum and give them a recommendation on whether the College should indeed host such a forum.”

At Thursday’s meeting, the board reviewed the proposal, and, after what Desmarais described as “lengthy” discussions, Trustee Gordon Wilder made two motions, the first of which was withdrawn and replaced with a second motion to remove the VGCC administration from the responsibility of organizing an educational forum regarding data centers.

Trustee Tony Cozart seconded the motion and it passed unanimously in a roll-call vote.

Wilder’s first motion included keeping the college as a possible host site for a forum if a request came from a county commission or other recognized group from Vance, Granville, Warren or Franklin counties, which comprise the VGCC service area.

Desmarais said the board members considered a variety of concerns and options during their discussion, including risks of disruption from possible protests and the strain on college resources and staff that such an event could create.

According to Desmarais, Trustee Carolyn Faines – who also chairs the Vance County Board of Commissioners – questioned the logic of organizing an educational event before any formal application or filing for a data center has been made in Vance County. Desmarais said Faines characterized it as “putting the cart before the horse.”

Several board members suggested that another group could rent the Civic Center to host a forum and indicated a certain degree of comfort with providing a venue rather than hosting the event and the college would not be seen as organizing or endorsing the event.

In addition to Desmarais, trustees in attendance were Tony Cozart, Tare Davis, Carolyn Faines, Tom Harris, Dorwin Howard, Bruce Howerton, Abdul Rashid, Michael Schriver, Archie Taylor, Corey Thornton, Elaine Trujillo, Sara Wester, Gordon Wilder, Brenda Williamson, Xavier Wortham and Danny Wright.

TownTalk: Granville Gold Mock Tobacco Auction & Event Coming Sept. 27

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If you’ve ever been to a live auction, you likely can recall the auctioneer’s singsong selling as he or she announces the current bid and asks for other bidders to bid more.

But did you know that tobacco auctioneers do the reverse? Yep, they start out with a high price and then that number goes down until the lot is sold.

The days of seasonal tobacco auctions in big warehouses filled with bundles of golden, aromatic leaf have given way to direct contracts with the big tobacco companies, but folks will get the chance to see a “real” tobacco auction later this month at the Oxford Tobacco Research Station.

Last year’s event brought hundreds out to see – and hear – a veteran auctioneer practice his craft.

The “Granville Gold: Mock Tobacco Auction & Farm Heritage Celebration” will be held on Sunday, Sept. 27 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., according to Frank Timberlake, who is helping to promote the event, which is sponsored by the Granville County Historial Society and Museum.

“If you go back and look at what founded many of the rural counties, it was tobacco,” Timberlake said on Thursday’s segment of TownTalk.

The upcoming mock auction will showcase the spectacle that was the tobacco auction, when groups of men – buyers alongside the farmers who’d tended the crop – would follow the auctioneer up and down the rows of tobacco, piled in bundles on those familiar shallow woven wood baskets.

“That’s when everything happened, good bad or indifferent,” Timberlake said, recalling the auctioneer as he worked. “He’s walking – not even hardly taking a breath,” he added, “selling 500 piles of tobacco in an hour.”

Auctions are scheduled to take place at the top of each hour – 2 p.m., 3 p.m., 4 p.m. and 5 p.m.

In addition, there will be plenty of exhibits on the grounds of the tobacco research station, located at 300 Providence Rd., near the intersection with Providence Road and the Oxford Loop near the N.C. Cooperative Extension offices.

There will be all kinds of vendors, too, and food for purchase.

Admission is free, and folks will have an opportunity to participate in a real auction of two antique tractors – a fundraiser for the historical society. That auction begins at 3:30 p.m.

Remember, though, that unlike tobacco, bids for the tractors will go up, not down.

 

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‘Faith In Mental Health’ Kicks Off Yearlong Certificate Program Sept. 21 For Churches In Vance, Granville Counties

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The Faith in Mental Health certificate program will launch its first group of participating churches this fall. The free, yearlong program will help churches in Granville and Vance counties support people affected by mental illness and substance use.

Mental health has been a major concern in the last three Community Health Assessments by Granville Vance Public Health. In the 2025 assessment, more than 75 percent of people surveyed named mental health or drug addiction as the community’s top health problem.

The Cohort 1 kickoff meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 21, 2026, at The Salvation Army of Henderson, 2292 Ross Mill Rd., Henderson.

The program is free and open to churches in Granville and Vance counties. Churches must register to take part.

Limited funding is available to help participating churches complete the program’s certificate levels.

Stigma can keep people from asking for help. In the words of one community leader, “I think that the stigma is our biggest [challenge]…in our community a lot of our families are like you just keep business in your house. You do not share your business anywhere else. [They are] very private and proud, you know. We’re not going to take this anywhere else.”

Churches can help change that. Inspired by their faith commitments, they can offer social, spiritual, and emotional support to those who are hurting. They can also connect people with professional care when needed.

The Faith in Mental Health program was created to help churches build on that role and learn from churches who have advanced that role well. Local churches have helped shape the program during the past two years. The first formal cohort will bring churches together to address mental health and substance use needs in their congregations and communities.

Participation in the cohort will require regular attendance at cohort meetings and community forums throughout a 12-month period. Each church will develop a mental health ministry based on the needs and strengths of its congregation. Churches will learn from one another, from mental health professionals, and from faith leaders. They also will learn practical ways to prevent problems, respond with care and how to connect people with the help they need.

 

Contact Karl Johnson at kjohnson@gvph.org for more information or to register.

Granville County Tourism 2027 Mini-Grant Application Period Open Sept. 1-Oct. 9

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— Information courtesy of Granville County Public Information Officer Terry Hobgood

The Granville County Tourism Development Authority will open the spring/summer cycle of its annual mini-grant and sponsorship request program next week sn Sept. 1, 2026.

These programs provide strategic funding opportunities for local organizations, municipalities, and tourism related businesses to develop events, marketing efforts, and long-term projects that attract visitors and  strengthen Granville County as a destination.

The mini-grant program supports events and marketing initiatives that bring visitors to Granville County. This program is ideal for festivals, community events, and promotional efforts that encourage both day trips and overnight stays. Organizations and businesses applying for a mini-grant must have been operational and open to the public for a minimum of three years. Funding requests are marketing specific and cannot exceed 25 percent of the overall marketing budget for the event or project.

Eligible events and projects should take place between Jan. 1 and June 30, 2027. The application period runs from Sept. 1 to Oct. 9, 2026, with awards announced in November 2026. Applicants are encouraged to demonstrate clear marketing strategies, expected visitor attendance, and overall tourism impact. Projects will be evaluated based on their ability to generate tourism impact, provide community value and contribute to the long-term growth of Granville County as a destination. This program is a part of the annual tourism budget and is funded solely by Granville County occupancy tax revenues.

Two virtual information sessions will be held on Sept. 17 from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and Sept. 22 from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Contact Granville County Economic Development Program Manager Stephanie Velazquez for more information about the virtual information sessions or the application process at 919.693.5911 or

stephanie.velazquez@granvillecounty.org 

TownTalk: Around Old Granville – Major Events Since 1960 Part 1

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Local historians Mark Pace and WIZS’s Bill Harris are “of an age” now that things they remember when they were youngsters are now being considered as parts of local history that, with the benefit of hindsight, are proving to be noteworthy and important to the area.

The two history buffs usually discuss people, places and events from the very beginnings of the formation of what they refer to as Old Granville County, but this week they talked about several events that have found their way into the headlines since 1960.

Depending on your perspective, some of these events functioned much like the proverbial double-edged sword.

Henderson was where Paul H. Rose founded Rose’s, which at its peak, had something like 175 stores across the region. But Henderson had the first one, and it was located on Garnett Street, right in the heart of downtown.

That was back in 1915, when downtowns were where shopping happened. Needed shoes? Downtown. Wanted a piece of jewelry for a special gift? Downtown. Groceries? A&P on one end of Garnett, Colonial on the other. Clothing, sporting goods and more all were found downtown.

Rose’s stood its ground when Kmart and Mammoth Mart came to town, Pace said. But it had difficulty competing with Walmart, and Rose’s emerged from two years of bankruptcy in 1995 and then sold to Variety Wholesalers in 1997.

But Rose’s took a chance back in the late 1960’s when developers constructed the Henderson Mall.

The mall, all 185,000 square feet of it, opened in July 1969. Pace remembers that he and his brother pestered their mother until she took them there for the first time.

Harris said the mall drew patrons from nearby counties, too. People could park their cars, go inside the mall and get all their shopping done.

“It was a big deal,” Harris said, adding that the mall had “a huge impact on the entire region.”

With those benefits, however, came consequences – especially for the downtown area. The mall “changed the focus of the entire community,” Pace said.

Of course, what happened in Henderson was happening all over the place with malls and suburban retail spaces luring business away from downtowns

People still went downtown for staples like the post office, the library and the courthouse, but the mall was where folks went to shop, eat and where young people could hang out with friends.

Just as malls shaped people’s shopping habits, so did the nation’s growing interstate system shape how people got from one place to another way back in the 20th century.

It was in 1960 that the first stretch of I-85 in the area was completed – 18 miles from Henderson to about Wise in Warren County.

And finally, in 1972, the final bit – dubbed “the Missing Link” connected Oxford and Butner. Pace said John K. Nelms was instrumental in completion of the Granville County section.

The original plans had the interstate going around Henderson to the east, hitting Gillburg and Kittrell before heading to Wilson and ultimately linking with Durham.

“The powers that be lobbied long and hard (and it was) with quite a great deal of effort that Oxford got included in the 85 path,” Pace said.

In close proximity to I-85 in Warren County was where Floyd McKissick planted the seed for Soul City, a planned city that, had it taken hold, was supposed to have 55,000 inhabitants by the year 2000.

The idea never really took off, but McKissick is someone locals point to as the person who helped bring a regional water system to the area.

McKissick, a Republican, was very influential in the political arena and he knew Richard Nixon.

After Nixon was elected president, Pace said McKissick “called in a marker” with his pal and said he wanted a regional water system.

Those efforts resulted in the creation of the Kerr Lake Regional Water System in 1976.

Listen back to the complete story at wizs.com to learn about other events that helped shape local history around Old Granville.

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Nominees For N.C. Lt. Governor’s ‘Medal Of Valor’ Accepted Now Through Sept. 15

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–– Information courtesy of the Office of N.C. Lt. Gov. Rachel Hunt

N.C. Lt. Gov. Rachel Hunt has announced the opening of submissions for the 2026 Medal of Valor award.

Awarded by the lieutenant governor, the Medal of Valor award is a meaningful way for local governments to honor first responders who have performed great acts of heroism beyond the call of duty. The award is presented annually as designated by statute. Mayors and local governments are encouraged to submit nominations based on recommendations from leaders of their local first responder units. A “first responder” includes any firefighter, paramedic, law enforcement officer, emergency medical services personnel or rescue squad member.

“Every day across North Carolina, brave first responders put their lives on the line to keep our communities safe. They answer the call without hesitation, no matter the hour, no matter the danger,” said Hunt. “With the Medal of Valor, we honor their courage and recognize their sacrifices.”

How to Nominate

Submissions may be sent to LtGov-medalofvalor@nc.gov and must be received by Tuesday, Sept. 15. Nominations from colleagues and community members are strongly encouraged. Self-nominations will not be eligible for consideration.

Each nomination must include:

  • Biography: Details of the nominee, including years of service in North Carolina, and any great acts of heroism performed while under threat of personal risk to safety, beyond the call of duty in the field. Please also include contact info for the nominee.
  • Letters of Recommendation: From anyone who can speak to the nominee’s service, work ethic, character, leadership, community involvement, or volunteerism — including congressional leaders, former teachers, coworkers, community or religious leaders, mentors, students, or friends. Recommendations should not be completed by immediate family members.

Recognition Ceremony

A ceremony will be held in November to honor the selected recipients.

For any questions or additional information about the Medal of Valor or the submission process, please contact Toby Neal at toby.neal@nc.gov.

For more information about the Medal of Valor, click here.

TownTalk: KTCOG Summit Coming October 8

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Early-bird registration continues through Aug. 31 for the Kerr-Tar Council of Governments annual economic summit that will be held in Vance County on Thursday, Oct. 8.

KTCOG’s Desiree Brooks is among the planners for this event, which will take place at McGregor Hall – and outside on Breckenridge Street – from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The conference will be held indoors, and a vendor market will pop up for the community to enjoy from 12 noon to 5 p.m., Brooks said on Thursday’s segment of TownTalk.

This year’s theme, “Rooted: Grounded Locally, Growing Regionally,” reflects how tourism – and especially agri-tourism – is attracting visitors to the five-county area and affecting farmers’ bottom lines.

This is the 6th annual summit, which rotates among the Kerr-Tar region that includes Vance, Granville, Warren, Franklin and Person, Brooks explained.

It’s a way for the counties, with their unique qualities, can work together to promote the entire region, she said.

The planning committee is still working on details, but Dr. Mary Hemphill will kick off the morning session, and N.C. State University’s Dr. Carla Barbieri will speak in the afternoon about sustainable tourism. Farmers from each county will participate in a panel discussion to share their insights and ideas about how agritourism is working for them.

Participants will have the chance to visit with numerous farmers and other vendors at the conclusion of the official part of the summit. They’ll be set up outside McGregor Hall on Breckenridge Street for a pop-up market of sorts, complete with live music from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m., Brooks said.

It’s a way to celebrate and promote agritourism in the area, as well as inviting the community to learn more about what’s available right in their own backyard.

“Everybody has their own niche,” Brooks said, from the Warren County vineyard to the to the buffalo farm/wedding venue in Person County, farmers are learning how to innovate and create destinations that attract visitors from near and far.

Brooks said North Carolina values our farmers and agritourism is a way to highlight the region.

Register for the summit at

https://www.kerrtarcog.org/event/2026-rooted-summit-grounded-locally-growing-regionally

 

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Calling Citizen Scientists To Take Part In 2026 Pollinator Census Aug. 21, 22

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Got 15 minutes to spare next Friday or Saturday? Great!

Fifteen minutes is all it takes to take part in the Great Southeast Pollinator Census.

Organizers at the University of Georgia Extension Service have added states to the annual count of bees, butterflies, moths and other insects in an effort to get an idea about pollinator trends across the Southeast.

The Census will take place on Friday, Aug. 21 and Saturday, Aug. 22.

The local extension service will have guide sheets at the Vance County Regional Farmers Market to explain the process and how you can take part, according to Vance County  Agent Michael Ellington.

North Carolina submitted numbers for the 2023 census, along with Georgia and South Carolina; Florida came on board in 2024 and Alabama joined in 2025. This year’s count will include pollinator counts from Mississippi as well.

A total of 27,048 citizen scientists across the five states of GA, SC, FL, AL and NC counted 500,402 insect pollinators in 2025, according to information on the census website.

The setup is pretty simple: there’s a downloadable sheet to record your observations. All you need to do, really, is identify a plant in your yard or garden and watch it for 15 minutes, recording each time an insect land on that single plant.

Can’t tell a honey bee from a carpenter bee? No problem. The recording sheet has photos to help you tell the difference. Ditto for butterflies and moths.

To learn more about the Census, visit

https://gsepc.org/

For a focus on North Carolina participation, visit https://extensiongardener.ces.ncsu.edu/featured-programs-2/gsepcinnc/

TownTalk: Judge Arrowood Ready for Re-Election Campaign

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N.C. Court of Appeals Judge John S. Arrowood is seeking to retain his Seat 1 spot on the 15-judge court. Arrowood, a Yancey County native, has been appointed twice to the court, once in 2007 by then-Gov. Mike Easley and again in 2017 by former Gov. Roy Cooper. He ran for the seat in 2018 and is seeking re-election in the November contest and faces Republican challenger Michael Byrne.

The Court of Appeals consists of 15 judges who sit in panels of three, Arrowood explained on Wednesday’s TownTalk. These panels dispose of between 1,200 and 1,500 cases each year and hear cases two weeks out of each month. The court hears all criminal cases – except death penalty cases – and all civil cases except those that come from business court, Arrowood said. They also hear many administrative law cases.

Until 2023, any split votes from the N.C. Court of Appeals could automatically be appealed to the N.C. Supreme Court, but the Legislature changed that so now the state Supreme Court must vote to hear the case. By comparison, the state Supreme Court hears somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 cases a year.

That’s just one reason the Appeals Court is considered the court of last resort, he said. The cases split generally fifty-fifty in criminal versus civil cases.

During COVID, cases dropped considerably, but they’re working their way back up, Arrowood noted.

He’s served on the Court of Appeals for a little over 10 years, and of the 15 seated judges, he’s the fifth-most senior judge.

“There’s been a lot of change in the court,” he said, referring to the turnover. “As there’s been change, things have slowed down,” referring to the pace at which the court renders its decisions.

Arrowood is one of three Democrats on the 15-judge court, but he said in the majority of cases he hears, the decision is unanimous. And when they’re not, it’s not divided by party affiliation. “Politics shouldn’t factor in at all to what you do in the job,” he said. “My whole philosophy is that we are there to protect the rule of law, to provide equal justice, to provide our citizens and to protect their constitutional rights, both under the state and federal constitution, and that we are there as a check and balance.”

With more than 25 years as a civil litigator with a Charlotte law firm as well as being a staff member on the Court of Appeals prior to joining private practice, Arrowood said he has the background for understanding how the court system works – and how it should work.

“We have an obligation as judges to do our work timely, to move things along,” he said. New, less-experienced judges can adversely affect the court’s timeline.

“If they’ve got a case at the court, obviously they want to win, but they also want to know if they’re not going to win” so they can make plans about their futures or their businesses.

It’s important not only to do the work correctly, but timely as well.

He credits his late father for instilling in him and his older brother the idea of being active and giving back.

Arrowood recalls the story his dad proudly told about how he had worked to sell road bonds back in the late 1940’s to get one of the first roads paved where he lived.

“He was pretty politically active and pretty civic-minded,” Arrowood said of his father. “He wanted his sons to, as he would say, give back to the community they lived in.”

The Arrowood brothers lost both parents – their mother to cancer and their father to a stroke – when the younger Arrowood was just 15, and so he went to live with his brother – older by 12 and a half years and already a Highway Patrolman.

He graduated magna cum laude from Catawba College, then law school at UNC-CH. His father had impressed on him the importance of getting a good education, so he could have a better life than what had been available to him, Arrowood said.

“I had great teachers who pushed me hard to be the absolute maximum I could be,” Arrowood recalled. And more than one suggested that he may be interested in becoming a lawyer.

Find out more at www.keepjudgearrowood.com

(This is not a paid ad. WIZS offers equal time to candidates.)

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NC DIT Campaigns Reminds Callers About Texting 911 When It’s Not Safe To Call

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— From the N.C. Dept. of Information Technology

The N.C. 911 Board, which operates under the North Carolina Department of Information Technology has launched a statewide campaign to raise awareness of Text‑to‑911. This critical service allows residents to reach emergency responders by text message when calling 911 is not possible or safe.

The 16‑week public service campaign is airing statewide across traditional linear television, streaming and connected TV platforms, and mobile streaming services. Its goal is to ensure the public understands when and how to use Text‑to‑911, especially in situations where every second counts.

Text‑to‑911 is designed to support individuals who may be:

  • Unable to speak due to a medical emergency
  • In unsafe situations where placing a voice call could increase the risk of harm
  • Deaf, hard of hearing, or experiencing a speech‑related disability

Produced in collaboration with Spectrum Reach, the PSA reinforces a message central to public safety: “Call if you can, text if you can’t.” Ensuring residents know this option exists can directly influence how quickly emergency responders can reach them.

“When calling is not possible or safe, texting gives people another lifeline to reach trained 911 professionals who are ready to respond,” said L.V. Pokey Harris, executive director of the N.C. 911 Board.

NCDIT leadership underscored the importance of statewide awareness of this capability.
“Everyone should be able to reach 911, even when making a voice call is not possible or safe,” said Nate Denny, NCDIT secretary and state chief information Officer, who chairs the N.C. 911 Board. “Text-to-911 provides a critical connection to emergency assistance, and this campaign will help ensure North Carolinians know that when they cannot call, they can still reach help.”

In 2025, more than 70,000 Text‑to‑911 messages were sent to emergency communication centers across North Carolina. This high volume underscores the essential role Text‑to‑911 plays in providing residents with multiple, reliable ways to reach help during an emergency.

This statewide campaign reflects the N.C. 911 Board’s ongoing commitment to strengthening public safety and making emergency communications accessible to every resident, no matter their circumstances.

View the public service announcement here.