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Governor’s Newest Order Prohibits Utility Disconnections in the Wake of COVID-19

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-Press Release, Office of Governor Roy Cooper

On Tuesday, Governor Roy Cooper announced another step to help families by prohibiting utilities from disconnecting people who are unable to pay during this pandemic. The Order applies to electric, gas, water and wastewater services for the next 60 days.

The Order directs utilities to give residential customers at least six months to pay outstanding bills and prohibits them from collecting fees, penalties or interest for late payment.

Telecommunication companies that provide phone, cable and internet services are strongly urged to follow these same rules.

“This action is particularly important since tomorrow is the first of the month, and I know that’s a date many families fear when they can’t make ends meet,” said Governor Cooper. “These protections will help families stay in their homes and keep vital services like electricity, water, and communications going as we Stay at Home.”

Additionally, the Order encourages banks not to charge customers for overdraft fees, late fees and other penalties. Landlords are strongly encouraged in the Order to follow the spirit of Chief Justice Cheri Beasley’s Order and delay any evictions that are already entered in the court system.

Governor Cooper was joined by Attorney General Josh Stein to announce the order and he thanked companies that have already voluntarily announced policies to prevent shutoffs, including Duke Energy, Dominion Energy, AT&T, and local electric co-ops, among many others. Today’s Order follows the Governor’s Stay At Home order, which is in effect until April 29.

The Council of State concurred with the Order.

Read the full Order here.

Read an FAQ about the Order here.

VGCC Assists Local Health Facilities in the Fight Against Coronavirus

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-Press Release, Vance-Granville Community College

Vance-Granville Community College recently donated a variety of personal protective equipment to assist area healthcare facilities in reducing the spread of the Coronavirus. Donated items included 3,500 medical gloves, 60 medical gowns, 120 medical masks and 75 medical masks with shields.

The donation is a part of an ongoing partnership between Vance-Granville Community College and area healthcare facilities in working to improve the health of our community.

As word of the national shortage of medical gloves, gowns and masks became public, Vance-Granville Community College President Rachael Desmarais, with the support of the North Carolina Community College System, began exploring all aspects of making the donation of PPE to local healthcare facilities. Dr. Desmarais realized the positive impact the donation would make on our local medical community and made the offer of medical supplies to Maria Parham Health and Granville Health Systems.

“Vance-Granville Community College healthcare students train at area healthcare facilities on a year-round basis. Therefore, we feel a special obligation to share the resources of the community college with our medical community at every possible opportunity. It just so happens that in this instance, our donation has the opportunity to make an immediate impact on public safety,” Dr. Desmarais stated.

Dr. Desmarais and Vance-Granville Community College remain true to the community college mission of service to our community, especially during these uncertain and rapidly changing times. We commend our brave healthcare professionals as they work tirelessly to care for the ill and prevent the spread of COVID-19.

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Town Talk 03/31/20: VGCC Small Business Director Discusses SBA Loans, Webinars

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Sheri Jones, director of the Vance-Granville Community College (VGCC) Small Business Center, appeared on WIZS Town Talk Tuesday at 11 a.m.

U.S. Small Business Administration Loans

In discussing the various ways the VGCC Small Business Center is working with local businesses during the current health crisis, including assistance with loan applications, Jones emphasized that time is of the essence.

“The best advice I can give is to go ahead and apply now; don’t wait,” Jones stated. “People are applying and getting approved, but this situation is unprecedented. We don’t know how long the funds will hold out and how many are going to apply.”

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is offering low-interest federal disaster loans to small businesses in all states and territories that are suffering economic injury as a result of the virus.

Terms for these Economic Injury Disaster Loans range from 15 to 30 years and the total loan amount is considered on a case-by-case basis. According to Jones, for-profit businesses will pay 3.75% interest, while non-profits will pay 2.75%.

“These loans are available directly through the Treasury Department with no third-party lender involved,” explained Jones. “Most businesses are eligible to apply.”

According to the SBA’s website, the disaster loans may be used for fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills that can’t be paid due to the disaster’s impact.

VGCC Small Business Center’s “Coronavirus Business Ready” Webinars

In an effort to further support local businesses and offer encouragement, the VGCC Small Business Center has scheduled a series of free, live webinars entitled “Coronavirus Business Ready – Protecting Your Small Business.”

Each part addresses various areas of concern that all businesses are currently facing. The remaining webinars include:

Keeping Customers & Employees Safe During Unsettling Times –

April 2, 2 – 3 p.m. (Register)

Promoting Your Business & Products During a Crisis –

April 4, 9:30 – 10:30 a.m. (Register)

Ideas to Keep Cash Flowing During a Pandemic Shutdown –

April 7, 9:30 – 10:30 a.m. (Register)

How to Manage Employees as Coronavirus Spreads –

April 9, 9:30 – 10:30 a.m. (Register)

Business Planning & Strategizing as a Coronavirus Antidote –

April 14, 9:30 – 10:30 a.m. (Register)

Communicating With Customers & Employees in Light of COVID-19 –

April 16, 9:30 – 10:30 a.m. (Register)

Participants must register at least two days prior to each session with a valid email address in order to receive the webinar login information. After registering, the link will be sent approximately 24 hours before the event, and a reminder email will also be sent approximately an hour prior to the start time.

For more information on assistance for small businesses, please email Sheri Jones at smallbusiness@vgcc.edu, visit the VGCC Small Business Center website at www.vgcc.edu/coned/small-business-center/ or visit the Facebook site at www.facebook.com/vgccsmallbusinesscenter/.

To hear the interview with Jones in its entirety, go to WIZS.com and click on Town Talk.

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Governor Signs Executive Order to Get Equipment to Healthcare Workers, Schools

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-Press Release, Office of Governor Roy Cooper

On Monday, Governor Roy Cooper signed Executive Order No. 122 to help schools and local governments access state surplus property to help bridge gaps during the response to COVID-19. The Order also provides transfer or donation of personal protective equipment (PPE) that state government may have and not need.

“This crisis has created hardships for so many, but this Executive Order can help students and local governments with the equipment they need,” said Governor Cooper. “This order helps speed more personal protection equipment to frontline healthcare workers. In addition, it allows local governments and students to get other equipment they may need.”

By request, surplus property including computers owned by the state may be requested by governments and school districts, and the state will supply them to try to bridge the digital divide during school closures.

The Order went into effect Monday. Read the full order here.

Make sure the information you are getting about COVID-19 is coming directly from reliable sources like the CDC and NCDHHS. For more information, please visit the CDC’s website at www.cdc.gov/coronavirus and NCDHHS’ website at www.ncdhhs.gov/coronavirus, which includes daily updates on positive COVID-19 test results in North Carolina.

Granville County Public Schools

Donations, Volunteers Needed to Keep Granville Children’s Meal Service Going

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-Information courtesy Granville County Public Schools

Granville County Public Schools is reaching out to update you on our meal service for children in our community. First, please allow us to celebrate that we have served almost 3,300 lunches and 3,300 breakfasts at 29 sites across the county!

That brings our total to almost 50,000 meals served to children in just the last two weeks!

We will continue to offer this meal service as long as we possibly can. Please know, however, that the week after next – from April 10 to 17, we will suspend our meal service as our traditional calendar staff will not be working. During that time, efforts are underway for the community to help step in and provide meal options for students.

Plans are still in the works, but if you are interested in making a monetary donation to help offset the cost of these meals for children, you can stop by the Oxford or Creedmoor Union Bank branch and ask bank staff how you can support the community-led children’s meal program.

More information will follow soon on how folks in the community can volunteer or donate packaged food to this effort as well.

We thank you all in advance for supporting our children and our community. We truly will get through these difficult times together.

TownTalk 03/30/2020 (Places You Can Go)

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TownTalk for Monday, March 30, 2020

TownTalk airs M-F on WIZS, Henderson at 11 a.m. Listen at 100.1 FM / 1450 AM / streamed live at wizs.com and with Tunein and on smart connected devices and speakers.

NC Gov. Roy Cooper; Covid-19; Executive Order 121; Where you can go; Stay at Home

Henderson Mayor Eddie Ellington, message of assurance and request for adherence to Exec Order 121

Vance County Schools meal pickup for the week; One day this week; March 31 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

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Texting Tool Available to Access Local Free Meal Sites for NC Children

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-Press Release, Office of Governor Roy Cooper

Governor Roy Cooper announced last week that parents who need food assistance for their children can text FOODNC to 877-877 to locate nearby free meal sites. The texting service is also available in Spanish by texting COMIDA to 877-877.

After entering their address, parents will receive a text with the location and serving times for nearby pick-up and drive-thru free meal sites while schools are closed. Sites have been set up across the state for families with children ages 18 and younger, including preschool children, who rely on free and reduced-price meals at school.

“School closings mean no meals for some of our most vulnerable children. Now families have an easier way to find food during these times of financial stress,” Governor Cooper said.

Parents can also call 2-1-1 to speak with an operator who will help them locate meal sites in their community. The 2-1-1 service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Services are provided in English, Spanish and many other languages.

Additionally, No Kid Hungry has created a map of local school sites, community organizations and food assistance programs across North Carolina where families can access food. The interactive map can be viewed at nokidhungrync.org/covid19/ and is updated daily.

The Governor’s North Carolina COVID-19 Education and Nutrition Working Group, co-chaired by the NC Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) and the NC Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI), worked in partnership with state and community organizations such as No Kid Hungry to set up the texting program.

School sites and community organizations providing food are experiencing a high demand for services and rely on dedicated volunteers to provide meals. NCDHHS and NCDPI ask that people who are not at high-risk for severe illness associated with COVID-19 sign up to volunteer to prepare meals. Those interested in volunteering should call their local school district office, community organization or visit volunteernc.org.

For more information and additional guidance on regulations and recommendations related to the health threat from COVID-19, please visit the NCDHHS website at www.ncdhhs.gov/coronavirus and CDC’s website at www.cdc.gov/coronavirus.

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Governor Announces First COVID-19 Unemployment Benefits Will be Paid This Week

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-Press Release, Office of Governor Roy Cooper

On Sunday, Governor Roy Cooper announced that the first payments for the unemployment claims related to coronavirus will begin going out this week. The Division of Employment Security has received an unprecedented number of unemployment insurance claims since Governor Roy Cooper signed Executive Order No. 118 on March 17.

In the past two weeks, approximately 270,000 claims have been filed, with most of them related to COVID-19. For comparison, the state received about 7,500 claims in the first two weeks of March, before the order was issued.

“Thousands of workers have lost jobs, but their bills don’t stop. My administration is working overtime to get unemployment checks out now. We’ll keep pushing every day for more state and federal help to save our workers and their families,” said Governor Cooper.

On Saturday, the Governor directed the Division of Employment Security to begin implementing the unemployment insurance provisions of the federal CARES Act. The Division of Employment of Security expects to receive guidance from the federal government later this week about how to implement the changes, including the change that allows for an additional $600 in unemployment benefits. The state expects those payments to begin approximately two weeks after that guidance is provided.

Workers applying for benefits must complete their weekly certifications in order to receive unemployment insurance payments. The weekly certification is a series of ‘yes or no’ questions that help determine a person’s eligibility for unemployment insurance benefits each week. If a person does not complete a weekly certification, they will not receive a payment for that week.

The weekly certification must be completed through the individual’s online account at des.nc.gov.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROCESS

For general questions about unemployment benefits in North Carolina during the COVID-19 crisis, contact the Division of Employment Security.

For more information and additional guidance on regulations and recommendations related to the health threat from COVID-19, please visit the NCDHHS website at www.ncdhhs.gov/coronavirus and CDC’s website at www.cdc.gov/coronavirus.

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Governor Cooper Announces Statewide Stay at Home Order Until April 29

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-Press Release, Office of Governor Roy Cooper

Governor Roy Cooper ordered people in the state of North Carolina to stay at home for thirty days, until April 29, 2020, in another step to slow the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. Governor Cooper’s Executive Order No. 121 takes effect on Monday, March 30 at 5 p.m. and reduces the size of gatherings to 10 people. The Order provides for essential businesses to continue to operate while prioritizing social distancing measures. The Order has the force of law and will be enforced in all 100 counties statewide.

“To continue our aggressive battle against COVID-19, I have signed a Stay at Home Order for the entire state of North Carolina. Though it is difficult, we must do this to slow the disease spread,” said Governor Cooper. “We need our medical system to be able to care for the friends and family we know will become seriously ill from the virus.”

The Governor noted today that three North Carolinians have died due to COVID-19 and the state has 763 confirmed cases of the virus in 60 counties. He called on all North Carolinians to protect themselves by staying home and following social distancing guidelines. North Carolina is now considered to have widespread transmission of the virus, which means people who have tested positive cannot trace where they were exposed to the virus.

The Order directs people to stay at home except to visit essential businesses, to exercise outdoors or to help a family member. Specifically, the order bans gatherings of more than 10 people and directs everyone to physically stay at least six feet apart from others.

“I know this order may lead to even more hardship and heartache. Although we are physically apart, we must take this step together in spirit,” Governor Cooper said.

The Governor’s full order is available HERE [click.icptrack.com].

Unless noted in the order, previous closures and orders stand as written as do local government orders in cities and counties. Frequently Asked Questions about the Order can be found HERE [click.icptrack.com].

If you do not think your business is included in the essential services list, and you think it should be, you may apply online at the NC Department of Revenue to be designated essential HERE. Until your exemption is reviewed, you may operate as long as your business can accommodate social distancing in your workplace.

For more information about health recommendations and who is designated at high risk for becoming seriously ill, please visit the CDC’s website at www.cdc.gov/coronavirus and NCDHHS’ website at www.ncdhhs.gov/coronavirus.

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North Carolina Receives Federal Disaster Declaration for COVID-19

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-Press Release, Office of Governor Roy Cooper

The White House granted Governor Roy Cooper’s request late Wednesday for a federal disaster declaration for the COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic in North Carolina.

The declaration provides Public Assistance to all 100 North Carolina counties, allowing local governments, state agencies and eligible non-profits to be reimbursed for costs involved in responding to the outbreak of the Coronavirus.

“This is good news for cities, towns and counties that are incurring expenses as their public health providers, first responders and emergency managers work to protect communities from COVID-19,” said Governor Cooper. “We know this response will be costly and this federal assistance will help cover them.”

North Carolina is still waiting for additional assistance that Cooper requested including disaster unemployment assistance, crisis counseling, disaster case management and other items. They remain under review and could be granted as the COVID-19 situation evolves.

“We will continue working with FEMA as they review our request for more benefits for people impacted by this pandemic,” added Cooper.

Governor Cooper has taken several actions to protect the health of North Carolinians, including ordering all K-12 public schools in North Carolina to close through May 15, banning gatherings of more than 50 people, limiting bars and restaurants to only take-out or delivery service, restricting visitors to long-term care facilities, and promoting social distancing by closing businesses like movie theaters, gyms, nail salons, and several others.

For more information and additional guidance, please visit the NCDHHS website at www.ncdhhs.gov/coronavirus and CDC’s website at www.cdc.gov/coronavirus.