NC Cooperative Extension, Granville County Welcomes New 4-H Agent

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-Press Release, Granville County Government

A new 4-H agent has been hired for N.C. Cooperative Extension, Granville County. Lina Lue Howe begins work on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2020, coming to the Granville County Center with previous experience as a 4-H Agent in Vance County.

On Jan. 2, 2020, Lina Lue Howe joined Granville County’s NC Cooperative Extension Center as the new 4-H agent. Howe comes to the Granville County Center with previous experience as a 4-H Agent in Vance County. (Photo courtesy Granville Co. Govt.)

“We are very happy that Lina is joining the Granville County team,” says Paul Westfall, County Extension Director for Granville County Extension. “She brings experience and passion for 4-H to Granville County, plus she is a Granville County resident. We are looking forward to her work with 4-H members and leaders in her home county.”

Ms. Howe’s primary duties will be to manage and lead the 4-H program in Granville County, including recruiting and working with 4-H leaders, establishing and maintaining community 4-H Clubs, conducting school enrichment programs such as 4-H Embryology, and planning and conducting 4-H Summer Fun programs for youth.

Ms. Howe was active in Granville County 4-H as a member and graduated from the J.F. Webb School of Health and Life Sciences. She went on to study Agriculture Extension Education with a minor in Animal Science at N.C. State University, earning her Bachelor’s degree in May 2018.  She served as a 4-H Intern in Wilson County while at N.C. State.

A “Meet and Greet” is planned for Friday, Jan. 3 from 3 until 5 p.m. 4-H leaders and members, community leaders and the public are invited to stop by the N.C. Cooperative Extension Center, located at 125 Oxford Loop Road, to welcome Ms. Howe to her new position.

Granville County Public Schools

Surplus Property of Former Schools Topic of BOE’s Called Meeting

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-Information courtesy Granville County Public Schools

The Granville County Board of Education will meet for a Special Called Meeting on Thursday, January 2, 2020, 1:30 p.m. at the Central Office Building, 101 Delacroix Street, Oxford, North Carolina.

The purpose of this meeting is to discuss the Board’s surplus property on the site of the former Joe Toler-Oak Hill Elementary School. The board may also meet in Closed Session to discuss confidential matters and consult with its attorney in accordance with N.C. General Statutes 143.318.11 (a)(1) and (a)(3).

The next regular scheduled Board Meeting will be held on Monday, January 6, 2020.

Granville County Logo

Granville Board of Elections Hosting Regional Mandatory Compliance Training

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-Information courtesy the Granville County Board of Elections

The Granville County Board of Elections will be hosting a Regional Mandatory Compliance Training Class on Wednesday, January 22, 2020, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Granville County Expo and Convention Center meeting room located at 4185 US Hwy 15 South, Oxford, NC.

It is not being held at the Richard H. Thornton Library as listed in the State and Regional Training Schedule.

The State Board of Elections staff will be conducting the training. Any candidate or treasurer in Granville County or from any other North Carolina county can attend this training.

Pursuant to North Carolina law, training is required within three months of appointment and once every four years thereafter for all NC Treasurers, including those under the $1,000 threshold.

To register, please sign up at https://www.ncsbe.gov/Campaign-Finance/training. You will need to register for this class prior to attendance.

Please note that this training is for NC Candidate, Party and Referendum Committee Treasurers and/or candidates. This training is not for PACS or Independent Expenditure Committees.

Granville County Chamber of Commerce

Granville Chamber’s John Penn Citizen Award Nominations Due Jan. 2

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— Information courtesy Granville County Chamber of Commerce | Ginnie Currin, Executive Director ~ 919-693-6125 ~ ginnie@granville-chamber.com

The Granville County Chamber of Commerce’s Recognition Committee announces that the committee is accepting nominations for the 2020 John Penn Citizen of the Year Award.  This prestigious award, named for Granville County’s signer of the Declaration of Independence, is presented at the Chamber’s Annual Membership Banquet.

The 2020 event will be held Monday, January 27, 2020, in the Civic Center at Vance-Granville Community College.

Nomination forms may be obtained at a Chamber office or may be downloaded from the Chamber’s website, www.granville-chamber.com.

This award was designed to recognize a person(s) for outstanding service to the community. Past recipients include Dr. Joseph Colson, Mrs. Robinette Husketh, Hubert Gooch, Rev. G. C. Hawley, Mrs. Gladys Satterwhite, Hugh Currin, Sr., Rev. Harrison Simons, Tom Speed, John Mackie, Dr. Roy Noblin, Dr. David Noel, John K. Nelms, J. J. Medford, Mrs. Mildred A. Jenkins, Tom Johnson, Mrs. Virginia Tuck, L. Clement Yancey, Mrs. Nancy W. Darden, Leonard M. Dunn, Mrs. Carlene Fletcher, Hubert L. Cox, Leonard Peace, Sr., Marshall Tanner, Harold Sherman, Boyce Harvey, Paul Kiesow, Ms. Johnsie Cunningham, Stan Fox, Doan and Bette Laursen, Dr. John B. Hardy, Jr., L. C. Adcock, Jim Crawford, Xavier Wortham, Dr. Richard and Julia Ann Taylor, Gary Bowman, James “Lump” and Mary Ann Lumpkins, Laura Gable and Annette Myers.

Nominations are due no later than Thursday, January 2, 2020. 

Formal invitations to the banquet will be mailed to Chamber members. Persons interested in attending may contact one of the Chamber’s offices – wanda@granville-chamber.com, 919.693.6125; tawheeler@granaville-chamber.com, 919.528.4994.

South Branch Library to Celebrate ‘Noon Year’s Eve’

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-Information courtesy Granville County Government

Kids can celebrate “Noon Year’s Eve” at the South Branch Library on Tuesday, December 31, 2019, from 11 a.m. until 12:15 p.m.

Kids and their grown-ups are invited to celebrate with crafts, snacks and games as the library counts down to the new year…just a little early.

The South Branch Library is located at 1550 S. Campus Drive in Creedmoor. Contact Penelope Mason for more details at 919-528-1752.

Deal Advances on Southeast Rail Corridor

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THIS STORY IS PRESENTED IN PART BY DRAKE DENTISTRY

-Press Release, N.C. Department of Transportation

North Carolina has received good transportation news as an important agreement reached this week will advance plans to improve the Southeast’s freight and passenger rail network.

The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation announced a major deal with CSX Thursday. Part of the deal will enable the N.C. Department of Transportation to acquire a 10-mile portion of an inactive freight line in North Carolina so the line can be converted for use on the Southeast Rail Corridor.

The Southeast Rail Corridor is a network of passenger and freight rail from Washington D.C. to Jacksonville, Fla. The rail runs through North Carolina roughly parallel to Interstate 85 and U.S. 1. The 10-mile section to be acquired runs from Ridgeway in Warren County to the North Carolina-Virginia border.

“This is a key step as we work to improve our rail system so we can move people and goods more efficiently between North Carolina and communities along the East Coast,” said Jason Orthner, director of the N.C. Department of Transportation’s Rail Division.

This week’s deal will also enable the construction of a new Virginia-owned Long Bridge across the Potomac River, and acquisition of more than 350 miles of railroad right-of-way.

The deal comes as officials with North Carolina and Virginia work together on a strategy to acquire both in-service and out-of-service rail lines for enhanced freight and passenger services. North Carolina Sen. Tom McInnis is chairman of the North Carolina delegation of the VA-NC Interstate High Speed Rail Compact and a chairman of state legislative transportation committees.

“This agreement takes us a big step forward in our efforts to better connect North Carolina communities,” McInnis said. “And it will offer new connections between our state and our neighbors, providing lasting economic development opportunities for our state.”

Public Invited to ‘Chat & Chew’ at GCPS’ Equity Conversation

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-Information courtesy Granville County Public Schools

You are invited to join Granville County Public Schools for an equity conversation titled “Improving Performance by Closing the Opportunity Gap” on Thursday, January 9, 2020, from 5 until 6:30 p.m.

The conversation will be facilitated by Mr. James Ford, founder of the Center of Racial Equity in Education (CREED), at the Granville County Public Schools Central Office located at 101 Delacroix Street in Oxford.

Refreshments will be provided. This event is open to the public.

Granville County Public Schools

Granville Co. Board of Education to Meet Jan. 6

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-Information courtesy Granville County Public Schools

NOTICE TO PUBLIC AND PRESS

The Granville County Board of Education will meet for a regular board meeting on Monday, January 6, 2020, at 6 p.m. at the Mary Potter Campus, 200 Taylor Street, Oxford, North Carolina.

The Board will also meet in a Closed Session with the Board’s attorney in accordance with N.C. General Statute 143.318.11 (a)(6), 143-318.11 (a)(3), 143.318.11 (a)(5) and Section 115C-321 on this evening.

To view the agenda for this meeting, please click here.

U.S. Department of Justice

Eastern District of NC Collects Over $13M in Civil, Criminal Actions

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-Press Release, U.S. Department of Justice

United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr. announced today that the Eastern District of North Carolina collected $8,527,783.50 in criminal and civil actions in Fiscal Year 2019. Of this amount, $6,362,993.33 was collected in criminal actions and $2,164,790.17 was collected in civil actions. 

One notable example of the office’s dogged pursuit of victim restitution is the case against Compassionate Home Care Services, Inc. and two other individual defendants. After a years-long investigation and civil prosecution of false claims submitted to Medicaid, the Court awarded the United States and the State of North Carolina a multimillion-dollar judgment.

Because of evidence developed during a thorough financial investigation, the Court restrained significant property early in the case to preserve it for collection. After the judgment was issued, the government used garnishments, executions, and other remedies to collect over $500,000 in short order.

Additionally, the Eastern District of North Carolina worked with other U.S. Attorney’s Offices and components of the Department of Justice to collect an additional $134,460.79 in cases pursued jointly by these offices. Of this amount, $15,378.18 was collected in criminal actions and $119,082.61 was collected in civil actions.

“We will use every tool in our arsenal to aggressively collect victim restitution and criminal fines, and recover taxpayer dollars lost to fraud and owed to government agencies,” said Mr. Higdon. “We are proud of the men and women in our office who have worked so hard to ensure justice through their collection efforts. They are to be congratulated for their tremendously successful efforts.”

The U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, along with the department’s litigating divisions, are responsible for enforcing and collecting civil and criminal debts owed to the U.S. and criminal debts owed to federal crime victims. The law requires defendants to pay restitution to victims of certain federal crimes who have suffered a physical injury or financial loss.

While restitution is paid to the victim, criminal fines and felony assessments are paid to the department’s Crime Victims Fund, which distributes the funds collected to federal and state victim compensation and victim assistance programs.

Additionally, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of North Carolina, working with partner agencies and divisions, collected $4,478,580 in asset forfeiture actions in FY 2019. Forfeited assets deposited into the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund can be used for a variety of purposes, including to support law enforcement.

In certain circumstances, they can also be used to restore funds to crime victims. The Department of Justice, for instance, restored at least 1.8 million in assets forfeited by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina in Fiscal Year 2019, which assets have been used to compensate the victims of crimes prosecuted by this office.

Mr. Higdon stated: “Asset forfeiture is an important tool in the fight against crime. The forfeiture of assets that facilitate crimes or which are the fruits of the crime deprives the criminals of the means and reasons for their criminal activity.  We will continue to aggressively pursue wrongdoers and their illegal assets as well.”

Granville County Chamber of Commerce

Columbine Shooting Survivor to Speak at Annual Granville Chamber Banquet

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-Information courtesy The Granville County Chamber of Commerce

In celebration of its 78th anniversary, the Granville County Chamber of Commerce will hold its 2020 Annual Membership Meeting and Banquet on Monday, January 27, 2020, at the Vance-Granville Community College Civic Center. Dinner begins at 6:30 p.m.

The guest speaker for the occasion will be Kacey Ruegsegger Johnson, a survivor of the 1999 Columbine High School shooting. Come hear her inspiring story of the devastation of Columbine and her “arduous recovery for her body and soul.”

Tickets are available for $40 per guest. Reserved seating for corporate tables of eight is available for $300, corporate tables of 10 for $380.

Checks, cash or credit card payments are accepted by contacting one of the Chamber’s offices – 919.693.6125/Wanda, wanda@granville-chamber.com or 919.528.4994/Toni Anne, tawheeler@granville-chamber.com.

The Chamber requests that guests kindly respond by January 17, 2020.

Sponsors include BB&T, Certainteed, Duke Energy, Granville Health System, Hicks Wrenn, PLLC, The School of Graphic Arts and Vanness Chevrolet.