Granville County student Yosselin Baylon Alvarez was recognized with a proclamation for volunteer service at the May 6 meeting of the Granville County Board of Commissioners. The twelve-year-old was honored for her assistance to staff and other volunteers of the Granville County Animal Shelter during a spay/neuter event held in a targeted Butner area.
According to Animal Management Director Matthew Katz, Yosselin’s efforts were instrumental to the success of the project as she voluntarily offered Translation and transcription services in communicating with Spanish-speaking residents, helping to share information about the recent spay/neuter event. The bilingual sixth-grader also acted as a community liaison, encouraging resident participation while translating information and helping answer questions for those who struggled with the English language.
Yosselin Alvarez receives a congratulatory hug from Granville County Commissioner Sue Hinman while Animal Shelter staff members and volunteers look on. (Photo courtesy Granville Co. Government)
On March 8, the day of the scheduled event, Yosselin was excused from school to continue her volunteer service by helping gather animals from residents who needed additional assistance. As a result of her work, 24 animals in the targeted area were successfully spayed/neutered. Yosselin continued to be a contact between the community and the Granville County Animal Shelter over the next few weeks, proving to be a vital link in every facet of the spay/neuter event.
“Yosselin invested many hours to assist volunteers in canvassing, follow-up and completing all the required paperwork,” the proclamation reads. “This level of participation from the community could not have been achieved without Yosselin bridging the different cultures and acting as an advocate for the event.”
Yosselin was accompanied by her family to Monday night’s Commissioners meeting and says she has dreams of becoming a medical doctor after completing her education. She is currently a student at Butner-Stem Middle School.
The McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center will feature The Southern Appalachian Chamber Singers on Sunday, June 9, 2019. Show starts at 2 p.m.
A Part of the Music at McGregor Series
The Southern Appalachian Chamber Singers, founded in 1998 by Joel F. Reed, promote choral artistry by modeling the highest quality choral standard and performing a breadth of literature, including music from the southern Appalachian region.
The McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center will feature The Southern Appalachian Chamber Singers on Sunday, June 9, 2019. Show starts at 2 p.m. Photo courtesy the McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center.
The Southern Appalachian Chamber Singers are currently 25 singers who rehearse monthly in preparation for the ensemble’s performances. Many of the members are professional musicians, working in public and private schools, colleges and churches. Others are professionals from the business and medical communities who reside in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia, and are, for the most part, alumni and retired faculty of Mars Hill University.
The ensemble has performed regularly in the North and South Carolina areas including conferences of North Carolina American Choral Directors Association and National Association for Music Education.
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-Information courtesy Cynthia Bowen, City Clerk, City of Oxford
The City of Oxford Board of Commissioners will hold their regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, May 14, 2019, at 7 p.m. in the Commissioners’ Board Room, City Hall in Oxford.
Agenda items include:
May Yard of the Month – Douglas & Dot Adcock of 114 Maluli Drive.
Proclamation for National Police Week.
Annual Historic Preservation Presentation – Anthony Armento.
Consider calling for a public hearing to be held at the June 11, 2019, Board meeting to consider a request by Lynwood Roberts Jr. to amend the Zoning Ordinance under sections 302.1 & 720 to convert an existing single-family dwelling into a two-family dwelling unit.
Receive proposed budget from City Manager Thornton. (A copy will be available on meeting night.)
Consider calling for a public hearing for the June 11, 2019, meeting to hear public input on the FY 2019-2020 budget.
Consider correcting journal entries to the Asset/Liabilities accounts.
Consider placing four portable crosswalk signs in the downtown area.
Consider adding two additional No U-Turn signs in the downtown area.
Consider authorizing the city manager to negotiate and sign a task order with Withers Ravenel for the 2019 City Resurfacing Project.
Consider authorizing a budget amendment to purchase a street sweeper.
Consider approving a budget amendment for $39,950.00.
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With more than 100 tractors, North Carolina food and beverages, music, a carnival and kids’ activities, the Got to Be NC Festival promises to be a not-to-be-missed event at the N.C. State Fairgrounds in Raleigh, May 17-19, 2019.
“The antique tractor and farm equipment display, featuring a daily tractor parade, and the Food Lion Local Goodness Marketplace are two of the unique highlights of the festival,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “We have one of the largest antique tractor displays in the Southeast, and the marketplace features around 80 North Carolina companies offering the opportunity to sample the delicious food and beverage products they offer.”
Hours for the Food Lion Local Goodness Marketplace are Friday from noon to 8 p.m.; Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is $3.
Visitors can see and hear tractors parade around the fairgrounds each day at 1 p.m., with all makes, ages and restorations of tractors featured.
New entertainment this year includes Danny Grant’s Cowboy Circus & The Soap Bubble Circus, both roving grounds acts; and a Feeder Pig display at the Pig Patch Birthing Center. Returning favorites are the racing pigs of the Hogway Speedway, Lauryn Zepeda with Gringo the Trick Pony, Ready, Set, Grow! Agri-tainment Magic Show, the Pig Patch birthing center, Agri-plaza, tractor pulls and the Kidz Corral activity area.
Tractor pull events are planned for Saturday and Sunday. A Kids’ Pedal Tractor Pull will take place at 11 a.m. Saturday, with the Antique Tractor Pull later from 2 to 8 p.m. A Garden Tractor and Lawnmower Pull will be held Sunday from 2 to 8 p.m.
The carnival features one price, ride-all-day wristbands on Friday and Sunday. Cost is $20 for wristbands. In addition, a fireworks show will be held Friday and Saturday at 9:15 p.m.
On May 18, the festival will host the Carolina Bluegrass Battle. Traditional and contemporary bluegrass bands will compete for bragging rights and prizes. Also on May 18, the 14th Annual Masonic Carolina Pig Jig BBQ Cook-off will be held, with more than 20 Masonic chapters competing for top honors. At 11 a.m., the event opens to the public for an all-you-care-to-eat barbecue buffet. Guests make their way through the line-up of competition cookers to sample different styles and vote for their favorite. Cost is $15 for adults, $5 for ages 7-10 and free for kids 6 and under. Proceeds from the cookoff benefit the Masonic Home for Children at Oxford.
If you are planning to attend the 2019 State Fair, you can take advantage of the Casey’s Big Ticket Weekend offer and buy 2019 State Fair tickets for 2018 prices. Tickets are being sold at the Waterfall ticket booth. Cost is $8 for adults and $3 for children. Prices at the gate for 2019 will be $13 for adults and $7 for kids.
Festival hours are Friday, May 17, from noon to 10 p.m.; Saturday, May 18, from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday, May 19, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Admission and parking are free. More information is available at www.gottobencfestival.com.
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A total of 219 student-athletes from all over North Carolina and their chaperones were among the participants in the 2019 North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame’s Salute To Student-Athlete Program.
The program recognizes students from across the state and exposes them to the many positive lessons to be learned from North Carolina’s outstanding sports heritage.
A total of 31 different schools from 21 different counties across the state were represented by the student-athletes who attended the program. Eight students from JF Webb High School attended the event and were sponsored through the Oxford Rotary Club on behalf of Bart Cleary, DDS and Joe Johnson of Builder’s Services.
Eight students from JF Webb High School attended the 2019 North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame’s Salute To Student-Athlete event. The participants were sponsored through the Oxford Rotary Club on behalf of Bart Cleary, DDS and Joe Johnson of Builder’s Services. (Photo courtesy Granville Co. Public Schools)
The two-day event included a special reception and attendance at ceremonies where the newest class of inductees to the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame was inducted at the Raleigh Convention Center. The following day, the student-athletes toured the state’s hall of fame exhibition at the North Carolina Museum of History and participated in a seminar involving some of North Carolina’s most celebrated sports figures.
Speakers at the seminar included former UNC-Chapel Hill basketball star Phil Ford and current major league baseball umpire Joe West. There was also a special panel discussion featuring several members of the NCSHOF, including Ford, West, Dee Kantner, Eddie Bridges and Paul Miller.
The student-athletes were invited to sign up for Hall Pass, a free program that offers special opportunities. Each Hall Pass member receives interesting information about the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame and the state’s sports heritage, including a monthly newsletter and special features in advance before the general public. Any student-athlete can sign up to become a Hall Pass member by visiting www.ncshof.org and clicking on Hall Pass.
North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame members inducted this year included golfer Davis Love III, NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt, Jr; former pro football player and renowned artist Ernie Barnes, former high school coaches Thell Overman and Willie Bradshaw, hunting and fishing icon Eddie Bridges, college football coach Rod Broadway, athletic administrators Gene Corrigan and Neill McGeachy, high school and college wrestling coach Steve Gabriel, basketball official Dee Kantner and college football standout Paul Miller.
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The Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce, along with the Franklin, Granville and Warren County Chambers and the Vance-Granville Community College Small Business Center, hosted the seventeenth annual Small Business Luncheon at the Henderson Country Club on Thursday, May 9, 2019.
The 2018 Small Business of the Year award recipients included Holland Industrial, Vance County; US 98.3/Lakes Media LLC, Granville County; Focus Design Builders, Franklin County; and Hardware Café, Warren County.
Holland Industrial receives the 2018 Vance County Small Business of the Year award. Left to right: Patrick Brame, Bobby Powell, Charles “Charlie” Brown and Vanessa Jones, interim president, Henderson-Vance Chamber. (WIZS photo)
Duke Energy was once again the presenting sponsor for this event. Tanya Evans, district manager for Duke Energy, thanked the small business owners and staff members for their contributions to the community and for their level of commitment.
“As a small business owner, you don’t get to turn it off at 5 p.m. and go home. This is a way of life for you and takes dedication and commitment,” Evans said.
Keynote speaker John Alston, owner of A&S Pest Control and winner of the Warren County Chamber’s 2008 Small Business of the Year award, spoke on his 42 years of success as a local small business owner.
“Success is not about how much money you make, it’s about the relationships you form and your enjoyment of the job you are doing,” Alston explained.
Alston said he felt blessed to have started a company that allows him to do what he enjoys while also providing financially for other families.
After hearing from Alston, Vanessa Jones, interim president of the Henderson-Vance Chamber, presented the 2018 Vance County award to electric motor and mechanical repair facility Holland Industrial.
Focus Design Builders receives the 2018 Greater Franklin County Small Business of the Year award. Left to right: Jonathan Williams, Paul Eitel and John Barnes, executive director, Greater Franklin Chamber. (WIZS photo)
Located on West Montgomery Street in Henderson, the “employee-owned” company was started by Charles S. Holland, Sr. in 1952 and has expanded to include 35 employees and a 150-mile sales territory today.
Now in its third generation of management, Holland President Charles “Charlie” Brown thanked the Chamber for their support and said he hopes Holland will be around to celebrate their 100th anniversary in a few decades.
John Barnes, executive director for the Greater Franklin County Chamber of Commerce, presented the Franklin County award to Focus Design Builders, a construction-based company offering a single point of contact for design and construction services.
Founded in 2010 during an ebb in the construction industry, CEO Paul Eitel said it was faith that prompted him and his two business partners to start a construction business.
Three months into the business with $8 million in sales, Eitel said that faith paid off. The company now estimates 300-400 families benefit from the revenue generated by their small business alone.
Jonathan Williams, project developer for Focus Design Builders, also mentioned the education he received at Vance-Granville Community College before transferring to a four-year university.
US 98.3/Lakes Media LLC receives the 2018 Franklin County Small Business of the Year award. Left to right: Aurora Birch, Tom Birch and Sandra Dean Pruitt, president of Granville Insurance Agency. (WIZS Photo)
“I’m proof that you can receive a quality education here locally,” Williams said in support of VGCC.
Granville County’s award recipient, US 98.3/Lakes Media LLC was presented their award by Sandra Dean Pruitt, president of Granville Insurance Agency.
Tom Birch, president, accepted the award on behalf of the organization. Launched in Oxford in 2005 and expanding to South Boston in 2006, Birch said the station has approximately 45,000 listeners today.
Birch also proclaimed that “radio is alive and well” and is still the most effective medium of all reach platforms, including television, in the constantly-evolving communications game.
Warren County Chamber Chair Kathleen Derring presented the Warren County award to Hardware Café manager Haley Paynter.
Hardware Cafe receives the 2018 Warren County Small Business of the Year award. Left to right: Haley Paynter and Kathleen Derring, chair of Warren Chamber. (WIZS Photo).
Located in downtown Warrenton, the previous hardware store, now affectionately known by locals as the “red and black” café, has quite the history, including a recent change in management with Paynter at the helm.
Derring said this award was “a long time coming” for the Hardware Café and explained that as a small business owner herself, she knew that loving what you do is essential for success.
Held in conjunction with National Small Business Week, the annual luncheon highlighted and supported what Henderson-Vance Chamber Chair Nancy Wykle referred to as “the backbone of our community and our economy both nationally and locally, small business.”
https://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Holland-Industrial-Award-2019.png265504Kelly Bonduranthttps://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/wizswebsitelogoimage.pngKelly Bondurant2019-05-10 16:59:042019-05-10 16:59:04Local Chambers Recognize 2018 Small Business of the Year Recipients
Granville Early College High School is proud to announce that it has received the College Success Award, which honors schools that excel in ensuring students prepare for college, enroll in college and succeed once they get there.
Launched by GreatSchools.org, the leading nonprofit provider of trusted school information, the 2019 College Success Award recognizes 1,722 schools in 25 states. Award-winning schools have a successful track record of graduating students who later enroll in two or four-year colleges, are ready for college-level coursework, and persist on to their second year, according to available data from each state.
College and career-ready graduates are critical to fueling the U.S. economy, as 65 percent of jobs will require a postsecondary degree by 2020. Granville Early College High School is one of the approximately 20 percent of eligible schools in NC that won the College Success Award.
“We are extremely proud of our talented and hard-working students,” said Principal Jackie Harris. “Our staff is dedicated to their success and continue to demonstrate excellence in their efforts.”
The College Success Award is possible because NC is leading the nation in collecting and being transparent in sharing information on how students do after high school, which is valuable information for families, educators, and policymakers.
For more information about Granville Early College High School, please visit their website: https://gech.gcs.k12.nc.us/ Visitors and guests are welcome to visit by appointment!
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THIS WEEK IS NORTH CAROLINA’S HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS WEEK
All week long, the National Weather Service has issued informative messages to help you prepare for the hurricane season. Today’s topic, the final in the series for this year’s hurricane preparedness week, is complete your written hurricane plan.
The time to prepare for a hurricane is before the season begins – when you have the time and are not under pressure. If you wait until a hurricane is on your doorstep, the odds are that you will be under duress and will make the wrong decisions. Take the time now to write down your hurricane plan. Know where you will ride out the storm and get your supplies now. You don’t want to be standing in long lines when a hurricane warning is issued. Those supplies that you need will probably be sold out by the time you reach the front of the line.
Being prepared, before a hurricane threatens, makes you resilient to the hurricane impacts of wind and water. It will mean the difference between being a hurricane victim and a hurricane survivor.
Here are some things to know about completing a written hurricane plan:
• Writing down your plan will ensure you don’t make mistakes when faced with an emergency.
• Document all of your valuables and possessions with a camera or video camera well before the storm.
• Gather all vital documents, like passports and medical records, and put them somewhere that you can quickly access.
• Make planning and preparedness a family affair to ensure everyone knows what to do.
• Don’t forget to include your pets in your plan.
• Every plan should include gathering non-perishable emergency supplies and assembling a disaster supply kit.
• Share your plan with others in your family, and have an out-of-state friend as a family contact who knows your plan and where you will go during a disaster, so all your family members have a single point of contact.
To make developing your family emergency plan easy, be sure to download a free template that is available online at https://readync.org.
For more information about hurricane preparedness, please visit the following web sites:
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Robert J. Higdon, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, announces that a federal grand jury in Raleigh has returned indictments charging JOSE JESUS CAMACHO-JARAMILLO, age 29, of Mexico, AGUSTIN NUNEZ-LEONARDO, age 20, of Mexico, and LORENZO OROCIO-CRUZ, age 35, of Mexico, with Illegal Reentry of a Deported Alien.
If convicted of illegal reentry of a deported alien, CAMACHO-JARAMILLO, who was previously convicted of Unlawful Entry, deported twice, and then found in Johnston County; NUNEZ-LEONARDO, who was previously convicted of Unlawful Entry, deported three times, and then found in Wake County; and OROCIO-CRUZ, who was previously convicted of Unlawful Entry, deported twice, and then found in Granville County, would face maximum penalties of two years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and a term of supervised release following any term of imprisonment.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictments are merely accusations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
The cases are being investigated by ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations and Homeland Security Investigations.
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-Information courtesy Debra Weary, Clerk to the Board/Assistant to the County Manager – Granville County
BUDGET WORK SESSION 2019
Granville County will hold a budget work session on Tuesday, May 14, 2019, at 8 a.m. at the Granville Expo Center located at 4185 Highway 15 South, Oxford.
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