Jan 2 and Jan 9 City of Oxford Board of Commissioners’ Meetings

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The City of Oxford Board of Commissioners will hold an agenda meeting on Tuesday, January 2, 2018 at 5:30 p.m. It will take place in the Commissioners’ Board Room at City Hall.

Oxford Commissioners will hold a regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, January 9, 2018 beginning at 7 p.m. in the board room at City Hall.

At the agenda meeting on January 2, consideration will be given to adopting the franchise ordinance with Waste Industries as the second of two required adoptions.  The term of the ordinance will be January 2, 2018 until December 31, 2022.  Oxford’s present agreement for solid waste collection, transportation and disposal with Waste Industries expires December 30, 2017.  The first adoption was passed in a 6 to 2 vote during the December 12th regular board meeting.

The agenda meeting will also serve to set the proceedings for the January 9th regular meeting.

A couple of known agenda items for the January 9th regular meeting include considering acceptance of the annual financial report for FY 2016-2017 as well as considering renewal of on-call engineering contracts.

VGCC Pharmacy Technology program leads service projects

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— courtesy VGCC

The Pharmacy Technology program at Vance-Granville Community College has continued its tradition of community involvement with a pair of recent service projects during the fall semester.

First, Pharmacy Technology faculty and students, with help from their colleagues in other VGCC Health Sciences programs, spearheaded a relief drive to help people in the Caribbean who had been affected by Hurricanes Irma and Maria. Pharmacy Technology Program Head Dr. Erica Fleming grew up on the Caribbean island of Anguilla and has family there. Students and faculty set up stations at each of VGCC’s four campuses on two days in late October, where they collected various items and accepted cash donations.

From left, in front, Center for Innovative Learning student Anthony Dixon, VGCC Pharmacy Technology student Tommy Hicks, Pharmacy Technology Program Head Dr. Erica Fleming, Pharmacy Technology student Malissa Chandler and CIL student Jonathan Manzo; and from left, in back, CIL Principal Calvin Timberlake, CIL student Eric Sapp and School Resource Officer Elliott Carver of the Granville County Sheriff’s Office.

“I would like to thank all of the Health Sciences students who participated,” Fleming said. “We brought all the bags of collected items to the Pharmacy Tech lab on Main Campus, where we sorted and packaged them to provide food, clothes, personal care items and household items to four families in the ‘NC for Puerto Rico’ relocation support network. Cash donations will go to provide support for families on my home island of Anguilla.”

During the hurricane relief drive, Fleming said, her program also forged a new community partnership with Granville County Schools’ Center for Innovative Learning (CIL) in Oxford. “Students at the CIL donated items they collected in their own drive to support our event,” Fleming noted. “The CIL supplied us with new books, folders and school supplies, winter items, socks, undergarments and household cleaning supplies. We want to say a very special ‘thank you’ to Mrs. Louise Terry, school counselor, for coordinating the drive at CIL.” She added, “To everyone who gave to this effort, we say ‘thank you’ for showing our neighbors both here in North Carolina and in the Caribbean that you care.”

Seated, from left, VGCC Pharmacy Technology students Tommy L. Hicks of Franklinton and Malissa S. Chandler of Durham use smartphones to identify and classify medications while Pharmacy Technology program head Dr. Erica Fleming (standing at right) sorts through medications during the “Operation Medicine Drop” event at Walgreens in Creedmoor.

The Pharmacy Technology program also partnered with the Creedmoor Police Department and Walgreens of Creedmoor on “Operation Medicine Drop,” a drug collection event, on Oct. 28. Within four hours, 6,377 dosage units/pills of non-controlled substances and 365 dosage units/pills of controlled substances were collected, according to the police department. The collection consisted of outdated or unused prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, syringes and veterinary prescription drugs.

“This is the third year that the Pharmacy Technology program has participated in the event, and the fourth year for me,” Fleming explained. “Each year, we have collected numerous ‘C-II’ controlled medications and have safely disposed of thousands of prescription and no prescription medications. The community is reminded that flushing of medications is never advised, because we want to avoid contamination of our local water sources.”

For more information on the VGCC Pharmacy Technology program, call Dr. Fleming at (252) 738-3482.

–VGCC–

(VGCC is an advertising client of WIZS.)

Legacy of local couple lives on with VGCC scholarship

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— courtesy VGCC

The tragic 2015 murders of Granville County residents Jerome and Dora Faulkner shocked and saddened the community. Their loss was particularly felt at Oxford’s Mountain Creek Baptist Church, where the Faulkners were dedicated members.

In the midst of their grief, members of the church started a scholarship fund in their memory at Vance-Granville Community College. Dora had completed her Nursing degree at VGCC, while Jerome had taken many continuing education courses at the college, some related to his electrical contractor’s license and others in the Emergency Medical Services and fire services fields, in his role as a volunteer firefighter.

A huge outpouring of generosity from the community has made this particular memorial scholarship fund one of the largest ever established at the college. Earlier this year, the scholarship became endowed at VGCC’s highest level, as the “Jerome and Dora Faulkner Memorial Presidential Scholar Award.” Jesse Edwards of Henderson, an Associate Degree Nursing student, recently became the first student to receive the scholarship at that level.

From left, VGCC Endowment Specialist Kay Currin, Mountain Creek Baptist Church members Annette Myers and Ann Fiscus, both of Oxford, and VGCC Endowment Director Eddie Ferguson gathered at the recent VGCC Scholarship Awards Dinner. Fiscus, also a nurse, was a friend of Dora Faulkner. (VGCC photo)

Church treasurer Annette Myers, who is also a member of the VGCC Board of Trustees, spearheaded the effort to establish the scholarship fund. “While it is so difficult to adequately express our love for Dora and Jerome,” Myers said, “we hope that, through this scholarship, they will impact generations to come, and this act will help ease some of the deep pain our community feels.”

A Franklin County native, Jerome T. Faulkner served as a deacon and usher at Mountain Creek Baptist Church. He was a founding member of the Cornwall Volunteer Fire Department, serving as chief and president of the board of directors. A father and grandfather, Jerome was an electrician by trade.

Dora Boyd Faulkner was a longtime resident of Granville County and a native of Norfolk, Va. After graduating from VGCC in 1984, she worked as a nurse at Revlon and at Central Regional Hospital. Dora was also a first responder with the Cornwall Volunteer Fire Department for several years.

In awarding the new scholarship, preference will be given to students in a health-related program of study, such as Nursing or Radiography. Recipients must also meet certain academic requirements.

“We express our gratitude to the members of Mountain Creek Baptist Church, whose gifts have created this memorial scholarship to support VGCC students,” said Dr. Stelfanie Williams, president of the college. “We’re deeply touched by their generosity and honored by their faith in the college that served Jerome and Dora Faulkner and helped them to serve their community. This scholarship is a fitting tribute to the Faulkners’ legacy, which will forever inspire our scholarship recipients as they prepare for their own careers of service.”

Through the Endowment Fund, VGCC has awarded more than 9,100 scholarships to students since 1982. Scholarships have been endowed by numerous individuals, industries, businesses, civic groups, churches and the college’s faculty and staff. Tax-deductible donations to the VGCC Endowment Fund have often been used to honor or remember a person, group, business or industry with a lasting gift to education. For more information about the Endowment Fund, call (252) 738-3409.

–VGCC–

(VGCC is an advertising client of WIZS.)

VGCC graduates 11 cadets in school’s 105th BLET Class

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— courtesy VGCC

Eleven cadets graduated on Dec. 12, 2017, from the Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) program at Vance-Granville Community College, in a ceremony held in the Civic Center on Main Campus. After passing the state certification exam, all are authorized to work in any law enforcement agency in North Carolina.

Graduates of VGCC’s 105th BLET class included Christian Sean Bulloss, Robert Joseph Hannon and Brandon Tyler Lomena, all of Butner Public Safety; Tyrell Jamal Perry of the Granville County Sheriff’s Office; Bradley James DeLello of the Greenville Police Department; Matthew Austin Davis and Christian Jurelle Teasley Hill Purnell, both of the Henderson Police Department; Brandon Michael Vajanyi of the Louisburg Police Department; Kyle Samuel Whitson of the N.C. Division of Parks & Recreation; and John Blackwell Hardy III and Logan Thomas Hite, both of the Oxford Police Department.

The ceremony began with a presentation of colors by students from the ROTC program at Northern Vance High School, and the singing of the national anthem by NVHS student Jadyn Jones.

In front, from left, VGCC Basic Law Enforcement Training Class 105 graduates Christian Jurelle Teasley Hill Purnell, Logan Thomas Hite, Christian Sean Bulloss, Brandon Tyler Lomena and Robert Joseph Hannon; and in back, from left, graduates Brandon James DeLello, Matthew Austin Davis, Brandon Michael Vajanyi, Kyle Samuel Whitson, Tyrell Jamal Perry, John Blackwell Hardy III and VGCC law enforcement training coordinator Andrea Hyson. (VGCC Photo)

In welcoming remarks, Dr. Levy Brown, VGCC’s interim vice president of academic affairs, applauded the graduates and thanked their families for being their “support systems” during the 16-week program. Brown expressed his appreciation to all the faculty and staff who had instructed Class 105.

Speaking as leader of the class, Cadet Tyrell Perry added his thanks to the instructors. He presented a plaque on behalf of the cadets to Sgt. Richard Creech of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, honoring him as an “outstanding instructor.”

Graduates selected Lt. Gregory Earp of the Clayton Police Department, one of their instructors, to serve as their featured speaker. Perry said that the cadets had appreciated and benefitted from Earp’s “witty humor and years of experience.” He has been teaching part-time for VGCC since 2005.

Earp cautioned graduates that a law enforcement career takes an emotional toll. “During the journey you are about to embark upon, you will bear witness to some of the ugliness that this world has to offer. It will leave you with scar tissue,” Earp said. Nevertheless, he told the new officers that they would also have a wide variety of career opportunities open to them. “The great thing about this profession is that you can find your passion within this job and make it your own,” he said.

Andrea Hyson, the training program coordinator, presented awards to several students. Perry received a special Leadership Award. Davis won the “Top Gun” Award for having the highest accuracy score in firearms qualification. Whitson earned the Physical Fitness Award for scoring highest in the various fitness tests the cadets undergo during physical training. Bulloss took home the Academic Achievement Award for having the top grade average in the written tests each cadet must pass.

For more information on the BLET program, contact Hyson at hysona@vgcc.edu.

–VGCC–

(VGCC in an advertising client of WIZS.)

DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S SCHEDULE JANUARY 2018

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DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S SCHEDULE JANUARY 2018

Mon, Jan 1 HOLIDAY

Tues, Jan 2 Vance Trial Court (O’NEAL) – Waters, Pelfrey, Louis, Erdmann, Allen
**Franklin District Court (Davis) – Olivieri, Roberson
##Vance District Court (Hunter) – Capps, Watson/Hargrove
Granville Juvenile Court (Thompson) – Putney
Granville County Clerk’s Office Hours – Attorneys – 2:00 – 4:00 pm – Sellars

Wed, Jan 3 ##Granville District Court (Burnette) – Gregory, Dickerson
##Warren District Court (Stevenson) – Fuller, Raymond
Granville County Clerk’s Office Hours – Public – 2:00 – 4:00 pm – Capps

Thurs, Jan 4 Franklin Juvenile Court (Hunter) – Olivieri
##Vance District Court (Thompson) – Erdmann or Louis, Watson/Hargrove
Granville Dispo Court (Burnette) – Gardner, Gregory, Fuller, Dickerson, Brickhouse
Granville Trial Prep – Capps, Sellars, Putney

Fri, Jan 5 Vance Juvenile Court (Keith) – Louis
Granville Trial Prep – Capps, Sellars, Putney

Mon, Jan 8 Granville Trial Court (O’NEAL) – Capps, Sellars, Putney, Garrett
Franklin District Court (Hunter) – Erdmann, Roberson
Vance District Court (Burnette) – Gregory, Watson/Hargrove
Granville District Court (Stevenson) – Gardner, Dickerson

Tues, Jan 9 Franklin District Court (Thompson) – Olivieri, Gregory, Roberson
Vance District Court (Stevenson) – Gardner, Watson/Hargrove
Warren Juvenile Court (Davis) – Fuller

Wed, Jan 10 Granville District Court (Thompson) – Gregory, Dickerson
Warren District Court (Hunter) – Fuller, Raymond

Thurs, Jan 11 Vance District Court (Davis) – Gregory, Watson/Hargrove
Franklin Trial Prep – Gardner, Olivieri
Warren CMS Prep – Fuller

Fri, Jan 12 Franklin Trial Prep – Gardner, Olivieri
Warren CMS Prep – Fuller
Vance Probation Prep – Gregory

Mon, Jan 15 HOLIDAY

Tues, Jan 16 Franklin Trial Court (HOBGOOD) – Gardner, Olivieri, Johnson
Warren CMS Court (O’NEAL) – Fuller, Pendergrass, Raymond
Franklin District Court (Stevenson) – Putney, Sellars, Roberson
Vance District Court (Hunter) – Louis, Capps, Watson/Hargrove
Granville Juvenile Court (Burnette) – Gregory
Vance County Clerk’s Office Hours – Attorneys – 2:00 – 4:00 pm – Gregory
Vance CMS Prep – Pelfrey, Louis, Erdmann

Wed, Jan 17 Vance Probation Court (O’NEAL) – Gregory, Pendergrass
Granville District Court (Burnette) – Sellars, Dickerson
**Warren District Court (Davis) – Fuller, Capps, Raymond
Vance County Clerk’s Office Hours – Public – 2:00 – 4:00 pm – Erdmann
Franklin County Clerk’s Office Hours – Attorneys – 2:00 – 4:00 pm – Putney
Vance CMS Prep – Pelfrey, Louis, Erdmann

Thurs, Jan 18 Vance CMS Court (O’NEAL) – Pelfrey, Louis, Erdmann, Pendergrass, Allen
Franklin Juvenile Court (Hunter) – Sellars
Vance Dispo Court (Keith) – Gregory, Fuller, Capps, Watson, Hargrove
Franklin County Clerk’s Office Hours – Public – 2:00 – 4:00 pm – Putney
Warren Trial Prep – Fuller
Granville CMS Prep – Capps, Sellars, Putney

Fri, Jan 19 Vance CMS Court (O’NEAL) – Pelfrey, Louis, Erdmann, Pendergrass, Allen
Franklin Dispo Court (Davis) – Gardner, Olivieri, Gregory, Tart, Roberson
Warren Trial Prep – Fuller
Granville CMS Prep – Capps, Sellars, Putney

Mon, Jan 22 Warren Trial Court (HOBGOOD) – Fuller, Raymond
Granville CMS Court (O’NEAL) – Capps, Sellars, Putney, Pendergrass, Garrett
Franklin District Court (Stevenson) – Louis, Roberson
Vance District Court (Davis) – Erdmann, Watson/Hargrove
Granville District Court (Hunter) – Gregory, Dickerson
Franklin CMS Prep – Gardner, Olivieri

Tues, Jan 23 Granville CMS Court (O’NEAL) – Capps, Sellars, Putney, Pendergrass, Garrett
Franklin District Court (Keith) – Erdmann, Roberson
Vance District Court (Stevenson) – Olivieri, Gregory, Watson/Hargrove
Warren Juvenile Court (Davis) – Louis
Franklin CMS Prep – Gardner, Olivieri

Wed, Jan 24 Franklin CMS Court (O’NEAL) – Gardner, Olivieri, Pendergrass, Johnson
##Granville District Court (Davis) – Gregory, Dickerson
Warren District Court (Thompson) – Erdmann, Capps, Raymond

Thurs, Jan 25 Franklin CMS Court (O’NEAL) – Gardner, Olivieri, Pendergrass, Johnson
**Vance District Court (Stevenson) – Gregory, Watson/Hargrove

Fri, Jan 26 Vance Juvenile Court (Keith) – Louis

Mon, Jan 29 Franklin District Court (Hunter) – Olivieri, Roberson
Vance District Court (Thompson) – Erdmann, Watson/Hargrove
Granville District Court (Stevenson) – Sellars, Dickerson

Tues, Jan 30 Franklin District Court (Burnette) – Louis, Pelfrey, Roberson
Vance District Court (Stevenson) – Gregory, Watson/Hargrove

Wed, Jan 31 Granville District Court (Keith) – Gardner, Dickerson
Warren District Court (Burnette) – Putney, Raymond

**mediator available**
##9:30 am regular docket, PLUS POSSIBLE 2:15 pm DWI docket##

Christmas Music 2017 on WIZS and WIZS.com

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WIZS Christmas Special

“Listen Live” to WIZS 1450 AM or by clicking “Listen Live” at WIZS.com.

If non-stop Christmas music is your thing, or you want Christmas music at your home Christmas party, be sure to tune in or listen live each night this week from 7 p.m. until 11 p.m. plus all day Christmas Day.

We’ll have all your traditional favorites, and the music in the evenings will be commercial free.

SBI Develops New Hand-held Fingerprint Technology

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— courtesy NC SBI and North Carolina Department of Public Safety

The State Bureau of Investigation has deployed a mobile fingerprint scanning application for local and state law enforcement officers that instantly searches state and national databases for a positive identification.

The process is simple. A suspect places his or her finger on a small portable device, about the size of a smartphone and the fingerprints become digitized and sent to the SBI’s Statewide Automated Fingerprint Identification System and to the FBI for a search of their databases for any matches.

The Rapid ID System allows law enforcement officers to capture fingerprints remotely using the mobile fingerprint scanner. An officer quickly receives the results of a search on the hand-held device. If a fingerprint match is made, the device provides a person’s name, photo (if available) and other relevant information allowing for a quick assessment of a potential threat level.

“All of this happens in seconds,” said Wyatt Pettengill, SBI’s special agent in charge of the Criminal Information and Identification section. “Once the fingerprint image is received at the SBI, the image is compared against the SBI’s entire biometric database and sent to the FBI for a search of the Repository of Individuals of Special Concern, a combination of many different FBI databases that house sensitive law enforcement information.”

Officers who participated in SBI’s pilot program saw how valuable the technology is in correctly identifying individuals who had given them fictitious information or who had outstanding warrants in North Carolina.

A national fingerprint search through the Rapid ID System also provides officers access to outstanding warrants in other states, national sex offender registry subjects and known or suspected terrorists. Several states are already using this remote identification technology and are experiencing great success, according to Pettengill.

“The SBI tries to provide its law enforcement partners with the most current, cutting edge technology in the effort to apprehend criminals and make North Carolina safer,” said Pettengill. “It’s an amazing investigative and officer safety tool.”

###

Oxford Prep School 2nd Annual Holiday Classic Basketball Tournament

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— courtesy Rick Kenneer, AD Oxford Preparatory School

Oxford Preparatory School will host their 2nd Annual Holiday Classic Basketball Tournament on December 27th, 28th, and 29th. This year it will be a middle school boy’s only event with 6 schools participating: Oxford Prep, Henderson Collegiate, Hawley MS, Warren County MS, Butner-Stem MS, and Northern Granville MS.

Admission is $8/day or $16 for all 3 days.

Game 1: Oxford Prep vs Henderson Collegiate 12/27 @ 1:00 pm
Game 2: Hawley MS vs Warren County MS 12/27 @ 2:30 pm
Game 3: Butner Stem MS vs Winner Game 1 12/28 @ 1:00 pm
Game 4: Northern Granville MS vs Winner Game 2 12/28 @ 2:30 pm
Championship Game: Winner Game 3 vs Winner Game 4 12/29 @ 2:00 pm

12/27 12:00 pm 3-point shootout

12/28 12:00 pm Free Throw contest

New Human Services club formed at VGCC

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— courtesy VGCC

The newest club for students at Vance-Granville Community College focuses on the Human Services Technology (HST) field. The college offers three Human Services degrees – a General HST track, a Substance Abuse track, and a Gerontology track – although interested students in any major are welcome to join the new club.

The HST Club held its first organizational meeting in November at VGCC’s South Campus, the home of the HST program. VGCC Human Services instructor Sharon O’Geary conducted the meeting and said she hopes that the new venture will increase the program’s visibility on campus. “Human Services students are passionate about helping people,” O’Geary observed. “We hope that this club can participate in a variety of special service projects that relate to our field and hold fundraisers that help our community. At the same time, we may be able to represent VGCC, attend conferences and help students obtain jobs in this field through networking.”

Seated, from left: Human Services Technology Club faculty advisor Sharon O’Geary, club Vice President Melissa Jackson, Secretary Caitlyn Rudd and President Pamela Campbell; standing, from left: Student Government Association (SGA) representative Feliciana Hernandez and Treasurer Sonya Barnes.

Students at the meeting elected the first officers to lead the HST Club. They included President Pamela Campbell of Littleton, a Gerontology major; Vice President Melissa Jackson of Oxford, a Substance Abuse major; Secretary Caitlyn Rudd of Franklinton, a Gerontology major; Treasurer Sonya Barnes of Henderson, who is completing both the General and Gerontology tracks; and Student Government Association (SGA) representative Feliciana Hernandez of Henderson, a Substance Abuse major.

The HST curriculum program prepares students for entry-level positions in institutions and agencies which provide social, community, and educational services. VGCC’s program is nationally accredited by the Council for Standards in Human Service Education (CSHSE).

For more information on joining the HST Club, contact Sharon O’Geary at 252-738-3529 or ogearys@vgcc.edu.

–VGCC–

(VGCC is an advertising client of WIZS.)

$300,000 Gift Will Help Girl Scouts; Camp Graham

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The gift is about a commitment made a long time ago to make the world a better place, and it’s that same commitment that Girl Scouts instilled in Margaret Pickard Sirvis, according to her daughter Barb Sirvis.

Girl Scouts – North Carolina Coastal Pines (GS-NCCP) recently notified WIZS News that a $300,000 gift from the Margaret Pickard Sirvis Fund will go towards revitalizing Camp Graham, just north of Henderson.  Be sure to click here for Camp Graham details.

A lifelong Girl Scout and advocate for women, Margaret Pickard Sirvis, or “Peggy” as she was known by her Girl Scout friends, passed away on April 8, 2017 at 93 years old.  Peggy’s daughter Barb worked with GS–NCCP staff to create a legacy gift to support improvements to Peggy’s beloved Camp Graham.

Information provided by GS–NCCP indicates the $300,000 gift will go towards much needed facilities renovations that will enable Camp Graham to continue providing valuable outdoor leadership opportunities to girls across North Carolina, just as it had for Peggy 80+ years earlier. Renovations will include things like a new HVAC, a full-enclosed bathhouse, updates to cabin units, and much more.

Barb Sirvis told WIZS News in a phone interview that her mother Peggy was very clear she wanted to make sure the Girl Scouts received a generous gift at her death, so the $300,000 came from Peggy’s estate.  Barb said Girl Scouts had always been very important to her mother Peggy, as she was in scouting some 75 years.

“She loved camp,” Bard said.  “She wanted to make sure her gift would continue to provide camp opportunities for Girl Scouts today and into the future.”

When asked how Camp Graham was chosen, Barb said, “My mother was born and raised in Chapel Hill, and she went to camp as a girl at a camp that no longer exists, but she did go to Girl Scout camp as a girl, and she also watched the power of Girl Scouting to shape my life and the camp experience and the life-long friendships that I made at camp.  Then, when she moved back to North Carolina in 2006, a local Girl Scout friend took us to an event with Girl Scouts of North Carolina Coastal Pines, and there (Peggy) had a chance to talk to some of the staff about her interests, and they were doing a new project at Camp Graham building tree houses.  She said she wanted to see them, and she went to camp, and she fell in love with Camp Graham.”

Peggy told her daughter Barb she wanted to spend some money on this council, that she wanted to leave money to make sure the camp stays here for girls in the future.

It turns out that Peggy was very quiet about her ability to leave a gift like this for Girl Scouts, so by all accounts it had a wow effect, just by the amount alone of $300,000 if nothing else.

It’s the personal side that tells the rest of the story.

Barb Sirvis said, “She and my dad met in 1944 and were married in 1945.  They each had a dream.  His dream was to be an entrepreneur, and her dream was to make the world a better place.  They brought those two dreams together.  He eventually started his own business, and she was the home and corporate treasurer.  They managed wisely and lived modestly their whole life.”

As far as how the money will be used, GS–NCCP went to Barb with a proposal with several options in it.  Barb said the renovations and improvements mentioned “were the ones that spoke to me.”  She said these priorities were on the top of their list, and “I thought they would be on the top of my mom’s list.”