— courtesy U.S. Department of Justice and the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of NC
RALEIGH – The United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Robert J. Higdon, Jr. announced that today in federal court, Senior United States District Judge W. Earl Britt, sentenced TEVIN TIA’MANE NORWOOD, 25, of Oxford, NC to 100 months of imprisonment followed by 3 years of supervised release.
NORWOOD was named in an Indictment filed on April 18, 2017. NORWOOD subsequently pled guilty to one-count of Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition. On July 18, 2017, NORWOOD pled guilty to the charge.
On October 10, 2016, Oxford Police officers observed NORWOOD driving erratically. After a short vehicle pursuit, NORWOOD jumped out of his vehicle while it was still in gear and fled; however, he was captured following a brief foot chase. The vehicle continued into an embankment, thus recklessly endangering anyone in the area. A search of the path of flight taken by NORWOOD resulted in the recovery of a stolen, Glock .40 caliber firearm with one bullet in the chamber. This firearm was positively identified as the same firearm used by NORWOOD in a previous shooting several days earlier also in Oxford. A box of .40 caliber ammunition was found in NORWOOD’S vehicle. NORWOOD subsequently provided an unprotected statement that the Glock firearm was his.
This case was part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative which encourages federal, state, and local agencies to cooperate in a unified “team effort” against gun crime, targeting repeat offenders who continually plague their communities.
The Butner Department of Public Safety, Oxford Police Department, Durham Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF) conducted the criminal investigation of this case. Assistant United States Attorney Daniel P. Bubar handled the prosecution of this case for the government.
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https://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/U.S.-Department-of-Justice.jpg265504WIZS Staffhttps://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/wizswebsitelogoimage.pngWIZS Staff2017-11-29 15:18:482017-11-29 15:18:48Oxford Man Sentenced for Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition
Pursuant to Sec. 4.3(1) and 3.2 (1)(b) of the Ordinance and Charter, the Oxford Historic Preservation Commission will hold a Special Meeting on Thursday, December 7, 2017 at 6:00 pm, located at City hall, in the training room located on the 1st floor.
The purpose of this meeting is to review the Certificates of Appropriateness that have been received.
Dr. Ben F. Currin recently retired from the Vance-Granville Community College Endowment Fund Board of Directors. That marked the culmination of Currin’s formal association with VGCC, which lasted for a total of 36 years — 18 as president of the college and 18 more on the endowment board after his retirement as president.
Currin, who now lives in Raleigh, became the third president of VGCC in 1981. Under Currin’s leadership, VGCC grew from one campus to four, with a total of almost $18 million worth of new construction at all campuses. During his tenure, VGCC reactivated the college’s Endowment Fund, which grew from $12,000 in 1982 to $5 million at the time of his retirement and provided scholarships for numerous students. In 1985, he started the annual VGCC Endowment Fund Golf Tournament, which has raised more than $862,000 to date. A VGCC scholarship, the Dr. Ben Currin Presidential Merit Award, was endowed in his honor upon his retirement through contributions from the college faculty and staff.
From left, VGCC President Dr. Stelfanie Williams and Dr. Ben Currin, the college’s former president, holding a plaque honoring him for his service to the Vance-Granville Community College Endowment Fund. (VGCC photo)
A native of Granville County and a graduate of Oxford High School, Currin received his bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1959. He earned his master’s degree in education in 1962 and his advanced graduate certificate in professional education in 1963, both from UNC. He received his doctorate in education from UNC in 1970 in education administration with a minor in political science.
Currin assumed the VGCC presidency after having served as a teacher, coach and public school administrator, including 11 years as superintendent of Rocky Mount City Schools. While in Rocky Mount, he also taught graduate courses at East Carolina University as an adjunct professor.
Currin earned high esteem from his peers in higher education. A University of Texas study in 1988-89 named him one of the “best of the best” among community college presidents across the nation, and he was given a National Leadership Award at the Leadership 2000 conference in San Francisco. He was also one of 75 participants chosen nationwide to participate in the Management of Lifelong Education Institute at Harvard University. Currin received the Order of the Long Leaf Pine from Gov. Beverly Perdue. In 2016, Currin received the highest honor that can be bestowed by the State Board of Community Colleges, the I.E. Ready Award.
The board of directors oversees the Endowment Fund Corporation, a nonprofit organization established in 1976 to seek and receive scholarship funds and other contributions for the college. Current board members include Robert L. Hubbard (the vice-chair), Rev. Dr. Richard M. Henderson (secretary), Julius Banzet, III, Sarah Baskerville, Rep. James W. Crawford, Jr., Tanya Evans, Clay Frazier, L. Opie Frazier, Jr., Ronnie Goswick, Katharine Macon Horner, Darryl Moss, Donald C. Seifert, Sr., Marshall Tanner, Josh Towne and Todd Wemyss. As president of VGCC, Dr. Stelfanie Williams chairs the board, and Danny Wright, chair of the VGCC Board of Trustees, serves on the board ex-officio.
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.)
https://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/wizsfbresize_0001s_0132_vgcc1.png.png265504WIZS Staffhttps://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/wizswebsitelogoimage.pngWIZS Staff2017-11-27 18:39:522017-11-27 18:39:52Former VGCC president Ben Currin retires from endowment board
CITY OF OXFORD
NOVEMBER 27, 2017
PUBLIC WORKS, WATER, & INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE MEETING
The Public Works, Water, & Infrastructure Committee for the Oxford Board of Commissioners will meet on Thursday, November 30, 2017 at 10:00 AM. The meeting will be held in the First Floor Training Room, City Hall, 300 Williamsboro Street. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the solid waste removal proposal.
The Vance-Granville Community College Board of Trustees celebrated news from President Dr. Stelfanie Williams that the college’s VanGuarantee scholarship continues to gain national attention. The announcement was made on Nov. 20 at the board’s bi-monthly meeting on the Main Campus.
The trustees also welcomed two new board members and heard the results of a campus-wide campaign to raise money for the VGCC Endowment Fund.
In her report to the Board of Trustees, Dr. Williams said the “Community College Daily,” a publication of the American Association of Community Colleges, shared in October an annual report on the College Promise Campaign, described by the association as a movement focusing on providing a free community college education to qualified students.
In the past 12 months, the AACC said, more than 50 new programs were announced similar to VGCC’s VanGuarantee. “New College Promise programs are evolving at a rapid pace because communities and states recognize that a high school education is insufficient to secure a good job and a decent quality of life in today’s economy,” the report said, adding that there are now more than 200 such programs across 41 states.
The VanGuarantee benefitted 47 Vance-Granville students during the 2016-2017 fiscal year, according to VGCC’s Financial Aid Office. A total of $50,514 was disbursed to help those students.
Designed to help eliminate any financial barriers standing between students and their academic goals, the VanGuarantee was announced in March 2016, with the first scholarships awarded in the Fall 2016 semester. The innovative scholarship program was made possible by a $1.6 million bequest to the college from the estate of Wilbert A. Edwards, a Vance County native, who was living in Oxford at the time of his death. Edwards’ gift, announced in 2015, is the second largest in the history of VGCC.
The AACC said the annual report highlighted the efforts to create College Promise programs in rural areas of the nation, “which on average have fewer students attaining college credentials than students in cities,” citing specifically the program at Vance-Granville.
“More than half of the nation’s 1,400 community colleges in the United States are located in rural areas, and they serve a third of the nation’s community college population,” the College Promise Campaign annual report for 2017 says. “Some … like Vance-Granville Community College in North Carolina have the responsibility to serve a broad geographic area for their local populations. The aim of these rural programs is to help more students enter and complete a community college education within their region through shared education, business and philanthropic partnerships that identify sustainable financial resources for the College Promise.”
New Trustees
Xavier Wortham of Oxford, left, is sworn in as a newly appointed member of the VGCC Board of Trustees by Ninth Judicial District Court Judge Carolyn J. Thompson at the board’s meeting on Nov. 20. Wortham has been appointed to a four-year term by N.C. Governor Roy Cooper. (VGCC photo)
The Board of Trustees welcomed Xavier Wortham of Oxford as a newly appointed trustee at the meeting. Wortham, who works as executive director of the Oxford Housing Authority in Granville County, was sworn in by District Court Judge Carolyn J. Thompson, who serves District 9.
Appointed for a four-year term on the board by N.C. Governor Roy Cooper, Wortham replaces Michele Burgess of Henderson, who had served since September 2013.
Also joining the board for a one-year term was Sophie Taylor, who was recently elected president of the VGCC Student Government Association. Taylor, who is a student at Franklin County Early College High School, will serve as a Student Trustee, representing the interests of her fellow VGCC students at all meetings of the trustees.
Faculty-Staff Drive for Scholarships
The co-chairs of the annual faculty and staff drive for the VGCC Endowment Fund announced to the Trustees that $21,036 was raised this fall from among employees on Vance-Granville’s four campuses to support the mission of the college and students through scholarships.
VGCC Board of Trustees Chair Danny W. Wright celebrates the announcement of $21,036 raised in the Faculty-Staff Drive for the VGCC Endowment Fund this fall. Co-chairs of the campaign were Andrew Beal, public information officer for the college; Willie Mae Foster-Hill, receptionist at Main Campus; and Jeremy Lambert, assistant director of financial aid. Kay Currin, VGCC Endowment specialist, made the presentation to the trustees at their Nov. 20 meeting. Shown from left are Wright, Beal, Foster-Hill and Currin. Lambert was unavailable. (VGCC photo)
The drive co-chairs were Andrew Beal, public information officer; Willie Mae Foster-Hill, Main Campus receptionist; and Jeremy Lambert, assistant director of financial aid.
VGCC awarded 306 scholarships, including several funded by faculty and staff contributions, at its annual awards dinner this October.
Capital Projects
Trustee Donald C. Seifert, Sr., chair of the board’s Building Committee, and Steve Graham, VGCC’s vice president of finance and operations, gave updates on several capital projects.
A final report on the assessment of needed exterior masonry repairs to buildings on the Main Campus is expected soon. Some county funds and additional monies from the Connect NC Bond will be used to restore, structurally repair and waterproof campus-wide building masonry rooflines, walls and bridges.
A report is expected in January on options to replace existing deteriorated heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems and to replace obsolete fire alarm systems on the Main Campus, using funds from the Bond.
A portion of the renovations to the Welding Lab at the VGCC Franklin County Campus is expected to be completed in December, with the remaining work being done during the Summer Term next year. State Bond funds are being used to add eight welding booths to the existing lab at the campus near Louisburg and to add a demonstration area in an adjacent classroom.
Other Action
In other action:
• Trustee Abdul Rasheed, chair of the Budget Committee, presented a motion, that was approved, to write off $1,021.84 in uncollectable student accounts under $50 from the college’s financial accounting records and no longer recognize them as collectible receivables for financial reporting purposes.
• Graham, reporting for the board’s Investment Committee, noted the college’s investments have grown by 9.3 percent since the beginning of the calendar year.
• An informational report on new employees, retirements, resignations and changes in positions was provided by Trustee Sara Wester, chair of the board’s Personnel Committee.
• In her report to the board, Dr. Williams highlighted recent accomplishments and opportunities at the college. She noted the Vance-Granville Community Band concert will be held on Monday, Nov. 27, at 7:30 p.m. at the McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center in downtown Henderson.
Presiding over the meeting was Board of Trustees Chair Danny Wright.
The Board of Trustees will hold its next regular meeting on Jan. 22 at the Main Campus. Normally held on the third Monday of the month, the meeting in January is being moved to the fourth Monday because of the Martin Luther King, Jr., Holiday.
–VGCC–
(VGCC is an advertising client of WIZS.)
https://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/wizsfbresize_0001s_0132_vgcc1.png.png265504WIZS Staffhttps://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/wizswebsitelogoimage.pngWIZS Staff2017-11-22 17:08:412017-11-22 17:08:41VanGuarantee Continues to Shine in National Spotlight
Friday, November 24, 2017 — South Granville is still alive in the 2AA East bracket of the playoffs, after defeating outclassed West Craven in Creedmoor last Friday night by a lopsided 50-12 final score. Meanwhile, 1A Granville Central was soundly trounced in its playoff game 45-0, leaving the Vikings the lone team to carry the Northern Carolina Conference banner into the third round.
With basically two warmup playoff games behind them, the #3 seed Vikings (13-0) will give up home field advantage this Friday when they square off against #2 seed North Davidson (12-1) in Lexington – about a 150-mile trip (one-way) for South Granville’s team and their fans. This game will be the toughest test of the season for both teams, and the winner will play for the 2AA east regional championship on December 1 against either #1 East Duplin or #4 Randleman (which eliminated Roanoke Rapids in the opening round).
The Knights of North Davidson won their first playoff match 52-18 over the #15 seed, and then barely avoided an upset loss to #7 seed with a 17-10 squeaker. Matching up very closely on paper with the Vikings, the Knights are a true “football school,” with a huge (for 2A) 76-man roster. They won their Central Carolina 2A title with a perfect 8-0 record (like South Granville). They average scoring 41 points per game (to the Vikings’ 43), and their defense allows 8.2 points per game (even better than the Vikings’ 8.9). ND’s running game is highly effective (like SG’s), but is pretty much a 1-man show: Senior RB T. J. Boyce (5-11, 190 lb) leads the conference with 2000 yards on the season, 32 rushing TDs and 206 total points. SG has their own dominant runner in Allajah Mitchell (1700 yards, 26 TDs), BUT the Vikings have at least three other experienced and effective runners, including QB Tucker Brown, who ran for 4 TD’s last week to raise his total to 14 on the ground.
The major difference is in the passing game, and this could determine the outcome. Unlike South Granville, the Knights gain almost as many yards per game through the air as on the ground, and their QB has over 1800 yards passing on the season for 21 TD’s. By contrast, because the Vikings’ rushing attack has been so consistent and dominant, QB Brown has thrown for under 500 yards and just 6 touchdowns. This should be a great game between two real champions — it’s a shame it is not closer to home.
https://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/wizsfbresize_0001s_0113_sports.png.png265504WIZS Staffhttps://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/wizswebsitelogoimage.pngWIZS Staff2017-11-21 10:20:152017-11-27 19:01:31South Granville (@SGHSVikingFB) at North Davidson
The Vance-Granville Community Band will perform its tenth annual winter holiday concert on Monday, Nov. 27, at 7:30 p.m. at McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center, located at 201 Breckenridge Street in downtown Henderson. Admission is free of charge.
Included in the concert will be a host of holiday favorites, including “Silver Bells,” “White Christmas,” “The First Noel,” “A French Noel” (Pat-A Pan), “Appalachian Carol” (Jesus, Jesus Rest Your Head), and a medley of Christmas classics including “I’ll Be Home For Christmas,” “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town” and “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.”
“The Night Before Christmas” will be presented in a “story-time” format, as Clement Moore’s famous poem is read with band accompaniment.
The concert will begin with the traditional rendering of “The Star-Spangled Banner” and the state song, “The Old North State.” Plus, as is customary for any ensemble led by the director of the band, Brian Miller, a Sousa march will be included. “No concert is complete without Sousa,” according to Miller. “This year, while we are playing almost all Christmas music, we will of course play a Sousa march. It will be Sousa’s classic ‘The Invincible Eagle March,’ which the master of American music wrote in 1901.”
Brian Miller conducts the Vance-Granville Community Band during its 2016 holiday concert. (VGCC photo)
Miller, in his second year as director of the Vance-Granville Community Band, was known locally as the man at the helm of the Louisburg High School band program for more than two decades, a band program that grew into one of the largest in the state and was known for its performance of Sousa marches and traditional band literature. Miller now teaches band and humanities at Crosscreek Charter School in Louisburg, is the organist for both Louisburg Baptist Church and Louisburg College, teaches part-time for VGCC, frequently serves as music director for the Louisburg College Drama department and is found at North Henderson Baptist Church on Sunday nights, playing the piano and sometimes preaching.
“We want everybody to come hear this free concert,” said Miller. “It will be played right in the heart of historic downtown Henderson, in the center of this great community. The concert will only last about an hour, and hearing the band play these great old songs is a terrific way to usher in the holiday season.”
The Community Band, which is sponsored by the VGCC Division of Arts and Sciences, includes people of all ages, from all walks of life, and from throughout the region. No auditions are required. Rehearsals are held on Monday evenings from 7-9 p.m. at the Vance-Granville Community College Civic Center, on the Main Campus in Henderson, at Exit 209 on Interstate 85 (Poplar Creek Road). For more information, contact Brian Miller at (919) 496-5877 or at bmiller9302@vgcc.edu or Betsy Henderson at hendersonb@vgcc.edu.
–VGCC–
(VGCC is an advertising client of WIZS.)
https://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/VGCC-Photo-community-band-111717.png265504WIZS Staffhttps://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/wizswebsitelogoimage.pngWIZS Staff2017-11-17 08:28:162017-11-17 08:28:16Vance-Granville Community Band to present free holiday concert on Nov. 27
Vance-Granville Community College recently named Kyle F. Burwell of Oxford as the college’s new director of Occupational Extension and Human Resources Development (HRD). Burwell has been a member of the VGCC staff since 2006, as coordinator of HRD. She has also served as coordinator for a number of grants to the college, including grants from the USDA, the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission, and the American Association of Community Colleges’ Plus 50 initiative.
In her new role, Burwell supervises HRD and prison programs as well as the various occupational extension courses, which include BioWork, Notary Public, information technology certifications and manicuring. Such courses are offered on all four VGCC campuses at various times throughout the year to meet the job training needs of the communities in Vance, Granville, Franklin and Warren counties.
Burwell holds an associate degree from Peace College (today, William Peace University) and a bachelor’s degree from East Carolina University. Prior to joining VGCC, she served as child care resource and referral director for the Franklin-Granville-Vance Partnership for Children/Smart Start. Burwell is a graduate of the VGCC Vanguard Leadership Institute and of Leadership Vance, a program of the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce.
Kyle Burwell (VGCC photo)
“We are excited to have Kyle in this position of leadership, as she oversees innovative programs that serve the residents and businesses of our region,” said Dr. Levy Brown, the college’s interim vice president of academic affairs. “She brings a wealth of knowledge and many years of experience to this very important role at VGCC in continuing education. I look forward to seeing Kyle continue to foster strong community partnerships.”
For more information on Occupational Extension programs, contact Burwell at burwellk@vgcc.edu or (252) 738-3276.
–VGCC–
(VGCC is an advertising client of WIZS.)
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— press release courtesy of the Office of the Franklin County Sheriff
On November 18, 2017 the Franklin County Sheriffs Office and Franklin County Emergency Management, with participation from other North Carolina law enforcement, fire, and rescue service agencies, will conduct an active shooter training exercise on the campus of Long Mill Elementary School located at 1753 Long Mill Road, Youngsville.
The planning, training, and interagency cooperation leading up to this exercise began earlier this year, with the goal to assess our response capabilities and better shape each agency’s role in the event of an active shooter incident within Franklin County. A training operation of this scale has never been conducted before in our county, in both the number of agencies and personnel involved.
Those of us working in Public Safety know that the safety of our children is one of our highest priorities. While assessing our response capabilities is a primary goal, this training exercise is the culmination of a year’s worth of hard work and dedication by all those involved with a focus on our ability to quickly and safely reunite children with their families.
Participating agencies include: Louisburg Police Department, Franklinton Police Department, Youngsville Police Department, Louisburg College Police Department, Wake County Sheriffs Office, Nash County Sheriffs Office, Vance County Sheriffs Office, Granville County Sheriffs Office, Wake Forest Fire Department, NC State Highway Patrol, NC Wildlife Resources Commission, NC Alcohol Law Enforcement, NCDMV License and Theft Bureau, Franklin County Emergency Services, Franklin County School System, and Franklin County Emergency Communications Center.
Residents and motorists will notice emergency vehicles in the area between 9am and 12pm. Law enforcement personnel will be in the area to provide traffic direction.
All media will be initially required to report to Capital Auto Auction, located at 2380 Long Mill Road, Youngsville.
Kent Winstead
Sheriff
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