TownTalk: Webb Boosters Raise Funds, Brick By Brick

/by

A pile of bricks has sat outside the J.F. Webb High School gym for the last couple of years, but they’ll soon serve their purpose, according to Webb Booster Club member Caroline Burnette.

That pile of bricks is becoming the foundation for a fundraiser that had been put on hold because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Burnette spoke with John C. Rose on Tuesday’s TownTalk to explain the project, which involves the purchase of engraved bricks.

The booster club is raising money for the school’s athletic teams and Burnette encourages Webb alumni, businesses and others in the community to be a part of the project.

Visit polarengraving.com/jfwebb to learn more or contact the booster club at jfwebbboosterclub@gmail.com.

Webb’s masonry students are going to install the donated red bricks outside the gymnasium. As the gray-colored bricks are purchased and engraved, a red brick will be taken up and replaced with the engraved brick, Burnette said.

“We can sell as many as we want,” she said, adding that once the first space is full, the plan is to move to areas near the football field and the baseball field on campus.

“This is a lasting opportunity – it’s going to be there for a really long time,” she said.

There are three price levels, depending on the size of brick purchased, she explained.

A 4 x 8 brick is $100, an 8 x 8 brick is $150 and the largest size brick is $225. In addition to having names engraved, there are hundreds of different images to choose from as well.

Burnette said some of the school’s sports teams are in dire need of new equipment and uniforms and this fundraiser will help to address some of those needs.

“It’s time to really support our kids,” Burnette said. “Please support our students at J.F. Webb.”

Click Play

The Local Skinny! COVID-19 Update

/by

 

 

There aren’t as many people routinely wearing face masks as there were this time last year, which is one indication that things are improving on the COVID-19 front. Or, perhaps people are just plain tired of wearing masks.

But public health professionals study and analyze the public’s health from a variety of perspectives to make sure people stay as safe as possible from disease. It’s important to know the why’s and wherefore’s, but the bottom line is that fewer cases of COVID-19 places both Vance and Granville counties are in the low community level.

Granville Vance Public Health Director Lisa Harrison and her staff continue to monitor both counties and stay updated on the latest information available.

Both counties, like much of the rest of the state, experienced a real spike in cases in January 2022, but the numbers had begun inching upward by November of 2021. By March 2022, the number of cases had dropped again to about the same levels that were being recorded before the winter surge.

As winter approaches, staying up-to-date on COVID-19 boosters is important, as is getting a flu shot.

Harrison spelled out in her regular COVID-19 update that health professionals must look at indicators other than just numbers of cases.

“Case numbers are not as reliable an indicator as they once were – people can use at-home testing kits and do not report those test results to public health,” she said.

Vaccinations and the all-important boosters also lower the risk of severe illness and death, she said, so looking at trends over time offers a more complete view.

Data indicators that health professionals look at include:

  • Virus particles found in wastewater
  • Emergency room visits for COVID symptoms
  • Health system strain and hospitalizations from COVID-19
  • Vaccines and boosters
  • Surveillance of new Variants
  • CDC COVID-19 community levels by county

And while it’s good news that both counties are in the low community level, Harrison included the following sobering statistics:

Vance County has had 14,655 COVID-19 cases and Granville County has reported 18,006. As for deaths from COVID -19, Vance County reports 130 and Granville County reports 124.

Vaccinations by the numbers:

 

Vance County

  • 68 percent of those over the age of 5 have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine
  • 63 percent are vaccinated with initial series complete
  •  5 percent have received the new booster
  • 24 percent of those ages 5-11 have gotten at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine
  • 18 percent are vaccinated with initial series complete
  • 52 percent of those ages 12-17 have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine
  • 45 percent are vaccinated with initial series complete

Granville County

  • 71 percent of those over 5 years have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine
  • 67 percent are vaccinated with initial series complete
  • 6 percent have had the new booster
  • 26 percent of those 5-11 years have had have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine
  • 22 percent are vaccinated with initial series complete
  • 45 percent of those 12-17 years have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine
  • 42 percent are vaccinated with initial series complete

Visit the CDC Data Tracker by County and the NCDHHS COVID-19 Dashboard. Relevant graphs from these dashboards are available on our website at https://gvph.org/covid-19_dashboard/.

Construction Of New Senior Center For Northern Granville To Begin In 2023

/by

County officials joined Stovall town commissioners Thursday at the future site of the North Granville Senior Center in Stovall.

The new 8,000-square foot center will be located at 301 Oxford St. in Stovall, adjacent to the Stovall Branch Library.

Construction of the new facility is scheduled for 2023.

The current senior center is located at 318 U.S. Highway 15 South in Stovall and will remain open until the new facility is ready.

“The existing site has served its purpose,” said Commissioner Chairman Tony Cozart. “But the time has come for Granville County to expand services in Stovall to match what can be found at  the Granville County Senior Center in Oxford and South Granville Senior Center in Creedmoor,” Cozart said.

In addition to Cozart, commissioners David Smith, Zelodis Jay and Sue Hinman spoke about the project.

“We know this center will help so many people in northern Granville County,” Smith said.  “This new site will be so much safer without our seniors having to make that dangerous turn off Highway 15 into a very tight parking lot. Being in the middle of downtown next to other public services like the Stovall Branch Library, town hall, the U.S. Post Office, and the Stovall Medical Center will help make downtown Stovall a service hub for our northern Granville residents.”

Jay said he looks forward to construction beginning in the coming months. “Commissioner Smith and I have worked on this for years,” Jay told those gathered. “Before the district lines changed, we both represented Stovall. Even though Stovall is no longer my district, I still consider it to part of District 1 at heart.”

“Building a new Senior Center in northern Granville County has been a top priority of mine since I was first elected,” said Hinman. “Even though my district doesn’t include Stovall, I have always made a point of advocating that our Senior Services Department equally serve all parts of Granville County.”

Phyllis Blackwell, the center’s manager, can be reached at 919.693.3383 or phyllis.blackwell@granvillecounty.org.

Fire Ants: How To Manage Them, Not E

/by

The wet weather associated with Hurricane Ian a few weeks ago has really allowed the red imported fire ants (RIFA), Solenopsis invicta, to thrive. It seems everywhere you look you see a large mound of soil, and even if you barely come in contact with it, those small red pests swarm out.

If you are familiar with them, either by sight and by sting, you know they can be quite troublesome and they are not easily controlled,” according to Johnny Coley, horticulture agent for Granville and Person counties.

“When you have RIFAs move into your yard or landscape, managing them is usually the best you can hope for. Once you think you have them under control, five to ten more hills show up,” Coley said in a written statement about the stinging insects.

Although native to South America, fire ants were introduced to the U.S. in the 1930’s and were first found in North Carolina in the early 1950’s. They are now mainly found in the Southeast. Mounds can have more than 100,000 workers and hundreds of winged adults but only one queen. Winged adults will mate and, after mating with females, spin off their own queens and can produce their own nest. A queen can fly up to 10 miles from its original mound; however, most queens do not travel that far. Most queens do not survive once they have mated because other foraging ants, especially other fire ants, will kill them.

Several methods can be used to control fire ants including baits, granular insecticides, drenches and powders.  Rotating insecticides with different active ingredients is always the best practice. This will prevent fire ants from becoming resistant to a particular active ingredient.

For a comprehensive list of active ingredients/products that are available for fire ant control and more general  information about RIFAs please visit: https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/red-imported-fire-ant-in-north-carolina

You may also contact Johnny Coley at the Granville or Person County Extension offices at 919.603.1350 (Granville) or  336.599.1195 (Person) or by email at johnny_coley@ncsu.edu for a copy of this publication.

Dale Folwell

Folwell Announces One-Month “Bump” In State Employees’ Retirement Benefits

/by

School systems across the state are offering bonuses of all sorts to attract and retain educators. The Social Security Administration recently announced a bump of more than 8 percent in the amount it pays to folks who receive benefits.

And today, there’s some good news from State Treasurer Dale Folwell that should put smiles on the faces of benefit recipients of retired state employees – they’re getting a supplement, too.

It’s only this month, but it’s a 4 percent bump, and Folwell issued a press release today that coincides with the day that those payments are issued. Retired employees of the Teachers’ and State Employees’ Retirement System, as well as the  Consolidated Judicial Retirement System, Legislative Retirement System and the Local and Governmental Employees’ Retirement System should see a little extra in their monthly benefits, Folwell said in a written statement.

“When retired state employees and teachers check their bank accounts or open their mail, they will find an additional 4 percent of their annual benefit included with this month’s payment,” Folwell stated.

“The TSERS, CJRS and LRS payments were appropriated by the General Assembly and signed by Gov. Roy Cooper. The LGERS payment will come from retirement funds. The LGERS one-time supplement was approved by the LGERS Board on Jan. 27 following my recommendation and is in line with the funding policy. We were able to provide the LGERS benefit without increasing the rates we charge to cities and counties across the state,” Folwell continued.

“While payments starting in November will return to the levels they would have been without the supplemental increase, the October payment will include a much-needed boost for those who served the citizens of North Carolina as we see rising costs in everyday expenses.

I want to thank the General Assembly, retirement boards, North Carolina League of Municipalities, North Carolina Association of County Commissioners and staff for recognizing a need and providing those that taught, protected or otherwise served the citizens of North Carolina a timely increase to the October benefit,” the statement concluded.

Families Living Violence Free

FLVF Candlelight Vigil Oct. 27 To Remember Victims, Survivors Of Domestic Violence

/by

Families Living Violence Free presents a domestic violence candlelight vigil on Thursday, Oct. 27 beginning at 5:30 p.m.

The community is invited to participate in the vigil, as FLVF honors those who have lost their lives to domestic violence as well as those survivors in the community, according to information from FLVF Executive Director Peggy Roark.

FLVF is located at 211 W. Antioch Dr., in the Georgia Henrahand Cottage on the campus of Central Children’s Home, in Oxford.

Visit www.flvf.org or call 919.693.3579 to learn more.

Granville County Animal Shelter

Granville Animal Shelter’s Schedule Changing To Better Meet Needs Of Public

/by

– information courtesy of Granville County 

The Granville County Animal Shelter will transition to a new schedule beginning Tuesday, Nov. 1 to better serve the public during the highly in-demand weekend hours and allow additional time for animal care, cleaning and training during the week.

The new public operating hours will be Tuesday through Saturday from 12 noon to 4:30 p.m. The shelter will be closed to the public on Sunday and Monday. The shelter is located  off NC 96 at 515 New Commerce Dr. in Oxford.

The shelter’s operating hours are when the public may come to meet adoptable animals, have vaccines administered or surrender animals. As is the case now, Animal Control Officers answer calls for service even when the shelter is not open and the new hours will have no effect on this service.

“This new schedule will allow additional hours on Saturday for our critical public-facing services like allowing folks to come in to meet our adoptable animals,” said Animal Management Director Matt Katz. “We have consistently heard from the public that Saturdays are the easiest time to get the entire family to the shelter so that they can make these adoption decisions together. Animal Management staff will still man the phones at the shelter on Mondays during business hours and our Animal Control Officers are ready and able to answer calls for  ervice to protect the animals and citizens of Granville County at all times.”

For more information about the Granville County Animal Shelter and services offered by Animal Management,  visit https://www.granvillecounty.org/residents/granville-county-animal management/.

The Local Skinny! Granville Co. Beekeepers Are Abuzz With Events

/by

Christina Henthorn stays as busy as the proverbial bee, and this weekend she and fellow bee enthusiasts are putting on a couple of events that will serve several purposes, not the least of which is to provide the community with some great entertainment.

Bring the family to a free event on Saturday, Oct. 29 at Highrock Farm, located just outside Oxford on Enon Road, for the inaugural “Bees and Boos.” This event features outdoor games and trick-or-treating for the children and more than 30 vendors and other activities sure to please. There will be a table set up where tickets may be purchased, which creates a carnival-like atmosphere, she said.

There will be freshly pressed cider and a do-it-yourself candy apple station, thanks to a generous donation of apples from Moore’s Produce in Stovall, Henthorn said.

The first part of the Saturday doubleheader is from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., she told John C. Rose on Monday’s segment of The Local Skinny!

The Lord Granville Association will bring its locally famous hit-or-miss ice cream maker and the Model A Car Club will wheel in some of its vehicles for folks to admire.

The second part of this double feature begins at 6 p.m. with a costume party and concert by Nashville recording artist Zach Top. This kicks off what Henthorn hopes will become an annual “Hum of the Hive” concert series.

Not interested in wearing a costume? No problem, Henthorn noted. “Costume or not, everyone is welcome,” she said. Honey Girl Meadery will bring their mead, which is like honey wine, and a local brewery will bring a beer made with Granville County honey.

“This is not a 21 and over show,” Henthorn said of the evening event, but ID will be checked at the door.

“All proceeds go to N.C. State’s endowment for honeybee research,” she said, adding that the university conducts world-renown research on the little pollinators. Beekeeper associations across the state are helping to raise funds to establish an endowment to ensure that NCSU continues its apiary work.

Can’t make it to the event but want to contribute? Again, not a problem.

“We want to involve everyone around the state,” Henthorn said. “If you can’t make it, you can buy a ticket for a veteran.” Any tickets purchased for veterans will be taken to a military history event being held at the Henderson-Oxford airport Saturday, where they will be donated.

The Granville County Beekeepers, known for its summertime Bee Jubilee, is branching out to create a fall event that focuses on the importance of bees in everyday life. The honeybee was named North Carolina’s official State Insect in 1973 because of its critical role in pollination of the variety of crops produced in the state.

“Raising awareness is just as important” as fundraising, Henthorn said. But she says this weekend’s emphasis is on the “fun” part of fundraising.

Visit Granville County Beekeepers Facebook or the Visit Granville County tourism page to find out all the details.

And visit https://www.ncbeekeepers.org/ to learn more about the endowment.

CLICK PLAY!

 

Drew Cummings Sworn In As Granville’s New County Manager

/by

The Granville County board of commissioners officially welcomed new county manager Drew Cummings this week, following a swearing-in ceremony and oath of office at the Monday board meeting.

Chairman Tony Cozart administered the oath of office, and Cummings had wife Amy and children at his side. Cummings had spent the past 14 years as Durham’s assistant county manager and chief of staff. Before that, he held several positions in municipal government and had been a middle school teacher for seven years before beginning a career in local government.

Doug Logan had served as interim manager since July 29, following the resignation of Michael Felts.

During his tenure in Durham County, Cummings focused on a wide range of issues including economic development, education, transportation, affordable housing and homelessness. He has been a member of the International City-County Management Association (ICMA) as well as the North Carolina City and County Managers Association since 2004. Cummings achieved his ICMA Credentialed Manager status in 2021 and also is a graduate of the UNC School of Government’s Public Executive Leadership Academy, participating in the 2015 cohort.

He is a graduate of Harvard University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in government. He got a master’s degree in public policy from the Duke University Sanford School of Public Policy. Cummings is a native of Kalamazoo, Michigan and graduated from Kalamazoo Central High School. He and his wife, Amy, have three school-aged children (Webb, Isa, and Doran) and in his spare time Cummings enjoys exercise, woodwork, and singing in his church choir.