Veterans’ Center Satellite Office Set To Open Next Week In Creedmoor

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Beginning Wednesday, veterans who live in southern Granville County will be able to shorten their travel time to get help from the local Veterans Services office. A new office will open in Creedmoor, at the existing Sheriff’s Office Satellite station near the South Branch of the Granville County Public Library.

The location will be open on the third Wednesday of each month from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., according to information from county public information officer Terry Hobgood, Jr.

This location will provide veterans with assistance processing various forms, from license plates and tax relief to hunting licenses. The Creedmoor location will also allow veterans in southern Granville County the opportunity to drop off paperwork locally without making the round trip to the main office located at 141 Williamsboro St. in Oxford. Veterans must make an appointment for either location by calling 919.693.1484. Currently, walk-ins are not permitted.

The Creedmoor location also provides the opportunity for additional programming sponsored by the Granville County Veterans’ Affairs Committee. A veterans’ support group will begin meeting at the Creedmoor office twice a month starting Monday, Feb. 28 from 6 p.m. – 7 p.m. This group will be open to veterans of all ages from all service branches and will meet on a drop-in basis with no attendance requirements. The purpose of these support group meetings will be to hold informal gatherings of veterans for fellowship, conversation and camaraderie. This will also be an opportunity to introduce services provided by the Veterans Services Office for those who may be unfamiliar with services that are available. The new southern veterans’ support group will supplement the existing group that meets in Oxford weekly on Mondays at the Granville County Senior Center from 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

“On behalf of the Granville County Veterans’ Affairs Committee, we sincerely appreciate the efforts and support the Committee has received from the Granville County Board of Commissioners, Granville County Sheriff John Hardy, and County Manager Michael Felts,” said Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Michael Turner. “We are thrilled to expand the services provided to Veterans in Granville County. The Veterans’ Affairs Committee believes this new location will provide a positive impact for veterans and their families that reside in southern Granville County.”

The opening of a new Veterans Services location aligns with Granville County’s 2021-2025 Strategic Plan to provide convenient access to services for all residents in Granville County. This office location was made possible with the support of the Granville County Sheriff’s Office to allow shared access of their Creedmoor Satellite Office to provide these additional county services.

For more information about the Granville County Veterans Services Office, call 919.693.1484 or visit https://www.granvillecounty.org/residents/veterans-services/

For more information about the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, visit the Granville County website: https://www.granvillecounty.org/government/other-boards-commissions/boards-commissions/veterans-affairs-committee/

COVID-19 Rates Continue To Drop In Vance, Granville

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COVID-19 cases continue to recede in Vance and Granville counties, and there have been no new deaths reported in the past week, according to information from Granville Vance Public Health.

Trends are decreasing, lowering the risk of infection, according to Lisa Harrison, GVPH director. Harrison also notes that there have been improvements in hospital capacity.

There have been 79 new cases reported in Vance County in the 7 days ending Friday, Feb. 18. The percent positivity rate is 12.9 percent; in Granville County, 164 new cases were reported in the same period for a percent positivity rate of 11.6 percent.

A total of 11,658 cases have been reported in Vance and 13,888 cases have been reported in Granville.

In the Bureau of Federal Prisons in Butner, there were 3 Granville County inmates whose positive test results were reported to the local health department this week (57 cases have been reported during the 30-day period). There are no new cases among staff to report.

Granville County Sheriff

Granville Sheriff’s Office To Offer Citizens Academy In April

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The Granville County Sheriff’s Office will host the second annual Citizens Academy, set to kick off in April 2022.

Registration is required for the program, which will be held at the Law Enforcement Center, 525 New Commerce Drive, Oxford. Classes will be held on Tuesday evenings from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

The Citizens Academy offers classes to provide a general overview of law enforcement issues, crime prevention, patrol procedures as well as additional topics of interest regarding law enforcement for the community. This program will build a better understanding between law enforcement and those served by the Granville County Sheriff’s Office. Interested participants may pick up a paper application at the Granville County Sheriff’s Office.

Download an application at https://www.granvillecounty.org/residents/sheriff/new-citizens-academy/.

For more information about the Citizens Academy, contact the sheriff’s office at  919.693.3213.

Got To Be NC Festival Set For May 20-22 At State Fairgrounds

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Planning is underway for the 2022 Got to Be NC Festival and registration is open now for commercial vendors and homegrown marketplace vendors to participate in the three-day event coming up in May.

The annual event will be held at the N.C. State Fairgrounds in Raleigh from May 20-22. It will feature food, wine and beer from across the state, according to information from the N.C. Department of Agriculture.

The festival also will feature one of the largest displays of antique tractors and farm equipment in the Southeast, and organizers are looking for tractor collectors and clubs to be part of the event. Plans include a daily tractor parade through the fairgrounds for tractors in working order. Participation is free and open to individuals and clubs, but pre-registration is required. Contact Pat Short at 336.706.9796 to register or for questions. National farm broadcaster Max Armstrong will be on hand to announce the Sunday, May 22, tractor parade lineup.

Food concessionaires, commercial vendors and organizations interested in exhibiting at the festival have until March 1 to complete their application at ncstatefair.org. For more information, contact Letrice Midgett, commercial space administrator, at 919-839-4502 or email at Letrice.Midgett@ncagr.gov or phone her at 919.839.4502.

April 1 is the deadline for North Carolina-based food and beverage companies to register for the festival. Prospective vendors must be members of the Got to Be NC marketing program. Got to Be NC program members should contact Sherry Barefoot at sherry.barefoot@ncagr.gov with questions.

Registration forms and vendor applications for the Homegrown Marketplace are available at https://gottobenc.com/event/gtbnc-festival/.

2022 Alive After Five Concert Dates Announced

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The Granville County Chamber of Commerce has released the 2022 Alive After Five Concert series dates and currently is accepting sponsorships at various levels from area businesses.

The 2022 season kicks off Thursday, April 28 in downtown Oxford when the Carolina Soul Band comes to town. Downtown Creedmoor will host The Pizazz Band at the second concert on Thursday, June 9 and the final concert of the series will be Thursday, Sept. 22 back in downtown Oxford. The band will be announced at a later date, according to Chamber Executive Director Lauren Roberson.

Sponsorships are all three events are available now, according to information from the Chamber. Roberson invites other sponsors to join presenting sponsor Duke Energy. The sponsorship opportunities cover all three concerts:

  • Band Sponsor: $2,500

Company name & logo on banner at each event, company name in press releases, social media, Chamber’s website, t-shirt, physical and digital copies of posters. Company may set up a booth and advertise at each event.

  • Boardwalk Sponsor: $1,500 

Company name on banner at each event, physical and digital poster, social media, Chamber’s websiteand t-shirt.

  • Shagger Sponsor: $1,000 

Company name on event poster, banner, and social media.

  • Wristband Sponsor (1): $500 

Company Name on wristbands at all three events.

  • Check-In Table Sponsor (2): $500 

Company Name on signage at check in table at all three events

  • High Tide Sponsor: $250 

Company name featured in monthly newsletter and in press release at the end of the concert series in September.

Contact the Chamber office at 919.693.6125 to learn more.

High School Seniors Interested In Health Care Have Scholarship Opportunity From Triangle North Health Foundation

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Area high school seniors with an eye on college in the fall are getting their ducks in a row  – or have already gotten their ducks in a row – to be ready for their next adventure once those high school tassels have been turned in a few months.

But those students with an interest in pursuing a health or medical career have an opportunity to apply for a scholarship to offset tuition costs.

Triangle North Healthcare Foundation is offering a scholarship that will be awarded to one student in each of the four counties that TNHF serves – Vance, Granville, Warren and Franklin  – to the tune of $10,000.

Students should submit completed applications to their guidance counselors by March 11, 2022. Each high school in the four-county region may nominate one candidate. The scholarships will be paid directly to the schools in 2 $5,000 payments.

Winners will be announced in the spring. Funds may be used for tuition, room, board and books.

Visit www.tnhfoundation.org for details about scholarship criteria and to download an application.

Granville County Sheriff

One Man Dead After Officer-Involved Shooting Near Stovall On Feb. 9

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One man is dead following a shooting involving a sheriff’s deputy in northern Granville County Wednesday.

County Public Information Officer Terry Hobgood released a statement Thursday evening about the incident, which occurred on Feb. 9.

“Granville County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a 911 hang up call about a disturbance at a residence located at 7646 Reavis Road at approximately 5:25 p.m,” the statement began.

According to the report, a male subject at the residence  had committed an assault and then left, armed with a shotgun.

Attempts to locate the male subject were unsuccessful. Deputies responded to a second call at 6:29 p.m. and were advised that the male subject had returned to the residence, still armed with a shotgun. The 23-year-old male subject exited the residence  with a shotgun and ran into the woods. As deputies were searching for the subject and attempting to secure the scene, the subject fired at one of the deputies. The deputy returned fire, striking the subject. Deputies rendered first aid to the male subject and EMS was called to the scene. The subject was transported to Duke University Medical Center where he later died. The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation is investigating. The deputy who shot the subject has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.

TRLC Volunteers Plant 1,700 Trees and Shrubs To Create Buffers Along Streams

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Winter is tree planting time for Tar River Land Conservancy (TRLC). With the help of 70 volunteers, TRLC planted 1,700 tree and shrub seedlings over five days in January. Seedlings were planted on 4.5 acres of fields located near Dickens Creek and Lake  Holt on TRLC-owned land in Granville County. Volunteers for these events included students, families and individuals from Granville, Durham, Wake and Alamance counties.

The January events were the continuation of a multi-year project to create forested buffers along streams that flow into Lake Holt and Falls Lake. The reservoirs supply drinking water to  Granville and Wake counties. Since 2019, TRLC staff and volunteers  have planted more than  4,000 seedlings to reforest 11 acres of conservation land near Butner and Stem.

The staff at N.C. State’s Butner Beef Cattle Research Farm helped TRLC prepare the tree-planting areas before volunteers arrived. Holes were dug for each seedling using a tractor-powered auger. This allowed volunteers to easily plant seedlings using hand tools. Additionally, the loose soil will give the seedling roots more space to grow over the first year.

“We planted two dozen species of tree and shrubs,” noted David Thomas, TRLC land stewardship manager. “The goal is to restore a diverse stand of trees that will filter runoff from adjoining fields while also providing food for wildlife and nectar for pollinator insects.”

Seedlings should begin growing in March and April once spring temperatures arrive. Seedlings planted during the events included several types of oaks, hickories and hollies, as well as tulip poplar, beech, dogwood, redbud, crabapple, persimmon, blackgum, blueberry and witch hazel.  Translucent tree shelters were installed to promote seedling growth and to protect each seedling from damage by whitetail deer. The tree shelters will be removed when the saplings are fully established in five to seven years.

TRLC received funding for seedlings, tree shelters and preparing the sites from the N.C. Land and Water Fund, Raleigh’s Watershed Protection Program, and the alumni and families of the Tau Chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha.

Since 2017, TRLC has acquired11 properties totaling 1,442 acres in the Lake Holt watershed in Granville County. This land will remain permanently undeveloped to protect water quality in Lake Holt and to limit develop around Camp Butner, a military installation managed by the N.C. Army National Guard. TRLC’s land holdings in this area includes the Roberts Chapel Conservation Area – located at 792 Roberts Chapel Road – where TRLC opened 1.5 miles of public hiking trails last year.

Visit www.tarriver.org to see photos of the January 2022 tree planting events taken by photographer Sam Upchurch and others. To learn more about volunteer opportunities with Tar River Land Conservancy, send an email volunteer@tarriver.org or call 919.496.5902.

Granville School Board Approves More Staff Changes

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The Granville County Board of Education announced several changes in leadership roles across the district at its meeting on Monday, Feb. 7.

Beth Day, who has been assistant superintendent of finance for GCPS for 14 years, will leave her post at the end of February. Day has accepted the position of chief financial officer for “Voices Together,” a non-profit that provides music therapy for children with special needs.

Vickie Hines, the district’s finance and early childhood coordinator, will fill in as interim finance direction, beginning Mar. 1, until a new finance director is named. Hines has served previously as assistant finance officer.

The board announced that Shelby Hunt will be the new senior director of federal programs. Hunt, who has worked in the district for 23 years. She has had numerous roles, including classroom teacher and principal. Most recently, she was grants and special projects manager, which included managing Title I funds for the district.

The board also accepted the resignation of Mt. Energy Elementary Principal Billy Moore.

Assistant Principal Kimberly McNeill will serve as interim principal until a new principal is named.

In a written statement from GCPS, Day said that she will miss her colleagues. “You are all so much more than coworkers and I know you will continue to do great things for the children of Granville County.”

She continued by saying, “As many of you know, my son, Will, had special needs during his short life and music was a window to his soul.  I am passionate about both honoring Will’s memory and helping others that are going through similar challenges as we have faced.  I am excited about the opportunity to meet those life goals through this new role at Voices Together.”

NC Dept of Agriculture

Updated State Forest Action Plan Approved, Ready For Use

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– Story courtesy of the North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services

North Carolina’s updated forest action plan has been approved by the USDA Forest Service and is now ready to be implemented by forestry stakeholders across the state.
The plan is a thorough review of the state’s forestland, focusing on changes and trends that have occurred since 2010. The plan not only evaluates past and current forest conditions, but also addresses factors that may impact forest health and sustainability moving forward.

Ninety-six percent of the state’s 18.75 million acres of forests is timberland, according to the plan, which classifies it as capable of commercial production and not in reserved status or unproductive. Most of the forestland in Vance County is privately owned, according to the details in the plan.

“Input from our forestry partners, along with the efforts of stakeholder working groups and our forest service staff, has paved the way for this plan,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “With the continued work of our N.C. Forest Service and forestry partners across the state, this plan will serve as a roadmap for efforts on the ground to protect, conserve and enhance our forest resources and the many benefits we enjoy from them.”

Updating North Carolina’s Forest action plan was a collective effort, involving feedback from nearly 70 organizations on the conditions, needs and opportunities of North Carolina’s forests. 

Many of the recommended strategies identified in North Carolina’s initial forest action plan, which was released in 2010 as a result of the 2008 Farm Bill, have been successfully put into action. Among those accomplishments have been reforestation projects, prescribed burns and the mitigation of forest fuels to reduce wildfire risk. Longleaf restoration and the conservation of priority species and habitats have made significant gains as well.

“One trend worth noting has been the collaboration between new partners, often resulting in opportunities for private forest landowners and for land conservation that may have otherwise been unavailable,” said Assistant Agriculture Commissioner Scott Bissette. “The intent is for all forest stakeholders in North Carolina to use this plan as a guide for including applicable strategies into their organization’s efforts so we can collectively roll out this plan, keeping our woodlands healthy, resilient and productive.”

To learn more about North Carolina’s updated forest action plan, the national priorities and goals behind it and the plan’s associated Geospatial Viewer, visit https://www.ncforestactionplan.com/.