Alzheimer’s Association Offering Free, Virtual, Weekly Education Series in Feb. 2025

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The Alzheimer’s Association – Eastern North Carolina and Western Carolina Chapters, in partnership with Isaac Health, a leading national provider of brain health and dementia care, are offering a free virtual weekly education series called The Empowered Caregiver to help caregivers navigate the responsibilities of caring for someone living with dementia.

“Our latest Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures report shows that dementia caregivers in North Carolina face significant emotional, physical and health-related challenges as a result of caregiving,” said Christine John-Fuller, executive director, Alzheimer’s Association – Eastern North Carolina Chapter. “Our goal with this collaboration with Isaac Health is to offer tools and education to help caregivers feel supported and see pathways forward.”

The Empowered Caregiver education series will be offered via live webinar each Thursday in February from 6:00-7:30 p.m.  Caregivers can register for individual courses or the entire series. Each week will cover a new topic with expert speakers:

  • Understanding Dementia and Foundations of Caregiving – February 6 

Discover the differences between Alzheimer’s and dementia, understand the evolving role of caregivers, and learn how to build a support team and manage caregiver stress. Speaker: Joel Salinas, MD, co-founder and chief medical officer, Isaac Health

  • Supporting Independence – February 13

Focuses on helping the person living with dementia take part in daily activities, providing the right amount of support and balancing safety and independence while managing expectations. Speaker: Debbie Prouty, assistant professor, Doctor of Physical Therapy, Wingate University

  • Communication and Behavior Changes and Strategies – February 20

Teaches how dementia affects communication, including tips for communicating well with family, friends and health care professionals. Also, common behavior changes and how they’re a form of communication, non-medical approaches to behaviors and recognizing when help is needed. Speaker: Nancy Swigert, speech-language pathologist and Alzheimer’s community educator

  • Care and Support Services – February 27

Examines how best to prepare for future care decisions and changes, including respite care, residential care and end of life care. Panelists include: David Fisher, MD, retired physician and Alzheimer’s community educator, Joel Salinas, MD, co-founder and chief medical officer, Isaac Health, Venitra White Dean, founder, Frankie Mae Foundation

There is no charge to participate, but registration is required to receive the Zoom link for the series. To sign-up, visit tinyurl.com/TheEmpoweredCaregiver  or call 800-272-3900.

TownTalk: Guardian ad Litem Program Provides Advocates To Children In Court System

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Eight hours a month doesn’t sound like much, but it could make all the difference in the life of a child.

Eight hours is what most Guardian ad Litem volunteers can expect to spend in their advocacy role for young people who are involved in the court system because of abuse or neglect.

Ruth Griffin, recruitment and retention lead for the statewide GAL program based in Raleigh, said there are roughly 3,200 volunteers in North Carolina, but there’s always a need for more.

In Vance County, for example, there are 77 children in care, but 21 do not have an advocate, Griffin said on Wednesday’s TownTalk.

Of 23 in Granville County, three are without advocates at this time.

“We have some awesome, awesome volunteers who are active in other cases,” Griffin said, “but we want more folks from the community to step up and to speak up for these kids in court – our goal being that every child should have an advocate.”

There is some training involved with becoming a guardian ad litem volunteer, and the winter training sessions begin Tuesday, Jan. 21. The virtual sessions will be held on Tuesdays from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. through Feb. 25. Apply at volunteerforgal.org.

As Griffin explained, it is a district court judge who begins the process of involving the Guardian ad Litem program when there’s a case of abuse or neglect of a child. A local advocate will be assigned and that person begins gathering information from adults in the child’s life – parents, teachers, physicians, etc. With support from an attorney and from GAL staff, the advocate creates a report with recommendations for what’s best for the child going forward.

For some children, their GAL advocate is the only constant in their lives. Social workers change, foster homes change, but a GAL advocate can remain with a child to provide emotional support as the case moves through the courts.

Advocates can visit with the children in familiar settings like their foster home or school, said Sarah Sattelberg, an advocacy specialist who works in the Raleigh office. “You’re never meeting them alone,” Sattelberg said.

Griffin said most of the cases that are referred to GAL involve neglect, but every case and every child is different. Some could be “situations that the average person just can’t imagine,” she said. “Oftentimes, we are meeting these kids at their worst moment.” The goal is to advocate for the best interests of the child as he or she moves through the court system.

Aside from the specific training that all advocates must complete, there’s no special background or expertise needed to become an advocate.

“You just have to have a heart to care,” Griffin said. “If you have that, you can begin to change a child’s life.”

Samantha Branch is the local contact for the Judicial District 11, which includes, Vance, Granville, Warren, Franklin and Person counties. Below are the addresses and phone numbers for the offices in the WIZS listening area:

Vance County
156 Church St., Henderson, NC 27536
252.430.5121

Granville County
147 Williamsboro St., Oxford, NC 27565
919.690.4921

Warren County
113 S. Main St., Louisburg, NC 27549
919.497.4244

Franklin County
113 S. Main St., Louisburg, NC 27549
919.497.4244

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The Local Skinny! Bryan Cohn Sworn In NC House 32

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Bryan Cohn was sworn in last week to begin his term as District 32 representative in the N.C. House, which includes Vance and Granville counties.

Cohn edged out incumbent Frank Sossamon by a final total of 228 votes in one of several close races in the Nov. 5 general election.

Following appeals and challenges, the N.C. State Board of Elections certified the results on Jan. 6.

Although he officially took office Jan. 8 during a swearing-in event that was part of the legislature’s opening day activities, Cohn told WIZS News Monday that a ceremonial swearing-in will take place at McGregor Hall in Henderson Sunday, Jan. 19 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

“It is an honor and privilege to serve the people of District 32 in the North Carolina House of Representatives,” Cohn said in a press statement. “This community has placed its trust in me, and I am committed to working tirelessly on behalf of all residents to ensure our district’s voice is heard and our needs are met.”

“The electoral process demonstrated the resilience of our democracy, and I am proud to represent a district that values fairness and integrity,” Cohn added. “Now it is time to focus on what matters most—working together to create a brighter future for all North Carolinians.”

As the new representative for District 32, Cohn’s legislative priorities include expanding access to affordable healthcare, investing in public education, supporting small businesses, and protecting the natural resources of the Kerr Lake region.

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N.C. Safety Awards Recognize Businesses For Workplace Safety

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The N.C. Department of Labor is taking applications now for 2024 Safety Awards which highlights businesses, local governments and other agencies for excellence in safety in the workplace.

Businesses and other organizations are encouraged to submit applications to be recognized for meeting safety requirements for employees.

The annual awards banquet, jointly sponsored by the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce and the Granville County Chamber of Commerce, will take place in Granville County this year, according to H-V Chamber President Sandra Wilkerson.

In a written statement, N.C. Labor Commissioner Luke Farley said the department presented 2,058 safety awards last year – 1,737 gold and 321 silver. Gold award recipients achieved a rate of days away from work, job transfer or restriction that is at least 50 percent below the industry rate. The silver award criteria include lost workday cases but not restricted work activity and the applicant must attain a rate of cases with days away from work that is at least 50 percent below the industry rate.

Applications are due by Saturday, Feb. 15. The application can be found at

2024 Safety Award applications as well as  instructions for completing the application, according to NCDOL Safety Awards Coordinator Kiley Willard.

 

In addition to the gold and silver safety awards, Million-Hour Safety Awards are presented to companies that accumulate one million employee hours with no cases of injury or illness that involve days away from work. Million-Hour Awards are also presented during the local annual safety awards ceremony. Access the online application at million-hour safety awards.

 

For help completing the applications or to find out more, call 919.707.7855 or email safety.awards@labor.nc.gov.

Granville Human Relations Commission Hosts Annual MLK Jr. Program Jan. 20

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The Granville County Human Relations Commission will host its annual fellowship breakfast and program to honor the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at 9:30 a.m.  on Monday, Jan. 20 at Oxford Baptist Church, 147 Main St., Oxford.

Tickets are free, but are required for entry. Contact the Granville County Administration Office at 919.693.5240 to request tickets to the event or email jessica.todd@granvillecounty.org.

In addition to the breakfast, a program titled “Continuing the Dream: How Has Dr. King’s Legacy Inspired Me Today?” will feature readings by the winners of the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. essay contest. This year’s contest entries came from G.C. Hawley Middle School, Granville Early College, and J.F. Webb High School.

Town of Butner Mayor Dr. Linda Jordon will serve as the keynote speaker and there will be musical performances by Tim Johnson and Benaiah Adesoji.

The event will also serve as a donation drive for Area Congregations in Ministry and attendees are encouraged to bring high-need items like deluxe-types of macaroni and cheese, tuna, peanut butter, cereal, oatmeal, granola bars, packaged meals, canned soup, spaghetti sauces,  tomato products, crackers, lunch-box items, condiments, personal care items, paper products, diapers,  cleaning products or any non-perishable food items.

The Granville County Human Relations Commission invites the community to celebrate diversity and unity while honoring the academic achievement and writing talent of local students.

Brad Knott Sworn In As Congressman Representing N.C. District 13

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Brad Knott took the oath of office last week to become North Carolina’s congressman representing the 13th Congressional District, comprised of eight counties, including Granville and Franklin counties.

“It is an honor to now serve as the representative for North Carolina’s 13th District. I am both excited and eager to begin working for stronger law enforcement, a secure border, safer communities and a prosperous future for North Carolina and the United States,”  Knott said in a written statement released Monday, Jan. 6.

Knott, a Republican, will serve on the House Judiciary, Transportation & Infrastructure and Homeland Security committees.

Constituents may contact Knott’s office for assistance with service requests at knott.house.gov or by calling 202.225.4531.

The Local Skinny! Rise Against Hunger

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This year’s local Rise Against Hunger event organizers are counting on packing 65,000 meals in about four hours on the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service, and they are hopeful that folks from across Vance and Granville counties will join in the effort.

“It’s about the community coming together” as much as preparing bags of a nutritious mixture that are sent to places across the globe to feed hungry people, said co-organizer Sue Nicholas.

The Rise Against Hunger pack-a-thon returns this year to the Vance-Granville Community College Civic Center.

As of Wednesday, about 75 people had signed up to take part in the Jan. 20 event, but Nicholas said they’ll need more like 300 to make sure they can achieve the 65,000 goal.

But the event isn’t just about packing food to send to other continents, she added. Non-perishable food items will be collected to be shared with ACTS in Henderson and ACIM in Oxford, local food banks that feed hungry people in the two counties.

The set-up for the day is pretty simple – individuals or groups can sign up for one of two shifts, the first is from 10 a.m. to 12 noon, and the second shift covers 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

During the two-hour shifts, teams will measure rice, soy, dehydrated vegetables and more to create nutritious and transportable bags, each of which will feed six people, Nicholas said.

She and co-organizer Sandra Wiggins have been working through details of the day for the past few months, and there’s a lot of excitement about bringing the community together to work for a common goal.

“It takes all of us to do this – working together is the most important thing,” Nicholas said. “As a community, you come together…for such a great cause – to fight hunger.”

And participants have fun as they get the work done, she added. “Before you know it, we’ve packaged 10,000, then 20,000,” and a gong sounds to celebrate each time 10,000 meals are completed.

“You have fun while doing good,” Nicholas said.

It was 2020 when the event was held at the farmers market, she recalled. “That was the first time (that) it was a big collaboration of folks,” Nicholas said. “There was lots of positive energy from it,” but the COVID-19 pandemic derailed plans for a couple of years. Fast-forward to last year’s event, held at the VGCC Civic Center, when teams packed 60,000 meals.

There’s a fundraising component to the pack-a-thon, too, Nicholas said, and there’s still a considerable amount to go – about $21,000. But Nicholas is confident that folks in the two counties will come together to reach that goal, too.

For those who may wonder just how that money will be spent, Nicholas said Rise Against Hunger has a four-star rating with a charity score of 90 percent, which means money goes to buy the food and then get it delivered.

The main office is located in Raleigh, she said. Rise Against Hunger was started in 1998 by Ray Buchanan, a former Marine and a retired Methodist minister. As a Marine, he saw parts of the world where people struggled to have enough to eat, so he started the organization to help feed hungry people around the world.

Nicholas said the meals that will be packed in Henderson are destined to wherever they are needed the most. A couple of months after the pack-a-thon, she expects to be notified where the pallets of boxed and bagged meals were sent.

“They can end up in any place across the world.”

There’s a QR code to scan to join the team, go to https://www.riseagainsthunger.org/register/?id=701Pj00000DGxfnIAD 

or you can call Nicholas at 252.425.4505 and she can help get you registered.

Visit https://www.riseagainsthunger.org/ to learn more about the organization and its impact.

 

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TownTalk: Around Old Granville – Camp Butner

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Soldier Memorial Sports Arena in Butner, which serves as a recreational center as well as the site of the Camp Butner Museum, was built in four days back in 1942 by a special team of builders who traveled about constructing buildings for use at military installations during World War II.

It is one of about 1,700 buildings that popped up like mushrooms across the 60 square miles or so of farmland to provide training facilities for U.S. soldiers. By the time the war ended in September 1945, things were winding down at Camp Butner, and local historian Mark Pace said it gave rise to the town of Butner, a unique town in that, until 2007, was operated completely by the state of North Carolina.

When the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers decided that this part of Granville County would be the site of the camp, they offered landowners cents on the dollar for their property, which happened to be perfect for growing flue-cured tobacco.

“It was a take-it-or-leave it” proposition,” Pace told WIZS’s Bill Harris on Thursday’s Around Old Granville segment. If the offer wasn’t accepted, the government just condemned the property anyway, he noted.

That didn’t sit too well with many landowners, a sentiment that lingers still today with descendants of those farmers, many of whom didn’t return, even after the war ended.

“It was a major upset to their everyday lives,” Pace said, adding that to say the government’s actions were contentious would be an understatement.

More than 425 families – 1,300 people – had to relocate, not to mention churches, school buildings and more than 1,600 graves.

Just like the recreational facility, the barracks, roads and other infrastructure was built in an incredibly short time, Pace said, and by August 1942 the camp was operational – complete with air field, a railroad spur line, churches, a hospital and even a radio station. Construction went on 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in response to the national emergency – remember, the United States had just entered into the war in December 1941, after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.

Camp Butner took $28 million to build in the early ‘40’s, Pace said. In today’s dollars, that sum would hover around half a billion dollars. Workers got paid $1.25 an hour, which would be about $30 an hour in today’s money.

Because so many young men were fighting in Europe, local farmers faced a labor shortage. They had a hard time getting all the work done on the farm – crops still had to come in, the dairy cows needed milking and the cash crop – tobacco – had to get in the barns.

“Some of the prisoners were allowed to leave the camp and go to work,” he said. And the government said farmers had to pay them wages.

After the war ended, only about half of the land was sold back to the original landowners, their descendants or others. Pace said one man from Durham bought 3,000 acres for the grand total of $10,000. No need to break out the calculators – that’s less than $3.50 an acre.

The National Guard kept about 5,000 acres and the state of North Carolina bought what was left – for the grand sum of $1.

And that’s how all those state-run facilities came to be located in Butner – the alcohol rehab center, Murdoch center and more, Pace said.

Today, the population of Butner is about 8,600. Where soldiers once trained and POWs were housed are now subdivisions and other trappings of post-War suburbia. Many of the buildings are gone, but some – like the sports complex – remain. St. Bernadette’s Catholic Church occupies a former church building at Camp Butner, for example.

There’s probably no community like Butner in the entire country, Pace mused.

Butner has a rich past for a town that’s been incorporated less than 20 years.

The Camp Butner Museum is open the first Saturday of each month from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Pace invites the public to come visit the museum, which has many artifacts and photos. The address is 416 24th St., Butner.

 

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Kerr-Tar COG Seeks Sponsors For 2025 N.C. Senior Games

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Local businesses and individuals still have time to become sponsors for the 2025 Kerr-Tar Regional Senior Games, held each spring across the five counties that comprise the Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments.

Sponsorship levels include:

Gold – $1,500

Silver – $1,000

Bronze – $500

Family – $250

Friend – $100

Sponsors can choose to provide regionwide support or a specific county, according to information from KTCOG officials. Make checks payable to Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments to provide regionwide support or to your local Senior Center to support a particular county.

The Senior Games holds events in all five counties and involves adults 50 years and older in a variety of athletic events, as well as Silver Arts, which includes creative and performing arts.

In 2024, more than 223 local athletes participated in more than 50 sporting events and Silver Arts categories. Even more participants are expected for the 2025 games. First- and second-place winners qualify for the state finals, and state finals winners advance to the National Senior Games, held every two years.

For more information, contact local coordinator Michael Patterson or local co-coordinator Crystal Allen at 252.436.2040 or by email at mpatterson@kerrtarcog.org or callen@kerrtarcog.org.

Granville County Emergency Communications Honored by North Carolina 911 Board

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In his role as North Central Regional Coordinator for the N. C.  911 board, Brian Short sees how counties cooperate to provide the very best coverage possible when it comes to handling emergencies.

No longer a boots-on-the-ground participant, Short nonetheless witnessed first-hand how counties not affected by Hurricane Helene came to the aid of those in western North Carolina who were hit by floods and mudslides as the remnants of the storms ripped through the state.

The Granville County 911 call center was recently recognized by the state’s 911 board for the mutual aid it provided to Mitchell County from late September to mid-October.

Short may be a familiar name to many in the area – he spent more than three decades in service to Vance County, about 27 of which were as emergency services director.

His retirement in May 2023 was short-lived, however, when he became one of four state coordinators. The North Central region includes 22 counties, including the four counties in the WIZS listening area.

“I happened to be on duty at the state operations emergency center at the height of Helene,” Short said on Tuesday’s TownTalk. As mountain counties reported losing connectivity, Short said he and others manning the phones and radios had to figure out what to do.

“As they started to drop, we knew we had to act quickly,” he said. “I had already been working on a list of potential places to reroute those calls,” and when Granville County was contacted, he said 911 Emergency Services Director Stacy Hicks didn’t hesitate. “Yes, send them our way – we’re ready,” Short recalled her saying. “And just like that, Granville started getting those calls.”

That was on Sept. 27. For the next 17 days, about a quarter of all calls fielded by Granville County 911 were calls originating from Mitchell County, Hicks stated in a press release from Granville County Public Information Officer Terry Hobgood.

“Our team handled a wide range of emergencies, including flood rescues, medical calls, welfare checks, and reports of individuals trapped in homes or vehicles due to mudslides, downed trees, and rising waters. I’m proud of the work we did to assist Mitchell County while they were in distress while also continuing to provide the same emergency services to Granville County residents,” Hicks said.

“Granville County served as a Public Safety Answering Point ‘friend’ to Mitchell County and provided tremendous assistance and dedication to the citizens of western North Carolina by answering 911 calls from miles away in response to Hurricane Helene,” Short said.

Thanks to technology, overall consistency of operations and training that county PSAP employees receive, counties can come to the aid of other counties in emergency situations.

The way Short explained it, because of the mutual aid that unaffected counties were able to give to those ravaged by Helene in the western part of the state, “we lost no

911 calls, even during the heart of the hurricane Helene impact.”

Given the widespread devastation and loss of power, internet and cell phone service, the counties providing mutual aid had to think outside the box to get information relayed quickly and accurately.

“A lot of times, these PSAPs had to think on their feet,” Short said. “It wasn’t as simple as (sending) an email,” he said. “What it really came down to at the PSAP level was knowledge, creativity at the ground level” that played a critical role in sending help where it was needed.

“Every call they took was a true emergency,” he said – life and death emergencies. “I’m very proud of every PSAP in my region, they stepped up and did what they had to do.”