North Carolina Dept. Of Revenue Program Helps Businesses Affected By COVID-19 Pandemic

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The North Carolina Department of Revenue’s Business Recovery Grant Program is making one-time payments to eligible businesses in the state that have suffered significant economic loss because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The deadline to submit an application is Jan. 31, 2022. Visit https://www.ncdor.gov/business-recovery-grant to learn more.

According to the NCDOR website, there are two types of grants available for businesses that had at least a 20 percent loss of business during the pandemic:

  • A hospitality grant for eligible arts, entertainment, and recreation business, as well as eligible accommodation and food service businesses such as a hotel, restaurant, and bar (NAICS codes 71 and 72).
  • A reimbursement grant for eligible businesses not classified in NAICS Code 71 and 72, and which did not receive funding from other relief programs including Paycheck Protection Program, COVID-19 Job Retention Grant, and EIDL Advance.

The amount an eligible business would receive is a percentage of the economic loss or $500,000 whichever is less. NCDOR will reduce grant amounts if the total amount of grants requested exceeds the maximum amount of funds authorized for the for Business Recovery Grant by the state of North Carolina.

Grant amounts will be determined at the conclusion of the application period. All payments will be made by check, mailed to the address provided by the respective business once the amounts are determined after the application period closes.

 

 

Swine, Dairy Producers Can Apply For COVID-19 Funds To Help Recoup Losses

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The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has opened the application period for the first phase of its North Carolina Swine and Dairy Assistance program. The $30 million in federal COVID-19 funds appropriated by the N.C. General Assembly will offer assistance for eligible swine and dairy producers for losses incurred from termination of contracts or ceased milk production due to the pandemic.

“A significant number of swine farms have lost contracts and dairies have been forced out of business due to the pandemic. It has been a rough time for many farmers,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. The application process has two phases. Phase 1 determines eligibility is open now. Eligible applicants will receive a one-time assistance payment of $31,500. Phase 1 is designed to get money quickly to farmers. “If you are a farmer and this program applies to you then get your application in as soon as possible,” Troxler stated.

Phase 2 will focus on infrastructure modifications to barns, hog houses and/or lagoons. More details on Phase 2 will be released in February 2022.

The grant application and required forms can be downloaded from the NCDA&CS website at www.ncagr.gov.  The deadline to apply is June 30, 2023, but funds are limited so farmers are encouraged to go ahead and apply.

For questions about the program in general, call 866.747.9823. Farmers may also contact their local cooperative extension, Farm Service Agency or N.C. Farm Bureau offices for help with the application.

TownTalk: From Tally Ho To Outer Space, James Webb And NASA

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In one week, the U.S. is scheduled to launch a new telescope into space and scientists are eager to analyze the information that it will send back to Earth. The project, which bears a $10 billion price tag, also bears the name of a local man who rose to great heights in this nation’s space program.

James Edwin Webb was the son of John Frederick Webb and was born on the family farm near Stem, in the Tally Ho community. When his father became superintendent of Granville schools in the early 20th century, Jim Webb moved to Oxford.

And on Dec. 22, the James Webb space telescope will catapult into space for its monthlong journey to reach its destination. Visit https://webbtelescope.org/ to read more about the telescope and its mission.

On Wednesday’s Town Talk, Mark Pace and Bill Harris discussed Webb’s life and just how he ended up running NASA back in the early 1960’s.

The Webb telescope dwarfs the Hubble in size – it’s four stories tall, Pace said, and its sun shield is the size of a tennis court; Hubble’s is a mere eight feet in diameter. Others have compared the two this way, Pace added: Hubble is a horse and buggy and Webb is a Mercedes.

Join Pace at the Granville County Museum Thursday, Dec. 16 at 2 p.m. to learn more about Webb’s life, his achievements and just how he got a telescope named after him. Contact the museum at 693.9706 to join virtually.

“He was a pretty big deal for astronomy,” Pace said of Webb and his accomplishments in the space program.

But just how did someone from Granville County end up running NASA?

Pace said Webb, who was known to have a photographic memory, graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1928. But like so many other young people at that time, his life was interrupted by The Great Depression. He had to come back home and help his family, Pace said. He joined the Marine Corps and became a Marine aviator.

Over the course of his career, he became an attorney, worked in private industry and in the office of a congressman from North Carolina. These experiences, along with being in charge of large corporations and government agencies in Washington, D.C., all contributed to Webb being a top candidate to run NASA and help the United States compete in the Space Race.

As Pace noted, the U.S. was scrambling in the late 1950’s with its space program, but Lyndon Johnson told newly elected President John F. Kennedy about this fellow, Jim Webb, who he thought would do a good job at NASA.

“They needed somebody to take control of the situation,” Pace said. Somebody with qualifications and experience. Someone like Webb. He got called to the White House in 1961, and Pace said there’s a photo of Webb with JFK as the president announced his plan to put a man in space.

Apparently, Webb’s wife learned of her husband’s new job on the radio – it was such a whirlwind decision, he didn’t have time to tell her before he accepted.

Webb was a New Deal Democrat, and Pace said he had what it took to get the job done – he could play the Washington insiders game, and he wasn’t shy about making deals or shaking hands to achieve the mission.

“He freely admitted he wasn’t a scientist or an engineer,” Pace said, but he was knowledgeable about aviation and management to keep all the moving parts at NASA to carry out JFK’s promise to land a man on the moon by 1970. .And, in Pace’s opinion, Webb should be known not just as the guy who put a man on the moon, but as the guy who kept NASA on solid footing.

“That’s his real legacy, for me.” Webb was NASA administrator from 1961 to 1968, during which time the U.S. saw Alan Shepard make the first manned space flight and the creation of the Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX. Much of the groundwork for the Apollo manned space mission was completed during Webb’s term; Neil Armstrong’s historic moon walk was in July 1969.

When Richard Nixon became president and Webb no longer was in charge at NASA, he worked as a consultant (Webb was also an attorney), and he worked at the Smithsonian Institution – he became head regent there, Pace said. He also wrote a book on management and worked with the National Geographic Society.

He was a low-key kind of a person, Pace noted. “But he really wanted to get the job done.”

Webb died in 1992. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery and his modest tombstone reads “James Webb, public servant.” In 2018, a historic marker was placed on College Street in Oxford to honor the hometown hero. The marker is located in front of C.G. Credle Elementary School.

And if you’ve ever visited the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., you have Webb to thank.

He created it.

Click Play

TownTalk: Boys And Girls Club Of North Central NC Plan Granville Club Renovation

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Vision. Mission. Hope. Community.

Those words get tossed around frequently, but it also takes funding – money – to bring those words to life.

The Boys & Girls Club of North Central North Carolina has served thousands of young people in its almost 10 years of existence. BGCNCNC has the vision to help young people, the mission to provide support to those who need it most. The hope for bright futures and a strong community remain priorities in the five counties that it serves.

And now, some community supporters and benefactors have pledged some substantial amounts of money to help renovate club space in Granville and Vance counties. And BGCNCNC leaders hope to reach a goal of $100,000 by Dec. 31 to be able to start the first phase of a four-part, $5 million renovation of its space in Oxford.

Chief Operations Officer Jacqueline Robinson spoke with John C. Rose on Tuesday’s Town Talk about several recent developments in the cash flow department.

The most recent comes from The Goodwill Foundation, longtime BGCNCNC partners. Robinson said it will give $100,000 to the Granville unit and $50,000 to the Vance unit for club upgrades and safety enhancements.

That donation came about because of two other sizable donations – $25,000 from Strong Arm Baking Co. and $500,000 from Richard and Noel Moore. Richard Moore is a native of Oxford and served as state treasurer from 2001 to 2009.

The downtown Oxford bakery and kitchen was nominated for a Rush Limbaugh Great American Business by a loyal patron. Owners Julia and Thomas Blaine took the opportunity to pay forward the cash prize and challenge others in the community to contribute the other $75,000 to help BGCNCNC reach their Phase 1 goal of $100,000.

Robinson said she and the Blaines attended school together in Oxford. “It’s absolutely priceless,” she said, “for them to be so selfless to (want to) provide great opportunities for young people.”

The initial phase of renovation has a price tag of about $1 million; the Moores’ contribution, matched with an additional $500,000 from the community, will create a games room, multipurpose classroom space and technology upgrades, Robinson said, in addition to collaborative learning space and remote learning stations for the Granville Club.

It sounds like a lot of space is needed to complete the renovations, but space is something that the BGCNCNC has. In 2016, Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Co. donated a 27,000 square foot warehouse to the BGCNCNC. Since then, the cavernous buildings have been reworked to provide adequate space for the administrative offices, as well as an activities space and a space for a makeshift cafeteria and homework spot.

When a team from The Goodwill Foundation visited the Granville Club, toured the facilities and then heard about Strong Arm’s and the Moores’ investment, “they wanted to be a part,” Robinson said, adding that the Goodwill team “have been fierce supporters of our programs here in Granville and Vance counties.”

Robinson has been involved with Boys & Girls Clubs for 17 years, but she wasn’t ever a club member. There wasn’t a club in Granville County for her to join. But she volunteered while she was in college and now she has the chance to have a front-row seat to see the Granville unit grow.

“I was one of the young people that needed a Boys & Girls Club,” she said. “I make it my mission to make sure that children have the chance” to be a part of such a strong organization.

The club helps young people make positive decisions and have positive youth development experiences, she said.

The renovations at the Vance club will be to its upstairs space, and it will provide more technology and make it a place “where teenagers want to go and grow and thrive.”

Both Robinson and Chief Executive Officer Donyell “DJ” Jones joined BGCNCNC during the pandemic, so they haven’t had the opportunity to get out into the community as they would have liked to.

But Robinson said she and Jones used that time in a positive way. “It was a wonderful opportunity for us to create the narrative” that is proving so helpful to share with the community as pandemic restrictions relax.

“I think people in the community are really beginning to see what the clubs can offer,” she said. “It’s amazing to hear people talk about what the Boys & Girls Club means to them.”

Now that the children are back, Robinson said she and the club staffs are eager to continue to enhance programming and create positive experiences for a brighter future. Pre-pandemic numbers showed upwards of 3,000 club members across the five-county area, and Robinson said last year’s 719 is definitely an atypical figure. Right now, she said Granville has served 156 club members and Vance has 149 on the membership list. “We are ready to relieve some of our capacity restraints,” Robinson said, and grow in numbers again.

“We want to go from the best-kept secret in the community to really being a community catalyst for youth development,” Robinson said.

Want to help BGNCNC reach the Strong Arm challenge? Visit www.strongarmbaking.com and click the link to donate.

Donate to www.bgcncnc.com or stop by the administrative offices at 105 West St., Oxford. The mailing address is BGCNCNC, P.O. Box 176, Oxford, NC 27565.

 

 

Granville’s Fall “Clean-Out” Diverts 72,000 Pounds Of Materials From Landfill To Recycle, Safe Disposal

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Last month’s fall “clean-out” event in Granville County diverted more than 72,000 pounds of materials from the local landfill.

That is 36 TONS of stuff that went to recycle or otherwise safe disposal, according to Teresa Baker, recycling and sustainability coordinator for the county.

Vendors were on hand in the Granville County Expo and Convention Center parking lot on Saturday, Nov. 20 to unload vehicles that brought in everything from unused paint to propane tanks.

But not everything that was collected was destined for disposal or recycle – people also were able to drop off items for the Granville Humane Society.  Here is a breakdown of vendors and the amount of materials that were collected:

  • Veolia Environmental Services – 39,880 pounds of paint and 15,797 pounds of miscellaneous cleaning materials and other hazardous household waste
  • Department of Agriculture Pesticides Division – 439 pounds of pesticides
  • Shred Ace – 5,960 pounds of shredded paper
  • Blue Rhino – 19 propane tanks
  • Granville County Sheriff’s Office – 175 pounds of medications and medical waste
  • METech Recycling – 6,234 pounds of electronics
  • Interstate Batteries – 568 pounds of various batteries
  • Scrap Metal – 3,660 pounds
  • Granville Humane Society – 150 pounds of kibble, 40 cans of dog and cat food

Residents who participated in Granville County’s bi-annual clean out events leave knowing that these waste materials will either be recycled or properly disposed of instead of harming the local environment.

Granville County Environmental Services would like to thank all vendors, staff, volunteers, and participants who helped the event a success. The next clean-out will take place in spring 2022.

For more information about Granville County Environmental Services, visit the Granville County website: https://www.granvillecounty.org/residents/solidwaste/.

NC Forest Service

Burn ban lifted for all North Carolina counties as conditions improve

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— press release

The N.C. Forest Service has lifted a ban on all open burning effective at noon Monday, Dec. 13, for the following counties in North Carolina: Alamance, Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Caswell, Davidson, Davie, Durham, Forsyth, Granville, Guilford, Henderson, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Orange, Person, Polk, Randolph, Rockingham, Rowan, Stokes, Surry, Transylvania, Vance, Watauga, Wilkes, Yadkin and Yancey.

The ban, which went into effect Nov. 29 due to hazardous forest fire conditions, was lifted for 67 other counties on Dec. 8.

“We saw some much-needed rain during the weekend, and that has thankfully helped bring fire danger down, allowing us to lift burn ban restrictions statewide,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “Still, I’d caution residents to remain vigilant about burning responsibly and safely. Make sure you have a valid burn permit and contact your NCFS county ranger for wildfire prevention and fire safety tips.”

As of noon, burn permits are available statewide. Residents can obtain a burn permit from any authorized permitting agent or online at www.ncforestservice.gov/burnpermit. All burn permits granted before the statewide burn ban were canceled when the ban became effective. A valid permit must be obtained.

Residents with questions regarding their specific county can contact their N.C. Forest Service county ranger or county fire marshal’s office. To find contact information for your local NCFS county ranger, visit www.ncforestservice.gov/contacts.

Booze It and Lose It Holiday Enforcement Campaign Starts Today

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— press release

Christmas lights won’t be the only thing lighting up the night this holiday season.

Starting today, through Jan. 2, law enforcement officers will be stepping up patrols across the state to stop impaired drivers as part of the “Booze It & Lose It” holiday enforcement effort.

“If you’re out celebrating this holiday season, make sure you have a sober ride home,” said Mark Ezzell, program director of the N.C. Governor’s Highway Safety Program, or NCGHSP. “If you drive under the influence, you have a lot to lose. Not only could you kill yourself or someone else, but you could face thousands of dollars in court costs and fines, jail time, or a revoked license.”

The “Booze It & Lose It” holiday enforcement effort is the largest of such campaigns operated each year by NCGHSP. During the 2020 campaign, officers issued more than 1,700 violations for driving while intoxicated.

NCGHSP will be supporting the campaign through a combination of paid media advertising and social media outreach.

To date, 326 people have lost their lives on North Carolina roads in impaired driving crashes in 2021.

NCGHSP reminds all travelers to stay safe on the roads this holiday season by:

• Never driving impaired and always finding a safe ride home;
• Buckling your seatbelt when riding in any seat in the vehicle; and
• Following the speed limit.

For more driver safety tips and program information, follow N.C. Governor’s Highway Safety Program on Facebook and @NC_GHSP on Twitter and Instagram

Getting the Most Out of Your Health Insurance — End of Year Care

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— Submitted by Dr. Ronald Stahl, Chief Medical Officer, Maria Parham Health

Have you been putting off your annual doctor’s visit? Or perhaps even a needed screening or procedure? If you’ve been putting off care – whether it’s a recommended surgery, screening or simply your annual check-up – now’s the time to do it. Your health means everything. Taking care of it now is a great opportunity to really get the most out of your health insurance. If you’ve already met your deductible for 2021, your out-of-pocket expenses for care could be minimal – or even zero. Even more importantly, giving your health the attention it needs is also a great way to ensure you’re doing all you can to get and stay well – a priority that is more important than ever.

Annual check-ups and recommended health screenings like mammograms and colonoscopies give you and your provider the opportunity to catch any health issues before they become serious and help you stay on top of things like recommended immunizations. And staying on track with any procedures your provider recommends – whether it’s a hip or knee replacement, a hernia repair, wound care or a foot/ankle surgery – can help get you get back to fully enjoying the things you love and aid in avoiding any issues or complications that can arise from delaying care.

Don’t make your health wait. Take care of it now. Many health insurance plans make annual check-ups and age-specific preventive screenings available at little or no cost to you, and out-of-pocket expenses for procedures like the ones mentioned above could be minimal or nothing if you’ve already met your health insurance deductible for the year.

If your safety is a concern, please know that, at Maria Parham Health, your health means everything to us, too. We’re committed to creating a safe place for you to receive care. From enhanced cleaning to required masking in our facilities and more – we’re working hard to create a
place where you choose to come for healthcare.

Call 800.424.DOCS to make an appointment and take care of your health now.

(MPH is an advertising client of WIZS. This is not a paid ad.)

NC Forest Service

Burn Ban Still In Effect For Vance, Granville And 31 Other Counties

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The burn ban issued last month remains in effect for Granville and Vance counties, although more than two-thirds of the state saw the ban lifted Wednesday. That means all burn permits previously issued have been cancelled for the time being, and other types of fires – including campfires and leaf burning – are not permitted. Vance/Granville Ranger Rob Montague reminds all area residents that 67 counties have been removed from the list in light of recent rainfall, but weather conditions in Granville and Vance remain such that the ban is still in effect, Montague said.

For more information, contact Ranger Rob Montague at rob.montague@ncagr.gov or 919.693.3154 or view the original press release at  https://www.ncforestservice.gov/news_pubs/newsdesk_2021.htm#11292021.

 

The Local Skinny! Granville Holiday Events In Full Swing This Weekend

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If you can’t find something to do this weekend in Granville County, you’re not looking very hard. Holiday activities are cranking up this evening with Jingle & Mingle in downtown Oxford.

More than a dozen retailers, merchants and restaurants are keeping their doors open tonight to give shoppers and diners an opportunity to make purchases or just relax over dinner, according to Angela Allen, Granville tourism director.

She told WIZS News Wednesday that some retailers that normally close by 5 p.m. will remain open until 7 tonight to take part in the event. Allen said some small businesses had to get make adjustments during the pandemic to stay afloat, and Jingle & Mingle is just one result – “helping some of these small businesses is important – every little bit helps,” Allen said.

Visit the following merchants during tonight’s event:

  • Oxford ACE Hardware
  • Daniel’s Flea Market
  • Sheffine’s
  • C Squared
  • Huntsboro Hemp Company
  • The Hub on Main NC
  • Nan’s
  • The Painted Ox
  • Home Decorator Shoppe
  • Main Street Fitness
  • The Orpheum at Oxford
  • Strong Arm Baking Company
  • Small Town Toys and Games
  • This ‘n That
  • Tobacco Wood Brewing Co.
  • 9 Forward

Carlee Farms, an event venue near Stem, is hosting a holiday marketplace on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. More than 30 vendors will be set up in the open-air facility to make Christmas shopping enjoyable and safe. Bring your cameras because Santa and his elves will be on hand to pose for photos. Also bring a toy to donate to charity for the Carlee Farms toy drive.

Then, it’s time to put on your fancy duds to attend the gala at the Orpheum in downtown Oxford Saturday evening. This black-tie event is for those 21 years and older and tickets are $75, two for $150. Proceeds benefit the Masonic Home for Children in Oxford. There will be heavy hors d’oeuvres and craft cocktails created by one of the state’s top mixologists. A silent auction will be set up with some great items to bid on.

Bring the whole family up to the northern end of Granville County on Sunday afternoon for the Grassy Creek Christmas Parade. It begins at 2 p.m. but get there early because the roadside gets crowded. The parade starts on Charlie Winston Road, and it’s a first-come, first-served parade line up. The best parking is at Grassy Creek Baptist Church, but the best viewing is right along the shoulder of the road, between the church and Charlie Winston Road along Grassy Creek-Virgilina Road.

“It’s definitely one of our most unique parades,” Allen said. “It’s not one of those traditional parades – there’s a little bit of everything in that parade.” There’s no downtown parade route because, well, there is no downtown in Grassy Creek. This parade is one you need to experience for yourself.

And speaking of experiences, Back to Bethlehem, the live nativity at Delrayno Baptist Church in Oxford, offers participants a glimpse at what that first Christmas may have looked like. The drive-through event begins at 6 p.m. and runs through 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sunday and Monday evenings Dec. 11-13.

People come from all around to participate, and Allen said it’s very realistic – it’s like you are driving through Bethlehem,” she said. A team of folks painstakingly map out that whole parking lot and re-create Bethlehem, complete with camels and other livestock of the day.

Check out details for these and other events at https://visitgranvillenc.com/whats-happening.