Town of Stem To Host Blood Drive Slated In Memory Of Car Crash Victim

The town of Stem is hosting a blood drive on Saturday, June 26 in memory of a local student who tragically was killed in a car accident.

Nathan George would have been a senior next year at Falls Lake Academy. He was in a car crash in Wake County on May 24, 2021.

The blood drive will be held at the Town Hall, 100 Franklin St., Stem from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Visit www.thebloodconnection.org and search Sponsor Code 6461 to make an appointment.

VGCC Logo

VGCC names 239 students to President’s and Dean’s Lists

– press release –

Vance-Granville Community College has announced that 116 students earned President’s List academic honors and another 123 earned Dean’s List academic honors for the spring 2021 semester, which ended in May.

The President’s List recognizes students who achieved a perfect 4.0 grade-point average (GPA) while carrying a “full load” (of at least 12 credit hours) in 100-level or higher curriculum courses. To qualify for the Dean’s List, a student had to earn a GPA that was at least 3.5 but less than 4.0, and have no grade lower than “B,” while carrying a “full load” of such courses.


Spring Semester President’s List honorees are listed below by program of study and then by residence.

Accounting & Finance:

Jessica G. Whitley of Louisburg;

Isaac A. Saleh of Oxford.

Air Conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration Technology:

David K. Glover of Henderson.

Associate in Arts:

Bryce E. Garrett of Bullock;

Zoila M. Martinez of Creedmoor;

Rebecca G. Currin, Wendy M. Portillo, Aysha Saleh, Jesse C. Sawyer and Anna B. Weaver, all of Henderson;

Zachary G. Biggs of Oxford;

Caitlyn Williams of Youngsville;

Tomas J. Olivares-Beddoes of Zebulon.

Associate in Fine Arts – Visual Arts:

Rachel R. Hughes of Creedmoor;

Larry G. Dupree, III, of Franklinton;

Tyler R. Potter of Youngsville.

Associate in Science:

Christy L. Brogden, Felicia M. Douglas and Sarah K. Elliott, all of Creedmoor;

Terrance J. Gowan of Franklinton;

Heveen N. Issa, Rolando Rosado, Isaac D. Sutton and Macyia A. Waller, all of Louisburg;

Nakira M. Bullock of Macon;

Lindsey R. Burwell, Mark A. Ebrahim, Leah M. Parrott and Nagi A. Saleh, all of Oxford;

Gerardo Lopez-Villa of Roanoke Rapids;

Ethan A. Clausen of Wake Forest;

Victoria L. Dorge of Warrenton;

John E. Moore of Youngsville.

Automotive Systems Technology:

Alan A. Rueda Zepeda of Henderson;

Lucas Overby of Oxford;

Jacob S. Dean of Zebulon.

Bioprocess Technology:

Regina R. Pena of Creedmoor.

Business Administration:

Gadiel A. Ogaz of Franklinton;

Vanessa L. Crabtree of Kittrell;

Diane D. Franks of Louisburg;

Natalie L. Qamou of Macon;

Willard D. Edwards, Jr., of Manson;

Kai Z. Doege of Oxford;

English A. Stowe of Ruffin.

College Transfer Pathway:

Christian W. Horton, Daniel B. Hoyle, Isaac C. Watkins and Samuel J. Young, all of Oxford;

Colson A. Benfer and Nicole K. Walston, both of Wake Forest;

Alexander C. Aycock of Youngsville;

Michal Hall of Zebulon.

Cosmetology:

Maura Surles of Butner;

Yolanda D. Ragland of Henderson;

Dasha R. Frazier of Louisburg;

Megan A. Godsey of Oxford;

Hannah L. Holder of Wake Forest.

Criminal Justice:

Ricardo L. Ellis and Timothy W. Kapp, Jr., both of Creedmoor;

Justin M. Wilson of Durham;

Crystal J. Collins, Eyana L. Hargrove and Daniel S. Watson, all of Henderson;

Donald R. Roberson, Jr., of Kittrell;

Janet R. Leonard and Dylan J. Moore, both of Louisburg;

Hyson W. Ferguson of Manson;

David A. Elliott and Jessica M. Wiles, both of Norlina;

Angela C. Smith of Oxford;

Wyatt D. Mote of Wake Forest;

Devin Y. Steward of Wise.

Early Childhood Education:

Danielle C. Benton of Castalia;

Lastacey D. Burwell and Mary D. Ferguson, both of Kittrell;

Alana D. Fagan and MacKenzie M. Pulley, both of Louisburg;

Elaina M. Pendergrass of Oxford.

Histotechnology:

Benjamin P. Eales of Raleigh;

Natalie A. Bedard of Wake Forest.

Human Services Technology:

Ronan T. Celia of Creedmoor;

Sabrina J. Krohn of Henderson;

Pattie E. Harrison of Manson.

Human Services Technology/Substance Abuse:

Serena Aycock of Butner;

Toya L. Carter of Creedmoor.

Information Technology:

Megan N. Smith of Louisburg;

Julian W. Causey, III, Nicholas C. Parker and Roberto H. Smith, all of Oxford;

Jason A. Tucker-Hill of Stem.

Mechatronics Engineering Technology:

Larry P. Card of Franklinton.

Medical Assisting:

Victoria Dupree of Franklinton;

Megan A. Stainback of Henderson;

Jaleka L. Alston and Brittany L. Faulkner, both of Warrenton;

Mario J. Gilmore of Zebulon.

Medical Office Administration:

Nancy L. Manzano of Creedmoor;

Bambi F. Coleman of Durham;

Tracy L. Robinson of Oxford;

Juliet R. Thrush of Warrenton.

Office Administration:

Eunice T. Duque and Shirley L. Person, both of Henderson;

Brianna V. Snelling of Youngsville.

Paralegal Technology:

Amanda L. Johnson of Franklinton;

Megan L. Finch of Kittrell;

Sarah H. Borden of Oxford;

Kristin Pressley and Christina M. Vaysse, both of Youngsville.

Pharmacy Technology:

Richard S. Kudayah of Durham.

Radiography:

Starr J. Matthews of Bahama;

Josie M. Roberson of Henderson;

Alexis G. Oothoudt of Louisburg;

Cody M. Greene of Oxford.

Welding Technology:

Ethan D. Hughes of Creedmoor;

Jenae Burk of Wake Forest;

Ryan M. Gilliam of Youngsville.


Spring Semester Dean’s List honorees are listed below by program of study and then by residence.

Accounting & Finance:

Jonathan A. Marrow of Henderson;

Aaron W. Rettig of Oxford.

Air Conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration Technology:

Ausencio Maldonado-Alvarez of Henderson.

Associate Degree Nursing:

Heidi C. Fields of Zebulon.

Associate in Arts:

Madison Daniel, Kristin L. Dickerson, Leslie G. Moran-Parra and Citlaly Vargas-Arias, all of Creedmoor;

Emma M. Cascino and Kaelin A. Thomas, both of Durham;

Ashleye H. Reagan of Franklinton;

Seth H. Boone, Hannah P. Foster, Yazi Majette, Cecilia Rivera and Shamaria I. Zackery, all of Henderson;

Matthew M. Demeule, Chance S. Hayes and Brandol J. Pahuamba Hernan, all of Louisburg;

Patricia M. Donnell of Norlina;

Sophia B. Williford of Oxford;

Henry J. Pahl and Jonah W. Pahl, both of Raleigh;

Kristin W. Zimmerman of Stem;

Hailey P. Newcomb of Timberlake;

Serenity C. Hester of Wake Forest;

Paul W. Scott of Warrenton.

Associate in General Education – General Science:

Hannah N. Hester of Bullock;

Ariya Thompson of Franklinton;

Cynthia Hernandez and Rielly A. Wortham, both of Henderson;

Sai’vonne Davis of Norlina;

Callie G. Englebright of Oxford;

Chelsea A. Linhardt of Raleigh.

Associate in Science:

Sara R. Burns and Jordan W. Long, both of Franklinton;

Brandon Nunez, Cameron K. Overton and Anna C. Ventura, all of Henderson;

Brenton A. Bullock of Louisburg;

Sha’da Bullock of Manson;

Victor J. Hermida and Anna L. Just, both of Oxford;

Makayla G. Debolt and Jessica R. Harder, both of Stem;

Julia A. Scheurich of Wake Forest;

Bessie L. Alexander and Caitlin M. Pollock, both of Warrenton;

Bryson W. Bridges of Zebulon.

Automotive Systems Technology:

Joshua Antel of Henderson.

Bioprocess Technology:

Katrina E. Watson of Henderson;

Brianna C. Kornegay of Smithfield.

Business Administration:

Hunter P. Barbrey of Creedmoor;

Laura E. Compton and Tekkia C. Cooper, both of Durham;

Jasmine G. Brummitt of Henderson;

Shonetta S. Alston and Hailey D. Privette, both of Oxford;

Latasha R. McWilliams of Roanoke Rapids;

Maggie L. Powell of Spring Hope;

Katlynn C. Price of Zebulon.

College Transfer Pathway:

Christopher Hayes and Trinity L. Swartz, both of Bullock;

Layla Brewer, Jaci D. Crute and Carla Rodriguez, all of Oxford;

Elizabeth P. Engel of Youngsville.

Cosmetology:

Anna E. Hope of Henderson.

Criminal Justice:

Adam S. Eldridge of Bunn;

Coley C. Campbell of Creedmoor;

Torrance D. Terry of Henderson;

Dakota C. Toms of Landis;

Kenneth L. Richardson of Littleton.

Culinary Arts:

Michael J. Stephens of Henderson;

Maryellen H. Fouts of Kittrell;

Brandon M. Schultek of Louisburg.

Early Childhood Education:

Carsyn P. Swain of Creedmoor;

Lee Christine Bennerson and Antoinette A. Williams, both of Henderson;

Nancy E. Crumpler of Louisburg;

Samantha G. Quick of Oxford;

Lauren N. Keith of Wake Forest.

Histotechnology:

Lisa M. Lowell of Cary.

Human Services Technology:

Brianna E. Robinson of Warrenton.

Human Services Technology/Substance Abuse:

Heidi M. Kulhawik Angelini of Franklinton;

Jennifer L. Garsky of Oxford.

Information Technology:

Sherif H. Mansour of Creedmoor;

Ariel M. Kearney of Franklinton;

Joshua R. Jones of Goldsboro;

Marvion A. Criddle and Joshua T. Norton, both of Henderson;

Anthony K. Brown of Kittrell;

Sean I. Kemp and Sandy D. Richardson-Hicks, both of Louisburg;

William T. Kittinger of Wake Forest;

Marsha S. Musick of Warrenton.

Information Technology/ Networking & Security Track:

Brendan P. Webb of Oxford.

Information Technology/ Simulation & Game Development Track:

Adrianne M. Young of Wake Forest.

Mechatronics Engineering Technology:

Benjamin E. Sanford of Henderson.

 Medical Assisting:

Juliea D. Harward of Butner;

Alkia R. Johnson of Louisburg;

Lasherra S. Alston of Oxford.

Medical Office Administration:

Taylor L. Barham of Franklinton;

Christie K. Matthews, Melanie A. Slaton and Ingrid D. Terry, all of Henderson;

Laci A. Davidson and Spencer T. Huff, both of Oxford.

Radiography:

Jason A. Murphy of Franklinton;

Hannah R. Brummitt, Jill A. Massimiani-Bland, MacKenzie F. Pendergrass and Katie L. Testerman, all of Henderson;

Jessica M. Goodwin, Alexis P. Hobgood and Nilrey Rose, all of Stem;

Kylie M. Blackwell of Timberlake;

Ashley M. Rogers of Youngsville.

Technical Special Student:

Alexis M. Young of Creedmoor.

Welding Technology:

Jose L. Outhouse of Franklinton;

Christopher Queen of Louisburg;

Gustavo Jimenez of Oxford;

Bradley D. Hill of Youngsville.

–VGCC–

(Not a paid ad.)

TownTalk: Book To Focus On 275 Years Of Granville County

Local Author Discusses Book Project To Commemorate Granville’s 275th Anniversary

When Granville County organizers sat down to start planning the county’s 275th anniversary celebration, they surely didn’t have to look far to find the perfect person to write a book marking the event – Lewis Bowling has been chronicling the county’s history for years.

Bowling’s book, Looking Back: 275 years of Granville County History, is 300 pages of text, photographs, maps and more.

He told WIZS’s Bill Harris during Thursday’s Town Talk that he wanted to chronicle as much of those 275 years as he could fit between the covers of a book.

This book, which Bowling describes as a hardback coffee table-style book, will be available beginning on July 24 during a daylong event scheduled for Granville Athletic Park.

If you haven’t yet ordered a copy, you can phone the Granville County administrative office at 919.690.1308 or visit the county’s website at granvillecounty.org.

Bowling said there have been numerous books published about particular areas of Granville County – in fact, he wrote a history of Oxford in 2016 when it celebrated its bicentennial – but as far as he can tell, this is the first comprehensive history for the county.

Bowling writes a weekly column for the Oxford Public Ledger and he said that his readers were most helpful in providing photographs, stories and information whenever he needed it.

“The good thing about being a Granville County historian,” he said, “is that Granville County people just really love their history. I just always can turn to other people, that may be a couple of years older than me, who have seen things I haven’t.”

It took Bowling about a year to research the book and another year to write it. He said his appreciates the help he received from Richard Thornton Library, the Granville County History Museum, as well as the G.C. Shaw Museum and the two orphanages in the county.

The July 24 event at the GAP will be a highlight of the 275th anniversary, Bowling said, and he encouraged all Granville County residents to participate.

For complete details and audio click play.

 

GCPS Announces Staff Changes, Shifts To Streamline Central Services

The Granville County Board of Education approved numerous staff changes, from Central Services to individual schools across the district at its meeting Monday, June 7.

Dr. Stan Winborne was named associate superintendent of curriculum & instruction and student services. He will continue to be the public information officer, according to a press release announcing the changes.

Winborne replaces Dr. Michael Myrick, who leaves GCPS to become the superintendent of Weldon City Schools in Halifax County.

Winborne has worked with GCPS for almost 25 years, beginning his career as an English as a Second Language and Spanish teacher. He has held numerous administrative positions in Central Services.

“The new staffing assignments were designed to place highly qualified staff in key positions in order to move the district forward in the coming academic year,” the press release stated.   Superintendent Dr. Alisa McLean said the changes reflect a need to be more streamlined in district operations. “Just as our board is working toward school reorganization and efforts to become more efficient, so too will our leadership team.,” McLean said. “Now is the time to downsize our staffing at Central Services and streamline the way we support our schools. We will continue to make improvements to our organization by reducing and reorganizing the number of positions in central services that are paid for out of local or state funds, better positioning the district financially and strategically,” McLean said.

Other staff changes include:

  • Courtney Currin, principal at Tar River Elementary, was named director of federal compliance & personnel. Currin will also have marketing duties for the district.
  • Tar River Assistant Principal Timothy Bobay was named principal at TRES.
  • Jamar Perry was named executive director of human resources. He is beginning his third year with GCPS.
  • Bill Graham was named Interim executive director of operations.  Graham is a former GCPS high school principal and has worked for more than 35 years in education.
  • Mary Warehime was named interim principal of Granville Academy. She has been dean of instruction there for the past two years.

Additional staff were named as assistant principals at the following schools:

  • Kristin Wilson – Tar River Elementary School
  • Ashley Lloyd – Granville Central High School
  • Anthony Herndon – Butner-Stem Middle School
  • Kelly Helner – Creedmoor Elementary School
  • Emily Makay – Northern Granville Middle School
  • Pam Davis (Intern) – Northern Granville Middle School
  • Kellie Walton (Intern) – Butner-Stem Middle School

“It is a new day in GCPS, and as such we need to be positioned to not just respond to the needs of our students, but anticipate solutions and possibilities for the future,” McLean said. “These individuals will assist with this work and build upon the strengths we already celebrate.”

Triangle North Adds Scholarship To VGCC; Local Grant Cycle Open Until June 18

The Triangle North Healthcare Foundation has made a $25,000 donation to create a Presidential Scholar Award at Vance-Granville Community College, which will result in a $1,250 scholarship given to a student each year, beginning in fall 2021. This is the fourth scholarship established at VGCC by TNH.

“We are grateful for the foundation’s longstanding commitment to supporting VGCC,” said VGCC President Dr. Rachel Desmarais. “This new scholarship will help excellent students who are training for careers in healthcare, and in other rewarding fields.”

TNH Foundation provides support to the community through scholarships and grants to agencies and organizations that strive to improve health and wellness in the four-county area. The deadline for submission of letters of interest is June 18, according to TNH Foundation Executive Director Val Short.

Anyone interested in applying for funding during this grant cycle should contact the foundation at 252.430.8532 or email at info@tnhfoundation.org  to schedule a meeting.

A regional healthcare grantmaking organization based in Henderson, NC, Triangle North Healthcare Foundation was established in 2011, following the merge of Maria Parham Medical Center and Duke Lifepoint.

The foundation seeks programs and projects that will provide positive results in one or more of the five focus areas: child well-being, chronic disease, mental health and substance use disorders, nutrition and physical activity and reproductive health.

The link to the foundation’s online grant portal is available at the website:  http://www.tnhfoundation.org.

TownTalk: VGCC Adult Learner Program Helps Students Return To School To Complete Degree, Program

Vance-Granville Community College is one of five community colleges across the state selected to participate in a pilot program designed to help students return to school to complete their post-secondary education.

VGCC President Dr. Rachel Desmarais told John C. Rose on Monday’s Town Talk about the Adult Learner program and how myFutureNC and the John M. Belk Endowment are providing support to bring students back to school who left without completing a degree or certificate.

“We’re excited to be a part of this,” Demarais said, adding that the program objective complements VGCC’s vision of being “a catalyst to strengthen communities.” Helping people prepare for fulfilling employment and life-long careers is what VGCC is all about, she said.

The myFutureNC program is a statewide nonprofit organization focused on educational attainment and is the result of cross-sector collaboration between North Carolina leaders in education, business and government.

The adult learner program will work to remove barriers to education. VGCC strives to make education meaningful, but “meaningful is in the eye of the beholder,” she said. “We have to prove that meaning – we’ve got to connect people to careers…to see what they could do to use their strengths, abilities and talents.”

“We’re not getting a pot of money,” she explained. “We are getting so much more than money – we’re getting access to services that have shown they work to move the needle” to improve achievement.

Part of the program will include development of a marketing strategy to help craft the message and then get that message out to the public. One particular data tool will be especially useful, Demarais said. It will be used to identify those former VGCC students who have some college credit but haven’t completed all the requirements to get a degree or certificate.

“We need to call these folks back and … make it easy to help them finish what they started,” she said.

Through the adult learner program, Demarais said she hoped to see some results as early as 2022. “If we can increase the number of people 25 and older to come to college, that’s a leading indicator,” she noted.

It will take some creativity to reach  the 25- to 44-year-old group, who must “be able to juggle work and family life, and school life,” she said. VGCC will have to provide flexible options, making sure that the education is efficient – even shoring up and refreshing knowledge that hasn’t been used in awhile.

The adult learner program will evaluate the credits that students already have completed and determine exactly what is left to complete the course of study and get certificates of completion for programs or degrees.

An additional resource is the Second Chance Scholarship, Demarais noted. Students lose access to federal Pell Grant money if they weren’t successful with previous courses. “The only way to get (access) back is to take a class,” she said. But that takes money, which the student may not have. The Second Chance Scholarship can help.

For so many of these students, “life got in the way,” Demarais said. “We need to make it easy for them to finish what they started.”

(For full broadcast audio and details click play.)

 

TownTalk: Elder Abuse Awareness

Keeping Older Adults Safe, Protected –

Whether it’s unintentional or purposeful, mistreatment of older adults is serious business. It’s called elder abuse and two local experts discussed the topic with John C. Rose on Thursday’s Town Talk.

Elder Abuse Awareness month is observed, appropriately enough, between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day in North Carolina; World Elder Abuse Awareness Day is June 15. In her job as long-term care ombudsman with Kerr-Tar Area Agency on Aging, Kimberly Hawkins monitors nursing homes and long-term care facilities to make sure residents’ rights are being respected. Most often, she said, residents are satisfied with the care they receive. But when a resident has a complaint, Hawkins said, it is her job “to find out what they want me to do with that information.”

In her role as advocate, Hawkins said, she sometimes needs to refer a complaint to the Department of Social Services. Deloris Cooke works in Granville County’s DSS adult protective services division. Cooke said she fields referrals from folks like Hawkins and from the community at-large.

Such a referral can come from anywhere in community, Cooke said. “Anyone has the right to call in and share any type of concern for an elderly person” – anyone over the age of 18, actually, who is disabled. It’s up to DSS personnel to determine if an allegation meets the criteria to be evaluated.

Even if a case of abuse, exploitation, neglect or self-neglect is not substantiated, Cooke said a visit to the home is in order to make sure the adult is ok. Such a “self-report” visit is one way to make sure that individuals and families know about resources that can help.

Whether it’s intentional or unintentional, abuse, neglect or exploitation of an elderly person is something that she works to prevent. Through the evaluation, she can “determine what is the situation, what has caused this and how we can resolve it,” Cooke said.

Sometimes an older person living alone can’t get to the pharmacy to pick up medications or prepare meals – that’s self-neglect.

An example of caretaker neglect could be a care recipient being left alone while the family member providing care is at work; and then there are the scammers, who prey on vulnerable older adults to cheat them out of money.

Cooke said the APS reports can be made anonymously; “we cannot and will not divulge (the name of the reporter) unless it is court-ordered,” she said. So often, the reports come from individuals who care about the well-being of the older adult. DSS has up to 45 days to complete its evaluation of the situation, and they provide the reporter with basic findings once the investigation is complete.

“Our primary job is to make sure the adult is safe,” Cooke said. Often, providing resources and putting a plan in place to keep the adult safe, is sufficient. Sometimes, however, it is necessary to file a petition to the court to have the person removed.

Hawkins said she works with a different complaint process, and sometimes she must refer a long-term care facility complaint to DSS. And, of course, she informs the facility that a complaint has been lodged. But with nursing homes, she sends referrals to the state’s department of health and human resources – with the consent of the resident or that person’s legal guardian.

“Most of the time, it’s a lack of communication,” Hawkins said of complaints she receives. High staff turnover could contribute to complaints, as well as staff that feel overworked and overwhelmed.

“We offer trainings to facilities on resident rights and appropriate actions,” Hawkins said. “Getting new information helps a lot.” She also does activities with residents – like a residents’ rights BINGO game – to raise awareness.

Events in the five-county region are having events in the next couple of weeks to observe elder abuse awareness; contact your county’s Senior Center to learn details. In Vance County, Hawkins and colleague Austin Caton will present a program on family caregiver support at the Vance County Senior Center on June 17; other counties will have contactless, drive-through events to share information about elder abuse awareness.

To learn more, contact Hawkins at 252.436.2050 or toll-free at 866.506.6223; contact Cooke at 919.693.1511.

For complete details and audio click play.

The Local Skinny! Vance Unemployment Third Worst in NC

While the unemployment rates in Vance and Warren counties improved in the last month and drastically improved in the last year, both remain about the worst in North Carolina.

Vance County improved from a rate of 7.6% in March to 7.2% in April but remains 98th out of North Carolina’s 100 counties. That’s the third worst.

Warren County improved from 7.2% in March to 7.0% in April, giving Warren the fourth worst in the state at 97 out of 100 counties.

Speaking in general or round figures, the rates in both Vance and Warren are about half what they were in April of 2020, soon after the pandemic started.

Granville County’s unemployment rate is 3.6%, and that lands Granville County at the ninth best in the state.

Franklin County is in the middle of the pack at 4.2%.

The North Carolina Department of Commerce reports as well that the number of workers employed statewide (not seasonally adjusted) decreased in April by 4,935 to 4,757,583. Those unemployed decreased by 11,269 to 217,379. Since April 2020, the number of workers employed statewide increased 710,828, while those unemployed decreased 395,936.

For the audio and additional details, click play.

Oxford Logo

Oxford City Hall Set To Reopen To Public June 1

The City of Oxford will be re-opening its office facilities to the public on June 1, 2021.

Visitors to Oxford City Hall can once again pay utility bills in person at a kiosk just inside the entrance, according to a press release to WIZS News. A city staff member will be stationed at the front kiosk to contact other city staff that visitors wish to see, and the visitor then will be escorted to the appropriate area or office within City Hall.

Oxford Mayor Jackie Sergent told WIZS News Friday that she is proud of the city’s efforts to keep everyone safe. “I am proud that the city of Oxford worked hard to protect its staff and our public during the COVID outbreak without decreasing services or access to meetings,” she stated. “But doing business by Zoom has been hard on everyone, so we are delighted to open our doors to the public and one another again.”

The City of Oxford is “excited to welcome the public back to City Hall and its other public facilities as we look forward to continuing to serve the public as we strive to return to normal,” according to the statement, issued by Alyssa Blair, the city’s administrative assistant.

The City of Oxford will respectfully require individuals who desire entry to a city facility to wear a mask and maintain established social distancing protocols. Sergent encouraged everyone eligible to get vaccinated “so we can continue to protect one another,” she said.

Meetings of the Oxford board of commissioners, planning board, board of adjustment, and historical commission will once again be held at their regular date and time in the commissioner’s board meeting room at Oxford City Hall.

The public is encouraged to attend and to observe all indoor gathering COVID-19 protocols – including wearing masks and social distancing –  for those who remain unvaccinated.

Area Extension Offices To Offer Pesticide Recertification Opportunities In June

Warren, Vance and Granville counties are hosting a couple of virtual pesticide recertification sessions in June.

The first session is scheduled for 10 a.m. on June 10 and the second is scheduled for 6 p.m. on June 14, according to information from Matthew Place, with Warren County Cooperative Extension.

The meetings will be held via Zoom, but Place said participants can make arrangements to watch the webinars from their county’s extension offices if access to a computer or the internet is a problem.
The following category credits will be included with the June 10 class: D, L, N and X
The following category credits will be included with the June 14th class: A, B, D, G, H, I, K, L, M, N, O, T, X.

Registration is required. Visit http://go.ncsu.edu/pestclasskerrtar to register.

If you have any questions or would like to reserve a spot to watch the classes at the Warren County Center, call Place at 252.257.3640 or email at mbplace@ncsu.edu.