Granville Ed Foundation Fundraiser Set For Aug. 9 at Tobacco Wood Brewing Company

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The Granville Education Foundation has announced plans for its annual fundraiser, including dinner and the chance to win prizes – all to benefit education in the county.

The 6th annual Pig ‘n a Raffle is set for Monday, Aug. 9 at Tobacco Wood Brewing Company in downtown Oxford, according to GEF Executive Director Jennifer Cufalo Carpenter.  Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $50 each and include a catered meal, 2 beverage tickets (a cash bar also will be available), and entry into a raffle with the chance to win over 40 items, each valued over $100.

Tickets are available from any GEF board member. This year, Carpenter said, the event will feature a special musical performance by Andrew Rice.

“We are looking forward to another exciting raffle event this year,” she said. In addition to cash prizes and gift cards, other items to be raffled include a Blackstone Griddle, donated by Union Bank, and an Adirondack chair and table donated by Guy Breedlove.

Visit the GEF Facebook page for a complete list of items. Carpenter said the list will be updated as more items are added.  “As a unique feature of Pig ‘n a Raffle – if you are unable to attend, you can still support the event by purchasing raffle tickets,” she said. Winners need not be present to win.

“This event is a great way to gather with others from the community, enjoy a great meal, and have the added benefit of possibly winning some really great items,” said Kevin Breedlove, GEF treasurer. “It’s a casual, fun way to spend a Monday evening.”

Event sponsors include Whitco Termite & Pest Control, the Masonic Home for Children in Oxford and Wilkinson & Carpenter, Attorneys at Law.

The Granville Education Foundation is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing student performance.  Funds raised through the Granville Education Foundation are used to provide resources and enrichment programs for students in Granville County schools.

Contact the Granville Education Foundation at 919.693.7047 or GranvilleEdFoundation@outlook.com.

Hearings Set For Public To Comment On Granville Schools Reorganization Plan

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Granville County residents will have the chance to voice their opinions about school reorganization and consolidation during two public hearings that will be held early next week.

The county’s board of education will hear public comment on Monday, July 26 regarding the possible closure of Creedmoor Elementary or Wilton Elementary, according to information received from Dr. Stan Winborne, associate superintendent and public information officer for GCPS.

Then on Tuesday, July 27, the school board will receive comments about the reorganization of secondary schools in the district.

The board voted at a called meeting on Thursday to present two options in advance of the Tuesday meeting regarding secondary school reorganization, according to Winborne:

(1) Closure of Hawley Middle School, reassignment of 7th and 8th grade students from Hawley Middle to other schools, and relocation of all Granville County sixth-grade students to elementary schools; OR

(2) Relocation of Hawley Middle School to the South Granville High School campus and consolidation of South Granville High School and Granville Central High School into one high school on the current GCHS campus.

Both meetings begin at 6 p.m. and will be held at Tar River Elementary School, 2642 Philo White Road, Franklinton, NC. The school is located off Hwy 56 South in Granville County. In addition, Winborne said anyone wishing to address the board may sign up beginning at 5:15 p.m. on the day of the hearing. Each person who has signed up before 6 p.m. will have up to three minutes to  speak.

Written comments also may be submitted electronically to publiccomment@gcs.k12.nc.us or may be hand-delivered to GCPS Central Office at 101 Delacroix Street, Oxford, NC 27565.

Members of the public wishing to attend the meeting will be required to wear face coverings, undergo health screenings before entering the building, and cooperate with social distancing requirements. There will be limited seating available, Winborne stated.

The hearings will be available online as well via the following link: https://live.myvrspot.com/st?cid=MDhkZj.

Holding public hearings was a next step for the board as it continues to discuss options for the district, which faces a $1.7 million budget deficit and many empty classrooms in its schools. The board discussed in its called meeting Thursday afternoon results of a survey that was created to get feedback from the community about the possible closings and consolidation.

SportsTalk: Khalil Watson to be a highlight of Saturday’s Home Run Derby

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If you love baseball then Saturday’s Home Run Derby is for you! Wake Forest’s Fungo baseball team, part of the NC Amateur Basball Club, is putting on the event beginning at 1pm on Saturday at Heritage High School in Wake Forest. Fungo General Manager and Oxford native Brad Mize says he hopes “to put on a show and earn fans,” during the event. The NC Amateur Baseball Club consists of 16 youth teams from North Carolina and Virginia including Granville County’s Carolina Thunder.

This is the first home run derby and, according to Mize, the germ of the idea was to do something special for the players, something for them to remember. Mize hopes this will become an annual event. With that in mind, Mize has done everything he can to make the event a special one. Khalil Watson will be attending. Watson was the 16th overall pick in the recent Major League Baseball draft. Watson attended Wake Forest High School and NC State. He was drafted by the Marlins and he will be available for autographs and photos at the event. Additionally, Mize says concessions will be available and a raffle will also be held for everyone in attendance.

While a lot of fun is to be had on Saturday, baseball still has to be played and Mize’s Fungo team has compiled a 21-10 record this season which is good enough to propel them to the league’s Western Division championship and will be heading into the playoffs next week. Many of the players who have passed through the NC Amateur Baseball Club have moved on to the major leagues including Oxford’s Ky Adcock who was drafted by the Mariners in 2019.

The NCABC organization is unique to Wake County as the only travel community to provide diamond time and professional training from ages 7 through college. Not only does NCABC provide Baseball and Softball travel teams for young athletes (7U-15U), it is home to two Legion affiliate teams at the HSU level (Post 187 & Post 297 Senior), 3 Legion Lady affiliate teams (Post 187 Jr & Sr and Post 297 Jr), and boasts the CVCL College FUNGO woodbat team. All levels of NCABC athletes are professionally coached with a hybrid professional/parent coach model at the younger levels. In addition to travel teams, NCABC’S mission is to provide athletic and character development to all area baseball and softball athletes through professionally coached academies, camps/clinics, consulting, and private lessons. Based in Raleigh, NC, NCABC is the full package travel and development organization for athletes and their families.

For more information email them at ncabcfungo@gmail.com.

For complete details and audio click play.

 

The Local Skinny: Recycling On The Rise In Granville

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In the 12 years since Teresa Baker has been recycling and sustainability coordinator for Granville County and Granville County Public Schools, she has seen a lot of things change. And most of it is because of her efforts to get the community onboard with recycling.

“It’s improved tenfold,” Baker told Bill Harris on Thursday’s The Local Skinny! “It‘s just been amazing.”
When the county started this program 12 years ago, residents were separating newspaper from aluminum cans from glass bottles. Now, residents can simply collect all their recyclables in a single container, what the industry calls “single stream.”

Among her many job duties, Baker collaborates with GFL, formerly Waste Industries, to make sure all residents have the service they need so their recycling efforts are optimized.

By informing the community about events like the fall and spring household recycling events she hosts, Baker said Granville residents are keeping a lot of harmful items out of the environment.

“We can reuse a lot of stuff, we can repair and recycle” to keep things out of the landfill. She said the upcoming RepairCafé workshop is just another way to keep items from being added to the landfill. She and Oxford resident and RepairCafé organizer Don Fick have teamed up to have a workshop at the Granville Expo Center on Sept. 18.

TownTalk: Repair Cafe Event Coming To Granville County

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Don Fick of Repair Cafe NC discusses how his organization repairs many daily household items keeping them out of local landfills.

For complete details and audio click play.

Just because the button on your household gizmo is broken doesn’t mean it needs to go straight to the landfill – it may just need a quick trip to a RepairCafé workshop. There’s one coming up Saturday in Durham, but Don Fick and his crew are coming to Granville County in September.

Fick and Teresa Baker, the county’s recycling and sustainability coordinator, held an interest meeting last week in Oxford and have since scheduled a workshop for Saturday, Sept. 18 at the Granville County Expo Center. Fick joined Bill Harris on Wednesday’s Town Talk to talk about what RepairCaféNC is and what it does.

At its simplest, Fink said, RepairCafé workshops consist of a group of folks who get together and share repair skills to fix broken items that others bring in.  There is no charge for the labor, although guests may be asked to reimburse for replacement parts that are used.

In today’s society, disposable items are everywhere – things that once were made to last a long time are now easily – and more economically – replaced. But that “stuff” has to go somewhere. And, usually, that means a landfill.

“The money that the county has to spend to dump a ton of waste is only going up,” Fick said. Individuals don’t really have to think about that, he added. “We toss it in the trash can and the truck comes and picks it up and we never see it again.”

Fick said a mission of RepairCafé is to reduce the amount of waste consumers generate that ends up in landfills. When a lamp stops working and it’s not the light bulb that’s the problem, someone who lacks confidence about making repairs may choose to toss it. But that same lamp may find new life in the hands of one of the RepairCafé “coaches.”

Fick said the volunteers have a 65 percent success rate of fixing the items that they work on. They see a lot of lamps, as well as vacuum cleaners, electronic equipment, necklaces and children’s toys.

He cited one example of a woman who brought in a music box – a gift from her grandmother – that had long ago ceased playing.

“She sat with two of our coaches and together they meticulously cleaned it, lubricated it, worked very carefully on realigning some bent pieces of metal. And after an hour’s work, it was playing music again,” Fick recalled. “We were able to restore her cherished possession,” and she got to share her story and her relationship with her grandmother.

“We’re doing more than fixing stuff,” Fick said. “We’re helping people reconnect with memories and we’re showing appreciation for the stories they bring.”

Fick said the group is looking for volunteers for the Granville County workshop. The volunteer coaches simply have an interest or curiosity of how things work, he said, and have a skill set for making repairs.

The Durham workshop will be held at The Scrap Exchange from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Visit www.repaircafe.org to learn more or to register to attend a workshop.

 

School Board To Review, Discuss Survey Results July 22

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The Granville County Board of Education will meet for a special called meeting Thursday afternoon at the Mary Potter Center of Education to receive and discuss results of a community survey in its continuing discussion about school consolidation.

The July 22 meeting will begin at 1 p.m. and will be open to the public, but face coverings, health screenings and social distancing will be in required, according to Dr. Stan Winborne, GCPS associate superintendent and public information officer.

The meeting also will be livestreamed, Winborne said in a statement issued Monday, July 19. Join the meeting at https://live.myvrspot.com/st?cid=MDhkZj.

The Local Skinny! McClary To Speak At Living Stones Church Of God Worship Center in Oxford

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WIZS has been asked to announce the appearance of a special guest speaker at Living Stones Church of God Worship Center.

First Lieutenant Patrick Cleburne McClary, III, USMC, Retired is a Vietnam War hero, and he will speak at Living Stones COG in conjunction with National Purple Heart Day.

National Purple Heart Day is August 7th and “Clebe” McClary, as he is known to thousands, will speak at Living Stones COG on August 8th.

The worship center is located at 6096 Tabbs Creek Road, Oxford.

Andy Roberson, Commander of American Legion Post 60, may be contacted for more information at 252-432-2432.

Praise and worship begins at 10:40 a.m., and guest speaker McClary will begin at 11 a.m.

Edward Woodlief, historian of Henderson American Legion Post 60, told WIZS News, “McClary is the recipient of the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, three purple hearts, the Audie Murphy award and numerous other awards given him for combat during the Vietnam War. McClary, a South Carolina native, was seriously wounded but continued to lead his men while under enemy fire. After numerous surgeries and a long rehabilitation, he has become the symbol of courage and hope for audiences around the world.”

McClary is online at clebemcclary.com, and the site says, “During the Vietnam War, while some of his contemporaries were staging anti-war protests and desecrating the American flag, the Lowcountry (South Carolina) native was serving as a platoon leader in the First Reconnaissance Battalion. On the battalion’s 19th patrol, the unit was attacked by the Viet Cong. Lieutenant McClary was seriously wounded, losing his left arm and left eye, yet he continued to lead his men. The numerous surgeries and long recovery period that followed could have taken a bitter toll, but he faced his rehabilitation with characteristic determination. In the years since, Lieutenant McClary has become a symbol of courage and hope to the many audiences around the world with whom he has shared his story.”

For more, click play.

City of Oxford

New Tethering Ordinance Takes Effect Aug. 1 For Oxford Dog Owners

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Beginning Aug. 1, Oxford residents who tether their dog could be in violation of a new city ordinance that carries a civil penalty of $100 for each day they are found to be out of compliance.

The board adopted the ordinance at their July 13 meeting.  City Commissioner John Tovey said he brought the issue before the board several weeks ago “in response to a concern from a city resident about an older dog who was tied 24 hours a day.” Tovey told WIZS News Friday via email he went to see the situation for himself and “it was then I decided that the city needs to have an ordinance to stop this abuse.”

Community feedback since the ordinance was adopted has been “nothing but positive, very positive,” Tovey said, adding that there have been more reports of dogs being tied out all day, every day – “it’s good that light is being shed on this problem.”

Tovey researched laws and ordinances in other communities and states to see what, if any, policies are in place elsewhere.

Animal Control will make initial contact with a person not complying with the new ordinance. If the issue is not resolved, police may be called in, he said.

The objective of the ordinance is “to regulate the unattended restraint or tethering of dogs” and provides details to describe “acceptable tethering devices.”

“No person shall tether a dog to a tree, fence, post, dog house, or other stationary objects for more than three (3) hours total in a twenty-four (24) hour period,” the ordinance states. The rope or chain used has to be at least 10 feet long and fastened in a way to prevents the animal from getting tangled or causing itself harm.

A cable system is considered an acceptable form of tethering – for no more than the three hours specified in the ordinance, which also has details about how the tether is attached to the dog, as well as weight restrictions.

“Someone HAS to speak for the animals, we are (basically) a nation of animal lovers, but there are always a few who will abuse animals, it has to stop,” Tovey wrote.

Read the entire ordinance (here) or use https://www.oxfordnc.org and click on the Government tab and select Ordinances from the dropdown box.

Filing Period Ends For November Elections; Stovall’s Mayor Janet Parrott Retiring After 42 Years

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The town of Stovall will choose a new mayor for the first time in more than four decades in the upcoming elections in November; incumbent Oxford Mayor Jackie Sergent will face challenger Sherry Shavon Hester and the three other incumbent mayors of Butner, Creedmoor and Stem are running unopposed.

The filing period ended today (Friday) at noon for the Nov. 2 municipal elections, said Tonya Burnette, county elections director.

Janet Parrott, Stovall’s mayor, did not file for re-election. The two candidates who filed are Curtis S. Pugh and current town board member Mike Williford.

Parrott told WIZS News she is retiring from her role as mayor after 42 years. She was first elected in 1979 when she was 24 years old, she added, but will continue to work as administrator for the town of Stovall.

Eight candidates filed for seats on the Oxford Board of Commissioners – incumbents Patricia Fields and S. Quon Bridges filed for re-election and newcomers Bryan Cohn, Courtney Crudup, Walkiria Jones, Melanie Kaye Moseley, John L. Oliver and B. Seth Lumpkins also filed.

Three candidates for Stovall Commissioner are Douglas Lunsford, Jr., Carl T. Roberts and Tonya Sneed.

Susan Cope, Kevin Easter and Frank N. Shelton, III filed to run for commissioner in the town of Stem.

In Butner, Michel Branch, Judy Cheek and Tom Lane filed for seats on the Butner Town Council; in Creedmoor, Emma L. Albright and Robert Way filed for commissioners’ seats.

Butner Mayor Terry Turner, Creedmoor Mayor Bobby Wheeler and Stem Mayor Casey Dover face no opposition.

Oxford Police Dept

Oxford Announces Interim Police Chief

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The City of Oxford has announced that former Oxford Police Department Captain Pat Ford will return to the Police Department to serve as interim police chief. Ford will begin the job on Aug. 2 and will lead the department as it conducts a search for a permanent chief.

Chief Al Coley announced in June that he will retire, effective Aug. 1.

“The City of Oxford is both pleased and thankful to have someone with nearly 25 years of service and experience with the Oxford Police Department to serve in this capacity,” according to a press release issued from the city’s executive offices.