Granville County Board of Education Academic Subcommittee Meeting Thursday, January 21

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— press release

The Granville County Board of Education Academic Subcommittee will meet virtually on Thursday, January 21, 2021, at 1:00 p.m.   The purpose of the meeting is to review the NCDPI 5-year Facility Needs Survey which was completed and submitted on January 8.  For more information or a link to the virtual meeting, please contact Dr. Stan Winborne, Assistant Superintendent of Operations and Human Resources at winborne@gcs.k12.nc.us or Mrs. Alston Shave at shavea@gcs.k12.nc.us to receive a link to the meeting.

NC State Board of Elections

County Boards of Elections Begin Regular Voter List Maintenance Processes

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— press release

RALEIGH, N.C. – In 2021, county boards of elections across North Carolina will conduct several important and required processes designed to keep the state’s voter rolls accurate and up to date.

These routine processes are required by state and federal laws. Accurate voter rolls are maintained by removing voters who have moved or died or are otherwise ineligible to vote in that jurisdiction.

Voter roll list maintenance is important because it ensures ineligible voters are not included on poll books, reduces the possibility for poll worker error and decreases opportunities for fraud.

As a result of these processes, the number of North Carolina voter registrations will decrease in the coming months. As of January 9, nearly 7.2 million voters were registered in the state.

[See Voter Registration Statistics]

[See “Maintaining the Voter Registration Database in North Carolina.” Updated July 27, 2017]

“The removal of voters who have moved and are no longer eligible to vote in that jurisdiction is a routine and important aspect of elections administration,” said Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the State Board of Elections. “Before any voter’s registration is canceled, the county boards of elections attempt to contact the voter to allow them to confirm or update their registration.”

The following are details about three of the many list maintenance processes the county boards of elections will complete in 2021:

Biennial List Maintenance (No-contact process)

In the early part of every odd-numbered year, if a county board of elections has had no contact with a voter for two federal election cycles – a total of four years – and the voter has not voted during that time, it will send the voter a forwardable address confirmation mailing. The voter will be required to return the confirmation mailing within 30 days.

If the voter does not return the mailing, or the U.S. Postal Service returns it to the county board as undeliverable, then the voter’s record will be marked “inactive” in the state’s voter registration database. Inactive voters are still registered voters. If an inactive voter shows up to vote, the person will be asked to verify their address and update it, if necessary.

County boards will send mailings this year to voters with whom there has been no contact since October 12, 2018. Counties have started printing and mailing these notices, which must go out by April 15. More than 450,000 of these mailings are expected to be sent out statewide in 2021.

The registrations of these voters will be canceled if they do not confirm their registration by 2023.

Removal of Inactive Voters

County boards of elections also have begun to remove certain “inactive” voters from the rolls. Voters will be removed from registration lists this year after being sent a no-contact mailing in 2016. Any voter removed in this way would not have had any contact with their county board of elections for four federal election cycles, not voted in any election during that time and not responded to a confirmation mailing.

The State Board estimates about 380,000 inactive voters will be removed from the voter rolls in 2021.

Any removed registrant must be reinstated if the voter appears to vote and gives oral or written affirmation that the voter has not moved out of the county and has maintained residence continuously within the county. These voters’ votes will be counted absent evidence that they moved out of the county.

Voters may check their registration status at any time using the State Board’s Voter Search Tool: https://vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup/.

National Change of Address (NCOA) Mailings

In January and July of each year, the State Board provides the 100 county boards of elections with change of address data from the U.S. Postal Service. County boards must send voters in this dataset postcard mailings to the new address to confirm whether they have an unreported change of address for voting purposes.

These mailings allow voters to update their names or addresses within a county or notify the board of elections of a move outside of that county. The voter is asked to respond to the mailing within 30 days. If the voter does not respond, the voter will be mailed a traditional address confirmation notice to their existing mailing address.

If the voter does not respond to that notice within 30 days, the voter’s registration status will be changed to “inactive.”

If a voter is deceased, a near relative may use the mailing to report the death so the county board can cancel the registration.

Additional List Maintenance Efforts

N.C. elections officials also routinely remove voters who have died from the voter rolls. Death notifications are made available by the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services. County boards of elections also regularly remove voters who are convicted of felonies, using records from the N.C. Department of Public Safety and U.S. attorneys’ offices.

To learn more about registering to vote in North Carolina, visit: https://www.ncsbe.gov/registering.

N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles customers may register or update their registration online here: https://www.ncdot.gov/dmv/offices-services/online/Pages/voter-registration-application.aspx.

NC Governor Logo

Governor’s Volunteer Service Nomination Forms

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Know someone who has made or is making an outstanding contribution in a volunteer role in your county? There is still time to make nominations to the Governor’s Volunteer Service award, but the time is growing short. All nomination packets must be received in the Governor’s Office by Feb. 12, 2021.

Visit the website NC.gov (https://www.nc.gov/agencies/volunteer/volunteer-awards) to download the nomination form and to read further instructions about submitting nominations to the coordinator in your county.

The deadline in Franklin County is was Jan. 15, said Charles Mitchell, Director of the N.C. Cooperative Extension Service in Louisburg. Applications should now be completed online and emailed to charles_mitchell@ncsu.edu.

Warren County’s deadline is Feb. 1.

Granville submissions are due Feb. 5 and should be sent to Deborah Ferrell at deborah.ferrell@dhhs.nc.gov.

Vance County nominations should be emailed to volunteernc@nc.gov, according to Gianna Quilici, Page Program Coordinator for the governor’s office.

The award, created by the Office of the Governor in 1979, recognizes North Carolina’s most dedicated volunteers. Since its inception, thousands of North Carolinians have been honored for their concern and compassion for their neighbors through volunteerism.

Each county can submit names of up to 10 individuals, businesses, groups or teams and/or one paid director of volunteers to be considered for the award. The review committee in each county can additionally nominate one individual to receive the Governor’s Medallion Award for Volunteer Service. This award is given to the top 20 volunteers in the state. A local committee evaluates all nominations.

Nomination forms are available in Warren County at the Cooperative Extension Center, 158 Rafters Lane, Warrenton and at the Warren County Memorial Library, 119 Front Street, Warrenton. Email Crystal M. Smith at cmsmith2@ncsu.edu to request a nomination form. Completed forms may be returned to the Cooperative Extension office or can be emailed to Smith in .pdf format no later than Monday, Feb. 1, 2021. For more information, call 252.257.3640.

Families Living Violence Free

Need help filing a Domestic Violence Protective Order (DVPO)?

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— info from Families Living Violence Free

In Granville County and the surrounding area, Families Living Violence Free can help you with the process of filing a Domestic Violence Protective Order (DVPO). An Advocate can assist you with safety planning and filling out the order.

If you have filed a DVPO and would like to apply for free legal representation, call the 24/7 Crisis Line to speak with a trained Advocate. 919-693-5700; Español 919-690-0888.

An actual person will answer no matter where you call from and no matter what time it is.

(This is not a paid ad.)

“Things to Know” about PPP Loans from SBA.gov

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The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) has two loan programs open now through the end of March 2021 to help businesses keep their doors open and employee wages paid during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The PPP, offered by the U.S. Small Business Administration, provides loans for first-time applicants as well as employers who previously had requested and received help in 2020 as part of the federal government’s response to the pandemic, according to information on the SBA.gov website.

The First Draw PPP Loans are for first-time participants. The SBA reopened this loan program on Jan. 11, 2021 and is currently accepting applications from participating community financial institutions (CFIs) and lenders with under $1 billion in assets. This category includes approximately 5,000 institutions, including community banks, credit unions, and farm credit institutions. Lender Match can help find a participating lender. The program will be opened up to all lenders on January 19, 2021.

The Second Draw PPP loan opened on Jan. 13, 2021 and is designated for certain businesses who have already received a PPP loan. At least $25 billion is being set aside for eligible borrowers – those employers with a maximum of 10 employees or for loans of $250,000 or less to eligible borrowers in low- or moderate-income neighborhoods.

First Draw PPP Loans can be used to help fund payroll, including benefits, as well as rent and mortgage interest, utilities, and even uninsured property damage caused by vandalism or looting in 2020, among other things, according to information published on the SBA.gov site. Loan forgiveness is an option, as well, if certain criteria are met, including whether employees are still employed and compensation levels are maintained and at least 60 percent of the money is spent on payroll costs.

Generally speaking, most borrowers who received help through the First Draw PPP may apply for a second loan.

According to the website, a borrower is generally eligible for a Second Draw PPP Loan if a first loan was applied for and received; the business fewer than 300 employees and if the employer can show at least a 25% reduction in gross receipts between comparable periods of time in 2019 and 2020.

For a comprehensive look and details about the PPP loans, visit SBA.gov. Your local banker likely will have additional information about the loan program as well.

GCPS Receives Yet ANOTHER “Clean” Financial Audit Report

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

At their regularly scheduled meeting on Monday, January 11, 2021, the Granville County Board of Education received the official financial audit for the 2019-2020 fiscal year from the firm of Anderson, Smith and Wike, PLLC.  Partner Dale Smith, CPA, summarized the 72 page report to the Board, commenting, “these reports are the cleanest reports that a governmental entity can receive in an audit of its financial statement”.  Board Chairman David Richardson responded to the audit results, stating, “The Board is very pleased with the results of this year’s audit.  In striving to be transparent and accountable for the funds entrusted to us, this process affirms, yet again as in past years, that our finance staff and financial procedures are highly effective.”

Mr. Smith walked Board members through various highlights of the report, including an overview of the budget, as well as the status of fund balance, or the district’s savings or ‘rainy day’ fund.  The total budget of governmental activities for the district during the 2019-2020 fiscal year was $92,121,104 and $4,528,733 for the enterprise funds.  Regarding fund balance, Mr. Smith explained, “The total unassigned fund balance at June 30, 2020 was $5,887,425, which as a percentage of total governmental expenditures represents 7.12%.”  Mr. Smith further explained the importance of the Board to continue monitoring the amount of fund balance budgeted to ensure the district remained in sound financial standing.  He had previously noted that while there is no required threshold for the percentage of fund balance that a school district should maintain, other governmental entities such as towns, cities and municipalities use 8% as a general target for their fund balance.

Mr. Smith concluded his presentation by stating, “We audit over 50 districts across the state, and I wish all of our audits could be this clean.”

The Board uses a third party independent auditing firm to review financial records as a measure of accountability and certification as required by state law.  This helps ensure that the district remains a good steward of taxpayer dollars.  Superintendent McLean also commented on the audit, saying, “I am very proud to see the high quality work of our finance team and staff from across the district confirmed by this independent report.  This is fundamental to our primary goal of educating students and I commend them for a job well done.”

Assistant Superintendent of Finance, Beth Day, commented, “I am very pleased with both the financial results and the testament to the hard work that so many people do throughout our district to maintain such a high level of financial management and integrity.  This is a lot of hard work by a lot of people.  I am very thankful and proud of that work.”

—

Dr. Stan Winborne

Assistant Superintendent of Operations & Human Resources
Public Information Officer

Tar River Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan Meeting Jan 28th

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There will be a public meeting on Thursday, Jan. 28 to discuss updates to the Tar River Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan, which covers Franklin, Granville, Vance and Warren counties. The virtual meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. and will discuss next steps to update the hazard mitigation plan. The plan outlines steps to prepare, respond and reduce losses in the event of floods, severe storms, wildfires, extreme winter weather and other natural hazards.

Local governments are required to develop a hazard mitigation plan as a condition for receiving certain types of non-emergency disaster assistance, including funding for hazard mitigation projects, which stems from passage of the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000.

The upcoming meeting is the part of the first of six steps that will be addressed in the update, according to information from area emergency management officials. In addition to public outreach is risk assessment, capability assessment, mitigation strategy development, plan maintenance and plan adoption. The updated plan is expected to be ready for review by the North Carolina Division of Emergency Management and the Federal Emergency Management Agency by June 2021.

In addition to two open public meetings, residents of the four counties are invited to complete a survey. Find the survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MPWRNC2 and to visit the Tar River Hazard Mitigation Planning website click on https://gis.aecomonline.net/irisk2/NCHMP.aspx?region=30.

If you would like to attend the meeting, use the following links and information:

Join on your computer or mobile app by CLICKING HERE TO JOIN THE MEETING or use this link BY CLICKING HERE.  Or call in (audio only) (877) 286-5733,,456918094#  (Toll-free) Phone Conference ID: 456 918 094#

Updates and draft documents will be available on the website during the planning process, which began in September 2020.

Granville County Emergency Management is leading this regional effort. The planning committee is made up of local officials, representatives, and key stakeholders.

To learn more about the project, contact any of the emergency management coordinators below:

Robin Edwards, Granville County

919.603.1310 / robin.edwards@granvillecounty.org

Brian Short, Vance County

252.438.8264 / bshort@vancecounty.org

Dennis Paschall, Warren County

252.257.1191 / dennispaschall@warrentcountync.gov

Christy Shearin, Franklin County

919.291.9420 / chearin@franklincountync.us

IRS Warns About New Wave of Covid Scams

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— press release

IRS Criminal Investigation warns North Carolina taxpayers about new wave of COVID-19 scams as second round of Economic Impact Payments are delivered

The Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation Division (IRS-CI) is warning North Carolina taxpayers about a new wave of COVID-19-related scams as the agency delivers the second round of Economic Impact Payments.

In the last several months, IRS-CI has seen a variety of Economic Impact Payment (EIP) scams and other financial schemes designed to steal money and personal information from taxpayers. Criminals are taking advantage of the second round of Economic Impact Payments – as well as the approaching filing season – to trick honest taxpayers out of their hard-earned money.

“As this second round of Economic Impact Payments are being issued and as we approach tax filing season, I’d like to remind taxpayers to remain vigilant.  Fraudsters continue to exploit this pandemic to victimize the American public by seeking ways to gain access to taxpayer’s personal and financial information in an effort to line their own pockets,” said Special Agent in Charge Matthew D. Line.

Some common COVID-19 scams include:

  • Text messages asking taxpayers to disclose bank account information under the guise of receiving the $1,200 Economic Impact Payments.
  • Phishing schemes using email, letters and social media messages with key words such as “Coronavirus,” “COVID-19,” and “stimulus” in varying ways. These communications are blasted to large numbers of people and aim to access personally identifying information and financial account information (including account numbers and passwords).
  • The organized and unofficial sale of fake at-home COVID-19 test kits (as well as offers to sell fake cures, vaccines, pills, and professional medical advice regarding unproven COVID-19 treatments).
  • Fake donation requests for individuals, groups and areas heavily affected by the disease
  • Bogus opportunities to invest in companies developing COVID-19 vaccines while promising that the “company” will dramatically increase in value as a result.

Although criminals are constantly changing their tactics, taxpayers can help protect themselves by acting as the first line of defense. The best way to avoid falling victim to a scam is knowing how the IRS communicates with taxpayers. The IRS does not send unsolicited texts or emails. The IRS does not call people with threats of jail or lawsuits, nor does it demand tax payments on gift cards.

IRS-CI continues investigating hundreds of COVID-19-related cases with law enforcement agencies domestically and abroad and educating taxpayers about scams.

COVID-19 scams should be reported to the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 1-866-720-5721 or submitted through the NCDF Web Complaint Form. The NCDF is a national coordinating agency within the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division dedicated to improving the detection, prevention, investigation and prosecution of criminal conduct related to natural and man-made disasters and other emergencies.

Taxpayers can also report fraud or theft of their Economic Impact Payments to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA). Reports can be made online at TIPS.TIGTA.GOV.

Taxpayers who receive unsolicited emails or social media attempts to gather information that appear to be from either the IRS or an organization closely linked to the IRS, should forward the message to phishing@irs.gov. Taxpayers are encouraged not to engage potential scammers online or on the phone.

To learn more about COVID-19 scams and other financial schemes visit IRS.gov. Official IRS information about COVID-19 and Economic Impact Payments can be found on the Coronavirus Tax Relief page, which is updated frequently.

GCPS Board of Education: Schools to Remain in Plan C

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— GCPS Press Release

At their regularly scheduled meeting on January 11, 2021, the Granville County Board of Education voted 5-2 for students to remain in remote learning status, or Plan C.  Board members LeBreque and Houlihan voted against the motion.  The approved motion directed staff to continue providing updates on the readiness indicators and would require the Board to reconsider a change to the plan at their March 1, 2021 Board Meeting.  The motion also stated that, if possible, families should be given at least two weeks notice prior to a change in the district’s learning plan.  Under this plan, the earliest students could return to school would be on March 15, 2021, and would do so under a staggered schedule with PK and students in separate self-contained classrooms returning to school first.

Superintendent McLean offered her perspective, stating, “Our heart’s desire is to have children return to school as soon as possible.  Unfortunately, the indicators are simply going in the wrong direction.  Quality instruction is critically important at all times, and administrators and teachers are working hard to ensure our students are engaged and actively learning while under Plan C.  We want all of our families to know that we are here for you, so please reach out if there are needs that are not being met and we will do our very best to support you.”

During a presentation shared at the meeting, Dr. Shauna Guthrie, MD, MPH, and Medical Director of the Granville Vance Department of Health, provided data on the spread of COVID in our community.  Each of the key metrics presented show a rise in the spread of the virus in and around the Granville Community.  In addition, staff also shared data regarding staff shortages at schools.  Since December, the number of staff required to quarantine has risen by more than 20%.  Nearly a third of all 855 full-time employees have been forced to isolate at home at some point since the pandemic began.  In the month of December alone, there were more than 7 days with more than 25 teachers out on quarantine.  The number of available substitutes remains less than half of what it was pre-pandemic.  Assistant Superintendent of Operations and Human Resources, Dr. Stan Winborne, explained, “Our ability to maintain sufficient staff in our buildings to safely supervise children continues to decline as the pandemic drags on.  It is not just our teachers who are being impacted, but the countless others who play critical support roles in serving our children and making sure our operations run smoothly and safely.”

Chairman Richardson also noted, “This is definitely not the preferred mode of learning.  We absolutely want our children back in school as soon as it is safe to do so.  With the vaccines ramping up, it is my hope we can begin to turn the corner on this soon.  In the meantime, we must do all we can to ensure the quality of our instruction and services to our children while on remote learning.”

GCPS would like to extend an apology for the technical issues with the digital production of the January 11 meeting.  We thank everyone for their patience and understanding.  The next regular Board of Education meeting is February 1, 2021.

NCDHHS

Anyone 65 and Older Eligible to Sign Up for Covid Vaccine

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— news release courtesy of ncdhhs.gov

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services announced today that vaccine providers that are ready to expand may vaccinate all health care workers and anyone 65 years and older.

“Doctors, hospitals and local health departments are working hard to get people vaccinated. There may be a wait, but when it’s your spot, take your shot to stay healthy and help us get back to being with family and friends,” said NCDHHS Secretary Mandy K. Cohen, M.D.

Because vaccine supplies are currently limited, states must make vaccine available in phases.  To save lives and slow the spread of COVID-19, independent state and federal public health advisory committees recommend first protecting health care workers, people who are at the highest risk of being hospitalized or dying, and those at high risk of exposure to COVID-19.

North Carolina moves through vaccination phases by aligning to federal priorities while giving local health departments and hospitals the flexibility to move to the next priority group as they complete the previous one and have vaccines available. With today’s announcement, vaccine providers who are ready may vaccinate adults 65 years and older and health care workers, which will be followed by frontline essential workers, then adults with high risk of exposure and increased risk of serious illness, then everyone. It is the responsibility of all vaccine providers to ensure equitable access to vaccines. This will mean taking intentional actions to reach and engage historically marginalized communities.

“We know that people are doing all that they can to learn about the vaccines so they can make the best decision for themselves and their families. It can be hard to know what is true and what can be trusted. We are here to provide you with honest, factual information,” said Secretary Cohen.

As part of the ongoing effort to educate North Carolinians about the safety, benefits and importance of receiving COVID-19 vaccinations, NCDHHS launched You have a spot. Take your shot. to provide all North Carolinians with information about COVID-19 vaccine development, testing, safety, side-effects and reactions.

A searchable list of health departments and hospitals administering the vaccination is available on the state’s COVID-19 vaccination website, yourspotyourshot.nc.gov. There is a wait time in many areas. Counties are in various stages as they deal with new COVID-19 cases and vaccinations. To support communities, NCDHHS is partnering with health systems, local health departments and community health centers across the state to host large community vaccine events for people currently eligible to be vaccinated.

COVID-19 vaccinations are free of charge, regardless of whether or not people have insurance. However, most doctors cannot provide COVID-19 vaccines in their office at this time. Individuals who are currently eligible and would like to receive the vaccine must make an appointment with their local health department or hospital.

In collaboration with local and statewide media outlets, pooled video footage and photos from recent vaccination clinics, PSAs produced by NCDHHS and other resources are available for publication and broadcast use, and can be downloaded from bit.ly/3rTOcS2. 

For more information, visit yourspotyourshot.nc.gov.