Donate Old, Functioning Laptops to HTI

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HUBZone Technology Initiative (HTI) is collecting working laptop computers to convert to Chromebooks. There are several drop-off sites in Henderson and the surrounding area that will be accepting donations through April 22.

Drop-off sites in Henderson include:

  • HTI office – 208 N. Garnett St, Suite F, Wed-Fri 10 a.m. to noon
  • Restoring Bodies and Minds – 900 Dorsey Ave., Mon-Wed 10 a.m. to noon
  • Perry Memorial Library – 205 Breckenridge St., Mon-Fri 10 a.m. to noon, 2-4 p.m.
  • Freedom Life Church – 1001 Martin Creek Rd., Sundays 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m.

Another drop-off site is the Veterans Life Center, 1005 9th St., Butner.

The laptops must be functional and have their power cords, as well as a hard drive for Google Chromium installation, according to information from HTI. Laptops with cracked screens or mousepads will not be accepted; no desktop computers, iPads or tablets.

HTI is a non-profit organization helping to bring technology resources to those in need within HUBZone communities nationwide, according to its website. The mission is to convert the laptops into Google Chromebooks and distribute them to students or others seeking employment or improving their employment.

I Voted Sticker

New Voting Equipment to be Tested and Displayed

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Granville County elections officials are preparing to upgrade voting equipment and will hold a public meeting on Thursday, April 15 at the Granville County Expo & Convention Center as part of the decision-making process. The meeting begins at 9 a.m.

During the meeting, a simulated election and test of the new voting system and ballot-marking device will take place, giving participants an idea of how the new equipment will function. The equipment was purchased from Printelect/ES&S, a certified vendor of election equipment and the county’s current vendor, according to information from Tonya Burnette, county elections director.

The county last purchased voting equipment in 2006. The board of elections received about $50,000 from the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) to make the purchase.

The meeting is open to the public. Email Tonya.Burnette@granvillecounty.org to sign up to attend the meeting. Social distancing and masks are required and attendance is limited to 30 people at a time.

Anyone not able to attend the April 15 meeting who wishes to provide comment to the board of elections should do so by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, April 14. Written comments can be emailed to Tonya.Burnette@granvillecounty.org or delivered to the board of elections office, 208 Wall St., Oxford.

The meeting will be live streamed as well. Contact the Granville County Board of Elections 919.693.2515 for a registration link.

Vance, Granville 6 Percent Behind NC for Full Vaccinations

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Each year National Public Health Week, which is always celebrated the first week of April, has bookends, but the latest battle for public health workers hasn’t yet reached its conclusion as Covid continues.

Granville Vance Public Health Director Lisa Harrison, in a weekly email she provides like clockwork, wished a happy National Public Health week to staff and partners of GVPH. “This year, I think we all have a little more understanding and appreciation for the work of public health – usually we’re pretty far in the background fighting disease and promoting health. We’re not quite used to this much work at once, but are glad to be serving our communities in the way we are trained and experienced to do,” Harrison wrote.

She said the vaccine effort continues.  “Our hotline remains open Monday through Thursday and ready for calls to register anyone 18 and older for our upcoming vaccine clinics. If you have already had your vaccine, please find another person who may need assistance calling the hotline and getting registered. We are happy to answer questions about the vaccine. More about safety and effectiveness of the vaccines here: https://gvph.org/covidvaccines/,” Harrison wrote.

Vance County has seen 13,559 people partially vaccinated and 9,829 people fully vaccinated.  At the time of Harrison’s email Friday, that amounts to 30.4 percent partially vaccinated and 22.1 percent fully vaccinated.

Over 19,000 Granville County people are partially vaccinated with nearly 13,850 fully vaccinated.  The percentages from Granville resemble those from Vance County with 31.6 percent partially and 22.9 percent fully inoculated.

Across North Carolina, 40% of the adult population is at least partially vaccinated and 28.4% of the adult population is fully vaccinated.

Creedmoor’s New Community Center Opens April 28

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Creedmoor’s new community center will be officially open for business on April 28, just one day after it celebrates the new facility with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The ribbon-cutting will be April 27 at 7 p.m.

The Creedmoor Community Center is part renovated building and part new recreational facility that provides space for the city’s community events and programs, according to Angie Perry, city recreation and events coordinator.

“We are thrilled to open the Creedmoor Community Center to the public,” Perry said.  “It has been a long year without recreational events and programs. We can’t wait to bring the community back together in this new space.”

Among the indoor spaces is the Willow Oak Room, a rentable ballroom for community and private events, as well as flexible classroom space that can be divided into two spaces, an aerobic exercise room and a computer lab. In addition, it is the new home for the South Granville Senior Center, which includes a prep kitchen, administrative offices, and a sunroom leading outside to a deck.

The new gymnasium features a full-size basketball court, an open exercise area with gym equipment, an indoor walking track, and recreation staff office space. Just outside the gym is a partially shaded, paved walking track and a multipurpose athletic field.

A new recreation software program is scheduled to be in place closer to the official opening, Perry said, which will be used to sign up for all programs and classes at the new facility.

The project was begun in January 2018 with design work by Durham architect firm MHAworks, PA, a commercial architectural firm that does planning, architecture and interior design. The driveway configurations were changed to accommodate the multipurpose space, Perry said.

The newly constructed gymnasium portion is located at 108 E. Wilton Avenue. The Senior Center’s address is 114 Douglas Drive and the Willow Oak Room space is 116 Douglas Drive.

Horse Owners – EEE Vaccine Reminder Spring 2021

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Area horse and donkey owners, take note: It’s time to start thinking about making sure your equines are vaccinated against a couple of mosquito-borne illnesses that often prove fatal to the animals that contract them.

N.C. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler said Eastern Equine Encephalomyelitis (EEE) and West Nile Virus are two illnesses that can be prevented with a simple vaccination.

“Mosquito-breeding season in North Carolina lasts from spring until the first frost and horses are at risk if not properly vaccinated,” Troxler stated in a press release. “EEE is fatal 90 percent of the time in horses and WNV has a fatality rate of 30 percent.”

North Carolina reported nine recorded cases of EEE in 2020, a relatively high number, according to Troxler. “Horse owners need to act now to vaccinate their animals,” Troxler said.

State Veterinarian Dr. Doug Meckes recommends that equine owners talk to their veterinarians about an effective vaccination protocol to protect horses from mosquito-borne diseases. The combination vaccination initially requires multiple injections for horses, mules and donkeys that have no prior vaccination history.

Mosquitoes can breed in any puddle that lasts for more than four days, so removing any source of standing water can reduce the chance of exposing animals to WNV or EEE. Keeping horses in stalls at night, using insect screens and fans, and turning off lights after dusk can also help reduce exposure to mosquitoes. Insect repellants can be effective if used according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

· Symptoms of EEE include impaired vision, aimless wandering, head pressing, circling, inability to swallow, irregular staggering gait, paralysis, convulsions and death. Once a horse has been bitten by an infected mosquito, it may take three to 10 days for symptoms to appear.

· Symptoms of WNV include fever, weakness or paralysis of hind limbs, impaired vision, head pressing, seizures and aimless wandering.

“If your horses or other equine animals exhibit any symptoms of EEE or WNV, contact your veterinarian immediately,” Meckes said.

People, horses and birds can become infected from a bite by a mosquito carrying the diseases, but there is no evidence that horses can transmit the viruses to other horses, birds or people through direct contact.

“It’s also a great time to make sure your animal is current on its rabies vaccination,” Troxler said. “In North Carolina, we see about five cases of rabies in livestock each year. Horses are naturally curious animals, which puts them at risk for a bite if a rabid animal gets through their fence line.”

National Mary Potter Club Home Goods Sale May 1

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The National Mary Potter Club, Inc. is having a “Home Goods Sale” on Saturday, May 1, 2021 from 7 a.m. to noon and proceeds will be used to support ongoing projects of the club.

The sale of new and second-hand items will be held at the Mary E. Shaw Memorial Center, located at 205 Lanier St., Oxford. Masks and gloves are required.

Club member Linda Wortham said the money raised will help maintain buildings that were part of the original Mary Potter Academy, including the Shaw Museum and the former gymnasium. The club works to preserve the history of the school, which was founded in 1888 as a boarding school for African American children. Students came from all over the United States to the school, she said.

Wortham was a member of the graduating class of 1970 – the last class to graduate from the high school. The club was established in 1975.

For more information or to donate items for the sale, please contact Wortham at 919.939.9077.

Granville Family Has Two Violinists For Governor’s School

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The only thing better than having one child accepted to Governor’s School for excellence in the arts? Having TWO children accepted! Just ask Doug and Marcia Berry, parents of the two teenagers who hope to spend part of their summer attending the program.

Kimberly Berry, a junior at South Granville High School in Creedmoor and her younger sister, Emily, will represent their school and Granville County Public Schools this summer, according to information GCPS public information officer Dr. Stan Winborne.

The Governor’s School of North Carolina is the oldest statewide summer residential program for gifted and talented high school students in the nation. The program is open to rising seniors only, with exceptions made for rising juniors in selected performing/visual arts areas. The girls would attend the Governor’s School West, which is held at High Point University.

Emily, a sophomore at South Granville High School, and her sister have been playing violin for most of their lives – Kimberly started playing at age five, and Emily started playing at age four.

They have been under the tutelage of Georgia Schmidt of Triangle Area Suzuki Talent Education (T.A.S.T.E) for the past eight years. T.A.S.T.E. offers training in violin, viola, and cello, with weekly private lessons, twice a month group lessons, monthly solo recitals, plus numerous concerts at White Memorial Presbyterian Church and in the community.

Schmidt said Tuesday that she taught the girls in group lessons first and then continued giving with private lessons. In the 10 or 11 years that she has known the girls and their family, she said she has seen nothing but “utmost respect and dedication” in their commitment to music. “They’re not prodigies,” Schmidt added, but they approach their music with “a combination of hard work, listening, love, respect and grit.”

Kimberly Berry (L) & Emily Berry (R) — (Pictures courtesy of GCPS.)

“They have really worked hard all these years,” Schmidt said. “This will be such a wonderful experience for those kids. I am just so thrilled they get this opportunity.”

The sisters have performed for the past six years with the Philharmonic Association Triangle Youth Music, a non-profit organization established to provide opportunities for young musicians to learn, understand and perform all genres of great classical and jazz music. The program now consists of three full orchestras, two string orchestras, and three jazz ensembles and includes 500 school-age musicians each year.

The girls also are in their church orchestra at Friendship Baptist Church in Raleigh.

Kimberly loves animals and hopes to attend UNC-CH, where she would love to perform in the university orchestra and study nursing. Emily enjoys listening to classical music. She has her eye on either UNC-CH or NC State to pursue a career in the medical field.

The Local Skinny! March 30; Speed A Little, Lose A Lot

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— information from NCDOT press release

Education Leaders Drive Home Safe Driving Message
‘Speed A Little. Lose A Lot’ Enforcement Underway Across North Carolina

State education leaders are teaming up with the N.C. Governor’s Highway Safety Program (NCGHSP) to help sound the alarm about speeding, one of the leading causes of death in children and a major cause of death for young adults.

“Speeding repeatedly tops the list of the central causes of preventable roadway deaths, especially among young adults,” said Mark Ezzell, NCGHSP Director.

Until April 4th, the ‘Speed A Little. Lose A Lot.’ campaign will feature increased law enforcement patrols from agencies across the state working to prevent speeding.

From January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2020, Granville County saw 23 speed-related crash fatalities.  The number in Franklin County was 22.  Warren County had six.  Vance County suffered four.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), on average more than 9,000 lives are lost across America in speeding-related traffic crashes every year.

Sadly in North Carolina those numbers have been increasing.

By the numbers:

(NORTH CAROLINA)

  • A report released today by NCDOT data analysts (full report attached) indicate that from 2019 to 2020 there was an 11 percent increase in speed related crash fatalities.
  • Young people ages 20-29 are most at risk.
  • From 2016 to 2020, males made up 75 percent of these fatalities.
  • In 2020 alone there were 416 speed-related deaths and 18,332 speed-related crashes.
  • Speeding was a contributing factor in 25 percent of all fatal crashes.
  • 91 percent of speed-related fatalities occurred on non-interstate roads; the remainder were on interstates.
  • From 2016 to 2020, the majority, 27 percent, of speed related crash fatalities occurred in these counties:
  • Mecklenburg,
  • Wake,
  • Guilford,
  • Cumberland and
  • Robeson.

(FAQ’s)

  • A crash on a road with a speed limit of 65 miles per hour or greater is more than twice as likely to result in a fatality than a crash on a road with a speed limit of 45 or 50 mph, and nearly five times as likely as a crash on a road with a speed limit of 40 mph or below.
  • Between midnight and 3 a.m., 68 percent of speeding drivers involved in fatal crashes had been drinking.

NCGHSP is sharing a series of online videos: (elementary) (middle) (high school) (young adult) with educational institutions to use inside and outside of the classroom, as a tool to bring awareness to this issue and ultimately save lives.

“We’re teaching young people to seek higher education opportunities that will offer them job stability, career satisfaction and financial gain, but collectively we as a society need to help guide the behaviors that will help them live a healthy and safe life,” said North Carolina Community College President Thomas Stith III.

“Drivers must remember that our cars carry our most precious cargo – our children and our family members. Slowing down saves lives. We all must do better by paying attention to the speed limits,” said NC Parent Teacher Association President Harold C. Dixon.

“These numbers reveal that so many are in danger on a daily basis, especially our young people,” said UNC System President Peter Hans. “As educators, we want to spread this safety message to university students, so that they may thrive and live productive lives.”

“We truly hope sharing these safe driving messages with parents, teachers and students alike will help curb the violent roadway trends that are claiming thousands of lives,” said Catherine Truitt, State Superintendent of Public Instruction.

“Even one life lost to speeding is one too many. That’s why this series of videos, partnerships with education leaders and increased law enforcement presence is so important,” said Ezzell.

AAA Carolina’s shares these tips for encountering speeders on the roadway.

Transportation officials ask that you too share safe driving messages on social media using the hashtags #SpeedALittleLoseALot and follow @NCGHSP on Facebook and @NC_GHSP on Twitter and Instagram to help shift the culture of speeding.

 

 

Revlon donates hand sanitizer to city employees

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Revlon, a name long associated with health and beauty products like shampoo and makeup, showed up Monday to the City of Oxford municipal building with a timely donation, but it won’t make hair more manageable or lashes thicker. It will, however, keep your hands clean.

Oxford city employees gladly received 500 bottles of hand sanitizer, donated by Revlon, that city employees across all departments can use to keep them safe.

Revlon Director Tim Lumpkins presented the boxes of hand sanitizer to City Manager Alan Thornton, City Clerk Cynthia Bowen, Human Resources Director Melissa Labar, Engineering Technician Darrell Smith and Code Enforcement Officer Antwan Rice.

City officials released a press release and said, “We are truly thankful to have wonderful neighbors and are proud to serve the great City of Oxford.”

Granville Vance Public Health Logo

For Once the Fifth out of Five is a Good Thing

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Almost 25 percent of Vance County residents are at least partially vaccinated against COVID-19, according to a weekly data update from Granville-Vance Public Health. Beginning April 7, any adult is eligible to get the vaccine, following an announcement from Gov. Roy Cooper to open up the shot to Group 5.

GVPH Director Lisa Harrison said as of Thursday, March 25, GVPH has administered 20,606 vaccines including 14,218 first doses and 6,388 second doses. There are several second-dose clinics scheduled for next week that will boost the vaccination of fully vaccinated residents even higher, the report stated.

In Granville County, almost 23 percent of the population is at least partially vaccinated.

“As we heard on health director calls and press conferences (Thursday), North Carolina has continued to make progress on vaccinating each priority group and many counties (like ours) are ready to progress into Group 5. We look forward to welcoming any and everyone who needs and wants a vaccine to our clinics and are grateful for our partner providers of vaccine in the two-county district,” Harrison stated in the weekly update.

Gov. Cooper loosened some COVID-19 restrictions, effective at 5 p.m. Friday, Mar. 26, to allow higher occupancy in restaurants and bars, among other businesses. The state’s mask mandate, however, remains in effect.

Transportation is available through KARTS (Kerr Area Transportation Authority) free of charge to vaccine locations seven days a week. Check out KartsNC.com or call 252.438.2573.

Call the COVID-19 hotline 252.295.2503 to make an appointment in either county.

There have been 5,496 cases of COVID-19 in Granville County and 4,569 cases of COVID-19 in Vance County for a total of 10,065 across the health district.

At this time, 77 deaths have been reported as a result of COVID-19 in Granville County; 85 deaths have been reported in Vance County.

Visit the NCDHHS COVID-19 Dashboard to see statewide COVIDF-19 data. Relevant graphs from these dashboards are available on the local health department website at https://gvph.org/covid-19_dashboard/.

To learn more about restrictions currently in place in North Carolina and the phased approach to lifting those restrictions, please visit Staying Ahead of the Curve.