Granville Vance Public Health Logo

COVID-19 Update: March 4, 2021

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— courtesy of Granville Vance Public Health

There have been 5,263 cases of COVID-19 in Granville County and 4,391 cases of COVID-19 in Vance County for a total of 9,654 across the health district.

Sadly, there have been 76 deaths as a result of COVID-19 in Granville County and 81 deaths in Vance County.

As our focus shifts to vaccine efforts, we will begin reporting updates about the numbers vaccinated in each of our counties. This information, as well as demographic information, can also be found at https://covid19.ncdhhs.gov/dashboard/vaccinations.

Vance County

Total Doses Administered: 11,485
First Doses Administered: 7,091
Second Doses Administered: 4,394

Percentage of Population Received 1st Dose: 15.9%
Percentage of Population Received 2nd Dose: 9.9%

 

Granville County

Total Doses Administered: 16,028
First Doses Administered: 10,226
Second Doses Administered: 5,802

Percentage of Population Received 1st Dose: 16.9%
Percentage of Population Received 2nd Dose: 9.6%

We encourage you to visit the NCDHHS COVID-19 Dashboard. Relevant graphs from these dashboards are available on our website at https://gvph.org/covid-19_dashboard/.

Lisa Harrison, local health director, wrote in email correspondence:

“March is the one-year-mark for this pandemic – this was the first week in 2020 we had a positive case in NC.

“I was asked to speak at a public health class at UNC via zoom this evening and it was helpful reflection time – it’s important to pause, take a deep breath, and share the incredible work happening locally with vaccine distribution on top of the work we have been doing all year long. Public health workforce stories are the best to be able to tell.

“One of the things I shared with the students is how public health work is not ever very predictable. It’s a pretty huge adventure and different each day regardless of pandemic status. But for this year, check out how our last 52 weeks have gone:

“As a team, GVPH has managed A LOT of CHANGE. I’m still blown away by the hard-working people who remain dedicated after this much intense work day in and day out, week in and week out. They continue to impress me and so many others in our community.

“There are a few points we would like you to know as we chart the path forward to the other side:

  • We continue to provide dose 1 and dose 2 vaccine clinics weekly in direct response to the number of doses we receive from the state. Please understand that we receive an email on Thursday each week that tells us how much we will receive the following week, and, barring any bad icy weather issues, we usually receive that shipment in each location on Tuesday each week. Then, we have until the following Monday to ensure every dose is used and accounted for in the COVID Vaccine Management System (CVMS). That means on Friday, we plan for the week ahead and are only at that point able to really determine the need for larger clinics versus smaller clinics, and calculate the staff needed in each location for dose 1 clinics and dose 2 clinics. As much as we LIKE to plan well, this situation doesn’t give us a long runway of planning time each week. We’re moving fast!
  • Larger clinics off site are much more complex to manage because of the supplies, staffing, support, and electronic data entry that must be accomplished for registration and vaccine documentation. It’s MUCH easier to conduct vaccine clinics in our fixed locations in Henderson and Oxford where our materials, staff, and support are all easy-access. We only have larger clinics off-site when we have more vaccine than we can get rid off each day in each location. Eventually, when we have steady, predictable and manageable amounts of vaccine to roll into our other duties, we will be able to take our mobile unit out to places in the two counties for easier access, but for now, the best we are able to manage is clinics in both counties regularly.
  • Now that we have made it through a good portion of Group 1, Group 2, and educators and school staff, we are moving into Group 3 full-force this week and next. (See more details about who qualifies for Group 3 here.)
  • The best way to register for our vaccine clinics is via our hotline at 252-295-1503. We’re hoping to launch an online booking option in the next couple of weeks so you can also check our website at https://gvph.org/covidvaccines/.
  • We have had some excellent assistance from our NC National Guard Team deployed to help NC vaccine efforts and are so grateful for their contributions in vaccine clinics as well as registration on the hotline! Thank you NCNG!
  • We are hosting double-duty (Friday) tomorrow with an all day clinic in Henderson together with Vance County Schools, Maria Parham, and Emergency Management Partners, as well as having another clinic in Granville with our school nurses and volunteers at our usual Friday location. Send our teams lots of energy and hopefully the sun will continue to shine.

“As always, than you for your ongoing support and expressions of kindness. We are all incredibly grateful for community!!!”

Former FCI Butner Correctional Officer Indicted on Bribery and Smuggling Contraband Charges

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Press Release –

A federal grand jury returned an indictment last week, charging a Cameron man with Bribery, Conspiracy to Introduce Contraband into a Prison, and Introducing Contraband.

“Contraband in prisons is one of the greatest threats to both inmates and correctional officers,” stated Acting United States Attorney G. Norman Acker, III. “This indictment seeks to hold a correctional officer who allegedly violated the trust of his peers by conspiring with inmates to introduce contraband to the prison. My office will always prosecute those who endanger lives and disrupt the good order and discipline within our correctional institutions.”

“When correctional officers smuggle contraband into prisons, they jeopardize the safety of the very institutions they are charged with protecting. The OIG is committed to investigating this type of behavior,” said Russell Cunningham, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General Washington Field Office.

According to the indictment, Casey Covington, 45, a correctional officer at the Federal Correctional Institution in Butner, conspired with three inmates to smuggle cell phones into the prison. Covington is also accused of accepting bribes in exchange for smuggling in the cell phones and other contraband, including marijuana, tobacco, and alcohol.

According to the indictment, inmates Christopher Lee Davis, 36, Antonio Demond Byers, 40, and Robert Henry Huitt, 32, were also each charged with conspiring with Covington and possessing cell phones in prison.

If convicted, Covington faces 15 years in prison, and Davis, Byers, and Huitt each face up to 1 year in prison.

G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement. The Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General, is investigating the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert J. Dodson is prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Book Commemorates 275th Anniversary of Granville County

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Granville County observes its 275th anniversary in 2021 and part of the celebration includes the publication of a coffee table commemorative book for sale to the public.

The county’s 275th anniversary planning committee contracted with local author Lewis Bowling to compile information to showcase the history and development of this area. Pre-sale orders are being taken through April 30, said county public information officer Lynn Allred. The price is $49.95, but all pre-sales get a $5 discount.

“I have been gathering new material and have had a good response from folks willing to share their photos and their stories with me,” Bowling said. “I appreciate the community’s help and support.”

Bowling’s book, scheduled for publication by July, will follow Granville County’s journey from its founding until present day, and includes a narrative and photos not yet seen by the public.

Lewis Bowling

Established by an act of the General Assembly of the Colony of North Carolina in 1746, Granville was formed from a portion of Edgecombe County in the northernmost part of the province. Since there was no western border, the County of Granville extended all the way to the Mississippi River. The first settlers here were attracted to the area by the availability of land at a fair price. An early trading path helped make Granville one of the gateways across the Virginia border, according to the press release from the county.

“In all of our 275 years, there has not been a comprehensive book written about Granville County that could serve as a stand-alone work like this,” said the Thornton Library’s North Carolina Room Specialist Mark Pace.

Bowling has already published several books that feature the history of the area, including commemorative works for the City of Oxford’s bicentennial celebration in 2016 and for Camp Butner’s 75th anniversary in 2017.

Order forms are available online at www.granvillecounty.org/275th or through the Granville County Government Administration Office at 141 Williamsboro Street in Oxford. Contact Patrice Wilkerson at 919-603-1308 or at patrice.wilkerson@granvillecounty.org for more details.

Granville County Public Schools

GCPS PK-Grade 5 Students to Move to 4-Day In-Person School Mar. 29

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Elementary school students in Granville County will shift to four days of in-person learning at the end of March, but middle and high school students will remain under Plan B or Plan C of remote instruction.

The Granville County Board of Education met on Monday, Mar. 1 and voted 7-0 to allow students in grades PK – 5 to move to the four-day in-person learning, according to Dr. Stan Winborne, assistant superintendent of operations & human resources and public information officer.

Currently, elementary students in prekindergarten through Grade 5 attend school two days a week – either a Monday/Tuesday attendance or a Thursday/Friday attendance, according to Winborne. The two groups attend classes virtually the other three days of the week.

Beginning on Monday, Mar. 29, the two groups will merge into a single group and all in-person students will attend school each weekday except Wednesday.  Wednesday remains a remote learning day for all students.  Currently, the state only allows students in grades PK-5 to shift to Plan A, according to Winborne; students in grades 6-12 are only allowed to attend school under plan B or C.  Plan B  calls for two days of in-person learning; Plan C is all virtual learning.

All families who previously chose to have their students remain in Plan C – all virtual learning – will do so for the remainder of the school year.

Granville County had a mass-vaccination clinic on Feb. 24, when more than 430 educators got their first dose of the Moderna vaccine. The second dose is scheduled for Friday, Mar. 26, which Winborne said will mean the day of remote learning will switch from Wednesday to Friday for that week.

Parents will receive details about this change soon, he added.

The board also approved a 10 percent increase in the daily substitute pay in hopes of attracting more qualified candidates to the pool of substitute teachers. Starting pay is now $90 a day for subs with minimum experience, and can go as high as $116 a day for experienced or licensed teachers.

“If you love children, are 18 years or older, have a GED or high school diploma and can pass a full background check, then please consider becoming a substitute teacher,” Winborne said.  “We need you and will train you prior to entering the classroom.”

Although all schools currently need additional substitutes, elementary schools typically experience a higher demand for substitutes, Winborne said.

Interested candidates must complete an application which can be found on our district website.  Questions can be directed to Kathy Bradley, HR specialist at bradleyk@gcs.k12.nc.us.

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NC DOT

More Than 1 Million Pounds of Roadside Litter Collected This Year

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— press release courtesy of NCDOT

RALEIGH – As part of its litter removal efforts, N.C. Department of Transportation crews, contractors and volunteers have now collected more than 1 million pounds of litter from roadsides statewide this year.

“We are only just beginning this year’s efforts to clean up and prevent litter on our roadsides,” said state Transportation Secretary Eric Boyette. “But we need everyone’s help. We all are responsible for keeping North Carolina clean and beautiful.”

NCDOT reports that the agency and its partners have removed 1.18 million pounds of litter since Jan. 1.

NCDOT’s litter management programs are multifaceted. The department makes use of both state-owned forces and contract services statewide. NCDOT’s Sponsor-A-Highway Program allows businesses, organizations and individuals to sponsor litter removal along roadsides. NCDOT is also proud to partner with the more than 120,000 participants in the Adopt-A-Highway Program, where volunteers pledge to clean a section of our highways at least four times a year.

North Carolinians looking to help keep the state’s roadways clean can volunteer for the upcoming Spring Litter Sweep, which will run from April 10-24.

Litter is unsightly, costs millions of dollars to clean up and can hurt tourism, the environment and the state’s quality of life. The most effective way to aid litter removal efforts is to stop it at its source.

Everyone should do their part by:

  • Securing their loads before driving. Unsecured trash can fly from a vehicle and end up as roadside litter.
  • Trash should be held onto until it can be disposed of properly. Keep a litter bag in your vehicle so you can properly dispose of trash later.
  • Recycle whenever possible. Recycling protects our environment, saves landfill space and keeps the community clean.

***NCDOT***

Town Talk Logo

TownTalk 02-25-21 with Mark Pace, Local Black History

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(The latest in the WIZS Tri-Weekly Thursday Local History Series. Next broadcast March 18.)

Alonzo “Jake” Gaither’s Florida A&M football teams only lost four games between 1959 and 1963. But when he was football coach for Henderson Institute in the early 1920’s his team was winless in its first season.

Gaither, whose overall record for the A&M Rattlers is 204-36-4, began his coaching career right here in Henderson, and Mark Pace and Bill Harris discussed Gaither and other notable African Americans with ties to this area during Thursday’s Town Talk.

Pace, North Carolina Room Specialist at Richard H. Thornton Library in Oxford, said the powers-that-be of Henderson Institute were so thrilled with Gaither’s football and baseball coaching that they decided he should also be the basketball coach. It was a small detail that Gaither had never seen a basketball game and didn’t know a thing about how the game was played. But he took home the rule book one weekend, learned all the rules and then started coaching.

Undeterred after a winless first season on the basketball court, Gaither persevered and three years later, Henderson Institute won the state championship, Pace said.

Flemmie Pansy Kittrell was born in Henderson on Christmas Day, 1904.  The first African American to get a Ph.D in nutrition, her research brought to light ways to combat malnutrition in many countries across the globe. She also was instrumental in the creation of the national Head Start preschool program.

Charlotte Hawkins Brown founded Palmer Institute, a day and boarding school for African Americans in 1902. The Sedalia school is now a state historic site. Brown was born in the Mobile area of Henderson.

And John Chavis was a free African American born in Vance County who fought in the American Revolution. He graduated from Washington and Lee University and returned to teach white children from local plantations, Pace said. One of those children was J.M. Horner, who became an educator himself, and later founded Horner College in Oxford.

Pace, who has extensive experience in genealogy research, noted that the African American community has strong roots in the area that now encompasses Vance, Granville, Warren and Franklin counties. By the 1860’s, enslaved people were held by fewer families on large plantations. Pace said his research in various Census records showed that Granville County (what is now the four-county area) had the largest number of enslaved people in North Carolina. Of 23,396 people living in Granville County in 1860, he said 1,100 were enslaved. When the war ended and the slaves were freed, Pace said, they generally took the surname of their former owners.

In the decades after the Civil War ended, many African Americans moved away from the southern U.S. states. In 1910, 90 percent of African Americans lived in the South; by 1960, Pace said, that number had dropped to 50 percent.

Matthew W. Bullock’s family moved to Massachusetts from their home in the Dabney community.   His parents had been enslaved in North Carolina, headed north. Bullock attended Dartmouth and then got a law degree from Harvard University. Bullock was the first Black to coach an all-white high school – in 1899 – and went on to coach football at the University of Massachusetts.

Charity Adams Earley was born in Kittrell in 1918. She was the first African American woman to be an officer  – a lieutenant colonel – in the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (later WACS) and was the  commanding officer of the first battallion of African American women to serve overseas during World War II.

And then there’s Henry Plummer Cheatham, who was born in Henderson in 1863 to a white plantation owner and an enslaved house servant. Cheatham became the first register of deeds in Vance County, and later was elected to Congress. He was the only Black member of the 52nd Congress. Cheatham also was the recorder of deeds in Washington, D.C. around the turn of the 20th century. He returned to North Carolina and, for the last 30 years of his life, was head of the Oxford Colored Asylum (now Central Children’s Home). He died in 1935.

Cheatham was the next-to-the-last Black to represent North Carolina in Congress until the early 1990’s, when Eva Clayton of Warren County was elected. Clayton served for 20 years and was the first African American woman to represent North Carolina and the first Black since George White won a hotly contested race against his brother-in-law in 1896.

His brother-in-law? Henry Plummer Cheatham.

To hear the complete interview and learn more, listen to the podcast below.

 

Granville Vance Public Health Logo

Latest Local Virus and Vaccine Update (2-25-21)

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The following has been cut and pasted from email correspondence from Lisa Harrison, director Granville Vance Public Health:

There have been 5,157 cases of COVID-19 in Granville County and 4,258 cases of COVID-19 in Vance County for a total of 9,415 across the health district.

Sadly, there have been 76 deaths as a result of COVID-19 in Granville County and 80 deaths in Vance County.

As our focus shifts to vaccine efforts, we will begin reporting updates about the numbers vaccinated in each of our counties. This information, as well as demographic information, can also be found at https://covid19.ncdhhs.gov/dashboard/vaccinations.

Vance County — 

Total Doses Administered: 10,119
First Doses Administered: 6,259
Second Doses Administered: 3,860
Percentage of Population Received 1st Dose: 14%
Percentage of Population Received 2nd Dose: 8.7%

Granville County —
Total Doses Administered: 14,324
First Doses Administered: 9,041
Second Doses Administered: 5,283
Percentage of Population Received 1st Dose: 15%
Percentage of Population Received 2nd Dose: 8.7%

We encourage you to visit the NCDHHS COVID-19 Dashboard. Relevant graphs from these dashboards are available on our website at https://gvph.org/covid-19_dashboard/.
We continue to follow North Carolina’s risk-based priorities with scheduling appointments. In addition to continuing to provide vaccine for those in Groups 1 and 2, we have begun to slowly add on Group 3 with a two-week on-ramp allowed for school and child care employees. For school employees, we are working closely with public and private schools in both counties to schedule their employees for vaccine clinics so teachers and school employees do not have to call the hotline at this time. All other eligible school and child care workers may call the GVPH COVID Vaccine Hotline at 252-295-1503 to schedule an appointment.

We held our biggest mass vaccination clinic to date yesterday at Ritchie Bros Auction facility in Butner/Creedmoor. We were able to vaccinate over 1,200 individuals including many of our school and child care employees. We are grateful for the hard work of our GVPH team and the support of the Granville County School Nurses, Vance County School Nurses, NC National Guard, Granville County Sheriff’s Dept, Granville County Emergency Management and many other partners in protecting our residents 1 shot at a time!

Over the past two weeks, we have also been administering a lot of second doses, including large clinics at the Granville County Expo Center and the follow-up event with Vance County Schools and Maria Parham Hospital for the event we had in January. GVPH is scheduling second dose appointments when we administer the first vaccine. A reminder about second doses, both Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines may be scheduled up to 6 weeks (42 days) after the first dose. If you do not get your second dose within 6 weeks, you do not need to start again at the first dose. If you do not get your second dose at the recommended time, you should still get it. The vaccine can be given up to four days early and still work. See more information about vaccine products at the CDC website.

We will continue to add other members of Group 3, Frontline Essential Workers, on March 10th. We are already working together with local child care centers, schools, church partners, court systems, businesses, and large industrial groups to ensure we can plan well. Keep in mind, we only have appointments available one week at a time since the delivery of vaccines varies somewhat. We (usually) get new doses in each week, and, related to that number of doses we receive, open up more appointments each week.

Again, the message to remember is that we will get rid of every vaccine dose we have in our possession each week on the groups we are allowed to vaccinate at this time in an equitable fashion, and we will work hard to register, reach out, and communicate the timing of each group’s turn as soon as we are able. We are making good progress. Always check our web site for the latest updates https://gvph.org/covidvaccines/.

VGCC is Workforce Development, Community Engagement, Entrepreneurship Haven

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With the stroke of a pen, Vance-Granville Community College President Dr. Rachel Demarais joined more than 200 of her colleagues across the country to show support of entrepreneurship.

Demarais was joined by Tanya Weary, dean of South Campus and Dr. Jerry Edmonds, vice president of Workforce Development and Community Engagement on Tuesday, Feb. 23 for the virtual signing of the “Presidents for Entrepreneurship Pledge,” which took place at the community book read and discussion for Who Owns the Ice House: Eight Life Lessons from an Unlikely Entrepreneur.

The pledge outlines five action steps to increase focus on entrepreneurship and the impact community colleges have on the economic well-being of the communities they serve, according to information from the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE).

In signing the pledge, more than 200 community colleges across the country are making a commitment to play a greater role in stimulating economic development in their communities. “An entrepreneurial mindset is critical to solving today’s challenges for tomorrow,” Demarais said.

“As a lead workforce developer in our region, it is imperative that VGCC support economic development through both skills and entrepreneurial training,” she added. Programs offered through the VGCC Small Business Center as well as incorporating entrepreneurial thinking in the school’s trades programs contribute to promoting the idea of entrepreneurism, she said.

According to NACCE President and CEO Rebecca Corbin, the pledge is a way for community colleges to advance entrepreneurship and create jobs across the country. Community college presidents who take the pledge commit to these five action steps:

  • Develop transparency of community college and community assets
  • Create internal and external teams dedicated to entrepreneurship
  • Increase entrepreneurs’ engagement in community colleges
  • Engage in industry cluster development
  • Create broad exposure to their college’s commitment to entrepreneurship.

The National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE) is the nation’s leading organization focused on promoting entrepreneurship through community colleges. The association represents more than 300 community and technical colleges who serve more than three million students. For more information, visit www.nacce.com. Follow NACCE on Twitter at @NACCE and like NACCE on Facebook at National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship.

Granville Co. Public Schools to Offer International Baccalaureate Program at G.C. Hawley

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If all goes according to schedule, parents with children currently in 4th grade in Granville County Public Schools will have one more option to choose from when it comes to middle school. G.C. Hawley Middle School is scheduled to become part of the International Baccalaureate program in fall of 2022.

Although planning is in initial stages, the Granville County Board of Education approved the designation for the school earlier this month, according to Dr. Stan Winborne, assistant superintendent for operations & human resources and public information officer.

Leading the effort is Dr. Chris Ham, current principal at Hawley Middle School, located in Creedmoor. “My team and I are excited to have the opportunity to bring this world-renowned program to Granville County in the near future. The IB program, in my opinion, is the absolute best learning opportunity available,” he stated.

The board authorized Superintendent Dr. Alisa McLean to research implementation of the IB program at a retreat held in the fall of 2020. The IB program, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, “offers a rigorous, engaging curriculum that relies on a different approach to teaching and learning,” according to information provided by the school district. The curriculum extends across content areas and has an additional focus on multilingualism.

Although there is no cost to the students, the district has to pay for the curriculum, as well as invest in additional training for staff. In making its decision to proceed with the IB designation, the board cited “the necessity to offer new, competitive programs in an effort to increase opportunities for the students of Granville County,” Winborne’s statement noted.  The program will be offered as a “Choice Program” to all middle school students in the county for the fall of 2022.

Parents will receive more information as planning continues.

Ham was the first principal at Granville Early College High School, and he established the district’s Choice Program. He has been an educator for more than 25 years; 14 of those years have been spent as a principal.

McLean said only a handful of districts in North Carolina offer the IB program. “Bringing this to our district will be an amazing opportunity for our students,” she stated. “I am so excited about being able to give our students the best there is to offer. This will truly be a win for our students and their families.”

Next steps for Ham and his staff will be setting up meetings and training dates with members of the IB organization to create a timeline for implementation. The IB program, he said, “will greatly enhance the learning experience for our students and will help prepare them to engage in the world they will be a part of after their education is complete.

Board Chairman David Richardson said he is looking forward to the possibility of extending the IB program to the high school level as students move from the middle school to the next level.

Learn more about the IB middle years program at https://www.ibo.org/programmes/middle-years-programme/ .

NCDOT

NCDOT Resurfacing Project Awarded for Granville County

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— press release courtesy of NCDOT

Thanks to a new contract awarded by the N.C. Department of Transportation, nearly 12 miles of area roadway will be resurfaced.

Under a $643,000 contract, Boxley Materials Company of Roanoke, Va., will mill and resurface pavement on sections of five state-maintained roads in eastern Granville County.

The roads to be resurfaced are Hight Road, Peaces Chapel Road, Tommie Sneed Road, Grove Hill Road and Flat Rock Road.

This work can start as soon as July 1 and must be complete by the end of July 2022.

***NCDOT***