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Six Granville Co. Roads Currently Closed Due to Flooding

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-Press Release, County of Granville

After torrential rains in the area, six Granville County Roads have been closed by the N.C. Department of Transportation due to hazardous driving conditions. Residents traveling in these areas should expect to be detoured onto safer roadways until conditions improve and/or roadwork has been completed.

Affected roads are Aaron Creek Church Road, Tom Hunt Road, Enon Road and Tar River Road, which will be assessed by DOT later today.

Closed due to washed-out pavement are Community Road and Smart Road.

Drivers in these areas should plan for extra travel time, due to detours, and are urged to use extreme caution.

*WIZS Note – After consulting with Emergency Management, Granville County Public Schools (GCPS) made the decision to operate on a two-hour delay for all students and staff Tuesday morning. According to GCPS, this decision was made based on the high water and flooding of local roads.

Amis Chapel Baptist to Host ‘Family Fun Day’ at Oxford’s Camp Oak Hill

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— courtesy Granville County Chamber of Commerce | Ginnie Currin, Executive Director ~ 919-693-6125 ~ ginnie@granville-chamber.com

Camp Oak Hill and Retreat Center, 1528 Oak Hill Rd., Oxford, will be the site of a Family Fun Day event on Saturday, September 22, 2018, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.

Hosted by the Young Adults of Amis Chapel Baptist Church, the event will feature food, fun and fellowship.

For more information, please contact Erica Frazier at (919) 482 0087.

(This is not a paid advertisement)

Boyette, Thompson Warn of Cyberattacks During Hurricane Florence

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-Press Release, NC Department of Information Technology

State Chief Information Officer Eric Boyette and State Chief Risk Officer Maria Thompson are urging North Carolinians to be cautious of cybercrime before, during, and after Hurricane Florence.

Cybercriminals take advantage of natural disasters such as hurricanes to solicit personal information illegally and to take advantage of vulnerable infrastructures, disaster victims and volunteers by phishing. Phishing is when a criminal sends out an email, text message, or even a phone call pretending to be a reputable and legitimate source in order to obtain personal information such as credit card and Social Security numbers.

“Be cautious and stay vigilant,” said State Chief Risk Officer Maria Thompson. “Let’s ensure one disaster does not lead to another. Phishing threats are real. Cybercriminals will use every tactic in their arsenal to deprive citizens of their information and ultimately their financial assets.”

Take these steps to prevent being taken advantage of by cybercriminals:

  • Carefully look at email and web addresses since cybercriminals will make them look as legitimate as possible, often using variations of spellings. The URL may have a different domain, such as .gov instead of .net.
  • Do not click on links in emails from anyone unless you know and have verified the sender of the email.
  • Take time to look at the sender’s email address. Do not click on any links until you are certain the organization is real. Check the organization’s website for its contact information and use sites such as www.charitynavigator.org to verify a charity organization.
  • Make sure all of your anti-virus software is up-to-date and you’ve enacted the anti-phishing software provided by your email client.
  • Phishing emails and phone calls may also try to pose as official disaster aid organizations such as FEMA. A true FEMA representative will never ask personal banking information, Social Security number, or registration number.

“We all need to be mindful of the value of the data we have and use every day,” said Eric Boyette, State Chief Information Officer and Secretary of the Department of Information Technology. “Too many people are vulnerable during natural disasters and it is imperative to take necessary precautions to protect yourself. Think of it as preparing an emergency kit for your personal data.”

For more information about the North Carolina Department of Information Technology, visit our website or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Flickr.

National Weather Service

Hurricane Florence Updates – Sept. 13

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Updated Thursday, Sept. 13 at 3 p.m.

WIZS will be bringing you updates on Hurricane Florence as new information is received. Please check the WIZS website, Facebook page and listen live to WIZS 1450 AM and 100.1 FM for updates throughout the week.

The latest briefing from the National Weather Service can be found by clicking here. The forecast – including rainfall amounts, wind speeds and storm direction – is remaining steady from earlier today.

Updated Thursday, Sept. 13 at 10:30 a.m.

We should begin to feel the effects of the storm late this evening and tonight with conditions gradually worsening overnight and into tomorrow. They have increased our rainfall potential slightly but, other than that, nothing much has changed.

We have now officially decided to open the emergency shelter at Eaton Johnson Middle School located on Beckford Drive in Henderson at 5 p.m. today. Please DO NOT arrive early as no one will be there and the school will likely be locked until that time.

We are using our CODE RED system to get this message out to all of our citizens this morning. If you are not already signed up to receive messages on that system, please visit our web page at www.vancecounty.org/EM and click on the Emergency Alert System link to sign up. This system will be used to issue important notices prior to and after the storm’s impact.

We will be activating the Emergency Operations Center at 5 p.m. this evening and will begin 24-hour EOC operations at that time. As of now, we are at Readiness Level 1, which is our highest level in preparation for the storm. The 911 Center will be overstaffed as of 11 a.m. today and will remain that way throughout the storm. We are expecting the communications center to be extremely busy during the storm, so we are asking residents NOT to dial 911 for general questions to ensure that true emergency calls are able to get through.        

Please “like” Vance County Emergency Operations on Facebook to stay up to date on what is happening with the storm. We will also continue to forward along all relevant information as it is received.

Stay Safe.

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Updated Thursday, Sept. 13 at 9 a.m.

Hurricane Florence is approaching the coast and will slow today, and make landfall early Friday along the southern North Carolina coast, then slowly meander southwest into and across South Carolina. Confidence is HIGH that the event will occur; MODERATE confidence in expected impacts.

Strong sustained winds and gusts expected on Friday, likely persisting into the weekend. Strongest gusts expected across the southeastern coastal plain of NC. Flash and eventually river flooding likely beginning this evening and persisting through the weekend and into early next week. A risk for short-lived and weak tornadoes as the rain bands push ashore this evening through Saturday afternoon.

YOUR PREPARATIONS SHOULD BE IN PLACE NO LATER THAN MID-DAY TODAY!

Three Key Points

1. Hurricane Warning now in effect for Sampson and Wayne Counties. Tropical Storm Warning for Cumberland, Harnett, Hoke, Johnston, Lee, Moore, Nash, Richmond, Wake and Wilson counties.

2. Prolonged, life-threatening inland flooding event from heavy rain is expected across much of southern and eastern N.C.

3. Dangerous winds will also result in downed trees which will likely culminate in widespread and prolonged power outages.

For a much more detailed breakdown of the current forecast, including expected wind speed and rainfall amounts in our area, visit the National Weather Service website by clicking here. 

NC Coop Extension

Public Invited to Attend ‘Gathering of Gardeners’ Workshop

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-Information courtesy Paul McKenzie, Agricultural Extension Agent, Vance/Warren Counties, NC Cooperative Extension

The gardening public is invited to attend a “Gathering of Gardeners: Practical Strategies for Gardening in Challenging Times and Conditions” on September 22, 2018, 9 a.m. to noon. Gardeners in Warren County and surrounding areas can learn about straw bale gardening, rain barrels and more at this workshop sponsored by the Extension Master Gardener℠ volunteers.

Participants can also get their gardening questions answered from a panel of Master Gardener volunteers. The event will be held at Buck Spring Park near Lake Gaston, located at 217 Nathaniel Macon Dr. Registration is $10 in advance or $12 at the door. All the details are available at https://warren.ces.ncsu.edu/ or by calling 252-257-3640.

Granville County Logo

Annual ‘Business & Industry Appreciation Day’ to Offer Networking Opportunities

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— courtesy Granville County Chamber of Commerce | Ginnie Currin, Executive Director ~ 919-693-6125 ~ ginnie@granville-chamber.com

Granville County Economic Development, in partnership with the Granville County Chamber of Commerce and the Vance-Granville Community College Small Business Center, will present its annual ‘Business and Industry Appreciation Day’ on Thursday, September 27 from 4 until 6 p.m. The event, held at the Granville County Expo and Convention Center (4185 Highway 15 South in Oxford), will provide opportunities for participating businesses and manufacturers to network and to learn more about the services and resources available in the area. A brief program will also be held, including remarks to recognize the contributions made to the county by local employers.

Organizations, agencies and businesses offering any type of service or program beneficial to other businesses/industries in the county  – meeting space, training, office supplies, technology, finance, insurance, etc. – are invited to set up a display area to share their information with those in attendance. Registration is required and there is no charge to participate. Reservations will be taken until September 24.

Held annually for more than 10 years, Business and Industry Appreciation Day was initiated to celebrate the achievements of local business owners and the industrial decision-makers and employees who enhance the quality of life in Granville County.

“This event just keeps getting bigger and better,” said Harry Mills, Economic Development Director for Granville County. “Our businesses and industries continue to grow and expand and are quickly becoming a force in the Research Triangle region.”

The event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be provided.

To reserve space at this year’s Business and Industry Appreciation Day event, contact Lynn Cooper at the Granville County Economic Development Department at 919-693-5911 or lynn.cooper@granvillecounty.org.

Families Living Violence Free

Families Living Violence Free Offices Close at 12:30; Dial 911 for Immediate Help

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Information courtesy Peggy Roark, Sexual Assault Advocate & PREA Coordinator, Families Living Violence Free

Families Living Violence Free offices will close today, September 13, at 12:30 p.m. and be closed tomorrow, Friday, September 14, all day as well.

If you are in a domestic violence or sexual assault situation and need immediate help, please call 911.

Our crisis lines will be open 24/7 – English 919-693-5700 or Spanish 919-690-0888

Please take precautions and stay safe during the storms.

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Granville Co. Will NOT Open Public Shelter at Northern Granville Middle

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-Information courtesy Lynn Allred, Public Information Officer/Grants Coordinator, County of Granville

Notice from Granville County Emergency Management:

In discussion with National Weather Service officials, based on the latest forecast for minimal impacts here in Granville County, and the need for resources elsewhere in harder hit areas, we have decided to suspend our current plans for the shelter at Northern Granville Middle School.

If predicted conditions change, we can quickly set up sheltering capacity locally again, but for now, there WILL NOT be a public shelter opened in Granville County. We feel that everyone will be safe to stay in their own homes for the duration of this event.

Triangle North Healthcare Foundation Awards Over $340K in Health Grants

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-Press Release, Triangle North Healthcare Foundation

Triangle North Healthcare Foundation’s Board of Directors has approved $343,450 in grant awards to local organizations in the Foundation’s sixth annual grant cycle. With the 2018 grant award, the Foundation’s contributions to the community total $1.5 million since the Foundation began grantmaking in 2013.

“The primary purpose of our grantmaking is to invest in organizations that share our mission to improve health in our region,” said Val Short, executive director for the Foundation. The 2018 grant awards will fund 12 projects presented by nonprofits and agencies that serve local communities—and all of them will focus on community health and health improvement programs throughout the four-county region. “Our hope is that these grant awards will result in improved health and healthier outcomes for children and adults in Vance, Warren, Granville, and Franklin counties,” said Short.

The 12 grants approved by the board fall under one or more of the five funding priorities established by the Foundation in 2013, including chronic disease, mental health and substance abuse, nutrition and physical activity, reproductive health, and success in school as related to health and wellness.

Most of the 2018 grant projects focus on chronic disease management and prevention and mental health and substance abuse. The TNHF grantees will provide a broad range of approaches to improving health– from programs that provide healing and support to traumatized children, to programs that provide strategies for managing chronic disease, to programs that provide care, treatment, and support for those with substance abuse disorders. “In all of our grant programs, health and wellness are at the heart of the work they will do,” said Short.

A list of the grant recipients and their projects for 2018-19 include:

  • ACTS of Vance County – Healing Hearts— Congestive Heart Failure patients who have been hospitalized will have the opportunity to receive heart-healthy, home-delivered meals for 10 days after discharge to help prevent further hospitalizations and to support a more comfortable quality of life.
  • Alliance Rehabilitative Care (ARC) – Access to Dental Care – Residents entering the substance abuse halfway house in Henderson will receive a dental screening and preventive care and, when necessary, more extensive dental treatment to prevent further decay and to promote overall health.
  • Boys & Girls Clubs of North Central NC – Project Sport – This pilot program will target 4th and 5th graders who will participate in two existing programs, plus they will learn skills that will prepare them to participate in organized competitive team sports activities, including flag football, basketball, soccer and tennis.
  • Franklin-Granville-Vance Smart Start – Teens Fit for Life – the existing Adolescent Parenting Program will continue the Nutrition & Fitness component through participation in programs at the YMCA and through nutrition education provided by Cooperative Extension.
  • Granville-Vance Public Health – Responding to the Opioid Crisis in Vance & Granville Counties—Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) for substance abuse disorders will be available at the Health Department’s Primary Care Clinic in addition to the continuation of the work of the VIBRANT Coalition to address the four focus areas of the N.C. Opioid Action Plan.
  • Henderson Family YMCA – 1) Girls on the Run – a self-esteem, self- respect and healthy lifestyles program for girls & boys culminating in a 5k run/walk at the end of each semester; 2) Safety Around Water – teaches water safety and drowning prevention skills to 2nd graders in Vance County.
  • NC Med Assist – Free Pharmacy Program & Over-the-Counter Giveaways – provides free medications and support for low income and uninsured individuals in the Triangle North Region. In addition, two over-the-counter medicine giveaways will be implemented this year in Warren and Franklin counties.
  • Shepherd Youth Ranch – Trail to Success – Provide skill building for youth suffering from grief, loss, abandonment and abuse. Partial scholarships will be provided to 10 youth who are referred by the school system or law enforcement who will enter into an intensive 24-week program, which consists of weekly group and monthly family sessions in a unique program that uses horses to help with therapy.
  • Strength and Mending (S.a.M) Child Advocacy Center – Child Forensic Interviews – provides a centralized, child-centered approach to investigation that reduces the risk of trauma to the children who are victims of abuse; increases opportunities for healing for the child and non-offending family members.
  • TROSA (Triangle Residential Options for Substance Abusers, Inc.) – Rebuilding Lives: Mental Health & Substance Abuse Recovery – provides a two-year residential recovery program with treatment, education, vocational training and care for residents of the Triangle North region who suffer from alcohol and substance abuse, free of charge.
  • Warren County Senior Center. – Diabetes Peer Educator Training and Outreach— in partnership with Warren County Health Department, this program will prepare volunteers to deliver diabetes self- management classes and support to Warren County residents in their own communities.

Located in Henderson, Triangle North Healthcare Foundation provides grants to nonprofit organizations, governmental agencies, and schools in Vance, Warren, Granville, and Franklin counties. The Foundation’s grant funding mission has been made possible by the endowment that was established after Maria Parham Health merged with the for-profit Duke-Lifepoint in 2011.

The Foundation will launch a new grant cycle in the spring of 2019, but in the meantime, the Foundation staff is available to discuss ideas for grant projects or to provide assistance with grant writing. Information about our grantees and future grant opportunities is available on the website at www.tnhfoundation.org or call 252-598-0763.

Hurricane Florence Targets Major East Coast Logging Operations in NC

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-Press Release, North Carolina Loggers Association

As Hurricane Florence’s wind speeds currently surpass 130 mph, North Carolina loggers are bracing for the hurricane expected to make landfall on the Carolina coast Thursday night as a Category 4 or 5 storm. Major lumber and paper mills powering the state’s $29.4 billion dollar forestry business, along with the loggers harvesting its abundant natural resource, currently lie directly in its path.

Recent massive rainstorms across the state the past month have already slowed logging operations. Hurricane Florence is expected to compound the issue.

North Carolina has about 18.8 million acres of timberland. According to North Carolina State University, the forest products community leads the manufacturing sector within the state. Forest products impact the state’s economy, with more than 1,000 companies directly contributing to North Carolina’s forest industry that employs more than 70,000 individuals.

Photo of Brett McHenry with Brett McHenry’s Logging (Photo Credit Ed Lallo)

“It’s essential, first and foremost, for our loggers and mill operators to be out of harms way by the time the storm hits land,” said Ewell Smith, Executive Director of the Carolina Loggers Association, a non-profit corporation organized to promote logging professionalism and business opportunities for the state’s forest products network. “Currently, the loggers are in the process of securing job sites and bringing in as many logs as possible to the mills to keep them going in the wake of the storm. As one of the state’s largest business sectors vital to our economy, any major disruption in production will definitely create a significant economic ripple for small and large businesses alike.”

According to Smith, the wood and paper mills are just the tip of usage for forestry products. There are numerous other products that are dependent on the same resource and will be impacted from the storm; glass on cell phones, toothpaste, gum for chewing and gluing, as well as America’s favorite McDonalds McFlurry with Oreo Cookies.

Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina, along with his counterparts in South Carolina and Virginia, has already declared a state of emergency. The governor has signed an executive order that waives truck weight limits for “crops ready to be harvested” which includes timber.

The office of North Carolina’s Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler is continuing to watch the path of Hurricane Florence that has the potential to be a powerful and devastating storm.

“Our state has witnessed the destructive effects of hurricane-force winds and heavy rains in the past, so we know we need to be prepared,” said the Agriculture Commissioner. “Farmers and timber owners need to review their emergency plans, stock up on supplies, compile emergency contact information and monitor weather updates to keep their families safe. We are prepared to work with our state and local partners to help our agriculture and forestry community if the need arises.”

Sitting 116 miles from the coast, Brett McHenry Logging in Wilson, NC has been hit by multiple storms in the past. “Wilson’s my community,” said owner Brett McHenry. “This will definitely be the worst storm we’ve ever had to prepare for. We just finished cutting and now we’re picking up any logs and squaring up our sites and equipment.”

According to Smith, “Hurricane Florence has the potential to bring a vast amount of rain and wind,” he said. “Flooded and saturated lands only compound the issues with the increased safety risks for our loggers while cleaning up fallen trees. Again the number one issue right now is for our logging and forestry communities, as well as people living in wooded areas, to get out of harm’s way of Hurricane Florence.”

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Contact: Ewell Smith

504-884-4585 esmith@ncloggers.com

The CLA is a nonprofit corporation organized to promote professionalism and business opportunities for members. The CLA is a 501(c)(6) non-profit business league. CLA focuses on regional, state and national business issues

Ewell Smith was the former Executive Director of the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board who has weathered four disastrous hurricanes including Hurricane Katrina.