Oxford Public Works, Water and Infrastructure Committee to Meet

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CITY OF OXFORD

MARCH 9, 2017

PUBLIC WORKS, WATER, & INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE MEETING

The Public Works, Water, & Infrastructure Committee for the Oxford Board of Commissioners will meet on Thursday, March 9, 2017 at 2:00 PM. The meeting will be held in the First Floor Training Room, City Hall, 300 Williamsboro Street.  The purpose of the meeting is to discuss grants, loans, and project updates.  All those interested are invited to attend.

 

Cynthia Bowen

Interim City Clerk

City of Oxford

VGCC announces Small Business Summit; fitness entrepreneur to keynote

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The Vance-Granville Community College Small Business Center has scheduled its fifth Small Business Summit for Thursday, April 6, from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m., at the Warren County Armory Civic Center in Warrenton.

The event, presented by CenturyLink, is free of charge. Local partners helping to organize the summit are the Chamber of Commerce of Warren County, the Warren County Economic Development Commission and the Lake Gaston Regional Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Center.

Business representatives and interested members of the community are invited to attend. Registration is now open at tinyurl.com/warrenton-summit.

With the theme “Driving Your Business: Staying Ahead of the Curves,” the event will include interactive sessions on innovative marketing practices for small businesses, using Google, mobile apps and Facebook.

Tammy Crowley-Deloatch, a nationally certified personal trainer and president of New Day Fitness in Roanoke Rapids, will be the keynote speaker. She has been an award-winning entrepreneur for 30 years, building her business from a 1,200-square-foot facility to an 18,000-square-foot facility over the last 10 years and opening a second business, New Day Health and Wellness Studio. Crowley-Deloatch is a graduate of East Carolina University with a passion for both fitness and leadership. Her inspiring lunchtime presentation will be entitled “Put Your Dreams to the Test.”

Lunch will be provided free of charge to the first 100 registered participants by CenturyLink. For more information, contact VGCC Small Business Center Director Tanya Weary at (252) 738-3240 or smallbusiness@vgcc.edu.

–VGCC–

VGCC information session to spotlight health programs

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Vance-Granville Community College will hold a Health Care Programs Information Session on Wednesday, March 15, at noon, in Room G1131 on the college’s South Campus, located between Creedmoor and Butner.

Information will be available about curriculum programs in Radiography, Histotechnology, Pharmacy Technology, Medical Assisting, Human Services Technology, Medical Office Administration and Medical Office Administration – Coding Specialist, along with Continuing Education programs such as Health Unit Coordinator and Nurse Aide.

The session is open to anyone interested in exploring opportunities in such programs, including current VGCC students and high school students considering college options.

After receiving information about VGCC, attendees will tour the curriculum programs that are based at South Campus: Human Services Technology, which trains students for entry-level jobs in the helping professions and includes special degree tracks in Gerontology and in Substance Abuse; and Radiography, the degree program that prepares graduates to skilled health care professionals who use radiation to produce images of the human body.

Histotechnology, VGCC’s newest curriculum program, provides students with the knowledge and skills necessary to prepare tissue specimens for microscopic examination using various stains and dyes to identify tissue and cell structures. The program is based at VGCC’s Main Campus in Vance County.

Pharmacy Technology, also based at Main Campus, trains pharmacy technicians for positions in hospitals, nursing homes, private and chain drug stores, research laboratories, wholesale drug companies and pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities. The program offers both a diploma and an associate degree option.

Medical Assisting, based at the college’s Franklin County Campus, prepares multi-skilled health care professionals qualified to perform administrative, clinical and laboratory procedures. That program also offers both a diploma and a two-year degree.

Medical Office Administration prepares individuals for employment in medical and other health-care-related offices. Both a general and a Coding Specialist degree track are offered, along with Medical Coding Specialist and Medical Transcription Specialist certificates.

Continuing education programs like Nurse Aide, Medication Aide, Phlebotomy, Medical Office Assistant and Health Unit Coordinator offer short-term training and are offered at various locations throughout the year.

For more information, contact Dean of Health Sciences Angela Thomas at (252) 738-3397 or thomasa@vgcc.edu.

–VGCC–

Congressman Butterfield Reintroduces RACE for Children Act

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WASHINGTON, DC – Yesterday, Congressman G. K. Butterfield (D-NC-01) joined U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Cory Gardner (R-CO), along with U.S. Representatives Michael T. McCaul (R-TX-10), Sean Duffy (R-WI-07), and Yvette Clarke (D-NY-09) to reintroduce the RACE for Children Act (Research to Accelerate Cures and Equity for Children Act) to support the development of innovative and promising cancer drugs for children.

The bipartisan bill, first introduced in the 114th Congress, would update the Pediatric Research Equity Act (PREA) to reflect the latest advances in cancer drugs. PREA was enacted by Congress in 2003 to address the scarcity of information about how to treat children with drugs developed for adults, and therefore develop pediatric data during drug development. Although PREA has resulted in new information on how to treat children for a multitude of drugs over the years, there are still limited pediatric studies for cancer drugs.

“As co-chair of the Childhood Cancer Caucus, I am proud to join my colleagues in introducing the RACE for Children Act,” Butterfield said.  “Researchers in North Carolina and across the country are taking promising steps in diagnosing and treating children with cancer.  Still, the law lags behind the current advances in treatment of childhood cancer.  This bill will update the law to provide researchers with the tools they need to accelerate the search for innovative, life-saving treatments for childhood cancers.”

“In Colorado and around the country, researchers are making dramatic advances to treat and cure cancer, but there is even more we can do for our kids,” Bennet said. “This legislation is a necessary update to our laws and has the potential to save thousands of children’s lives. I look forward to continue working with parents, researchers, and other advocates to advance this bill to expand treatment options for children.”

“Pediatric cancer impacts too many families in Florida and across the nation, including my own,” Rubio said. “I am proud to reintroduce the RACE for Children Act, which would encourage more treatment options for children battling against cancer. This bill ‎takes a further step in extending medical advances in adult cancer treatment to children fighting this horrific disease. I am especially honored to reintroduce this bill on behalf ‎of the many advocates who have relentlessly fought to get more attention, funding and resources for childhood cancer. I look forward to continuing my work with them to make this crucial legislation a law.” ‎

“No childhood should be interrupted by a struggle for survival, but cancer tragically puts far too many kids in Maryland and across the country in a battle for their lives,” Van Hollen said. “Researchers at institutions like the National Institutes of Health have made important progress on cancer research, and our laws need to reflect this. Our bill would update statutes around drug development to reflect recent advancements to research, which will help save children and their families from the misery of this horrific disease.”

 “The RACE for Children Act has the potential to increase access of life-saving cancer treatment and treatment for other serious illnesses for children by expanding pediatric studies,” Gardner said. “This bipartisan, commonsense legislation paves the way for scientific breakthroughs and has the potential to not only mitigate suffering for pediatric cancer patients, but also save lives.”

“Researchers have made tremendous strides in fighting cancer in adults, using ‘molecular targeting’ to precisely attack cancer cells,” McCaul said. “However, current law does not reflect such advances in cancer drug development because these therapies have been under-studied in pediatric cancer.  As the founder of the Childhood Cancer Caucus, I am pleased to re-introduce the RACE for Children Act because it will modernize current law to require pediatric studies for the most promising and innovative cancer treatments.  I look forward to continuing the good fight with my colleagues and the advocacy community to give hope to the approximately 15,000 children and adolescents diagnosed with cancer each year.”

“We’ve come a long way in the battle against childhood cancer, but we need the RACE for Children Act to beat this disease,” Duffy said. “Our laws must be brought into the twenty-first century so that our nation’s children can benefit from cutting-edge research and development.”

“More children are lost to cancer in the U.S. than any other disease. In fact, before they turn 20, about 1 in 285 children in the U.S. will have cancer—a tragedy that touches too many American families,” Clarke said. “I’m proud to join with my colleagues in introducing The RACE for Children Act, which will help advance research into lifesaving cures. Together, we can promote the development of new treatments and combat this deadly disease.”

PREA does not apply to cancer because children’s cancers arise in different organs than adult cancers, and as a result, most pharmaceutical companies receive waivers from PREA obligations. However, scientific advances have shown that some childhood and adult cancers may share the same molecular targets, and cancer drug development is now focused on advancements in molecular targets.

The RACE for Children Act would update PREA by reflecting this new and promising approach to cancer drug development using molecular targets. Unlike the current structure of PREA, which applies to specific indications or specific types of cancer, this legislation would allow PREA to focus on a molecular target in a specific adult cancer when the same target presents in another childhood cancer. Currently, a PREA exemption may also be applied if the company studies the drug in an adult cancer that occurs in less than 200,000 patients. The bill would allow pediatric studies with a particular molecular target to still be considered for these cancers.

The bill is supported by the Duke University Medical Center, Children’s Hospital Colorado, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Children’s Medical Center of Dallas, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Nemours Children’s Health System, NYU Langone Medical Center, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Texas Children’s Hospital, and more than 100 pediatric cancer advocacy organizations.

https://butterfield.house.gov

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VGCC awards top academic honor to Ivy League-bound student

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Vance-Granville Community College has named student Paul Caroline of Louisburg as its recipient of the North Carolina Community College System’s Academic Excellence Award for 2017. One student from each of the 58 colleges in the state system is honored with the award each year.

Caroline will be officially recognized at Commencement in May, when he is scheduled to graduate from the college with both an Associate in Arts degree and an Associate in Science degree. That same month, Caroline will graduate from Franklin County Early College High School. This is the second year in a row that the VGCC Academic Excellence Award has gone to a student at FCECHS.

The college partners with four Early College high school programs, one in each county of the VGCC service area. As Caroline has done, students typically finish the program in five years, simultaneously earning high school diplomas and college degrees, or up to two years of college-transferable credits.

In an essay that he wrote for the award nomination, Caroline put his academic experience into its historical context. “For my family, education has always been a privilege,” he wrote. “In the early twentieth century, laws prohibited my great-grandmother and many other African American students from advancing to the twelfth grade and earning a high school diploma. Since then, each new generation has attested to a strong commitment to the pursuit of educational opportunity.”

Caroline added that “education opens doors to a better life, and one of the greatest thresholds I have crossed on my journey thus far is the iconic archway of Vance-Granville Community College.”

He described the support he has received from faculty members at both the high school and the college as “transformative.” Caroline said that he found that learning “not only yields the power to better oneself, but the world as a whole.” He took the “Vanguard spirit” and VGCC’s commitment to students to heart, he said, by helping others as a Peer Tutor through the college’s Academic Skills Center, starting at the age of 17.

After he graduates, Caroline is set to study Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of Pennsylvania, the prestigious Ivy League institution, with a full QuestBridge scholarship, which he described as “a first” for his community. “In my personal journey, Vance-Granville Community College has been a stepping-stone to making an Ivy League education possible,” Caroline said.

His twin brother, Peter, is also a Franklin County Early College High School student. Peter is likewise set to graduate with both an Associate in Arts degree and an Associate in Science degree from VGCC and will continue his education at Stanford University with a full QuestBridge scholarship.

“Paul’s hard work and dedication to excellence have earned him a place among the top community college students in North Carolina,” said Dr. Stelfanie Williams, the president of VGCC. “He is an outstanding representative of both Vance-Granville and Franklin County Early College High School, and we know he will continue to make us proud as a student at one of our country’s elite institutions of higher learning.”

–VGCC–

VGCC to host free Dementia Awareness programs

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Vance-Granville Community College will soon host a pair of free programs for the public to learn more about Alzheimer’s disease and related forms of dementia. These educational programs are being facilitated by the Alzheimer’s Association Eastern North Carolina Chapter.

Both events are set to be held on Tuesday, March 21, in the Civic Center on VGCC’s Main Campus in Vance County (located at exit 209 on Interstate 85). First, “The Basics: Memory Loss, Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease” will be offered from 10-11 a.m. “Understanding and Responding to Dementia-Related Behaviors” follows from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

The first workshop is designed for anyone who would like to know more about Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, which are not a normal part of aging.

The second workshop focuses specifically on behavior, one of the primary ways for people with dementia to communicate their needs and feelings as their ability to use language deteriorates. Some behaviors can present challenges for caregivers to manage. Attendees will learn to “decode” behaviors, identify common behavior triggers and learn strategies to help intervene with some of the most common behavioral challenges of Alzheimer’s disease.

VGCC Dean of Health Sciences Angela Thomas and Human Services Technology (HST) program head Tracy Wallace have collaborated with the Raleigh-based Alzheimer’s Association chapter to bring these programs to campus. The HST program, accredited by the Council for Standards in Human Service Education, is based at VGCC’s South Campus between Creedmoor and Butner. The curriculum prepares students for entry-level positions in institutions and agencies which provide social, community, and educational services. In addition to a general HST track and a Substance Abuse track, VGCC offers a Gerontology track, which prepares students to specialize in direct service delivery work to older adults and their families.

To register for one or both of the free March 21 programs, visit bit.ly/2lyqCIp for the first and bit.ly/2lrBB9V for the second, or call 1-800-272-3900.

For more information, contact the Alzheimer’s Association Eastern North Carolina Chapter at 919-803-8285 or Tracy Wallace at (252) 738-3519.

–VGCC–

Red Cross Marks Century of Service with Blood Drive

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RALEIGH, N.C. (Feb. 24, 2017) — The Triangle Area Chapter of the American Red Cross is partnering with CBS North Carolina to celebrate a century of service. Donors of all types are invited to join the Red Cross in its lifesaving mission, by rolling up a sleeve to give blood.

All eligible blood donors are encouraged to be part of the centennial festivities by donating blood on Friday, March 10, 2017 from 11a .m. to 5 p.m. at Crabtree Valley Mall in Raleigh or at Northgate Mall in Durham from 2:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.

“The Red Cross, in partnership with CBS Carolina and Crabtree Valley Mall, is thrilled to celebrate its centennial year by hosting a blood drive to collect 100 pints of blood for 100 years of service. This drive will honor Red Cross volunteers who have served the community since March 1917, providing 100 years of life-sustaining work for military families, disaster victims and hospital patients,” said Barry Porter, regional CEO of the Red Cross in Eastern NC. “But we don’t do this important work alone. It is through the generosity of donors that we can prevent and alleviate human suffering. Join us at this special drive and give the gift of life, give blood.”

The Red Cross depends on blood donor heroes across the nation to collect enough blood to meet the needs of patients at 100 hospitals in North Carolina, and hundreds more hospitals nationwide. Donors of all blood types are needed to help accident and burn victims, patients undergoing organ transplants, those receiving cancer treatments and others who rely on blood products.

All presenting donors will receive a T-shirt and are eligible for cool giveaways while supplies last.

To schedule an appointment, visit redcrossblood.org and enter the sponsor code “CBS,” call 1-800-RED CROSS or download the Red Cross Blood Donor App.

 

How to donate blood

Simply download the American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) to make an appointment or for more information. All blood types are needed to ensure a reliable supply for patients. A blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age in most states (16 with parental consent where allowed by state law), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.

Blood donors can now save time at their next donation by using RapidPass to complete their pre-donation reading and health history questionnaire online, on the day of their donation, prior to arriving at the blood drive. To get started and learn more, visit redcrossblood.org/RapidPass and follow the instructions on the site.

 

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or cruzrojaamericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.

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Butterfield to Host Community Discussion on Feb. 25

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WASHINGTON, DC – Tomorrow, February 25, Congressman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) will host “Forward Together,” a community discussion, in Durham, North Carolina in the First Congressional District.

During the discussion, the Congressman will offer a Washington update, take questions from residents, and hear ideas about how we can resist efforts to take our country backward and fight for a jobs and justice agenda that moves us forward.

This is the first in a series of events Congressman Butterfield will host to engage residents in a dialogue about a positive agenda for our future.

WHAT:          “Forward Together” Community Discussion

 

WHO:             Congressman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01)

 

WHEN:          Saturday, February 25, 2017

                        1:00 p.m. ET

WHERE:       Hillside High School Auditorium

                             3727 Fayetteville Street

                             Durham, NC  27707

https://butterfield.house.gov

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Smoke West of Henderson is Controlled Burn

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According to a Vance County employee, the on-again-off-again smoke visible west of Henderson is a controlled burn.  WIZS News was told that the controlled burn is taking place on Fairport Road.  One hundred or more acres are believed to be part of the controlled burn by the North Carolina Forestry Service.

The smoke was visible at times from Ruin Creek Road and Dabney Drive early this afternoon.  The story cover photo was taken at the intersection of Vance Academy Road and U.S. 158 Business.  Thick puffy clouds make the actual smoke harder to see.

VGCC students awarded Golden LEAF scholarships

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A group of VGCC students recently received scholarships through the Golden LEAF Scholarship program for the North Carolina Community College System. The scholarship program, designed to help North Carolinians attend the state’s community colleges, is funded through a $750,000 grant from the Golden LEAF Foundation.

The scholarship can be used to assist with tuition, books, fees, supplies, transportation and childcare expenses related to attending classes during the 2016-17 academic year, and industry-recognized credential testing expenses that address skill gaps upon course completion. Eligible students must demonstrate financial need and reside in rural counties that are tobacco-dependent and/or economically distressed. Scholarships for both occupational (continuing education) and curriculum students are available during the fall, spring and summer semesters.

The VGCC students who were awarded Golden LEAF scholarships for the fall 2016 semester (with their respective programs of study) include:

 

  • Sally Alston of Louisburg (Associate in Arts);
  • Jennifer Bauduin of Louisburg (Associate in General Education – General Science);
  • Sonia Bishop of Stem (Computer Technology Integration – Networking and Security Technologies);
  • Taylor Crisp of Warrenton (Associate Degree Nursing);
  • Catherine Demming of Oxford (Criminal Justice);
  • Emory Gant-Hawkins of Henderson (Business Administration);
  • Latosha Hunt of Oxford (Business Administration);
  • Quiana Miller-Fisher of Henderson (Human Services Technology); and
  • Kimberly Vargo of Oxford (Associate in Arts)

 

“The Golden LEAF Foundation is proud to have awarded over 11,800 Golden LEAF Scholarships to help North Carolinians attend our state’s community colleges,” said Dan Gerlach, Golden LEAF president. “Our hope is that these scholarships will help build the talent, knowledge and skills of our current and future workforce, which are in demand by industry, especially in the rural areas of our state.”

The Golden LEAF Foundation is a nonprofit organization established in 1999 to help transform North Carolina’s economy. The foundation receives one-half of North Carolina’s funds from the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement with cigarette manufacturers and places special emphasis on assisting tobacco-dependent, economically distressed and/or rural communities across the state. The Golden LEAF Foundation works in partnership with governmental entities, educational institutions, economic development organizations and nonprofits to achieve its mission. The foundation has awarded 1,346 grants totaling more than $591 million since its inception. For more information about the foundation, visit www.goldenleaf.org or call (888) 684-8404.

Students interested in applying for a Golden LEAF Scholarship should contact the VGCC Financial Aid Office at (252) 738-3280.

 

–VGCC–