Butner’s Polk Correctional Facility Gets New Name – Now Granville Correctional Institution

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The former Polk Correctional Institution in Butner has been officially re-named Granville Correctional Institution on Monday, Oct. 4. Warden Johnny Hawkins cut the ribbon to mark the occasion, which was held at Gazebo Park in Butner. Representatives of the Granville County Chamber of Commerce were on hand with other officials to witness the name change ceremony.

The Butner facility opened in 1997 to replace the Polk Youth Center in Raleigh. Originally designed to house youthful offenders between the ages of 18 and 21, it evolved to become a detention facility for those between 19 and 25.

 

Granville School Board Approves Weekly COVID-19 Screening For All Unvaccinated Staff

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The Granville County Board of Education approved at its meeting Monday night the weekly COVID-19 screening for all staff who are non-vaccinated or who choose not to report their vaccination status.

The testing likely will begin in December, according to Dr. Stan Winborne, GCPS public information officer and associate superintendent of curriculum & instruction and student services.
Winborne told WIZS News Tuesday that details will be shared as logistics are worked out with Mako, the third-party testing company.

The board also voted to approve the current mask guidelines for students and staff. Masks are required for all students while indoors, but they may be removed when outdoors, as long as the students maintain social distancing. Students who congregate outside and are closer than six feet to one another must continue to observe mask guidelines.

A public hearing is scheduled for Oct. 18, as part of the continuing discussion on school consolidation and possible school closure. Details will be made available about the public hearing soon, Winborne said.

Mark Pace

The Local Skinny! The History Of Old Granville Co. To Be Presented At Oxford Senior Center

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If you’ve ever been curious about the history of our area then an upcoming four part series will be a great opportunity to learn. Local historian Mark Pace of the North Carolina Room, Thornton Library in Oxford will be going in depth on the area’s history from pre-historic times to the present. The series will be held on Thursday’s from 10 until 11:30 on the mornings of Oct. 7, 14, 21 and 28 at the Senior Center in Oxford. The cost is only $15 for the entire series.

Old Granville County, as historians refer to the area, encompasses present day Granville, Vance, Warren and Franklin Counties. Franklin and Warren were split off in 1764 as Bute County which was divided in 1779 into Warren and Franklin Counties. In 1881 parts of Warren, Franklin and Granville were used to make Vance County.

The Four Part series will detail these changes. Part 1 will focus on the pre-historic era through the American Revolution. Part 2 will cover from the end of the Revolution through the Civil War. Part 3 will pick up at the end of the Civil War and continue through the Great Depression and part 4 will cover from the end of the Depression until today.

Pace said the 90 minute length will allow him to go deeper into the history of Old Granville County than most programs do.

The programs are open to the public and are part of the Senior Center’s Lifelong Learning Program. For more information and to sign up for this and other offerings contact the Senior Center at 919-693-1930.

#Every1KnowsSome1

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— submitted by Erin Carter, domestic violence and sexual assault victim’s advocate with Infinite Possibilities

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM)! Every year, Infinite Possibilities, Inc. remains committed to raising awareness, urging leaders, communities, and individuals to use their voice to speak up and out against Domestic Violence. In honor of victims and survivors, we pause and stand in solidarity against domestic violence until change is evident. Domestic violence increased around the world during this ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Domestic violence is still happening and is a pervasive and life-threatening crime affecting millions of individuals across our nation regardless of age, socioeconomic status, race, religion, and education.

This DVAM 2021,it is important that we are still doing our part to bring about change in our world to stop intimate partner violence. What is one thing that you can contribute to help end Domestic Violence? It will take collective unification to see change. Let’s all do our part to bring awareness to this worthy cause.

This year’s campaign theme, #Every1KnowsSome1, strives to highlight how common domestic violence is and that it is more than physical violence. If you would like to participate, wear purple for Domestic Violence Awareness Day, also known as #PurpleThursday, will be observed Thursday, October 21, 2021. Use wearing purple as a conversation starter and share why ending domestic violence is important to you. You can also use the hashtags #DVAM21 and #Every1KnowsSome1 when utilizing social media platforms.

Join us in making a difference not only this month, but every day. Infinite Possibilities, Inc. will provide follow-up outlining an upcoming event to safely engage advocates, partners, and the public to help bring awareness during DVAM2021. Remember, Domestic Violence not only severely impacts victims, but the entire community. Domestic Violence Awareness is NOW! It is my hope that you will forward this and other important information received regarding DVAM 2021 to colleagues, friends and family as well.

(This is not a paid ad.)

‘Citizens Academy’ Graduates First Class In Ceremony On Sept. 30

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The inaugural “Citizens Academy” of the Granville County Sheriff’s Office concluded Thursday with a graduation ceremony for 13 participants.

The program is open to residents age 21 or older and is designed to build a bridge between law enforcement and local citizens through a series of classroom presentations and community involvement.

Participants gathered on Tuesday evenings at the Law Enforcement Centre training room to learn about current law enforcement issues, patrol procedures and crime prevention.

Sheriff Charles R. Noblin, Jr. congratulated the group on successful completion of the class.
“The partnerships we are building between our staff, the community and our residents all contributed to the success of the Citizens Academy program,” Noblin stated in a press release.

The first class of graduates includes Sue Hinman, Garnet Drakiotes, Billy Mickle, Teresia Blackwell, Kimberly Adcock, Robert Blancato, Faicia Elliott, Linda Clough, Annette Myers. Donna Mickle, Renata Thornton, Erica Harris and James Eden.

To learn more, contact the sheriff’s office at 919.693.3213.

North Carolina’s August County and Area Employment Figures Released

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Not seasonally adjusted unemployment rates decreased in 93 North Carolina counties in August and increased in two. Five remained unchanged.

Vance County came in 98th out of 100 counties, being third worst, and Warren County was just behind at 97th.

Granville County was 16th best with Chatham at the top spot and Orange, Wake and Durham in this immediate area higher in the list as well.

Franklin County was listed in North Carolina Department of Commerce information at 51st.

Vance improved 0.3% from July to August. Granville improved 0.1% in the same period. Franklin was 0.2% percent better, and Warren was unchanged.

Vance is suffering from a 7.4% unemployment rate as it’s shown in the commerce documents because, of a workforce of 16,668, there are 1,229 without work.

Warren – 468 of the eligible 6,645 labor force are without a job.

Granville – 1,128 of 29,922 have no job.

Franklin – 1,409 of 32,183 are unemployed.

The August not seasonally adjusted statewide came in at 4.4 percent.

Granville Vance Public Health Logo

Local CV19 Data Update as of Friday, Oct 1

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In the past 7 days, there have been 140 new cases in Vance County. The percent positivity rate in Vance County is 6.6%.

In the past 7 days, there have been 114 new cases in Granville County. The percent positivity rate in Granville County is 4.4%.

In Vance County, 64% of those over the age of 12 have received at least one dose of their CV19 vaccine and 58% are fully vaccinated.

In Granville County, 69% of those over the age of 12 have received at least one dose of their CV19 vaccine and 65% are fully vaccinated.

69% of the adult population in NC is at least partially vaccinated and 64% of the adult population is fully vaccinated.

— Information Courtesy of Granville Vance Public Health

Easley Nominated For U.S. Attorney for Eastern District Of N.C.

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Raleigh attorney Michael F. Easley, Jr. has been nominated by President Joe Biden to be a U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina.

Easley is the son of former N.C. governor Mike Easley, who served from 2001-2009.

The younger Easley is a litigation partner at the law firm of McGuireWoods LLP, where he has practiced since 2010. His practice at McGuireWoods LLP has focused on government investigations and a range of civil and criminal matters in both state and federal courts. Easley also is a member of the Criminal Justice Act Panel for the Eastern District of North Carolina, through which he has provided legal representation to indigent clients under federal indictment or investigation. He currently serves as a Council Member for the Criminal Justice Section of the North Carolina Bar Association and a member of the Board of Visitors of the University of North Carolina. He has served on the board of directors for North Carolina’s Tenth Judicial District Bar and Wake County Bar Association.

Easley graduated with honors from UNC-Chapel Hill in 2007 and earned his juris doctorate from the 2010 UNC School of Law, from which he graduated with honors and distinction.

CultureFEST Downtown Oxford on Saturday

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Downtown Oxford is the setting for Saturday’s CultureFEST, which will showcase a variety of multicultural artistic performances with a street fair vibe – food trucks, crafts and more await participants who visit Littlejohn Street between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Ajulo Othow and Oxford Mayor Jackie Sergent are among the event planners, and they talked with John C. Rose on Wednesday’s Town Talk about their hopes for the event, both in the short-term and in the long-term.

The John Chavis Historical Society has sponsored several multicultural festivals in the past few years, but Othow said new partnerships with the city of Oxford and with the Downtown Oxford Economic Development Commission have created new opportunities.

“It just felt like the best time to expand it and bring it into downtown Oxford,” she said, “making it more accessible to the entire community.” Othow said she is grateful to city leaders for making the opportunity available and being willing to partner with the Chavis historical society.

“For me, this is huge,” Sergent said. She has attended the previous multicultural festivals, and marveled at many of the performers, especially the Chuck Davis African American Dance Ensemble of Durham.

The dance ensemble will perform at CultureFEST, Sergent said.  But there will also be cloggers and Hawaiian dancers as well.

Whether you’re interested in Latino music or learning about the Procession of the Queen, CultureFEST has a little something for everyone.

“Too often, we’re in our own little worlds and we miss out” on experiencing food, music and dance from cultures we may not be familiar with, Sergent noted.

In addition to the Hawaiian dancers, some of the other performers include Mexican folk dancers Dance Ortiz, St. Cyprian’s Episcopal Church drummers, a storyteller from Chapel Hill and more.

After the festival concludes, a number of downtown restaurants will be open and serving some unique fare not usually on the menu. “They’ll be offering something that is a little out of the ordinary for them,” Othow said. Downtown Oasis is going to have spanakopita, for example, and Tobacco Wood Brewing Co. is going to offer Caribbean-style jerk chicken.

“We’ve gotten one festival figured out,” Sergent said, referring to the Hot Sauce Contest. “Now it’s time to get another one down – to highlight the talent, tastes, music…that other cultures bring to the table.” CultureFEST will be smaller than the hot sauce festival, but it has the opportunity to grow in the future, she said.

Call 919.693.9133 for more information.

 

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Hobgood To Succeed Retiring Allred As Granville Public Information Officer

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Oxford native Terry Hobgood has been named Granville County’s public information officer and grant development specialist. Hobgood will take over from Lynn Allred, who plans to retire in December.

Hobgood joined the administrative team in July as a deputy clerk after having served as city clerk and public information officer for the city of Creedmoor.

According to a statement, Hobgood will lead county communication efforts and will assist county departments to identify grant funding opportunities and reporting compliance on all active grants.

A graduate of J.F. Webb High School, Hobgood attended UNC-Wilmington and attended N.C. State University and UNC-Greensboro where he studied English Literature and Library and Information Studies.

Hobgood also is a graduate of the UNC School of Government’s Public Executive Leadership Academy as well as the Clerk Certification Institute.

He previously worked as director of the Mary Duncan Public Library and Benson Museum of Local History, and then served as communications director, town clerk and assistant to the Benson town manager.

Contact Hobgood at 919.693.5240 or terry.hobgood@granvillecounty.org.