Butterfield Statement on Demonstration in Durham

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DURHAM, NC – Congressman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) today released the following statement regarding the demonstration in Durham:

“There is no place for hate, bigotry, and racism in our society.  The demonstrators today are making it known loudly and clearly that the KKK, Neo-Nazis, and other extremist groups are not welcome in our communities.

“The actions in Durham do not take place in a vacuum.  People of good will no longer tolerate anyone who desires to honor and celebrate a dark period of American history.  240 years of slavery in America is considered an original sin and we have long been moving toward a color blind and inclusive society.

“Through his words and actions, it is clear that President Trump either condones or is indifferent to racist behavior and policies that will turn back the clock on the progress we have made toward equality.  President Trump must forcefully and unequivocally condemn the actions of the KKK, Neo-Nazis, and other extremist groups and reject their political support.

“Like Governor Cooper, I call for the immediate removal of all confederate statues and monuments that are displayed on government property, including the US Capitol.  These monuments depict a period of history that must be taught to future generations but not celebrated.”

News 08/18/17

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L.B. Yancey Wins School of the Year

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L.B. Yancey Elementary School won the “School of the Year” award presented at the end of the school system’s Convocation for all employees at McGregor Hall in Henderson on August 17.

 

Superintendent Anthony Jackson presented the award to Dr. Carnetta Thomas, principal of L.B. Yancey.

 

The school captured the honor for its outstanding year in student achievements, positive school climate, cooperation and cohesion of the school staff members and involvement in its community.

 

Thomas holds the award and is joined by school staff members in the photo.

Several Granville Commissioners/Staff attend NCACC Conference

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Durham, N.C. – August 10-12, hundreds of county commissioners and staff convened in Durham, N.C. for the 110th North Carolina Association of County Commissioners (NCACC) Annual Conference.  Granville County participated in the conference, which is held each summer to bring together county officials from the state’s 100 counties to conduct official Association business and discuss important county issues.  The event also provides networking and educational and training opportunities for commissioners and county staff.

Chairman Tim Karan was recognized for achieving the Master’s level in the Local Elected Leader’s Academy and Commissioner Zelodis Jay was recognized for serving as a Granville County Commissioner for more than 20 years.

Commissioner Tony Cozart stated “The NCACC State Conference was a wonderful opportunity for knowledge and networking. I enjoyed the session on NC Pre-K with presenters expressing the need for quality early childhood opportunities for all children. Some communities have made plans to have universal pre-k for all children. The alarming fact is that far too many children still enter kindergarten without skills to be successful. This results in continual need for remediation which is extremely costly. In our Saturday General Session, I was able to hear from the mother of one of the shooters in the Columbine school shooting. My take-away was that she did not see any signs to alarm her that her son would do something like that. Our challenge as family, friends and the community (village) of our children is build healthy relationships and help all children realize their self-worth. It is not as easy to detect children with depression and other challenges as it was in the past.”

During the Business Session of the conference, NCACC elected Ronnie Smith, Martin County Commissioner, to serve as the Association’s next Second Vice President.  In addition, commissioners voted for Surry County Commissioner Larry Phillips to serve as President Elect and Yadkin County Commissioner Kevin Austin to serve as First Vice President.  Furthermore, Davidson County Commissioner Fred McClure became Past President.

Several counties were recognized by the Local Government Federal Credit Union and N.C. Cooperative Extension Service for establishing innovative partnerships that improve services to citizen.

In addition, NCACC honored several individuals for their achievements in support of counties.

As part of the conference, NCACC teamed up with 4-H Youth Development (a service of NC Cooperative Extension) and Boys & Girls Clubs of North Carolina to sponsor YouthVoice for the eighth consecutive year.  YouthVoice brings together youth delegates ages 14-19 and county officials to promote dialogue between current county leaders and the next generation of leaders.  It also helps educate youth delegates on the county’s role in their community and the complex art of governing.   Abby Holsomback was the Youth Representative from Granville County 4-H.

About the NCACC: The North Carolina Association of County Commissioners (NCACC) is the official voice of all 100 counties on issues being considered by the General Assembly, Congress and federal and state agencies. The Association provides expertise to counties in the areas of advocacy, research, risk management and education and leadership training.

Pinkston Street Elementary staff take home VCS Spirit Award

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Pinkston Street Elementary staff members won the “Spirit Award” for Vance County Schools at the district’s Convocation for all employees on August 17.

 

Staff members were recognized as recipients of the award after their fantastic job in showing great school spirit as they were introduced at the Convocation in McGregor Hall.

 

All staff members wore “Pinkston Street Army” t-shirts, completed in Army green with gold lettering, and joined in a rousing cheer to show they are ready to begin the 2017-2018 school year.

 

They were led by Principal Heddie Somerville and Assistant Principal Jacqueline Crosson. They are shown in the photo, from left, with Principal Carnetta Thomas of L.B. Yancey Elementary School.

 

Superintendent Anthony Jackson presented Somerville with the large “VCS Spirit Award” pencil that is given to the school displaying the best school spirit at the event.

 

Staff members at Eaton-Johnson Middle School and Henderson Middle School, finished second and third, respectively, in the judging for the “VCS Spirit Award.”

Franklin County Logo

Approval of STIP Keeps Franklin County on the Move

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Franklin County, August 17, 2017: Franklin County will see the benefit of a number of projects now that the North Carolina Board of Transportation has approved the 10-year (2018-2027) State Transportation Improvement Plan (STIP).

Funding will assist with several transformational projects including the NCDOT Division of Aviation allocation of $10,890,000 to Triangle North Executive Airport (TNEA) and the widening of US 401 to a four-lane highway.

“The support from NCDOT and NCDOT Division of Aviation for Franklin County provides us with the resources to take significant steps forward for our businesses and citizens,” stated Franklin County Board Chairman Cedric K. Jones.

“The allocation to Triangle North Executive Airport will allow us to create more buildable space for additional hangars as well as be able to extend the runway and take larger aircraft to carry passengers and freight,” commented Steve Merritt, Triangle North Executive Airport Manager. The county will be required to provide some matching funds bringing the total value of this allocation plus the match to $12,200,000.

Triangle North Executive Airport has 60 jobs and the impact of this expansion is projected to grow that number to 120 for both direct and indirect jobs. TNEA houses 131 planes currently with an annual economic impact of $23,000,000.

The approved funding for widening US 401 now provides this corridor not only with improved safety, but also more direct access to multiple transportation routes important for attracting and retaining businesses. This project has been identified as Section C of US 401 and has long been a request by the citizens of Louisburg and Franklin County.

Additional commitment by NCDOT to now take US 401 widening all the way into Louisburg, named Section D of US 401, will transform access for this area of Franklin County. “With the ongoing growth of Franklin County, it is important that we plan for safe, effective transportation,” stated County Manager Angela L. Harris. “The widening of US 401 has been a project that has been important to us for many, many years and we are delighted to see it moving forward.”
Contact: Richie Duncan Economic Development Director Phone: (919) 554-1863 Fax: (919) 554-1781
228 Park Avenue Youngsville, NC 27596 www.franklincountync.us FRANKLIN COUNTY

“When completed, the US 401 expansion will provide Franklin County with another four-lane north-south thoroughfare, giving the county and region the infrastructure it needs for growth,” said Economic Development Director Richie Duncan.

In addition to these projects, several others were included in the 10-year plan including:

 US 401-39 (Bickett Blvd), NC 56/581 (Nash Street) to SR 1229 (Main Street) widening to multi-lanes  Intersection improvement from Holden Road at US 1Alt, NC 96  Access management from East Nash St to Burke Blvd to replace 5 lane facility with 4 lane facility including planted median, sidewalks and bike lane  US 98, NC 98 – upgrade existing at grade intersection to interchange  From Main St to Camille Circle at Luddy Park construct shared use path, crosswalks

For additional information, please contact Richie Duncan, Franklin County Economic Development Director, at (919) 554-1863.

Franklin County Government is committed to effective and innovative public services for all Franklin County citizens and businesses.

News 08/17/17

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Guest speakers discuss home health careers with VGCC Nursing students

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Vance-Granville Community College Practical Nursing students recently learned more about the home health career field from representatives of Well Care Home Health, who visited the college’s Main Campus in late July.

The company, based in Wilmington, is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. “Well Care is a unique company in providing home health,” Clinical Coordinator Mary O’Shea, a registered nurse, told the students. “It is an independent, family-owned business that is not affiliated with a major hospital, and it’s one of the few five-star-rated quality home health agencies in the state.” O’Shea said Well Care has grown dramatically over the years and now serves 42 counties in North Carolina, including the VGCC service area. “It’s awesome to be part of an organization that strives for excellence all the time,” O’Shea added. 

O’Shea said she could identify with the students, who were close to graduating, recalling that she graduated from the Watts School of Nursing in Durham. “I admire you guys for sticking with it,” she told them. “Nursing has given me a great career over 25 years, and I’ve always been able to find a job that allowed me to fulfill my family responsibilities. I don’t know a lot of professions could say that they did that.” O’Shea said that about half of her career has been in the home health field. “Home health is a really unique animal,” she said. “There isn’t another part of nursing where you go into someone’s home, where you’re invited into their home.”

She explained that Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) “have a vital role in the home health world” and often perform tasks, such as complicated wound dressings, that only registered nurses would perform in a hospital setting. O’Shea noted that Well Care home health nurses generally see each patient three times a week. “You arrange your schedule for each day’s various home visits, and are paid per visit,” she said.

Next, Well Care Human Resources Recruiter Kendra Dillingham addressed students and offered tips on obtaining jobs, including interviews, resumes and communicating with potential employers, as well as specific details about careers at her company. She said that one of the advantages of a home health career is that nurses have opportunities to get to know their patients very well. “Something I love about the health care community is that you all have so many opportunities to switch types of work and types of patients you work with,” Dillingham said. She added that computer skills are important for employment as a Well Care nurse because her company uses electronic medical records “100 percent.”

The three-semester VGCC Practical Nursing diploma program prepares individuals to provide nursing care to meet the health care needs of the individual throughout their lifespan. The role of the LPN is a dependent role under the supervision of the registered nurse (RN) and other health-care providers approved by North Carolina law. Graduates of the program are eligible to apply to take the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-PN), which is required for practice as a Licensed Practical Nurse. Employment opportunities include hospitals, rehabilitation/long term care/home health facilities, clinics, and physicians’ offices. For more information, contact VGCC Nursing Department Chair Erica Jastrow at jastrowe@vgcc.edu or (252) 738-3457.

–VGCC–

Granville County Logo

Granville County to host Business and Industry Appreciation Day

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Come join the Granville County Economic Development Department in partnership with the Granville County Chamber of Commerce and the Vance-Granville Community College Small Business Center for the annual “Business and Industry Appreciation Day” on Tuesday, September 19, 2017 from 4-6 p.m. at the Granville County Expo and Convention Center, located at 4185 Highway 15 South in Oxford.

For local businesses and industries, the event is not only a networking opportunity, but also a chance to learn more about services and resources that are available to assist them. Organizations, agencies and businesses that provide services to a business (such as lending or education/training) are invited to set up a table to share information with those in attendance.

For information on reserving a table, contact Lynn Cooper at the GCEDD at 919-693-5911 or lynn.cooper@granvillecounty.org

The event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be provided. A brief program including remarks will take place at 5 p.m.

VGCC schedules Sewing class at Main Campus

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Vance-Granville Community College will soon offer a “Beginning Sewing” class on the college’s Main Campus in Vance County. The course, taught by Carol Montague of Oxford, is scheduled to be held on Monday evenings from 6-9 p.m., Sept. 11 through Nov. 27, in room 5203 (Building 5).

Sewing has always been a part of Carol Montague’s life. From the time she was very young, she remembers taking naps under her father’s work table. He was a canvas awning maker, cutting and sewing his work on a large, room-sized table. In 2002, she opened her business, called Hen and Chicks Sewing School. Both adults and children have benefitted from her classes, taught at her home and at the Oxford Housing Authority. She has also held numerous fashion shows at assisted living facilities, churches, her home, and the Oxford Housing Authority. Montague enjoys having her students give back to the community by donating hand-made items to the Durham Ronald McDonald House, making dresses for children for Haiti and comfort caps for cancer patients.

Montague believes in equipping the current generation with skills that have become too often ignored. “The value of sewing for yourself and others comes in many forms,” she said. “Unique and personalized gifts, clothing alteration, hard-to-find modest clothing, wearability, and one-of-a-kind clothing and crafts are just a few of the many advantages of learning to sew.”

Sewing is a life-skill, she added. “Adults learn drafting design skills by making or adjusting their own patterns, cutting skills, the value of precision work and how to combine color,” Montague said. “Students will be able to identify quality craftsmanship in ready-to-wear garments and spot hastily-made clothing fashioned out of cheap materials. They will be able to repair purchased items that need ‘fixing.’ Many have made a business out of the skill of sewing.”

The cost of the class is $80. Students will need to provide their own materials, a list of which will be provided. The deadline to register is Sept. 4.

Registration can be completed online at www.vgcc.edu/schedules/personal-enrichment or at any VGCC campus. For more information, contact Gail Clark at (252) 738-3385 or ped@vgcc.edu.

–VGCC–