Public meeting set to discuss Tar Pamlico Basin flooding

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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is conducting a three-year feasibility study on the Tar Pamlico River Basin with a series of public involvement meetings to gather community input. The first of six events will take place virtually for the Franklin County/Louisburg area on Mar. 22, 2021, according to information from Franklin County Cooperative Extension Director Charles Mitchell.

Each of the meetings will consist of a 30-minute presentation followed by a question-and-answer session, according to a written statement from the Corps’ Pittsburgh district. The meetings are organized by geographic region and will be held from Mar. 22-31. More information about the study and how to access the meetings can be found on the district’s website: www.lrp.usace.army.mil/Missions/Planning-Programs-Project-Management/Tar-Pamlico-Feasibility-Study/.

The Corps’ Pittsburgh district, in collaboration with N.C. Department of Environmental Quality, is doing the study to develop flood risk-management alternatives for the river basin. The $3 million study began in April 2020.

Each meeting is 1.5 hours from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Access the WebEx platform at https://usace1.webex.com/usace1/j.php?MTID=m00ce03770c09508b30d3a7d9f851d5d5, To join by phone, attendees can call 1-844-800-2712 and use the access code 199-053-6905.

The study is being made in conjunction with federal disaster funding that North Carolina received following recent hurricanes, namely Hurricane Florence in 2019 and Hurricane Matthew in 2016.

The study, scheduled to be completed in April 2023, will produce recommendations to reduce flood risks and damage caused by flooding – from structures like floodwalls and levees to natural and nature-based measures like wetland and floodplain storage.

In response to recent flooding that occurred as a result of Hurricanes Matthew (2016) and Florence (2019), North Carolina received funding through the 2019 Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief (H.R. 2157) for a feasibility study to assess and recommend actions that reduce flood risk and increase resiliency within the Tar-Pamlico River Basin.

The Tar River Basin begins in the piedmont of North Carolina and extends 215 miles southeast through the Coastal Plan and flows to the Pamlico Sound estuary.  The basin covers about 6,100 square miles.  The study encompasses all or part of 13 counties, including Franklin County. In addition to Louisburg, the study focuses on the other five major population centers in the basin:  Rocky Mount, Greenville, Tarboro, Princeville and Washington, NC. Although much of Washington is situated downstream, it also is affected by river flooding.

Many communities within the basin have experienced major recurring flood events over the past 25 years associated with Hurricanes Fran (1996), Floyd (1999), Matthew (2016)—each of which ranking among the most destructive storms in state history and representing among the top four floods of record for major population centers within the basin.  Recurring flooding within the basin results in considerable economic damages to homes, businesses, industry, and public infrastructure.  For example, Hurricane Matthew is estimated to have caused over $110M in damage to residential, non-residential, and public structures.  Inundation of structures and roadways (i.e., reduced access to critical services and recovery aid, inundation of occupied vehicles) also results in increased life safety risks both during and following flood events.

The public can submit comments via email to lrp.plan.enviro@usace.army.mil or through the electronic comment form at www.lrp.usace.army.mil/Missions/Planning-Programs-Project-Management/Tar-Pamlico-Feasibility-Study/. Comments can also be submitted by mail to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District Planning and Environmental Branch, 1000 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222. Comments must be submitted or postmarked no later than April 23.

(Credit for the graphic to Planning & Environmental Branch, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Pittsburgh District)

Granville adds 2 COVID-19 testing sites

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There are two additional places in Granville County to get free testing for COVID-19, thanks to a collaboration between Granville County Public Schools and OptumServe, an agency contracting with the state of North Carolina to administer the test.

The Mary Potter Center for Education in Oxford and Butner-Stem Middle School in Butner are open several days each week, according to information from GCPS.

Butner-Stem Middle School, located at 501E. D St., Butner is open on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Enter the clinic at the bus entrance. Mary Potter Center for Education, located at 200 Taylor St., Oxford, is open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Enter at the rear of the building at the gym entrance. Schedule an appointment for either site at  lhi.care/covidtesting.

Because the location is subject to change, anyone interested in getting tested should visit https://lhi.care/covidtesting for the latest location information. Call (877) 562-4850 if you do not have internet or are registering for a minor.

Anyone who meets the testing criteria can be tested at an OptumServe community testing site, including uninsured, underinsured, undocumented and homeless individuals. OptumServe will generate a unique identification number for individuals who do not have a driver’s license, according to information from OptumServe.

Local News Audio

WIZS Local News 03-05-21 Noon

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Vance County Schools Pre-K and Kindergarten Registration 2021-2022

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According to the Vance County Schools motto, “The Wow Starts Now!”

Public Information Officer Aarika Sandlin wrote in a news release, “We are excited to kick off our registration for Pre-K and Kindergarten students!”

She indicated there will be virtual information sessions taking place on March 10 at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.  This is “for EVERY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL in our district,” she wrote.

In fact, each school will host its very own information session, and the links are available on the district website at www.vcs.k12.nc.us.

Sandlin said, “We are excited for the newest additions making their way to the VCS family!”

City of Oxford Staff Receive COVID-19 Vaccinations

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— information courtesy of the City of Oxford, NC

On Wednesday, City of Oxford staff took steps to receive covid-19 vaccinations.  The event took place at the Oxford City Hall Auditorium.  The vaccinations were administered now that Phase 3 is underway in North Carolina, which allows frontline workers to get the shots.

In attendance, among others, were City Manager Alan Thornton and Parks and Recreation Director Tina Cheek.  Thornton said in a news release as to why he decided to receive the vaccine, “I and the City believe it is important to receive the vaccine and encourage everyone to do so when the opportunity arises.”  He extended appreciation to Granville Healthy Systems and Granville Vance Public Health for all of their hard work during this time.

“The Local Skinny!” Mar. 4; Register for Mar. 18 WOVEN Workshop

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Women in the area have a chance to learn how Dr. Kayla McHale, with Henderson Wellness, can help make “healthy the new ‘happy’” at a virtual workshop sponsored by Women of Vance Empowered Networking.

Sandra Wilkerson, administrator of events for the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce, spoke with John C. Rose on The Local Skinny Thursday about the first meeting of 2021 for WOVEN, set for Thursday, Mar. 18 at noon. She said about 40 people are registered so far, but there’s room for more. Send Wilkerson an email at sandra@hendersonvance.org to register.

“The topic is something we can all pay attention to,” Wilkerson said. If ‘healthy is the new ‘happy,’ then there may be some areas to address, from getting a good night’s sleep to knowing which supplements may be best. She said McHale’s “pep talk” is sure to have something for everyone interested in staying young and healthy at any age.

“As women in the work force,” she said, “a lot of us were working from home, and we didn’t have that more comfortable chair to sit in.” The chairs around a dining table aren’t meant for all-day comfort. “We’ve probably overlooked some of the health issues that we were paying attention to in our office.

More than anything else, she said, the workshop will be about “simply taking care of you. Sometimes we just forget about “us.” It’s time to reflect again about taking care of ourselves,” Wilkerson added.

The seminar should last about an hour, and will include time for questions.

WOVEN, established in 2019, brings together businesswomen throughout the community and provides the opportunity for networking and to share successes and goals with one another.

“The biggest and greatest part of all this is networking,” Wilkerson said.

The Mar. 18 seminar is the first quarterly meeting of 2021. The group did not meet in 2020 because of COVID-19 restrictions.

McHale has a degree in Exercise Science from Bloomsburg University in Pennsylvania, her home state. She was a four-year starter on the Huskies’ Division II softball team. She got a master’s degree in athletic training and worked with professional athletes before returning to school to become a chiropractor. Her approach to treating the body is addressing the cause of dysfunction rather than solely treating the symptoms in order to restore function and promote long-term relief.

 

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!!!”

Local News Audio

WIZS Local News 03-04-21 Noon

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WIZS Your Community Voice — 100.1 FM / 1450 AM

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Local News Airs on WIZS M-F at 8 a.m., 12 Noon and 5 p.m.

“TownTalk” Airs on WIZS M-F at 11 a.m.

“The Local Skinny!” Airs on WIZS Mon-Thurs at 11:30 a.m.

 

 

Pair Arrested by Vance County Sheriff’s Office and Charged with Drug-Related Offenses

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Press Release courtesy Sheriff Curtis Brame —

On February 10, 2021, the Vance County Sheriff’s Office Drug Enforcement Unit and Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team executed a search warrant at 385 Julian Smith Road Lot 3, Henderson, North Carolina 27537.

Arrested at the scene were Tevin Lee Daye, Age 28 and Janeika Shadia Speed, Age 24, for Possession With Intent to Manufacture Sell and Deliver Heroin, Possession With Intent to Manufacture Sell and Deliver Cocaine and Possession With Intent to Manufacture Sell and Deliver Marijuana.

Daye’s bond was set at $90,000.00 and Speed’s bond was set at $75,000.00. They are scheduled to appear in Vance County District Court on March 15, 2021.

This investigation is continuing.