“Things to Know” about PPP Loans from SBA.gov

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The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) has two loan programs open now through the end of March 2021 to help businesses keep their doors open and employee wages paid during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The PPP, offered by the U.S. Small Business Administration, provides loans for first-time applicants as well as employers who previously had requested and received help in 2020 as part of the federal government’s response to the pandemic, according to information on the SBA.gov website.

The First Draw PPP Loans are for first-time participants. The SBA reopened this loan program on Jan. 11, 2021 and is currently accepting applications from participating community financial institutions (CFIs) and lenders with under $1 billion in assets. This category includes approximately 5,000 institutions, including community banks, credit unions, and farm credit institutions. Lender Match can help find a participating lender. The program will be opened up to all lenders on January 19, 2021.

The Second Draw PPP loan opened on Jan. 13, 2021 and is designated for certain businesses who have already received a PPP loan. At least $25 billion is being set aside for eligible borrowers – those employers with a maximum of 10 employees or for loans of $250,000 or less to eligible borrowers in low- or moderate-income neighborhoods.

First Draw PPP Loans can be used to help fund payroll, including benefits, as well as rent and mortgage interest, utilities, and even uninsured property damage caused by vandalism or looting in 2020, among other things, according to information published on the SBA.gov site. Loan forgiveness is an option, as well, if certain criteria are met, including whether employees are still employed and compensation levels are maintained and at least 60 percent of the money is spent on payroll costs.

Generally speaking, most borrowers who received help through the First Draw PPP may apply for a second loan.

According to the website, a borrower is generally eligible for a Second Draw PPP Loan if a first loan was applied for and received; the business fewer than 300 employees and if the employer can show at least a 25% reduction in gross receipts between comparable periods of time in 2019 and 2020.

For a comprehensive look and details about the PPP loans, visit SBA.gov. Your local banker likely will have additional information about the loan program as well.

Noon News 1-18-21 MLK Day; Food Drive; Basketball Tournament; Food Giveaway; Hiring Event

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Stories include:

– MLK Day

– Food Drive at Perry Library

– 3 on 3 basketball tournament

– Food giveaways/covid testing

– hiring event

For full details and audio click play.

 

Maria Parham Health

Why I Got the COVID-19 Vaccine by Adrian Ogle

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Submitted by Adrian Ogle, Chief of Staff, Maria Parham Health

For most of us, this past holiday season was unlike any other we have experienced. Instead of the typical hustle and bustle of holiday parties, family gatherings and being surrounded by those we love – this year was just different. I know for me personally, I missed seeing my mother and other beloved family members due to the restrictions of COVID-19.

While changing traditions this year was hard, I know there are people here in our community who are facing much greater difficulties because of how COVID-19 has impacted their lives. I see these challenges every single day in my role on the frontlines of fighting this pandemic as a Chief of Staff.

That’s why I’m excited and proud to be among the first to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. I know many people have questions or concerns about the vaccine – I did too, at first. However, after talking to other clinicians I know and trust, reviewing the facts and being tired of missing so much in 2020, I feel very confident in my decision to get vaccinated.

COVID-19 vaccines have gone through the same rigorous process to gain authorization that all vaccines available in the United States have gone through – no steps were skipped, and no corners were cut. Researchers anticipate that the vaccine will be approximately 95% effective. This is significantly higher than other common (and important) vaccines like the flu vaccine, which is typically between 40-60% effective.

You’ve probably heard about the potential side effects, which can include pain at the injection site and sometimes headaches, muscle pain, body aches, fatigue or fever. I personally experienced mild soreness and achiness around the injection site, which were mild and went away within two days. I can tell you from personal experience serving patients and families every day during this crisis that these potential side effects pale in comparison to the challenges that come with a serious case of COVID-19.

For me, I chose to get the vaccine because it is very important that we as a community all take measures to control Covid-19 to allow us to return to a sense of normalcy.

With the COVID-19 vaccine, I believe we are on the right path toward reaching an end to the pandemic and returning to normal life – but it is going to take all of us doing our part by choosing to get vaccinated, continuing to wear masks, maintaining social distancing and practicing hand hygiene until the vaccination is widely administered. I want to encourage every member of our community to step up and be a vaccine hero once it is available to you. Do it for your family, your friends, yourself – and all of us at Maria Parham Health.

While there is much that we all missed last year because of the pandemic, there is now a light at the end of the tunnel. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve this community, and I will continue to do my part to help ensure that brighter days are ahead in 2021.

(This is not a paid ad.  Maria Parham Health is a paying advertising client of WIZS.)

Warren Co. Ext Dir and Family Consumer Science Agent Crystal Smith Featured on Statewide Podcast

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Warren County Extension Director and Family Consumer Science Agent Crystal M. Smith was a featured guest on a statewide podcast to talk about innovative programs to combat food insecurity.

Smith appeared on CountyCast, a podcast series created by the N.C. Association of County Commissioners. She and her Pitt County counterpart Leigh Guth spoke to host Amber Harris in the first episode of Season 3 of CountyCast. One goal of the broadcast is to highlight how counties leverage available resources to solve problems and how to tailor solutions to meet the needs of the communities they serve.

Smith said her job requires her to do a little bit of everything, but she most enjoys programming and youth development, as well as nutrition programs. Since the pandemic, her role has included working with a partner to lead the county food coordination effort. She and her co-facilitator were able to create a network of local farmers, businesses and restaurants to create a family meal program.

Smith said 200 families got meals through the program, which provided weekend meals when the school district’s food distribution didn’t operate. The service proved so beneficial to the community that county government decided to keep funding it when the grant period expired.

“It was a true highlight to meet those needs,” Smith said of the project. What she learned, though, was that although providing weekend meals “looked ideal on paper,” the logistics proved less than ideal. “We put it out to the community to ask for extra help,” she added, and the community came through in fine fashion. “The consistent commitment has been a real ‘feel-good,’” Smith said.

Another innovative program that has “sprouted” during the pandemic is the Backyard Ag program. Partnering with neighboring counties’ extension agents, Smith says, is a response from residents who say “Hey, we want to go back to the basics of growing our own food – how do we do it? The online class met weekly and had an average of 41 participants that learned different aspects of backyard agriculture from livestock agents, field crops agents and horticulture agents. The highest attendance was 75, Smith said. “And on Dec. 2, we started taking it to the next level,” she added, as the class continues to garner interest.

GCPS Receives Yet ANOTHER “Clean” Financial Audit Report

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

At their regularly scheduled meeting on Monday, January 11, 2021, the Granville County Board of Education received the official financial audit for the 2019-2020 fiscal year from the firm of Anderson, Smith and Wike, PLLC.  Partner Dale Smith, CPA, summarized the 72 page report to the Board, commenting, “these reports are the cleanest reports that a governmental entity can receive in an audit of its financial statement”.  Board Chairman David Richardson responded to the audit results, stating, “The Board is very pleased with the results of this year’s audit.  In striving to be transparent and accountable for the funds entrusted to us, this process affirms, yet again as in past years, that our finance staff and financial procedures are highly effective.”

Mr. Smith walked Board members through various highlights of the report, including an overview of the budget, as well as the status of fund balance, or the district’s savings or ‘rainy day’ fund.  The total budget of governmental activities for the district during the 2019-2020 fiscal year was $92,121,104 and $4,528,733 for the enterprise funds.  Regarding fund balance, Mr. Smith explained, “The total unassigned fund balance at June 30, 2020 was $5,887,425, which as a percentage of total governmental expenditures represents 7.12%.”  Mr. Smith further explained the importance of the Board to continue monitoring the amount of fund balance budgeted to ensure the district remained in sound financial standing.  He had previously noted that while there is no required threshold for the percentage of fund balance that a school district should maintain, other governmental entities such as towns, cities and municipalities use 8% as a general target for their fund balance.

Mr. Smith concluded his presentation by stating, “We audit over 50 districts across the state, and I wish all of our audits could be this clean.”

The Board uses a third party independent auditing firm to review financial records as a measure of accountability and certification as required by state law.  This helps ensure that the district remains a good steward of taxpayer dollars.  Superintendent McLean also commented on the audit, saying, “I am very proud to see the high quality work of our finance team and staff from across the district confirmed by this independent report.  This is fundamental to our primary goal of educating students and I commend them for a job well done.”

Assistant Superintendent of Finance, Beth Day, commented, “I am very pleased with both the financial results and the testament to the hard work that so many people do throughout our district to maintain such a high level of financial management and integrity.  This is a lot of hard work by a lot of people.  I am very thankful and proud of that work.”

—

Dr. Stan Winborne

Assistant Superintendent of Operations & Human Resources
Public Information Officer

Tar River Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan Meeting Jan 28th

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There will be a public meeting on Thursday, Jan. 28 to discuss updates to the Tar River Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan, which covers Franklin, Granville, Vance and Warren counties. The virtual meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. and will discuss next steps to update the hazard mitigation plan. The plan outlines steps to prepare, respond and reduce losses in the event of floods, severe storms, wildfires, extreme winter weather and other natural hazards.

Local governments are required to develop a hazard mitigation plan as a condition for receiving certain types of non-emergency disaster assistance, including funding for hazard mitigation projects, which stems from passage of the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000.

The upcoming meeting is the part of the first of six steps that will be addressed in the update, according to information from area emergency management officials. In addition to public outreach is risk assessment, capability assessment, mitigation strategy development, plan maintenance and plan adoption. The updated plan is expected to be ready for review by the North Carolina Division of Emergency Management and the Federal Emergency Management Agency by June 2021.

In addition to two open public meetings, residents of the four counties are invited to complete a survey. Find the survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MPWRNC2 and to visit the Tar River Hazard Mitigation Planning website click on https://gis.aecomonline.net/irisk2/NCHMP.aspx?region=30.

If you would like to attend the meeting, use the following links and information:

Join on your computer or mobile app by CLICKING HERE TO JOIN THE MEETING or use this link BY CLICKING HERE.  Or call in (audio only) (877) 286-5733,,456918094#  (Toll-free) Phone Conference ID: 456 918 094#

Updates and draft documents will be available on the website during the planning process, which began in September 2020.

Granville County Emergency Management is leading this regional effort. The planning committee is made up of local officials, representatives, and key stakeholders.

To learn more about the project, contact any of the emergency management coordinators below:

Robin Edwards, Granville County

919.603.1310 / robin.edwards@granvillecounty.org

Brian Short, Vance County

252.438.8264 / bshort@vancecounty.org

Dennis Paschall, Warren County

252.257.1191 / dennispaschall@warrentcountync.gov

Christy Shearin, Franklin County

919.291.9420 / chearin@franklincountync.us

IRS Warns About New Wave of Covid Scams

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— press release

IRS Criminal Investigation warns North Carolina taxpayers about new wave of COVID-19 scams as second round of Economic Impact Payments are delivered

The Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation Division (IRS-CI) is warning North Carolina taxpayers about a new wave of COVID-19-related scams as the agency delivers the second round of Economic Impact Payments.

In the last several months, IRS-CI has seen a variety of Economic Impact Payment (EIP) scams and other financial schemes designed to steal money and personal information from taxpayers. Criminals are taking advantage of the second round of Economic Impact Payments – as well as the approaching filing season – to trick honest taxpayers out of their hard-earned money.

“As this second round of Economic Impact Payments are being issued and as we approach tax filing season, I’d like to remind taxpayers to remain vigilant.  Fraudsters continue to exploit this pandemic to victimize the American public by seeking ways to gain access to taxpayer’s personal and financial information in an effort to line their own pockets,” said Special Agent in Charge Matthew D. Line.

Some common COVID-19 scams include:

  • Text messages asking taxpayers to disclose bank account information under the guise of receiving the $1,200 Economic Impact Payments.
  • Phishing schemes using email, letters and social media messages with key words such as “Coronavirus,” “COVID-19,” and “stimulus” in varying ways. These communications are blasted to large numbers of people and aim to access personally identifying information and financial account information (including account numbers and passwords).
  • The organized and unofficial sale of fake at-home COVID-19 test kits (as well as offers to sell fake cures, vaccines, pills, and professional medical advice regarding unproven COVID-19 treatments).
  • Fake donation requests for individuals, groups and areas heavily affected by the disease
  • Bogus opportunities to invest in companies developing COVID-19 vaccines while promising that the “company” will dramatically increase in value as a result.

Although criminals are constantly changing their tactics, taxpayers can help protect themselves by acting as the first line of defense. The best way to avoid falling victim to a scam is knowing how the IRS communicates with taxpayers. The IRS does not send unsolicited texts or emails. The IRS does not call people with threats of jail or lawsuits, nor does it demand tax payments on gift cards.

IRS-CI continues investigating hundreds of COVID-19-related cases with law enforcement agencies domestically and abroad and educating taxpayers about scams.

COVID-19 scams should be reported to the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 1-866-720-5721 or submitted through the NCDF Web Complaint Form. The NCDF is a national coordinating agency within the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division dedicated to improving the detection, prevention, investigation and prosecution of criminal conduct related to natural and man-made disasters and other emergencies.

Taxpayers can also report fraud or theft of their Economic Impact Payments to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA). Reports can be made online at TIPS.TIGTA.GOV.

Taxpayers who receive unsolicited emails or social media attempts to gather information that appear to be from either the IRS or an organization closely linked to the IRS, should forward the message to phishing@irs.gov. Taxpayers are encouraged not to engage potential scammers online or on the phone.

To learn more about COVID-19 scams and other financial schemes visit IRS.gov. Official IRS information about COVID-19 and Economic Impact Payments can be found on the Coronavirus Tax Relief page, which is updated frequently.

Hollander Virtual Hiring Event January 19th

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WIZS has been asked to announce, by the Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments’ Workforce Development Board, Hollander Sleep Products is holding a virtual hiring event.

It will take place Tuesday, January 19 at 11 a.m.

Visit the Weebly events page to register.  (https://ncworkskt.weebly.com)

You can join for this hiring event with Hollander Sleep Products to find out about their current openings and how to apply.

Email joseph.jung@ncoworks.gov or lonnda.brothers@ncworks.gov.

The NCWorks Career Center can be reach by phone at 919-693-2686.

(This is not a paid ad or sponsorship.)

Noon News 1-15-21 Payroll Protection; Food Drive; Food Insecurities; Shannon Christmas; Mick Mixon

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Stories include:

– Payroll Protection is now underway

– Democratic Party holding local food drive

– Food insecurities addressed with food drives-

– Shannon Christmas’ TownTalk appearance

– Mick Mixon on SportsTalk

For details and full audio click play.

 

Mt. Moriah A. M. E. Zion Church Partnership to Fight Food Insecurity

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— from Linda T. Bristow

Mt. Moriah A. M. E. Zion Church is continuing its partnership with Livingstone College and the NC Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority to fight food insecurities in Henderson, Vance County, NC and surrounding areas.

Two additional community outreach initiatives are scheduled. The first is on MLK Day Monday, January 18, 2021 beginning at 11 a.m.  We will be giving away free groceries (fresh produce, meat, dairy, eggs, and canned goods).

On January 22, 2021, we will be giving away cases of fresh chicken (up to 40 lbs).

Both events are free and open to anyone experiencing food insecurities and will be held at Mt. Moriah A. M. E. Zion Church, located at 5448 Highway 158 Business, Henderson, NC 27537.