WIZS Noon Local News Audio for 1-13-21
– Hungry Heroes
– HV Rec Dept Spring Football
– GCP Schools Plan C
– NC State Retirement Benefits; State’s AAA Bond Rating
Click Play for Audio
— press release
Jordan McMillen, County Manager of Vance County, North Carolina, recently received the Credentialed Manager designation from ICMA, the International City/County Management Association. Mr. McMillen is one of over 1,300 local government management professionals currently credentialed through the ICMA Voluntary Credentialing Program.
ICMA’s mission is to advance professional local government through leadership, management, innovation, and ethics and by increasing the proficiency of appointed chief administrative officers, assistant administrators, and other employees who serve local governments and regional entities around the world. The organization’s 13,000 members in 27 countries also include educators, students, and other local government employees.
To receive the prestigious ICMA credential, a member must have significant experience as a senior management executive in local government; have earned a degree, preferably in public administration or a related field; and demonstrated a commitment to high standards of integrity and to lifelong learning and professional development.
Jordan McMillen is qualified by having over 12 years of professional local government executive experience. Prior to his appointment in 2016 as County Manager of Vance County, North Carolina, he served a dual role of Deputy County Manager/Planning and Development Director for three years, Planning and Development Director for two years and prior to that as Planning Services Manager for three years. He is more than deserving of this designation having worked in Vance County for a number of years and having made the positive impact that he has and continues to make for our citizens. This is even more notable following his recent honor being named County Manager of the Year for the Kerr-Tar Region.
For more information regarding the ICMA Voluntary Credentialing Program, contact Jenese Jackson at ICMA, 777 North Capitol Street, N.E., #500, Washington, D.C. 20002-4201; jjackson@icma.org; 202-962-3556.
— press release
Maria Parham Health is ringing in 2021 with the year’s first bundle of joy. Weighing 5 pounds and 15 ounces and measuring 19 inches, Raylen Nicole was born to Alyssa and Donnie, Monday, Jan. 4, at 4:54 PM.
“We are so excited to meet the newest member of our family!” said Alyssa. “We are so grateful to the physicians, nurses, and staff at Maria Parham for taking such good care of us and making this experience special for our family.”
Maria Parham’s Women’s Center is committed to providing high quality, compassionate care close to home for new and expecting parents in the region. The Center offers 24-7 in-house obstetrical coverage, attentive and dedicated nursing care while in labor, and dedicated and experienced staff.
“Our clinical and support staff are committed to creating a safe, welcoming and comfortable environment for moms and babies,” said Janice Martinez, CNM at Maria Parham. “It is one of our great privileges to help our community’s families welcome their newest additions in a positive and memorable way.”
Maria Parham’s Women’s Center is located at 566 Ruin Creek Rd, Henderson, NC. To learn more or to schedule an appointment, please call 252-438-4143, or visit MariaParham.com.
About Maria Parham Health
Maria Parham Health, a Duke LifePoint hospital, is a regional health system with campuses in Henderson, N.C., and Louisburg, N.C. serving the people of north-central North Carolina and Southside Virginia. Maria Parham offers a wide range of services and the latest technology to meet the health care needs of the community. It is fully accredited by The Joint Commission and CMS. For more information about Maria Parham Health, please call (252) 438-4143 or visit mariaparham.com.
(This is not sponsored content.)
Noon News for 12 Jan. 2021. Stories include:
– Obituary for Vance Co. basketball coach Wilton Baskett
– Update on Covid 19 vaccinations for area counties
– Vance Co. Manager Jordan McMillan receives credential
– Maria Parham Hospital announces first birth of 2021
For full details and audio click play.
Area health departments continue to update the public on progress with administering the COVID-19 vaccine. Please see below for updates from the Granville Vance Public Health, the Warren County Health Department and Franklin County Health Department. Although some details differ, all health department officials stress that residents’ patience and continued vigilance in the use of the 3 W’s – Wear, Wait, Wash – are vital components to combating the pandemic.
Three counties remain in Phase 1a, but are scheduled to open up Phase 1b, Group 1 soon. Franklin County began vaccinating eligible residents in Phase 1b last week.
Granville and Vance counties
Granville and Vance counties remain in Phase 1a distribution and plan to move to Phase 1b, Group 1 (only those aged 75 and over), on Thursday, Jan. 14. Health Director Lisa Harrison hopes to complete vaccinating groups 1a and 1b by March.
Phase 1a is only for eligible health care organizations and individuals with additional instructions to sign up for the vaccination. Harrison urges all others to wait to ask for an appointment until news outlets announce or publish that the phase for which you’re eligible to receive the vaccination is underway. Residents can also visit the GVPH COVID-19 website https://gvph.org/covidvaccines/ to find updated information. More information is forthcoming about how to register in the mandatory statewide COVID Vaccine Management System (CVMS). There is a survey everyone must fill out as part of registration and the system is not accessible to individuals at this time, Harrison added.
Individuals 75 years and older may call the health department now to schedule an appointment. Phase 1b, Group 1 vaccinations are scheduled to begin Thursday, Jan. 14. Any other instructions that may help make your vaccine appointment move faster (such as forms you need to fill out ahead of your appointment) will be posted on our website.
If you are not in Phase 1a or Phase 1b Group 1, but want more information, please call the COVID Vaccine Information Hotline at 252-295-1503.
Only hospitals and health departments have the vaccine at this moment, but in the coming weeks and months, primary care offices, pharmacies, and federally qualified health centers will receive vaccine and be able to vaccinate community members as well. The health department is working with Granville Health System and Maria Parham Health to make sure that the vaccination process is working as efficiently as possible.
Warren County
The Warren County Health Department is giving COVID-19 vaccinations by appointment to all healthcare workers in Phase 1a, which includes:
Individuals who fall in the category of Phase 1b can begin getting the vaccine the week of January 19, 2021.
Anyone 75 years and older, regardless of health status or living situation, is eligible to get the vaccine. Call the health department at (252) 257-1185 to make an appointment.
Franklin County
Franklin County began Phase 1b, Group 1 (residents 75 and older) on Jan. 7, 2021 in a drive-through event and delivered 323 vaccinations.
Franklin County residents who think they are eligible to get the vaccine should email covidvax@franklincountync.us and will receive an automated reply with instructions about how to register for the vaccine. You may also phone the health department’s dedicated COVID-19 phone line at 919–729-0654. If you leave a message, please leave a phone number and your call will be returned.
County Health Director Scott Lavigne said that although the line was long at times during the Jan. 7 drive-through vaccination event, everyone who had signed up got their shot.
— press release
The North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission is accepting applications for the 2021 grant cycle. The key objectives for 2021 are supporting the agricultural industry, impacting rural communities and stimulating economic development. Funds will be awarded in the fall of 2021 for selected innovative projects.
Applications information is now online at www.tobaccotrustfund.org for qualifying organizations. “Creating opportunities for North Carolina producers and creating jobs in current or former tobacco-dependent regions are our 2021 priorities,” said William H. “Bill” Teague, NCTTFC Chairman. “Applications will be accepted online for innovative projects within North Carolina. Selected projects should expect to start in November of 2021.”
The NCTTFC was established in 2000 by the N.C. General Assembly to help members of the tobacco community including farmers, tobacco workers and related businesses. Its original funding was established through tobacco industry annual payments as a result of the Master Settlement Agreement. Funding is now appropriated to the NCTTFC which then reviews, selects and disperses the funds to grant projects.
Past NCTTFC projects includes fair and farmers market improvements, cost-share grant programs for farmers, commodity marketing, researching alternative crops and support of agricultural education programs.
More information can be found at the NCTTFC’s website (www.tobaccotrustfund.org), or by calling Jeff Camden at 919-397-6766. The deadline for applications submission is Friday March 5, 2021.
— info courtesy of the City of Oxford, NC
The City of Oxford is now opening up its ‘Employee of the Month’ to where all employees and the public can make nominations.
In an email received by WIZS, Alyssa Blair, Executive Assistant, City of Oxford, wrote, “We want to recognize City employees who embody the mission and values of the City in action. To nominate and employee/team you can fill out an online form, under ‘Human Resources’, on the City website. You must include the employee(s) name, department, and a brief description of what the employee(s) did.”
Click here – https://www.oxfordnc.org/departments/human_resources/employee_of_the_month.php
City of Oxford employees who embody the mission and values of the City in their daily duties are recognized each month. City employees or citizens can nominate employees when they see individuals or teams demonstrating the city’s values in action.
— press release
Warren County, North Carolina- Warren County was recently awarded a $115,000 Industrial Development Fund (Utility Account) grant from the North Carolina Department of Commerce to assist in extending water in support of activities by Warren County business, Heritage Mulch. The extension of the county-owned waterline from US Hwy 1 down Collins Road to the work site will allow the company to expand its mulch coloring operations and bring on six new, full-time employees.
In the award letter to the county, Assistant Secretary Kenny Flowers stated, “Everyone involved in the development of this project is to be congratulated. We commend Warren County for its economic development efforts.”
“Our industrial zoned district just three miles from I-85 has great potential and is serving our existing businesses in that area well,” said Vice-Chairman Commissioner Victor Hunt of District 3, who also serves on the Warren County Economic Development Commission Board. “This investment assistance from the state in infrastructure development will result in an existing industry’s expansion, which we know to be just as valuable to our economy as recruiting new businesses.”
The project is scheduled to go to bid in April of 2021; construction is scheduled to start in late summer of 2021.
“Warren County is appreciative of the commitment Heritage Mulch has shown to doing business in our county,” said Charla Duncan, Economic Development Director. “Pursuing an Industrial Development Fund award for the waterline extension, in an effort to see a business expand and jobs created, is indicative of the interest local leaders have for development in Warren County, and a reassurance that local and state agencies want to partner with businesses that are willing to invest in rural NC.”
The $115,000 award is a non-matching grant. A resolution of support was passed by the Board of Commissioners in October 2018 when the project was first introduced, committing matching funds if needed.
“Interim EDC Director, Ms. Duncan, should be commended for her efforts in turning this project around and bringing it to completion,” stated County Manager Vincent Jones. “Supporting a local business that is investing in the County and creating potential job opportunities for Warren County residents is exactly the kind of economic development we need.”
For more information, contact the Warren County Economic Development office at 252-257-3114 or by emailing Charla Duncan at charladuncan@warrencountync.gov.
Stories include:
– Death of Vance Co. basketball coach Wilton Baskett
– Davis Chapel partners with Raleigh Firebirds for basketball tournament
For full details and audio click play.
Granville County Board of Commissioners Chair Sue Hinman is part of a statewide task force established to look at ways to reduce food insecurity in North Carolina. The “Resilience Initiative” was formed to help counties find solutions to the challenges brought on by food insecurity among the state’s residents.
Hinman sees first-hand the effects food insecurity has on Granville County residents. She is the director of Area Congregations in Ministry (ACIM), a food bank located in Oxford. “We have seen a huge increase in the number of people we serve at ACIM since COVID-19,” Hinman said. “So many new faces, either people who have lost jobs completely or lost a job and had to take lower paying jobs” to provide for their families.
The initiative seeks to ensure that the food “ecosystem” across the state is strong. It is a project of the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners. Hinman said the task force will help bring attention to the real challenges around food insecurity to county commissioners across North Carolina. As a member and co-chair, Hinman said she hopes to raise awareness while increasing accessibility to high-quality, affordable food by anyone who may face food insecurity.
The task force was formed in response to an expected increase in the food insecurity rate, which is predicted to rise from 14 to 19.3 percent. Lost wages and job loss due to COVID-19 have negatively impacted the affordability of basic needs such as food and housing, creating a national and statewide crisis. In North Carolina, the average food insecurity rate is 14 percent, well above the national average of 10 percent, according to information from the Granville County government.
Her experience working with the local food bank was what led to her appointment, Hinman said, adding that she hopes to “find other resources out there and to learn what other people are doing” to combat food insecurity. “I also want to share with other people what we are doing at ACIM, because we’re doing a pretty good job right now,” she said.
The task force has had two virtual meetings so far, and Hinman said the group represents a good cross-section of the state. “Some of the other members have worked with food banks before, and others have not,” she said. So far, they have heard from NC Food Bank representatives and learned about different types of federally funded programs that provide emergency food assistance.
There are a dozen additional appointees from Wake, Randolph, Robeson, Tyrrell, Pitt, Bertie, Nash, Henderson, Wilkes, McDowell, Watauga and Brunswick counties. She was appointed by NCACC President Ronnie Smith. Hinman shares co-chair duties with Wake County Commissioner James West.
The task force will meet through August of 2021 to hear from experts, discuss potential partnerships and share experiences. The recommendations made by this group will serve as a road map for counties to implement plans and adopt solutions that will better meet local and regional needs.
“I am proud to have been selected to help lead this initiative, which I am so passionate about,” Hinman said of her appointment. “I look forward to sharing ideas and partnering with other counties to ensure that we address this serious issue that impacts so many, and on so many levels.”
Visit www.ncacc.org/resilience to learn more about this task force.
