Vance Co EMS Lifeline Award

Vance County EMS Has Itself Reached Out For Help

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Vance County Management, on behalf of the Vance County EMS Department, has reached out to the state to ask for a strike team. The problem is positive COVID cases.

Vance County Manager Jordan McMillen told WIZS News, “We are working through a number of positive COVID cases in our EMS department as is the case in the general public and as a result additional EMS employees have been put on quarantine and sick leave reducing the number of available EMTs and Paramedics. We are working with our in-county first responders and neighboring counties to fill in any gaps…” He said the purpose of reaching out was “to make arrangements from across the state should we need additional assistance down the line.”

Vance County has already heard back from agencies from neighboring counties and beyond, and McMillen said, “…We are doing our best to work through the situation. We have also had a number of off duty firefighters who are willing to step up and assist as well. I wouldn’t say we are at crisis level, but we are doing what we need to stay ahead of it as best we can and to get our folks who are working long hours some relief.”

Vance Co EMS Lifeline Award

Vance County EMS was recently selected as a 2020 Mission Lifeline Award recipient by the American Heart Association. On Wednesday, Sept 23, 2020, County Manager Jordan McMillen and Chairman of the Board Gordon Wilder presented Paramedic Christopher Rigg with a certificate of appreciation for his role in coordinating the application process. The County also presented Director Javier Plummer and the entire department with a certificate in recognition of their accomplishments leading to this award. McMillen said the County appreciates all public safety workers and first responders and congratulates Vance EMS on this accomplishment.

Firefighters, EMTs, paramedics, deputies, police and other forms of law enforcement and emergency personal rush into burning buildings, run into homes, reach into private vehicles and more. Sometimes it’s even known these homes, buildings and vehicles have COVID positive people and patients inside. McMillen said, “While we are taking all of the precautions with PPE and other means as we can, it is inevitable that it reaches our public safety staff as well.”

These working and giving heroes are local as well as far and wide and are just the type of people who come together to serve here, there and where ever there is need.

Vance County is working with Granville Vance Public Health and “following all of their guidance,” McMillen said.

VGCC forms new partnership with UNC Wilmington

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–press release courtesy of VGCC

Vance-Granville Community College continues to show its commitment to building partnerships that provide meaningful pathways for students seeking to transfer to a four-year university. Recently, VGCC solidified a partnership with the University of North Carolina at Wilmington (UNCW). The UNCW & VGCC “Pathways to Excellence” program will provide transfer students from the community college with guaranteed admission to UNCW.

VGCC is one of a host of community colleges from various regions across the state to sign on as a part of the Pathways to Excellence program with UNCW due to the quality of education that transfer students will receive at the institution. VGCC President Dr. Rachel Desmarais and UNCW Chancellor Dr. Jose V. Sartarelli inked the partnership agreement, and expressed enthusiasm about how it will benefit students.

“The co-admission agreement between VGCC and UNCW is a fine example of innovation and collaboration,” said Dr. Desmarais, president of the community college. “We look forward to helping our Vanguards achieve their academic and career goals by continuing their education as UNCW Seahawks.”

Pathways to Excellence guarantees admission to UNCW for students completing an Associate in Arts or Associate in Science with a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.5 (on a 4.0 scale) in transferable, college-level coursework from VGCC. As a part of the agreement, VGCC students will have access to a Transfer Student Success Coordinator that will meet with students at Vance-Granville throughout each semester. Students will have the benefit of working with their VGCC advisor and the Transfer Student Success Coordinator from UNCW. VGCC students will have the opportunity to attend an open house event, as well as an application event in the spring on the community college campus, and will receive a university application fee waiver as a transfer student.

“We are elated to partner with UNCW on the Pathways to Excellence program,” said Dr. Levy Brown, VGCC’s vice president of learning, student engagement and success. “This is another example of our dedicated team seeking opportunities to provide multiple pathways to success for students. The goal is for our transfer students to receive an excellent experience at VGCC and move on to the University of their Choice. It is wonderful that this UNCW program is now an option for students in our communities!”

If you or someone you know is interested in learning more about this guaranteed admission partnership between VGCC and UNCW, please call VGCC at (252) 738-3234. If you are interested in enrolling at VGCC, please apply at www.vgcc.edu or call (252) 738-3234.

–vgcc–

(VGCC is a paying advertising client of WIZS and WIZS.com.  This is not a paid ad.)

NCDOT

S-Line Rail Corridor Goes Straight Through Henderson

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The S-Line rail corridor goes straight through downtown Henderson.  The future of the route from Petersburg, Virginia down to the Virginia line and then the NC Department of Transportation’s portion from Virginia to South Carolina could spawn additional economic development for the local Henderson area.

Being a mainline portion of the Southeast Corridor and possibly a higher speed line would help too.

For now, the news is the fact that NCDOT has been awarded a grant for development planning near passenger rail stations.

Henderson Mayor Eddie Ellington is quoted in a press release from NCDOT, and he said, “Our community was founded on rail traffic in 1841. It is only natural that our resurgence is based on this same driving force for economic development, connecting us to greater opportunities. The regional cooperation and resulting benefit this project represents is government at its best.”

Julie White, NCDOT’s deputy secretary for Multimodal Transportation said in the press release: “We’re grateful to be working with cities and towns that understand how passenger rail service can spur economic development.  This as a great opportunity to use passenger rail to better connect rural and urban communities. It should serve as a model for future projects.”

In our area, Henderson and Franklinton contributed the necessary matching funds for the grant.

Franklinton Mayor Art Wright is quoted in the press release saying, “The Town of Franklinton is looking forward to working with our neighbors along the S-line to develop a community that will support passenger rail. This funding will promote Franklinton’s rich rail history and expand downtown.”

The grant money can be used to develop plans for areas around rail stations.

In Henderson, that plan will need to look at plans for the actual rail station itself.  The only actual passenger station along the line is long gone, and the metal and plexiglass hut that sat at the corner of Williams and Montgomery Streets downtown was removed after the final AMTRAK operated “Silver Star” departed for the final time in the mid 1980s.

The bigger picture is all these smaller pieces are adding up. This grant now, and the next press release about another grant later, and when the news of hiring a new Henderson-Vance Downtown Development Commission director comes, and with the recent hiring of a new Henderson-Vance Economic Development Commission director, and downtown Main Street status in Henderson, and an expanded industrial park, and other growth and development, it’s all chipping away at the problem and putting down new roads to success.

If you’d like to hear more about the S-Line, listen back to TownTalk from October 28, 2020 and NCDOT guest Jason Orthner, Rail Division Director.

 

— NCDOT Press Release

NCDOT Awarded Grant for Development Planning Near Passenger Rail Stations

​Federal funding will help communities plan for development on S-Line corridor

Raleigh — The Federal Transit Authority has awarded the N.C. Department of Transportation’s Integrated Mobility Division a $900,000 grant to help Triangle area communities create plans for development along the S-Line rail corridor.

The S-Line corridor is a passenger rail line that starts at the Virginia border, runs through Raleigh, and ends at the South Carolina state line.

“We’re grateful to be working with cities and towns that understand how passenger rail service can spur economic development,” said Julie White, NCDOT’s deputy secretary for Multimodal Transportation. “This as a great opportunity to use passenger rail to better connect rural and urban communities. It should serve as a model for future projects.”

The following towns contributed matching funds for the grant: Apex, Franklinton, Henderson, Raleigh, Sanford and Wake Forest. The towns will use the grant money to develop plans for the areas around the rail stations. The plans will explore how the rail stations will bolster economic development in their town centers and enable these communities to plan for connections to bus service, micro transit, bicycle paths and greenways.

Mayors of the towns that contributed matching funds to the grant provided the following comments.

Apex Mayor Jacques K. Gilbert said:
“The Town of Apex is thrilled to join the North Carolina Department of Transportation and our regional partners in this forward-thinking effort to plan for the future of passenger rail along the S-Line corridor. Working together, we will realize the substantial economic and mobility benefits of passenger rail for our communities.”

Franklinton Mayor Art Wright said:
“The Town of Franklinton is looking forward to working with our neighbors along the S-line to develop a community that will support passenger rail. This funding will promote Franklinton’s rich rail history and expand downtown.”

Henderson Mayor Eddie Ellington said:
“Our community was founded on rail traffic in 1841. It is only natural that our resurgence is based on this same driving force for economic development, connecting us to greater opportunities. The regional cooperation and resulting benefit this project represents is government at its best.”

Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin said:
“This grant is crucial to moving the S-Line project ahead and restoring passenger rail service between Raleigh and Richmond. In the long-term, the S-Line will improve mobility and reduce congestion, not only in Raleigh, but across the region. I am thrilled to continue working with everyone involved in this project, and deeply appreciate FTA’s support.”

Sanford Mayor Chet Mann said:
“Sanford is thrilled with the prospect of having passenger rail on the S-Line. We have a rich train history as we were founded at the rail crossing in 1874 in what is now our Depot Park. We see multimodal transportation as a key component to any growing community. This project will usher in a new wave of economic development around an area in our town already designated for revitalization. We are grateful to be partnering with the NCDOT and all the other stakeholders involved in this project and we are beyond excited at watching what happens as this project evolves.”

Wake Forest Mayor Vivian A. Jones said:
“We’ve been working on bringing passenger rail to Wake Forest for quite a while. We recognize there’s a strong demand out there, so we are excited about this opportunity and are looking forward to getting it done.”

The Granville Education Foundation Awards $50,500 in Grants to Granville County School Teachers

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(Please Note – This is the second version of this story to be posted on WIZS.com. The first version had omissions which were unknown to WIZS at the time.  WIZS apologizes to the parties who were originally left out.  It was strictly unintentional on our part but was our responsibility to know nonetheless.  This version replaces anything you may have seen earlier, in which two schools were omitted.)

— press release courtesy of Granville Education Foundation

The Granville Education Foundation (GEF) recently awarded over $50,500 in grants to Granville County School teachers.  This year, 48 grant applications were received and GEF awarded 26 grants in 11 different schools.  Teachers were eligible to submit grant applications that were reviewed and scored by GEF Grant Committee members.  The grant applicants name and school were made anonymous before the grant committee members read and scored the grant.  On Tuesday, December 8, 2020, the GEF “Prize Patrol” visited and celebrated the grant recipients in person and via Zoom.

“My second experience with Prize Patrol was a bit different this year due to COVID-19, but I am thrilled we were still able to host this wonderful event.  This day was filled with surprises, excitement, and tears of joy for many deserving teachers and students.  We secretly notified the school principals we would be awarding the grants, but the teachers were unaware.  Balloons and grant acceptance letters were delivered to the schools in advance to prepare for the virtual celebrations.  It was delightful to witness these very happy Granville County School teachers receive their grants!” said GEF Executive Director, Jennifer Cufalo Carpenter.  “Our grant funding goes directly into the classrooms for these teachers’ innovative projects, which is exciting not only for the teachers receiving the grants, but for their schools, their students, and for our GEF Board of Directors.  We are excited about these projects and look forward to hearing how these grants impact our Granville County Students”, says Susan Hiscocks, President of the Granville Education Foundation Board of Directors.

GEF will remain in contact with the grant recipients throughout the 2020-2021 school year to gather the progress of their grant projects. Please join us in congratulating the following schools and teachers on their success.

2020-2021 Success Through Technology Grants (eligible to apply for an amount up to $5,000):

Pictured: J.F. Webb High School teacher, Carole Griffin, 2020-2021 Success Through Technology Grant recipient for her grant “Fostering Foundations Building Vocabulary for our Educational Futures” in the amount of $3,000.00. Photo credits to Mrs. Amy Rice, Principal of J.F. Webb High School. J.F. Webb High School received 4 grants from the Granville Education Foundation this year, making them the top grant recipient out of 9 Granville County Public Schools.

  • Oxford Preparatory School – Heather Williams
  • West Oxford Elementary School – Karla Gravitt
  • Wilton Elementary School – Tasha Blalock
  • Creedmoor Elementary School – Kathy Clement
  • Granville Central High School – Audra Neunkirchner
  • Oxford Preparatory School – Ashley Barnette
  • Oxford Preparatory School – Cindy Clark
  • F. Webb High School – Carole Griffin
  • Creedmoor Elementary School – Victoria Jones
  • Oxford Preparatory School – Jade Currin
  • Tar River Elementary School – Holly Navo

2020-2021 Experience Grants (eligible to apply for an amount up to $1,000):  

  • Mount Energy Elementary School – Kelly Herman
  • Oxford Preparatory School – Jade Currin
  • Creedmoor Elementary School – Niekietta Grillo

2020-2021 Performing & Visual Arts Grant (eligible to apply for an amount up to $1,500):  

  • Northern Granville Middle School – Sherria Grubbs
  • Granville Central High School – Brent Hammer

Pictured: Oxford Preparatory School teacher, Jade Currin, 2020-2021 Success Through Technology Grant recipient for her grant “Tech Savvy Kinders” in the amount of $1,387.68 and 2020-2021 Experience Grant recipient for her grant “Covid Can’t Stop Science” in the amount of $594.00. Oxford Preparatory School received 7 grants from the Granville Education Foundation this year, making them the top grant recipient overall in Granville County Schools.

 2020-2021 Lela Eaton Creative Teaching Grants (eligible to apply for an amount up to $1,000):  

  • Falls Lake Academy – Sara Allen
  • Mount Energy Elementary School – Kelly Herman
  • Oxford Preparatory School – Mary Newton
  • F. Webb High School – Lori Puryear
  • Stovall-Shaw Elementary School – Tammy Hughes
  • Tar River Elementary School – John Fiedler
  • F. Webb High School – Mary Lundquist
  • Oxford Preparatory School – Mary Ann Crews
  • F. Webb High School – Amanda Baker
  • Mount Energy Elementary School – Farrah Preddy

Contact: Jennifer Cufalo Carpenter, Executive Director Granville Education Foundation, Inc.

Phone: 919.693.7047   

Email: GranvilleEdFoundation@outlook.com

 

The Granville Education Foundation is an independent, 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing student performance.  Funds raised through the Granville Education Foundation are used to provide resources and enrichment programs for the students of Granville County Schools.  Please visit the website www.GranvilleEdFoundation.org for more information.

Local Vance County Covid-19 Update 12-17-20

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For the seven day period December 10 to December 16 in Vance County, there were a total of 182 positive test results for Covid-19. For the same time period, 96 people in Vance County were released from isolation.

Those figures equal a net increase of 86 in a week or about 12 people per day more.

Two deaths occurred December 10 to December 16 in Vance County attributed to Covid-19, and the total daily count of those receiving inpatient care decreased by one, which lowered the figure to 22.

Of the 704 active cases in Vance County on December 16, a total of 694 cases were in the community at large and 10 were divided six to four at two nursing facilities.

This information was compiled by WIZS based on data from Granville Vance Public Health.

H-V Chamber Logo

Henderson Vance Chamber Informs Businesses About Covid

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Covid news for member businesses is out from the Henderson Vance Chamber of Commerce and President Michelle Burgess.

An email this week from Burgess to Chamber members asks for area businesses to “Help Keep Our Economy Open!”

Burgess wrote:

The Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce has been alerted to the surging COVID-19 cases here in the county.  Because the number of COVID cases doubled in Vance County since December 1st, Vance County has been added to a list of the state’s Top 10 Priority Counties to work with to try and curb the spread of transmissions.  Vance County remains in the Red: Critical Community Spread, on the statewide COVID-19 Alert System which uses a combination of three metrics: case rate, the percent of tests that are positive, and hospital impact within the county.  There is concern that if the number of cases continues to climb, we may be faced with our economy having to close down again.

Our Chamber has been asked to help get out key COVID information to our local employers.  Your immediate help is needed to encourage your employees and their families to stay safe during the holiday season and in the upcoming winter months by avoiding travel and gatherings with people they don’t live with. If they must travel or gather, encourage getting tested ahead of time, wearing a mask all the time, and keeping any gatherings small and outdoors. In a statement this week, Gary Salamido, president and CEO of the NC Chamber, encouraged NC employers to work together to slow the spread of COVID-19 “North Carolina employers know how to keep people safe and their success relies on it. If all North Carolinians work together, we can protect lives and livelihoods.”

Detailed guidance for businesses is available at https://covid19.ncdhhs.gov/guidance#businesses (open hyperlink for additional information).  Granville-Vance Public Health is available to provide technical assistance and help people access testing and PPE if needed.  They also provide free testing at their Henderson facility on Tuesday and Thursday, and at their Oxford location on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.  Call ahead to schedule an appointment.  Their phone number is (919) 693-2141.

Gang Free

Christmas Toy Drive at Gang Free, Inc.

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Gang Free, Inc. here in Henderson will be giving toys to over 600 children for Christmas.

At the present time, the organization still needs about 100 to 120 more toys to match with the number of youngsters already signed up.

Gang Free founder Melissa Elliott said, “Gang Free has over 600 children for Christmas. Toys For Tots provided us with 491 toys. Can you please ask people to stop by Gang Free and drop off a toy?”

Located at 940 County Home Road in Henderson and online at gangfreeinc.org, you can drop off toys Monday through Friday 9am to 6pm or call 252-598-0067 to make arrangements. Your help would be greatly appreciated.

Local News Audio

Noon News 12-17-20 Safe Neighborhood Initiative; David Smith; Covid19; School Re – Entry Plan

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Stories include:

– Safe Neighborhood Initiative

– David Smith awarded Long Leaf Pine

– Covid19

– Re-entry plan for Vance Co. Schools

For full details and audio click play.

 

Vance County Schools Logo

Vance County Schools Re-entry Plans Ready; Just Need Date

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The Vance County School system has been hard at work on a re-entry plan for students, and this week at the Vance County Board of Education meeting that re-entry plan was approved.

No date was set.

VCS Public Information Officer Aarika Sandlin provided the information in her latest board briefs.  She wrote, “The Board of Education approved the re-entry plan for students; however, the re-entry date was not determined. The Board of Education will continue to review metrics, along with discussions with The ABC Science Collaborative, NCDHHS and Granville Vance Public Health.

“The re-entry plan approved allowed for two days of face-to-face instruction and a staggered entry, beginning with PreK, K and 6 grades, followed by grades 1 and 2 and then grades 3-5. Additionally, self-contained EC students in grades PreK-12 begin re-entry.”

The plan will allow any student wishing to remain fully remote to do so, with live instruction on specific days and times.

Sandlin can be heard each morning on WIZS at 7:45 and each afternoon during the WIZS Local News with school information.

Superintendent Dr. Anthony Jackson will join WIZS on TownTalk Tuesday, December 22 at 11am.

Granville County Logo

Granville County’s David Smith Receives Order of the Long Leaf Pine

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Granville County’s David Smith was awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine earlier this week.  The award is one of the most prestigious in North Carolina and comes from the Governor.

Smith, presently chairman of the Granville County Commissioners, is a former Sheriff of Granville County.

The Order of the Long Leaf Pine society’s web page (https://longleafpinesociety.org/) indicates North Carolina Governors have presented the award since 1963 “for persons who have made significant contributions to the state and their communities through their exemplary service and exceptional accomplishments.”

Comm. David Smith, District 2, is pictured with his family as Granville County’s Clerk to the Board, Debra Weary, administers the oath Dec 3, 2018. (Photo Credit: County of Granville)

On the web site granvillecounty.org  (https://www.granvillecounty.org/2020/12/16/smith-awarded-order-of-the-long-leaf-pine/) you can see additional details.  For 48 or more years, Smith has served Granville County.