NC DOT promotes free bike helmet distribution

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-information courtesy of N.C. Dept. of Transportation

Research shows bicycle helmets save lives and prevent serious injuries.

As part of the annual Bicycle Helmet Initiative to encourage more children to wear helmets, the N.C. Department of Transportation will give free protective headwear to organizations across the state to distribute to youth cyclists.

Organizations can apply online with NCDOT’s Integrated Mobility Division. The deadline for applications is 5 p.m. on Feb. 3.

“Wearing a helmet is an easy way to reduce risk of head injuries when riding a bicycle,” said Ryan Brumfield, director of the state’s Integrated Mobility Division. “We hope the Bicycle Helmet Initiative will help reduce bicycle injuries and raise awareness about the importance of safe bicycling practices.”

In just the last five years, the program has provided people over 45,000 free bike helmets, including nearly 20,000 helmets provided to over 260 organizations in 2022. Research shows bicycle helmets prevent 60% of head injury deaths and they reduce the risk of head injuries by up to 85%. Unfortunately, less than half of all children wear a helmet when they ride a bike.

To apply, please find instructions and guidelines at NCDOT’s Bicycle Helmet Initiative webpage. Applicants may request 25, 50, 75, or 100 helmets, and awardees will receive the helmets in the spring.

The helmet initiative started in 2007 and works with local communities to spark interest in bicycle safety. As part of that, applicants should consider partnering with a local law enforcement agency, parks and recreation department, church or other organization to host bike safety events. The initiative is paid for using sales of the Share the Road specialty license plate.

H-V Chamber Of Commerce Accepting Nominations For Citizen Of The Year Through Feb. 3

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The Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce is accepting nominations for its Citizen of the Year award through Friday, Feb. 3. This annual honor is given to a Vance County resident for outstanding service and dedication to the community.

Completed nominations should be submitted to Chamber President Sandra Wilkerson via email at to sandra@hendersonvance.org or mailed to P.O. Box 1302, Henderson, NC  27536. A selection committee will review nominations and choose the winner, which will be announced at the chamber’s annual meeting and banquet on Mar. 30.

Nominees do not have to be members of the Chamber of Commerce, but they should be individuals who have shown a willingness to volunteer and work for the betterment of the community. Their work in the community, however, should not be a part of their business career or paid position.

Questions? Contact the Chamber at 252.438.8414.

Tobacco Trust Fund Grant Cycle Open Now

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The North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission is accepting applications for the 2023 grant cycle. The key objectives for 2023 are supporting the agricultural industry, impacting rural communities and stimulating economic development. Funds will be awarded in the fall of 2023 for selected innovative projects, according to Jeff Camden NCTTFC program officer.

“North Carolinians are great at innovation and creating jobs. We produce outstanding agriculture products and market them to the world. Providing funds for projects in current or former tobacco-dependent regions that enhance these efforts is our 2023 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 2023.

 

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.

Qualifying organizations can access the online application here: www.tobaccotrustfund.org.

For more information, contact Jeff Camden at 919.733.2160 Ext 1. The deadline to submit application is Friday March 3, 2023.

VGCC To Host Panel Discussion As Part of MLK Observance

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Join the Vance-Granville Community College Men’s Achievement Academy for a panel discussion to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Tuesday, Jan.  24 at 6 p.m. at the Main Campus Civic Center in Henderson.

The event is presented in partnership with Vance-Granville’s Initiative on Equity for Women of Color (VIEW), according to information from VGCC public information officer Courtney Cissel.

The panelists for this celebration include:

  • Deanna Townsend-Smith, Ed.D., Senior Director of the Dudley Flood Center for Educational Equity & Opportunity
  • Warren Allen, VGCC Student
  • Gwen Clayton, VGCC Student
  • Marque Debnam, VGCC Paralegal Program Head
  • Leslie Hurt, Moderator, VGCC Sociology Instructor

In addition to the panel discussion, there will also be opportunities for audience participation.

There is no cost to attend the event, and all are welcome! Register at www.eventbrite.com/e/vance-granville-mlk-celebration-2023-tickets 504827722307.

For more information about this event, contact the following planning committee members:

  • Marque Debnam (debnamm@vgcc.edu)
  • Jason Snelling (snellingj@vgcc.edu)
  • Delton Farmer (farmerd@vgcc.edu)
  • Derrick Cameron (camerond@vgcc.edu)
  • Leslie Hurt (hurtl@vgcc.edu)

For more information about the Men’s Achievement Academy and VIEW, visit the Clubs & Organizations page at www.vgcc.edu

TownTalk: Classes Help Seniors Navigate Technology And The Internet

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By all accounts, Edy Thompson says, the class designed for senior adults who want to learn more about how to use technology is a success.

From reading the evaluations from those who attended the first class, everyone thinks it’s an “excellent idea,” Thompson told John C. Rose. “And they’re coming back.”

Completing an evaluation is a small price to pay – the only price, actually. The class is free for senior adults and is the result of a partnership with AARP and Rebuild Communities. Thompson is the executive director of Rebuild Communities.

“I just think it’s an excellent, excellent program,” Thompson said. The facilitators had to get trained to teach the class, which will continue on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 12:30. Up to 10 participants come to learn more about how to use the technology that is all around us, from smartphones, laptops and iPads to Zoom calls and online troubleshooting chat sessions.

Thompson said older adults have to work at not becoming obsolete. “We know it but we don’t want to address it,” she said.

People are reluctant to show that they don’t know something, but this class provides information in a non-threatening way that folks enjoy.

“It’s wonderful to see seniors getting together and having fun and learning something useful,” she said.

Want to join in the fun? 252.915.1663 or send an email to info@rebuildcommunitiesnc.org.

 

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US Attorney’s Office Gets Guns Off the Streets In 2022

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-information courtesy of the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Eastern District of North Carolina

The U.S. Attorney’s office for the Eastern District of North Carolina has announced that, as a result of litigation efforts during 2022, at least 280 illegally owned, possessed, used or obtained firearms were forfeited.

“Getting illegal guns out of the hands of the most dangerous felons helps make our communities safer,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “I am proud of the strong partnership between federal, state and local law enforcement to get these guns off the street, so they are not used to commit future crimes.”

Firearms that are criminally forfeited are removed from the possession of a convicted criminal defendant and relinquished to the government for disposal, including potentially the return of the firearm to a rightful owner, the press release stated.

Since the start of 2022, EDNC charged about 278 defendants with federal firearms offenses, including “possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, possession of a firearm as a convicted felon, and straw purchasing of a firearm.”

These prosecutions are a result of close cooperation between prosecutors and partners at federal and local law enforcement agencies, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security Investigations. EDNC also partners with the State Bureau of Investigation, North Carolina State Highway Patrol, North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement, and local police and sheriffs across the district, which includes Vance, Granville, Warren and Franklin counties.

EDNC’s efforts to seize and forfeit illegal firearms in 2022 was the result of multiple investigative and prosecutorial efforts, including the Project Safe Neighborhood and the Violent Crime Action Plan initiative, which are collaborative efforts with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, working with the community, to identify and address the most significant drivers of violent crime, and the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces whose purpose is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations, which are primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply.

“ATF’s top priority is preventing firearms from falling into the wrong hands,” stated Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Special Agent in Charge Bennie Mims. “That effort is strongly supported by our local and state law enforcement partners and our federal prosecutors. Through our collaborative efforts, we’re working hard to prevent illegal purchases, firearms trafficking and firearms thefts. Keeping firearms out of the hands of prohibited individuals is key to building and maintaining safer communities.”

“Every day, the FBI works tirelessly with law enforcement partners across North Carolina to combat violent crime. Seizing guns from convicted felons is one step closer to making our communities safer,” said Michael C. Scherck, the FBI’s acting special agent in charge in Charlotte.

“DEA and its law enforcement partners want to send a stern warning that the distribution of dangerous drugs in association with gun violence presents a clear and present danger to the community,” said Robert J. Murphy, DEA’s special agent in charge in the Atlanta field division. “This dangerous lifestyle has led many to face serious prison time as a consequence.”

“Finding and confiscating illegal weapons from dangerous criminals not only protects our communities, but it also protects the law enforcement community as we do our jobs,” said Ronnie Martinez, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Charlotte that covers North and South Carolina. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to protect our communities.”

TownTalk: Reflections On Dr. Martin Luther King

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Monday’s TownTalk segment includes reflections from area pastors in observance of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. Please listen back to hear these reflections in their entirety.

 

The Rev. Joseph Ratliff, pastor of Shiloh Baptist Church, said he views the MLK holiday “not simply about a single man, but…the struggle of Black people for generations. Today, Ratliff said, Black Americans can vote, get elected and sit anywhere they choose on public transportation – “things our grandparents and great-grandparents only dreamt of.”

Because of the continued support from so many, Ratliff said, “we now have a brighter day – there are all kinds of opportunities in front of us.”

He called King the dreamer of the dream that Blacks would no longer be considered second-class citizens, a vision that provided hope to an entire nation.

“Our action – or inaction – determines our future,” Ratliff said. “Dream with me – we can make a difference. Be the somebody that Christ has made you.”

The pastor of Clearview Church, Dr. Abidan Shah, arrived in the U.S. as a teenager and quickly realized that “every citizen had the opportunity to achieve, through hard work, determination and initiative.”

He called King one of the most influential Christians in history, and laid down the challenge to revisit King’s vision of equality for all – that vision that says people should not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the strength of their character.

 

Dr. Ron Cava, senior minister at First Baptist Church, said he is a little too young to have first-hand knowledge about King and his ministry, but said what he has learned about King confirms the idea that he was not only a prophet but a great preacher.

King’s ministry, like the Gospels in the Bible, charge believers to love our neighbors as ourselves, Cava explained, “regardless of race or gender or a multitude of factors that divide us.”

The time is now “to let freedom ring and… justice roll down like a mighty torrent,” Cava said.

 

Elder Gloria Ragland delivers the “Walking in the Word” program on WIZS on Sunday mornings said if King were alive today, she believes he’d look approvingly on accomplishments, “but we still haven’t gone far enough yet – my dream is bigger than this (because) we still have racism, hate and discrimination.”

“I believe he would also say ‘God is love,’” she added.

“We have come a mighty long way,” Ragland said. “It’s time for us to love one another, show respect for one another,” she said.

We are all part of God’s creation, Ragland said. “We should be able to get along, to work together…it shouldn’t be about differences, but we are one with God.”

She said she believes that God wants all of his children to get along and to prosper.
“You can’t make it to heaven with hate” in your heart, she said.

 

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