COVID-19 Cases Continue To Rise In Vance, Granville

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The Granville-Vance Health District reported Wednesday almost 400 new cases of COVID-19 in the past seven days across the two counties.

There have been 194 new cases in Vance County, and 202 new cases in Granville County, according to the report. Those numbers represent a 15.4 percent positivity rate in Vance and a 7.1 percent positivity rate in Granville.

GVPH Director Lisa Harrison noted, however, that those numbers likely will rise. “Lots of tests and lab entries are being made and transferred this week and we know these numbers will go up a significant amount in short order,” the report stated.

“The numbers reported today (Wednesday) from the state system above do not yet reflect the cases our team entered today which exceed another 200 cases reported to us,” Harrison said in a footnote included in the report.

All data, as well as outbreaks and clusters, are reported through the NC Electronic Disease Surveillance System and are available for review on the state’s data dashboard here: https://covid19.ncdhhs.gov/.

According to the CDC COVID Data Tracker, the numbers reported by the state mean that both counties are considered in the “high community transmission” category.

To date, there have been 7,665 cases of COVID-19 in Vance and 8,901 cases in Granville County for a total of 16,566 across the health district.

Deaths as a result of COVID-19 are 104 in Vance and 107 in Granville, for a total of 211 deaths across the health district.

For those who may want to calculate percentages, the total population of Vance County is 44,535 and 60,443 for Granville County.

Visit CDC Data Tracker by County and the NCDHHS COVID-19 Dashboard find the most recent information about COVID-19. Relevant graphs from these dashboards are available on our website at https://gvph.org/covid-19_dashboard/

In Vance County:

  • 63 percent of those over the age of 5 have received at least one dose of their COVID-19 vaccine – 58 percent are fully vaccinated
  • 14 percent of those ages 5-11 have received at least one dose and 8 percent are fully vaccinated
  • 46 percent of those ages 12-17 have received at least one dose and 40 percent are fully vaccinated

In Granville County:

  • 67 percent over the age of 5 have received at least one dose of their COVID-19 vaccine and 63 percent are fully vaccinated
  • 16 percent of those ages 5-11 years have received at least one dose and 10 percent are fully vaccinated
  • 44 percent of those ages 12-17 have received at least one dose and 40 percent are fully vaccinated

GVPH has administered 35,338 vaccines – 18,248 first doses and 17,090 second doses, an increase of 52 from last week’s numbers of 35,286 total vaccines, including 18,219 first doses and 17,067 second doses.

The Local Skinny! Public Hearing Jan. 3 To Begin County Budget Discussions

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Updated 01-04-22 at 12:30 p.m. —

Kelly H. Grissom – Executive Assistant/Clerk to Board of the Vance County Board of Commissioners – informs WIZS, “A 10-day notice is required for public hearings.”

She said, therefore, that a new notice would be prepared on the pre-budget public hearing and that the public hearing would be postponed until the February meeting.

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Update 01-03-22 at 1:30 p.m. —

The Vance County Board of Commissioners’ meeting was rescheduled for Monday, January 10th at 6:00 p.m. due to inclement weather.

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The Vance County board of commissioners will hold a public hearing on Monday, Jan. 3, 2022 to hear from residents about the 2022-23 budget.

This “pre-budget” public hearing will be held in the commissioners’ meeting room at 122 Young St. and is scheduled to begin shortly after 6 p.m., according to information from County Manager Jordan McMillen.

This is the first of two public hearings to hear from residents about suggestions and priorities for the upcoming budget.

The county manager is scheduled to submit a recommended budget in May. The second public hearing is planned for June 6, 2022 and then the board must adopt a final budget no later than July 1, when the new fiscal year begins.

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TownTalk: How Winnie The Pooh Reflects PTSD

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There are countless books and scholarly articles that psychologists and mental health experts have at their disposal as they counsel and advise their clients. But Marilyn Debora has a favorite author that she refers to often in her role as a management consultant and resilience coach. His name is A.A. Milne.

Debora said the man who wrote the beloved Winnie-the-Pooh stories for his real-life son, Christopher Robin, can teach adults how to be in community with others while dealing in a healthy way with effects of post-traumatic stress disorder.

On Wednesday’s Town Talk segment, John C. Rose and co-host Phyllis Maynard spoke by phone with Debora from her home in Toronto about her work with the Warriors for Life support group, of which Maynard is a member.

Debora said she has long been interested and involved in the veteran community, first in her native Canada and now with the U.S.-based Warriors for Life.

“Throughout my youth, our family would go to the veteran hospital and serve the Christmas meals as well as singing the carols and bringing the cheer,” Debora said. “The veteran community was always very important to my family. They believed strongly in the service they provided and we should be honoring them.”

Although she pursued a career in business rather than the military, she has found a way to stay involved with veterans through her support group work.

It was during a Warriors for Life session that she first shared an excerpt from one of Milne’s stories with the group. It struck a chord with the members and prompted Debora to do a little more research about Milne, himself a military veteran. Debora and her sister were still grieving the recent death of their mother, and her sister passed along the excerpt that she had gotten from a friend.

“It resonated with me and I shared it with the group that night,” she recalled. “And that’s when the conversation about Winnie-the-Pooh came up.”

What she found goes far beyond a collection of stories for children, and she said she finds herself referencing Winnie-the-Pooh at least 60 percent of the time in her work with clients. Milne had been a political satirist for a popular publication before the war, Debora said. Her research found that many papers had been written by experts which support the idea that Milne’s characters may each represent a psychological disorder.

“He was trying to explain his post-traumatic stress to his 6-year-old kid…in a child-friendly way,” Debora explained.

Each character represents a different type of trauma, but each one has a smile on his face, she said. Back in Milne’s day, it was called “shell shock.” Today’s terminology is PTSD, but no matter the label, those who suffer from it have a hard time coping.

Milne was “trying to help him understand what was happening to him, so that his son wouldn’t be afraid of him,” Debora said.

When she brings up the stories of lovable Pooh and his friend in the Hundred Acre Wood, Debora said it evokes happy childhood memories from her clients. But when she examines the gloominess of Eeyore the donkey and the Tigger’s boundless energy, she can delve deeper into ways to name depression and impulsivity that helps clients find positive and constructive ways to manage it in their own lives.

Although PTSD sufferers may feel depressed like Eeyore or paranoid like Piglet sometimes, it doesn’t mean that they feel all the different emotions all the time, she said. And those characteristics don’t define us or make us unable to be liked or loved by those around us.

By exploring the natures of the different characters, Debora can help clients identify their particular problem areas and then find ways to begin to move forward. “They are a creative and collaborative bunch,” Debora said of Pooh’s friends. Milne’s characters are a reminder that when things do get tough, they are stronger together. “Nobody gets left behind in a Pooh cartoon,” she said.

And that is a big take-away for her and the groups she works with.

“Resilience is the ability to pick yourself up and move forward in spite of adversity,” Debora said. She helps people know that the biggest challenge is knowing where to start. And when it comes to resiliency, you don’t have to start at the beginning.

It is a misconception that people don’t like change, she asserts.
“People don’t resist change. They resist the way the change is presented and the perceived impact it will have on them,” she said. And once you know what the perceived impact will be, you have your starting point to move forward.

“I help people realize what it is that’s holding them back and then having them come up with an idea of what that first step is. Once you’re moving, you’re moving,” she said.

“As long as I’m moving in a forward direction, I’m moving forward.”

Listen to the entire interview at wizs.com.

 

 

The Local Skinny! Henderson Oxford Airport Flies High

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Chris Welsh likens the Henderson-Oxford Airport to a rest area along the interstate – when a traveler needs to stop, that blue road sign announcing that a rest area is ahead is a welcome sight.

Welsh and his wife, Amanda, have been the fixed-base operators at the airport for the past several years, and he said things are – pardon the pun – looking “up.” Traffic at the airport with its 5,500-foot-long runway is up, he said. And he points to a few reasons for why that is so.

Because the couple can offer maintenance on the aircraft – which other local airstrips do not provide – Welsh said pilots will fly in if they need to get something like a landing gear tire fixed.

But he also said they have seen an increase in small planes coming in since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. “I think a lot of businesses have started (using private aircraft) since COVID – we’re seeing more 4- and 6-seaters coming in for business,” he told John C. Rose today during Tuesday’s segment of The Local Skinny! “And Mako is flying all the time – at least three or four times a week, and I know they’re coming out here at night,” Welsh added, even though he and his wife typically are not there for their arrival.

The pilots communicate on the radio frequency, follow standard traffic patterns, land and then just park the aircraft and follow the sidewalk to the building and parking lot beyond.

Since beginning their jobs there, the Welshes have overseen a couple of project completions, including a runway lighting upgrade and an extra row of hangars, where 10 additional planes now call home.

Some larger aircraft also have flown in – like a King Air 12-passenger turboprop – that previously had used the airstrip in Clarksville, VA. But that runway was shortened by 900 feet recently, which makes landing a larger aircraft a bit more difficult.

“The landing is usually more of the problem,” Welsh said, “because you have to slow down, right?”

Revlon flies a Gulfstream aircraft that is similar in size to a commuter plane, Welsh said. It uses the airport regularly, along with private travelers.

“You could probably land a 737 here,” he said. The problem, however, comes after the landing. “It’s probably too heavy for the pavement,” and then there’s the issue of what kind of vehicle would be available on the ground to tow it.

That rest-area concept Welsh alluded to plays into the airport’s support role for nearby Raleigh-Durham International, which could divert aircraft to the Granville County airport if the need arises.

Raleigh has a couple of flight schools, and Welsh said more student pilots are using the local runway in their training.

“In the first 10 or 15 hours of learning, you don’t need any distractions,” Welsh said. He is a seasoned pilot himself and he also has a commercial license to operate a drone.

“If you’re practicing repetitive landings, you can do three or four here in an hour,” he noted. A student pilot would get half that amount at RDU – and they’d have the added stress of watching for incoming aircraft using the same runway.

Welsh said the airport is home to a couple of flying club airplanes – a Cessna and a Piper – that are based here as part of the RDU flying club. “You can join the club if you’re not a pilot,” Welsh said. “It’s basically the cheapest way to rent an airplane.” Individuals can use the planes to accumulate training hours toward their license, rent it to fly over the lake or take it to the beach for a couple of days. The planes can stay gone overnight, he said, but most of the time they’re tucked back in the hangars after each outing.

Visit www.flyhnz.com to learn more.

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Smart Start

TownTalk: Smart Start Year End Review

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The Franklin Granville Vance Smart Start Inc. annual report has been released and the agency’s executive director said his agency and staff undoubtedly have learned how to be flexible and adaptable as it continues to advocate for children, in spite of pandemic restrictions.

In a letter accompanying the 8-page report, FGV Executive Director Dr. Tony W. Cozart said the 2020-21 year had been “difficult but very gratifying as well.”

FGV’s fiscal manager, Garry Daeke, agreed wholeheartedly. Daeke spoke with John C. Rose Tuesday on Town Talk and said he was very happy to report that, despite the difficulties of the pandemic, FGV staff had been able to maintain relationships with both child-care providers as well as parents.

“We’ve been able to keep in contact and provide service and information to people,” he said, acknowledging that the one-on-one contacts have been limited, but FGV has found ways to do an end-around some challenges.

For instance, Daeke said FGV has been able to provide technical assistance via videotape and through increased filming of sessions. By filming programs and activities, FGV staff can critique and provide suggestions to help child-care providers with everything from how to set up a classroom to being financially efficient – staying safe and healthy at the same time.

There are 112 child-care programs in the three counties that FGV serves, Daeke said. “They’ve kept people working, because people need childcare.”

The agency gets most of its funding from the state (85-90 percent), and it has spent $907,689 to help parents pay for childcare in the past year, according to the report. The subsidy is available to parents who send their children to programs with a 4- or 5-star quality rating.

“We spend a great deal of money to provide a subsidy” to parents, Daeke said. FGV also supplements wages of teachers who stay in their jobs for a certain length of time and who continue to further their education. The report notes that 80 teachers received an average of $1016 in supplements in a six-month period.

“We spend a lot of money to make sure child care is high quality and that parents are able to access that child care,” Daeke said.

A number of programs that FGV supports don’t happen within the walls of a child-care center at all; rather, there are a variety of agencies that FGV contracts with that are quite successful as well.

Vance County’s adolescent parenting program that Annie Perry oversees, for example, focuses on keeping teenage moms in school so they can graduate. Daeke said Perry, a longtime program administrator, does an excellent job and consistently has graduates go on to continue their educations at Vance-Granville Community College or four-year universities.

“The main goals are to keep them in school and to prevent a second pregnancy. The program “helps them become the parent they need to be,” Daeke said. “We’ve had a lot of success over the years.”

Other programs like Parents as Teachers is a home visitation parenting program that operates primarily in Granville County through a partnership with Granville County Public Schools. And the Incredible Years program partners with the Vance Cooperative Extension to provide several sessions each year to work directly with parents to help them “be the very best parent you can be,” Daeke said. Although only in Vance County now, Daeke said he’s looking for grant funding to expand the program to Granville County and possibly Franklin County.

And a child-care health consultant has just come on board to visit child-care programs to help providers with health concerns. FGV has contracted through the Granville-Vance Health District to provide a nurse to help child-care providers, he said.

According to the report, total FGV expenditures for FY 2021 was $3,381,751. Almost three-fourths of that funding is used to ensure the availability and accessibility of high-quality childcare for children ages 0-5 years. That is done a variety of ways, including subsidies for working families through the Department of Social Services to help pay for childcare. It also administers the NC Pre-K program in Franklin County and offers wage incentives to retain childcare workers and ensure continuity of care.

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County Employees Recognized For Years Of Service

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Several employees have been recognized for their years of service within county government. County Manager presented Cathy Hope, payroll specialist, with a certificate marking her 15-year anniversary. Hope started as an income maintenance caseworker and worked her way up to income maintenance supervisor. She transferred in July to the county’s payroll department.

Tax Administrator Porcha Brooks thanked Sandra Durham and Jonathan Morris for completing five years of service. Durham is a personal property appraiser with the tax office and Morris is a real property appraiser.

Kevin Brown, the county’s first information technology director, recently completed 10 years of service with the county. McMillen presented him with a 10-year anniversary certificate and said that Brown also recently announced his retirement. “We wish him all the best. You will certainly be missed,” a post on the county’s social media site.

Several members of the Vance County Sheriff’s Office received certificates for their years of service as well. Sheriff Curtis Brame recognized Lt. C. Welborn for 15 years with the sheriff’s office; Deputies L. Carter and T. Terry join Sgts. J. Marrow and M. Burns with completing five years of service. Maj. J. Shelton, the detention center administrator also was recognized for completing five years of service.

Congratulations for your accomplishments and for working to serve your county and community.

The Local Skinny! Louisburg College Graduate with Vance Co. Roots Honored

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A Long Island, NY councilman with local ties got a surprise on Veterans Day from a VFW post whose members he had come to honor for their service.

During his summer vacations to visit his grandmother in Townsville, it’s probably safe to say that Gaitley Stevenson-Mathews didn’t imagine the career path that would take him to Glen Cove, NY on Long Island and playing a role in the politics there.

Those summers in Townsville, which he referred to as “away camp,” were spent working in the tobacco fields. He graduated from Louisburg College in 1981.

In 2020, he was elected to the Glen Cove City Council, which is where VFW Post 347 is located. In recent years, Stevenson-Mathews visits with the local post on Veterans Day to thank them for their bravery and dedication in service to their country, according to a press release about the turn of events for Stevenson-Mathews.

This year, he arrived at the post for the ceremony with “I’m Proud to be a Veteran” lapel pins, which he distributed to each member present, the statement explained. In a surprise twist, prior to the start of their standard service, it was the councilman who was celebrated. The VFW members surprised Stevenson-Mathews with a plaque honoring him for his meritorious and distinguished service to their post.

“I was truly surprised and humbled to be presented with such an important and distinguished honor,” said Stevenson-Mathews. “To be acknowledged by veterans, who sacrificed so much in their own lifetimes is a true honor and will be something I will always cherish.”

Stevenson-Mathews is a public relations consultant as well as an acting and vocal coach and he recently created a Facebook page for the local VFW. He also was one of the first on the scene recently when the post building caught fire. The Facebook page has allowed the post to garner support – and the funds – needed to rebuild, according to VFW member and trustee Joseph Moores.

“Gaitley has been a tremendous help to all veterans, especially our VFW Post 347,” Moores stated.  “He touches base with us before important meetings to ensure our voice will be heard. Gaitley is a loyal friend and we wanted everyone to know how much we appreciate him.”

Stevenson-Mathews, a native of Red Springs, NC, grew up with a strong sense of civic duty, faith, and commitment to community. His family also served in the military. His brother, retired Colonel J. Hunter Mathews, Sr., served two tours of duty in Afghanistan. His father, James H. Mathews Sr., who is originally from Townsville, NC, served in the Navy during World War II and his mother, Jean Gaitley Mathews, served in the Cadet Nurse Corps.

Stevenson-Mathews has not forgotten his North Carolina roots. “I continue to draw on the inspiration of my professors at Louisburg College and thanks to having spent summers in Townsville (NC) as a young teenager, I am appreciative for having seen and learned the value of hard work and of supporting family and community.” “I will always value my years growing up in North Carolina,” said the councilman.

“I knew both of Gaitley’s parents,” said Louisburg resident and former Louisburg College professor Janet Taylor.  “It does not surprise me at all that Gaitley is so committed to his community on Long Island. He was certainly raised with a strong sense of the importance of serving others.

Stevenson-Mathews is the son of the late Jim and Jean Mathews of Red Springs, the nephew of Doris and Lewis Reavis of Warrenton and of the late Alma and Richard Mathews of Henderson, and the grandson of the late Martha Catherine Riggan Mathews of Townsville.

Local Extension Agent Shares Ways To Send Help To Areas Hit By Tornado, Wildfires

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The recent weather events in Kentucky, Tennessee, Kansas and other Midwestern states have left devastation in their wake. Kim Woods, N.C. Cooperative extension livestock agent for Granville and Person counties shares a list of resources to help the ravaged areas rebuild.

“Many of you may have been wondering if there is anything that we in North Carolina can do to help our fellow ag folks in Kentucky and Tennessee after the devastating tornado outbreak in those states or the wildfires in Kansas,” Woods wrote in an email right before Christmas.

In Kentucky:

  • Donate money to the Kentucky Cattlemen’s Foundation. All donations will be used to help local producers in need of farm supplies. These donations can be made by calling 859.278.0899 using the Paypal app at https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=56JBAJJYC3RDQ.
  • Mail a check to: KY Cattlemen’s Foundation Attn: Tornado Relief 176 Pasadena Drive, Suite 4,  Lexington, KY 40503In Tennessee:
    • The Tennessee Farm Bureau established a fund to help farmers and ranchers who incurred damage to homes, farms or personal property.

    In Kansas:

    • The Kansas Livestock Association and the Kansas Livestock Foundation are assisting ranchers who were affected by fires and high winds across the state in mid-December. To provide monetary donations, click here. Donations may be tax deductible and 100 percent of all donations will be distributed to producers whose operations were damaged by the fires.