Stories include:
– SAM Child Advocacy Center and the work they do for children in the area
– Vance Co. Farm Bureau establishes the Talmadge R. “Pete” Burgess scholarship at Vance Granville Community College
For full details and audio click play.
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Henderson City Manager Terrell Blackmon appeared on WIZS Town Talk Tuesday at 11 a.m.
Blackmon briefly discussed his time with the City, stating the start of the COVID-19 pandemic shortly after his arrival in January has made for an interesting first year on the job.
“It certainly wasn’t what I was expecting when you throw in everything that’s happened with COVID,” said Blackmon. “I can say I enjoy the community, I enjoy being here and I enjoy the challenge of making Henderson a better place for everyone. Overall, I’m doing well, and the City is doing well.”
For complete details and audio, click play.
Moving on to last night’s Henderson City Council meeting, Blackmon commented on a few of the highlights from the session, including the approval of adding indoor – or crop box – farming to City zoning ordinances.
With greenhouse farming already approved for accessory-use in current zoning ordinances, the addition of crop box farming will allow participating individuals a 365-day growing season in artificial light.
Also of note, the Council rejected the Beckford Drive Widening Project that was first initiated in 2008 when construction costs were much lower. Blackmon said the delays, due to property acquisition and rising costs in construction, have pushed the project cost beyond its budgeted amount. With $1.6 million in grants and available funding already allocated, Blackmon said the City is still approximately $1.3 million short of the total project cost.
According to the meeting’s minutes, to date, $335,115 has been put towards the project, which includes the design, right of way acquisition, legal administration, stream mitigation costs and NCDOT administration costs. The City is responsible for these costs and will have to reimburse NCDOT and the Federal Highway Administration to abandon the project.
Also discussed was the use of CARES Act funding to ensure City of Henderson facilities are safer during the pandemic, the naming of a new economic development director and the City of Henderson’s Main Street status.
For more detailed information regarding these items, please listen to the Town Talk episode by clicking play above and visit the Henderson City Council’s website for meeting agendas and minutes.
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Granville Vance Public Health addresses the COVID-19 vaccine in the following statement:
Granville Vance Public Health (GVPH) continues to work on the response to COVID-19 each day, each night, and each weekend. We are also eagerly planning for the vaccine to come our way. The first doses have arrived in NC.
We will likely receive our first shipments in the health department the week of December 14 and will give instructions for those who can sign up in the online registration system as soon as we are able to – we are already collecting information about first responders and health care workers and will notify those individuals about how to register in the online system – all health care entities should seek information about ways to have staff sign up who are interested.
We are receiving lots of questions about the vaccine – below are a few of the top questions and answers as well as additional resources from the CDC about the vaccine for COVID-19.
When will it be my turn?
Healthcare workers who are in the highest risk categories for exposure to the virus will be first, including all of those working in hospital ICUs, COVID-19 units, and leading emergency response. Then, other health care workers and first responders will have opportunities too in the coming weeks.
At the same time, hospitals and health departments receive and give vaccines, private pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens will also receive shipments of the vaccine specifically for nursing homes and long-term care facilities. The federal government has contracted with CVS and Walgreens directly to help the high-risk workers and residents living in nursing homes and long-term care facilities, so they will get theirs first too.
The next prioritized group will be adults with two or more chronic conditions who are more likely to have severe illness from the virus, and others who are at risk, such as frontline workers. Those workers include police, teachers and child care workers.
As more vaccine shipments arrive in the state, they will then be made available to anyone who wants one, at clinics, pharmacies and community vaccination events. Widespread availability is expected around the spring.
Does the vaccine cost anything?
The vaccine will be free to all individuals – any fees covering health care workers’ time and talents during this mass vaccination will be paid for by insurance companies, Congress, and grants.
These vaccines were produced so quickly. How do we know they are safe?
The CDC reports: “It is the U.S. vaccine safety system’s job to make sure that all vaccines are as safe as possible. Safety has been a top priority while federal partners have worked to make COVID-19 vaccines available for use in the United States. The new COVID-19 vaccines have been evaluated in tens of thousands of individuals, who volunteered to be vaccinated and to participate in clinical trials. The information from these clinical trials allowed the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to determine the safety and effectiveness of the vaccines. These clinical trials were conducted according to rigorous standards set forth by the FDA. The FDA has determined that the newly authorized COVID-19 vaccines meet its safety and effectiveness standards. Therefore, the FDA has made these vaccines available for use in the United States under what is known as an Emergency Use Authorization. More here: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/
A few other facts to know:
Dr. Guthrie and I will be hosting a Facebook live conversation Friday, December 18 at 4:30 p.m. to answer your own questions about the vaccine. Please submit questions at this link and encourage others to do the same! We will also be adding vaccine information to our web site this week. NC DHHS has an informative vaccine webpage as well.
Please remember that even though the first vaccine from Pfizer is approved and on its way, that does not mean we get to let up on wearing the mask, washing our hands, and staying apart from one another – that’s more important now than ever! We are still seeing large numbers of active cases in both our counties, and statewide; we are worried about the staffing levels at hospitals. Now is the time to work as hard as we can together to make it to the other side of this pandemic and we have to do ALL the things we know work well in combination to keep the virus from spreading.
THIS STORY IS PRESENTED IN PART BY DRAKE DENTISTRY
-Information courtesy Granville Vance Public Health
GVPH provided the following update for COVID-19 spread and response in Granville and Vance County as of December 14, 2020. Granville Vance Public Health numbers correlate with the NC Electronic Disease Surveillance System (NCEDSS) data.
The county case numbers reported on the NC county map from the NC Department of Health and Human Services may differ from the ones reported locally as they are updated at different times and may change once residence is verified.
Vance County
Total Cases: 2,168
Active Cases: 748
Total Cases in Community: 1,982
Active Cases: 739
Cases Off-Isolation: 1,221
Total Cases at Long-Term Care Facilities: 186
Active Cases: 9
Cases Off-Isolation: 136
There is currently an outbreak at Senior Citizens Home and Kerr Lake Nursing Home.
Total Hospitalized with COVID-19: 22
Total Deaths: 63
Community: 22
Pelican Nursing Home: 14
Kerr Lake Nursing Home: 12
Senior Citizens Home: 15
Unfortunately, an additional death has been reported in the community. A 72-year-old male passed away on December 12.
Granville County
Total Cases: 3,114
Active Cases: 673
Total Cases in Community: 2,190
Active Cases: 464
Cases Off-Isolation: 1,716
Total Cases at Federal Prison: 534
Active Cases: 8
Cases Off-Isolation: 504
Total Cases at Long-Term Care Facilities: 390
Active Cases: 201
Cases Off-Isolation: 161
There are currently outbreaks at Universal Health Care, Murdoch Development Center, Granville House, RHA Health Services – Stem, Polk Correctional Institution, Oxford Group Home, Brantwood and Toney Rest Home.
Total Hospitalized with COVID-19: 7
Total Deaths: 60
Community: 10
Central Regional: 1
Granville House: 2
Murdoch Development Center: 3
Universal Health Care: 22
Federal Prison: 22
Additional Information
The number of those who have been ‘released from isolation’ is determined by the CDC Guidance for discontinuation of isolation for persons with COVID-19.
Please visit GVPH’s COVID-19 Data Dashboard (click here) for tables and graphs that are updated daily.
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The Henderson-Vance County Recreation and Parks Department announces that Fox Pond Park has been restocked with trout and will be reopening to the public on Friday, December 18, 2020, at 10 a.m.
Fox Pond Park is located at 467 Vicksboro Road in Henderson.
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-Information courtesy the County of Vance
Vance County’s Properties Committee (Brummitt, Taylor, Wilder) is scheduled to meet Monday, December 21, 2020, at 4 p.m.
The meeting will be held in the Commissioners’ Conference Room of the Vance County Administration Building located at 122 Young Street, Henderson, NC.
The purpose of this meeting is to discuss a change order for the courthouse roof project and a lease extension for the Scott Parker Building.
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-Press Release, Vance-Granville Community College
The Vance County chapter of the North Carolina Farm Bureau recently presented a gift to the Vance-Granville Community College Endowment Fund to create a new scholarship in honor of Talmadge R. “Pete” Burgess, Sr.
Now retired and living with his wife, Sylvia, in Durham, Pete Burgess was for decades a Vance County farmer and community leader. He was instrumental in establishing the Vance County Regional Farmers Market, which opened in 2014.
The Vance County chapter of the North Carolina Farm Bureau recently presented a gift to the Vance-Granville Community College Endowment Fund to create a new scholarship in honor of Talmadge R. “Pete” Burgess, Sr., pictured above. (Photo courtesy VGCC)
After growing up on a Vance County farm, Burgess went to N.C. State University to study agricultural engineering on an ROTC scholarship, and then served in the United States Army. He worked as a safety engineer in the insurance industry for several years but returned to Vance County in 1968 to run a farm that had been in his wife’s family. At “Burgess Farms,” he grew tobacco, grain, hay and sweet corn, among other crops.
An active community volunteer, Burgess served as a board member of the county and state Farm Bureau organizations, president and board member of the Epsom Lions Club, board member of the Epsom Volunteer Fire Department, member of the Vance County Planning Board and board member for the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce. For his contributions to the county and, in particular, for his leading role in securing the land and funding for the regional farmers market, Burgess was honored by the Vance County Commissioners with the “Community Hero” award.
“We are proud to establish this scholarship to express our appreciation to Pete Burgess for his many years of service to the Farm Bureau, the farming community and Vance County as a whole,” said Thomas Shaw, president of the Vance County Farm Bureau, which Burgess once led. “A great storyteller and advocate, Pete has been instrumental in supporting and bringing together many local partners for the benefit of us all, including our local schools, the Cooperative Extension service, the Perry Memorial Library and the regional Farmers Market.”
The new gift continues a tradition of the organization’s generous support for education. Years ago, the Vance County Farm Bureau endowed an academic achievement scholarship at VGCC, which supports a student each year.
“Throughout his life, Pete Burgess has demonstrated an interest not only in agriculture but in giving back and supporting his community, so this scholarship is a fitting way to honor his service,” said Eddie Ferguson, VGCC’s endowment fund director. “We are grateful to the Vance County Farm Bureau for continuing to support Vance-Granville students through this new scholarship.”
“At Vance-Granville, our students are the Vanguards, which means they are ‘leaders,’ and Pete Burgess is the definition of a leader,” said Dr. Rachel Desmarais, the president of VGCC. “Thanks to the Vance County Farm Bureau, we can look forward to awarding the Pete Burgess scholarship to future leaders who can follow in his footsteps.”
Through the Endowment Fund, VGCC has awarded more than 9,700 scholarships to students since 1982. Scholarships have been endowed by numerous individuals, industries, businesses, civic groups, churches and the college’s faculty and staff. Tax-deductible donations to the VGCC Endowment Fund have often been used to honor or remember a person, group, business or industry with a lasting gift to education.
The Vance County Farm Bureau is encouraging friends of Pete Burgess to make donations to the Endowment Fund to help endow this scholarship at the Presidential Merit Award level. For more information or to make a contribution, call Kay Currin at (252) 738-3409.
Contributions to the scholarship fund can also be mailed to the Vance-Granville Community College Endowment Fund, at P.O. Box 917, Henderson, NC 27536.
Stories include:
– Local economic development gains momentum
– Maria Parham Hospital restricts visitors due to Covid19
– Some court proceedings cancelled due to Covid19
For full details and audio click play.
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Cara Boyd Gill, founder and director of S.a.M. Child Advocacy Center in Henderson, appeared on WIZS Town Talk Monday at 11 a.m.
S.a.M. Child Advocacy Center is a 24-hour, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that serves children who are victims of physical abuse, sexual abuse and witnesses to violent crimes in Vance and surrounding counties.
Opening its doors in 2016, the center provides a safe, child-friendly environment for children who are alleged victims of abuse and their non-offending family members to receive child forensic interviews by trained staff.
For full details and audio, click play…
Victims and their non-offending family members can receive advocacy and support services, referrals to appropriate support services within the community, crisis intervention and medical treatment referrals if needed. All services are provided at no cost to the child or their families.
Gill, who worked for Child Protective Services in Alamance County upon graduating from college, said it was her experience with child investigations and the child advocacy center in Alamance that sparked her interest in offering similar services in Vance County.
“Upon leaving Alamance County – because Henderson is my hometown, and I decided I wanted to come back home – I began talking to our local law enforcement, social services, and our District Attorney’s office to see how they handled cases of child abuse and neglect,” explained Gill. “At the time, they did not have a child advocacy center here, and they would send kids to Duke or UNC with a two or three-month wait, which is not ideal for these kids.”
Gill continued, “A child advocacy center is not a stand-alone center; I also have to have social services, law enforcement, the DA’s office, a mental health provider and a medical provider. In talking with these entities, we began brainstorming how this could happen. The result was we opened in 2016, and here we are in 2020 still expanding.”
For more information on S.a.M., please visit the center’s Facebook page by clicking here.
Local Economic Development will continue to be a topic of conversation and action into the new year.
From news of a new Henderson-Vance Economic Development Commission director, to Henderson Mayor Eddie Ellington saying on TownTalk recently that economic development was key, to Mako Medical Laboratories and their continued growth, to incentive programs, it all adds up.
Last week, the Vance County commissioners approved the second half of a grant from Duke Energy for Select Products/Select Tissue, which is coming to Vance County soon across Poplar Creek Road from Vance-Granville Community College. The money helps Vance County match a state grant, essentially making the deal possible.
An August 5, 2020 press release from the NC Department of Commerce starts off saying, “Select Products Holdings, LLC, a manufacturer of tissue products, will invest $4 million and create 73 jobs in Vance County, North Carolina Commerce Secretary Anthony M. Copeland announced today. The decision marks a major expansion for the company as it increases operations to meet growing demand.”
Vance County Manager Jordan McMillen told WIZS News, “Duke Energy previously provided the county with $50,000 from their Carolinas Investment Fund which was essential as a part of the overall package to land Select Products/Select Tissue in Vance County. The county previously allocated the first $25,000 of that to serve as match funding to a $500,000 building reuse grant from the NC Department of Commerce for the same project. On Monday evening (12-7-20) our board allocated the second half of those funds and approved an amendment to our local incentive agreement with Select Tissue that will allow us to disburse the additional funds to the company.”
McMillen said in the coming year the County has a lot to look forward to and be excited for.
He said, “I had a chance to visit Mako Medical here in Henderson. They are bursting at the seams with employees. That’s become a location where the single most number of lab tests are completed daily across the United States,” as it pertains to Covid.
McMillen said the primary concern for Select Products in coming here was whether the workforce would meet their needs. He said the CEO of Select products indicated there had been a tremendous response for workers, with over 700 resumes submitted. “All these interactions and hearing this input is what excites me. It gives me validation that the County’s positive momentum is continuing forward, and that we do have a bright future here in Vance County. This is my home. This is where I live, and it’s an honor to serve as the County Manager,” McMillen said.
