NC DOT

Federal Grant Will Fund Missing Link on Southeast Rail Corridor

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-Press Release, N.C. Department of Transportation

The N.C Department of Transportation has received a $47.5 million federal grant to purchase the S-Line rail corridor between Raleigh and Ridgeway in Warren County.

The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded this grant to the department’s Rail Division as part of the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) program. This investment into the Southeast Corridor will provide better connections between rural and urban communities while also spurring new economic development opportunities.

In addition, the corridor will help offer improved freight services and will trim up to 1.5 hours off passenger rail services between Raleigh, Virginia and D.C.

“A modernized freight and passenger rail network will connect the Southeast while spurring new economic development opportunities,” said Transportation Secretary Eric Boyette.

In 1992, the U.S. Department of Transportation named the Southeast Corridor as one of the first five federally designated higher-speed rail corridors in the country. The corridor is a network of passenger and freight rail that runs from Washington, D.C. to Jacksonville, Fla., encompassing D.C., Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida.

Green Rural Redevelopment (GRRO)

GRRO Hires 25 Community Health Workers to Fight COVID-19 in Rural NC

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-Press Release, Green Rural Redevelopment, Inc. 

On Friday, September 25, 2020, 25 community health workers will complete their training and be deployed into communities in Granville, Vance, Franklin, Warren, Nash, Pitt, Halifax and Wake Counties.

Green Rural Redevelopment, Inc. (GRRO) a non-profit organization, has been focused on providing access to healthy food and meals to people in the Kerr-Tar region. Henry Crews, the Executive Director of GRRO notes, “We saw the devastation that the pandemic has brought to our community, and we used our organizational flexibility to expand our programming and grow our team, to reach the ever-increasing numbers of rural residents who have been impacted by the Coronavirus.”

In a partnership with Curamericas Global, Duke Family Medicine & Community Health and the North Carolina Department of Health & Human Services, GRRO will join a statewide network of agencies that provide frontline support services, resources and help for residents impacted by the Coronavirus. These efforts are made possible by funding from The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, Federal funding made available to the State for pandemic relief services.

Working with local county Health Departments, the trained CHW teams will work with families and individuals who have been directly and indirectly impacted by COVID-19.

On Friday, area Medical Directors and others from the health department will meet with the new support teams to coordinate referrals and service delivery to area residents.

Green Rural Redevelopment, Inc. (GRRO) is a 501(c)(3) organization committed to positively impacting our community by providing avenues of economic development using food agriculture and food supply chain economics in the face of persistent poverty; access to fresh, healthy foods for vulnerable members of the community; and support for health providers to reduce certain chronic diseases through patient access to better, fresh foods.

If you would like more information about this topic, please call Lucette Mercer at (303) 912-2520 or email lucettem@grronc.org.

Local News Audio

Local Noon News Audio 9/24/20

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Vance County EMS Selected as a 2020 Mission Lifeline Award Recipient

Green Rural Redevelopment, Inc. (GRRO) has hired 25 Health Workers to Fight COVID-19 in Rural NC

Duke Energy Offering Extended Payment Plan Options

Click Play to Listen to Full Details…

Vance Co EMS Lifeline Award

Vance County EMS Selected as a 2020 Mission Lifeline Award Recipient

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-Information and photos courtesy the County of Vance

Vance County EMS was recently selected as a 2020 Mission Lifeline Award recipient by the American Heart Association.

On Wednesday, 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.

Ronnie Daniel Scholarship

New VGCC Scholarship Endowed in Memory of George Ronald ‘Ronnie’ Daniel

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THIS STORY IS PRESENTED IN PART BY DRAKE DENTISTRY

-Press Release, Vance-Granville Community College

Faye Daniel Chappell and her brother, R. T. “Tom” Daniel, both of Oxford, recently established a new scholarship at Vance-Granville Community College in memory of their brother, George R. “Ronnie” Daniel.

VGCC will award the Ronnie Daniel Memorial Academic Achievement Scholarship to a student from Granville County. Preference will be given to students in programs of study related to information technology or medical fields. VGCC Health Sciences programs include Radiography, Nursing, Histotechnology, Medical Assisting and Pharmacy Technology.

A new scholarship was recently established at Vance-Granville Community College in memory of the late George R. “Ronnie” Daniel. VGCC will award the Ronnie Daniel Memorial Academic Achievement Scholarship to a student from Granville County. (Photo courtesy the Daniel family.)

“Ronnie would be pleased that from this memorial scholarship, many others will join the ranks of healthcare professionals,” Faye Daniel Chappell said.

Ronnie Daniel was born and raised in Oxford and remained there until his death in 2019. He graduated from J.F. Webb High School in 1967 and attended Hardbarger Business College in Raleigh. Daniel was employed by Food Lion for the last 15 years before he retired. While there, he was a faithful employee, never missing a day of work. He received several awards and recognitions while employed.

“Ronnie had a very outgoing personality and never met a stranger. His ability to interact with people enabled him to form many lifelong friendships. He enjoyed traveling. He particularly loved Disney World and had been there six times throughout the years. He also loved history, especially that which pertained to Granville County. He enjoyed getting out to use his Metal Detector, collecting coins and geodes,” his siblings, R.T. “Tom” Daniel and Faye Daniel Chappell, recalled.

“Thanks to this family’s generosity, the Ronnie Daniel Scholarship will support hard-working students for years to come by allowing them to complete training for rewarding careers,” said Dr. Rachel Desmarais, VGCC’s president.

“We are honored that Faye and Tom would choose to celebrate the life of their brother, Ronnie, by helping VGCC students achieve their educational goals,” added VGCC Endowment Director Eddie Ferguson.

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. For more information, call (252) 738-3409.

City of Henderson Logo

After Second Public Hearing, City to Move Forward With Coronavirus Grant Application

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Henderson City Manager E. Terrell Blackmon provided WIZS with the following summary of the City’s second public hearing regarding the submission of a Coronavirus-related Community Development Block Grant (CDBG-CV). The hearing was held Wednesday, September 23, 2020.

There was no one present to speak for or against the City’s proposed Community Development Block Grant Coronavirus Application (CDBG-CV) at Wednesday’s second public hearing on the matter.

The purpose of the hearing, very similar to the first, was to receive citizen input regarding the City’s intent to apply for Community Development Block Grant CDBG Coronavirus (CDBG-CV) funds from the North Carolina Department of Commerce’s Rural Economic Development Division (REDD).  The North Carolina CDBG-CV Program is designed to help non-entitlement municipalities or counties to prepare, prevent, or respond to the health and economic impacts of COVID-19.

As noted by Governor Roy Cooper, “efforts to support families, small business, and economic recovery remain critical” during the COVID-19 pandemic. In support of these public health and economic recovery goals, North Carolina CDBG-CV Program projects must incorporate at least one of the following as an area of focus:

  • Support families and communities through telehealth support and other public services.
  • Protect the most vulnerable and high-risk populations.
  • Assist small businesses with economic recovery.
  • Address testing, tracing, and trends.

The State has established the following funding priorities by eligible activity:

  • Public Service: The priority in this category is subsistence payments to prevent evictions and utility disconnections. Food distribution, testing and diagnosis, and employment training for health care workers on the frontlines are also prioritized.
  • Public Facilities: The priority in this category is broadband services and enhancing internet access that supports increased connectivity to schools, jobs, and healthcare.

The City of Henderson is proposing to utilize the funds primarily to address eligible activities in the Public Service category, such as subsistence payments to prevent evictions and utility disconnections. In addition, broadband services and enhancing internet falls under the Public facilities category.

The maximum grant is $900,000, which the City intends to apply for, and the grant period is 30 months or less. Applications are being accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis as of September 1, 2020, and there is $26.55 million available in funding.

Now that the City has met the public hearing requirements, its plan is to finalize and submit an application to the State by the end of September, but no later than early October.

Vance County Logo

Planning Committee to Consider White Goods Disposal at Hwy 39 Convenience Site

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-Information courtesy the County of Vance

Please be informed that Vance County’s Planning Committee (Faines, Kelly, Wilder) is scheduled to meet Tuesday, September 29, 2020, at 4 p.m.

The meeting will be held in the Administrative Conference Room of the Vance County Administration Building located at 122 Young Street, Henderson, NC.

The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the possibility of taking white goods to the Hwy 39 Convenience Site.

Duke Energy

Duke Energy Offering Extended Payment Plan Options

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-Information courtesy Tanya Evans, District Manager, Duke Energy

As Duke Energy gradually resumes standard billing and payment practices in North Carolina, our goal is to work with customers in need to ensure they have the opportunity to enroll in a payment plan that meets their specific situation, and that they have an opportunity to connect with local assistance agencies and funds.

Beginning October 1, 2020, customers behind on their bills will receive notices about their past-due balances. Disconnecting a customer’s service is the very last step in a lengthy process, and it’s a step we want to avoid altogether.

That’s why we are giving all customers who need more time to pay the opportunity to establish an extended payment plan to catch up on any balance that accumulated during the disconnection suspension. No customer on a payment plan who is current on that arrangement will be disconnected. It is important that they contact us as soon as possible to set up the payment arrangement.

We want customers facing financial hardship to know that we are here to help. Our team is prepared to support customers through these challenging times and provide manageable solutions to keep their lights on. We can be reached at the following numbers:

Duke Energy Carolinas: 1-800-777-9898

Duke Energy Progress: 1-800-452-2777

We also encourage customers to consider using the online self-service options to avoid longer wait times.

We recognize the financial impacts from this pandemic, for some, are far from over. If you know someone who needs help managing their Duke Energy bill, please encourage that person to give us a call.

Local News Audio

Local Noon News Audio 9/23/20

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Maria Parham Health Nationally Recognized as a Best Maternity Care Hospital by Newsweek

Local COVID-19 Update

Nationally-Recognized Hungry Heroes and Founder Amanda Riggan Visited and Fed Henderson Fire Station #1 and Henderson Police Department on Tuesday

Click Play to Listen to Full Details…

Paint at the Dog Park

Painting at the Dog Park, Exercising, Job Training a Few of H-V Rec. & Parks’ Fall Activities

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-Information courtesy the Henderson-Vance Recreation & Parks Department

The Henderson-Vance Recreation and Parks Department announces a few of its upcoming events:

Fit and Feisty – this eight-week program provides information to participants ages 55 and better on topics related to health, wellness, safety tips and exercises to stay fit.

Join the program by logging on to Facebook Live on the Henderson Vance Special Programs page. Participants must preregister to participate at Aycock Recreation Center. There are only 10 slots available.

For more information, please contact Crystal Allen at (252) 431-6091 or (callen@ci.henderson.nc.us).

Virtual Job Readiness Training Program – this program prepares participants to obtain and excel at a new job. Basic employability skills include effective communication, problem-solving, resume building and interviewing. The Job Readiness Training Program also helps participants develop good work habits that facilitate ongoing success.

Join the program by logging in Facebook Live on the Henderson Vance Outreach page. Classes will be held on Wednesdays at 10 a.m. through Wednesday, November 4, 2020.

For more information, please contact Shantel Hargrove at (252) 430-0382 (shhargrove@ci.henderson.nc.us) or Jaleel Johnson at (252) 431-6099 (jjohnson@ci.henderson.nc.us).

Arthritis Exercise Class – classes will meet on Wednesdays and Fridays from September 23 – November 4, 2020, from 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. This is a FREE low-impact, joint safe program developed for people with arthritis. This class has been proven to decrease pain and stiffness while increasing flexibility and range of motion. This class is also suitable for every fitness level.

Join the class by logging on to Facebook Live on the Henderson Vance Special Programs page or at Aycock Recreation Center.  Participants must preregister to participate at Aycock Recreation Center. There are only 10 slots available.

For more information or to register, please contact Crystal Allen at (252) 431-6091 (callen@ci.henderson.nc.us ) or Tara Goolsby at (252) 438-3948 (tgoolsby@ci.henderson.nc.us).

Paint at the Dog Park – the community is invited to paint stencils on the concrete walkways at the new dog park, Scentral Bark, on Saturday, October 3, 2020, from 9 – 11 a.m. To allow for social distancing, only 12 slots will be available.

The dog park is part of Rollins Park, located at 1600 S. Garnett St. Ext. in Henderson.

Please contact Tyler Terry at (252) 438-2671 or (tterry@ci.henderson.nc.us) to sign up.