Mike Waters

The Local Skinny! Waters Announces Life Sentence For Oakes

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– information courtesy of Vance County District Attorney Mike Waters

A Vance County man will spend the rest of his life in prison after a jury found him guilty last week of first-degree murder, according to a press release from the office of District Attorney Mike Waters.

On Thursday, Feb. 1, in Vance County Criminal Superior Court, Jarred Robert Oakes was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, following his conviction of first-degree murder of his mother, Geraldine Oakes.

Oakes is the oldest son of Geraldine Oakes, who was found unresponsive in the family home on Friendly Lane on May 24, 2017. At the time, investigators found evidence that the victim had been strangled. During the trial, the jury heard testimony from law enforcement officers, lay persons and expert witnesses.

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Granville Vance Public Health Logo

Mental Health, Substance Abuse Forum Set For Feb. 20 At First Baptist, Butner

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N.C. Rep. Frank Sossamon is hosting the third in a series of forums on mental health and substance use on Tuesday, Feb. 20 in Butner.

The community is invited at attend the gathering, which will be held at First Baptist Church in Butner from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., according to information from GVPH Director Lisa Harrison.

“We hope that all those in the community who personally experience or have a loved one who experiences mental illness or substance abuse can attend,” Harrison said.

GVPH and other organizations in the area will be present to discuss services available to those in need of help.

A 2021 Community Assessment conducted by the health department showed that more than 40 percent of Vance County residents and 36 percent of Granville County residents have a friend or family members affected by the use of painkillers, opioids or heroin.

Mental illness is especially prevalent among youth. In North Carolina, 1 in 5 adolescents have seriously considered attempting suicide, and 1 in 10 have made a suicide attempt. Unfortunately, rates of both mental illness and substance misuse continue to climb in our community, especially following the COVID-19 pandemic, Harrison noted.

Expert panels will address Youth Mental Health as well as Substance Use and Addiction. Topics will include suicide prevention, intellectual and developmental disabilities, crisis events, anxiety management, substance use disorder and recovery, depression treatment, addiction recovery, and primary care services. Service providers will have booths for participants to learn more about

treatment resources and critical access points for treatment. Booths will include providers that specialize in medications for Opioid Use Disorder (e.g., Buprenorphine, Methadone), individual and family counseling, medication management, crisis management, intensive outpatient services, and residential treatment.

Dabney Drive

NCDOT Sets Feb. 13 Meeting To Discuss Plans For Dabney Drive’s Future

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Area residents are invited to a public meeting with the N.C. Department
of Transportation to discuss the proposal to upgrade Dabney Drive from
Coble Boulevard to U.S. Hwy. 158 Business in Vance County. The revisions
include a roundabout at the intersection with Dorsey Avenue.

The meeting will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 13, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at E.
M. Rollins Elementary School, 1600 S. Garnett St. Extension, in Henderson.

 

Chief Barrow Credits Collaboration With Arrest Of Suspect Wanted In Local Abuse Case

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A man wanted in connection with allegations of abuse in Henderson has been arrested in Wake County after a collaboration with the Wake County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Apprehension Team.

Henderson Police Chief Marcus Barrow said his members of the department’s criminal investigations section has been working on a case since October 2023 of a report of child sexual abuse.

Rayshon Treadwell, 41, was charged with 28 counts of statutory sex offense with a child by an adult. The incidents occurred between July 2021 and October 2023, Barrow stated. The defendant was in a parental relationship with the minor, he added.

During the course of the investigation, it was discovered that Treadwell had ties to Wake County and Barrow said his detectives contact the Wake County Sheriff’s Office for assistance in locating Treadwell.

Wake County deputies located Treadwell shortly before 5 p.m. in Wendell on Tuesday, Jan. 30 and attempted to stop the car he was driving, but a chase ensued. At one point, he jumped from the car and ran away, but officers were able to apprehend him.

Barrow expressed his thanks to the Wake County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance in this matter.

According to WRAL News, Treadwell faces the following charges:

  • statutory sex offense with a child by an adult
  • solicitation of prostitution
  • resisting public officer
  • communicating threats (out of Warren County)
  • flee/elude arrest
  • driving with a revoked license
  • possession of an open container in the passenger area
  • speeding
  • reckless driving to endanger

 

TownTalk: Feb. 8 Is ‘Healthy Heart Day’ At Maria Parham Health

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As part of National Heart Month, Maria Parham Health is offering several different opportunities during February for folks to check their heart health and learn ways to prevent or reduce their risk of heart disease.

Vance County incidence of cardiovascular disease exceeds both the state and national averages, and it’s important to be informed about risk factors to heart health. Cardiovascular disease includes heart disease and stroke.

Want to know your risk for heart disease? With a few clicks on the hospital’s webpage, you’ll find a short assessment that rates your risk. Visit www.mariaparham.com, click the Services tab and then on Cardiology and you’ll find the link.

National Wear Red Day is Friday, Feb. 2, – that’s tomorrow! – and hospital employees are going to be “turning it red” to promote heart health awareness, especially among women, said Lisa McGhee, a registered nurse who also is director of cardiovascular services at Maria Parham.

Then, on Thursday, Feb. 8, the community is invited to take part in Healthy Heart Day from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the hospital lobby.

McGhee said there will be blood pressure and pulse ox screenings offered as part of the Feb. 8 event; exercise physiologists and dietitians will be available to discuss healthy lifestyle choices and EMS professionals who will demonstrate hands-only CPR techniques.

“We’ve had a good turnout over the past years,” McGhee said. “We’ve had people who returned and said they had some sort of health issue, and they knew what to do and knew what the next steps should be because they’d been to one of these events.”

This community event is a good time to come out and ask questions, McGhee said. “That’s always our goal – to help guide (people) in the right direction to services,” she added. “It’s easier to do before it becomes an emergency.”

Some of the symptoms to look for include physical pain – chest pain or pain that radiates to the arm, jaw, back. Other symptoms, however, include extreme fatigue, dizziness, nausea or vomiting.

Sometimes, McGhee said, women may experience more subtle symptoms that are vague and harder to define, including fatigue, lack of energy and pain not necessarily associated with chest pain.

High blood pressure can have an adverse effect on heart health, too, McGhee said.

“High blood pressure that’s not controlled is a risk factor…blood pressure is one of those silent killers – sometimes there’s no other indications there’s a problem until it’s too late,” she said.

Sometimes, medication will do the trick, but if patients need more involved treatment, Maria Parham has a state-of-the-art heart catherization lab that opened in 2020.

Cardiologists complete a variety of procedures, including catheterizations to angioplasty and stent placement.

McGhee said the hospital’s chest pain program is an accredited program that helps health care professionals provide a variety of diagnostic tests like echocardiograms, wearable heart monitors and 24-hour blood pressure monitoring to help patients experiencing possible cardiac problems.

Visit www.mariaparham.com to find a complete list of programs and services.

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The Local Skinny! City Council’s Special Called Meeting

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In a special called meeting on Jan. 22, the Henderson City Council heard a couple of rezoning requests and gave the green light to a $6.1 million project to address “major infiltration and inflow issues” at the Sandy Creek Basin.

H.G. Reynolds Co., Inc. was the sole bidder for the Sandy Creek Basin project, coming in at $6,149,697. Recent heavy rains have caused overflow of untreated wastewater from pump stations into area tributaries.

The project will be paid for with $5 million in 0 percent state funding that has already been awarded for the project, along with a $2.5 million federal ARPA grant.

Council members also approved a rezoning request for a tract on Carey Chapel Road from R-15 (moderate to low density residential) to R-11 (moderate density residential).

Thomas Hutton & Engineering Company made the request for part of the Carey Chapel subdivision, which has two different zoning districts. The request was to make the entire tract of almost 50 acres R-11.

The council approved the request.

The second rezoning request was to grant a special-use permit to allow Vaya Health to put a Diversion Center in the space in a location zoned for commercial use.

Vaya Health wants to convert the former Big Lots building on Dabney Drive into a 16-bed facility that provides support for people with mental health illnesses and substance use disorders.

Although the Planning Board recommended approval of the matter, but Council tabled the issue until it could get more information.

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VGCC Logo

VGCC Partners With FTCC To Give Students Access To Funeral Service Education

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– Information courtesy of VGCC Public Information Officer Courtney Cissel

Vance-Granville Community College is teaming up with one of its sister schools on an innovative hybrid program, paving the way for new career opportunities in its four-county service area.

VGCC has partnered with Fayetteville Technical Community College to bring FTCC’s Funeral Service Education program to students in Vance, Granville, Franklin and Warren counties. FTCC runs the only funeral service program of its kind in North Carolina, which is accredited by the American Board of Funeral Service Education and led by licensed funeral professionals.

“This is extremely relevant to our area,” said VGCC President Dr. Rachel Desmarais. “We really want to open this up as a possibility.”

The agreement allows VGCC students to take general education courses close to home before applying to transfer into FTCC’s funeral service program. Much of the program’s specialized instruction is offered online and can be completed remotely. Students must complete certain practical requirements in labs at FTCC or during work-based learning at a local funeral home, and they will be required to visit FTCC in person a few times to demonstrate or learn key funeral service skills.

FTCC President Dr. Mark Sorrells noted that the program offers VGCC students the opportunity to accomplish much of their education without having to travel the distance to Fayetteville. “We think that’s a tremendous advantage and a way that we, as the only funeral service program in the state, can extend that service out into the rural areas and the small- to medium-sized colleges that have a lot of employment demand and need,” he said.

N.C. Rep. Frank Sossamon, who owns three funeral homes in Vance and Granville counties, was one of several industry professionals to attend the partnership’s signing ceremony in Henderson. “The more people locally we can get who consider going into this industry, the more likely funeral homes will stay family-owned,” Sossamon said. “I think that’s a valuable thing.”

Vance-Granville is the fifth community college in the North Carolina Community College System to partner with Fayetteville Tech’s funeral service program.

 

 

 

TownTalk: RAM Clinic Returning To Henderson In February

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The Duke RAM clinic is returning to Henderson later this month to provide free health, vision and dental care for patients in the community.

RAM stands for Remote Area Medical, and this year marks the third year in a row that the clinic has come to town. Clinic volunteers will set up shop once again at Vance Charter School on Ross Mill Road on Saturday, Feb. 17 and Sunday, Feb. 18. The clinic doors open at 6 a.m. each day to provide care, from routine exams to dental cleanings and extractions, as well as eye exams and eyeglasses. The clinic runs to 4 p.m. on Saturday and until 12 noon or 1 p.m. on Sunday

“We hope to be bigger and better than the last two years,” said Duke junior Anvi Sharvu, one of the event organizers.

Sharvu, a biology and sociology major, has been involved with RAM ever since she arrived at Duke and said she’s excited to see how many patients will get much-needed medical, dental and vision care during the two-day clinic.

She and Duke senior Sajan Patel were guests on Wednesday’s TownTalk to share details about the upcoming event.

Patients can start lining up at 12 midnight on Friday before the clinic opens on Saturday, and Patel said the clinic has “the capacity to see a lot of patients this year, especially on the dental side,” thanks to a team of dentists and student dentists from the
ECU Dental School.

“I’m a graduating senior,” Patel said, adding that he’s been involved with RAM since he’s been a student at Duke. He will graduate in the spring with degrees in biology and global health.

“I’m really excited and proud of our entire team,” he said.

Volunteers from other agencies including the local Granville Vance Public Health and other health care professionals, the duo said the clinic should be able to see even more patients than last year.

Sharvu said the need for essential health care remains high, especially in rural or underserved areas. “We just want to make sure more people can get care,” she said. Last year’s clinic provided dozens of dental cleanings, hundreds of tooth extractions and distributed 140 pairs of glasses.

The clinic requires no insurance or ID; there’s a questionnaire to fill out when you arrive, but even that’s optional, they say.

There will be other agencies on hand to provide resources for patients, including N.C. Legal Aid representatives who can help answer questions about Medicaid and Medicare. N.C. Harm Reduction also will be on site with free Narcan and instructions about how to use it in case of an overdose emergency.

And the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina will be giving away fresh produce.

 

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