Be careful when burning debris in spring

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Wildfire risk typically higher from March to May

RALEIGH – The N.C. Forest Service is urging residents across the state to think safety and exercise caution during the spring fire season, which typically lasts from March to May.

“During the spring fire season, people do a lot of yard work that often includes burning leaves and yard debris,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “There are many factors to consider before doing any burning.”

North Carolinians thinking about burning debris should contact their county ranger for advice first, Troxler said. “The ranger can help maximize safety for people, property and the forest.”

Follow guidelines to reduce risk of wildfire

For people who choose to burn debris, the NCFS urges them to adhere to the following tips to protect property and prevent wildfires:

  • Consider alternatives to burning. Some yard debris, such as leaves and grass, may be more valuable if composted.
  • Check with your county fire marshal’s office for local laws on burning debris. Some communities allow burning only during specified hours; others forbid it entirely.
  • Make sure you have an approved burning permit, which can be obtained at any NCFS office, county-approved burning permit agent, or online at https://ncforestservice.gov.
  • Check the weather. Don’t burn if conditions are dry or windy.
  • Only burn natural vegetation from your property. Burning household trash or any other man-made materials is illegal. Trash should be hauled away to a convenience center.
  • Plan burning for the late afternoon when conditions are typically less windy and more humid.
  • If you must burn, be prepared. Use a shovel or hoe to clear a perimeter around the area where you plan to burn.
  • Keep fire tools ready. To control the fire, you will need a hose, bucket, a steel rake and a shovel for tossing dirt on the fire.
  • Never use flammable liquids such as kerosene, gasoline or diesel fuel to speed burning.
  • Stay with your fire until it is completely out. In North Carolina, human carelessness leads to more wildfires than any other cause. In fact, debris burning is the No. 1 cause of wildfires in the state.
  • These same tips hold true for campfires and barbecues, too. Douse burning charcoal briquettes or campfires thoroughly with water. When the coals are soaked, stir them and soak them again. Be sure they are out cold and carefully feel to be sure they are extinguished. Never dump hot ashes or coals into a wooded area.
  • Burning agriculture residue and forestland litter: In addition to the guidelines above, a fire line should be plowed around the area to be burned. Large fields should be separated into small plots for burning one at a time. Before doing any burning in a wooded area, contact your county ranger, who will weigh all factors, explain them and offer technical advice.

For more information on ways you can prevent wildfires and loss of property visit https://ncforestservice.gov.

Mike Waters Announces New Assistant District Attorney

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Henderson, NC– District Attorney Mike Waters is pleased to announce the addition of David Erdmann as an Assistant District Attorney.

Mr. Erdmann was sworn in by District Court Judge Carolyn Thompson on Thursday, March 2, 2017. He joins the District Attorney’s staff after four years of practice as a criminal defense attorney in Surry County, North Carolina.

Mr. Erdmann is from Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, and will relocate to the Ninth Prosecutorial District. He was a 2007 graduate of North Carolina State University, and earned a Juris Doctor from Florida State College of Law in 2011.

Mr. Erdmann also clerked for the Honorable Jose Lopez in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.

He will be primarily working in Vance County prosecuting narcotics cases.

Computer-aided drafting course offered at VGCC

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Vance-Granville Community College has scheduled a “CAD with Solid Edge” course, to be held Monday through Thursday, April 3 through May 25, on the college’s Main Campus in Vance County. Students will choose to take the course on one of two different schedules: 9 a.m. until noon, or 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Solid Edge is a Computer-Aided Drafting (CAD) software program, produced by Siemens, which is used in a variety of industries, including advanced manufacturing.

This course introduces students to the three-dimensional solid modeling and design software. Topics include design sketching, basic three-dimensional design considerations and techniques, model creation, model editing, model rendering, analysis of solid models and creation of multi-view drawings. Upon completion, students should be able to use design techniques to sketch, model, edit, and render 3D models and generate multi-view 2D drawings. Students will learn how to create and print 2D drawings from 3D solid models and send solid models to a 3D printer.

The instructor for the course is Peter M. Robinson.

Students may become certified through Siemens upon passing the credentialing exam.

The cost of this course is $187 plus the cost of textbooks and the exam.

Registration can be completed online at www.vgcc.edu/oex or in person at any VGCC campus. The deadline to register is March 28. For more information, contact VGCC at oex@vgcc.edu or (252) 738-3324.

–VGCC–

News 03/09/17

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Couldn’t get enough of the 3rd President? VGCC to welcome back “Thomas Jefferson”

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A series of lectures at Vance-Granville Community College by Bill Barker, in character as President Thomas Jefferson, were so popular in 2016 that the college’s Endowment Fund is bringing him back to the community.

Barker will speak as Jefferson on the “Freedom for Religion” in the VGCC Civic Center on the college’s Main Campus in Vance County on Monday, March 20, at 11 a.m.

Then, he will present “Mr. Jefferson on Food and Wine” at the same location on Monday, March 27, at 11 a.m. The VGCC Culinary Arts department will provide refreshments for the occasion.

Both of the talks are different from the well-received presentations that he made at VGCC in 2016, which touched on science, the Constitution and slavery.

This year’s hour-long presentations, which include time for questions from the audience, are free and open to the public.

Barker has portrayed Thomas Jefferson in a variety of venues since his first appearance at Independence Hall in Philadelphia in 1984. He has received critical acclaim as the resident “Mr. Jefferson” at Colonial Williamsburg, Va., since 1993.

Born and raised in Philadelphia, his interest in Thomas Jefferson reaches back to his youth. He enjoys researching the American world Jefferson knew with an interest in the role this Founding Father played and continues to play in our American identity. Barker has a local connection, as his father was an Oxford native and he has many relatives in Granville County.

Barker received a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in history, from Villanova University. Attracted to the stage at an early age, he became a professional actor, director and producer. He was cast as Jefferson in the musical, 1776. Barker is the same height, weight and general appearance as Mr. Jefferson. When Barker spoke at VGCC in 2016, David Wyche, the college’s English department chair, remarked, “Short of time travel, this is as close as we can come to meeting the man himself.”

He has performed as Jefferson at the White House, the Palace of Versailles and throughout the United States, Great Britain, France and even on the Las Vegas Strip. He appeared as the Founding Father in programs that aired on ABC, NBC, CBS, PBS, CNN, The History Channel, and C-SPAN.

For more information on the Thomas Jefferson programs, call VGCC Endowment Director Eddie Ferguson at (252) 738-3264.

–VGCC–

District Attorney’s Office Comments on Horrific Franklin County Murder

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Louisburg, NC – The District Attorney’s Office was deeply saddened to learn of the tragic death of 35 year old Yesenia Funes Machada on Monday, March 6, 2017. We extend our heartfelt sympathy to the Funes Machada family.

Shortly before 1:00 p.m. on Monday, March 6, 2017, deputies with the Franklin County Sheriffs Office were called to a home located at 90 Morgan Drive in Zebulon, North Carolina. When authorities arrived at the scene, they found the victim deceased. The suspect, her 18 year old son Oliver Mauricio Funes Machada, was taken into custody without incident.

A warrant was issued and served for the arrest of Oliver Mauricio Funes Machada on the charge of First Degree Murder. The Defendant is currently in the custody of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and is being held without bond.

The circumstances of this crime are very unusual and horrific. While it is too early to know for sure what the Defendant’s mental state was at the time of the murder, it will be reviewed at the appropriate time and place.

In the meantime, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and the District Attorney’s Office will continue to prepare this case for trial. The probable cause hearing in this matter is scheduled for March 14, 2017, and the District Attorney’s Office will prepare the case to be presented to the grand jury on April 3, 2017.

The District Attorney’s Office has been and will continue to work closely with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office in this ongoing investigation. Anyone with additional information is urged to contact the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office Investigative team at (919) 496-2186.

Michael Waters

News 03/08/17

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New members join VGCC endowment board

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The Vance-Granville Community College Endowment Fund Board of Directors recently welcomed four new members. They include Tanya Evans of Timberlake, Ronnie Goswick of Franklinton, Katharine Macon Horner of Durham and Marshall Tanner of Oxford.

“We are delighted to welcome these leaders to our Endowment board, and we appreciate their commitment to supporting our students and our mission,” said Dr. Stelfanie Williams, president of VGCC.

The board of directors oversees the Endowment Fund Corporation, a nonprofit organization established in 1976 to seek and receive scholarship funds and other contributions for the college.

Evans is a district manager in Duke Energy’s government and community relations department. She is responsible for external relations, issue management, community involvement and corporate contributions for the company’s northeast region, which covers Caswell, Person, Granville, Vance, Warren, Franklin, Edgecombe, Nash, Wilson and Halifax counties. Duke Energy has established numerous scholarships for VGCC students and awarded several grants to the college over the years. Evans has a degree in journalism and mass communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Goswick is the director of business and economic development at Carolina Sunrock, based in Raleigh. The company is a longtime supporter of the college and has endowed a VGCC scholarship in its name. Goswick served for 25 years in local government with Franklin County and the Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments as an economic development director. He is also a former Franklin County commissioner and member of the Town of Franklinton Board of Commissioners. Goswick is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in business.

Horner is a Henderson native who graduated from Atlantic Christian College (today known as Barton College) with a degree in health and physical education and from Wilson County Technical Institute (today known as Wilson Community College) with an associate degree in nursing. She retired after a lengthy, varied career in health care, having spent many years working as a nurse at Duke Medical Center. Horner has endowed two scholarships at VGCC in memory of her parents and grandparents.

Tanner spent his career in the manufacturing sector, retiring in 2010 as a vice president of Bridgestone Bandag, another company that has supported the VGCC Endowment Fund for many years and endowed a scholarship in its name. He managed plants for that company in Iowa and Georgia before finally moving to its Oxford location. Tanner earned his bachelor’s degree in industrial management at Georgia Tech. Active in his community, he received the John Penn Citizen of the Year Award in 2003 from the Granville County Chamber of Commerce.

The four new additions join current Endowment Fund board members Robert L. Hubbard (the vice-chair), Julius Banzet III, Sarah Baskerville, Rep. James W. Crawford, Jr., Dr. Ben F. Currin, Clay Frazier, L. Opie Frazier, Jr., Rev. Dr. Richard M. Henderson, Darryl Moss, T.S. Royster, Jr., Donald C. Seifert, Sr., Josh Towne and Todd Wemyss. As president of VGCC, Dr. Stelfanie Williams chairs the board.

Through the Endowment Fund, VGCC has awarded more than 8,800 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 about the Endowment Fund, call (252) 738-3409.

–VGCC–

Arts Alive! Coming to McGregor Hall later this month

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Vance County Schools

For Immediate Release

March 7, 2017

 

The Arts Alive! talent showcase for Vance County Schools is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 25, at McGregor Hall.

The 90-minute show will feature almost 100 performers who are students in Vance County Schools.

Student art work also will be on display from 4 to 7 p.m. at McGregor Hall.

Admission to the art work display is free. Tickets for the showcase are $5 each and will be on sale at McGregor Hall beginning at 3 p.m. on March 25.

Seating for the showcase is limited and will be on a first-come-first-serve basis.

Arts Alive! is sponsored by the Vance County Public School Foundation.

State Farmers Market kicks off spring events with craft fair March 10-12

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RALEIGH – The State Farmers Market will host several special events this spring, starting with its annual Spring Craft Fair, March 10-12.

The three-day festival features dozens of vendors selling handmade items and unique gifts. Visitors will find ornamental garden accessories, woodworking items, handcrafted soaps and candles, handbags, jewelry, baked goods, furniture and more. Vendors will be on hand from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

On March 18, the State Farmers Market will host an Arbor Day celebration from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The free event will include demonstrations, hands-on activities for children, and tree professionals offering advice on backyard and urban conservation. Tree seedlings also will be given to attendees while supplies last.

Other upcoming events:

  • Market Shoppes Open House on April 8. The Market Shoppes offer locally made specialty foods, wines, meats and cheeses, as well as handcrafted items and gifts. The open house will feature special discounts and door prizes.
  • Greenhouse Vegetable Day on April 20. Guests can enjoy a free tomato sandwich made with N.C. greenhouse tomatoes.
  • Strawberry Day on May 4. A strawberry dessert contest will be held and fresh strawberries will be available for sample and purchase.
  • Crawfish Day on June 3, featuring N.C. crawfish for sale by the pound. Crawfish is sold raw or cooked with seasoning.
  • Blueberry Day on June 15 celebrates the state’s blueberry season with free dessert samples. N.C. blueberries also will be available for sample and purchase.

The State Farmers Market is open year round offering seasonal produce, local meats and seafood, cheeses and wines, along with a variety of specialty products. Visitors also will find ornamental plants, trees and shrubs. In addition, the market is home to Market Imports, Super Sod and three restaurants serving home-style cooking, seafood and casual-dining fare. More information is available at www.statefarmersmarket.org and on the market’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/StateFarmersMarket.

 

NCDA&CS Public Affairs Division, Brian Long, Director
Mailing Address:1001 Mail Service Center, Raleigh NC 27699-1001
Physical Address: 2 West Edenton Street, Raleigh NC 27601
Phone: (919) 707-3001; FAX: (919) 733-5047