Smart Start

TownTalk: Smart Start Year End Review

/by

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.

Click Play

 

Vance County Logo

County Employees Recognized For Years Of Service

/by

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

/by

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

/by

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.

 

Vance Citizen Of The Year Nominations Due By Jan. 6, 2022

/by

There’s still time to nominate a resident of Vance County to be considered for the 2021 Citizen of the Year, and Henderson-Vance Chamber officials encourage the community to consider making a nomination by the deadline of Jan. 6.

“This distinguished award is presented at the Chamber membership meeting and banquet held each year in January,” according to Chamber official Sandra Wilkerson.

This year’s meeting is scheduled to b be held Jan. 27, 2022 at the Vance-Granville Community College Civic Center.  Invitations and more information on the banquet will be emailed out to chamber members in January.

Contact the chamber office to get a nomination form, which also lists criteria for candidates. Call 252.438.8414, visit the website https://hendersonvance.org/ or drop by the office 414 S. Garnett St., Henderson to get more information.

Granville Vance Public Health Logo

GVPH Posts COVID-19 Update, Guidance For Vance, Granville As Holiday Weekend Nears

/by

Vance County’s percent positive rate for COVID-19 stands at 11.5 percent, more than double Granville County’s rate, according to information provided by Granville-Vance Public Health from the CDC COVID Data Tracker. Vance’s positivity rate also surpasses the state’s overall daily percent positive rate, which currently is 10.5 percent.

Health officials from Dr. Anthony Fauci to GVPH Health Director Lisa M. Harrison continue to urge everyone who is eligible to be fully vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19, especially with the holidays looming and omicron cases surging.

In the past seven days, there have been 168 new cases in Vance County. According to the CDC COVID Data Tracker, that represents high community transmission, Harrison wrote in the GVPH update.

Similarly, in Granville County during the same period, 141 new cases have been reported. Granville’s percent positivity rate is 5.2 percent, but Harrison noted that still represents high community transmission.

Recent discussion in Granville County centered around the rationale for including inmates of the Butner federal prison in the totals for Granville County. Harrison’s report included a breakdown of inmates versus community residents with COVID-19. According to the update, there are 13 inmates at the Butner facility who have tested positive for COVID-19 and also 13 county residents who work at the prison who have tested positive.

“All data we report are in residents of each of our two counties only, and regardless of where those residents lay their head down at night within our county jurisdiction, those cases represent community spread.  All 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/,” the update stated.

There have been 7,454 cases of COVID-19 in Vance County and 8,685 cases of COVID-19 in Granville County for a total of 16,139 across the health district.

Granville County has documented 106 deaths as a result of COVID-19 and Vance County has a total of 104 deaths for a total of 210 deaths across the health district.

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

While health experts are encouraged that the omicron variant doesn’t seem to be as severe as the Delta variant, the transmissibility rate is quite high.

“The omicron variant of COVID-19 is upon us across NC and the US,” Harrison stated. “We know how to protect people from severe illness and we have the tools needed to do it. They include: vaccination, boosting, masking, testing, distancing, hand-washing and improved ventilation when we are in enclosed spaces with others.”

Those things all work best in a layered approach. No one thing is perfect, but added up together, lives are saved and respect is shown to our valued health care system workforce who are very much hoping for a little holiday rest here and there – we have the power to give them a break if we follow these public health mitigation approaches.

“We do expect cases to go up significantly in the coming weeks from omicron, and so far, it is still true today at least, that all indictors are pointing to omicron causing less severe illness than Delta,” Harrison said. However, since omicron is still so much more contagious than other forms of COVID-19, there will be larger case numbers but we will still likely see increases in hospitalizations and death as well – those hospitalizations and death continue to occur mostly in unvaccinated individuals. Omicron is also reaching younger populations more easily, so we need to keep an eye on that, too.”

To date, GVPH has administered 35,286 vaccines including 18,219 first doses and 17,067 second doses.

Vance County details:

  • 63 percent of those over the age of 5 have received at least one dose of their COVID-19 vaccine and 58 percent are fully vaccinated.
  • 13 percent of those ages 5-11 years old have received at least one dose of their COVID-19 vaccine and 7 percent are fully vaccinated.
  • 46 percent of those ages 12-17 years old have received at least one dose of their COVID-19 vaccine and 40 percent are fully vaccinated.

Granville County details:

  • 67 percent of  those over the age of 5 have received at least one dose of their COVID-19 vaccine and 63 percent are fully vaccinated.
  • 14 percent of those ages 5-11 years old have received at least one dose of their COVID-19 Vaccine and 9% are fully vaccinated
  • 44 percent of those ages 12-17 years old have received at least one dose of their COVID-19 Vaccine and 40 percent are fully vaccinated.

Stay informed about trends across the state and nation by visiting the CDC Data Tracker by County and the NCDHHS COVID-19 Dashboard. Relevant graphs from these dashboards are available on the GVPH website at https://gvph.org/covid-19_dashboard/.

NC Coop Extension

Agricultural Extension to Offer Classes For Fruit Growers

/by

Fruit production has been a recent topic of conversation by both Wayne Rowland and Paul McKenzie on recent Cooperative Extension reports this week on WIZS. If those reports have got you thinking about having a back yard fruit crop then there is an upcoming class you may want to attend.  The Extension Service will be offering the same class over two day, January 7th and 8th. The January 7th class will be in Oxford at the Expo Center at 2pm and the Saturday class will be in Warrenton at the Warren Co. Armory Civic Center at 9am. The class is free but registration is required. Visit the Extensions Service’s website or call 252-438-8188 to learn more.

McKenzie will be partnering with Johnny Coley of the Warren County Extension Service for these classes. “You can’t beat the flavor and can’t beat the fun,” McKenzie said of growing back yard fruit crops. He also recommends that anyone thinking about planting a fruit crop to research the various cultivars in order to make sure that it is appropriate for this area. “Research is the first step in having success with fruit crops,” Mckenzie said. He said it is vitally important to do cultivar research if you are planning a back yard fruit crop.

Home And Garden Show 12-22-21

/by

On the Home and Garden Show with Vance Co. Cooperative Ext.

  • Review your garden journal,what went well, and not well, most important what did you learn?
  • What if you missed fescue fertilization in late November?
  • Check holiday plants for moisture.
  • What if you haven’t planted your pansies?
  • Inventory your seed before ordering more seed.
  • Prepare, clean and organize seed starting supplies
  • Build a small greenhouse or cold frame to raise your own transplants for 2022
  • Research fruit cultivars before planting.
  • Check water under your christmas tree each day