H-V Chamber Logo

H-V Chamber of Commerce Announces Nominated Board Members

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-Information courtesy the Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce

The Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce board of directors has nominated the following individuals to serve a three-year term on the Chamber’s 18 member board (plus 7 ex-officio members). The term will begin January 1, 2021, and end December 31, 2023.

Dr. Levy Brown – Vance-Granville Community College (re-appointed to a second term)

Tanya Evans – Duke Energy (re-appointed to a second term)

Angie Jacobs – Country Snacks Manufacturing (re-appointed to a second term)

Dr. Abidan Shah – Clearview Baptist Church (new appointment to a three-year term)

Margier White – State Farm Insurance (new appointment to a three-year term)

Nancy Wykle – The Daily Dispatch (re-appointed to a second term)

By-Laws

Article IV: Board of Directors

Section 1: Composition of Board. The Board of Directors shall be composed of eighteen (18) members (not including ex-officio members), Six (6) of whom shall be elected each year to serve for three (3) years, or until their successors are elected and have qualified.

The following persons shall be ex-officio member of the Board of Directors: The Chair of the Vance County Board of County Commissioners or a member of the Board appointed by the Chair; the Mayor of the City of Henderson or a member of the Henderson City Council appointed by the Mayor; the Director of the Economic Development Commission; the Director of the Henderson-Vance Downtown Development Commission; the Superintendent of the Vance County Public School System; the President of Vance-Granville Community College; and the CEO of Maria Parham Health.

Section 3: Nominations and Candidates. The election of new directors shall be completed before the last day of December each year. A Nominating Committee of not less than five (5) members shall be appointed by the Chair in October each year at least thirty (30) days prior to the election of new members of the Board of Directors. The duty of this Nominating Committee shall be to nominate from the members of the Chamber, or the legal representatives of such member or members, a slate of six (6) candidates to fill the annual three-year term vacancies.

The Nominating Committee shall endeavor to assure a reasonable balance of representatives on the Board of Directors from the membership of the Chamber. A member of the Nominating Committee must interview each of the candidates selected prior to placing their name on the ballot and secure their pledge to serve faithfully if elected as director. Said Committee shall file a list of nominees recommended with the President not later than twenty (20) days before the election. No board member who has served two consecutive three (3) year terms is eligible for election for a third term. A period of one (1) year must lapse before eligibility is restored.

Section 4: Notice of Nominations. The President shall mail to all members of the Chamber of Commerce in good standing a list of the nominees recommended by the Nominating Committee.

Section 5: Nominations from Membership. The membership of the Chamber shall have the opportunity of placing additional names in nomination by presenting at the Chamber office a petition of nominations signed by at least ten (10) members of the Chamber. Such petitions must be filed within ten (10) days of the mailing of the Nominating Committee’s report.

Section 6: Election. If nominations are received from the membership within the ten (10) day period, a ballot bearing names of all nominees will be issued to the membership for vote. The ballots must be returned to the Chamber of Commerce office within fifteen (15) days of the mailing of said ballots. The number of nominees with the highest votes equal to the number of directors needed shall be declared elected. Directors need not be elected by a majority vote. Each member shall have only one vote. If no additional nominations are forthcoming from the membership within ten (10) days of the date which the original slate is mailed, the slate proposed by the Nominating Committee will be considered elected by acclamation.

Grace Ministries

Town Talk 11/23/20: Grace Ministries Announces Toy Drive, Free After-School Child Care

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Jamie Elliott, founder of GRACE Ministries of Henderson, appeared on WIZS Town Talk Monday at 11 a.m.

After-School Program

Elliott announced that GRACE Ministries will offer a free-of-charge, Christ-centered after-school program for children in grades 1-5 beginning January 11, 2021. After-school care will be offered at the group’s 961 Burr Street facility in Henderson on Mondays from 3:30 – 5:30 p.m.

With 20 spots already filled, space is available for approximately 20 more children. According to Elliott, masks will be worn at all times, and children will be divided into smaller groups in separate classrooms to follow social distancing recommendations during the COVID pandemic.

“We are offering this to the youth in our community at no charge,” said Elliott. “If someone wants to give donations to the after school program, then that will be accepted. We want to do something to give back to the youth in our community.”

Christmas Toy Drive

While COVID has altered GRACE Ministries’ annual toy drive and its usual drop off locations, Elliott said new and gently-used toys are being collected at participating Henderson Dollar General locations or by contacting Elliott directly at (252) 204-3617.

A specific date and more details regarding the toy distribution event will be announced closer to Christmas.

Tuesday Night Addiction Ministry

GRACE Ministries holds ongoing, weekly addiction recovery meetings on Tuesday evenings starting at 7 p.m. at the Burr Street location.

Participants are asked to wear a mask and practice social distancing; all are welcome.

While COVID concerns have reduced the in-person numbers, Elliott said meetings are still averaging 20-25 people a week. If meetings become too crowded to follow COVID guidelines, a parking lot radio service can be made available.

“We try to give something different every week whether it be a devotion out of the bible or scripture to let people know there is hope with drugs and alcohol,” said Elliott. “That hope is through Jesus Christ.”

For more information on GRACE Ministries, please visit the website at www.graceofhenderson.org, the Facebook page at GRACE Ministries of Henderson or call Elliott at (252) 204-3617.

To hear the interview with Elliott in its entirety, go to WIZS.com and click on Town Talk.

Local News Audio

Noon News 11-23-20 Court Cancelled; Covid Update; Chamber Board Members; Holiday Trash Collection

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Stories include:

– Vance County Court cancelled

– Covid19 Update

– Covid19 Testing event

– New board members on Chamber of Commerce

– Holiday trash collecting schedule.

For full details and audio click play

 

YMCA Back to School Academy

Henderson Family YMCA Offering School Care at Reduced Rates

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The Henderson Family YMCA is currently offering a “Back-to-School Academy” for school-aged children on a full-time, hybrid part-time and after school only basis.

Funding from a recent grant has allowed the YMCA to offer a limited-time price reduction on care through the remainder of 2020.

Full-time or hybrid part-time care is available Monday-Friday from 7:30 a.m. until 6 p.m. for $75 per week. After school care is available Monday-Friday from 2 until 6 p.m. for $55 per week ($45 for YMCA members).

The Back-to-School Together sessions include:

  • Breakfast, lunch and snack
  • Safe and enriching environment
  • Academic times
  • Group activities
  • Updated safety guidelines
  • Playtime (indoors and outdoors)
  • Swim time
  • Robotics (new)
  • Pick up from Vance Charter now available

Space is limited, so please reserve your spot today. For more information, contact the YMCA at (252) 438-2144, www.hendersonymca.org, or email Dana at danah@henfamymca.org.

(This is not a paid advertisement)

City of Henderson Logo

Henderson’s Sanitation Schedule for Thanksgiving Week

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The City of Henderson has released its Thanksgiving Sanitation schedule for 2020.

The schedule will be as follows for Recycling and Yard Debris:

Monday, Nov. 23 – Monday and Tuesday customers will be collected

Tuesday, Nov. 24 –  Wednesday and Thursday customers will be collected

Wednesday, Nov. 25 – Friday customers will be collected

Thursday, Nov. 26 – Holiday

Friday, Nov. 27 – Holiday

Please note that GFL (Waste Industries) garbage collection will follow a different schedule for Thanksgiving. Their schedule will be as follows:

Monday, Nov. 23 – No change

Tuesday, Nov. 24 – No change

Wednesday, Nov. 25 – No change

Thursday, Nov. 26 – Holiday

Friday, Nov. 27 – GFL to collect Thursday customers

Saturday, Nov. 28 – GFL to collect Friday customers

With questions, please call the City’s Public Works Department at (252) 431-6115.

Sheri Jones VGCC

VGCC Small Business Center Recognized for Innovation

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THIS STORY IS PRESENTED IN PART BY DRAKE DENTISTRY

-Press Release, Vance-Granville Community College

The Vance-Granville Community College Small Business Center and its director, Sheri Jones, recently received the 2020 Innovation Award for Programs/Seminars from the North Carolina Small Business Center Network (SBCN). The award specifically recognized VGCC for creating and offering an eight-part, online webinar series entitled “Doing Business Remotely – Tools for the New Normal,” to help local small businesses respond to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Small Business Center collaborated with the Warren County Economic Development Commission and a local small business, Tabletop Media Group, LLC, on the series, which educated small businesses and individuals on technological tools that were mostly new to them, empowering them to communicate effectively with customers as well as employees.

The Vance-Granville Community College Small Business Center and its director, Sheri Jones, recently received the 2020 Innovation Award for Programs/Seminars from the North Carolina Small Business Center Network (SBCN). (Photo courtesy VGCC)

“The Small Business Center of Vance-Granville Community College is fortunate to have wonderful community partners in our four-county Chambers of Commerce, economic development offices, downtown development organizations and libraries,” Jones said. “They relay community training needs that we then try to address, and they get the word out about our programs and counseling opportunities.”

In this case, Jones recalled, the community need was first brought up by Warren County EDC Director Stacy Woodhouse. “Stacy called and asked if Kristen Baughman Taber [founder of Tabletop Media Group and a Warren County resident] and I could meet with him to talk about what we could do to help small businesses in the early days of the pandemic shutdown,” Jones said. “This webinar series was born from that conversation.”

The partners moved quickly to help businesses in Vance, Granville, Franklin and Warren counties adjust to a rapidly changing situation. The state’s stay-at-home order went into effect on March 30, and the webinar series began on April 7.

Baughman Taber took the lead on creating content and then teaching the interactive class. The eight parts of the series included: Zoom Video Communications; Google Suite; Basecamp & Other Project Management Systems; Dropbox & Other Storage and File-sharing Tools; Scheduling Tools; Mailchimp, Constant Contact & Other Contact Management Tools; Slack & Other Collaboration Tools; and Virtual Team Building.

“Teaching the ‘Doing Business Remotely’ series brought me so much joy as an instructor during such an uncertain time in our world,” Baughman Taber said. “I was able to help so many small business owners learn how to use virtual tools to make them more effective in a world that had suddenly gone almost 100% online due to COVID-19. I believe these skills – like how to use Zoom for video conferencing, Google Drive for organizing and collaborating on documents and files, and Basecamp for project management, to name a few – will be helpful well into the future for these small business owners who attended.”

“I am appreciative of Sheri Jones and VGCC for partnering with Warren County EDC to make this timely series possible,” said EDC Director Stacy Woodhouse. “’Doing Business Remotely’ provided critical information in the midst of so much uncertainty and gave businesses the tools to move forward. We were able to utilize Warren County’s own Kristen Baughman of Tabletop Media as the instructor which gave attendees another valuable resource to follow up with post-class.”

“We congratulate and applaud Sheri for this award and for all her hard work to support the small businesses in our service area,” said Dr. Rachel Desmarais, president of VGCC. “This year, our Small Business Center and other college departments have partnered with the community to solve practical problems and meet the unique demands of the pandemic. We will continue to be here as a resource for our communities to promote economic recovery.”

The VGCC Small Business Center, part of a network of centers found at all 58 North Carolina Community Colleges, was created to provide the small businesses of the community with a focal point for training, education, counseling and referral. Jones has served as director since 2019.

For more information about Small Business Center seminars and services, contact Sheri Jones at joness@vgcc.edu or (252) 738-3240.

Local News Audio

Noon News 11-20-20 Covid19; Court cancelled; Vote Recount; Railroad history

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Stories include:

– Recent deaths from Covid19

– Latest Covid19 statistics

– Vance Co. Court cancelled

– Covid19 Testing Event

– Vote recount

– Railroad history

 

Granville Vance Public Health Logo

Six Deaths Reported in Second COVID Outbreak at Senior Citizens Home

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-Information courtesy Granville Vance Public Health

According to information provided by Granville Vance Public Health (GVPH), six recent COVID-19 related deaths associated with the current outbreak at Senior Citizens Home in Henderson, NC have been reported. A 90-year-old female, an 86-year-old female and an 88-year-old male passed away on November 17, 2020. A 97-year-old female, a 99-year-old female and an 80-year-old female passed away on November 18, 2020.

Additionally, GVPH provided the following update for COVID-19 spread and response in Granville and Vance County as of November 19, 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: 1,494
Active Cases: 335

Total Cases in Community: 1,329
Active Cases: 299
Cases Off-Isolation: 1,010

Total Cases at Long-Term Care Facilities: 165
Active Cases: 36
Cases Off-Isolation: 95

There is currently an outbreak at Senior Citizens Home.

Total Hospitalized with COVID-19: 12

Total Deaths: 54
Community: 20
Pelican Nursing Home: 14
Kerr Lake Nursing Home: 12
Senior Citizens Home: 8

Granville County

Total Cases: 2,361
Active Cases: 249

Total Cases in Community: 1,648
Active Cases: 218
Cases Off-Isolation: 1,422

Total Cases at Federal Prison: 531
Active Cases: 4
Cases Off-Isolation: 505

Total Cases at Long-Term Care Facilities: 182
Active Cases: 27
Cases Off-Isolation: 130

There are currently outbreaks at Central Regional Hospital, Murdoch Development Center and Granville House.

Total Hospitalized with COVID-19: 4

Total Deaths: 55
Community: 8
Central Regional: 1
Granville House: 1
Murdoch Development Center: 2
Universal Health Care: 21
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.

Salvation Army

Classic Toyota of Henderson Partners With Salvation Army for Day of Service

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-Press Release, The Salvation Army of Henderson

Classic Toyota of Henderson, part of the Mills Automotive Group, is partnering with The Salvation Army to provide food boxes for families in need during the Mills Automotive Group Day of Service drive-thru food giveaway.

Dealership employees will work alongside The Salvation Army and city officials to load food boxes into cars and provide a gift card for every household. 250 food boxes have been sponsored by Mills Automotive Group for the food giveaway. The Salvation Army is working with community social service providers to identify and invite families in need.

WHEN: Wednesday, November 25, 2020 ~ 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.

WHERE: Classic Toyota of Henderson, 205 Toyota Lane Henderson, NC 27537

For more information, please contact The Salvation Army of Henderson at (252) 438-7107 or email derrick.smith@uss.salvationarmy.org.

Granville Vance Public Health Logo

GVPH Conducts COVID Testing Daily, Provides Important Reminders

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THIS STORY IS PRESENTED IN PART BY DRAKE DENTISTRY

-Press Release, Granville Vance Public Health

UPDATE: North Carolina continues to prioritize increased access to testing, along with expanded contact tracing capacity to help slow the spread of COVID-19. Granville Vance Public Health (GVPH) offers testing for community members who have symptoms of COVID-19; for those who have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive; or for those who believe they may have been exposed to COVID-19, whether or not they have symptoms.

As a reminder, although many have and can spread COVID-19 with no symptoms, symptoms of COVID-19 can include one or more of the following: fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, sore throat, new loss of taste or smell, headache, muscle pain, fatigue, and congestion or runny nose.

A close contact is defined as anyone who was within six feet of an individual who has tested positive for COVID-19 for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more. Given the incubation period of Coronavirus, if you are a contact and are not experiencing any symptoms, it is recommended that you wait at least six days after your first known exposure to COVID-19 to get tested.

Additionally, you may have been unknowingly exposed to COVID-19 if you’re a frontline or essential worker; if you’ve attended a gathering with family, friends, or others who live outside your home; if you’ve dined indoors at a restaurant; or if you’ve attended large public or private events. If you believe you may have been exposed, we recommend you get tested. We can bill your insurance, or, if you are uninsured, we can provide a medical evaluation and testing for COVID-19 at no cost.

GVPH conducts testing every morning. In order to make an appointment for testing, please call us in Granville at (919) 693-2141 or Vance at (252) 492-7915. If someone has symptoms, we can offer telemedicine visits to provide a medical evaluation which would be recommended at that time.

Additionally, GVPH continues to work with our partners to support community-based testing events and other targeted efforts to help us reach historically marginalized populations and groups at higher risk of exposure. There are several other providers offering testing in our communities. To find out more about available testing locations near you, visit the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Find My Testing Place tool and the Check My Symptoms tool to determine if you will be recommended to be tested, both of which can be found at covid19.ncdhhs.gov/about-covid-19/symptoms.

If you test positive for COVID-19 or believe you might have it, you should stay home and separate yourself from other people in the home as much as possible. If you test negative for COVID-19, that does not mean you will not get sick in the future, as you could turn positive within 14 days of exposure. You could also be exposed to COVID-19 after the test and then get infected and spread the virus to others. Therefore, the most important thing you can do to slow the spread of COVID-19 is to follow the 3 Ws: wait 6 feet away from others, wear a cloth face covering and wash your hands.