Local News - WIZS

NC’s Safer At Home Phase 2 Extended Through Sept. 11

August 6, 2020/by WIZS Staff

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Press Release, Office of NC Governor Roy Cooper

Governor Roy Cooper announced yesterday that North Carolina will remain paused in Safer At Home Phase 2 for another five weeks as students and staff return to schools, colleges and universities, and the state doubles down on efforts to decrease COVID-19 numbers.

“Other states that lifted restrictions quickly have had to go backward as their hospital capacity ran dangerously low and their cases jumped higher. We will not make that mistake in North Carolina,” said Governor Cooper. “In keeping with our dimmer switch approach with schools opening, and in order to push for decreasing numbers which will keep people healthier and boost our economy, North Carolina will remain paused in Safer At Home Phase 2 for five weeks.”

Dr. Mandy Cohen, Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services shared an update on North Carolina’s data trends. Dr. Cohen explained that while some of North Carolina’s numbers have mostly leveled, any progress is fragile as other states have shown with sudden and devastating surges in viral spread.

“While overall we are seeing signs of stability, we still have much work to do. Our recent trends show us what is possible when we commit to slowing the spread by wearing face coverings and following those simple but powerful 3Ws,” said NCDHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen, M.D.

Trajectory in COVID-Like Illness (CLI) Surveillance Over 14 Days

North Carolina’s syndromic surveillance trend for COVID-like illness is declining, though remains elevated.

Trajectory of Lab-Confirmed Cases Over 14 Days

North Carolina’s trajectory of lab-confirmed cases has stabilized but remains high.

Trajectory in Percent of Tests Returning Positive Over 14 Days

North Carolina’s trajectory in percent of tests returning positive is stable but still elevated.

Trajectory in Hospitalizations Over 14 Days

North Carolina’s trajectory of hospitalizations is beginning to level.

In addition to these metrics, the state continues building capacity to be able to adequately respond to an increase in virus spread. These areas include:

Laboratory Testing

While testing turnaround times have improved, the number of tests done has decreased over the past week. Testing is a priority for anyone who has symptoms or those who may have been exposed to COVID-19, including:

Anyone who has attended a mass gathering including a protest.
Anyone who works in a setting at higher risk of exposure such as a grocery store, restaurant, gas station, or childcare program.
People who live or work in high-risk settings such as long-term facilities, homeless shelters, correctional facilities or food processing facility.

Tracing Capability

We continue hiring contact tracers to bolster the efforts of local health departments. There are over 1,500 full-time and part-time staff supporting contact tracing efforts, including the 615 Community Care of North Carolina (CCNC) contact tracers.

Personal Protective Equipment

Our personal protective equipment (PPE) supplies are stable.

View the slides and graphs from today’s presentation.

Read the Executive Order.

State Sees Year’s First Cases of Often Fatal EEE Disease in Horses

August 4, 2020/by WIZS Staff

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-Press Release, NCDA&CS

Four horses have recently tested positive for Eastern Equine Encephalomyelitis (EEE) in North Carolina. The horses were located in Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus and Durham counties. These are the first cases of EEE reported this year.

“In 2019, there were only two reported cases of EEE in horses in North Carolina,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “The fact that we have doubled the 2019 number already, points to a need to be extra vigilant and vaccinate your equine. Mosquito season in North Carolina has several more months to go.”

EEE causes inflammation or swelling of the brain and spinal cord and is usually fatal. Symptoms include impaired vision, aimless wandering, head pressing, circling, inability to swallow, irregular staggering gait, paralysis, convulsions and death. Once a horse has been bitten by an infected mosquito, it may take three to 10 days for signs of the disease to appear.

“If your horses exhibit any symptoms of EEE, contact your veterinarian immediately,” said State Veterinarian Doug Meckes. “It is imperative that horse owners keep their vaccines current, talk to their veterinarian about vaccinating equine as soon as possible against EEE and West Nile virus.”

The vaccinations initially require two shots, 30 days apart, for horses, mules and donkeys that have no prior vaccination history. Meckes recommends a booster shot every six months in North Carolina because of the state’s prolonged mosquito season.

Mosquitoes can breed in any puddle of water that lasts for more than four days, so removing any source of standing water can reduce the chance of exposing animals to WNV or EEE. Keeping horses in stalls at night, using insect screens and fans and turning off lights after dusk can also help reduce exposure to mosquitoes. Insect repellants can be effective if used according to manufacturers’ instructions.

People, horses and birds can become infected from a bite by a mosquito carrying the diseases, but there is no evidence that horses can transmit the viruses to other horses, birds or people through direct contact.

While there is no vaccine to protect people from EEE, people can protect themselves with repellents and by judicious suppression of mosquito populations, especially in areas near freshwater hardwood swamps.

VGCC to Offer New Customer Service Excellence Program

August 4, 2020/by WIZS Staff

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-Press Release, Vance-Granville Community College

Vance-Granville Community College has scheduled a new, mostly-online program designed to equip area residents with the customer service skills that are critical to the success of all businesses and organizations. The “Customer Service Excellence” program is set to be offered four times this fall.

In each case, students will only attend the first class in person at one of VGCC’s campuses. The rest of the program (totaling 24 hours) will be completed online from the comfort and safety of students’ homes or offices.

The class that begins at the college’s Main Campus (near Henderson) will be held August 24 – September 13; at the Franklin County Campus (Louisburg), September 14 – October 4; at South Campus (Creedmoor/Butner), October 5-25; and at the Warren County Campus (Warrenton), October 26 – November 15. Students are reminded that masks or face coverings are now required for everyone while indoors on campus.

The first few classes within the program will introduce the basic concepts of customer service, including how to handle difficult customer interactions; enhance participants’ communication skills; and examine customer relationship management (CRM), which can lead to growing customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Next, students will learn critical problem-solving and troubleshooting skills, as well as basic computer skills for the workplace. Then, participants will gain skills that can help them secure employment, including career/resume development, and job interview techniques. A section on financial literacy will help students learn strategies for managing money, budgeting and saving.

Finally, students will prepare for the National Career Readiness Certification exam.

“This program is designed to equip employees with the skills needed to provide outstanding customer service by building and maintaining mutually-beneficial relationships,” said VGCC Dean of Business & Industry Solutions Tanya Weary. “These classes teach participants how to achieve customer service excellence while building a robust, skilled workforce for our local employers in any number of sectors.”

The instructor for the program is Alex Madrigal.

The program costs $70 but will be free of charge to participants who qualify through a Human Resources Development (HRD) waiver.

For more information, contact Kyle Burwell, Director of Occupational Extension, at (252) 738-3276 or burwellk@vgcc.edu.

To register, visit https://www.vgcc.edu/coned/hrd/.

Latest on Isaias for WIZS Area

August 3, 2020/by John C. Rose

* CHANGES TO WATCHES AND WARNINGS: The Tropical Storm Watch has been upgraded to a Tropical Storm Warning for Franklin, Harnett, Hoke, Wake, and Warren Counties. — Click For The Latest

WEATHER.GOV/RALEIGH – https://www.weather.gov/raleigh

NWS RALEIGH – https://www.facebook.com/NWSRaleigh

NWS RALEIGH – https://twitter.com/NWSRaleigh

The latest on Isaias for the WIZS listening area – 1450 AM / 100.1 FM / Live Stream

THE LATEST NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BRIEFING WILL ALWAYS BE AVAILABLE AT THIS LINK:

https://www.weather.gov/media/rah/briefing/NWSRaleighLatestBriefing.pdf

____________________________________________________________________________________

(Update 9:30 a.m. – 8/3/2020) — update written and provided by Brian Short, Henderson-Vance Director of Emergency Operations

Click here for the Isaias briefing as of 9:30 a.m. on August 3. Overall, the local situation remains the same as in previous updates.

Presently, we remain under a Flood Watch and are just outside the boundary of counties who are under a Tropical Storm Watch (though that will likely change to include us).

We are forecast to receive wind gusts of 35 to 45 mph, with rainfall estimated between three and six inches. We should begin feeling the effects late this evening and in the overnight hours into Tuesday. With this much rain and gusty winds, we could certainly have downed trees and power outages.

As of today at 8 a.m., we have activated our Emergency Operations Center in a monitoring capacity and have escalated to a Level 2 status. We will be issuing a local Proclamation of a State of Emergency later this morning just to be on the safe side.

One particular emergency protective measure that could be implemented would be a vehicle curfew. If enacted, this would apply only to the municipal city limits of Henderson and not all of Vance County. Additionally, this limitation would only be imposed if power is lost due to the storm and would only be for the overnight hours beginning at 8 p.m. and lasting until 6 a.m.

Beginning this evening, we will be overstaffing the 911 center, and it will remain overstaffed throughout the day on Tuesday.

At this point, we do not plan to open any shelters as we do not believe they will be needed. However, we remain ready to do so if the situation worsens.

We will be coordinating our preparedness activities with our local and state response partners, and we are encouraging our citizens to continue their own local preparedness efforts.

____________________________________________________________________________________

(Update 12 Noon – 8/2/2020) — update written and provided by Brian Short, Henderson-Vance Director of Emergency Operations

Attached (above links) is the morning forecast from the National Weather Service for Tropical Storm Isaias. (Those links above will stay current with subsequent updates.) The storm continues to shift west with each update, and the current track continues to bring it inland through our state following the I-95 corridor. At present, we are forecast to receive some pretty strong wind gusts that at times could reach tropical storm strength as well as between 4 and 6 inches of rain. The rainfall will occur over a relatively short period of time, so localized flooding and flash flooding is certainly possible as are downed trees and power lines.

Henderson-Vance County Emergency Operations

Our office is continuing to monitor the storm closely. We will make a decision early tomorrow (Monday) about declaring a local state of emergency for this event. We will also decide early tomorrow (Monday) regarding the implementation of any additional emergency protective measures.

Remember it is still not too late to work on your emergency supply kit (on Sunday and early Monday) and begin some basic preparedness activities if you have not done so already.

We will continue to forward along additional information as it is received.

The National Weather Service in Raleigh has issued a Flash Flood Watch for a portion of central North Carolina, including the following areas: Chatham, Durham, Franklin, Granville, Hoke, Lee, Montgomery, Moore, Orange, Person, Richmond, Scotland, Vance, Wake, and Warren. The watch presently is in effect from Monday afternoon through Tuesday afternoon.

In an earlier statement from Brian Short, he said:

Keep in mind that we are now entering peak hurricane season, and the tropics have already been very active. The time to prepare is now and not when the winds begin to blow.

In addition to non-perishable food and water, hurricane emergency supply kits should include:

• First-aid kit
• Weather radio and batteries
• Prescription medicines
• Sleeping bag or blankets
• Changes of clothes
• Hygiene items such as toothbrush, toothpaste, soap and deodorant
• Cash
• Pet supplies including food, water, bedding, leashes, muzzle and vaccination records.

If you live in a storm surge hurricane evacuation zone or if you’re in a home that would be unsafe during a hurricane, figure out where you’d go and how you’d get there if told to evacuate.

We will continue to issue additional updates as they are received or our situation changes.

Please follow Vance County Emergency Operations on Facebook to stay informed on current preparedness efforts and other storm-related information.

More information on severe weather and hurricane preparedness is located at www.ReadyNC.org.

Cardinal Innovations Healthcare to Host ‘4 County Community Connections Fair’

July 30, 2020/by WIZS Staff

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-Information courtesy Cardinal Innovations Healthcare

Join Cardinal Innovations Healthcare this August to learn about available mental health resources and services for kids and families in Vance, Granville, Franklin, and Warren counties. This event – 4 County Community Connections Fair – is designed for children and families.

Due to COVID-19, there have been some changes to ensure everyone’s health and safety. This event will be held drive-thru style where children and families will receive:

• Drawstring bags stuffed with school supplies

• Facemasks (Pack of 4)

• Meals from Subway (while supplies last)

• Community Providers and Resources Flyers and Videos

• Access to the Virtual Key Note Speaker focusing on the #mentalhealthmatters theme to challenge the stigma of mental health and substance use

WHEN AND WHERE:

Tuesday, August 18, 2020 ~ 2 to 6 p.m.

Granville County

Granville Expo Center – 4185 US Highway 15 South Oxford, NC 27565

Wednesday, August 19, 2020 ~ 3 to 7 p.m.

Vance County

Vance-Granville Community College Civic Center – 200 Community College Rd Henderson, NC 27537

Warren County

Warren County Armory Civic Center – 501 US Hwy 158 Bus E Warrenton, NC 27589

Franklin County

Vance-Granville Community College Franklin Campus – 8100 NC-56 Louisburg, NC 27549

Sponsors: 4 County Juvenile Justice Behavioral Health Team (JJBH), Vance Juvenile Crime Prevention Council, Warren Juvenile Crime Prevention Council, Granville Juvenile Crime Prevention Council, Franklin Juvenile Crime Prevention Council, Gang Free, Inc. and Cardinal Innovations Healthcare.

For more information, please email Whitney Robertson at Whitney.Robertson@cardinalinnovations.org.

Video Footage, Seized Shotgun to be Analyzed in Officer-Involved Shooting of David Brooks, Jr.

July 29, 2020/by WIZS Staff

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-Press Release, Office of Michael D. Waters, District Attorney for the Eleventh Prosecutorial District

On Wednesday, July 29, 2020, District Attorney Michael D. Waters and Assistant District Attorney Hollie Y. McAdams appeared in chambers before the Honorable Cynthia K. Sturges, Resident Superior Court Judge of the Ninth Judicial District. The District Attorney‘s Office asked the Court to release the dash camera footage of the July 24, 2020, officer-involved shooting which lead to the death of David Brooks, Jr.

The family of David Brooks, Jr. and Chief David Hess of the Roxboro Police Department both consented to the release of the video footage and Judge Sturges signed an Order to that effect.

This video footage along with a shotgun seized from the scene as evidence by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), will be sent to the North Carolina State Crime Lab for further analysis. This forensic testing may take several weeks to complete.

If you witnessed the incident on July 24, 2020, involving the Roxboro Police Department, and you have not been interviewed yet, please call the SBI at (919) 779–8188 during business hours (Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.). After hours and on weekends, please call 1–800–334–3000.

The District Attorney‘s Office will await the results of the complete SBI investigation before making any determination about whether the use of force was appropriate.

COVID-19 Drive-Thru Testing Event in Warrenton – August 6

July 29, 2020/by WIZS Staff

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-Information courtesy Warren County Government

A COVID-19 drive-thru testing event will be held on Thursday, August 6, 2020, from 4 until 7 p.m. at Coley Springs Missionary Baptist Church (224 Parktown Rd. in Warrenton, NC).

No appointments are needed. Testing is available for the uninsured and insured with no co-pay. Please bring your ID and insurance card if you have one.

To learn more, please contact:

HOPE Regional Medical Clinic (252) 517-9090

Warren County Health Department (252) 257-1185

DA’s Office, SBI Investigating Officer-Involved Roxboro Shooting Death

July 28, 2020/by WIZS Staff

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-Press Release, Office of Michael D. Waters, District Attorney for the Eleventh Prosecutorial District

On Friday, July 24, 2020, the District Attorney‘s Office was contacted by Chief David Hess of the Roxboro Police Department regarding an officer-involved shooting that had occurred minutes earlier.

Chief Hess asked the DA’s office to join in requesting the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) to conduct an independent investigation. The SBI promptly arrived and began processing the scene for forensic evidence and conducting interviews.

The SBI preliminarily reported to the DA’s office that they concluded evidence collection as of Friday evening, but were continuing with interviews of witnesses. The Roxboro Police Department has fully cooperated with the SBI during this process.

Tragically, David Brooks, Jr, of Roxboro was shot one time in the chest by the responding officer and, despite aid being rendered first by officers on scene and then by paramedics, he died of that wound. The North Carolina Office of the Medical Examiner confirmed after the autopsy that Mr. Brooks died as a result of this single gunshot.

Among the items recovered by the SBI is video footage of the incident as captured from the officer‘s dash-mounted video camera. After all witnesses have been interviewed, the District Attorney‘s office will petition the Court for the release of the complete video footage.

The District Attorney‘s Office will await the results of the SBI investigation before making any determination about whether the use of force was appropriate.

Funding Available to Help NC Residents With Energy Bills During Hot Summer Months

July 27, 2020/by WIZS Staff

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-Press Release, NCDHHS

Funding is now available to help North Carolinians in crisis pay cooling or heating bills or secure cooling or heating resources. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services’ Crisis Intervention Program provides assistance to qualified, low-income households who are experiencing a cooling-related crisis (or heating-related crisis in the winter).

“We know many families are currently facing additional financial hardships due to COVID-19, and this program is designed to bring aid to those in crisis to alleviate cooling or heating emergencies,” said David Locklear, Deputy Director of Economic and Family Services in the Division of Social Services. “North Carolina is moving into its hottest months of the year, and we hope those eligible will take advantage of this program to help keep their families safe and healthy.”

A household is in a crisis if it is experiencing, or is in danger of experiencing, a life-threatening or health-related emergency and sufficient, timely and appropriate assistance is not available from any other source. A life-threatening emergency is defined as a household that has no heating or cooling source or has a past due notice for primary heating or cooling service, and the health or well-being of a household member would be in danger if the heating or cooling crisis was not alleviated.

The Energy Programs Application form is available for download at https://epass.nc.gov for applicants to print and mail, fax, scan or drop off at a local DSS office after completion. Applications may also be made by calling the county department of social services or at county departments of social services offices, through June 30, 2021, while the funds are available. Households are individually evaluated by county departments of social services staff to determine whether there is a heating or cooling crisis. Benefits for families may vary, depending on the amount needed to alleviate the crisis.

To be eligible, a household must have at least one person who meets certain criteria, including being income-eligible and have a heating or cooling-related emergency. Full eligibility details are available online at www.ncdhhs.gov/crisis-intervention-program.

The Crisis Intervention Program is funded federally by the Administration for Children and Families. The funds are distributed through county departments of social services directly to the vendor or utility company. During the state fiscal year 2019-20, county departments of social services helped 137,850 North Carolina households experiencing a crisis by assisting with utility bills or securing fuel or cooling resources.

Yancey Believed to be Armed and Dangerous

July 25, 2020/by WIZS Staff

— press release from Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame

Subject: Antavian Cornelius Yancey

Aliases: Cornelius Yancey and Antavian Yancey

On Thursday, July 16, 2020, the Vance County Sheriff’s Office Patrol Division received a call reference smoke in a wooded area. Upon the arrival of Deputies and the Vance County Fire Department on the scene, a vehicle was fully engulfed.

Members of the Vance County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division responded to investigate the vehicle fire along with North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation’s Arson Unit.

On July 17, 2020, the Vance County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division received a phone call from Burlington Police Department reference to Burlington Police Department locating the body of a black female that was believed to be from Henderson, North Carolina. The female was identified as Charisma Robinson, age 35.

Investigators began to investigate these incidents and developed that the two cases were connected. Participating agencies from the Vance County Sheriff’s Office, Henderson Police Department, Burlington Police Department and North Carolina State Bureau of investigation began a collaborative effort to solve the murder of Charisma Robinson.

Through the investigation a person of interest was developed and later identified as a subject/suspect in this matter.

On July 24, 2020 a warrant for Murder and Burning of Personnel Property was issued for Antavian Cornelius Yancey (B/M/ Age 34), regarding the death of Charisma Robinson.

Yancey is believed to be armed and dangerous. If located please contact the Vance County Sheriff’s Office at 252-738-2200.