Maria Parham Celebrates Phase 1 Of Emergency Department Renovation

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Wednesday’s ribbon cutting that marks the near-completion of Phase 1 of the Maria Parham Health Emergency Department renovation is a giant step toward creating a safer space for staff and law enforcement officers working to help individuals experiencing a mental health crisis get the care they need.

If the final inspections go as planned, the Phase 1 project could open as soon as July 24, said Donna Young, MPH’s communications officer.

It’s been six years in the making, but this phase of the renovation creates specialized space that will serve individuals with mental health challenges.

In remarks during the event, MPH CEO Bert Beard told those gathered that the project is a perfect example of a public/private partnership to make things happen. Tours were offered to show just how the patients will move through the ED more efficiently to get the care they need.

Noting the somewhat smaller waiting area, Beard said “it shouldn’t be about waiting.” Like a home renovation to better accommodate a family’s needs, the ED design and construction better addresses the particular needs of those in mental health crises.

Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame said, “I’m definitely excited about it, especially having the space for the sheriff’s office and the Henderson Police Department to bring people who have mental issues out here and have them evaluated.” Officers will no longer have to sit out here with them 24 or 48 hours at a time while they await evaluation and treatment or transportation to another facility. “And they’ll have a secure location, not only for the deputies but for the staff here at Maria Parham Hospital,” Brame said.

The Rev. Frank Sossamon, MPH’s lead chaplain, spoke about helping to secure $5 million in funding from the General Assembly when he served District 32 in the N.C. House.

Sossamon said the project has many positive aspects, including providing mental health care for patients and protecting the safety of everyone involved, from hospital staff to law enforcement officers who bring patients to the ED for help.

This renovation contributes to the hospital’s role as an economic driver, too, he said.

The event was an official ribbon cutting of the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce.

Post Originally Made on July 2nd, 2025

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TownTalk: Update on the Vance County Jail

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The Vance County Board of Commissioners got updates Monday on several matters that involve the detention center, ranging from repairs to the existing facility, plans for a new facility and new hires to help close the gap in staffing.

Blair Bordeaux, president of Bordeaux Construction, and Todd Davis, vice president of Moseley Architecture, are heading up the design/build team and talked through with commissioners the process that will help achieve the ultimate goal of having a functioning jail while a new one is being built.

County Manager C. Renee Perry was scheduled to meet today (Wednesday) with the design/build team to get details on just how the process will unfold as sufficient renovations are made to the existing facility as plans for a new jail are made.

They did a walk-through of the current jail on July 1 and mentioned numerous areas that need attention, including the video security system.

“In looking at the cameras and security electronics system, the first thing we noticed, it’s not a digital system,” Davis said. There is one server, designed to accommodate maybe 55 or 60 cameras. The jail’s single server has closer to 90 cameras, but 22 weren’t working when they checked them out during the walk-through.

“That needs to be changed, right off the bat,” Davis said.

One problem creates additional problems, and when you combine a staff shortage with the age of the jail and its less-than-perfect design, the problems soon mount.

Brame told commissioners that he’s hired eight new officers and hopes to hire five more in the next few weeks. Six of the eight new hires still have to complete detention center training.

The sheriff reminded commissioners that detention center staff may not always on site at the jail – they often are transporting inmates to and from other detention centers or in court.

Over the past couple of months, Special Project Coordinator Frankie Nobles has been overseeing repairs to the jail.

During that time, county maintenance workers have checked off a number of repairs, from replacing dropped ceiling tiles and making sure that all doors can be secured to cleaning, sanitizing and repairing bathrooms and fixtures.

“Frankie Nobles and his team have done all that they can do,” said Sheriff Curtis Brame, adding that he’s ready to “let the professionals with the skill sets and tools come in” to complete more specialized repairs.

The trouble is, some detainees damage property almost as quickly as repairs can be made – a source of concern for commissioners. The staff shortage, coupled with an inadequate security system, means that supervision is less than ideal.

“You’ve got some very improper sight lines, Davis said. “If you can’t get those sight lines better and you can’t get control over when these inmates come out and who comes out,” it’s going to continue to be difficult to properly supervise the detainees.

“Staffing is going to continue to be a problem, it’s not just here, it’s everywhere,” Davis said.

“Your jail is too old to try to patch,” Davis said. “You’ve got to increase that supervision better – no way around it, but you can’t do that with one or two people.  In my opinion, you’re in a bad situation.”

 

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TownTalk: Granville County Tourism Lines Up Events In July And Beyond

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As summer heats up, so too does the events calendar in Granville County – there’s plenty to do, from outdoor activities to those inside air-conditioned environs.

Grab a ticket for the weekend performance of Drinking Habits 2: Caught in the Act, a production of Granville Little Theatre. The curtain rises at 7 p.m. for evening performances run from Thursday, July 10 to Saturday, July 12 and there’s a 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday, July 13. The comedy is the sequel to last season’s Drinking Habits, featuring the Sisters of Perpetual Sewing, and the antics involved as they try to save an orphanage.

“It’s guaranteed to be a good time,” said Granville Tourism Director Angela Allen.

The show takes place at the Ox Theatre, located inside the Oxford City Hall, 300 Williamsboro St.

Find a link to tickets at www.visitgranvillenc.com.

Stroll along the sidewalks of downtown Oxford to snatch up some cool summer discounts at the July 12 Tent Sale. A number of businesses are scheduled to take part in a 21st century version of the old-fashioned Sidewalk Sale. Bliss Nutrition, C Squared, Nan’s, Home Decorator Shoppe, Angel Wings Book Store and Bistro, The Hub on Main, Southern Style Mercantile and Makynlee
& Co. will have some discounted prices on some really great items, Allen said. The sales are sure to be hot on the outside, but customers can find some great deals – and some A/C – inside, too, she said.

The Oxford Armory Farmer’s Market is hosting its own version of an Iron Chef competition on Saturday, July 12. Three groups will compete for bragging rights as they use local produce found at the market. This event is being held in partnership with the Culinary Arts program at Vance-Granville Community College.

The market, located on the grounds of the former National Guard Armory at 105 W. Spring St., launched in May. Its summer hours are 8 a.m. to 12 noon.

A couple of weeks later, on July 26, come to the market to take part in an event that pairs yoga and animal adoption. The Pose, Paws, Adopt event will include yoga and adoptable animals from the Granville County Animal Shelter from 9 a.m. to 12 noon.

“All fees for the yoga class will be donated to the animal shelter or toward your adoption fee,” Allen said.

This is one example of partnership that Allen finds delightful.

“That’s what I love so much,” she said, “the collaboration to make these things happen. It’s not just an entity standing alone, but making those partnerships with different businesses, organizations and nonprofits” that not only attracts visitors, but also has a positive impact in the local community.

Here’s a quick rundown of other activities in July and beyond:

  • Creedmoor’s City Tavern, 404 N. Main St., hosts the First Annual 90’s Field Day on Saturday, July 12, where Allen says “you get to act like a big kid for the day.” Check out all the details at https://www.facebook.com/CreedmoorCityTavern
  • The Town of Butner hosts Groovin’ at the Gazebo on Saturday, July 19 from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. There will be lawn games, food trucks and fun for the whole family. Bryan’s Hill Band will perform on the brand-new performance stage at the park, located at 416 Central Ave.
  • Clement Farm presents the inaugural “Watermelon Crawl” event on Saturday, July 26 from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Another family-friendly event that includes music by Blake Howell and all things watermelon. Tickets are $5, and kids 12 and under get in free. You can even learn how to do the Watermelon Crawl line dance. When you’re not dancin’ you may want to sit, so Allen said to bring a lawn chair. Clement Farm is located at 5081 Lucy Averette Rd. off Old Hwy. 75.
  • The 2nd annual Next Door Music Festival cranks up on Saturday, Aug. 16 for a full day of music, from Americana to emo and everything in between. Six bands will perform throughout the day, and 100 percent of the proceeds goes to Families Living Violence Free. The featured band is Ohio-based Noise Beneath the Floor. The festival will be staged on the grounds of the Armory from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and then the crowd will head over to Tobacco Wood Brewing Co. for an “after-party” from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
  • Mark your calendars for Sept. 12-13 for the annual Hot Sauce Festival in downtown Oxford
  • Circle Sept. 20, when musicians take over downtown Creedmoor for the annual Creedmoor Music Festival
  • The Masonic Home for Children in Oxford Homecoming is scheduled for Oct. 11

Read more about these events and more at www.visitgranvillenc.com.

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Rebuilding Hope Inc. ‘Kids Construction Camp’ Aug. 6-8

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There are still a few spots available for Rebuilding Hope Inc.’s Kids Construction Camp, which gives young people an opportunity to learn about tools and how to use them.

The three-day camp takes place Aug. 6-8 at Rebuilding Hope’s facility, 414 Raleigh Rd. from 9 a.m. to 12 noon, said Tom Wille, co-director of Rebuilding Hope. The camp will be capped at 30; Wille said Monday there’s space for 5 or 6 more.

The camp is free and gives youngsters in 3rd-6th grade a chance to visit a variety of stations set up to learn about hammers and nails, electrical and plumbing, as well as block laying, roofing and more.

Wille said it’s a really good thing that the children get to learn some construction skills through hands-on activities, and “they learn a little about Jesus through the Bible Study,” he added.

Parents and guardians can find the application at www.rebuildinghopeinc.org or stop by the office, 414 Raleigh Rd. and pick up a paper copy.

The stations are mock-ups of real-life applications, but don’t worry – it’s all safe. The campers will be learning how to shingle a roof, but the roof is only waist-high, Wille said.

“Everything is safe, but they get the point to see how it’s done…see the tools that are involved,” he said.

The Kids Construction Camp could be a steppingstone to another opportunity for youth that Rebuilding Hope hosts each year: Servants on Site.

This weeklong program wrapped up last week, with 114 young people and even more adult volunteers working together to replace the roof on nine different homes in Vance and Warren counties.

“We were able to take the Gospel to our world – our Jerusalem, which is right here in Vance County and a couple of surrounding counties,” Wille said.

That in and of itself is good news, he said, but the even better news is that a number of youth participants and one of the homeowners professed their love of Christ during the week.

This year’s S.O.S. theme was “Follow Me,” and Wille said the participants got a chance to witness what it’s like to help those in need.

“They’ve made lifelong friends, seen things that they would (otherwise) not see and see how it directly affects the community around them. It’s a pretty awesome thing.”

The kids worked during the hottest week of the year and got a chance to see that hard work pays off – and makes a difference. “You get this opportunity to focus on thing of importance and things that matter,” he said. “It does become clearer…there are more important things than TikTok.”

The evenings were spent at Central Baptist Church, with high-energy Christian Rock music, a worship service, devotional time and small-group discussions about the goings-on of the day.

Several kids made the altar call, he said, a tribute to the power that comes with young people coming together to serve their community in the name of Jesus.

“We can talk about Jesus all we want to, but if we’re not out there relating to them, people are not going to see it,” Wille said.

“If we don’t get out there and show that compassion, that tenderness, the forgiveness, we don’t mirror God.”

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Mrs. Lula Shearin’s 75th Birthday Celebration Concert

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Jordan Shearin got a big hint from his grandmother, Mrs. Lula Shearin, about what she wanted for her birthday. It’s not the sort of present that can be wrapped in pretty paper with big bow, however.

Mrs. Lula Shearin is getting a gospel concert for her 75th birthday, and it’s open to all in the community to enjoy.

The program will be held on Saturday, July 5 at White’s Grove Christian Church, 328 St. Tammany Rd in Norlina. The doors open at 3 p.m. and the concert will begin at 4 p.m. Pastor Daryn Thomas is the emcee, and numerous groups are scheduled to perform.

“She’s been talking about it since last year,” Jordan Shearin said. “I said, ‘OK, Grandma, I’m going to make it happen for you.’”

Jordan, one of Shearin’s four grandsons, said his grandmother’s actual birthday is July 1. The concert isn’t a surprise, he said, but it will be something that shows how much she means to her family and to the community.

“She’s honorable, she’s humble…so sweet in her own way, and everybody loves her,” Jordan said. “She does a lot for people,” and he said this is a way “to give her her flowers while she can smell them.”

He called his relationship with his grandmother “like no other. My grandma helped my mom raise me,” he said, and she still takes time to help him when he needs it.

“She paved the way for me,” and the concert is a way for him to let her know how much she means to the family.

“There is nothing like a grandmother’s love. I love her dearly and there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for her at all. This will make her feel real special.”

Groups scheduled to perform are Faithful, The Gospel Disciples, The Terain Family, Men of Faith, The Gospel Harmoneers, Sister Shirley McCaden & Co. and The Soul Lifters.

Contact Jordan Shearin at 252.820.5878 to learn more.

Mrs. Shearin’s children are Julian Smith, Diane Shearin-Terry and Roberta Shearin. In addition to Jordan, her grandchildren are Deshawn Smith, Julian Smith,III and Jeremy Smith.

Mrs. Shearin also has one great-grandchild, Ariana Smith.

She has three living siblings: Robert Seward, Emmanuel Seward and Elizabeth Williams and she was married to Elijah Shearin, Jr.

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TownTalk: Around Old Granville – Annie Carter Lee

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At the height of the Civil War, Gen. Robert E. Lee thought it best to send his family somewhere safe and out of harm’s way. His wife, Mary Anna, had a cousin in Warren County, so Warren County was where she and the children ended up waiting out the war.

And that is how it came to be that Lee’s favorite daughter, Annie Carter Lee, was buried in Warren County.

For a century, at least.

Annie Carter was only 23 when she died in 1862 of typhoid fever.

The grave marker remains in Warren County, but Annie Carter Lee’s remains were moved to the family crypt at Washington & Lee University in 1994, where the Confederate general taught after the war ended.

Annie Carter wasn’t the only member of the Lee family to die in Warren County – Annie Carter’s nephew, Robert E. Lee, III – the Lee’s first grandchild – died in infancy at Jones Sulfur Springs, a resort that touted the healing powers of the mineral springs there.

That’s something local historian Mark Pace learned when he was researching Annie Carter, the topic of discussion for the most recent Around Old Granville segment of TownTalk.

Gen. Lee’s wife, Mary Anna, suffered from poor health much of her life and Pace said in later years she was confined to a wheelchair.

“She was a great believer in the healing powers of mineral springs,” he said,” and several months of the year, she’d take her daughters and go to her cousin’s place – in Warren County.

Mary Anna’s cousin, William Duke Jones, ran the Sulfur Springs resort. You can still see remains of some of the buildings there. The resort had accommodations for 300 guests, Pace said.

Annie Carter’s gravesite was one of the first sites identified when the state’s historical marker program started back in the 1930’s.

But over the years, Pace said the site was the object of vandalism and so the Lee descendants had the remains disinterred and reburied in Virginia.

The fourth child of Robert E. Lee and Mary Anna Custis Lee, Pace said Annie Carter Lee was her father’s favorite child because of an injury she sustained when she was quite young, which left her with a disfiguring scar on her face.

She contracted typhoid fever by the end of the summer of 1862 and, despite the doctors’ best efforts, she died. Pace said the fatality rate at that time was about 40 percent for people who had typhoid fever.

Two of her brothers visited her gravesite in 1866 to have a formal funeral for their sister, but her father, as the defeated leader of the Confederate Army, was not allowed to leave Virginia.

He finally got to Warren County in 1870 and, along with his daughter Agnes – 1 and ½ years younger than Annie Carter, to visit the grave.

As Pace tells the story, Lee and his daughter asked a young man at the Warren Plains Depot if he could recommend a place for them to spend the night. The man was William J. White, who had been a captain under Lee’s command, recognized the former general and offered his parents’ home as lodging for the night.

That home, Ingleside, stands in Warrenton today.

Word spread quickly throughout the town of the visitors and the reason for the trip, and next morning, Pace said that some 800 people – dressed in their best mourning clothes – lined the streets of Warrenton to pay their respects to the father and daughter who came to visit the grave of their beloved family member.

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TownTalk: Fourth of July Fireworks Coming to Kerr Lake

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Independence Day falls on a Friday this year, which give folks a chance to take part in more festivities over the long Fourth of July weekend.

Take the fireworks show at Kerr Lake’s Satterwhite Point Park, for example, sponsored by Vance County Tourism.

The annual event will take place on Saturday, July 5 this year, and Pam Hester and Norman Dickerson are working like a well-oiled machine to make sure there’s plenty of food and fun for the whole community.

“The fireworks are going to be beautiful,” Hester said, adding that the pyrotechnics team creating the show does a “fabulous job” that will surely wow the audience.

The fun begins at 4 p.m., and there will be a wide variety of food vendors, as well as music provided again this year by DJ Jay.

“As always, DJ J has it down to a science,” Hester said. He plays patriotic music during the countdown to the fireworks show, which helps get the crowd really involved, she said.

It does take place in early July, so in addition to the fireworks and the fun, friendship and fellowship that will be served up, Hester adds one word to the description: HOT.

While there will be plenty to do during the afternoon and into the evening, the star of the show is the fireworks, so the tourism duo makes sure that all the permits are secured and helping agencies are on board with their role in making sure all goes according to plan.

“It takes roughly 16 different organizations to pull off this 20-minute affair each year,” Dickerson said. “We are indebted to these organizations. Without them, we could not do it.” Among the assisting agencies are the Vance County Sheriff’s Office, the N.C. State Highway Patrol, Vance County Rescue Squad, Fire Department, EMS and the county commissioners.

In addition, permits are needed from the N.C. State Parks and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

And oddly enough, Dickerson said they have to seek approval from the U.S. Coast Guard, which has an auxiliary at the lake that assists the rescue squad to maintain safety along the perimeter of the shoot site.

Hester offered a shout-out to Kerr Lake Parks Superintendent Bill Stanley and his team. “Bill Stanley and his crew are just top of the line,” she said.

The shoot site usually takes place along the shoreline at Water’s Edge subdivision, Dickerson noted, but if the lake level remains as high as it is now (301.6 feet), the Plan B is to move across the lake near Shelter 3, which is more elevated.

“Anything over 301.6 and our shoot area is under water,” Dickerson said. The lake level may come down some between now and then, “but we’ve still got a backup, so we’re good,” he explained.

Here’s a quick rundown on some of the food and beverage options that are scheduled to be on site for the event:

  • Bun on the Run – burgers and hotdogs
  • King’s Southern Style Cooking – shrimp, fish, pork chops, fries, hush puppies
  • RJ’s Grill – Cheese steaks, chopped pork, chicken wings and fish
  • Kim Hudson’s loaded baked potatoes, nachos, lemonade and cold drinks
  • Frostbites – a variety of ice treat and ice cream to help keep you cool
  • DP and C – carnival treats like candy apples, funnel cakes and deep fried candy bars.
  • Kernel Craze – gourmet popcorn in all different flavors
  • De Tocho Morocho – offering Hispanic-inspired foods and drinks

The event is free, but there is a $10 gate fee to enter the park. And remember, alcohol is not permitted at any state park.

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TownTalk: Henderson Kiwanis Club

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The Henderson Kiwanis Club celebrated its 100th anniversary a couple of years ago – that’s quite an accomplishment for any group, and this local civic club is staying active as it begins its second century of service to the community.

Kiwanis Club President Danny Wilkerson said the local group has had several different long-standing fundraisers over the years – peanut sales and azalea sales, for example – but the club’s biggest fundraiser is the annual golf tournament.

This year’s tournament at Kerr Lake Country Club brought in a little more than $10,000, Wilkerson said on Tuesday’s TownTalk.

“It’s the most money we’ve ever made from a tournament,” he said. “We were just so excited about it that day,” he added. The 17 teams on the course that day, as well as a variety of sponsors and enough volunteers to have everything run smoothly, added up to a record-breaking year.

But the club doesn’t hang on to the money for long. “We take it in and push it right back into the community,” Wilkerson said, “to help the needs of the kids.”

The Kiwanis motto is Serving the Children of the World, and that’s a motto that Kiwanians take to heart. “It’s all about the kids,” Wilkerson said.

The local club established two scholarships at Vance-Granville Community College in memory of Robert Turner and Bob Harrison, and Vance County Schools Superintendent Dr. Cindy Bennett was a guest speaker at a recent club meeting.

The club provides gifts for needy children at Christmas and support youth organizations like the Boy Scouts of America, Boys & Girls Club, the Salvation Army, local library and more.

What the club needs, however, is more members. It’s down to fewer than a dozen, but Wilkerson said anyone is welcome to attend their meetings, held at 6 p.m. on the first and third Wednesdays of the month at Henderson Country Club.

He knows young parents have a lot of responsibilities raising their own families, which has affected membership in many organizations besides his own.

“We’ll feed you and hope you stick around to become a member of the club,” Wilkerson said. “We really want to attract some younger people to carry the torch forward.”

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TownTalk: Business Spotlight – Storage Sense

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Storage Sense is open for business, and local community leaders were on hand recently for an official ribbon-cutting ceremony to welcome it to the neighborhood.

Actually, it’s just the first phase of possibly four phases that was the object of celebration on June 18, when Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce President Sandra Wilkerson and her staff brought the “big scissors” for the celebratory ceremony.

The property, located at the intersection of U.S. 1/Norlina Road and Warrenton Road, has been upfitted to be a convenient storage facility for anyone who needs extra space for belongings they aren’t currently using but aren’t ready to part with.

Folks who’ve lived here long enough may remember it as Skateland, which opened in 1949. Others may remember it as Moore’s, a building supply center. Most recently, it was part of John Foster Homes.

Local business owner Jason Stewardson has transformed the high-visibility location into a modern-looking space that’s set up and ready to serve the public. “It’s unbelievable the demand for storage,” he said.

At the ribbon-cutting, Stewardson said, “What you see here is Phase 1 of a three-phase project…with potentially a fourth phase with the two acres in back.” Buildings that once housed building materials and more could be transformed into boat sheds, he said.

Phase 2 is the renovation of the old Skateland building, which would provide another 250 or so storage units.

Storage Sense District Manager Doug Pierce said this area hasn’t had many new storage options recently. “I think this will be a great improvement and help the community,” Pierce said.

Chamber of Commerce Board Chair Scott Burwell congratulated Stewardson and the third-party management Storage Sense team for providing this timely service, when Henderson and Vance County are experiencing an expanding housing market.

“We’re very eager to see phase 2,” Burwell said.

Vance County Economic Development Commission Chair Ruxton Bobbitt said “it’s fantastic to see the north side of town seeing traffic” when it comes to development and said he is happy that the property has a new lease on life with this new business.

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