State employees, current and retired, who live in District 32 join others across the state who will see bumps in salaries and retirement checks, thanks to provisions in the budget most recently approved in Raleigh.
In his first months in the N.C. House representing District 32, Frank Sossamon helped secure those provisions, but that’s not all the freshman representative has been busy with.
Sossamon has been involved in attracting a wide variety of programs and projects- with a pricetag of $44 million – to the district.
“I look forward to seeing the great impact these projects will have on my community,” Sossamon said in a press release. “This budget will allow our state to continue to receive recognition as a great place to own a business and live.”
In addition to salaries for teachers and other state workers, the state budget includes $2 billion for water and sewer improvement projects and more than $620 million for behavioral mental health programs. And Sossamon has secured large slices of the budget pie in those two areas to come right here to Vance and Granville counties.
Sossamon spoke with WIZS News Tuesday about being a legislator. “It’s amazing to me the kind of reception I’ve received from the very beginning,” he said, adding that he has been appointed to some important committees, including the powerful Appropriations Committee.
He said he talked with a lot of legislators to make sure District 32 was included in discussions. “I worked hard with every chairman and vice chairman. Not only did we do a proposal for each (project), but I verbally expressed why these projects need to be supported.”
And that hard work seems to have paid off.
Vance-Granville Community College is getting $11.5 million to create an Advanced Manufacturing Center in Granville County’s Triangle North Business Park. “It’s going to be a game changer,” Sossamon said. It will show prospective businesses looking in the area that District 32 can train workers and support business and manufacturing. “This is going to put us in a different position than we’ve ever been in” for recruiting business and industry, he said.
“This makes me feel good that this is now happening and moving forward,” he added.
And $10 million is flowing to the City of Oxford for water improvements with Kerr Lake Regional Water System.
Maria Parham Healthcare Center is getting $5 million to bolster its capacity and ability to improve mental health and substance abuse outcomes.
Other water and sewer projects – including $4 million for Vance County and $5 million for South Granville Water and Sewer round out the 7-figure awards.
Sossamon said the work he does in Raleigh is just part of the overall effort to effect change. “In addition to VGCC, Kerr-Tar COG and economic development leaders, he said “it takes every entity in the district, in each county, every municipality,” he said. “It takes all those, and others, to see these things come to fruition. Everybody has to be going – economically – in the same direction.”
Prospective businesses and industry choose communities for a variety of reasons, not just a pool of trained employees. Education and crime are key indicators, too, and Vance County is getting more than $691,000 to provide the sheriff’s office with body-worn cameras and support equipment. ”We have some appropriation chairs that are pro-law enforcement,” Sossamon noted. “Any time they can support law enforcement, they’re gonna do it.
Sossamon said he predicts the body cameras will be a morale builder for the sheriff and his officers. Having a state-of-the-art department will be a selling point for recruiting, he said.
I’m thrilled for Sheriff Brame,” he said. “I’m elated that this kind of money is coming to the different entities in Vance County to have a better quality of life.”
Hard work lobbying notwithstanding, Sossamon said he is pleased so far with the outcomes for his district.
“I’m trying to do all I can…(for) not just one, but every person.” And that’s what he says he’ll continue to do. “I really want to make our counties better than what they are now.”
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Triangle North Businesss Park Future Home Of VGCC Training Facility
/by WIZS StaffIt’s been a few years in the making, but a contingent of local officials joined Vance-Granville Community College President Dr. Rachel Desmarais and others Wednesday afternoon to celebrate a facility – yet to be built – that will support future training needs for existing and prospective industry.
VGCC is getting $11.5 million in the newly passed state budget, and N.C. Rep Frank Sossamon (R-Dist. 32) provided key support in getting the funding for his district, which in cludes Vance and most of Granville counties. Sossamon was among those present Wednesday at the Triangle North Industrial Park, located in Granville County off U.S. 158 near I-85.
According to information from VGCC Public Information Officer Courtney Cissel, 15 acres on the campus of the business park have been set aside for construction of the facility, the result of a collaboration among Granville County Economic Development, Kerr-Tar Council of Governments and the Triangle North board.
In her remarks at the event, Desmarais said the Triangle North Business Park represents a true collaboration among a cross-section of agencies, and it’s something that attracted her to the area. “I saw collaboration that I hadn’t seen before,” she said. “Today’s announcement is very important, for the people of Granville County and Vance County and the entire service area” the college supports.
No dates have been released for when work will begin, but this could well be the first to locate in the park. That fits in with Desmarais’s vision for VGCC to be a catalyst to build strong communities.
“Workforce development plus economic development equals regional prosperity,” Desmarais said.
The facility will support industry training needs in the areas of industrial maintenance, mechatronics, electronics, welding, and fabrication; serve as an advanced manufacturing company recruitment benefit; and support collaborative high school and college career and technical education partnerships. An investment of this magnitude will send a powerful message to current and future manufacturing stakeholders that our region values the manufacturing sector, supports growth and innovation, and increases employee value.
Abdul Rasheed, vice-chair of the VGCC Board of Trustees, talked about the impact the facility will have on the community.
“Doing this kind of investment begins to shape the kind of jobs, the kind of salaries, the kind of quality of life that we want for ourselves,” Rasheed said. “And that is very, very exciting to me.”
Granville County Board of Commissioners Chairman Russ May echoed sentiments from other speakers. This state funding makes possible the “beginning of some really great things for this community,” May said. “This is a start for much bigger and greater things for Granville and for Vance counties,” he said.
Additional construction funding will come from Granville County and from VGCC’s Board of Trustees.
SportsTalk: Vipers Take On South Granville For Senior Night
/by Bill Harris94 – 18. Doesn’t sound like a football score, does it? Yet that’s what the final score was last Friday night as the undefeated Vance Co. Vipers had a record setting win against Granville Central. Quarterback Javion Vines-Holder tied the state record by throwing ten touchdown passes. “We wanted to do something for the team and the community,” commented head coach Aaron Elliott on Thursday’s SportsTalk. When Vines-Holder approached his coach at half time and said he wanted to go for the state record it was decided by the coaching staff to support the decision. Vines-Holder now holds the record with a couple of other players in the state but for now, his name is in the record books.
This Friday night is unlikely to see the Vipers put up 94 points as the Vikings of South Granville come to Henderson. “They find ways of making it a ball game and they are looking for a share of the conference championship,” Elliott said. To do that, South Granville will have to rely on a run heavy offense to take down the Vipers. South Granville leads the conference in rushing so the Vipers will have to be ready on defense. “We are focusing on ourselves. Cleaning up mistakes on offense and defense,” Elliott stated.
It will be a big night at Viper Stadium as ten seniors will be honored during Senior Night festivities and there will be fireworks! Those were supposed to take place during Homecoming but rain caused the fireworks to be cancelled. Those will take place after the game Friday night which is the final home game of the regular season for the Vipers.
Join Bill Harris and Doc Ayscue immediately following the Joy Christian Center broadcast about 6:50pm for all of the action as Vance Co. takes on South Granville on Vance County Friday Night Football here on WIZS.
TownTalk: Around Old Granville: Cemetery Preservation In Warren County
/by Laura GabelWe’ve probably all seen them dotting the landscape: small cemeteries – fenced or not – that appear to pop up in odd places along the roadside. But there probably many more gravesites that we don’t see in our daily travels – they may be overgrown with weeds, or shrouded in wooded areas well off the road.
Local historian and genealogist Emerson Foster hunts for this type of cemetery. But he doesn’t’ stop when he’s found one – he goes to great lengths to clean it up.
“I see a lot of these graves with headstones falling over and in disrepair,” Foster said on Thursday’s Around Old Granville segment of TownTalk. Along with a handful of his genealogy friends, Foster said they try to right fallen headstones and clean them up.
These are largely family cemeteries, and Foster said he’s located numerous cemeteries in his search for where his own ancestors are buried.
“The last cemetery we went to was the Green family cemetery” in the Snow Hill area of Warren County, Foster told WIZS’s Bill Harris and Mark Pace.
He has relatives that belonged to the Greens that descended from Thomas Edward Green, he said.
As the older members of a family die off, Foster said, the locations of some of these family cemeteries gets lost, so Foster relies on information from relatives or others who may live near a cemetery to help him locate them.
The Green cemetery has 35 graves, five of which were where children are buried. But there was only one marker with the name “Davis,” he said. “Everybody else is marked with field stones.”
Undeterred, Foster used death certificates to confirm which people are buried in that particular cemetery. The death certificates contain names, dates of birth and death – and where the body was buried.
“They all said ‘buried at Green family cemetery,’” he noted.
He located another cemetery after speaking with a woman who lives across the road from where he suspected the cemetery to be. “She pointed us in the right direction. We just kept walking until we found it – it’s deep in the woods,” Foster explained.
He’s been at this for four or five years, and he said he always looks forward to the fall – that’s prime walking-in-the-woods-weather – fewer bugs, too.
These sometimes forgotten cemeteries often are on private property, so Foster recommends trying to locate the owner and request access to the property.
“A lot of these older cemeteries that are way out in the woods, (the landowner) is not even aware that there’s a cemetery there,” he said.
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The Local Skinny! Pop The Hood: Winterize Your Vehicle
/by WIZS StaffFor our sponsor, Advance Auto Parts, as part of a paid radio sponsorship on WIZS.
When the weather cools off, we think about taking steps to winterize our homes and our wardrobes, but what about our vehicles? There are a few key steps car and truck owners can take now to keep those vehicles in top running order through the cold winter months.
Is your car harder to start in the winter? It could be a faulty thermostat, weak battery or starter issue, said John Stevenson, WIZS’s resident expert.
“The number one thing is to make sure you have the right content of antifreeze,” Stevenson said, “not the level, but the mixture,” he added. A 50-50 ratio is recommended for most vehicles, but let the professionals at Advance Auto Parts help you select the right product for your vehicle’s needs.
Take a moment to get your battery tested, too. Advance can test your battery at no charge.
In anticipation of icy road conditions, taking a moment to inspect your brakes and tires is another way to make sure you stay safe.
And taking a peek under the hood to do a visual inspection on those cables, belts and spark plugs is not a bad idea, either.
One other item that drivers may overlook is washer fluid. There are different formulas, Stevenson said. “There’s all kinds of stuff that you would never think about,” he said. “That’s a good reason to check things out with the folks at Advance.”
The information contained in this post is not advice from Advance Auto Parts or WIZS. Safety First! Always seek proper help. This is presented for its informational value only and is part of a paid advertising sponsorship.
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WIZS Radio Local News Audio 10-05-23 Noon Special Report
/by Bill HarrisClick Play to Listen. On Air at 8am, 12pm, 5pm M-F
WIZS Radio ~ 100.1FM/1450AM
Cooperative Extension With Jamon Glover: Why?
/by Bill HarrisListen live at 100.1 FM / 1450 AM / or on the live stream at WIZS.com at 11:50 a.m. Mon, Tues & Thurs.
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Warren County: Skunks Test Positive For Rabies; Make Sure Your Pets Are Vaccinated!
/by WIZS StaffTwo skunks have tested positive for rabies recently in Warren County and county officials remind pet owners that state law requires that all dogs, cats and ferrets older than four months have a current rabies vaccination.
Both incidents occurred in Norlina. A skunk climbed into a dog pen on Lewis Mustian Road on Sept. 29 and there was another incident the same day on Essence Boulevard. These cases bring to three the number of rabies cases noted since July in Warren County.
Dogs and cats not current on their rabies vaccination that come into contact with a rabid animal have very few options. One option is quarantining their pet for a period up to six months at the owner’s expense; the second is euthanizing the pet.
Raccoons account for the majority of woodland animals that test positive for rabies, followed by skunks and foxes. More cats test positive for rabies than other domestic animals, including dogs and livestock.
Please don’t feed or keep stray or unvaccinated cats, as it presents a health risk to the community. Dumping food scraps in yards and wooded areas only attracts animals and county leaders urge residents to dispose of food scraps by composting or throwing them away in trash receptacles.
Pet owners who fail to keep their animals vaccinated against rabies can face fines and criminal charges. The Warren County Animal Control Department offers 1-year rabies vaccinations Monday through Friday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Animal Ark. The cost is $5 per animal.
Rabies is a fatal disease that has no cure for animals or humans. Feeding, keeping or harboring of stray cats and dogs increases the risk of rabies being transmitted from stray animals to humans and is highly discouraged by Animal Control. Individuals who keep, feed or harbor unvaccinated animals place the animals, themselves and their community at risk of being exposed to this fatal disease.
Unwanted or stray dogs and cats can be reported to Animal Control or brought to the Animal Ark. There is no fee for these services, however; Animal Control has limited resources and responds on a priority basis.
For more information, or to make an appointment, contact Warren County Animal Control at 252.257.6137 or visit the Warren County Animal Ark located at 142 Rafters Lane, off of Hwy 58/43 east of Warrenton.
TownTalk: Masonic Home For Children’s Homecoming Oct. 14
/by WIZS StaffThe Masonic Home for Children in Oxford Homecoming gets underway next weekend and organizers have planned plenty of activities for the community to enjoy.
Gene Purvis is vocational counselor for MHCO and he said the homecoming festivities give alumni a chance to come back to campus for a visit, but it’s also a time for others to tour the campus while enjoying live music, crafts, food and more.
The fun begins in earnest on Friday, Oct. 13, Purvis said on Wednesday’s TownTalk, with a charity golf tournament that alumni sponsor each year. That tournament will be held at South Granville County Club, he noted.
Later that day, as the barbecue teams begin setup for Saturday’s competition, Purvis said the grounds will be open for a “yard party,” a little food and a little music to ease into the next day’s full schedule of events.
“Saturday is the Big Day,” Purvis said. The opening ceremony kicks things off Saturday at 9 a.m., then it’s time to enjoy activities, carnival rides for the kids and a marketplace filled with handcrafted items created by the children who reside in the cottages on campus.
By 11 a.m., though, you should find a good spot along College Street or along the campus’s main driveway to get the best view for the Community and Shrine Parade.
Other main attractions include the two bands scheduled to perform, Purvis said.
At 12:30 p.m., the band 20 Ride takes the stage, followed by Nationwide Coverage from 2:45 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.
One of the vocalists of this Nashville, TN band is Oxford native Marsha Hancock Matthai, Purvis added.
The children’s home has been in operation for 150 years, and over the years, Purvis estimated that close to 11,000 children have spent time at the residential facility – some for a short time and others for much longer periods.
The home operates almost completely on private donations. “We are almost 100 percent dependent upon donations to keep the programs going here,” Purvis said. “It’s imperative that people do reach out and support in various charitable ways – through items or funds.”
View the full schedule of the Oct. 14 events at
https://mhc-oxford.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Copy-of-MHF-Schedule-of-Events-2023.pdf
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The Local Skinny! Vance And Granville Benefit From State Budget Appropriations
/by Laura GabelState employees, current and retired, who live in District 32 join others across the state who will see bumps in salaries and retirement checks, thanks to provisions in the budget most recently approved in Raleigh.
In his first months in the N.C. House representing District 32, Frank Sossamon helped secure those provisions, but that’s not all the freshman representative has been busy with.
Sossamon has been involved in attracting a wide variety of programs and projects- with a pricetag of $44 million – to the district.
“I look forward to seeing the great impact these projects will have on my community,” Sossamon said in a press release. “This budget will allow our state to continue to receive recognition as a great place to own a business and live.”
In addition to salaries for teachers and other state workers, the state budget includes $2 billion for water and sewer improvement projects and more than $620 million for behavioral mental health programs. And Sossamon has secured large slices of the budget pie in those two areas to come right here to Vance and Granville counties.
Sossamon spoke with WIZS News Tuesday about being a legislator. “It’s amazing to me the kind of reception I’ve received from the very beginning,” he said, adding that he has been appointed to some important committees, including the powerful Appropriations Committee.
He said he talked with a lot of legislators to make sure District 32 was included in discussions. “I worked hard with every chairman and vice chairman. Not only did we do a proposal for each (project), but I verbally expressed why these projects need to be supported.”
And that hard work seems to have paid off.
Vance-Granville Community College is getting $11.5 million to create an Advanced Manufacturing Center in Granville County’s Triangle North Business Park. “It’s going to be a game changer,” Sossamon said. It will show prospective businesses looking in the area that District 32 can train workers and support business and manufacturing. “This is going to put us in a different position than we’ve ever been in” for recruiting business and industry, he said.
“This makes me feel good that this is now happening and moving forward,” he added.
And $10 million is flowing to the City of Oxford for water improvements with Kerr Lake Regional Water System.
Maria Parham Healthcare Center is getting $5 million to bolster its capacity and ability to improve mental health and substance abuse outcomes.
Other water and sewer projects – including $4 million for Vance County and $5 million for South Granville Water and Sewer round out the 7-figure awards.
Sossamon said the work he does in Raleigh is just part of the overall effort to effect change. “In addition to VGCC, Kerr-Tar COG and economic development leaders, he said “it takes every entity in the district, in each county, every municipality,” he said. “It takes all those, and others, to see these things come to fruition. Everybody has to be going – economically – in the same direction.”
Prospective businesses and industry choose communities for a variety of reasons, not just a pool of trained employees. Education and crime are key indicators, too, and Vance County is getting more than $691,000 to provide the sheriff’s office with body-worn cameras and support equipment. ”We have some appropriation chairs that are pro-law enforcement,” Sossamon noted. “Any time they can support law enforcement, they’re gonna do it.
Sossamon said he predicts the body cameras will be a morale builder for the sheriff and his officers. Having a state-of-the-art department will be a selling point for recruiting, he said.
I’m thrilled for Sheriff Brame,” he said. “I’m elated that this kind of money is coming to the different entities in Vance County to have a better quality of life.”
Hard work lobbying notwithstanding, Sossamon said he is pleased so far with the outcomes for his district.
“I’m trying to do all I can…(for) not just one, but every person.” And that’s what he says he’ll continue to do. “I really want to make our counties better than what they are now.”
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The Local Skinny! Home And Garden Show 10-04-23
/by Bill HarrisOn the Home and Garden Show with Vance Co. Cooperative Ext.
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