Granville County has been without a license plate agency for a few months now, but DMV Commissioner Wayne Goodwin says the process is underway to have an office open again soon.
Goodwin spoke with John C. Rose Wednesday morning on TownTalk and provided an update on this and other topics, from the Real ID program and DMV kiosks to the increased use of electric vehicles in the state.
The DMV office where folks get their driver’s licenses are state agencies, staffed with state employees, Goodwin explained. But the license plate agencies – LPAs – are operated by private contractors with state oversight.
“Occasionally, we’ll have a license plate agency close,” he said, usually because the contract is up and isn’t renewed for one reason or another.
Goodwin said the state has received applications and in currently in the process of choosing a new contractor.
Conducting business online is a popular way to avoid the wait times and sometimes long lines for anyone who needs to transact their business in person. Visit www.myncdmv.gov to renew driver licenses, renew plates and more.
But Goodwin said North Carolina is exploring placing service kiosks that can be accessed any time of the day for those who don’t want to use the online services.
“We’ve decided to do what a few other states are doing,” Goodwin said, in exploring the use of kiosks – standup machines that can provide certain DMV services to the public.
“Be on the lookout for that,” he said, adding that about 20 will be rolled out in grocery stores and other public locations in the near future to test the public’s interest in using them.
Smartphones are figuring into the world of DMV, too.
Some states are implementing mobile driver licenses as a way to cut down on identity theft. North Carolina is exploring that idea, too, he said.
As for the Real ID, Goodwin said “folks on the federal level decided it’d be best that the deadline be pushed back two years…which gives folks more time to become compliant.”
It’s an idea that came about as a result of the 911 attacks, but it is not a requirement.
A gold star in the upper right corner of the driver license certifies that the person has provided the necessary documents that verify identification.
Summit ways to better prepare ourselves for the future.
As for the increased use of electric vehicles in the state, Goodwin said it really boils down to two things: customer demand and what the automobile industry decides to provide consumers.
More EVs means more charging stations as well, and Goodwin said he would anticipate more charging stations popping up.
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Tobacco Trust Fund Grant Cycle Open To Receive Proposals Through Mar. 3
/by WIZS StaffThe Tobacco Trust Fund Commission’s grant cycle is open and is now accepting grant applications through Mar. 3, 2023. Access the application, guidelines and other information about the funding opportunity by clicking here.
Federal, state and local governments can apply for grant funding, as well as economic development groups, educational institutions and nonprofits
Individuals can also apply, but the commission’s executive director, William Upchurch, Jr. said trust fund officials encourage individuals to work with a cost-share partner: NC AgVentures at N.C. State University, AgPrime at the University of Mount Olive, and WNC AgOptions at WNC Communities. Upchurch said that the Tobacco Trust Fund is open to talking with folks who have questions about the grant cycle and its cost-share partners.
The Tobacco Trust Fund grant cycle focuses on the priorities of community economic development, skill and resource development, increasing farm profitability, diversification of crops and development of natural resources. They look for projects that support the following outcomes: farmers assisted, jobs created and retained, acreage impacted, new crops planted, funding leverage and new education opportunities.
The trust fund commission was created in 2000 to assist current and former tobacco farmers, former quota holders, persons engaged in tobacco-related businesses, individuals displaced from tobacco-related employment, and tobacco product component businesses in North Carolina that have been affected by the adverse effects of the Master Settlement Agreement.
Vance Charter School Lottery 23-24
/by WIZS StaffApplications to enter the Vance Charter School lottery for 2023-24 are being accepted through Feb. 28, according to information from the school’s board of directors.
The application can be found at www.vancecharter.org, said board member John Sossamon. The website also has a link to a list of questions and answers regarding the lottery process, among those being that no paper applications will be available; applications will be completed online.
The lottery will be held at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Mar. 4.
Parent information sessions will be held at Vance Charter School on Jan. 31 and Feb. 16 at 6 p.m. The school is located on 2090 Ross Mill Rd.
WIZS Radio Local News Audio 01-25-23 Noon
/by John C. RoseClick Play to Listen. On Air at 8am, 12pm, 5pm M-F
WIZS Radio ~ 100.1FM/1450AM
Home And Garden Show
/by Bill HarrisOn the Home and Garden Show with Vance Co. Cooperative Ext.
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TownTalk: Wayne Goodwin Talks About NC DMV
/by Laura GabelGranville County has been without a license plate agency for a few months now, but DMV Commissioner Wayne Goodwin says the process is underway to have an office open again soon.
Goodwin spoke with John C. Rose Wednesday morning on TownTalk and provided an update on this and other topics, from the Real ID program and DMV kiosks to the increased use of electric vehicles in the state.
The DMV office where folks get their driver’s licenses are state agencies, staffed with state employees, Goodwin explained. But the license plate agencies – LPAs – are operated by private contractors with state oversight.
“Occasionally, we’ll have a license plate agency close,” he said, usually because the contract is up and isn’t renewed for one reason or another.
Goodwin said the state has received applications and in currently in the process of choosing a new contractor.
Conducting business online is a popular way to avoid the wait times and sometimes long lines for anyone who needs to transact their business in person. Visit www.myncdmv.gov to renew driver licenses, renew plates and more.
But Goodwin said North Carolina is exploring placing service kiosks that can be accessed any time of the day for those who don’t want to use the online services.
“We’ve decided to do what a few other states are doing,” Goodwin said, in exploring the use of kiosks – standup machines that can provide certain DMV services to the public.
“Be on the lookout for that,” he said, adding that about 20 will be rolled out in grocery stores and other public locations in the near future to test the public’s interest in using them.
Smartphones are figuring into the world of DMV, too.
Some states are implementing mobile driver licenses as a way to cut down on identity theft. North Carolina is exploring that idea, too, he said.
As for the Real ID, Goodwin said “folks on the federal level decided it’d be best that the deadline be pushed back two years…which gives folks more time to become compliant.”
It’s an idea that came about as a result of the 911 attacks, but it is not a requirement.
A gold star in the upper right corner of the driver license certifies that the person has provided the necessary documents that verify identification.
Summit ways to better prepare ourselves for the future.
As for the increased use of electric vehicles in the state, Goodwin said it really boils down to two things: customer demand and what the automobile industry decides to provide consumers.
More EVs means more charging stations as well, and Goodwin said he would anticipate more charging stations popping up.
CLICK PLAY!
WIZS Radio Local News Audio 01-24-23 Noon
/by Bill HarrisClick Play to Listen. On Air at 8am, 12pm, 5pm M-F
WIZS Radio ~ 100.1FM/1450AM
The Local Skinny! Youth Programs Happening Perry Memorial Library
/by WIZS StaffChocolate fondue. Sewing on a button. Legos.
Not necessarily what you’d associate with a library.
But Melody Peters, youth services director at Perry Memorial Library says all these things – and more – are available for library patrons.
From Mother Goose Story Time on Thursday mornings to Life Hacks sessions, Peters said the library offers something for everyone.
“We use every square inch” of the library, she said. “It’s wonderful.”
The Legos club meets on Thursdays at 4:30 p.m. The Survival Skills class helps participants with things like sewing on a button.
Take the recent Survival Skills session that focused on sewing on a button. One participant took the new-found knowledge and said she was going to go home and sew the hole in her bunny. And not only that, she’d be able to sew the hole in her blanket and even the hole in her mom’s coat. Now that’s a survival skill, taken to the next level.
The library has its own spaces to hold classes like the Survival Skills class, but the adjacent Farm Bureau Room also is a space that community groups can reserve.
“It is certainly a gift to have a room accessible to the community for different programs,” Peters said. “It’s amazing,” Peters said, of the community space.
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TownTalk: Upcoming Events At VGCC
/by Laura GabelAll campuses of Vance-Granville Community College will stay open late on Tuesday, Feb. 7 to accommodate students – current and prospective – who may need help or guidance from staff about planning their next steps with coursework.
Sherri Alston, director of admissions and enrollment services, told John C. Rose on Tuesday’s TownTalk that the day is designed to help students get help learning what their next steps are – whether it’s speaking with an advisor, beginning the registration process or participating in a new student orientation.
VGCC Public Information Officer Courtney Cissell said the new orientation classes will be offered that day on the Main Campus at 10 a.m. and again at 5:30 p.m.
Students would participate in orientation sessions after completing the registration process, Alston reminded, which means students should have a letter of acceptance in hand before attending the orientation.
Students these days have the chance to sign up for course offerings that are completed in just 8 weeks. The second 8-week course begins on Mar. 13, Alston said.
“Students are having a good time doing the classes in a quicker time span,” Alston noted, adding that students often have to juggle work, home, families and children’s activities on top of attending classes. The shorter 8-week time frame is a faster pace, but it also means a student may be able to complete a program more quickly.
No matter the type of program students are interested in pursuing, a good first step is consulting with VGCC staff.
“Call us, let’s talk about your goals…what’s driving you,” Alston said. “We want to steer you in the right direction.”
Visit www.vgcc.edu to learn more. Call the office of admissions and enrollment services at 252.738.3327.
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Cooperative Extension With Paul McKenzie: What Works in the Garden
/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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Henderson Included Among Stops In 2023 “Mountains To Coast” Bike Ride
/by WIZS StaffHenderson is scheduled to be an overnight stop on the 24th annual “Mountains to Coast” bicycle tide this fall.
More than 900 icyclists from across the country are predicted to begin the trek in Banner Elk, wending their way along a route that will eventually take them to Emerald Isle, according to information from Visit NC’s executive director, Wit Tuttell, unveiled in a videotaped announcement Thursday. Click here to view the clip:
https://youtu.be/nZMkIYSDqGE
Check-in for the ride is Sept. 30; the ride begins on Oct. 1 and concludes on Oct. 7, with cyclists logging about 60 miles each day. There will be plenty of stops along the state’s scenic backroads as the cyclists make their way eastward.
Overnight stays are planned in the towns of Wilkesboro, Winston-Salem, Mebane, Henderson, Tarboro and Kinston.
The Cycle North Carolina “Mountains to Coast” Tour is the state’s only cross-state, fully supported ride created in 1999 with the N.C. Division of Tourism (now Visit NC), Capitol Broadcasting Company, the N.C. Department of Transportation and North Carolina Amateur Sports as founding partners. Cycle North Carolina was developed to promote North Carolina’s scenic beauty, heritage tourism, visitor attractions, historic sites, state parks, fitness, healthy lifestyles and the benefits of bicycling to individuals and our state. During the past 23 years, Cycle North Carolina has stopped overnight in more than 100 North Carolina towns and visited over 800 North Carolina communities.
Online registration is open at www.ncsports.org and interested riders are encouraged to register early, to avoid missing out on the highlight of the year for bicycling in North Carolina.
In addition to the “Mountains to Coast” Tour, Cycle North Carolina will host the Coastal Ride in Oriental, NC, April 28-30, 2023. Cycle North Carolina will also host its ninth annual Mountain Ride in Lake Lure, NC, August 4-6, 2023. Registration for both rides is open at www.ncsports.org.
Cycle North Carolina is presented by Retire NC. Partner organizations of Cycle North Carolina include: BODYARMOR, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, Truist, Capitol Broadcasting Company, Morningstar Law Group, the N.C. Department of Transportation and Motion Makers Bike Shop.