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National Drinking Water Week: Franklin Co. Assures Residents Water is Safe

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-Press Release, Franklin County Government

Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has assured consumers that drinking water was safe to use as normal. The consistent and reliable quality of drinking water is at the heart of the theme for this year’s Drinking Water Week, “There When You Need It” which is being held May 3-9 this year.

Franklin County Public Utilities and the American Water Works Association (AWWA) will observe Drinking Water Week by recognizing the vital role tap water plays in daily life, the infrastructure that is required to carry it to and from homes and businesses, and the important work of water professionals “behind the scenes.”

Many communities, including Franklin County, are fortunate to have reliable access to safe water when they turn on the tap. In large part, this stems from the regular testing Franklin County Public Utilities are subject to in order to ensure that regulatory standards for water quality are met. In fact, every water system must publish a Consumer Confidence Report (CCR), which details its water quality. The CCR will be available in June 2020 for the calendar year 2019.

“Shortly after the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus a pandemic, the EPA and CDC each reminded us that we should trust our tap water as we normally would for hygiene and hydration,” said AWWA CEO David LaFrance. “This proved to be extremely important because handwashing is an important way to stop the spread of the virus. We couldn’t do that without high-quality drinking water.”

To commemorate the week, water utilities, water organizations, government entities, environmental advocates, schools and other stakeholders throughout North America and beyond will encourage consumers to understand and appreciate their drinking water.

For more than 40 years, AWWA and its members have celebrated Drinking Water Week, a unique opportunity for both water professionals and the communities they serve to join together in recognizing the vital role water plays in daily lives.

U.S. Department of Justice

Butner Federal Inmates Indicted for Inciting Riot, Assault on Federal Officers

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-Press Release, U.S. Department of Justice

A federal grand jury returned an indictment on Wednesday charging two inmates at the Federal Correctional Institution in Butner, North Carolina (“FCI Butner I”) with assaulting, resisting, or impeding federal officers, as well as inciting or participating in a mutiny or riot within a federal penal institution.

According to the indictment, on April 22, 2020, Rene Moreno-Castillo and Javier Tijerina allegedly assaulted, resisted, or impeded federal officers during the performance of their official duties at FCI Butner I.

Specifically, Moreno-Castillo is alleged to have pulled a fire extinguisher from the wall during an open disagreement with staff about housing assignments and sprayed them with its chemical contents.

Additionally, the indictment alleges that on the same day, prior to the discharge of the fire extinguisher, Tijerina, expressing the same perceived disagreement, incited and attempted to cause or assisted in a mutiny or riot within FCI Butner I by openly yelling, gesturing, and threatening “action” by the inmates if housing assignments did not change.

According to the indictment, after spraying staff, inmate Moreno-Castillo barricaded the unit door with lockers which he ripped from the wall and slid against the door, tied the door shut with a bedsheet, and continued to spray the fire extinguisher, filling the unit with the powder contents. FCI Butner I staff, including a tactical Complex-wide Quick Response Force, were emergently called to the scene to regain control of the unit.

Robert J. Higdon, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina commented: “Effectively managing a federal prison is a complex and difficult job but is one that is critical to the enforcement of our criminal laws and to ensuring the safety of people in every community across the country.  The men and women who serve us from behind the walls of facilities like those at Butner deserve our support and swift enforcement when prisoners take any action that impedes their work or, as here, threatens the security of those officers and risks the proper order and management of the prison.  This indictment deals with the offenders who tried to incite a riot within the Butner facility but is also designed to send a message to anyone else who might consider this type of action; there will be consequences if you jeopardize the security of our prisons or endanger the brave officers and employees who serve us from within the facility.”

Moreno-Castillo is charged with the violation of 18 U.S.C. § 111 and 18 U.S.C. § 1792. If convicted, he faces a maximum potential penalty of eight or ten years in prison, respectively. Inmate Tijerina is charged with a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1792, he faces a maximum potential penalty of ten years in prison.

U.S. Attorney Higdon made the announcement. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Mallory Brooks Storus is prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an accusation. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Granville Vance Public Health Logo

GVPH COVID-19 Update: Outbreak Reported at Kerr Lake Nursing Home

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-Information courtesy Granville Vance Public Health

As of May 6, 2020, there are 149 known COVID-19 cases in Granville County, 135 cases in Vance County, and 12,758 confirmed cases in North Carolina.

There are three outbreaks at congregate living facilities in the district – one at the Federal Correctional Complex in Butner, NC, one at Pelican Health in Henderson, NC, and one at Kerr Lake Nursing Home in Henderson, NC.

Of the total positive cases in each county, 87 in Granville County are associated with the prison, 47 in Vance County are associated with Pelican Health Nursing Home and 10 are associated with Kerr Lake Nursing Home.

Of the 62 community-based cases in Granville County, 36 have been released from isolation and 47 of the 87 cases at the prisons have been released from isolation.

Of the 135 cases in Vance, 20 have been released from isolation and 8 are hospitalized.

There have been a total of 16 deaths in the health district – 10 in Vance County and 6 with the Bureau of Prisons in Granville County.

GVPH updates its website daily with Vance and Granville COVID-19 statistics. Please visit www.gvph.org/COVID-19/ for the latest information.

Town Talk 05/06/20: Pat Christie Inducted Into Carolina Beach Music Hall of Fame

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Pat Christie, 2020 inductee into the Carolina Beach Music Awards Hall of Fame appeared on WIZS Town Talk Wednesday at 11 a.m.

The mood was jovial as WIZS Beach Blast host Trey Snide interviewed Christie, who happens to be his father-in-law.

From Durham, NC, Christie said he started playing the guitar when he was nine-years-old and has been involved with several bands throughout his music career, including The Spring Fever Band, The Fabulous Hot Dog Daddy O’s and The Castaways.

The Castaways were inducted as a group into the Beach Music Hall of Fame in 2014, but Christie said his induction as an individual this year caught him by surprise.

“I am very humbled, honored and pleasantly surprised,” said Christie. “I actually found out on my way home from Myrtle Beach. Peter Carpenter, the president of the Carolina Beach Music Association announced it on the radio. It means so much to me because beach music has been such a big, big part of my life.”

Good friend and fellow Daddy O’s and Castaways bandmember Phil Doc Wilson called in to Town Talk to surprise and congratulate Christie on his induction, as well as to give him a bit of a ribbing.

Pat Christie (pictured above) inducted into the 2020 Carolina Beach Music Awards Hall of Fame.

“I want to tell you what I’ve told you the whole time I’ve known you,” Wilson said to Christie. “When I grow up, I want to be just like you, but wait a minute, I’m older than you are!”

Wilson then commented on his long-standing friendship with Christie, congratulated him for his accomplishment and jokingly asked if the induction meant the two could now stop competing with one another.

Christie responded with a laugh and said, “Don’t you know when you’re nominated for the Hall of Fame they put you out to the big Beach Music pasture.”

Snide, whose Beach Music Blast on WIZS was inspired, in part, by Christie and his connection to Beach Music, said he was extremely proud of his father-in-law.

“I am trying to find the words to best explain how excited and proud I am of Mr. Pat,” Snide said. “He is extremely humble. As you can hear in the audio I did with Mr. Pat, he did his best to try and give credit to others. This is the man I respect, look up to and am proud to call my father-in-law.”

Snide continued, “We celebrate his success in this world we call Beach Music and his induction in the 2020 Beach Music Hall of Fame. Carolina Beach Music would not be the same without Mr. Pat Christie. For his passion, his dedication and all the years spent on the road in bands such as The Castaways, The Fabulous Hot Dog Daddy O’s and others, we officially say thank you. Thank you for being you, and thank you for making Beach Music great.”

Be sure to listen to the Beach Music Blast live on WIZS 1450 AM, 100.1 FM or at www.wizs.com (click Listen Live) from 12 until 1 p.m. every Monday – Friday.

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

Home and Garden 05/05/20

Listen live at 100.1 FM / 1450 AM / or on the live stream at WIZS.com on Tuesday at 4:30 PM.

N.C. Air National Guard Flyover ‘Operation American Resolve’ to Include Butner, NC

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-Press Release, North Carolina Air National Guard

The 145th Airlift Wing, North Carolina Air National Guard will be conducting a one aircraft C-17 flyover of various North Carolina cities, hospitals, and food banks on Thursday, May 7, 2020, as part of Operation: American Resolve.

The flyover is to demonstrate the Department of the Air Force’s continued readiness during the national COVID-19 response while saluting the American heroes at the forefront in our fight against COVID-19. These flyovers will incur no additional cost to taxpayers and are being conducted as part of regularly scheduled training.

The C-17 will depart the Charlotte Douglass International Airport at 10 a.m. and travel to the locations listed below.

Please remember proper social distancing and protective measures while viewing.

Questions can be directed to the 145th Airlift Wing, Public Affairs Office at 910-916-0868.

Route of Flight:

All times are subject to change.

Asheville, NC (10:50 a.m.) – Mission Hospital, Manna Food Bank, Black Mountain Neuro-Medical Treatment Center
and J.F.K. Drug and Alcohol Treatment Center

Morganton, NC (11:02 a.m.) – Broughton Hospital, J. Iverson Riddle Developmental Center

Hickory, NC (11:07 a.m.) – Frye Regional Medical Hospital

Statesville, NC (11:12 a.m.) – Iredell Memorial Hospital

Winston Salem, NC (11:21 a.m.) – Wake Forest Baptist Hospital, Bowman Gray Campus, Second Harvest Food Bank of NW, NC

Greensboro/Burlington, NC (11:30 a.m.) – High Point Regional, Moses Cone Memorial Hospital, Lab Corp Burlington Corporate Headquarters

Chapel Hill, NC (11:39 a.m.) – UNC-Chapel Hill Hospital

Durham, NC (11:42 a.m.) – Durham VA Medical Center, Duke University Hospital

Butner, NC (11:46 a.m.) – Central Regional Hospital, Murdoch Developmental Center, R.J. Blackley Drug and Alcohol Treatment Center

Raleigh, NC (11:50 a.m.) – UNC REX Hospital, NC National Guard JFHQ, Wake Med Hospital, Food Bank of Central and Eastern NC, Duke/Raleigh Hospital, Downtown Raleigh

Goldsboro, NC (12:09 p.m.) – Cherry Hospital, O’berry Neuro-Medical Treatment Center

Wilson, NC (12:15 p.m.) – Longleaf Neuro-Medical Treatment

Greenville, NC (12:21 p.m.) – Vidant Medical Center, Walter B. Jones Alcohol & Drug Abuse Treatment Center, Greenville Veteran’s Health Care Center

Kinston, NC (12:28 p.m.) – Caswell Development Center

Jacksonville, NC (12:35 p.m.) – Onslow Memorial Hospital

Wilmington, NC (12:48 p.m.) – New Hanover Regional Medical Center

Charlotte, NC (1:25 p.m.) – Harris Teeter Distribution Center, Novant Health Presbyterian Med Ctr, Atrium Health Charlotte, Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina

MISSION COMPLETE

Perry Memorial Library Announces Account Updates, Skills Building Resources

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There have been some recent account updates at Perry Memorial Library that should make your life easier!

NC Cardinal

The library has been working with the administrator of NC Cardinal to temporarily implement the following:

  • Accounts that expired between January 1 until the library reopens will be extended to September, so you can use online resources. After the library reopens, you will need to come in and update your account before September.
  • The fine cap has been removed, so account fees over $5 will not block you from using Overdrive.
  • Overdue fines accumulated after March 1 have been waived, and no new fines should accumulate.

As always, if you are still having trouble accessing your account or any of the online resources, email us at questions@perrylibrary.org.

Skills Building

If you are looking to improve skills, study for standardized tests, prepare for post-high school education or career training, the Testing and Education Reference Center is a great place to start.

From the NC Live home page, select Test Prep, then scroll to the bottom of the list and click Testing and Education Reference Center.

Although you use your library card/PIN to access the database, you will want to make a separate account when prompted (when you choose an option) in order to save your results and keep track of any college searches, etc., you might complete.

There are options for:

Basic Skills: English/Writing and Math

High School: subject review as well as practice AP tests, SAT subject tests, and high school equivalency exams

College Prep: ACT, CLEP, PSAT, SAT, and resume writing

Career: practice tests for a variety of careers, including cosmetology, firefighter, ASVAB, etc.

Grad School: practice tests for GMAT, GRE, LSAT, MCAT, MAT

International: TOEFL, citizenship

There is also a college planning section with checklists of activities to complete from 9th through 12th grade.

Under the college prep section, there is even a college and scholarship search section!

For more information and additional resources, please visit the library’s website at library.perrylibrary.org

Local News Audio

Noon News 05/06/20

100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

Special Presentation of WIZS News with Frank Sossamon of South Henderson Pentecostal Holiness Church

Are You Ready? May 3-9 Hurricane Preparedness Week 2020

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-Information courtesy Granville County Government

This week is Hurricane Preparedness Week! Hurricane season runs from June 1 through November 30, but most storms hit from mid-August to mid-October.

All residents are encouraged to take this time to update emergency supply kits with enough non-perishable food and water to last each person in your family a minimum of one week. Kits should also 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.

“Know Your Zone” is a cooperative effort of North Carolina Emergency Management and county emergency management partners and is a tiered evacuation system that highlights areas most vulnerable to impacts from hurricanes, tropical storms and other hazards.

After being piloted during the 2019 hurricane season, state and county emergency management will partner to officially launch the Know Your Zone initiative prior to the peak of the 2020 season. In preparation for the launch and the coming hurricane season, visit http://knowyourzone.nc.gov for an interactive lookup tool, FAQ, and other educational resources.

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