Tag Archive for: #franklincountynews

Horse Owners On Alert Following Confirmed EHV Cases In Texas, Oklahoma

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State veterinary officials are asking horse owners in North Carolina to watch for symptoms of a highly contagious equine disease following diagnoses of multiple horses in Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana.

Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler said he encourages event organizers to take the outbreak seriously and consider canceling or postponing equine events like sales and shows “as the best method to protect horses from further exposure” to curb outbreaks.

Cases were confirmed Nov. 9 by the Texas Animal Health Commission and the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry. Currently, there are no confirmed cases in North Carolina. The disease, equine herpes virus, can develop into a neurological disease called equine herpes myeloencephalopathy, which can be deadly.

The extent of this outbreak is not yet fully known, and the situation is developing rapidly, said State Veterinarian Dr. Mike Martin. Symptoms in infected horses appear to be acute with rapid progression and high clinical severity. Reports of an increasing number of deaths in horses suspected of having EHM are concerning and underscore the need for proactive actions to curb the spread of this disease, Martin said.

“I encourage all horse owners, veterinarians and event organizers to take this current outbreak seriously and implement procedures to prevent further spread of the virus,” said Troxler in a press release. “I encourage event sponsors to take all necessary precautions to prevent further spread of this virus and protect equine health. Given the nature of this virus and routes of transmission, and out of an abundance of caution, I strongly recommend canceling or postponing equine events if possible as the best method to protect horses from further exposure until such time as the extent of the current outbreak has been determined.”

Clinical signs of EHV may not be specific, and some horses may not show any signs of illness. Look for the following symptoms in horses:

  • Fever
  • Difficulty urinating
  • Nasal discharge and cough
  • Depression
  • Head tilt
  • Loss of tail tone
  • Stumbling or weakness in the hind limbs that progresses to all limbs
  • Down and unable to rise
  • Abortion in pregnant mares

EHV-1 primarily affects the respiratory system of horses but can also cause severe neurological disease and death. Symptoms include fever, coughing, nasal discharge and loss of balance. The virus is transmitted through body fluids. It is highly contagious among horses but does not affect humans.

“If you suspect your horse has been exposed to EHV-1 infection, contact your veterinarian,” said Martin. “We request that horses with confirmed EHM or that exhibit neurological signs are reported to the state veterinarian’s office at 919.707.3250.”

All affected horses attended the 2025 WPRA World Finals and Elite Barrel Race event in Waco, Texas Nov. 5-9. The two confirmed cases in Oklahoma also attended the BFA World Championship at Lazy E Arena in Guthrie, Okla., that was scheduled for Nov. 17-22. Due to the confirmed positive cases, this event was canceled, and remaining participants were sent home.

Some states may suspend extended Certificates of Veterinary Inspection (6-month Equine CVI) or may add additional requirements prior to entry. Please contact the individual state for the most up-to-date requirements prior to travel.

“These were large events attended by horses from many states,” Martin said. “Owners of horses that may have been exposed to horses with EHM should work with their veterinarian to establish appropriate biosecurity and monitoring protocols.”

Biosecurity and safety rotocols include:

  • Isolating the horses that attended the event for at least 3 weeks
  • Having the temperature of returning horses monitored twice daily for at least 14 days after the last known exposure. Fever greater than 101.5 may be the first indicator of disease.
  • Clean and disinfect tack, boots, equipment and grooming supplies. Wash hands.
  • If fever or other signs consistent with EHM develop, contact your veterinarian.
  • When feeding and doing chores, work with the returning horses last, wear boots and coveralls, and remove them before working with your other horses.

Franklin County Names Jason Rogers Planning & Inspections Director

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Franklin County has selected Jason Rogers as its new Planning & Inspections director, replacing Scott Hammerbacher, who was promoted to Assistant County Manager in March.

“As a lifelong resident, I am honored to serve as Franklin County’s Planning & Inspections Director,” Rogers said. “I look forward to helping guide the county’s growth thoughtfully and responsibly, while continuing to support our staff and strengthen our customer service for residents and the development community.”

Rogers has served Franklin County for more than 20 years, beginning in August 2005 as a Planning Technician. He then became a Planner in March 2006 and served in that capacity before becoming a Principal Planner in July 2015. In September 2019, he was promoted to Planning Administrator and became Assistant Planning & Inspections Director in February 2023. He has served as the interim Planning & Inspections Director since April.

“Jason has served Franklin County for more than two decades, working on thoughtful and responsible planning and zoning,” Franklin County Manager Ryan Preble said. “We look forward to his continued leadership in the department.”

Rogers holds an associate’s degree in Elementary, Middle, and Special Education from Louisburg College and two bachelor’s degrees from East Carolina University, both in History and Geography.

VGCC Foundation Gets $3,000 Grant From Food Lion Feeds For Food Pantry

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— Information courtesy of Vance-Granville Community College

 

The Vance-Granville Community College Foundation has received $3,000 from the Food Lion Feeds Charitable Foundation to help students experiencing hunger. The Feeding the Hungry grant supports The Foundation’s efforts by purchasing food items that will ultimately help tackle food insecurity among our students. In addition, the grants support community feeding partners by helping neighbors increase their access to nutritious food and providing nutrition education to eliminate health risks for those experiencing food insecurity.

The VGCC Foundation aims to reduce food insecurity through its food pantry that serves students at all VGCC campuses. The campuses are located in Vance, Granville, Warren and Franklin counties. The food pantry is a one-stop shop for food and hygiene items for students and is sustained through a partnership with the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina, Food Lion, fundraisers, donations of items and monetary gifts. The Foundation will be able to use this generous gift from Food Lion Feeds Charitable Foundation to purchase food items and support healthy eating initiatives for its students.

The Food Lion Feeds Charitable Foundation is committed to supporting families facing food insecurity across its 10-state footprint. Established in 2001, the foundation provides financial support for programs and organizations dedicated to feeding local neighbors in the communities it serves. Since its inception, the foundation has awarded more than $18.1 million in grants.

Airport Runway Expansion, Upgrades Topic Of Discussion At Nov. 12 Franklin Co. Public Info Session

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— information courtesy of Franklin County Capital Projects Manager Jessica Hudson

Franklin County Triangle North Executive Airport is proposing some upgrades to its facilities, including extending a runway by 700 feet to improve airport operations to accommodate larger corporate aircraft. As part of the capital improvement process, airport officials and the N.C. Department of Transportation will hold a public information meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 12 in Louisburg at the Franklin Plaza training room, 279 Bickett Blvd., according to information from Jessica Hudson, the county’s Capital Projects manager.

The runway extension and other associated improvements will improve airport operations and support regional economic development in Franklin County and the Research Triangle Region through the State Transportation Improvement Program, a statement from Hudson explained.

Franklin County owns the airport, which has an economic impact of $85.55 million  in annual contributions to the State of North Carolina, supports more than 395 jobs and  generates in excess of $4.3 million in tax revenue.

The public is invited to attend any time between 5 p.m and 7 p.m. local time as no formal presentation will be made, Hudson noted.

The proposed improvements also include the realignment of Airport Road, M.C. Wilder Road and Sam Horton Road, as well as the relocation of utilities, the automated weather observing system and updating navigational systems and lighting infrastructure.

The purpose of the meeting is to introduce the project to the public and for the project team to be available to answer questions and receive feedback on the proposed project. The comments and information received will be taken into consideration as work on the project develops.

This airfield enhancement project will allow the airport to meet updated FAA safety standards, accommodate future growth, support broader statewide efforts to improve transportation access and strengthen regional connectivity.

Information on this project will be available on Triangle North Executive Airport’s website at  https://tinyurl.com/FlyTNEA and will be updated with information from the public information meeting.  Citizens may submit comments through the NCDOT portal for this project located at  https://publicinput.com/lhz-runway-extension, by calling 984.205.6615 (enter project code 9931), or by  email (lhz-runway-extension@publicinput.com) by Friday, Dec. 12, 2025. Responses by mail should be addressed to:

Bo Carson

Airport Director

Triangle North Executive Airport

440 Airport Road

Louisburg, NC 27549

Individuals with special communications needs who wish to speak at this public meeting should contact NCDOT’s Ron Coleman at  rcoleman2@ncdot.gov, by phone at 919.707.7050 or via U.S. Mail:

Ron Coleman
NCDOT

1598 Mail Service Center

Raleigh, NC 27699-1595

TownTalk: Around Old Granville – PCB Landfill of Warren County

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The tiny community of Afton in Warren County was at the center of a big environmental mess in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, when the state bought up some land to build a landfill to store hazardous waste.

That hazardous waste was a PCB-laced oil, a product that had been used for decades to help cool electric transformers. When the chemical was declared illegal because of health implications, the companies that used it had to have somewhere for it to go, said local historian Mark Pace.

Under the cover of darkness, trucks drove along rural roads in out-of-the-way counties like Warren and dumped the oily substance along the roadsides. More than 200 miles of roads in Warren County had that familiar brown grass – dead grass – where the PCB-laced oil had been sprayed.

There were some spots in Franklin County, too, that were affected. WIZS’s Bill Harris said he remembers riding the school bus as a teenager and seeing the brown grass along the side of the road.

Harris and Pace talked about the protests that ensued, as the state went head-to-head with community activists in opposition to the dump in Thursday’s TownTalk feature, Around Old Granville.

Pace said the state got involved in the disposal of PCBs – polychlorinated biphenyls –

in the summer of 1978, and it was in 1982 that civil rights leader the Rev. Ben Chavis, is credited with coining the term “environmental racism” to describe the placement of the landfill.

In 1980, Warren County was among the state’s poorest counties, majority African American and lagged behind in most areas, including income. Close to half of the workforce commuted out of Warren County to work, Pace said.

It didn’t take long for leaders to select Warren County – a county once known for producing prominent politicians – as the site of a toxic dump. And trucks beginning to haul the tainted soil to the landfill sparked protests that lasted for weeks.

The protests made national headlines, especially when notables like the Rev. Joseph Lowery of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Floyd McKissick, the Rev. Leon White and Golden Frinks showed up in support of protesters.

More than 500 people were arrested over the course of six weeks or so, Pace said, as the non-violent protests continued.

“These people literally laid down in front of these dump trucks,” Pace said. More than 7,000 truckloads of tainted soil was brought to the landfill, scraped up from those rural roadsides where the PCB-laced oil had been sprayed.

A company in Raleigh, Ward Transfer Co., disposed of materials like PCBs, but there was so much of it –  and it was going to cost a lot of money to send it to an incinerator for proper disposal, Pace said.

“So they just loaded up a truck in the middle of the night and rode up and down roads,” he said, choosing rural, remote places. Like Warren County.

The owner ultimately was caught, fined and sent to prison.

But that still left the problem of what to do with the tainted soil. It had to be removed and put somewhere.

That “somewhere” ended up being a 20-acre landfill site in Warren County.

It was fraught with problems, Pace said, including inadequate liners to keep the landfill contents from seeping out into the groundwater.

Gov. James B. Hunt, Jr. promised to “detoxify” the landfill when the money was available and the technology was developed to do it.

In 1993, with $13 million from the EPA, 60 tons of the toxic contents of the landfill were declared detoxified by conducting a complex process that separates the moisture from the soil and then chemically removes the toxins.

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NC AgVentures Grant Program Funds Projects That Enhance Farm Profits

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NC AgVentures, a program of N.C. State Extension, provides grants to the state’s farmers and to non-profit community groups that work with family farms as a way to fund agricultural project ideas that will increase farm profits. Sponsored by the N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission, the program will award a minimum of 50 grants to independent family farms in 46 counties across the state, including Vance, Granville, Warren and Franklin.

This is a great opportunity for any producer who is thinking of diversifying, improving, or expanding their farm operation.

NC AgVentures will award grants up to $10,000. Application submission begins today – Wednesday, Oct.15, with a deadline of 6 p.m. on Dec. 19.

Find details and the online application at www.ncagventures.org.

Webinars are planned still for Nov. 10 and Nov. 24 to provide additional information about the grant program and the application process.

The presentations are the same. Click the links below to register.

November 10, 2025 (4:30 to 5:30 p.m.)

November 24, 2025 (4:30 to 5:30 p.m.)

 

The Local Skinny! Louisburg College Celebrating Homecoming 2025

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With Louisburg College’s Homecoming festivities just over a week away, college leaders, students and alumni are making special “Hurricane” preparations to enjoy time together at the historic school located in Franklin County.

Vice President of Institutional Advancement Alitha Palich outlined several activities for alums who plan to return to take part in Homecoming, from a pep rally on Thursday, Oct. 23 to the big football game on Saturday afternoon.

“We have a lot of our alumni around in this specific area,” Palich told WIZS’s Scout Hughes on Tuesday’s segment of The Local Skinny! “We love to get them on campus as much as possible.”

The school sent out emails and postcards with details about how to let the school know they’ll be attending, but Palich said she’d gladly assist with the registration process. Just give her a call at 919.497.3325 to learn more.

The Thursday pep rally will crank up about 11 a.m. in front of the main building on campus to cheer on the football team but also to throw support behind the school’s basketball and soccer teams, too she said.

There’s a basketball game on Friday at 6 p.m. and then a big family-friendly cookout beginning at 11 a.m. on Saturday. An alumni awards ceremony will take place around 12 noon.

The Hurricanes will take on the Myrtle Beach Collegiate Academy at 2 p.m. at Louisburg High School’s football stadium.

Palich said the 235-year college has a long history of partnering with the community – sharing the football field is just one example of how the community supports the college.

“The community supports us so much,” Palich said. “It’s always a joy to do things for the community – our students go out and do service projects,” she explained. “It’s a great give-and-take between us and the surrounding areas.”

Louisburg College is located at 501 N. Main St., Louisburg.

Visit https://www.louisburg.edu/ to learn more.

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American Red Cross: Create An Escape Plan In Case Of Fire – And Then Practice!

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– information courtesy of the American Red Cross

During Fire Prevention Week (October 5-11), the American Red Cross North Carolina Region reminds everyone of the dangers of home fires, which claim seven lives every day in the U.S. To help protect your household, test your smoke alarms each month and practice your escape plan until everyone can get out in less than two minutes.

“Home fires don’t wait for the right moment, but being prepared makes all the difference,” said Sharonne Hayes, the Red Cross regional Communications Manager of the North Carolina Region. “When a smoke alarm sounds, your family should be ready to act fast. Testing your smoke alarms and practicing your escape plan helps ensure your family knows what to do when every second matters.”

Here are a few tips for creating a home fire escape plan and practicing a 2-minute drill:

  • Everyone in your household should know two ways to escape from each room in your home.
  • Smoke is dangerous. Get low and go!
  • Decide where to meet once you get outside. Select a meeting spot at a safe distance away from your home, such as a neighbor’s home or landmark like a specific tree in your front yard, where everyone knows to meet.
  • Get out and stay out. Never go back inside for people, pets or things.
  • If a fire starts, you may have less than two minutesto get to safety. Time your fire drill and find out: What’s your escape time?
  • While practicing your escape plan, teach children what a smoke alarm sounds like. Talk about fire safety and what to do in an emergency.

Smoke alarm safety:

  • Place smoke alarms on each level of your home, including inside and outside bedrooms and sleeping areas.
  • In addition to testing your alarms once a month, change the batteries at least once a year, if your model requires it.
  • Also check the manufacturer’s date of your smoke alarms. If they’re 10 years or older, they need to be replaced because the sensor becomes less sensitive over time. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

Local Red Cross Disaster Action Team volunteers provide emotional support, financial assistance, and information to help families begin the process of recovery. Most of the 65,000 emergencies that the Red Cross responds to each year are home fires.

For emergencies like home fires, our volunteers provide comfort during what can be the worst days of people’s lives. Learn how you can volunteer for our Disaster Action Team at redcross.org/DAT. Since October 2014, the American Red Cross Home Fire Campaign, working with community partners, has saved at least 2,479 lives by educating families about fire safety, helping them create escape plans and installing free smoke alarms in neighborhoods across the country. Our local Sound the Alarm initiatives have helped save 87 lives across North Carolina by installing more than 83,600 free smoke alarms in high-risk communities. To learn more about the campaign and how you can get involved, visit redcross.org/homefires.

If you need assistance, visit redcross.org/NC for a free smoke alarm installation.

NC Dept of Agriculture

Visit NC Farms Mobile App Helps Visitors Find Local Agritourism Destinations

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— information courtesy of N.C. Dept. of Agriculture & Consumer Services

 

People looking for fun agritourism activities this fall can now find statewide listings through the Visit NC Farms website as the platform transitions from a mobile app to expand access for farms and visitors. The website will also allow agritourism farms to update their event information quickly.

Visitors can find information, or farms can list information, at visitncfarms.com

Launched in 2018, the Visit NC Farms mobile app helped connect thousands of residents and visitors with local farms, farmers markets, food and drink experiences and agritourism destinations. The app provided a strong foundation for raising awareness of agritourism and local food across the state, which the website will build on.

“Interest in agritourism continues to grow and visitors have even more options today,” said Erica Calderon, agritourism marketing specialist. “Visit NC Farms has always been about connecting people to the food, farms and communities that make North Carolina unique, and we hope visitors will check out the new website when they are looking to make plans.”

On-farm activities and experiences can be sorted by nine category filters, including farm visits, u-pick, farm stays, farmers markets, trails, workshops, sips + bites and special events. This helps make exploring simple and intuitive, Calderon said.

Other advantages of the new Visit NC Farms website include:

  • Free platform for farmers: Businesses and event hosts can be listed at no cost, opening the door for broader statewide participation.
  • Broader accessibility: Available on any device, without requiring a download.
  • Faster updates: Farms and event organizers can update listings quickly, ensuring accurate information year-round.
  • Industry support: Dedicated resources make it easier for agribusinesses to get listed and submit seasonal events.

 

“The app gave us a strong start, and now the website allows us to take that mission even further,” Calderon said.

The launch of the new website underscores NCDA&CS’s long-term investment in agritourism and agribusiness marketing. It maintains the program’s core mission while opening opportunities for more farms to share their stories and for more visitors to discover authentic North Carolina farm experiences.

For more information or to explore farm-fresh experiences, visit visitncfarms.com.

Marsha Overby 2025 Recipient Of VGCC Distinguished Alumni Award

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— information courtesy of Vance-Granville Community College

The Vance-Granville Community College Foundation named Marsha Overby of Franklin County as its 2025 Distinguished Alumni Award as part of the annual Scholarship awards luncheon on Thursday, Sept. 25.

“Each year, we are honored to recognize one of our outstanding alumni whose journey began right here at VGCC,” said Tanya Weary, VGCCF Executive Director. “This award not only celebrates individual achievement but also inspires current students to pursue their goals with confidence and purpose.”

Overby graduated from VGCC with an associate degree in Computer Information Technology.  She has since demonstrated outstanding leadership and character throughout every facet of her life and career. Currently serving as the Chief Financial Officer of the State Highway Patrol, she is known for her professionalism, integrity and visionary leadership—qualities that inspire those around her and uphold the highest standards of public service. Beyond her professional achievements, Overby remains a passionate advocate for her community. She actively supports youth and community programs through her church, 4-H initiatives and the Oxford Preparatory School Board Finance Committee. Her involvement reflects a strong dedication to empowering young people, fostering creativity, and promoting leadership and service.

The VGCC Foundation hosts the scholarship luncheon annually to connect scholarship recipients with the donors who support their educational dreams. The Distinguished Alumni Award has become a highlight of the event, shining a spotlight on the lasting impact of a VGCC education.

For more information about The VGCC Foundation and its programs, visit www.vgcc.edu/foundation.