Tag Archive for: #franklincountynews

NCDOT

Volunteers Needed For NC DOT Fall Litter Sweep

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The N.C. Department of Transportation is looking for volunteers for the Adopt-A-Highway Fall Litter Sweep, which runs Sept. 10 – 24.

Each April and September, the department calls on volunteers to help remove litter from roadsides. Volunteers from local businesses, schools, non-profits, churches and community groups play an important role in keeping North Carolina’s roads clean.

“The Litter Sweep is a great opportunity to get outdoors with family and friends and work alongside NCDOT to ensure North Carolina remains a beautiful place to live and work.” says David Harris, a state DOT roadside environmental engineer.

Volunteers can request gloves, safety vests and bags from their local county maintenance office to prepare for the cleanup event. DOT maintenance crews devote one week of their time to pick up litter and collect the orange bags that dot roadsides after volunteers have finished their work.

Cleanup supplies, such as reversible orange/blue trash bags, gloves and orange safety vests, are available from the local NCDOT county maintenance yard office.
​The following link contains contact information for each county’s local litter management coordinator.
Visit the Litter Sweep webpage for more information.

Aug. 25 SBA Webinar Focuses On Rural Entrepreneurs

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The U.S. Small Business Administration announces another in its series of webinars “Elevating Small Business” designed for rural entrepreneurs. The hourlong program will begin at 1 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 25 and will feature a panel of experts who will speak on topics including the importance of financial wellness, creating generational wealth through business ownership and uplifting and supporting rural-owned small businesses.

Panelists are Allen Thomas, regional administrator for SBA Region IV, Terri Billups, senior advisor to acting director/deputy director of the Office of Affairs and Morgan Beavers, co-owner of Graylee Construction and Demolition in Austin, AR.

The panel will also discuss SBA initiatives and resources that support small business recovery, new rural startups seeking to launch, and existing rural-owned small businesses as they pivot and grow in a post-COVID world.

Register for the webinar here or visit    https://SBArural.eventbrite.com.

SportsTalk: Louisburg Hopes To Beat Them All

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Dante Lassiter, head football coach at Louisburg High School, feels good about his team this season.  Of course every coach feels good before the first game but with a turn out of fifty kids perhaps Lassiter is correct. “It’s the biggest turnout we’ve had in years,” Lassiter said.  Louisburg lost five seniors from last year’s team and boasts 12 seniors this year. That’s experience that could mean a return trip to the playoffs this season for the Warriors.  Lassiter did lose a couple of assistant coaches to Vance County High School. These are issues all coaches face year in year out. The concern for Lassiter is that the offensive line took a hit with senior losses.

Lassiter and the Warriors had a brief scrimmage recently against Warren County before storms rolled through and cut the evening short. Still, Lassiter feels that having seen his team in action helped him learn a few things. “Defense is a strength,” Lassister stated on Thursday’s SportsTalk with George Hoyle and Bill Harris.  Louisburg plays in a modified Big East conference that mixes 2A and 3A teams.  The only 3A team Louisburg faces in the conference is county rival Franklinton. The conference also includes Bunn, Northern and Southern Nash and Roanoke Rapids.  Roanoke Rapids is the favorite to win the conference this year with the two Nash County schools projected to finish two and three.

Lassiter may have something to say about all of that before it’s over. His goal for the season?  “Beat everybody and win the conference,” Lassiter said of his idea of success for Louisburg this season.  They will scrimmage against JF Webb this weekend and open the season on August 26th.

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Aug. 13 Franklin Freedom Fest Features Dave Bray USA

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Franklin Freedom Fest, a fundraiser for Congressional candidate Sandy Smith, is scheduled for Saturday and participants can take part in a full range of activities through the afternoon and into the evening – from a pig pickin’ to cannon shooting and an open gun range.

The event begins at 3 p.m. at 1770 Seven Paths Rd., Louisburg. Music by Dave Bray USA will begin at 7 p.m.

“We’re hoping to pump up the audience in Louisburg,” Bray told John C. Rose on Thursday’s The Local Skinny!

Smith, a Republican, is running for the seat being vacated by retiring U.S. Rep. G.K. Butterfield. She faces Donald Davis in the November election. Tickets for the Aug. 13 Freedom Fest are $25.

Bray is a military veteran, having served in the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. He said he’d love to see “some uniforms out there,” referring to the concert audience.

His love for singing and music began early, with church choirs as a child and then garage bands in high school. Even when he was active duty, he said he continued to write music.

He said music can help veterans struggling with emotional scars like post-traumatic stress through creative expression. He said he considers his music career, through which he pays tribute to those who are or were in the military, to be a continuation of his own service to his country.

“Bring your flags, bring your guns…let’s have a good time,” Bray said.

Visit https://www.davebrayusa.com/ to learn more.

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Calling All State Fair Competitors: Enter By Sept. 15 Deadline!

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Think you’ve got a blue-ribbon zucchini bread recipe? Want to see how that batch of blackberry jam or fig preserves stands up to state competition? Or do you have an exquisite quilt or other handcrafted item that you’d like to show off a bit?

Then consider entering the 2022 N.C. State Fair competitions, which are open now through Sept. 15.

The Fair will be held Oct. 13-23 in Raleigh. This year’s theme is “So Happy Together,” surely a nod to reclaiming participation in events that had been hindered by COVID-19 restrictions for the past two years.

In addition to the traditional competitions like artwork, honey, livestock, cooking, canned food, flowers and decorating skills, new competitions include ink pen decorated seashells and artwork-inspired floral arrangements, according to information from fair organizers.

“It is exciting to announce new competitions to go along with categories that are always so popular, like decorated cakes and quilts,” said John Buettner, competitive exhibits coordinator. “We have competitions to appeal to a wide variety of individuals from seashell painting, painted rocks, terrarium building, shoe decorating and even coloring sheets. I encourage everyone, and all ages, to check out the competitions because just like the N.C. State Fair itself, there is something for everyone.”

In 2021, more than 36,000 items were entered in competitions at the fair.

Most entry deadlines are Sept. 15. Exhibitors must have registered prior to the entry deadline. Entry forms can be mailed in or exhibitors can enter online using ShoWorks, an online application system that is widely used at fairs across the country.

“Exhibitors can enter at the website or by downloading the ShoWorks app. This will help streamline the process, report results quicker and be a way that exhibitors can manage multiple exhibits at a fair or even several fairs,” Buettner said. “Since this is new, we have provided instructions for entering each competition on our website as well.”

Find more information at ncstatefair.org and click on competitions.

Franklin County Has One Confirmed Monkeypox Case

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Courtesy of James F. Hicks, III, Franklin County public information officer

On Friday August 5, the Franklin County Health Department was contacted by the North Carolina Department of Public Health to report the first confirmed case of monkeypox in Franklin County.  The patient is currently isolating at home and Franklin County Health Department staff are working with the patient on contact tracing.  No additional information about this resident will be disclosed.

As of Thursday, August 4, there were 86 confirmed cases of monkeypox in North Carolina.  Franklin County will continue to work with state and other local health departments to ensure we do all we can to contain the spread of this virus in Franklin County.

Franklin County Health Director, Scott LaVigne, stated that “With monkeypox cases continuing to rise across North Carolina, we anticipated a case would eventually be detected inside Franklin County.  The good news is that this is not a new virus, and there are already treatments for those with the virus, and approved vaccines for close-contacts (which we did not have for COVID-19 when it began).  Having available treatments and vaccines on ‘day-one’ can help curtail the spread of this virus in the early stages of this outbreak in Franklin County.”

Testing for those experiencing symptoms of monkeypox can be provided by your Healthcare provider and by most local health departments in North Carolina, including the Franklin County Health Department.  For Franklin County residents with symptoms of Monkeypox, please contact your healthcare provider directly.  If you do not have a healthcare provider, please contact the Franklin County Health Department at 919-496-2533 to screen for a test.

Vaccines are available to protect against monkeypox or to reduce disease severity.  Only those exposed to someone with Monkeypox in the past two weeks, or those in certain eligible groups can receive the vaccine at this time.

 

For complete up-to-date information on monkeypox in North Carolina, including a: description of symptoms; where to go for testing & treatment; and who is eligible for vaccines, please use this link: https://epi.dph.ncdhhs.gov/cd/diseases/monkeypox.html

 

County Departments to Move from Nash Street to Shannon Village

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— courtesy of Franklin County Government

Several Franklin County departments will move to new office space beginning August 5th.

Franklin County’s Planning and Inspections Department, Tax Department, and GIS Department will move from the 215 East Nash Street, Louisburg location to 127 Shannon Village – the former Louisburg Senior Center – in Louisburg. The Shannon Village location will provide appropriate parking and access for residents and visitors to conduct their county business. The move will begin on Friday, August 5, and will conclude on Monday, August 8.

Public access to those departments will be limited on August 5 and August 8.  Based on the moving schedule, the affected departments will likely be closed on the afternoon of August 5 and the morning of August 8.

Please call ahead if you need assistance during this transition. Visit the Franklin County website to access the online services available for these departments.

Additionally, Franklin County Environmental Health will also relocate its offices to 127 Shannon Village on August 15.  The Environmental Health Department will be available by phone or online on August 15 and their office will be open to the public on Tuesday, August 16.

Franklin County appreciates everyone’s patience as the County works to ensure that appropriate and accessible facilities are available for our growing population. Stay updated with information from Franklin County by visiting our website – www.franklincountync.gov – and signup for email updates by clicking the “Get Email Updates” button on the homepage.

NC State Board of Elections

State Court Of Appeals: Felons May Register To Vote In NC – For Now

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-Information courtesy of the N.C. State Board of Elections

Starting today – July 27, 2022 – an individual serving a felony sentence who is not in jail or prison may register to vote and vote. An individual must also have resided in North Carolina for at least 30 days prior to the election, be a U.S. citizen, and be at least 18 years old by the next general election.

Previously, under a North Carolina statute, a person serving a felony sentence could not register to vote or vote, whether they were in or out of prison, until they completed that sentence. This meant that felons serving probation, post-release supervision, or parole were not able to register or vote, until they completed their term of supervision.

Earlier this year, however, a North Carolina superior court determined that denying voting rights to people serving their felony sentences outside of jail or prison violates the state constitution. This decision has been appealed; however, while it is on appeal, the North Carolina Court of Appeals has ordered that the decision should go into effect as of July 27, 2022.

This means that, for the time being, any person serving a felony sentence outside of prison or jail is eligible to register to vote and vote. Those in jail or prison for a felony conviction are not allowed to register or vote. If a person is in jail awaiting trial for a felony but has not yet been convicted, they retain their voting rights. In North Carolina, a person never loses their voting rights for a misdemeanor conviction.

As of July 27, the State Board will update its website and voter registration forms and other voting-related documents to reflect this new information on felon eligibility. The agency will update this information upon any further order of the courts.

Scott Riley Joins Maria Parham Orthopaedics Team

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Maria Parham Health has announced that Scott F. Riley, PA-C, has joined the Maria Parham Orthopaedics team and will be seeing patients at 120 Charles Rollins Road in Henderson.

“We are excited to continue growing orthopedic access in the communities we serve with the addition of Scott,”said Maria Parham Health Market CEO Bert Beard. “He, Dr. Darius Divina and Dr. Mark Messmer (joining Maria Parham Orthopaedics in August) will ensure patients’ orthopedic needs can be met close to home in Franklin, Vance and Person counties.”

Riley earned his Master of Health Sciences in Physician Assistant Studies from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill School of Medicine in December 2021. He also has completed numerous clinical rotations, including orthopedic medicine, surgical medicine and emergency medicine.

For more information about Maria Parham’s orthopedic services, visit MariaParham.com/orthopedics.

To schedule an appointment with Scott Riley, PA-C, call 800.424.DOCS.

 

 

Take Kerr-Tar COG Survey By Aug. 19 To Weigh In On Economic Development

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The Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments is asking for help from all those who live or work in the region – Vance, Granville, Warren, Franklin, Person – as it gathers information to develop a Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy.

The CEDS team has created an online survey that is open now through Aug. 19 which seeks input about the region’s strengths, challenges and opportunities. Data from the survey will be used to inform policymakers across the regions about what is going well, what needs improvement and ways to guide focus areas over the next five years.

Anyone who lives, works or has an interest in the Kerr-Tar region is encouraged to take part in the online survey.

In addition to the survey, the Kerr-Tar COG has scheduled in-person meetings to gather comments and opinions. The Vance, Franklin and Warren meetings were held earlier this week, and the Granville and Person meetings will be held on Tuesday, July 26, according to iformation on the Kerr-Tar COG webpage. The Granville meeting will be held at the Granville County Convention & Expo Center, 4185 U.S. Hwy. 15 in Oxford between 10:30 a.m. and 12 noon; the Person County meeting will be held in the Person County office building auditorium, 304 S. Morgan St., Roxboro between 3:30 p.m. and 5 p.m.

Visit https://www.kerrtarcog.org/ to access a link to the survey, or simply click the link here:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/survey-taken/?sm=fOW9Nqb_2BYpcyo73LmBCJHylTUVcNu_2BdTkwHeMJJTE7uFIIVtxeK2Pr3Zt_2BS2TjVcmEgkHM4BUUAyp0bavgB9TMZlZl_2BfCFp0WhBOvhzEAn8_3D