Tag Archive for: #franklincountynews

NC Dept of Agriculture

NCDACS Accepting Applications for Healthy Food Small Retailer Program

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-Press Release, North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services

The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services will offer grant assistance to convenience stores interested in offering healthier food options to those living in one of the state’s 349 food deserts. The funding is a part of the Healthy Food Small Retailer Program.

“The goal of the Healthy Food Small Retailer program is to help bring more healthy, locally grown food options to the 1.5 million people impacted by food deserts in North Carolina,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “Convenience stores are integral parts of fighting food insecurity in local communities.”

The Healthy Food Small Retailer Program, which is administered by the department, was established in the 2016 state budget bill (HB 1030). The 2019 program will reimburse participating stores for refrigeration, freezer and stocking equipment needed to offer healthier items.

Store owners have until March 4, 2019, to apply for priority consideration. Applications will continue to be accepted until March 31, subject to availability of funds.

In addition to being in a food desert (online search available at www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-access-research-atlas/), store owners applying for funding under HFSRP must meet the following criteria:

  • Accept or agree to accept Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits;
  • Accept or agree to apply to accept Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) benefits;
  • Have no more than 3,000 square feet of heated floor space;
  • Be established as a for-profit business at the time of application;
  • Have not previously received HFSRP funds.

Interested store owners can find more information about the program and download an application at www.ncagr.gov/HealthyRetailer.

In addition, store owners may call 919-707-3173 or email HealthyRetailer@ncagr.gov.

NC Dept of Agriculture

Regulators Notify Industry Regarding CBD Products in the Marketplace

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-Press Release, N.C. Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services

The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is sending out letters next week to manufacturers and retailers who sell products containing CBD oil, detailing what is legal to sell in North Carolina.

“Under federal Food and Drug Administration laws, CBD is considered a drug,” said Joe Reardon, NCDA&CS assistant commissioner of consumer protection. “North Carolina state laws mirror federal laws. This means that CBD cannot legally be added to any human food or animal feed that is for sale.”

The product can also not make health claims, including statements that the product may prevent, treat or cure any disease. Failure to comply could result in embargo or seizure of products.

“We are taking an educate before regulate stance with industry,” Reardon said. “We know they may not be aware of the state laws regarding the addition of a drug to a food product. However, we reserve the right to be more assertive, as other states have been, if we need to be in the future. Our main concern is consumer health and safety with any product that falls under our regulatory authority.”

“We also urge consumers to be smart shoppers and ask questions before choosing to purchase any tincture that contains cbd öl or hemp extract. Find out how the product is manufactured, if the company has purity standards and what the potency may be,” he said.

Industry with questions about the regulation of CBD can call the Food and Drug Protection Division, 919-733-7366.

Cash Charged With Nine Counts of Exploiting a Minor

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-Press Release, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office

On February 7, 2019, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division arrested Jason Hoyt Cash, a Franklin County resident.

Jason Hoyt Cash was charged with the following: nine (9) counts of Second-Degree Exploitation of a Minor.

Charges stemmed from an extensive investigation conducted by Franklin County Sheriff’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations Computer Crimes Division.

On February 7, 2019, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division arrested Jason Hoyt Cash, a Franklin County resident, on nine (9) counts of Second-Degree Exploitation of a Minor. (Photo courtesy FCSO)

On February 7, 2019, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation Computer Crimes Division executed a search warrant at Mr. Cash’s residence.

Upon completion of the search warrant, Mr. Cash was arrested at his residence without incident.

Jason Hoyt Cash was given a $400,000 secured bond and is currently being held in the Franklin County Detention Center.

Jason Hoyt Cash – 6590 US-401 North, Henderson, NC 27537

 

Maria Parham Health Announces Ribbon Cutting for Multispecialty Clinic

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-Information courtesy Maria Parham Health’s Facebook page

You are cordially invited to join the leadership team at Maria Parham Health as we celebrate the recent opening of the new Maria Parham Multispecialty Clinic in Louisburg.

Please join Maria Parham for a ribbon cutting ceremony, followed by tours of the new clinic on Thursday, February 28, 2019, from 4:30 – 7 p.m. The multispecialty clinic is located at 1501 N. Bickett Blvd, Suite E., in Louisburg.

For more information, visit www.mariaparhamfranklin.com

NC Dept of Agriculture

High Point Halal Meats Voluntarily Recalls Chicken, Lamb & Beef Products

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-Press Release, North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

High Point Halal Meats in High Point is voluntarily recalling all production lots of chicken, lamb and beef products because they were produced without benefit of required inspections.

“Inspectors with the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Meat and Poultry Inspection Division discovered uninspected meat and poultry products in commerce,” said Dr. Beth Yongue, director of the Meat and Poultry Inspection Division. This is a Class I recall where there is a reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death. Customers who purchased these products are urged not to consume them.”

The following products are subject to recall:

All chicken, lamb and beef products bearing a “High Point Halal Meats” label.

These items were shipped to retail stores within North Carolina. These products bear an NCDA inspection legend with the establishment number P-318.

Throw away these products or return them to the place of purchase. Consumers with questions about High Point Halal Meats products can call the facility at 336-802-0620 during business hours.

There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about an injury or illness should contact a healthcare provider.

NC Coop Extension

Successful Small Farms Conference to Feature Seed Exchange, Informational Sessions

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-Information courtesy NC Cooperative Extension

The popular regional Successful Small Farms Opportunities conference will be held at the Louisburg College campus in Louisburg on Saturday, February 16, 2019, from 8 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Topics include the new farm bill and how it affects small farmers; blueberry production and marketing; high-tunnel greenhouses; Industrial Hemp: regulations and growers panel; agritourism opportunities on your farm and farm liability, small farm enterprise budgets; developing a farm commercial kitchen and more.

In addition, there will be a free seed exchange again this year for participants. There will be a small fee to participate in the conference.

To register for the conference and for more information, please call the Franklin County Cooperative Extension Office at 919-496-3344 or email martha_mobley@ncsu.edu for program details.

Visit our website, https://franklin.ces.ncsu.edu/ for additional information.

NC Dept of Agriculture

Applications Being Accepted for Hurricane Florence Reforestation Fund

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-Information courtesy NCDA&CS

Woodland owners in 52 counties impacted by Hurricane Florence and recognized as federally-declared disaster areas can now apply for cost-share funding for reforestation efforts. The North Carolina General Assembly approved $2.5 million in time-limited funding for reforestation efforts that will be administered by the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and the N.C. Forest Service.

“Hurricane Florence not only devastated agricultural crops, but the storm also caused considerable damage to our valuable forestlands. The Florence Reforestation Fund will help owners rebuild these natural resources,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler.  “I am grateful to legislators for providing funding that will help keep North Carolina green and growing.”

Qualifying property in designated counties will be eligible to apply for the program funding. However, funding requests should be for “shovel-ready” projects and practices that can be completed within short time periods. Funds will be administered similar to other NCFS cost-share programs such as the Timber Restoration Fund that was offered following Hurricane Matthew.

Approved practices include site preparation and tree planting as recommended in the applicant’s management plan. Afforestation of open fields or pastureland is also eligible, however, funding for forest stand improvement practices is not available through this program. To receive reimbursement, at least 4.5 acres of approved, completed work must be documented. The maximum funding allocation will be 100 acres per landowner per fiscal year.

Applications need to be submitted to the landowner’s local N.C. Forest Service office for initial review before they are sent to the NCFS Central Office for final approval. Applications will be funded on a first-come, first-served basis until all available funds have been allocated. Projects should be completed by May 1, 2020.

To learn more about the Florence Reforestation Fund, landowners should call their local county ranger’s office.

Terry Garrison

Rep. Terry E. Garrison Co-Sponsors Bill to Expand Medicaid in NC

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-Information courtesy Rep. Terry E. Garrison, District 32, NC General Assembly

Yesterday, Representative Terry E. Garrison co-sponsored House Bill 5 (HB 5), a proposal to expand Medicaid in North Carolina and increase access to affordable health care for more than 500,000 North Carolinians, including approximately 1748 in Vance County; 759 in Warren County; and 1,672 in Granville County alone.

“I am proud to co-sponsor HB 5 which would expand Medicaid and increase health care coverage for families combined across District 32. This bill would help more than 4179 families in District 32 gain access to coverage, but the full effects would be felt by our entire community. North Carolinians shouldn’t be forced to put the health of themselves and their families on the back burner because they can’t afford insurance. We can and should ease that burden this year,” said Representative Garrison.

By introducing a bill to expand Medicaid as the first bill of the 2019 legislative session, state Democrats are signaling their number one priority is helping working families. In addition to making health care more affordable for hundreds of thousands of our people, this proposal would boost our economy and create jobs. According to an analysis prepared by the Center for Health Policy Research at George Washington University, if Medicaid expansion had occurred by 2016, then its impact by 2020 would have been:

• Created 86 jobs in Vance County; 24 jobs in Warren County; 80 jobs in Granville County
• Created $79.9 million in new business activity for Vance County; $11.6 million in new business activity for Warren County; and $87 million in new business activity for Granville County.
• Created $52.1 million in new county revenue for Vance County; $7.1 million in new county revenue for Warren County; and $49.7 million in new county revenue for Granville County.

According to state estimates, expanding Medicaid will overwhelmingly be paid for by the federal government. Any remaining costs would be funded by a small assessment on hospitals and other health care providers.

“Expanding Medicaid is good for our people, good for our economy, and good for our Rural Veteran families or those struggling with addiction, and I look forward to speaking with people across my district about why this is such a critical step we must take together,” Representative Garrison concluded.

Rural North Carolina has the most to gain from Medicaid expansion. Rural hospitals are struggling. Since 2010, five rural hospitals in North Carolina have closed and two have lost critical services like maternity and labor wards. But rural hospitals located in states that have expanded Medicaid are 84% less likely to close. Expanding Medicaid will keep the doors open on rural hospitals, providing vital health care to our communities.

NC Dept of Agriculture

First Round of State’s Agriculture Disaster Checks Headed to Farmers

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-Press Release, NCDA&CS

Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler announced today that the first round of checks from the state’s $240 million Agricultural Disaster Relief Program of 2018 have been sent to farmers.

“More than $15.2 million in payments were mailed today, and a second batch will go out Friday, Feb. 1,” Troxler said. “By week’s end, we anticipate having around 2,000 applications processed.”

Nearly 7,000 applications for assistance were submitted to the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services as part of the program. The N.C. General Assembly unanimously approved funding in response to more than $1.2 billion in estimated agricultural losses from Hurricane Florence and Tropical Storm Michael. Gov. Roy Cooper signed the legislation into law.

The applications are being processed randomly and are not being done on a county-by-county basis. Complete applications, not missing any information or documentation, are being processed first. Applications missing information will require follow-up calls in order to be verified and approved.

“This is the most important thing I have worked on since becoming Ag Commissioner,” Troxler said. “Agriculture is the backbone of our economy and it was absolutely pummeled in 2018. Many farmers are hurting and may not be able to secure funding to start the 2019 growing season. While this money does not come close to making whole the crop losses, I hope it will help farmers get financing for the coming year and help jump-start the economies of rural North Carolina.”

A total of 70 of the state’s 100 counties received a presidential or secretarial disaster declaration, qualifying farmers for the program.

The federal government shutdown created some delays in getting applications processed, but work is continuing to verify and approve the remaining applications.

Applicants had to submit the Farm Service Agency form 578 with their applications, which includes acreage being grown.

Other information considered in determining payments includes the five-year average price for commodities, the county average yield and the county estimated losses, which were determined by an ad-hoc committee made up of county FSA officials, cooperative extension agents, forest service staff and soil and water conservation district staff.

Checks will continue to be processed weekly as they are verified and approved.

Maria Parham Health Opens Multispecialty Clinic in Louisburg

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– Press Release, Maria Parham Health 

Maria Parham Health has opened a new multispecialty physicians clinic in Louisburg to provide more access to medical care for the residents of Franklin County and the surrounding communities. Maria Parham Multispecialty Clinic provides a rotation of specialty care that currently includes primary care, general surgery, physiatry, nephrology and orthopaedics. For added convenience, the clinic will offer primary care seven days a week.

“Our new clinic will allow us to better meet the growing demand in Franklin County by bringing more specialty care to the community,” said Bert Beard, Chief Executive Officer at Maria Parham Health. “It is important to be able to offer patients and local businesses access to quality medical care in their own community and we are excited to expand access to specialty care in Louisburg.”

Maria Parham Multispecialty Clinic is conveniently located in the medical office building adjacent to Maria Parham Franklin so new and existing patients can see physicians in five medical specialties with the added convenience of having additional clinical services located right next door. “Our goal is to not only expand access to health care in Franklin County but to also make it a convenient process for our patients,” stated Beard. “Patients can see a primary care provider or specialist at our multispecialty clinic and step right next door to Maria Parham Franklin for lab work or imaging needs. We want to make it easy for people to get the health care they need.”

Maria Parham Multispecialty Clinic is now open at 1501 N Bickett Blvd, Suite E. in Louisburg, North Carolina. Appointments can be made by calling (919) 497-8380.