-Information courtesy Kristen G. King, Clerk to the Board, Franklin County
Due to Hurricane Michael, Franklin County Government offices will close today, October 11 at 3 p.m.
The Franklin County Board of Elections office will remain open for their scheduled poll worker training.
-Information courtesy Vance-Granville Community College
Due to the threat of inclement weather, all campuses of Vance-Granville Community College will be closing at 10:30 a.m. today, Thursday, October 11.
The Scholarship Awards Dinner scheduled for tonight will be postponed to a later date.
By Karissa Niehoff, Executive Director of the National Federation of State High School Associations and Que Tucker, Commissioner of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association.
From the Greatest Generation to Baby Boomers, Generation X to Millennials, teenagers in every era have had challenges growing up.
In today’s digital world, high school students are being tested in unique and demanding ways. The Washington Post confirms that 73 percent of all American teenagers own their own smartphone and, on average, spend almost nine hours a day texting, chatting, gaming, blogging, streaming and visiting with friends online.
Although conclusive research showing a direct correlation between the mental health of teenagers and smartphone usage won’t be complete for years, it isn’t a great confidence builder for a student to discover online that everyone else seems to have more friends.
In addition, recent figures indicate that more than 31 percent of America’s 42 million teenagers are overweight or obese, compared to only five percent in 1980. According to the 2016 National Survey of Children’s Health, North Carolina is ranked the 25th most obese state in the nation with 30.9 percent of all teenagers considered overweight.
Not surprisingly, many psychologists and researchers agree that today’s teenagers are more lonely, anxious and depressed than ever before.
As the new school year gets underway and social pressures increase, statistics like these verify how important it is for teenagers to participate in high school sports and other activities such as marching band, choir, speech and debate.
The most recent survey by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) indicates there are almost eight million participants in high school sports and more than four million in performing arts activities. Most of these students would agree the primary advantage of playing a sport or participating in an after-school activity is the opportunity to meet new people and develop meaningful friendships. An online chat is no substitute for working toward a common goal face-to-face, side-by-side for weeks on end with teammates.
And positive social relationships are only the beginning. Among other benefits, high school sports are instrumental in helping teenagers establish nutritional and exercise habits that will carry them for a lifetime. Participating in a sport in high school is a great way to maintain a healthy weight, establish good eating and sleeping habits, discourage the use of alcohol and drugs and develop a greater sense of self-esteem.
Additional benefits of participating in a high school sport or activity are shared by the NFHS on a new website at MyReasonWhy.com, where dozens of high school students address this topic in their own words through videos.
A new school year brings with it an opportunity for teenagers to make new friends and establish new lifestyle habits. Encouraging them to make friends on the field of play as well as online is a great way to start.
-Information courtesy Franklin County Schools
Due to the impending inclement weather, all Franklin County schools are closed for students and staff tomorrow, October 11.
All school-related activities and events are also canceled Thursday.
Friday, October 12 will remain a teacher workday. There is no school for students on that day.
Please monitor the district website and our social media channels for further weather-related announcements including updates to this week’s schedule and make-up days.
-Press Release, Vance-Granville Community College
The Vance-Granville Community College Board of Trustees is now inviting applications and nominations for the position of President of the college.
A website has been launched with a presidential profile and the details of the application procedure. The site can be reached at www.vgcc.edu/presidentialsearch.
General inquiries about the college and application materials can be directed to April Perkinson, search liaison to the board, at (252) 738-3227 or perkinson@vgcc.edu.
To be assured consideration, resumes and cover letters must be received by Friday, November 9, 2018, according to the website. Resumes with cover letters and nominations will be accepted until the position is filled.
The Trustees are working with the firm of Executive Leadership Associates (ELA) LLC of Emerald Isle to assist in the search for a replacement for Dr. Stelfanie Williams who left the college in August to take a job with Duke University. The new president will be the seventh in the history of the college.
ELA, described as “a consortium of former North Carolina community college presidents who are committed to ensuring that our internationally recognized community college system continues its proud tradition of excellence,” was selected by the Board of Trustees at its September 17 meeting.
The firm is helping the Trustees by creating the presidential profile of the ideal candidate needed, guiding the search process, and recruiting and screening applicants as needed.
The trustees are expected to present finalists to the State Board of Community Colleges for evaluation early in 2019, said Dr. Gordon Burns who is serving as interim president for the college. The board plans to have the new president in place in March 2019. Dr. Burns served as president of Wilkes Community College in North Wilkesboro for 18 years before retiring in 2014.
Serving on the Trustees’ presidential search committee are Trustees Deborah Brown, chair; Herb Gregory, vice chair; N. Annette P. Myers, Abdul Sm Rasheed, Donald C. Seifert, Sr., and Sara C. Wester.
Letter to the Editor – courtesy Bert Beard, CEO, Maria Parham Health
On Tuesday, November 6, our country will once again have the opportunity to select the next group of elected officials who will lead our country in Washington, D.C., our state capital and right here in our local communities. I encourage you to take time on that date to exercise your right to vote and also join me in voting for leaders who support community hospitals.
We at Maria Parham Health know firsthand the direct link between success of a hospital and the support that it receives from elected officials. Regularly, our hospital engages with elected officials at all levels of government and across party lines to help demonstrate the work of the hospital and the importance of healthcare to our community. We believe it is important for us to come together as a community to champion the health issues that directly affect the well-being of our citizens.
In this spirit, the time is now to vote for leaders who will tackle the pressing healthcare challenges facing rural hospitals. These include inadequate funding and growing numbers of people in communities, like ours, who don’t have access to insurance. Support from our federal, state and local elected officials is essential for Maria Parham Health to continue advancing our mission of Making Communities Healthier® – and you can help by heading to the polls.
You may be asking yourself, “where do I vote?” or, “am I registered to vote?” If you are unsure, please contact our local county election office. They can inform you of both where you should go to vote and also confirm if you are a registered voter.
As always, thank you for entrusting your health to Maria Parham Health. It is our great privilege to serve you and your family, and we look forward to continuing to serve the health needs of our communities long into the future.
Bert Beard
Chief Executive Officer
Maria Parham Health
(Maria Parham Health is a paid advertising client of WIZS. This letter is not a paid advertisement.)
-Press Release, Kayla Turnbow, Navy Office of Community Outreach
America’s Navy is coming to Louisburg, North Carolina, one of 19 cities in four states to host a performance by the United States Navy Band during its 2018 tour — one of the signature outreach programs of the U.S. Navy.
The U.S. Navy Band Commodores jazz ensemble performance is scheduled for October 25, 2018, at 7:30 p.m. at Louisburg College’s Seby B. Jones Performing Arts Center.
(Photo Credit: Navy Office of Community Outreach)
Jazz is America’s music and the Commodores, the Navy’s premier jazz ensemble, has been performing the very best of big band jazz for the Navy and the nation for almost 50 years. They have appeared on TV shows, played nearly all major jazz festivals and toured across the United States and abroad. This vibrant, dynamic group is constantly striving for musical excellence and the pursuit of new and exciting ways to communicate with their audiences.
One of the U.S. Navy Band’s primary responsibilities involves touring the country. All of the band’s primary performing ensembles embark each year on concert tours throughout specified regions of the country, allowing the band to reach audiences in areas of the country that do not have opportunities to see the Navy’s premier musical ensembles on a regular basis. The concerts are family-friendly events, entertaining to veterans, families, individuals and those interested in joining the Navy.
All Navy Band performances are free and open to the public.
-Information courtesy Lynn Allred, Public Information Officer/Grants Coordinator, County of Granville
IPAWS National Test
• The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), will conduct a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) system on October 3, 2018.
• The test will assess the readiness to distribute an emergency message nationwide and determine whether improvements are needed.
• The test messages will be sent using FEMA’s IPAWS, which enables authorities to send emergency messages to multiple communications networks, including the EAS and WEA as part of the nation’s modern alert and warning infrastructure.
• Sending the WEA test message will begin at 2:18 p.m. EDT. The EAS message will be sent at 2:20 p.m. EDT.
• This will be the first nationwide Presidential-level WEA test and cannot be opted out.
• Originally planned for September 20, 2018, the test has been postponed until October 3, 2018. A back-up date is always planned in case of severe weather or other significant events.
Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) Test
Cell towers will broadcast the WEA test for approximately 30 minutes beginning at 2:18 p.m. EDT. During this time, WEA-compatible cell phones that are switched on and within range of an active cell tower, and whose wireless carrier participates in WEA, should be capable of receiving the test message. Cell phones should receive the message only once.
The WEA test message will be a Presidential Alert and will read: “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.”
WEA messages are sent by public safety officials to warn the public about dangerous situations in other critical emergencies. The national test will use the same special tone and vibration as with all WEA messages (e.g. tornado warnings and AMBER Alerts).
The EAS test message is distributed to radio and television broadcasters, cable systems, satellite radio and television providers, and wireline video providers.
The test message will be similar to regular monthly EAS test messages with which the public is familiar and interrupts programming for approximately one minute.
The EAS message will read: “THIS IS A TEST of the National Emergency Alert System. This system was developed by broadcast and cable operators in voluntary cooperation with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Federal Communications Commission, and local authorities to keep you informed in the event of an emergency. If this had been an actual emergency, an official message would have followed the tone alert you heard at the start of this message. A similar Wireless Emergency Alert test message has been sent to all cell phones nationwide. Some cell phones will receive the message; others will not. No action is required.”
For additional information, please visit the FEMA website by clicking here.
-Information courtesy Maria Parham Health
Maria Parham Health, a Duke LifePoint Healthcare hospital, will celebrate the upcoming grand opening of Maria Parham Franklin in Louisburg. The community is invited to join the Maria Parham leadership team on Wednesday, October 3, 2018, for a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house from 3:30 – 7 p.m.
Located at 100 Hospital Drive in Louisburg, Maria Parham Franklin will celebrate the grand opening of the emergency room and geriatric behavioral health unit.
For more information, please visit www.mariaparhamfranklin.com
-Information courtesy the State Board of Elections & Ethics Enforcement website
With Election Day quickly approaching on Tuesday, November 6, 2018, WIZS would like to take the opportunity to remind you of the upcoming deadlines and the steps to take to register to vote in North Carolina:
Register to Vote
In order to register to vote in North Carolina, a person must meet the legal qualifications to vote and complete a voter registration application. When completing the application, applicants must provide their full name, residential address, date of birth, and citizenship status. After completion, the application should be mailed to the board of elections office in the county in which the applicant resides. You can find the address of your county board of elections office by clicking here.
If the application is complete and the applicant meets all qualifications to vote, the county board of elections will mail a voter registration card to the applicant to provide notice of the registration.
Voter registration applicants who have met the voter registration deadline should expect to receive their voter card within 1 to 2 weeks. Applicants should contact their county board of elections if they do not receive their voter card within two weeks. Note: The applicant must have transmitted the registration application by the registration deadline; otherwise, the voter card will not be mailed until after the completion of the election.
Qualifications to Vote
To register to vote in North Carolina, a prospective voter must meet all of the following qualifications:
Voter Registration Deadline
The deadline to register to vote in North Carolina is 25 days before the date of an election. The voter registration application must be received by the applicant’s county boards of elections by this date. If an application is received after the deadline, the application may still be timely if it was mailed and it is postmarked on or before the voter registration deadline; otherwise, the application will not be processed until after the election.
For more detailed NC voting information, including One-Stop Early Voting and Same-Day Registration, click here.
