Tag Archive for: #franklincountynews

Franklin Co. Sheriff’s Office Arrests Man for Statutory Rape of a Child

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-Press Release, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, Terry M. Wright – Chief of Staff

On June 25, 2018, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Unit issued a warrant for the arrest of Jonathan Robert Pyron, a Johnston County resident.

Jonathan Robert Pyron was charged with the following: one (1) count of Felony Statutory Rape of a Child <= 15 years old; and one (1) count of Felony Indecent Liberties with a Child.

On June 25, 2018, the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office arrested Jonathan Robert Pyron at the Johnston County Detention Center where he was being held on an unrelated criminal charge.

Jonathan Robert Pyron is currently being held in the Johnston County Detention Center under a $1,000,000 secured bond.

New VGCC Nursing Scholarship Named in Honor of Retired Registered Nurse

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-Press Release, Vance-Granville Community College

Hutson Wester of Henderson recently made a donation to the Vance-Granville Community College Endowment Fund to create the Brenda McGee Wester, R.N., Academic Achievement Scholarship in honor of his wife.

Wester has long been a supporter of the college’s scholarship program. He started his first scholarship in the 1980s, recently elevating the Hutson Wester Insurance scholarship to the Presidential Merit Award status. He started the Virginia L. Wester Academic Achievement Scholarship in 2015 in memory of his former wife. He was also instrumental in endowing the Henderson Rotary Club Academic Achievement Scholarship in 2008.

Now retired from Wester Insurance Agency in Henderson, Wester also taught Continuing Education classes on insurance at VGCC for several years.

Brenda McGee Wester retired after 30 years as a Registered Nurse in 2005, having worked at Duke Raleigh Medical Center and Wake Medical Center as well as spending a portion of that time in State government. She received her Associate Degree in Nursing from Johnston Community College and is considering enrolling into a Bachelor of Science in Nursing program at a four-year institution, she said.

Hutson Wester and his wife, Brenda, present a donation to Vance-Granville Community College’s Endowment Fund to start the Brenda McGee Wester, R.N., Academic Achievement Scholarship. From left are Eddie Ferguson, Endowment Fund director; Kay Currin, Endowment specialist; Brenda Wester; Hutson Wester; and VGCC President Dr. Stelfanie Williams.

Mrs. Wester said her career in Nursing was sparked by her mother’s interest in helping neighbors in the McGee’s Crossroads community while growing up as one of six daughters on a 100-acre tobacco farm in Johnston County. “My mother, Lillie McGee, was the one that they called on when a mother was having a baby,” said Mrs. Wester. “My mother was a nurse by what came natural to her,” serving as a midwife in addition to providing loving care to members of her family.

“I know what it’s like to come along and want to be a nurse, but some students can’t afford to go to college,” said Mrs. Wester. “Having a scholarship available will help them be able to make it. That means a lot to me.”

In awarding the newest scholarship, preference will be given to students enrolled in eight or more credit hours in one of the college’s Nursing programs. A minimum grade point average of 2.5 will be required. VGCC offers Associate Degree Nursing, LPN to ADN Transition, RIBN (Regionally Increasing Baccalaureate Nursing) and Practical Nursing among its Health Sciences programs.

“I think Vance-Granville is one of the best things that ever happened in our four-county area,” said Hutson Wester. “I’ve seen what the college has done since the very beginning when it was located in the former Maria Parham Hospital building on Chestnut Street in Henderson.”

VGCC President Dr. Stelfanie Williams voiced her appreciation of the new scholarship. “Students who are preparing for careers in Nursing have a new source of support, thanks to the generosity of Hutson Wester. This scholarship, like those he started earlier, is so essential in helping us meet our mission of educating, inspiring and supporting our students.”

Eddie Ferguson, director of the VGCC Endowment Fund, added, “Hutson Wester has been such a strong supporter of the college — in the classroom, in the community and also on the golf course as a regular participant in our annual Endowment Fund golf tournament. He has chosen a meaningful way to honor his wife.”

The new scholarship will add to the more than 9,000 scholarships that have been awarded to students since 1982, funded by interest earned on the Endowment Fund and Scholarship Program. Scholarships have been established by individuals, industries, businesses, civic groups, churches and the college’s faculty and staff to assist deserving students. Tax-deductible donations to the VGCC Endowment Fund have often been used to honor or remember a person, group, business, industry or organization with a lasting gift to education. In the Fall of 2017, Vance-Granville awarded scholarships to 306 students.

For more information, the Office of the Endowment can be reached by calling Endowment Specialist Kay Currin at (252) 738-3409.

NC Coop Extension

Parenting Tip of the Week – 6/25/18

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-Weekly parenting tips provided courtesy of Jean Bell, Parenting Education Coordinator, Vance County Cooperative Extension

Create Your Own Summer Camp at Home

Planning some activities for your kids during the summer can help stave off those “I’m bored” comments from children. Plan a summer camp at home.  You can plan activities for a week or just one day. Pick a theme for the camp and involve the whole family in planning activities. Each family member can choose the theme for their camp. You might have a lake day with picnics or boating, a museum day to check out art with art activities for everyone to create when you get home, or even a cooking camp. Use your imagination and have fun planning and doing new activities this summer.

VGCC Pins Associate Degree Nursing Graduates

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-Press Release, Vance-Granville Community College

Vance-Granville Community College recognized 34 students who graduated this spring from the Associate Degree Nursing program with a pinning ceremony in the college’s Civic Center on May 9.

Among those honored with distinctive nursing pins at the ceremonies were eight who graduated through the LPN to ADN Transition Program, which helps Licensed Practical Nurses to continue their education and then become Registered Nurses. Those graduates were William Autrey of Henderson; Joan Currin of Kittrell; Tammy Emery of Creedmoor; Brittany McFarland of Kittrell; Latonya Morton of Oxford; Roselyne Muhimpundu of Wake Forest; Laura Murray of Oxford; and Omar O’Brien of Wake Forest.

Members of the 2018 Associate Degree Nursing class at Vance-Granville Community College who received their nursing pins on May 9 included, on front row, from left: Shayne Gravitt, Valerie Strange, Victoria Puplampu, Halie Brooks, Laura Murray, Brittany McFarland, Crystal Satterfield and Courtney Moss; second row, from left: Tonya Berry, Caitlyn Smith, Ashley Drake, Jessica White, Brittany Beddingfield and Jeannie Adcock; third row, from left: Brittani Lynch, Roselyne Muhimpundu and Guadalupe Duran; fourth row, from left: Tammy Emery, Stephen Gakumo, Caitlin Moen, Mary Ann Rojas-Galvan, Christine Kingsley, Kaylan Hoyle, Shakeera Robinson, Tasha Warren and Rachel Morton; back row, from left: William Autrey, Jodie Carroll, Joan Currin, Latonya Morton, Matthew Grooms and Omar O’Brien; not pictured: Joy Harris and Mujahid Yagoub. (VGCC Photo)

The graduates who took courses in the traditional five-semester sequence included Jeannie Adcock of Oxford; Brittany Beddingfield of Oxford; Tonya Berry of Franklinton; Halie Brooks of Raleigh; Jodie Carroll of Oxford; Ashley Drake of Stovall; Guadalupe Duran of Louisburg; Stephen Gakumo of Durham; Shayne Gravitt of Raleigh; Matthew Grooms of Butner; Joy Harris of Oxford; Kaylan Hoyle of Henderson; Christine Kingsley of Louisburg; Brittani Lynch of Hollister; Caitlin Moen of Cary; Rachel Morton of Louisburg; Courtney Moss of Henderson; Victoria Puplampu of Durham; Shakeera Robinson of Franklinton; Mary Ann Rojas-Galvan of Creedmoor; Crystal Satterfield of Oxford; Caitlyn Smith of Creedmoor; Valerie Strange of Bullock; Tasha Warren of Henderson; Jessica White of Louisburg; and Mujahid Yagoub of Durham.

In welcoming remarks, Dr. Levy Brown, VGCC’s vice president of academic affairs, described the class as being “highly sought after” by employers, colleges and universities because of their educational background and skill level. “Over 80 percent of these students already have a job waiting for them as a registered nurse,” he added.

Associate Degree Nursing program head/instructor Dr. Anna Seaman praised the class for its hard work, dedication and compassion. “Your efforts have not gone unnoticed,” she said. “You have the knowledge and the skills you need to be successful. But, most importantly, you have the dedication and the heart to do it with caring and compassion. We know that the dedication and compassion that you possess will be appreciated by those patients and families that you care for in the future.”

Halie Brooks, the president of the Class of 2018 nursing graduates, thanked families for their support as well as the nursing instructors. In remarks to her classmates, she added, “We have made lifelong friendships that we will forever cherish. We have also been each other’s support system through the early mornings, long days and late nights. And without each other, we may not be here.”

Academic honors were presented to graduates who completed the program with at least a 3.5 grade point average: Adcock, Brooks, Carroll, Duran, Emery, Grooms, Hoyle, O’Brien, Strange and finally Murray, who was recognized for having the highest GPA in the class.

Cords were presented to students who participated as members of the National Student Nurses Association, which sponsors community service projects and professional development. These students included Beddingfield, Berry, Brooks, Carroll, Drake, Duran, Gravitt, Grooms, Harris, Hoyle, Kingsley, Lynch, McFarland, Latonya Morton, Rachel Morton, Moss, Pumlampu, Robinson, Rojas-Galvan, Smith, Warren, White and Yagoub.

Instructor Brande McIlroy described the significance of the nursing pin. The unique green and gold pin identifies each nurse as a VGCC graduate and indicates that the graduate has the training and competence to serve as a professional nurse. During the ceremony, graduates were pinned by Dr. Seaman and received lamps and roses from instructors Ugur Celimli and Vanessa Ramseur. Meanwhile, Nursing Department Chair Erica Jastrow read their biographies. After all graduates had received pins, the lights in the Civic Center were lowered, and instructor Crystal Senter led students in reciting the “Florence Nightingale Pledge” by lamplight.

The invocation was delivered by Rachel Morton and the benediction by Brittany McFarland, both of them graduates of the program. Also participating in the program were instructors Patsy Pegram and Michael Frazier.

A Flickr album of photographs from the pinning ceremony is available at https://www.flickr.com/photos/vancegranvillecc/albums/72157696465731814.

Two Arrested for Breaking/Entering/Larceny in Youngsville

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-Press Release, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, Terry M. Wright – Chief of Staff

On June 15, 2018, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, Franklinton Police Department, and Youngsville Police Department responded to a Breaking and Entering on Bert Winston Road, Youngsville. All agencies established a perimeter in the area and Jesus Reyes Carreon and Pedro Antonio Castro were taken into custody without incident.

Jesus Reyes Carreon (Photo courtesy Franklin County Sheriff’s Office)

Jesus Reyes Carreon, a Franklin County resident, was charged with the following: one (1) count of Break and/or Enter a Residence and one (1) count of Larceny After Breaking and Entering.

Pedro Antonio Castro (Photo courtesy Franklin County Sheriff’s Office)

Pedro Antonio Castro, a Franklin County resident was charged with the following: one (1) count of Break and/or Enter a Residence and one (1) count of Larceny After Breaking and Entering. Pedro Antonio Castro was charged with an additional one (1) count of Break and/or Enter a Building and one (1) count of Larceny After Breaking and Entering on a warrant from an incident on May 25, 2018, at the Franklin County Solid Waste on Timberlake Road, Louisburg.

Jesus Reyes Carreon was placed in the Franklin County Detention Center under a $20,000.00 secured bond.

Pedro Antonio Castro is currently being held in the Franklin County Detention Center under a $105,000.00 secured bond.

This matter remains under investigation and no further information will be released at this time. If anyone should have any additional information pertaining to this investigation, please call Detective Nick Kapl at 919-340-4344.

Families Living Violence Free

High Number of NC Homicides Makes Families Living Violence Free Say “Enough!”

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-Information courtesy Peggy Roark, Sexual Assault Advocate & PREA Coordinator, Families Living Violence Free

As of June 3, there have been 32 domestic violence homicides in North Carolina in 2018!

The youngest victim was 7 months old…

It’s time to say “Enough!” SPEAK UP!

If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, please call Families Living Violence Free at 919-693-5700 Crisis Line or the Hispanic Crisis Line at 919-690-0888 Day or Night!

We are here for you!

You could be saving a life…it might be your own.

(This is not a paid advertisement)

NCDOT’s Office of Civil Rights Seeking Stakeholder Participation

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-Press Release, NCDOT

DURHAM – The N.C. Department of Transportation’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR) is inviting stakeholders not limited to but including small businesses, general contractors, suppliers and supportive and professional service providers, to participate in the department’s next session of it’s 2018 Community Engagement Series.

“This series is designed to offer networking and learning opportunities for contractors, consultants and other companies seeking to do business with NCDOT, and is being hosted in each of NCDOT’s 14 Highway Divisions throughout the remainder of 2018,” said Chief Deputy Secretary David Howard.

“OCR’s motto is to ‘Recruit, Train, Retain and Grow,’ and this series is a conduit for us to execute that mission on behalf of the department and the taxpayers of this great state,” said Office of Civil Rights Director Shelby Scales.

The next meeting in the series will be held from 8:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 21, on the campus of North Carolina Central University inside the NCCU School of Law building at 640 Nelson Street, Durham.

NCDOT is committed to ensuring that no person shall – on the grounds of race, color, national origin, limited English proficiency, income status, sex, age or disability – be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of or be otherwise subjected to discrimination under any NCDOT program or activity, as provided by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and other related nondiscrimination laws and authorities.

NCDOT will provide auxiliary aids and services under the Americans with Disabilities Act for disabled persons who wish to participate in the Series. Anyone requiring special services should contact Mark Whisenant at 919-508-1822 or mawhisenant@ncdot.gov as early as possible so arrangements can be made.

For more information contact: NCDOT Office of Civil Rights at (919) 508-1808 or ncdotocr@ncdot.gov.

Heavy Equipment Operator Course Returns to VGCC’s Warren Campus in July

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-Press Release, Vance-Granville Community College

WARRENTON — The Heavy Equipment Operator course will be offered by Vance-Granville Community College starting Tuesday, July 10, at the college’s Warren County Campus.

A Short-Term Workforce Training Grant from the N.C. Community College System will be available to cover the cost of tuition and books for qualified students taking the nine-week course, according to Kyle Burwell, VGCC’s director of occupational extension.

“This course presents an excellent opportunity for students to learn the techniques and safety aspects of operating heavy equipment while exploring the various types and functions of the equipment,” Burwell said. “Students completing the course come away from it with the general understanding to secure a job for a company preparing a site for the construction of buildings, roadways and other structures.”

The college has worked with the North Carolina Department of Transportation to help course completers find jobs with companies that contract with the State.

“This is a new career opportunity that Vance-Granville began offering just a few years ago with training that previously had not been available in our service area,” Burwell said. Classes will be held on Tuesday, Wednesdays and Thursdays, July 10 to Sept. 11, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with a one-hour lunch break.

Above: Matthew Paynter trains on a motor grader simulator in a classroom on the college’s Warren County Campus during a previous Heavy Equipment Operator course. (VGCC photo)

The Heavy Equipment Operator training program has three computerized training simulators, offering a safe and efficient way to train new operators in a risk-free environment, Burwell said. Highly detailed and realistic lessons teach proper operator technique, machine controls, and safe operation. The simulators feature real-world situations, job site hazards, safety violations, hand signals, equipment damage, budget-based scoring, and replica machine controls.

Each simulator allows students to train virtually on different types of equipment: a motor grader, a four-wheel drive loader and a backhoe. Students use foot pedals, joysticks and steering wheels that mimic those found in actual heavy equipment, while large computer monitors in front of them display a virtual job site in the first-person style of a video game. VGCC students use the equipment not only for practice and experience but also for testing that is required to pass the course.

The instructor for the course will be Steve Buus, who earned his diploma in Heavy Equipment Operation from Wake Technical Community College. Buus has held various positions with Caterpillar and similar companies as an operator and manager of heavy equipment. He has 30-Hour OSHA Certification in Construction Training from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

To register for the course, students may visit www.vgcc.edu/schedules/occupational-extension-schedule.

Students interested in applying for the grant should contact Kyle Burwell at (252) 738-3276 or burwellk@vgcc.edu.

Franklin County Sheriff

Warren Co. Man Faces Assault, First Degree Burglary Charges

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-Press Release, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, Terry M. Wright – Chief of Staff

Willie Jiggetts faces multiple charges including Assault with a Deadly Weapon with Intent to Kill and First Degree Burglary.

On June 5, 2018, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division (CID) issued warrants for the arrest of Willie Jiggetts, a Warren County resident. The charges were the result of an investigation that was initiated following an incident located at 30 Echo Lane Louisburg, NC for a domestic with weapons call. As a result of the investigation, criminal charges were issued consisting of the following: one (1) count of Assault with a Deadly Weapon with Intent to Kill, one (1) count of Communicating Threats, one (1) count of First Degree Burglary, one (1) count of Possession of Schedule II Controlled Substance, and one (1) count of Maintain a Vehicle or Dwelling for the Storage of Controlled Substance.

On June 11, 2018, Willie Jiggetts was arrested by Raleigh Police Department and transported to the Wake County Detention Facility after being released from Wake Medical Center. Willie Jiggetts was given a $500,000 secured bond and is currently being held in the Wake County Detention Facility.

Rebuilding Hope, Inc. to Participate in Servants on Site Event

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-Information courtesy Don Dunlin and the monthly Rebuilding Hope, Inc. Newsletter

Servants on Site Event – June 23 – 30, 2018

Participants in this year’s Servants on Site (SOS) will repair 12 roofs and build six wheelchair ramps. The June 23-30 event will be our sixth annual week of witnessing and sharing Christ and serving people in need in our communities.

As the May 1 deadline for registering passed, 153 participants had signed up.

Project Coordination

Leigh Humphries is once again project coordinator, a job she’s had since the first SOS week in 2013.

Leigh, who lives in Person County, has sorted through the registrants and organized the crews according to the types of jobs scheduled. Before the work begins, she will assign encouragers for the crews at the work sites, which she visits during the week.

Leigh’s duties continue once the day’s work is done as she helps chaperone the youth overnight at Crossroads Christian School.

“It’s a big job and a huge responsibility,” says Leigh, a member of Theresa Baptist Church.

“This time of year I get a little anxious,” she said, “but when the kids get here there’s a lot of joy.”

Materials Coordination

Without a steady supply of materials, the jobs would not be completed. And that’s where Walt Slaton, a member of Central Baptist Church, comes in as materials coordinator.

With a worksheet describing each job, Walt assembles shingles, tar paper, lumber, nails, bolts, nuts, washers, tools, compressors, hoses and more the week before SOS. Materials are on-hand, donated or purchased locally. Where possible, materials are delivered to sites before the work week begins.

Throughout the week, Walt says he has runners ready at the RHI warehouse to resupply workers through a chain that begins with a job’s crew chief who notifies a multisite supervisor. The supervisor notifies Walt who dispatches a runner.

Destination SOS

In addition to participants from Vance, Granville, Warren and neighboring counties, teams will be coming from a number of communities, such as Roxboro, Windy Gap and Otto, reports Martha McGowan, SOS secretary and a member of West End Baptist Church.

And it’s also Destination SOS for teams from Alabama and South Carolina.

Breakfast and Supper

Breakfast and supper are served at Central Baptist Church, beginning with Sunday breakfast before the work week begins.

Central Baptist member Roger Bibee does most of the cooking.

Supplies, Roger says, include 4-5 cases of liquid eggs, 300 chicken quarters, 10 gallons of spaghetti sauce and noodles, 40-45 pounds of bacon, sausage, hash browns and more. Supper includes a full salad bar. A team of six helps with serving and cleaning up.

Lunches

Fifteen churches will provide lunches for the teams at the work sites. The churches are Fuller’s Chapel, Gardner Baptist Church, First Baptist Church (Creedmoor), West End Baptist Church, Raleigh Road Baptist Church, Liberty Christian Church, New Bethel Baptist Church, New Life Baptist Church (Henderson), North Henderson Baptist Church, New Sandy Creek Baptist Church, St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Carey Baptist Church, Oxford Baptist Church, Island Creek Baptist Church, and Norlina Baptist Church.

Week’s Theme is “Fixed”

The theme for the week this year is “Fixed.” The meaning of the theme will be explained by guest speakers at each of the evening worship services during the week.

The services and their emphases will be: Sunday, “Need Fixing,” based on Romans 3:9-18; Monday, “Can Be Fixed,” based on Romans 1:16; Tuesday, “All Eyes Fixed on Jesus,” a panel discussion; Thursday, “God’s Plan is Fixed,” based on Matthew 28; Friday, “God is Fixing a Place – Eternity,” based on John 14:1-11. On Wednesday afternoon, participants have free time.

The public is encouraged to attend the worship services at 7 p.m. at Central Baptist Church, except Wednesday night.

Needs for SOS

Volunteers – Adult/college-age volunteers are needed to serve as staff during the week. Staff assists with setting up the rooms, posting signs and schedules and for chores such as cleaning bath and restroom facilities.

Financial Support for SOS Projects

A roofing project costs approximately $2,000, but any amount is appreciated. A church sponsoring a project will “adopt” the crew for the week and serve lunch each day. Your crew will attend your church for worship and lunch on Sunday and meet your congregation. Afterward, the crew will visit the homeowner.

How to Bring a Group to Rebuilding Hope, Inc.

RHI has a number of volunteer opportunities throughout the year and will work with you or your group (youth or adult) to not only meet the needs of homeowners but also to meet the needs of your group in its effort to put its faith into action serving others.

We provide job locations and materials for hands-on experience and will arrange for one-day projects or projects for more than one day. Overnight accommodations can be arranged. E-mail us at rwilson@rebuildinghopeinc.org or call 252-438-5132 for more information or registration.

Please visit Rebuilding Hope’s website at www.rebuildinghopeinc.org for additional information on the organization and the upcoming SOS event.