Granville Vance Public Health announced that it will close its offices Thursday at 2 p.m. due to flooding and downed trees from Tropical Storm Debby.
GVPH is scheduled to reopen tomorrow, Friday, Aug. 9, at 10:30 a.m.
Due to adverse weather conditions, all Maria Parham Health Physician Practice Clinics closed at 12 noon today, Aug. 8. If you have an appointment scheduled for this afternoon, our team will be reaching out to reschedule as soon as possible.
Good news: The hospital itself is fully operational with no loss of power, so all scheduled surgical procedures will proceed as planned.
Donna Young, the hospital’s marketing and communications coordinator and public information officer, said patients can find the latest information at the Maria Parham Health Facebook page.
The start of high school sports for the 2024-25 athletic year is officially upon us here in Kerr-Lake Country. Oxford Prep Athletic Director John Hammett joins SportsTalk with Bill Harris and George Hoyle on Thursday to talk all about it. In regards to the season itself, Oxford Prep athletics starts August 12 when volleyball scrimmages at South Granville. That same day, soccer with travel to Granville Central but Hamett says that they will scrimmage against three other schools that day.
Oxford Prep opens its doors for the academic year this upcoming Wednesday, August 7th. This may seem like a quick turnaround for Oxford Prep but Hammett isn’t as concerned about that, “Most all of our team workout in the summer with voluntary workouts…”. What Hammett is worried about though is that the seasons are extended so much, “I think the seasons are too long. I think they should reduce them back to 20 instead of 23, so we wouldn’t have the overlap.” This overlap is referring to fall sports interfering with winter sports and winter sports with spring sports.
George asks a tough question about NIL (Name, Image, & Likeness) in North Carolina High School Sports. Hammett says, “The State School Board now has authority over athletics from the legislature and they decided that we would not have NIL in publics (public schools). But then the private school association decided that they would allow it…the number one tight end in the country is at Reidsville (NC) and transferred to a private school in Charlotte, and he’s gonna get a big NIL deal.”
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What do hot peppers, pumpkins and live music have in common? They’re all going to be featured in festivals and events over the next couple of months in Granville County, and Tourism Director Angela Allen shared all the details on Tuesday’s TownTalk.
Main Street in downtown Oxford transforms into a music venue on Friday, Aug. 9. Soule and the Super Band will perform from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Bring a lawn chair, get comfy and enjoy the tunes.
A couple of weekends after that, music lovers can head over to the Armory at the corner of MLK Jr. Avenue and Spring Street for the inaugural Next Door Music Festival on Saturday, Aug. 17.
The festival will take place outside on the grounds of the Armory, Allen said. and will feature six bands performing from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Allen said the music festival gained traction after several local business people were tossing ideas around, and the next thing she knew, the idea became a reality. There will be more than a dozen vendors on site with collectibles, toys and games available on festival day. And, she explained, festival proceeds will go to a local charity.
It’s not too early to mark your calendars for Saturday, Sept. 21, either. That’s the day the annual Creedmoor Music Festival is scheduled to take over downtown Creedmoor, providing lots of music genres from gospel to country and everything in between.
And any time is a good time to visit Cedar Creek Gallery outside Creedmoor, Allen said. The gallery is open seven days a week, and on Aug. 23, visitors will get to see the gallery’s 2024 crop of glass pumpkins, created by local glassblowers. Lisa Oakley’ is set to unveil her limited-edition pumpkin that weekend, as well.
There will be glassblowing demonstrations going on outside, and hundreds of pumpkins ready for purchase in the front room of the gallery through Oct. 31.
Destinations like Cedar Creek Gallery have long drawn visitors from outside Granville County, and Allen said she is pleased to see a similar trend at other events that have taken root over the years throughout the county.
“Thirty or forty percent of the crowd may not even be from Granville County,” she said. She’s delighted to see more people that she doesn’t know at festivals, concerts or retail establishments because it means that more folks are coming from farther away.
Take the annual Hot Sauce Festival, for example.
“It’s the coolest thing that’s SO hot in Granville County,” Allen said. And this year, the festival will span two days – Friday, Sept. 6 and Saturday, Sept. 7. AND, Allen said, organizers have added a salsa category to the competition.
But that’s not the only new addition. The Friday events run from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and will feature glow-in-the-dark putt-putt, vendors and music as a lead-in to the daylong Saturday activities – which this year will stretch from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Kids can enjoy a rock-climbing wall, carnival rides and games in the Fiery Fun Zone, she said.
Adventurous souls can sample all the pepper-inspired tastes, from craft beer to ice cream.
Allen won’t be participating in the popular pepper eating contest, “but I’m brave enough to watch it,” she quipped.
Hot sauce enthusiasts from all over show up for the festival, she said.
“This is the hot spot,” she said.
Visit www.visitgranvillenc.com to learn about all the upcoming events throughout the county.
(This is not a paid ad, but Granville Tourism does advertise on WIZS.com.)
Granville County Public Schools and the Granville County Library System are teaming up with a project that will benefit students and library patrons, with help from a $400,000 Digital Champion grant.
The grant comes from the N.C. Department of Information Technology, which has awarded more than $30 million to fund 63 projects across the state in an effort to bridge the digital divide.
The two Granville County entities will use the money to refresh student laptops and to expand technology-based paid internships for GCPS high school students, according to information from GCPS Public Information Officer Courtney Currin, as well as purchase devices for checkout and use through the Granville County Library System and secure mobile Starlink internet access for the rural library branches and other parts of the county with limited internet access.
Library Director Will Robinson called the partnership a “wonderful opportunity,” noting that the Digital Champion grant will allow the library to expand its digital resources and ensure that patrons and students “have access to essential technology and online information regardless of their background or financial situation. By bridging the digital divide, we empower our residents with the tools they need for education, employment and personal growth.”
GCPS Superintendent Dr. Stan Winborne said the funding will help prepare students to use technology in the workplace more effectively.
“It also allows us to further impact our community in our partnership with the Granville County Library System. All Granville County citizens deserve reliable access to technology and broadband. We look forward to seeing how this funding will positively impact our schools, students, and Granville County citizens,” Winborne said.
The American Red Cross urges donors to make an appointment to give blood or platelets as the summer continues. Type O blood donors are especially needed to help keep hospital shelves stocked through August.
Anyone who donates blood or platelets during the month of August will receive a $20 Amazon.com gift card by email. See RedCrossBlood.org/Help for details.
Make an appointment at RedCrossBlood.org, by calling 1-800-RED CROSS or by using the Red Cross Blood Donor App.
Upcoming blood drives by county:
Vance
Henderson
8/1/2024: 1 p.m. – 6 p.m., Raleigh Road Baptist Church, 3892 Raleigh Rd.
Granville
Oxford
8/15/2024: 1 p.m. – 6 p.m., Ernest F. Hart American Legion Post 90, 914 Williamsboro St.
Warren
Warrenton
8/12/2024: 12:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m., Warren County Armory Civic Center, 501 US Hwy 158 Bus E
Franklin
Louisburg
8/2/2024: 9 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., Senior Citizens Center, 279 S. Bickett Blvd.
Two chapters of the Alzheimer’s Association in North Carolina are partnering with the Parkinson’s Foundation Carolinas to host a series of free virtual weekly education workshops to help those who are providing care for family members or others living with dementia.
The series is titled The Empowered Caregiver and it is designed to help caregivers by sharing activities they can apply to their specific situations.
Dementia is a general term for a decline in mental ability severe enough to interfere with daily life, while Alzheimer’s is a specific disease and the most common cause of dementia. Parkinson’s disease dementia also falls under that umbrella term. While the disease states are different, there are similarities in caring for both forms of dementia.
“Our latest Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures report shows that dementia caregivers in North Carolina face significant emotional, physical and health-related challenges as a result of caregiving,” said Christine John-Fuller, executive director of the Alzheimer’s Association – Eastern North Carolina Chapter. “Dementia is also common for individuals in later stage Parkinson’s. Our goal with this collaboration with the Parkinson’s Foundation is to offer tools and education to help caregivers feel supported and see pathways forward.”
The Empowered Caregiver education series will be offered via live webinar each Thursday in August from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. -with each week covering a new topic.
Building Foundations of Caregiving – August 1
Explores the role of caregiver and changes they may experience building a support team and managing stress.
Supporting Independence – August 8
Focuses on helping the person living with dementia take part in daily activities, providing the right amount of support and balancing safety and independence while managing expectations.
Communicating Effective – August 15
Teaches how dementia affects communication, including tips for communicating well with family, friends and health care professionals.
Responding to Dementia-Related Behaviors – August 22
Details common behavior changes and how they’re a form of communication, non-medical approaches to behaviors and recognizing when help is needed.
Exploring Care and Support Services – August 29
Examines how best to prepare for future care decisions and changes, including respite care, residential care and end of life care.
“We are excited about this partnership with the Alzheimer’s Association because no matter the disease, care partners need help,” says Diana Parrish, senior advancement director, Carolinas Chapter of the Parkinson’s Foundation. “As a care partner for 19 years, we have found that the Parkinson’s Foundation’s resources, services, and programs have helped us on this journey!”
There is no charge to participate, but registration is required in order to receive the Zoom link for the series. To sign-up, visit tinyurl.com/CaregiverAugust or call 800.272.3900.
Given the recent downpours, showers and afternoon and evening thunderstorms, the WIZS listening area no longer is in the “abnormally dry” status posted by the North Carolina Drought Management Advisory Council.
Just last week, most of the state was experiencing some level of drought conditions, according to NCDROUGHT.ORG, but since then, that level has decreased, thanks to substantial rainfall. Only five counties remain in severe drought, with 30 counties still in moderate drought and 47 others in the abnormally dry category.
Rainfall totals vary widely across the four counties, with some areas reporting 1-inch, 2-inch, even 5-inch totals just in the last week.
The rain has been a welcome sight for farmers with crops in the field. Hopefully, corn and bean crops in the southeastern portion of the state have gotten some relief as well.
– information courtesy of the Office of N.C. Rep. Frank Sossamon
N.C. Rep. Frank Sossamon has scheduled upcoming forums – one in Vance County and one in Granville County – to provide updates on the status of expanding broadband internet across the counties he serves.
Leaders from the N.C. Department of Information Technology’s (NCDIT) Division of Broadband and Digital Equity will provide in-person updates on the state’s efforts to close the digital divide, according to a press statement from Sossamon’s office.
The Vance County forum will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 6 at Perry Memorial Library from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. NCDIT Deputy Secretary for Broadband and Digital Equity Nate Denny will be the speaker.
The Granville County forum will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 7, also from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., at the Granville County Expo Center. NCDIT Broadband Infrastructure Deputy Director George Collier will be the guest speaker.
To date, the Division of Broadband and Digital Equity has awarded more than $500 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funding to deploy high-speed internet infrastructure across North Carolina. This funding also supports initiatives to help residents afford internet access, obtain digital devices, and access digital literacy resources.
Specific to Granville and Vance counties, nearly $12 million has been awarded for projects connecting 5,828 homes and businesses. Highlights include:
Granville County Schools have also benefited from these efforts, recently receiving $400,000 to expand device lending programs, offer digital literacy training led by student interns, and establish community Wi-Fi locations through the division’s Digital Champion grant program.
Attendees at both sessions will have the opportunity to ask questions about the state’s broadband initiatives and individual projects aimed at bringing high-speed internet service and digital literacy resources to their county.
The Kerr Tar Family Caregiver Conference is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 6 and registration is now open for family caregivers and professionals who are interested in learning about caring for individuals with dementia.
The half-day conference begins at 9 a.m. with check-in, breakfast and networking at the Vance-Granville Community College Civic Center Auditorium.
The conference is presented by Dementia Alliance of North Carolina. Melanie Bunn, a registered nurse and dementia care specialist with the alliance, is one of the speakers along with Michael Patterson, KTCOG’s family caregiver specialist.
Family caregivers can register for $10; professional caregivers register for $25 and have the opportunity to earn three continuing education unit credits.
Visit www.DementiaNC.org/2024Henderson to register online or contact Lisa Levine at 919.832.3732 to register by phone. Walk-in registrations are welcome on the day of the conference.
Visit www.kerrtarcog.org to find out about all the programs and services the KTCOG provides across Vance, Granville, Warren, Franklin and Person counties.
