Tag Archive for: #granvillecountynews

Lillian Brooks, Oxford Prep Senior, Chosen For UNC-CH Morehead-Cain Scholarship

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Lillian Brooks, a senior at Oxford Preparatory School, has been selected for the Morehead-Cain Scholarship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is the daughter of Angela and Chris Brooks of Oxford.

Brooks, set to graduate summa cum laude, also serves as senior class president and participates in numerous groups at Oxford Prep, including the school’s chapter of the Student Government Association, which she helped establish, according to information from OPS Executive Director Andrew Swanner.

She is a student board member of the school’s board of directors, and a member of the Beta Club and the Tri-M honor society.

Brooks has played soccer and volleyball, and she enjoys her involvement in various musical groups, including the school’s concert choir, jazz band and concert band.

She plays piano and enjoys singing in the Oxford Baptist Church’s youth choir.

And if all that is not enough, she works as a lifeguard at Forest Hills Pool in Oxford, as well as in the Oxford Prep Griffins Nest after-school program.

The Morehead-Cain scholarship provides a four-year, fully funded educational experience for incoming students at UNC-CH, selecting recipients on qualities including leadership, character, scholarship and physical vigor.

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Pruning Workshop To Demonstrate Proper Techniques For Best Results

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It’s time to prune some of the shrubs, bushes, vines and trees that dot our landscapes, but unless you know how to properly tackle this annual task, you could unwittingly lop off new buds or otherwise cause problems that won’t show up until it’s too late.

Join Johnny Coley, N.C. Cooperative Extension horticulture agent in Granville and Person counties for a free pruning workshop on Saturday, Feb. 25 to learn the ABC’s of proper pruning and care for a variety of plants that grow in the Piedmont. Coley will demonstrate how to care for fruiting plants like apples, pears, figs and peaches, as well as blueberry bushes and grapevines.

There is no fee to participate, but registration is required, Coley said. Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fruit-pruning-workshop-tickets 539367291087

The class will be held from 10 a.m. to 12 noon at 450 C.C. Andrews Rd. in Timberlake, NC 27583.

TownTalk: Katie Haynes: 2022 Miss U.S. Agriculture People’s Choice

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Growing up in 4-H, Katie Haynes said, she got interested in showing rabbits, something she’s been doing now for 11 years now and still enjoys it.

“4-H really helped boost my public speaking skills and confidence levels,” Haynes said.  She’s likely going to continue using those skills and more as she travels to Alabama this summer for a pageant competition.

But this isn’t just any pageant – Haynes is the 2022 Miss U.S. Agriculture People’s Choice winner. And she’s not done yet. She and others will be vying for division titles and ambassadorships for the agriculture group, which means making appearances near and far to be speak up for agriculture.

In fact, Haynes is in California this week for the World Ag Expo. She was on her way to an orange farm when John C. Rose caught up with her by phone to talk about the road to Enterprise, AL and a pageant that she and other young women will be competing in this summer.

The contestants achieve different levels through attendance at events and through raising money. Haynes represented Granville County in the 2021 Miss U.S. Agriculture pageant and took home the people’s choice award in 2022.

And although she lives in southern Granville County, she seems to do a fair amount of traveling within the state and outside the state to lend support to causes like AgrAbility, a federal program that operates through N.C. Cooperative Extension.

AgrAbility helps provide support to veterans, the elderly and disabled persons that allow them to get back into agriculture, despite physical challenges or limitation – “get people back to what they love.”

Haynes herself uses a wheelchair, having been diagnosed with chronic illness when she was a teenager. She’s glad to be a role model for others, she said, offering them a true picture of inclusion.

“My platform is to educate people to make sure everybody has a place in agriculture,” Haynes explained.

Whether she’s exploring orange farms in California or photographing livestock (another favorite pastime), Haynes said it’s been wonderful to meet such a diverse group of people who share a love of agriculture.

“I’ve been able to connect with a lot of different types of people in agriculture,” she said. “And it feels like one big family.”

What else is in store for this dynamic young lady?

She said she’d love to become a motivational speaker.

Watch out, world. Here comes Katie Haynes.

Find Haynes’s nonprofit organization, “Smiling While Sending Hope” on Facebook and Instagram.

Sponsorships for Katie’s upcoming competition help defray costs for hotels, gas and for the dresses that are being created for the pageant.

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N.C. Cooperative Extension Scholarship Open For Those In Business-Related Field Of Study

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The North Carolina Cooperative Extension Administrative Professionals Association is accepting applications for the 2023 Herter-O’Neal Scholarship. This scholarship is open to students pursuing an associate’s and/or bachelor’s degree in a business-related field of study or who are enrolled in a diploma program that results in a degree. The statewide winner will be awarded $1,000 for tuition and/or books. District finalists will receive $250.

The Herter-O’Neal Scholarship is awarded each year to honor the work and dedication of Edith Herter and Frances O’Neal, founding members of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Administrative Professionals Association.  NCCEAPA membership is comprised of North Carolina Cooperative Extension administrative assistants in 100 counties, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, N.C. State University and N.C.  A&T State University.

The application deadline is Mar. 10, 2023. All questions can be addressed to Granville County Cooperative Extension Administrative Assistant Gwen Rubio at gwen_rubio@ncsu.edu or 919-603-1350. Completed applications can be mailed or dropped off – with ATTN: Gwen Rubio written on the envelope – at the Granville Cooperative Extension and mailed or hand delivered to the Granville County  Cooperative Extension Office located at 125 Oxford Outer Loop, Oxford, NC 27565.

The Local Skinny! Dogs Deserve Better To Hold Quarter Auction

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“Dogs Deserve Better Piedmont” is sponsoring its 3rd annual “Puppy Love” Quarter Auction later this month at The Barn at Vino in Stem.

This chapter of the nonprofit organization is based in Granville County, and it serves neighboring counties including Vance, Person, Wake and Franklin. Lucy Poynton joined WIZS’s Bill Harris Monday to launch a new segment of The Local Skinny! Called “Pets and People.”

The doors open at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 25, Poynton said. There will be food trucks and vendors on hand in advance of the 7 p.m. auction start.

Tickets are $10, but if you’re interested in attending, don’t wait – 80 percent of the tickets have already been sold.

Poynton said she and her small band of volunteers have been working for the past 3 ½ years or so to help get dogs off tethers.

“We’d drive around and see a lot of outdoor, chained dogs,” she said. The money the group raises pays for materials to construct 10-foot by 20-foot kennels for the dogs, and other items like dog houses, straw for winter bedding and flea and tick collars.

She estimates that the organization has “unchained” close to 140 dogs, distributed hundreds of flea/tick collars and helped with urgent vet care, including spay/neuter, for 65 animals.

They occasionally will help provide spay/neuter services for cats as well, although the focus is on providing items for dogs – from kennels to toys – “anything to make their life a little better.”

The Barn at Vino is located at 3200 Bliss Trail, Stem, NC 27581.

Contact dddpiedmont@dogsdeservebetter.org to learn more

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Ready, Set, Go! Hot Sauce Vendors Can Sign Up Beginning Feb. 15

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Are you ready for some hot sauce? Vendor applications will go live next week as the City of Oxford gears up for the 17th annual NC Hot Sauce Festival, set for Saturday, Sept. 9, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

All applications and payments will be processed online, according to information from Alyssa Blair, Oxford’s downtown development and Main Street director.

The official online kickoff for early-bird registration is Wednesday, Feb. 15 and will continue through June 30; regular registration is July 1-Aug. 1. The deadline to submit an application is Aug. 1, but waitlist applications will be accepted until Sept. 1.

Stay up-to-date on all the latest information at Hot Sauce Facebook page.

Granville CTE Students Have Internship Opportunities

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One of the ways that Granville County Public Schools is observing CTE Month in its district is by sharing information about internships that give students job experience while earning high school credit.

During the internship period, students gain experiences and skills that promote their learning and skill set related to a career or a career pathway, according to GCPS Public Information Officer Dr. Stan Winborne.

Interns must complete 120 hours to earn the credit, but they gain so much more – from observing and participating in the daily operations of the business to having unique access to particular careers and performing specific job tasks related to the business.

The teacher, student and the business community jointly formulate the details of the internships, which can be paid or unpaid, Winborne noted.

Oxford Parks and Recreation has had interns in the past, and Director Tina Cheek said it’s been a positive experience.

“Our past interns have allowed us opportunities to train and teach new skills as well as share experiences within the department. Interns allow us the opportunity to gain a fresh perspective on things we do every day. Hosting an intern is definitely a win-win,” Cheek stated.

Students get to develop those “real-world” skills that employers find desirable: time management, perseverance, problem-solving and teamwork, just to name a few.

Sound good?

To be eligible for an internship opportunity, a student must be a CTE concentrator – which means having successfully completed a second-level CTE course in a career pathway. Students can obtain their own internship site or they can ask for assistance from their CTE teacher or from GCPS Career Development Coordinator Tamara Rodebaugh.

Business leaders who would like to join the internship program can contact Rodebaugh at rodebaughtw@gcs.k12.nc.us.

3 Granville Residents Charged In Marijuana Growing Operation

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Three people face felony charges after state and local law enforcement officials executed search warrants and seized marijuana, liquid THC, non-tax paid liquor and cash in Granville County late last month.

Personnel with the Granville County Sheriff’s Office and state ALE special agents seized more than 200 pounds of marijuana, more than 20 pounds of liquid THC, non-tax paid liquor and a large sum of cash on Jan. 26 as part of an investigation into an illegal outlet and marijuana growing operation along NC Hwy. 96, according to information from the N.C. Department of Public Safety’s Alcohol Law Enforcement division.

Dalton Huff and Alyssa Vaughn, both of Oxford, were charged with the illegal possession and possession for sale of alcoholic beverages as well as numerous other felony and misdemeanor offenses including manufacturing and trafficking of marijuana. Linda Huff, also of Oxford, was charged with felony conspiracy. 

The Local Skinny! Around Old Granville with Mark Pace

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Watch out, Oxford. Your tiny neighbor to the south is gaining on you. It will only take a couple of hundred more people to stake the claim of being the largest town in Granville County.

That, according to local historian Mark Pace, who talked with WIZS’s Bill Harris for the “Around Old Granville” segment of The Local Skinny! Monday.

Butner’s growth today, however, pales in comparison to the early to mid-1940’s when the U.S. government built Camp Butner as it was gearing up for World War II.

Pace said William B. Umstead and his brother John were instrumental in getting the federal government to locate Camp Butner in the southwest corner of the county, close to a big city (Durham), but not “too” close, Pace said.

Construction began in February 1942, on more than 4,000 acres of mostly farmland, much of which had been owned and worked by families for 200 years or more.

“It was amazing how quickly it was built,” Pace said. Within five months, there were numerous structures, including an armory, sports building and a water tower, all of which are standing today.

“They had 15,000 people working 24-7 to build that camp,” Pace said. And because it was a federal project, the state’s segregation laws were superseded by federal jurisdiction, which meant that for the first time, African Americans were hired the same as their White counterparts, he added.

Camp Butner was home for thousands of workers, civilian and military, but also for more than 4,000 German and Italian prisoners of war.

“So many farm people had been called up to serve, POWs would go and work farms,” Pace said. “And they’d get paid a little bit, too.”

After the war ended, much of the property reverted back to the landowners, but the footprint of Camp Butner became what is now considered the town of Butner. But until it was incorporated in 2007, the town was run by the state of North Carolina.

“Go to the town hall,” Pace said. “There’s a marvelous museum in the lobby” chronicling the creation of the town that once was known as Camp Butner.

 

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Oxford’s Vision Behavioral Health Services Walk-In Clinic Now Open

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Vision Behavioral Health Services is a new walk-in center in Oxford offers support and services to individuals in crisis. Local officials, health care providers and community partners gathered earlier this week for a ribbon-cutting to officially open the clinic, located at 111 Hilltop Village.

The center will primarily serve residents of Granville County, offering support and services to help people experiencing a behavioral health crisis in the same way an urgent care clinic serves people who need immediate help for physical health issues.

“We are humbled by the opportunity to serve Granville County, and understand the responsibility given to us today,” said Nicole Qualls, Vision’s owner and clinical director.

Donald Reuss, vice president of behavioral health and intellectual/developmental disabilities network operations for Vaya Health, recognized the outpouring of local support that made the walk-in center a reality.

“At Vaya, we’re thrilled to see this walk-in center come to life for this community,” Reuss said. “This is why we are passionate about the work we do, and none of it would be possible without the support from the people who call Granville County home.”

The new facility will offer an array of services to help individuals in crisis, including same-day assessments with recommendations for care, de-escalation, stabilization and safety planning. Other services, such as medication management and individual and group therapy will be available for individuals seeking ongoing support after a behavioral health crisis.

Granville County Commissioner Russ May also serves on Vaya’s regional board. “We can never give up or stop trying. We must explore a full array of tools, and this clinic, I hope, will be such a tool,” May said at the ribbon-cutting.

In addition to May, officials attending the event included Granville County Sheriff Robert Fountain Jr.; state Sen. Mary Wills Bode; state Reps. Frank Sossamon and Matthew Winslow; Granville County commissioners Tony Cozart, Jimmy Gooch, Sue Hinman, Zelodis Jay, Tim Karan and Rob Williford.

To learn more about walk-in crisis centers and the services they provide, visit https://www.vayahealth.com/get-help/walk-crisis-centers.