Omicron Variant Accounts For 99 Percent Of New COVID-19 Cases In Vance, Granville
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The Local Skinny! Register Now To Attend Feb. 1 Expungement Clinics In Henderson, Oxford
Learn how to get your criminal records expunged tomorrow (Tuesday, Feb. 1) at two free informational clinics – one in Henderson and one in Oxford.
The Kerr-Tar Reentry Roundtable is partnering with Legal Aid of North Carolina to host the events, during which Legal Aid staff will walk participants through the process of getting previous records expunged, or cleared, which could have a positive impact when applying for jobs or housing.
The clinics will be held from 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Perry Memorial Library, 205 Breckenridge St., Henderson and at the Oxford Housing Authority, 101 Hillside Dr., Oxford, according to KTCOG strategic initiatives coordinator Kisha High.
High told John C. Rose on Monday’s The Local Skinny! that the clinics are informational only; those who attend and qualify for record expungement will be notified to attend an April 12 clinic at Hix Gym in Oxford to complete the expungement process.
“This is our very first expungement event,” High said. Monthly information sessions are planned and she said most likely the expungement clinics would be held quarterly.
The Second Chance Law that went into effect in June 2020 provides information about which offenses can be expunged from a criminal record, and changes that took effect on Dec. 1, 2021 give more hope to those who wish to have records cleared.
Legal Aid staff will be ready Tuesday to clarify which charges and what type of offenses can be removed, she said.
Maybe it was a DWI or some other activity that happened earlier in a person’s life that is affecting their adult life now, High said. Even if a person’s criminal record is not able to be expunged, High said a “certificate of release” can be issued by a judge that indicates the prior record should not be held against the person.
Interested in participating? Contact Kisha High at 252. 436.2040, ext. 2008 no later than noon on Tuesday, Feb. 1.
Montague Receives Governor’s Award For Excellence In Customer Service
North Carolina Forest Service Granville-Vance Area Ranger Robert Montague is a recent recipient of the Governor’s Award for Excellence in Customer Service – one of the state’s highest honors. The service aspect of his job is exactly what drives Montague.
“The service part is what is important to me,” Montague said. “I enjoy what I do every day, I enjoy coming to work, I enjoy the challenge of who’s going to call in today, who’s going to come to our office today that needs our help, and being able to fill the need that they have.”
For his tireless commitment to the community he serves, Montague deservingly was a recipient of the Governor’s Award for Excellence in Customer Service. He continues to embody and symbolize what it truly means to be a public servant each day that he puts on the NCFS badge.
Montague’s duties as an area ranger consist of protecting state forests by controlling and investigating wildfires, providing forest management services that help landowners manage their woodlands, and offering educational programs on wildfire prevention and why trees and forests are important throughout the community. He also supervises a team of four. But perhaps his biggest impact is not what his job description entails, but what he means to the community he serves and the significant and lasting impression that he’s made.
“Rob is a community asset, not just a local forest ranger,” said David Cottrell, Chief of Oxford Fire Department. “If he hears something on the radio that he feels he should be involved in – a tree is down, or someone’s been injured by a timber or cutting accident – he’ll call to see if he’s needed on the scene.”
There were 189 emergency response situations involving forest fires in Montague’s area alone during the 2020-2021 fiscal year, many of which ignited outside of traditional working hours. Montague personally responded to over half. Wildfires are only one of the many different types of calls county rangers may receive.
“When that need is there, especially in terms of emergency response, those aren’t scheduled. So, if we can do something to help the people, the cooperators, that’s what we’re here to do,” Montague said.
“He is all about serving his community. A lot of times landowners will call him with questions and he listens to them. He not only offers up the services that the North Carolina Forest Service can provide, but also what he can do to help them,” said supervisor and District Forester Jennifer Roach. “He offers empathy to them and they feel like they’re talking to more of a friend instead of just a government agency.”
Montague has been an NCFS employee for 18 years, all of which has been in service to Granville County with the addition of Vance County two years ago. He was named the 2020 Employee of the Year by the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Community Services. To contact the NCFS Granville Vance County Office about programs and services available for landowners, call 919.693.3154 or email granville.ncfs@ncagr.gov
Montague’s story can be viewed on Youtube by following this link:
Funds Available To Help Landowners Improve Waterways, Reduce Flood Hazards
The Granville County Soil and Water Conservation Office is looking for eligible properties to participate in a new program to fund preventative improvements to local waterways and reduce flooding hazards.
The Streamflow Rehabilitation Assistance Program (StRAP), administered by the N.C. Soil and Water Conservation Commission, has $38 million to be used to reduce flooding across the state’s waterways. The N.C. General Assembly approved the money to create the StRAP, which will allocate money for projects that protect and restore the integrity of drainage infrastructure.
Projects could include:
- Clearing debris or sediment that has blocked streams and drainage ways
- Stabilizing and restoring streams and streambanks
- Rehabilitating or improving certain small watershed structural projects that were previously constructed
“This is a monumental step to help us prevent future flooding,” said N.C. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “While we have previously secured federal and state money to clear debris from waterways after flooding events such as hurricanes, those efforts were reactive approaches that were part of disaster recovery funds. StRAP now allows us to be proactive in clearing waterways so we can hopefully reduce flooding and protect people’s property before the next big flood event happens. I’m grateful that the General Assembly understood the need for this program.”
Interested property owners are encouraged to contact Granville County Natural Resource Conservationist Byron Currin at 919.693.4603 or byron.currin@granvillecounty.org to explore the feasibility for StRAP funded projects.
Positive Cases – Mostly Omicron – Still Rising In Vance, Granville
The Granville Vance Health District reports that 95 percent of all confirmed cases of COVID-19 are identified as the Omicron variant. Positivity rates in both counties remain high – 28.9 percent in Vance and 25 percent in Granville – and GVPH Director Lisa M. Harrison said there likely are more positive cases that simply haven’t confirmed through testing.
In the past 7 days, there have been 717 new cases in Vance County and 1,088 new cases in Granville County.
So far, Vance There have been 12,148 cases of COVID-19 in Granville County and 10,202 cases of COVID-19 in Vance County for a total of 22,350 across the health district.
Granville County has documented 108 deaths as a result of COVID-19 and Vance County has a total of 109 deaths, according to the weekly update from GVPH.
“Nearly 2,000 new cases have been confirmed through labs in the two-county district over the last week alone more than 3,500 in the district over the last two weeks,” Harrison wrote in the update, stressing the need for health offiicals to share the public health recommendations and tools to slow the spread of COVID-19.
“I realize we’re all very tired of navigating the pandemic,” Harrison said. “However, we will continue to work hard in public health to do our job well, to share our why as to the importance of vaccination (including getting your booster doses in!) and the importance of layered mitigation tools including wearing a well-fitting mask, distancing, practicing good hand hygiene, and paying attention to good ventilation in indoor spaces.”
In response to questions about cases within the Butner federal prison complex, Harrison said the most up-to-date numbers show 17 inmates and 15 staff members reported to our communicable disease team as testing positive for COVID-19.
If you feel ill or know you have been exposed to COVID-19, you should seek testing. Stay home when you’re sick to prevent transmission to others, and rapidly notify close contacts and seek healthcare to facilitate access to medical treatment if they are at higher risk for severe outcomes. Public health will continue to evaluate the optimal control strategies for COVID as the response evolves and make strategic changes to prevent or reduce transmission.
Leadership Granville Class Sponsoring Two Community Events – Blood Drives And Collection For Two Children’s Homes
The 2021-22 Leadership Granville class is sponsoring two events as its class project and challenges all previous graduates of the program to participate.
Two blood drives are scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 22 from noon until 4:30 p.m., according to information from Granville Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Lauren Roberson.
One blood drive will be held in Oxford at the Public Works Building, 127 Penn Ave. The second blood drive will be at Butner Town Hall, 415 Central Ave.
Blood donations have suffered during the pandemic and the Red Cross says the national blood supply is critically low.
To schedule your lifesaving appointment, visit https://www.redcrossblood.org/ and enter sponsor code: Leadership
A second event is collecting essential items to benefit the children at Central Children’s Home and the Masonic Home for Children in Oxford.
There are nine donation locations throughout the county where residents can drop off items now until Feb. 22.
Because of COVID-19 safety protocols, only new, unused items are being collected and include:
- Shampoo and hair conditioner
- Deodorant
- lip balm
- twin size bed linens, comforters and pillows
- socks, shoes, boots, coats, knit caps, gloves
- bicycles
- books
- toys, games, art supplies
- flashlights
- power strips
Following is a list of donation locations:
- Butner Town Hall
- Oxford Town Hall
- Richard H. Thornton Library
- Berea Branch Library
- Stovall Branch Library
- South Granville Branch Library
- T. Owen Electric
- Oxford Parks & Recreation
- Granville County Animal Control
NCDA Junior Livestock Scholarship Applications Due Mar. 1
Information from NCDA&CS Livestock Marketing Section
Up to 25 $2,000 scholarships are available, in addition to one $2,500 Farm Credit of N.C. Premier Scholarship.Youth who participated in N.C. State Fair junior livestock competitions are eligible to apply for N.C. State Fair Junior Livestock Scholarships. The deadline to apply is March 1.
All youth who exhibited a livestock animal at the State Fair are eligible regardless of species, class or show placement. Scholarships are good for institutes of higher learning, including community colleges and technical schools. Students must be enrolled in a minimum of 9 course hours.
The scholarship money is raised through the State Fair’s annual Sale of Champions where grand and reserve grand champions are sold at auction. A percentage of the sale total goes into this youth livestock scholarship program.
“I am proud that this scholarship program has helped many young people and their parents pay for their college education,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “Since the program started in 2015, we have awarded over $300,000 in scholarships.”
Students will need to submit the completed application, including their State Fair junior livestock experience, a 500-word essay, academic achievements and extracurricular activities they are involved in. Youth are eligible to receive the scholarship a maximum of four times.
Applications can be downloaded at www.ncstatefair.org. Completed application packets should be returned to N.C. State Fair, Attn: Livestock Office, 1010 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1010. For questions, contact Neil Bowman at by email at neil.bowman@ncagr.gov.
FLVF Looking For Youth Advocate To Work With Young Victims Of Abuse, Assault
Families Living Violence Free is a WIZS advertiser. This is not a paid ad.
Families Living Violence Free is looking for a qualified person to be a youth development/court advocate to provide counseling and other advocacy services to youth who are primary or secondary victims of domestic abuse and/or sexual assault.
The position requires a candidate who can collaborate with FLVF staff, effectively lead small group counseling sessions, as well as conduct client intake and network with other agencies to connect clients with services and conduct outreach programs.
Candidates also should have a bachelor’s degree in in human services, social work, or psychology from an accredited university, with a minimum of two years’ hands on experience working in youth programs.
A clean driving record and access to reliable transportation are a must as well, as is previous grant-writing experience and management experience. Additional duties include some night and weekend work to take calls on the crisis line, attendance at FLVF events in the community and more.
Find the application at WWW.FLVF.ORG.
Latest COVID-19 Figures for Vance and Granville Counties
Lisa Harrison, Granville-Vance Public Health Director, has released the latest local date regarding COVID-19. As of January 14th, 95% of all confirmed cases are now the Omicron Variant.
In the past 7 days, there have been 890* new cases in Granville County. The percent positivity rate in Granville County is 21.7%. According to the CDC COVID Data Tracker, there is High community transmission in Granville County.
In the past 7 days, there have been 627 new cases in Vance County. The percent positivity rate in Vance County is 28.3%. According to the CDC COVID Data Tracker, there is High community transmission in Vance County.**
There have been 10,923 cases of COVID-19 in Granville County and 9,372 cases of COVID-19 in Vance County for a total of 20,295 across the health district.
Granville County has documented 108 deaths as a result of COVID-19 and Vance County has a total of 108 deaths for a total of 216 deaths across the health district.
COVID-19 Vaccines
Granville County:
In Granville County, 68% of those over the age of 5 have received at least one dose of their COVID-19 vaccine and 64% are vaccinated with at least two doses or one dose of J&J.
In Granville County, 19% of those ages 5-11 years old have received at least one dose of their COVID-19 vaccine and 13% are up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccines.
In Granville County, 45% of those ages 12-17 years old have received at least one dose of their COVID-19 vaccine and 41% are vaccinated with at least two doses or one dose of J&J.
In Granville County 14,123 of those over the age of 12 are vaccinated with at least one booster/additional dose.
Vance County:
In Vance County, 64% of those over the age of 5 have received at least one dose of their COVID-19 vaccine and 59% vaccinated with at least two doses or one dose of J&J.
In Vance County, 17% of those ages 5-11 years old have received at least one dose of their COVID-19 vaccine and 10% are up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccines.
In Vance County, 48% of those ages 12-17 years old have received at least one dose of their COVID-19 vaccine and 41% are vaccinated with at least two doses or one dose of J&J.
In Vance County 9,302 of those over the age of 12 are vaccinated with at least one booster/additional dose.
DSS Offers Help To Eligible Households With Heating, Water Bills
The Granville County Department of Social Services is offering a couple of assistance programs to help residents who face challenges paying utility bills. The Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP) and the Low Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) are both available through DSS to provide one-time payments for electric and/or gas heating bills or for water/wastewater utility services.
Some Granville County households may qualify for LIEAP assistance with their heating bill during the winter. Depending on the heat source, eligible households may receive $300, $400, or $500 toward their heating bill through the program. Applications are being taken now through March 31, or until the funds are gone.
To apply for assistance, residents must provide the following information:
- Valid identification
- Social security numbers for everyone in the home
- Proof of income for the month prior to the application
- A heating bill that indicates the account number
If approved, payments will be made directly to the heating provider.
If applying for someone else, applicants should provide a signed permission statement from the person they are representing.
The LIHWAP program helps eligible households and families afford water and wastewater services, providing a one-time payment for eligible low-income households paid directly to the utility company. Applications are being taken now through September 2023 or until the funds run out.
LIHWAP was created in December 2021 after North Carolina was awarded more than $38 million in federal funds to establish a new water assistance program for households affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
To be eligible for LIHWAP, a household must have at least one U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen and:
- have income equal to or less than 150% of the federal poverty level
- have household services that are disconnected, in jeopardy of disconnection or have a current outstanding bill
- be responsible for the water bill
Apply online at https://epass.nc.gov/. Apply by phone at 919.693.1511, or mail, fax or drop off the completed application. The fax number is 919.693.5090. The Granville DSS office is located at 410 W. Spring. St, Oxford, NC 27565.