Tag Archive for: #granvillecountynews

City of Oxford

Portion Of Hillsboro Street In Oxford Getting Resurfaced

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Part of Hillsboro Street in Oxford is getting a facelift, and city staff have said the improvements will take several weeks to complete.

Beginning on Monday, Sept. 23, Hillsboro Street, from Lewis Street to College Street will be affected, so drivers in and around that area can expect detours. No street parking will be allowed between the hours of 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., but city staff said nearby public parking is available.

Vehicles parked on the street within the work zone during the day may be subject to towing.

H.G. Reynolds is in charge of the project, which begins with the milling of the existing asphalt followed by resurfacing.

“While we aim to minimize disruptions, some road closures and detours will be necessary. However, one lane will remain open for through traffic,” according to a statement issued by City Communications Specialist Sabrina Richards.

 

TownTalk: Area Congregations In Ministry

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Since 1985, Area Congregations in Ministry has been helping Granville County residents who find themselves facing hardship – and its new executive director, Ann Riley, has seen firsthand faith, through action, in the few short weeks since she’s had the job.

ACIM’s mission has long been to relieve hunger, Riley said on Thursday’s TownTalk. These days, the phrase “food insecurity” is being used to describe how many people find themselves needing the help that ACIM offers.

Any Granville County resident who needs help can come once a month to the 634 Roxboro Road facility on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays between 9 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. to get food and other household and personal hygiene items that may be available.

The warehouse shelves contain a variety of items like canned goods, non-perishables and household supplies, Riley said. The walk-in coolers hold fresh produce and the freezers are for meats and other products that are donated.

“We just never know from day to day, from week to week, what’s going to be in those boxes” of food that volunteers wheel out to clients’ vehicles.

She has spent her first few weeks on the job putting some finishing touches on her office and learning the role that so many volunteers play to keep the food bank doors open. She said she is struck by the level of support from the community – from businesses and corporations who donate goods to church congregations who send food, money and people to help out.

It seemed like a natural fit for Riley, who said she has always had a desire, a “want” to help people.

“I have been blessed in my life through many changes and I feel like I can be a blessing to others,” she said.

Volunteers are welcome to help during the hours that ACIM is open, but they also are needed on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

“That’s when we do some of our stocking and preparing our boxes for the next day,” she said.

Riley is the only full-time employee of the nonprofit, but Kristine Williford is the warehouse manager and she’s the one who keeps things rolling.

“She is such a vital team member at ACIM,” Riley said. Williford keeps the pantry running smoothly and lines up pickups and deliveries. “She’s invested in what ACIM does,” Riley added.

The Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot is one of the biggest donation events of the year, and she looks forward to an upcoming planning meeting with host church Oxford United Methodist.

“We have a lot of good things coming up,” Riley said, including a planned Open House to allow everyone in the community a chance to come and see the operation first-hand.

“You don’t have to be on food stamps to come and get food boxes,” Riley said. ACIM provides food and other items to anyone facing a hardship – senior adults on fixed incomes, families struggling to make ends meet or someone who’s lost a job or is between jobs.

Although ACIM’s mission is to serve clients who live in Granville County, Riley said she would try to help anyone find resources.

“We want to see them get help, whether we can provide it or someone else can provide it.”

Call 919.690.0961 or visit https://www.acimgranville.org/ to learn more.

 

NC State Board of Elections

State Board of Elections: Sept. 20 Deadline For Counties To Send Absentee Ballots For Military, Overseas Voters

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  • Information from the N.C. State Board of Elections

All 100 county boards of elections must send absentee ballots to eligible military and overseas citizens who requested them for the 2024 general election on Friday, Sept. 20, under a new schedule released by the State Board of Elections.

The board also set Sept. 24 as the date to start sending absentee ballots to other voters who have requested ballots by mail, including those who use the Visually Impaired Portal to request and return their ballots.

This schedule ensures that North Carolina will meet the federal law requirement to distribute ballots to voters under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) by the 45th day before the election – Sept. 21.

County boards were prepared to send absentee ballots out on Sept. 6, the deadline for absentee ballots to be sent under state law. However, rulings by the N.C. Court of Appeals and N.C. Supreme Court required election officials to remove the We The People party line from the presidential contest on the ballot, including the party’s presidential nominee, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and vice-presidential nominee, Nicole Shanahan.

In North Carolina, any registered voter can vote using an absentee ballot after submitting a request for the ballot. Voters can request their absentee ballot at votebymail.ncsbe.gov. The deadline for absentee requests is Oct. 29. However, election officials urge voters who wish to vote by mail to request their ballot soon, so it can be completed and returned to the voter’s county board of elections by 7:30 p.m. Election Day – Nov. 5.

Through Thursday, more than 166,000 voters – including more than 13,600 military and overseas voters – have requested ballots in North Carolina.

During the past week, State Board staff, county boards of elections staff and voting system and printing vendors have worked to code, design, proof and print new ballots without the We The People party line. Staff have worked to devise contingency plans to ensure that ballots could be delivered as soon as practicable.

Due to the timelines for the printing, delivery and assembly of all absentee ballots in every county, the State Board concluded that the only way to meet the federal deadline for military and overseas citizens was to establish separate dates for distributing absentee ballots.

Election officials will first focus on distributing the military and overseas citizen ballots, which is a smaller group of ballots. Currently, about 8 percent of 2024 absentee requests are from military and overseas citizen voters.

State Board staff have arranged for special on-demand ballot printers to be positioned around the state to fulfill any orders for military and overseas citizen ballots for counties whose orders from their print vendors will not arrive in time for those ballots to be prepared for mailing by next Friday. These special printers can print any ballot style approved for use in the state. There are nearly 2,350 different ballot styles statewide for this election.

Meanwhile, staff will work over the weekend and through next week to prepare the online portal for electronic delivery and return of ballots that is available for military and overseas citizen voters. Nearly 90 percent of military and overseas citizen voters opt for this electronic ballot delivery feature.

This plan allows time for the much larger orders of absentee ballots for all other voters to be printed and delivered to the county boards in time for counties to prepare their outgoing absentee ballot packages for mailing on Sept. 24.

“This schedule is only possible because of the hard work of elections professionals across this state that will continue throughout the next week,” said Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the State Board of Elections. “Because of them, we expect to meet the federal deadline for ballot delivery, and North Carolinians can finally start voting in this important election.”

The State Board has received many questions about the statewide cost of reprinting ballots. Preliminary estimates show the costs vary widely by county, depending on how many ballots must be reprinted and other factors. Estimates range from a few thousand dollars in some smaller counties to $18,000 in Caldwell County, $55,100 in Durham County and $300,000 in Wake County, home to the most registered voters in the state.

Here are key dates and deadlines for the 2024 general election in North Carolina:

Sept. 20: Ballots distributed to military and overseas citizen voters who have requested them.

Sept. 24: Absentee ballots distributed to all other voters who have requested them.

Oct. 11: Voter registration deadline (5 p.m.).*

Oct. 17: In-person early voting begins; same-day registration available.

Oct. 29: Absentee ballot request deadline (5 p.m.).*

Nov. 2: In-person early voting ends (3 p.m.).

Nov. 5: General Election Day.

Nov. 5: Absentee ballot return deadline (7:30 p.m.).*

*Voter registration and absentee voting deadlines are different for military and overseas citizen voters.

Families Living Violence Free

FLVF Hosts Quarter Auction Friday, Oct. 4

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Families Living Violence Free is having a Quarter Auction on Friday, Oct. 4 at Carlee Farms in Granville County.

The doors open at 5:30 p.m., dinner begins at 6:15 p.m. and the auction begins at 7 p.m., according to information from FLVF Executive Director Amy Langston.

Tickets are $25 and include dinner and bidding paddle. All proceeds go to direct services for victims and survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.

Don’t forget to bring your rolls of quarters for bidding and some extra “folding money” to purchase products from vendors that will be on site for the event. For a $50 ticket price, bidders can upgrade their paddles to have unlimited bids on items during the auction. There will be a 50/50 raffle and silent auction held as well.

Carlee Farms is located at 1003 Carlee Farms Rd. in Granville County.

Purchase tickets by calling 919.693.3579.

Langston said businesses, organizations and others can provide extra support by becoming sponsors of the event. The sponsorship levels are Bronze: $50; Silver: $100; and Gold: $200.

Checks, payable to FLVF, can be sent to:

P.O. Box 1632

Oxford, NC 27565

The FLVF Crisis Line operates 24 hours a day. Call 919.693.5700; Spanish speakers can call 919.690.0888.

For more information, contact FLVF at 919.693.3579 or email info@flvf.org.

 

 

Rep. Sossamon Hosts Upcoming Forums About Dementia, Alzheimer’s

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State Rep. Frank Sossamon is hosting forums in Vance and Granville counties to share information with the community about Alzheimer’s disease and how to spot early-warning signs of dementia.

The first forum will be held on Monday, Sept. 23 at Clearview Church, 3485 US -158 Business in Henderson. The event will be from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

The second forum will be held Monday, Sept. 30 at Cornerstone Christian Community Church, 3237 Knotts Grove Rd. in Oxford, also from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Lindsey Golden with the Alzheimer’s Association of NC and Michael Patterson with the Kerr-Tar Area Agency on Aging will educate and inform the public on the 10 early warning signs of dementia, as well as provide support for those living with the disease and for caregivers to those living with the disease.

Alzheimer’s disease, just one of many different types of dementia, is characterized by progress memory loss and cognitive decline. The Alzheimer’s Association estimates that more than 6.9 million people in the U.S. are living with Alzheimer’s dementia.

Visit https://www.alz.org/about to learn more.

Bull Breeding Soundness Clinic

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There are a few slots left for the upcoming Bull Breeding Soundness Clinic that will take place Friday, Oct. 18 at the Granville County Livestock Arena in Oxford.

Contact Kim Woods at 919.603.1350 or Matthew Place at 919.495.2230 to reserve a time slot.

The breeding soundness exam is hosted by the cooperative extension services in Granville and Warren counties.

Granville County Sheriff

Granville County Shooting Suspect

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UPDATE 09/06/24:

The GCSO has confirmed that the suspect (Andre Stephon Jones) was taken into custody without incident on September 6.

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The Granville County Sheriff’s Office is still searching for a man wanted in connection with a shooting Tuesday evening.

The suspect, 45-year-old Andre Stephon Jones, is assumed to be armed and dangerous, according to a press release from the Granville County Sheriff’s Office.

Jones lives at 3508 Windwood Circle, and the shooting occurred at 3501 Windwood Circle just after 7:30 p.m.

Sheriff’s deputies and Granville EMS responded to the scene following a report of a woman being shot.

The suspect is alleged to have entered the residence and then shot a 35-year-old black female and a 42- year-old black male. The 42-year-old black male left the scene of the shooting prior to the arrival of deputies and was later located a short distance awat at Danny’s Country Store, 1983 US Highway 15. The suspect fled the scene. He is wanted on multiple counts of assault with a deadly weapon, inflicting serious injury, with intent to kill.

The condition of the victim was not provided.

Anyone with information or surveillance footage from the area is asked to call GCSO at 919.693.3213.

To provide information anonymously concerning this investigation contact Granville County Crime Stoppers at 919.693.3100.

September Is Emergency Preparedness Month

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September is National Preparedness Month and Gov. Roy Cooper along with state emergency management officials are urging North Carolinians to review and update their emergency plans and supply kits.

“Recent events like Tropical Storm Debby that caused damage in our state highlight the importance of being prepared,” said Cooper. “It’s not a matter of if, but when North Carolina will face a significant storm or other disruptive events. We must be proactive and prepared.”

National Preparedness Month, sponsored by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, encourages all Americans to prepare for various types of emergencies. For resources on family disaster preparedness, visit ReadyNC.gov, which offers information on traffic, power outages, and shelters.

North Carolina Emergency Management Director Will Ray highlighted the state’s comprehensive approach to preparedness: “In this all-hazards threat environment, we plan and train for a range of emergencies, including tropical and winter weather, critical infrastructure failure, cybersecurity incidents,and more. It’s crucial for North Carolinians to have an emergency plan and practice it, communicate it to family or friends, and maintain a well-stocked emergency supply kit with provisions for at least three to seven days.”

North Carolinians can check with their local emergency management offices to find out what local alerting resources are available in their community. Residents should enable emergency alerts on their mobile device to stay informed. Additionally, North Carolina’s Know Your Zone initiative helps eastern North Carolina residents and visitors understand evacuation procedures in coastal areas vulnerable to hurricanes and other hazards. Learn more about your evacuation zone and how to prepare by visiting KnowYourZone.nc.gov.

CERT programs play a crucial role in community resilience, providing support in disaster aftermath and contributing to preparedness and response efforts.

Stay informed and prepared by following @NCEmergency on Twitter and Facebook throughout September for daily preparedness tips.

 

TownTalk: Oxford Gets Ready For Hot Sauce Festival

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There’ll be a hot time in O-Town this weekend as the 18th annual Hot Sauce Contest and Festival takes over downtown streets for an expanded two-day event.

Granville County Tourism Director Angela Allen said this year’s festival kicks off Friday, Sept. 6 and continues for a full day of activities the next day that includes live music, food vendors, crafts and more.

Vendors will be set up Friday evening from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. to showcase their goods, Allen said on Tuesday’s TownTalk. There will be live music by Gump Fiction, which she describes as a cover tribute band playing tunes from the 1990’s and 2000’s. There also will be an 18-hole glow-in-the-dark miniature golf course set up near Little John Street.

If that’s a little too staid for your tastes, step right up to the Flying Hatchet and try your hand at ax throwing.

There will be more live music throughout the day on Saturday, and all eyes – and taste buds – will be focused on the pepper-eating stage from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. to see which pepper-eating contestant can outlast other competitors.

This year, the local cooperative extension agency is getting in on the action by sponsoring a pepper decorating contest, Allen said. It’s just another example of how the community comes together to support the festival.

“At the root of it, it’s all about community,” she said.

But it’s also about the peppers. Granville County’s own Bailey Farms is the largest pepper distributor on the East Coast, so when Julia Overton originally hatched the idea of a pepper festival almost two decades ago, the pepper was an easy choice.

It’s gone from a small gathering in the basement of Stovall’s (now The Hub on Main) to a two-day street festival that brings pepper-loving people from all over to sample, shop and enjoy sauces that range from mild to wild.

“We’ve gotten over 200 entries of sauces,” Allen said, and judges have narrowed down their choices. In addition to the traditional categories of sauces, bbq sauces and spices and rubs, this year’s competition includes a category for salsa.

More than 50 of the sauce-related vendors will be at the festival, so folks can sample different products to find the perfect one for them.

Allen said this annual gathering is really becoming an event for foodies and for producers not just from Granville County, but from across North Carolina.

“It’s going to be a pretty awesome weekend in Granville County,” Allen said.

Visit www.nchotsauceandfestival.com for a complete schedule of events.

 

CLICK PLAY!

 

VGCC Logo

VGCC “Fill The Pantry” Craft Show Set For Saturday, Oct. 12; Vendor Registration Open Until Sept. 20

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The second annual “Fill the Pantry” Craft Show is set for Saturday, Oct. 12 at Vance-Granville Community College.

Organizers are looking to build on the success of last year’s event, which brought together more than 40 vendors at the VGCC Civic Center on Main Campus in Henderson. This year’s event will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Vendor registration is open now – simply complete the interest form found here: https://vgcc.jotform.com/232125467677059. The registration fee is $25 for each 10-foot by 10-foot space. This fee is non-refundable and vendor registration will be considered complete when the fee is paid.

Vendors will be asked to donate an item from their inventory to be added to the list of raffle items that will be given away throughout the event.

The cost of general admission is 3 canned food items, non-perishable goods or paper products that will be used to replenish the VGCC pantry for students.

Craft show organizers request that all vendor registration payments be made before the Friday, Sept. 20 deadline.

For more information about this event or the Vance-Granville Community College food pantry, please contact 252-738.3323 or douglasa@vgcc.edu.