From the City of Oxford at 3 p.m.
Several city streets are closed because of a fallen tree, and city officials urge drivers to follow posted detour signs to avoid the affected area.
Currently, Forest Avenue is closed from College Street to Lanier Street; New College Street is also closed from Lee Street to Forest Avenue; and Dogwood Lane also is closed.
Crews are working to clear the area.
UPDATE: 7:15 p.m.
Firefighters battled a blaze in downtown Oxford Monday morning which destroyed a historic building that housed two businesses.
The call came in at 8:28 a.m., and Oxford Fire Department, with help from several area volunteer fire departments, had the fire under control by 10:40 a.m., according to information from city officials late Monday afternoon.
“The fire was extinguished at approximately 10:40 and controlled through the coordinated efforts of the Oxford Fire Department, the Antioch Fire Department, the Providence Fire Department, the Corinth Fire Department, and the Granville Rural Fire Department. Granville EMS was also present at the scene,” according to information sent from Oxford city officials.
Businesses near the 100 block of Williamsboro Street were evacuated and law enforcement agencies from the police department, sheriff’s office and N.C. Highway Patrol blocked off the area at Williamsboro and Main streets.
Alyssa Blair, Downtown Development Director, stated, “The fire from this morning has touched the heart of everyone in the business community as well as the community as a whole and the rallying behind them has already begun. The City of Oxford and Downtown Oxford Economic Development Corporation have begun searching for temporary locations for our affected businesses and will do everything possible to find additional resources to aid during this difficult time.”
ORIGINAL STORY
Oxford firefighters spent the morning battling a blaze downtown that has destroyed two businesses and was posing a threat to businesses on either side.
The fire broke out on the 100 block of Williamsboro Street between First National Bank and Milano’s restaurant near the heart of downtown Oxford. The two businesses are The Healing Haven and Farrar’s Jewelers, located at 121 ½ and 123 Williamsboro St., according to Granville County Chamber of Commerce Director Cynthia Ratliff.
Oxford Mayor Jackie Sergent said no one was inside, so, as yet, people are safe. “We are grieving for the tremendous loss – for the building which has so much meaning and history for the community and the owner and for the businesses within who were counting on the holiday shopping season to keep them strong,” Sergent said in a text message to WIZS News Monday morning.
According to Sergent, the building occupied by Healing Haven Massage is owned by Gaynelle Finch, and previously housed Finch Insurance Agency. “The fire is raging between ceilings…so (it’s) unreachable,” Sergent said about 10:15 a.m. “Our guys and multiple other agencies are keeping the water going in an attempt to save the buildings on either side.”
Those buildings on either side include an attorney’s office, a consulting firm, a health care agency and a bail bond agency.
By 11 a.m., firefighters were able to enter the second floor of the structure, according to Sergent, who was on the scene.
Oxford Downtown Development Director Alyssa Blair provided a brief statement to WIZS News Tuesday afternoon, saying that other several businesses had been affected by this morning’s fire.
“We do not have information on what started the fire and will inform the public as soon as the investigation has concluded,” Blair noted.
“We are grateful for our FD staff – that they are well trained and well equipped, and for the mutual aid responders who have come when needed, and we are praying for their safety, those affected, and that the damage may be minimized. I have faith that the community of Oxford will come together and support all those needing it in the days ahead that they might prevail and feel cared for.”
Ratliff drove down Williamsboro Street shortly before 8:30 this morning on her way to work. She told WIZS News in a telephone interview from the fire scene Monday morning that she smelled a faint smell of smoke when she arrived at her office, and thought briefly that it was coming from under her car’s hood.
Just a few minutes later, she was walking to the Hub for a meeting and she saw a ladder truck along Williamsboro Street.
“It’s heartbreaking,” Ratliff said, as she watched firefighters battle the fire. All surrounding businesses were evacuated, and the road is blocked. Services at the courthouse seem to be unaffected.
“It’s a horrible sight,” Ratliff said of the building in the aftermath of the fire.
CLICK PLAY!
The U.S. Small Business Administration is hosting a webinar Friday afternoon to discuss funding options that are available to small businesses, including new and existing resources to contend with inflation.
The webinar is part of “The Bottom Line” series, hosted by the SBA and Small Business Majority
Register here for the webinar, which begins at 2 p.m.
“Understanding how to deal with the impact of inflation as a result of the pandemic and other global factors, and knowing where to look for an navigate available resources to tackle it can sometimes be daunting,” according to information from the USBA. Speakers during tomorrow’s webinar include USBA Senior Advisor, Office of Capital Access Veronica Pugin; Gary Cunningham, president and CEO, Prosperity Now, Stephanie DeVane, vice president of the National Urban League’s entrepreneurship & business development and Mark Madrid, USBA associate administrator, Office of Entrepreneurial Development.
Click this link to register: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Wur853uISLmA7Oh-Lfm3Pw?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery
The N.C. Department of Transportation is looking for volunteers for the Adopt-A-Highway Fall Litter Sweep, which runs Sept. 10 – 24.
Each April and September, the department calls on volunteers to help remove litter from roadsides. Volunteers from local businesses, schools, non-profits, churches and community groups play an important role in keeping North Carolina’s roads clean.
“The Litter Sweep is a great opportunity to get outdoors with family and friends and work alongside NCDOT to ensure North Carolina remains a beautiful place to live and work.” says David Harris, a state DOT roadside environmental engineer.
Volunteers can request gloves, safety vests and bags from their local county maintenance office to prepare for the cleanup event. DOT maintenance crews devote one week of their time to pick up litter and collect the orange bags that dot roadsides after volunteers have finished their work.
Cleanup supplies, such as reversible orange/blue trash bags, gloves and orange safety vests, are available from the local NCDOT county maintenance yard office.
The following link contains contact information for each county’s local litter management coordinator.
Visit the Litter Sweep webpage for more information.
The filing period for Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor began on Monday, June 13 at 12 noon and will end at 12 noon on Friday, July 1. The Granville County Board of Elections office will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Please note that the Board of Elections office has moved to 208 Wall St., Oxford, NC.
There are two Soil and Water Conservation district supervisor seats up for reelection, according to Elections Board Director Tonya Burnette. The filing fee is $5 and must be paid with a personal check, campaign check or money order. Business or corporate checks cannot be accepted.
Candidates can file their notarized notice of candidacy and filing fee in person at the Board of Elections office or the documents may be mailed in. For more information or to ask a question, contact the Granville County Board of Elections office at 919.693.2515.
The catchy phrase “spring ahead, fall back” is a good reminder for setting clocks to reflect the beginning and end of Daylight Savings Time. But fire officials everywhere would love to tack on an extra reminder to check or change smoke alarm batteries, too. It’s not as catchy, but “change your clock, change your batteries” serves as a reminder that could save lives. And since Daylight Savings Time just began a few days ago, it’s still a good idea to check those batteries.
Local fire departments often will change faulty smoke detectors. Contact your local fire department to learn more about this program.
According to N.C. Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey, “changing your clock either back or forward should be like tying a string around your finger to remember to check your smoke alarm battery. The two practices need to go hand in hand.” Causey also is the state fire marshal.
“Changing the battery routinely is an important step to keep your home and everyone inside safe. Smoke alarms cut the chances of dying in a fire in half, but they have to be in proper working condition in order to do their job,” Causey said in a press statement.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, families have an average of three minutes to get out of their homes once their smoke alarm sounds due to fire. However, those life-saving minutes only occur when alarms are fully powered and operational.
There were 134 fire deaths in North Carolina in 2021, and in many of those incidents, a proper-working smoke alarm was not inside the home. So far this year, there have been 31 fire deaths.
The NFPA reports three out of every five home fire deaths across the nation resulted from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms.
Dead batteries caused one-quarter of the smoke alarm failures. Hardwired power source problems caused 7 percent of the failures. The rest of the failures occurred because of defective or improperly installed alarms.
Causey offered these tips in addition to checking and changing smoke alarm batteries:
Visit website smoke alarms page to learn more.
The Rotary Club of South Granville County needs the community’s help to bring some holiday cheer to senior adults in the area.
The goal is to distribute 125 gifts at a drive-thru event on Dec. 3 at the Granville County Senior Center. The event is for senior adults who attend South Granville Senior Center activities, according to Club President Angela Allen.
Sign up to collect one or more items (in increments of 25) on the club’s Signup Genius page:
www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0a4aaeac23aafc1-granville1
All donations must be collected and delivered by November 30, 2021. Donations may be dropped off on Tuesdays at the weekly Rotary Club meeting. The club meets at 6:30 p.m. at South Granville Country Club, 2539 Sam Moss Hayes Rd., Creedmoor.
Other drop-off locations in Creedmoor include:
For more information, email angela.allen@granvillecounty.org or phone 919.725.6486.
Granville County Sheriff Charles R. Noblin Jr. has submitted his resignation effective at 5 p.m. today (Wednesday), citing recent revelations as part of an ongoing investigation into actions of former Sheriff Brindell Wilkins. Wilkins and three deputies were indicted Tuesday with falsifying training certificates dating back to 2012.
County Attorney Jim Wrenn provided WIZS News with a copy of the resignation letter that Noblin sent Wrenn Tuesday afternoon. “Due to personal reasons beyond my control and newly discovered information brought to my attention concerning the ongoing investigation, I feel that it is in my best interest and betterment of Granville County Sheriff’s Office that I inform you of my resignation effective October 27, 2021, at 5:00 p.m.”
The ongoing investigation involves the former sheriff and three deputies who were indicted by a Wake County grand jury Tuesday afternoon on multiple felony charges of obtaining property by false pretense and felony obstruction of justice “based on allegations of falsifying and submitting training and firearm qualification records,” according to a letter from Wake District Attorney N. Lorrin Freeman to the N.C. Sheriffs’ Education and Training Standards Division in Raleigh.
In the letter addressed to Division Director Diane Konopka, Freeman named Wilkins, Sherwood Boyd, Chad Coffey and Edward Keith Campbell as the individuals alleged to be involved, which Freeman stated is an ongoing criminal matter.
The letter further stated that Noblin and Russell “Rusty” Corley may also hold falsified certifications. This information surfaced during the course of the investigation, Freeman said. Both men “signed firearm qualification forms indicating that they had completed the mandated course of fire and received passing scores when in fact they had not. Both individuals were on medical leave at the time, and in lieu of completing the necessary waiver, participated in their agency submitting fraudulent information to the Division at the direction of the others within the department,” Freeman’s letter continued.
“Inasmuch as these allegations, if proven true, would be a basis for action by your Commission as to these individuals’ justice officer certification, I am notifying you of this,” Freeman said of the indictments returned for Wilkins, Boyd, Coffey and Campbell. “There may be grounds to summarily suspend certifications for one or more of these individuals, I am willing to allow you, or an investigator with your Division, to review the investigation in this matter if you so wish.”
But she said it was determined that Noblin and Corley should not be subjects of a criminal prosecution because the actions were deemed “isolated incidents.” Rather, the individuals should be reported to the education and training standards division, as well as the agency head or employer and to the district attorney “for determinations as to these individuals’ status of employment, certification and capacity as a witness in other criminal matters,” the letter stated.
In a follow-up email from Freeman today (Wednesday), she said that because Noblin tendered his resignation he is “not subject to a criminal investigation or prosecution based on this singular incident” and it is “a matter that is appropriately handled administratively.”
County Attorney Wrenn told WIZS News today (Wednesday) that Chief Deputy Chris Smoot will step in until the county commissioners appoint someone to fill the unexpired term of sheriff. The commissioners have, as yet, made no decision on appointing anyone to fill the unexpired term, Wrenn stated.
“In resigning and not pursuing law enforcement employment, Mr. Noblin has put his agency above his personal ambition,” Freeman told WIZS News. “This now gives this department and the people of Granville County a chance to start a new era for the Granville County Sheriff Office through an election that is upcoming. Law enforcement have difficult jobs within our communities and it is critical that they work to maintain the public trust. A strict commitment to maintaining credibility and adhering to qualification requirements is essential to being able to do this,” she stated.
The Granville County Commissioners appointed Noblin to fill the unexpired term of Wilkins, and he assumed the duties of sheriff in January 2020.
The Granville County Board of Education and Board of Commissioners will hold a joint meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 27 beginning at 2 p.m. at the Granville County Expo Center.
The purpose of the meeting will be to discuss redistricting, according to a press statement from Dr. Stan Winborne, associate superintendent of curriculum & instruction and public information officer.
This meeting is open to the public, and masks and social distancing protocols are recommended. A recording of the meeting will also be available to view on the GCPS website following the meeting, Winborne stated.
The Wednesday meeting of the two groups follows public hearings that have been held recently to hear from community members about several options regarding school reorganization and consolidation.
A public hearing was held at Tar River Elementary on Oct. 18 and school board members heard from teachers and parents about the idea of making Tar River Elementary a middle school to replace G.C. Hawley Middle in Creedmoor.
Speakers voiced their opposition to the idea and cited numerous reasons why it would be a bad idea, from splitting up school staff and losing teachers to other districts and charter schools to spending money to make the newest school campus appropriate for middle school students.
A called meeting of the school board is set for Monday, Oct. 25 at 4 p.m., Winborne stated, at which time the board will continue its discussion of school reorganization and consolidation. The meeting will be held at the Mary Potter Center of Education, 200 Taylor St., Oxford.
The meeting will be livestreamed at: https://live.myvrspot.com/st?cid=MDhkZj.
Winborne said that anyone who attends this meeting must wear a face covering and cooperate with social distancing requirements. Anyone without a face covering will not be permitted to enter the building. Face coverings must be worn at all times while inside the building. Anyone who chooses not to comply with the above will be asked to leave the property. There will be limited seating available.
Granville-Vance Public Health Director Lisa M. Harrison is the 2021-22 president of the board of directors of the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), which represents nearly 3,000 local health departments across the country.
“It is a privilege to serve as NACCHO’s board president while public health continues to work so diligently during the pandemic to prevent disease and promote health,” Harrison said in press release from the national organization. “I have been in awe of our public health workforce for a long time, but these last two years have been a constant reminder of their tireless dedication to and focus on community. We are fortunate in the United States to have hundreds of thousands of public health workers across nearly 3,000 local health departments fighting a hard fight at the tip of the spear against COVID-19, against underfunded and outdated systems that can hinder more than help get the job accomplished, and against misinformation that spreads more quickly than fact. I look forward to working with our partners at all levels to ensure the critical public health system receives long-term sustainable solutions. In the meantime, you can count on your local health department for vaccines, case investigation, contact tracing, outbreak investigation, data management, education, outreach, infection control, and a host of important partnerships to leverage local community health efforts.”
“On behalf of the Board of Directors and our county and city health departments, we welcome and look forward to Lisa’s strong leadership of local health departments as we continue to respond to COVID and address the myriad of public health priorities facing our communities and our country at this crucial time in our history,” said NACCHO Chief Executive Officer Lori Tremmel Freeman.
Harrison has been the director of the GVPH since 2012. Her previous roles in North Carolina public health have been in research, practice, and policy development.
Harrison has served as the performance improvement manager for the North Carolina Division of Public Health (NCDPH), where she worked with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on a public health infrastructure grant for performance improvement. Prior to that, she participated in the North Carolina 2020: A Better State of Health initiative with the North Carolina Institute of Medicine. In addition, she worked on the development of the Quality Improvement 101 curriculum for local public health agencies; and established a quality improvement training program for the North Carolina public health workforce.
Harrison has been a member of the public health field for more than 20 years. She has served as the director of the Office of Healthy Carolinians and Health Education at the NCDPH, led the Public Health Incubator Collaboratives Program at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill, and directed the Southeast Public Health Leadership Institute (SEPHLI) at UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health where she continues to stay connected as adjunct faculty in the Public Health Leadership Program. In 2015, Harrison served as the North Carolina Public Health Association president where she continues to stay involved connecting public health research and practice.
About NACCHO’s Board of Directors
NACCHO is governed by a 22-member board comprising local and tribal health officials who are elected by their peers, as well as three ex-officio members representing partner organizations.
As the governing body, NACCHO’s Board of Directors establishes the association’s strategic direction and initiatives, sets the annual legislative agenda, approves official policy statements, ensures that annual goals are met, and provides financial oversight. The Board is NACCHO’s public face, and represents members in matters of policy, public health practice, and collaboration with health partners in the public and private sectors.
NACCHO’s Board is led by four executive officers. In addition to Ms. Harrison, this includes:
