#vancecountynews - WIZS

Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments Receives $1.2 Million CARES Act Grant

July 20, 2020/by WIZS Staff

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-Information courtesy U.S. Department of Commerce press release

On Friday, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced that the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding $8.4 million in CARES Act Recovery Assistance grants to capitalize and administer Revolving Loan Funds (RLFs) that will provide critical gap financing to small businesses and entrepreneurs in North Carolina that have been adversely affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

“These investments come at a crucial time to help North Carolina’s and our nation’s economy come roaring back and provide hard-working Americans with new opportunities,” said Dana Gartzke, Performing the Delegated Duties of the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development. “Small businesses are the lifeblood of our communities, and EDA is pleased to invest these CARES Act funds to help North Carolina businesses with their capital needs as they respond to coronavirus.”

Locally, the Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments, Henderson, North Carolina, will receive a $1.2 million EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to assist small businesses by providing much-needed capital through a RLF that will serve coronavirus impacted businesses in Franklin, Granville, Person, Vance, and Warren counties.

The CARES Act, signed into law by President Donald J. Trump, provides EDA with $1.5 billion for economic development assistance programs to help communities prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus pandemic.

On May 7, Secretary Ross announced that EDA is accepting applications for CARES Act Recovery Assistance funding opportunities.

EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance, which is being administered under the authority of the bureau’s flexible Economic Adjustment Assistance (EAA) program, provides a wide range of financial assistance to eligible communities and regions as they respond to and recover from the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.

For complete information, please visit EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance page.

Youth Encouraged to Enter ‘I Exist 2020’ Short Film Contest

July 20, 2020/by WIZS Staff

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-Information courtesy the Henderson-Vance Recreation & Parks Department

Calling all young filmmakers! The Henderson-Vance Recreation and Parks Department’s Youth Services Unit presents the “I Exist 2020” short film contest for amateur filmmakers ages 11-18.

Videos cannot contain excessive violence or obscene content. The deadline to submit a video is Wednesday, July 22, 2020.

A prize will be given to three winners, and videos will be featured on all of the Rec. Department’s social media sites.

For more information, please contact Shantel Hargrove at (252) 430-0382 (shhargrove@ci.henderson.nc.us)

Vance Co. Schools to Begin School Year Under Fully Remote ‘Plan C’

July 17, 2020/by WIZS Staff

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-Press Release, Vance County Schools

The Vance County Board of Education met on July 17, 2020, in a special called meeting to consider options for the reopening of schools for the 2020-2021 school year. By a vote of 5 – 2, the board accepted the Superintendent’s recommendation to begin the year under the state’s Plan C fully remote option for the first nine weeks of the school year, with plans to implement Plan B at the start of the second nine weeks.

The district has aspirations to begin option A at the start of the second semester in January. Staff will continue to evaluate data from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services as well as guidance from the Granville Vance Public Health to ensure that we are making decisions in the best interest of our students and staff.

As we work to implement our plans over the next few months, we are committed to ensuring that every student is equipped for success in whatever format we choose to operate. Very soon, we will begin sharing information with all families in preparation for the beginning of the school year.

As we continue working to navigate these uncharted waters, please know that we remain committed to ensuring that our decisions are supportive of providing the safest environment possible for our students, families and community. For that reason, all athletics and extracurricular events are currently suspended until further notice.

The 2020-2021 school year promises to be one of tremendous transitions for our school system and community. As we work through our responses to COVID-19, we ask for your patience, your support and your grace.

Governor Cooper Names Members of Andrea Harris Task Force

July 17, 2020/by WIZS Staff

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-Press Release, Office of Governor Roy Cooper

Earlier this week, Governor Roy Cooper named the members of the Andrea Harris Social, Economic, Environmental, and Health Equity Task Force.

The Task Force, established by the Governor’s Executive Order 143, will address the social, environmental, economic, and health disparities in communities of color that have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The first meeting is anticipated in early August.

“Inequities in North Carolina are not new, but COVID-19 is shining a bright light on disparities that have gone unchecked in our health care and economic institutions for communities of color,” said Governor Roy Cooper. “This task force is the right way to address these inequities as we recover from the pandemic so that as we come back from this, we improve access to affordable healthcare and quality economic opportunities.”

“Health inequities are the result of more than individual choice or random occurrence — they are the result of the historic and ongoing interplay of inequitable structures, policies, and norms that shape lives,” said NC Department of Administration Secretary Machelle Sanders. “I am deeply honored to carry Andrea Harris’ torch on this new task force, as we grapple with these complex and critical issues for North Carolina.”

To read the full press release, including the list of individuals named to the task force, click here.

Vance Co. Courthouse Temporarily Closed for COVID-19 Related Cleaning

July 16, 2020/by John C. Rose

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Thursday afternoon around 2 p.m., the Clerk of Court in Vance County, along with other local leaders, made the judgment call to close the Vance County Courthouse for the remainder of the day for a thorough cleaning.

The Clerk of Court, Henry Gupton, told WIZS News a lady who had a positive test result for COVID-19 had entered the building earlier in the day. As Gupton described it, the lady in question had been told she was negative for COVID-19, but, while she was inside the courthouse today, her provider called and said there had been a mistake and that, in fact, her test result was positive.

Gupton said there was no cause for panic. He said he, Sheriff Curtis Brame, Granville Vance Public Health Director Lisa Harrison and others involved, like District Attorney Mike Waters, had made the precautionary decision to close for the afternoon and extensively clean the affected areas.

Gupton said he wanted the public to be aware of what was going on and why.

The local courts have been taking pleas and conducting continuances in recent weeks and allowing those accused of actions to pay citations and go about their business when possible and appropriate.

GSK Science in the Summer™ Returns Virtually for 2020

July 16, 2020/by WIZS Staff

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-Press Release, GSK Science in the Summer™

GSK Science in the Summer™, a free summer STEM program that aims to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers, returns this summer as an entirely virtual offering with a new theme: Chemistry is Everywhere!

Traditionally held at local libraries and community-based organizations, this new online format for 2020 in response to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic ensures that GSK Science in the Summer™ can continue to offer high-quality, interactive STEM learning for its 34th year. With experiments available online, this year even more students entering second through sixth grade can participate at a critical time in their education journey and following the disruption of the 2019-20 academic year.

To ensure students without access to high-speed internet or devices at home can participate, GSK and the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center have created packets replicating the online instruction that they will disperse at libraries and Boys & Girls Clubs while maintaining social distance and all other COVID-19 precautions.

The all-new curriculum invites children to play the role of chemists by practicing real scientific techniques and exploring basic principles of chemistry—including the chemistry of polymers, glow sticks, and bombardier beetles. The program provides opportunities for students to embody science careers, think scientifically, use real science tools and techniques and have fun.

Families in Central NC who registered to participate in the week-long camps that typically took place at libraries and Boys and Girls Clubs a week at a time will participate during that same week this summer but at home.

Through accompanying online videos, educators from the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center guide students through several activities and share more about the hands-on chemistry research projects they’ll be exploring at home.

After conducting their experiments at home, students with access will join a live virtual research meeting with a Morehead Planetarium and Science Center educator to share results from their experiment, ask questions about the chemistry topic highlighted in the activity, and reflect on how they each were like scientists.

All virtual content will be made available beginning in late July or early August at the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center’s website for students throughout the state who didn’t enroll in the program to use and enjoy.

Provided by GSK in partnership with the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center and administered at science centers across the nation, this fun, 100% free STEM enrichment program helps prevent the summer slide and keeps all students, including students from underserved and underrepresented populations, engaged in STEM learning through hands-on experiments. The program reaches more than 3,000 students at 50 locations across Central NC each year.

“We hope that GSK Science in the Summer™ programs continues to inspire more children to put on their goggles and explore the wonders of science. Our goal is to encourage students, particularly those from populations underrepresented in the scientific community, to pursue STEM career paths later in life,” said Becki Lynch, Director, US Community Partnerships at GSK.

“Through the GSK Science in the Summer™ curriculum and online resources, we are proud to continue to serve our participants as they explore chemistry at home with their families,” says Glenda Hairston, Science Programs Outreach Manager, Morehead Planetarium and Science Center. “Through our curriculum and online resources, we hope that children will be inspired to see themselves as scientists who can improve the world using their critical thinking skills, natural curiosity, and creativity.”

For more information, visit the GSK Science in the Summer™ website (click here) or the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center website (click here).

GVPH: Local COVID-19 Update as of 7/15/20

July 16, 2020/by WIZS Staff

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-Information courtesy Granville Vance Public Health

The following is an update for COVID-19 spread and response in Granville and Vance County as of July 15, 2020. Granville Vance Public Health numbers correlate with the NC Electronic Disease Surveillance System (NCEDSS) data.

The county case numbers reported on the NC county map from the NC Department of Health and Human Services may differ from the ones reported locally as they are updated at different times and may change once residence is verified.

Granville County

983 positive test results for COVID-19.

Of those 983, 509 are community-spread cases located across Granville County. Of those 509, 371 have been released from isolation, and seven are hospitalized.

Of those 983 cases, 465 are affiliated with the prison system in Granville County, and 95 of those 465 have been released from isolation.

Six of those 983 are associated with an outbreak at the Murdoch Development Center, five of whom have been released from isolation.

Two of those 983 are associated with an outbreak at Central Regional Hospital.

One resident has tested positive for COVID-19 at Brantwood Nursing and Rehab Center. Three staff members have also tested positive.

There have been a total of 25 deaths in Granville County, three in the community, one at Central Regional Hospital, and 21 of whom were associated with the Bureau of Prisons Federal Correctional Complex.

Vance County

586 positive test results for COVID-19.

Of those 586, 463 are community-spread cases located across Vance county, and 365 of those 463 have been released from isolation.

Of those 586, 123 are associated with outbreaks at congregate living facilities, including 48 cases associated with Kerr Lake Nursing Home and 17 associated with Senior Citizens Home.

The outbreak at Pelican Health nursing home is no longer active. Of the 123 cases in congregate living facilities in Vance County, 44 have been released from isolation.

Two individuals in Vance County are hospitalized.

There have been a total of 40 deaths in Vance County, 14 of whom were associated with the Pelican Health nursing home outbreak, 11 of whom were associated with Kerr Lake Nursing Home, and two of whom were associated with Senior Citizens Home.

Additional Information

The number of those who have been ‘released from isolation’ is determined by the CDC Guidance for discontinuation of isolation for persons with COVID-19.

North Carolina has a prevention and detection-focused approach to testing for COVID-19 in long term care facilities. Because people are living in close proximity, these are settings that many states monitor for the spread of COVID-19. NC DHHS considers long term care facilities to be experiencing an “outbreak” if at least two individuals who are staff and/or residents have tested positive. An outbreak is considered over after 28 consecutive days with no new positive test results.

All long term care facilities in the district are testing staff and residents regularly and participate in a weekly call with Dr. Shauna Guthrie at Granville Vance Public Health. For schools, businesses, and other settings that are not congregate living facilities, the state considers multiple cases to be a “cluster.” A cluster is defined as both a minimum of five cases in the same facility within a 14-day period and a plausible epidemiological linkage between cases.

Some additional cases being reported currently out of the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) are related to a building on the Durham County side, and those cases will be reported to the Durham County Health Department for data entry into the NCEDSS system. The Bureau of Prisons is doing its own testing on-site. For more about the response from the Bureau of Prisons, please visit the Prison’s website.

Please visit www.gvph.org/COVID-19/ for the latest information from Granville Vance Public Health and to sign up for daily email updates.

Vance County Public Safety, Properties Committee to Meet Next Week

July 16, 2020/by WIZS Staff

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-Information courtesy County of Vance

Please be informed of the following scheduled Vance County committee meetings. Both meetings will be held in the Commissioners’ Conference Room of the Vance County Administration Building located at 122 Young Street in Henderson.

Public Safety Committee (Wilder, Brummitt, Taylor)

Tuesday, July 21, 2020 – 3 p.m.

Fire Reorganization

Properties Committee (Brummitt, Taylor, Wilder)

Wednesday, July 22, 2020 – 4 p.m.

Warrenton Road Convenience Site

Harbor Freight Tools to Open New Henderson Store August 1

July 15, 2020/by WIZS Staff

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-Press Release, Harbor Freight Tools

Harbor Freight Tools, America’s go-to store for quality tools at the lowest prices, will open its new store in Henderson on Saturday, August 1, 2020, at 8 a.m.

The Henderson store, located at 1249 Dabney Drive, is the 38th Harbor Freight Tools store in North Carolina. The new store brings approximately 35 new jobs to the community.

As a designated essential service, the store will be open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. It will resume its regular hours of 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday after the COVID-19 crisis has passed.

“We’re ready to serve and deliver value to customers in Henderson and all of Vance County,” said Marc Simpson, store manager. “At Harbor Freight, we recognize that now, more than ever, our customers depend on Harbor Freight for the tools they need to get the job done at an affordable price. We are the place for quality tools at the lowest prices for mechanics, contractors, homeowners and hobbyists—any tool user who cares about value.”

The store will stock a full selection of tools and accessories in categories including automotive, air and power tools, storage, outdoor power equipment, generators, welding supplies, shop equipment, hand tools (which come with a lifetime warranty) and much more. At 17,400 square feet, the stores are easy to shop.

During the COVID-19 crisis, all Harbor Freight stores have implemented more frequent cleaning and are following the guidelines from the Center for Disease Control, including social distancing to protect the health and safety of customers and associates. Any individual who has any COVID-19 symptoms is asked to shop on our website, www.harborfreight.com rather than in our stores.

Company Background

Harbor Freight Tools was founded in Southern California in 1977 when 17-year-old Eric Smidt began transforming his father’s small sales business into a successful mail-order company. That first year, Eric cut out the middlemen and sourced tools directly from the factories, realizing that if he could buy tools directly for less, he could pass the savings on to the customer.

Today, Harbor Freight has over 1,000 stores across the country with over 20,000 employees. The company is still family-owned and remains true to its humble beginnings while serving more than 40 million customers who depend on Harbor Freight’s quality and value to earn a living, repair their homes and cars, and pursue their hobbies.

With core values of excellence, continuous improvement and doing the right thing, Harbor Freight Tools is working to constantly improve the quality of its products and is introducing hundreds of new tools and accessories each year with the features, performance and durability of the best brands on the market—but at a fraction of the price.

Harbor Freight Tools offers customers even deeper discounts with special coupon pricing. Customers can sign up to receive a monthly coupon book by mail with dozens of product coupons and additional discounts. Customers can also receive additional discounts by email. To sign up, visit HarborFreightSignUp.com.

Giving Back

Another of the company’s core values is giving back to the communities it serves.

In order to help protect healthcare workers caring for COVID-19 patients, Harbor Freight recently donated its entire stock of nitrile gloves, N-95 masks and face shields to hospitals in every community served by a Harbor Freight Tools store.

Harbor Freight Tools is also a major supporter of Harbor Freight Tools for Schools, an initiative of The Smidt Foundation, established by the company’s founder Eric Smidt, to advance excellent skilled trades education in public high schools America. The program’s flagship initiative is the annual Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence, which honors 18 public high school skilled trades teachers and their programs with $1 million in cash awards. This year’s winners will be announced in October 2020. For more information, visit harborfreighttoolsforschools.org.

Harbor Freight Tools also supports non-profit organizations that serve K-12 public education, first responders and veterans. For more information on the gift card donations program, visit harborfreightgivingback.com.

For more information about Harbor Freight Tools, visit harborfreight.com. Follow the company on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

H-V Chamber Extends Deadline for New Teacher Bag Items, Thanks Donors

July 15, 2020/by WIZS Staff

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-Information courtesy the Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce

The Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce is preparing to welcome new teachers to the Vance County area. The schools include Vance County Public Schools, Henderson Collegiate, Crossroads Christian School, Kerr-Vance Academy and Vance Charter School.

Approximately 140 new teachers will be welcomed to the area this year. The H-V Chamber is looking for donations from local business owners to pack into bags for these teachers. Suggested items include pens, pencils, pads, hand sanitizer, coupons/discount cards, key chains, etc.

The deadline to donate items has been extended to Friday, July 17.

If your business would be able to donate an item for each teacher, or with any questions, please contact the Chamber at (252) 438-8414.

The Chamber thanks the following businesses who have already made donations:

WIZS
State Farm/Margier White
Henderson Wellness Center
Walmart Distribution
3HC
Quick Print
Benchmark
Maria Parham Health
Henderson Fire Department
Henderson-Vance Parks and Recreation
Clearview Church
Vance-Granville Community College
Variety Wholesale
Southern Laundry
Prim Residential
Outside the Box
Fred’s Towing
Chick-fil-A

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