Tag Archive for: #vancecountynews

U.S. Department of Justice

Dept. of Justice Awards $5 Million to Address NC School Violence

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-Press Release, U.S. Department of Justice

The Department of Justice announced it has awarded more than $85.3 million to bolster school security—including funding to educate and train students and faculty—and support first responders who arrive on the scene of a school shooting or other violent incident.

“These federal resources will help to prevent school violence and give our students the support they need to learn, grow, and thrive,’ said Attorney General William P. Barr. “By training faculty, students and first responders, and by improving school security measures, we can make schools and their communities safer.”

“Preventing violence in our schools is critical to the safety and security of all of our communities,” said Robert J. Higdon, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina. “These funds authorized by the Department of Justice will be used to better prepare school faculty, students and law enforcement to prevent, detect, and respond to security threats.”

The grants award more than $5 million in funding to prevent violence in schools in North Carolina. President Trump signed the STOP School Violence Act into law March 2018, authorizing grants that are designed to improve threat assessments, train students and faculty to provide tips and leads and prepare law enforcement officers and emergency professionals to respond to school shootings and other violent incidents.

The grant programs are managed by OJP’s Bureau of Justice Assistance and the Justice Department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.

The Bureau of Justice Assistance, within the Department’s Office of Justice Programs, and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services manage the programs and administer the grants, which include funds to:

  • Develop school threat assessment teams and pursue technological solutions to improve reporting of suspicious activity in and around schools;
  • Implement or improve school safety measures, including coordination with law enforcement, as well as the use of metal detectors, locks, lighting and other deterrent measures;
  • Train law enforcement to help deter student violence against others and themselves;
  • Improve notification to first responders through the implementation of technology that expedites emergency notifications;
  • Develop and operate anonymous reporting systems to encourage safe reporting of potential school threats;
  • Train school officials to intervene when mentally ill individuals threaten school safety; and
  • Provide training and technical assistance to schools and other awardees in helping implement these programs.

For more details about these individual award programs, as well as listings of individual 2019 awardees, visit https://go.usa.gov/xVJuV.

Vance County Logo

Vance County Water, Technology Committees to Meet Oct. 28

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-Information courtesy Kelly H. Grissom, Executive Assistant/Clerk to Board, Vance County Board of Commissioners

The following Vance County committees are scheduled to meet Monday, October 28, 2019, in the Administrative Conference Room of the Vance County Administration Building located at 122 Young Street in Henderson.

Water Committee – (Wilder, Brummitt, Taylor)

Monday, October 28 at 3 p.m.

–       Availability Customer Incentive Program

Technology Committee – (Brummitt, Feimster, Taylor)

Monday, October 28 at 3:30 p.m.

–       Wi-Fi

–       Tower Agreement

–       Register of Deeds Online Service

–       Register of Deeds Preservation of Records

Town Talk 10/21/19

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Vance County Logo

Technology Committee Discusses Public Wi-Fi in Downtown Henderson, Kittrell

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Vance County Manager Jordan McMillen provided WIZS with the following summary of the Vance County Technology Committee’s meeting held Wednesday, September 11, 2019:

Public Wi-Fi: The committee (Brummitt [C], Taylor & Feimster) met with Rob Cranwell from Open Broadband, LLC on Wednesday, September 11, 2019, to discuss and determine final locations for proceeding with public Wi-Fi. The areas discussed included an existing water tank in Kittrell, the shopping and retail area near I-85 and Dabney Drive and the downtown Henderson area.

Open Broadband recommended moving away from the shopping and retail area as the necessary infrastructure was not in place making it cost-prohibitive to serve the area. The committee then focused their discussion on the downtown area and determined a service area between Rose Avenue to Orange Street to include Breckenridge Street and Chestnut Street around the library and McGregor Hall.

The committee desires to partner with the city for providing coverage in the downtown area and asked staff to discuss joint participation with the city. The committee asked Open Broadband to prepare final coverage maps and costs based on committee feedback.

Following the meeting, Open Broadband presented a cost of $600/month for Kittrell and $2,000/month for the downtown area with a one-time install fee of $4,000 for downtown. The Kittrell area would be served with a connection of up to 200 Megabits per second with the downtown area served by a gigabit capacity service.

The committee intends to review a contract at their next meeting.

Town Talk 10/16/19: Aarika Sandlin, VCS’ New Public Information Officer, On-Air

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Aarika Sandlin, public information officer (PIO) for Vance County Schools, was on Wednesday’s edition of WIZS’ Town Talk to discuss both her new role and the future of the local public school system.

Sandlin, who received her undergraduate degree from Mars Hill University and graduate degree from East Tennessee State University, believes her studies in journalism, corporate communications, public relations and education, along with her 16 years of work experience in education, will serve her well in her new position.

Pictured: Aarika Sandlin, public information officer (PIO) for Vance County Schools.

Of her time in the education field, Sandlin spent 11 years as a classroom teacher and five years as a high school test coordinator.

Taking the reins from long-serving VCS PIO Terri Hedrick, who retired in July with 21-years in the school system, Sandlin said one of her first tasks is to determine what has been working and what may need to be tweaked moving forward.

“We are looking at ways things have been, deciding what went well and then looking at things that we need to take down a different path,” said Sandlin.

One area of focus, according to Sandlin, includes getting more parents on-board with social media channels as a means of conveying information in a fast, effective manner.

In addition to Vance County Schools’ website and social media outlets, Sandlin explained that each school now has its own social media account that is managed by the principal or the principal’s designee.

It is beneficial for parents to follow both their child’s individual school account and Vance County Schools’ accounts to ensure updated information, said Sandlin.

Sandlin’s primary job is to “make sure the community, the parents, the staff and the teachers are aware of what’s going on in Vance County Schools, sharing the positive things and showcasing our students for the great things they are doing.”

To accomplish this, Sandlin must be on-the-go frequently. “I’m in my office very little,” she said with a laugh. “I’m in the schools. I’m meeting with community members and organizations such as the Chamber of Commerce to share what’s going on and to get them to partner with us.”

To hear the interview with Sandlin in its entirety, please click the play button below. Listen live to WIZS’ Town Talk Monday-Friday at 11 a.m. on 1450AM, 100.1 FM or online at www.wizs.com.

Reminder: Stew Sale in Memory of Tripp Watkins Set for Fri., Oct. 18

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-Information courtesy Morgan Watkins

 

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A Brunswick Stew Sale will be held at Rose Oil Company in Henderson on Friday, October 18, 2019, from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. in memory of Tripp Watkins.

Stew is available for $8 per quart; proceeds will help fund the George Rose Watkins III Foundation.

The foundation was founded after Watkins, the son of Chip and Gayle Watkins, passed away after a long battle with addiction.

The George Rose Watkins III Foundation exists to bring awareness and aid to those suffering from mental illness in the form of addiction and their families who are suffering and striving to find help and solutions.

“The foundation was started to continue Tripp’s legacy after he passed away two years ago. This is our way of helping families get through addiction and bring awareness to those around us,” said Morgan Watkins. “This foundation is close to our hearts and we are looking forward to lending a helping hand to those going through this terrible struggle in life.”

Rose Oil Company is located at 613 US 158 Bypass in Henderson. Please call (252) 438-7141 for tickets.

Great Southeast Shakeout: World’s Largest Earthquake Drill Set for Tomorrow!

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-Press Release, NC Department of Public Safety

At 10:17 a.m. tomorrow, more than 2.3 million people will participate in the Great Southeast Shakeout, the world’s largest earthquake drill, including more than 350,000 school children in grades K-12.

Any individual, family, organization, school, agency, or business can register for the event. However, if you or your group haven’t registered you can still practice Drop, Cover, and Hold On, the recommended actions for people to take during an earthquake.

DROP – Get down on the floor when shaking starts before the quake drops you.

COVER – Take cover under a sturdy desk, table or other furniture. If you cannot find something to get under, crouch against an inside wall. Keep your head and neck safe by using your arms. Stay away from windows, hanging objects, mirrors or anything that might fall.

HOLD ON – Hold on to a desk, table or piece of furniture. Be ready to move with it during the quake

These simple steps allow you to get down before you’re thrown to the ground, provide protection from falling or flying items, and increase your chances of surviving a building collapse. If you are trapped, stay calm and tap on hard or metal parts of the structure to try and attract attention.

By identifying places you can shelter safely in your home or workplace and by practicing going to those places, you increase the likelihood of surviving an earthquake.

Visit https://www.shakeout.org/southeast/register/ where you can register, find fact sheets, drill manuals, drill broadcast recordings, flyers, videos and other materials that make it easy for your group to participate in the drill and be prepared.

North Carolina has its share of earthquakes, but large, damaging quakes are infrequent in our state, where severe weather and hurricanes are more common threats. Earthquake risk is highest in Western North Carolina, where small quakes occur regularly but are usually too mild to be detected without special instruments.

Vance County Logo

Vance Co. Commissioners, Board of Education to Hold Joint Meeting

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-Information courtesy Kelly H. Grissom, Executive Assistant/Clerk to Board, Vance County Board of Commissioners

Please be informed that a joint meeting of the Vance County Board of Commissioners and the Vance County Board of Education is scheduled for Monday, October 21, 2019, at 12 p.m.

The meeting will be held at the Perry Memorial Library’s Farm Bureau Room located at 205 Breckenridge Street in Henderson.

Agenda items include updates on NC’s Leandro Case, the consolidation process of Vance County Middle and High School, facility transfer agreements and broadband.

VGCC Nursing Students, Faculty Wear Pink for Breast Cancer Awareness

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-Information courtesy Vance-Granville Community College

On Tuesday, October 15, 2019, the students and faculty of Vance-Granville Community College’s Nursing Programs wore pink to show support for breast cancer awareness.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Please visit Wear It Pink (https://www.wearitpink.org/about/breast-cancer-awareness-month) or the National Breast Cancer Foundation website (https://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/breast-cancer-awareness-month) to learn more about the signs and symptoms of breast cancer.

On Tuesday, October 15, 2019, the students and faculty of the VGCC Nursing Programs wore pink to show support for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. (VGCC photo)

 

H-V Chamber Logo

H-V Chamber President Calls on Community Leaders to Support ‘Hometown Debate’

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Message from Michele Burgess, Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce President:

Our Chamber was one of four in the state to be asked to host “Hometown Debate – Delivery of Medical Services.”  This is a televised series that will be aired across NC by Spectrum News.

It is being sponsored by the North Carolina Institute of Political Leadership, a non-partisan, nonprofit organization whose mission is to educate future political and community leaders in modern campaign strategy, ethical decision making, and governance, such that its participants will have a sound grounding in ethical behavior, consensus building, and cooperative and collaborative leadership. This is their 33rd year of operation.

John Hood is the chairman of their Board of Directors and works for the John William Pope Foundation. He also writes a column that appears in The Daily Dispatch newspaper. The NC-IOPL has a new Executive Director, Brad Young.

This forum will be held in the Civic Center at VGCC in Henderson on Thursday, October 17, 2019, from 7 – 8 p.m. There will be an opportunity to meet and speak with the participants afterward.

The moderator will be Loretta Boniti, news anchor with Spectrum News – Channel 14.

There are four panelists – Legislator Donna McDowell White from Johnston County, a former nurse; Legislator Maryann Black from Durham County, the Vice President of Community Relations at Duke Health Systems; policy expert Jordan Roberts with the John Locke Foundation and Gregory Griggs with the NC Academy of Family Physicians.

The Chamber Board has endorsed this event. Tanya Evans spoke with the Rocky Mount Chamber of Commerce, who has hosted in the past, and I have spoken with the Asheboro Chamber of Commerce, who has hosted in the past, and we both got great reviews on how this was a progressive move for their Chamber, the debate/forum was very interesting and they received good publicity from hosting it.

Bert Beard, CEO of Maria Parham Health, spoke personally with John Hood and endorsed it as well.

Please encourage your board members, governmental officials, civic club members and any other organizations you may be involved with to please send representatives.