Tag Archive for: #vancecountynews

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VGCC Continues Enrollment Growth Trend

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-Press Release, Vance-Granville Community College

Vance-Granville Community College is celebrating good news to begin 2020. The fall 2019 semester that recently ended brought growth in enrollment along with an 11% increase in course hours completed in both credit (curriculum) and non-credit programs.

In addition, the college has started the new spring semester off seeing an increase in credit program enrollment over the same time last year.

As of the beginning of the spring semester in January, VGCC had 2,939 students enrolled in curriculum programs. That represents an 8% increase compared to the beginning of the spring 2019 semester when enrollment stood at 2,719.

A significant source of the increase was enrollment by high school students in the Career & College Promise program. There were 4.6% more of those students enrolled than there were at the beginning of spring 2019.

“We are excited about the increasing number of students who have chosen VGCC to pursue their higher education and prepare for a successful career,” said Dr. Levy Brown, the college’s vice president of learning, student engagement and success. “Student access, retention and career preparation are embedded in our daily work, and it shows!”

“We attribute this growth to a lot of collaboration among our talented faculty and staff across our four campuses,” added Kali Brown, VGCC’s dean of student access and support. “This is a collective effort, and we are glad to see outstanding things happening at VGCC under the leadership of President Desmarais. The college will continue to collaborate internally and externally to provide a top-notch educational experience.”

Established in 1969, VGCC offers more than 40 credit programs, in which students work toward certificates, diplomas and degrees. Area residents and businesses can also take advantage of a variety of continuing education/job training opportunities, as well as the High School Equivalency and Adult High School Diploma programs. High school students can get a step ahead by starting their college education early with VGCC courses.

The college has four campuses – one each in Vance, Granville, Franklin and Warren counties – and offers online programs, as well. The new “Vanguard Flex” program is offering flexible, hybrid schedules in the evenings and weekends on the Franklin Campus in Louisburg, to accommodate schedules for adult learners.

Additionally, VGCC has classes starting in February and March for students to enroll in our 12 and 8-week term options.

For more information about the college, visit www.vgcc.edu.

Friday Institute Showcases Partnership With Vance Co. Schools

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-Information courtesy Vance County Schools

Vance County Schools’ partnership with NC State and The Friday Institute continues to be valuable to both students and staff. We are excited about the opportunities we are afforded through this partnership and extending our lessons through virtual reality. The Friday Institute showcased their partnership with VCS in the article below:

https://www.fi.ncsu.edu/news/friday-institute-partners-with-vance-county-schools-to-bring-immersive-virtual-reality-technology-into-science-classrooms/

We hope that you find this information and related article useful in sharing the great things happening in Vance County Schools.

Dale Folwell

Town Talk 01/23/20: NC Treasurer Folwell Assures State Pension is Secure

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THIS STORY IS PRESENTED IN PART BY DRAKE DENTISTRY

NC State Treasurer Dale Folwell appeared on WIZS Town Talk Thursday at 11 a.m.

Folwell has served as the North Carolina State Treasurer since 2017 and is the former Speaker Pro Tempore of the North Carolina House of Representatives.

Overseeing the 26th largest public pool of money in the world, Folwell explained that his office manages retirement, healthcare and pharmaceutical benefits for 900,000 state and local employees in NC.

“At the end of the day, what I like to say is that we are in the check delivery business. Every 30 days we are spending nearly $750 million. We manage an amount of money eight times that of the state budget.”

Acknowledging that, statistically speaking, 2 out of 10 Town Talk listeners most likely have something to do with the State’s pension, health and/or pharmacy benefit plan, Folwell said those involved in the system can rest assured that employee retirement plans are secure.

“The pension plan is one of the five most solvent and secure pension plans in the United States, if not the world,” said Folwell. “A rating agency just posted us as number one in the country in terms of the ability to fund the pension plan during an economic downtown.”

Reminding listeners that economic downturns are historically “when not if” occurrences, Folwell said he was confident in the strength of the State’s pension system.

On the other end of the spectrum, Folwell said the State’s health plan is “one of the most insolvent in the US. All of our efforts right now are on state healthcare costs.”

Despite rising costs, Folwell said the State is committed to keeping insurance rates as affordable as possible for employees and retirees. “We have frozen all premiums for the second straight year even in light of the fact that costs are increasing at a faster pace than the governor’s budget and legislature’s budget appropriates money to us.”

Folwell said listeners may also be interested to know that the State currently has $700 million in unclaimed property, mostly in stocks and bonds, that can be viewed at any time, by first and last name free of charge at www.nccash.com. To learn more about the Treasurer’s Office, visit www.nctreasurer.com.

To hear the interview with Folwell in its entirety, go to WIZS.com and click on Town Talk.

 

Vance County Logo

Paramedicine, Paid Volunteer Fire Positions Among Retreat Discussions

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100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

The Vance County Board of Commissioners met at Perry Memorial Library on Tuesday for the first of two planned retreat days designed to assist with the review of current plans and development of new goals for the coming fiscal year.

Commissioners heard presentations from County department heads on their respective office’s current fiscal year accomplishments and priorities moving forward.

EMS Director Javier Plummer and Vance County Fire Marshal Keith Duncan shared the details of their respective portion of the presentation with WIZS News.

Plummer led a discussion on the need for a Community Paramedicine program within the EMS department. Paramedicine is a program that allows paramedics to operate in expanded roles by assisting with public health, primary healthcare and preventive services to certain populations within the community.

According to Plummer, the main focus of the program is to 1) provide and connect patients to primary care services; 2) in some cases, complete post-hospital follow-up care; 3) integrate with local public health agencies, home health agencies, health systems and other providers; 4) provide education and promote health and 5) not duplicate available services within the community.

“As far as EMS is concerned for the planning retreat, I mainly discussed our call volume with the Board of Commissioners as well as the purchase of equipment,” said Plummer.  “Our goals going forward are the addition of Captain’s positions and the development of a Community Paramedicine program.”

Duncan reported his accomplishments for the current fiscal year included the rewriting of contracts between volunteer fire departments and County government, as well as the establishment of paid personnel in volunteer departments.

The contracts allowed for increased appropriations and funds for hiring staff at volunteer fire departments. “Departments were able to fund two paid personnel for 12 hours a day Monday through Friday this fiscal year,” said Duncan. “To date, this has worked great and has verifiably reduced response times for the citizens. As an added benefit, these departments run first responder calls that help with the EMS call volume.”

Commissioners will reconvene on Monday, February 10, 2020, for the second day of the planning retreat. The meeting will be held in the Farm Bureau Room of Perry Memorial Library in Henderson from 8:30 a.m. until 1 p.m.

VCS Announces Innovative School Application Dates/Deadlines

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-Information courtesy Vance County Schools

Vance County Schools announces important dates and deadlines for its innovative school options for the upcoming 2020-21 academic school year.

Applications for innovative schools, including EM Rollins STEAM Academy, STEM Early High School, AdVance Academy and Vance County Early College High School, will be available on the VCS website, VCS District Office and at each school beginning February 3, 2020.

Applications are due to the VCS District Office, located at 1724 Graham Avenue in Henderson, by February 28.

An Innovative School Night will be held at the District Office on February 11 from 5:30 – 7 p.m. Parents and prospective students can ask questions and learn more about the programs during this session.

On March 14, STEM Early High School and Vance County Early College High School applicants will be mailed their application status. Final decisions for the remaining schools will be mailed on March 30.

DA’s Office Not Pursuing Charges in Second VCMS Assault Allegation

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Statement from the Office of District Attorney Mike Waters:

On December 16, 2019, I learned a parent had made more allegations about the use of inappropriate force against school resource officer, Deputy Warren Durham and Assistant Principal Kevin Ross. These allegations were first detailed in a short statement written by the female juvenile student and provided by the minor child’s mother to the Vance County Sheriff’s Office late in the day on Friday, December 13, 2019, after a video of Warren Durham became widespread through social media and news outlets.

At the request of Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame and the mother of the minor child, I undertook a review of the evidence provided in this case including the minor child’s initial statement, the statement taken by Vance County Sheriff’s Office investigators, medical records, and video footage provided by the Vance County School System.  Additionally, with the assistance of Ellington Digital Forensics, I was able to more closely examine the video of the incident. After reviewing the evidence available, and carefully examining the relevant law, I have determined that no charges will be filed against former School Resource Officer Warren Durham or Assistant Principal Kevin Ross related to this incident.

In summary, the investigation revealed that on December 11, 2019, shortly after 11 a.m., a female, sixth-grade student was changing classes, and during that time accessed her backpack to retrieve a cell phone in violation of school policy. The student was in the vicinity of the School Resource Officer Warren Durham who appeared to tell her something as he walked by.  Within a few seconds, the student is approached by Vance County Middle School Assistant Principal Kevin Ross and he extends his hand to retrieve the cell phone. The student initially pulls the phone away but then hands the phone over.  At that point, a verbal exchange between the student and the assistant principal begins and the student appears to try and push past Assistant Principal Kevin Ross. The School Resource officer steps over to the vicinity of the exchange and begins directing students around them. The student reported to Vance County Sheriff’s Office investigators at this time she intended to leave the school, but it is unclear as to whether she told Assistant Principal Kevin Ross her intentions. It appears from the video that Assistant Principal Kevin Ross directs her to retrieve her belongings and the student reported that he told her to go upstairs to his office. At this point, Assistant Principal Kevin Ross physically redirects her to retrieve her belongings, and, at that point, she complies.

Assistant Principal Kevin Ross was acting in his official capacity and thus his actions are governed by NCGS 115C-390.3, which states school personnel may use reasonable force to force or control behavior for the purpose of 1) correcting students or 6) to maintain order on educational property. This use of force must be reasonable and cannot be excessive as to cause any serious or permanent injury to the student.  After review of the video and this juvenile’s medical records, it cannot be determined that she suffered any serious injury. Further, several hours of video were made available to this office and a review of the same tend to show that the sixth-grade student did not exhibit any signs of discomfort or injury in the hours following the incident.

Initial claims made by the juvenile that School Resource Officer Warren Durham pushed the student or pulled her hair are not supported by the video, as it appears that at no time was there ever any physical contact between the student and the school resource officer.

For these reasons, I met with the family and their legal counsel today and shared my decision not to pursue criminal charges in this matter.

Vance County Schools has issued the following statement:

Vance County Schools received the statement from District Attorney Mike Waters this afternoon.  At this time, we plan to meet with our attorney and Kevin Ross to bring closure to the personnel portion of this matter, as outlined in our school board policy.

As we committed to our community when this event occurred, to ensure that nothing like this ever happens again, district officials coordinated a training, led by the National Association for School Resource Officers, on January 14-15.  The two-day training was attended by all Vance County School Resource Officers, representatives from the Sheriff’s Office, County Government officials and school-based and district administration. Our work with the NC Center for Safer Schools will involve that our current MOU (memorandum of understanding) is aligned with the best practices included in our training. Our goal is to ensure that, as a district, we are maintaining the highest standards for school–based policing.

As always, safety is our top priority and we are committed to educating our students in an environment that is welcoming and safe.

‘Rise Against Hunger’ Exceeds Meal Packing Goal

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THIS STORY IS PRESENTED IN PART BY DRAKE DENTISTRY

Keeping the spirit of service and working together alive on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, approximately 400 volunteers, including local residents, 14 churches and various businesses and organizations, came together Monday for a “Rise Against Hunger” meal packing event and ACTS Food Drive. The event was held at the Vance County Regional Farmers Market.

With 61,128 meals packed, event organizer Brian Daniel reported that the hard work of the volunteers and the support of the community allowed the fundraiser to exceed the original goal of 50,000 packed meals.

“I’m not sure about the final number of food items collected, but it was significant,” said Daniel. “We filled up the bottom of a 6×12 foot enclosed trailer. It was a long day but a great day for the folks who came out.”

Vance County Farm Bureau endorsed the drive, providing the Farmers Market facility for the venue and seed money to launch the fundraising campaign.

“We will be having a meeting in the near future to discuss plans for next year,” Daniel said. “We need to have that meeting while everything is fresh in our minds.”

For more information on Rise Against Hunger, including ways to make a secure donation and future volunteer opportunities, visit https://events.riseagainsthunger.org/Vance.

Photos courtesy Brian Daniel:

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Commissioners Review Current Plans, Prioritize New Goals at Retreat

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-Information courtesy Jordan McMillen, Vance County Manager

The Vance County Board of Commissioners met at Perry Memorial Library on Tuesday, January 21, 2020, for the first of two planned retreat days designed to assist with the review of current plans and development of new goals for the coming fiscal year.

Below are the commissioners’ goals from last year’s retreat which were reviewed:

  1. To move forward expeditiously with acquiring, designing, and renovating former Eaton-Johnson to include exploring alternative financing opportunities to house the Department of Social Services, Senior Center and other departments as space allows.
  2. To provide the necessary funding and support to improve fire response county-wide with the idea of reducing response times and assisting departments with lowering ISO ratings to create savings for our citizens.
  3. To create additional jobs and investment through supporting existing businesses, finalizing Phase III of the Henderson-Vance Industrial Park and marketing available buildings.
  4. To provide support and complete the broadband planning process by selecting an internet service provider company in order to provide affordable broadband to the unserved and underserved areas of the County while also providing an alternative service for our citizens.
  5. Explore ways to clean up and address trash throughout the county.
  6. To continue addressing public health and wellbeing with an emphasis on substance use disorder and mental health.

Coming out of day one of the retreat, each commissioner will be submitting their top goals for the upcoming year. Our plan is to come back on February 10 and work on creating and prioritizing new goals for the coming fiscal year. We also intend to begin looking at budget impacts as well as our capital improvement program during day two of the retreat.

Overall, today went well and there were a few topics that bubbled to the surface. There was good discussion on the need for a community paramedicine program within our EMS department, and there was discussion on the need for addressing employee pay to ensure we stay competitive with our surrounding counties.

Town Talk 01/22/20: Caregiver’s Cup at Sadie’s & Local Senior Games

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100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

Harvey Holmes, family caregiver resource specialist, and Michele Brigandi, aging projects coordinator – both with the Kerr-Tar Area Agency on Aging, appeared on WIZS Town Talk Wednesday at 11 a.m.

Holmes discussed the formation of a new social group for caregivers affectionately referred to as “The Caregiver’s Cup.” The name is a play on the actual meeting location – Sadie’s Coffee Corner in downtown Henderson – and the metaphorical filling of one’s social cup. The group will meet on the second Friday of every month from 12 until 1:30 p.m. at Sadie’s. All family caregivers are welcome.

Citing statistics that caregivers tend to self-isolate from outside activities and interactions, Holmes said the intent of the group is to promote socialization and, in turn, mental health.

“It’s very easy for caregivers to isolate themselves because caregiving is a 24/7, exhausting job,” explained Holmes. “Everyone struggles and moves in and out of loneliness during their lifetime; this group is here to help ease that loneliness.”

Promoting another great activity to encourage socialization as well as physical health, Brigandi discussed the upcoming Kerr Tar Senior Games that will be held in Franklin, Granville, Vance, Warren and Person counties March through May 2020. Competitive athletic events ranging from basketball to horseshoes will be offered.

“This is essentially the Olympics for active adults 50 and better,” explained Brigandi. “There is something for everyone and it is a lot of fun.”

According to Brigandi, awards are given, and those who place first, second and third in their respective event have the opportunity to compete in the state finals in Raleigh. Those that place on the state level will move on to the national competition.

New on the list of local athletic events offered this year is mini-golf, which will be held at Adventure Island in Henderson on April 28.

For those with mobility issues and/or for those with an interest in the arts, the Senior Games also offers “SilverArts” competitions with a variety of mediums including heritage arts, basket weaving, quilting, painting, photography, dance, comedy, drama, poetry readings and storytelling.

To register for local games or for more information on the SilverArts sessions, please visit the North Carolina Senior Games website by clicking here.

For more information on the Caregivers Cup group, please contact the Kerr-Tar Area Agency on Aging at (252) 436-2040 or email Holmes directly at hholmes@kerrtarcog.org.

To hear the interview with Holmes and Brigandi in its entirety, go to WIZS.com and click on Town Talk.

Henderson Fire Dept

Volunteers Gather on ‘Coldest Morning of 2020’ for Smoke Detector Campaign

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THIS STORY IS PRESENTED IN PART BY DRAKE DENTISTRY

Community leaders, first responders and volunteers gathered at the Henderson Fire Department this morning for the day’s kickoff of Vance County’s “Sound the Alarm” event, an in-home smoke detector and fire safety inspection campaign sponsored by the American Red Cross.

During the first half of the day, volunteers visited homeowners in the county who made previous appointments for an inspection. The focus then shifted to the City of Henderson residents who had not previously been visited by the Henderson Fire Department during its 2019-2020 smoke detector campaign.

Participants included local fire departments, churches, Henderson Collegiate representatives, Red Cross volunteers, NC Central University students and community volunteers.

Thanking the volunteers for coming out on “the coldest morning so far in 2020,” American Red Cross Executive Director Vicki LaBelle expressed her appreciation for those willing to serve others.

“I appreciate y’all being here to celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. on this day of service to help keep folks in the Henderson area and Vance County safe and to help us prevent and reduce the injuries and deaths related to home fires,” LaBelle said.

LaBelle further thanked participating fire departments who work with the American Cross year-round to keep families safe from fires and provided for in the case of an emergency. Fire stations participating in the event included the Henderson Fire Department, Cokesbury, Drewry, Hicksboro, Watkins, Epsom, Townsville and the Vance County Fire Department.

LaBelle also thanked Chick-fil-A of Henderson for supporting the cause by donating lunch for all volunteers.

Henderson Fire Chief Steve Cordell also addressed the crowd gathered at the station: “I can’t express enough how important it is for every home to have an operating smoke alarm; statistics show that it saves lives,” he said.

Gordon Wilder, chair of the Vance County Board of Commissioners, praised the high turnout for the day of service and reminded the crowd of the important role first responders play in the overall health and safety of a community. “I want our citizens to know how important our first responders – our firefighters, volunteer firefighters, EMS and others – are and how important they are to this county,” Wilder said. “We appreciate you.”

Those interested in having their home inspected can make an appointment with the fire department or can request a fire alarm through the American Red Cross by visiting www.soundthealarm.org/enc.