Tag Archive for: #vancecountynews

The Local Skinny! Public Hearing Jan. 3 To Begin County Budget Discussions

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Updated 01-04-22 at 12:30 p.m. —

Kelly H. Grissom – Executive Assistant/Clerk to Board of the Vance County Board of Commissioners – informs WIZS, “A 10-day notice is required for public hearings.”

She said, therefore, that a new notice would be prepared on the pre-budget public hearing and that the public hearing would be postponed until the February meeting.

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Update 01-03-22 at 1:30 p.m. —

The Vance County Board of Commissioners’ meeting was rescheduled for Monday, January 10th at 6:00 p.m. due to inclement weather.

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The Vance County board of commissioners will hold a public hearing on Monday, Jan. 3, 2022 to hear from residents about the 2022-23 budget.

This “pre-budget” public hearing will be held in the commissioners’ meeting room at 122 Young St. and is scheduled to begin shortly after 6 p.m., according to information from County Manager Jordan McMillen.

This is the first of two public hearings to hear from residents about suggestions and priorities for the upcoming budget.

The county manager is scheduled to submit a recommended budget in May. The second public hearing is planned for June 6, 2022 and then the board must adopt a final budget no later than July 1, when the new fiscal year begins.

Britton Brings Passion For Sports To Job At HVRPD

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The Henderson-Vance Recreation & Parks Department has a new program specialist, according to information from assistant director Tara Goolsby.

Kevin Britton, a Durham native, joins the department and brings a love of all sports and enthusiasm for improving the community, according to a press release.

Britton said he he’s had a passion for sports and recreation since he was 8 years old through his local Boys & Girls club. He graduated from Durham High School and attended N.C. Central University on a basketball scholarship. He was a member of the 1989 Eagles national championship team.

After college, he worked for the Durham Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club, was an assistant basketball coach at the Durham School of the Arts and coached a nationally ranked Division I AAU basketball team.

In his spare time, Britton enjoys fishing and spending time with his new grandson.

HVRPD welcomes Britton to the community.

Vance County Logo

County Employees Recognized For Years Of Service

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Several employees have been recognized for their years of service within county government. County Manager presented Cathy Hope, payroll specialist, with a certificate marking her 15-year anniversary. Hope started as an income maintenance caseworker and worked her way up to income maintenance supervisor. She transferred in July to the county’s payroll department.

Tax Administrator Porcha Brooks thanked Sandra Durham and Jonathan Morris for completing five years of service. Durham is a personal property appraiser with the tax office and Morris is a real property appraiser.

Kevin Brown, the county’s first information technology director, recently completed 10 years of service with the county. McMillen presented him with a 10-year anniversary certificate and said that Brown also recently announced his retirement. “We wish him all the best. You will certainly be missed,” a post on the county’s social media site.

Several members of the Vance County Sheriff’s Office received certificates for their years of service as well. Sheriff Curtis Brame recognized Lt. C. Welborn for 15 years with the sheriff’s office; Deputies L. Carter and T. Terry join Sgts. J. Marrow and M. Burns with completing five years of service. Maj. J. Shelton, the detention center administrator also was recognized for completing five years of service.

Congratulations for your accomplishments and for working to serve your county and community.

NCTeach Supports Aspiring Teachers Get Prepared For Classrooms

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Just two years after its launch, the teacher recruitment initiative called TeachNC reported that it has “significantly exceeded” its second-year goals, with more than 1,400 aspiring teachers applying to an educator preparation program in 2021. That number more than doubles the number of applicants who signed up in the first year.

From September 2020 through August 2021, the TeachNC.org website was accessed in excess of 159,000 times and has attracted over 11,000 prospective educators who are being supported in their quest to become teachers, according to a press statement from the organization, which partners with several state and national agencies to get more educators into classrooms.

More than 1,400 of those applied for an educator preparation program in North Carolina during the initiative’s second year, with many of them also entering the classroom through the state’s residency licensure pathway, allowing them to work as teachers while completing course work necessary for certification. The year-two teacher recruits represents more than a 130% increase over the number of applicants supported in TeachNC’s first year. Of the applicants, 50 percent identified as candidates of color and nearly a quarter of those reporting a focus area say they want to teach a STEM-related subject such as math or science or in special education.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Catherine Truitt commended the TeachNC initiative for its success in helping to attract more people to the teaching profession and serving as a key resource of information about teaching careers in the state.

“TeachNC fills a critical need in North Carolina to make it easy for would-be teachers to learn more about the profession and to support them as they begin their journey to the classroom,” Truitt said. “My own North Star is that every student deserves a highly qualified, excellent teacher in every classroom, and the work of TeachNC is helping the state reach that all-important goal.”

TeachNC, which works in partnership with the N.C. Department of Public Instruction, delivers research-based tools and supports for prospective teachers, helping reduce the barriers to applying to and enrolling in an educator preparation program. In a survey by the initiative, 60 percent of TeachNC subscriber-respondents reported an increased interest in teaching and 59 percent of TeachNC’s applicants reported that without the support of TeachNC tools, they may not have applied to a North Carolina educator prep program.

The following resources are freely available to anyone in North Carolina who may be considering entering the teaching profession:

  • 1-on-1 coaching from current North Carolina educators (900+ calls in year two)
  • Interactive education preparation program search tool and application tools
  • Application fee reimbursements
  • Scholarships and financial aid search tool
  • North Carolina’s first statewide teacher job board
  • Live chat function to answer questions 24 hours/day
  • Guides on testing, finances, resumes, cover letters, application essays, licensure, and more

Brenda Berg, President & CEO of BEST NC, the nonprofit, nonpartisan group of business leaders that launched and helped fund the TeachNC pilot, said she is pleased with these results.

“When we launched TeachNC in 2019, we knew our state had an urgent need for teachers. With the challenges our schools have faced through the pandemic, this need is greater than ever, making it even more exciting to see that these results have exceeded our expectations,” Berg said.

“It’s not that people don’t want to become teachers. More than 10,000 people have expressed interest in becoming teachers by subscribing to TeachNC; they just need additional information and support to get there,” she said. “We are also happy to see the state take this over as an on-going effort, because we know that an investment in teacher talent is a direct investment in North Carolina students.”

The recently passed state budget includes funding to DPI to adopt the TeachNC initiative and provides a dedicated position within the agency to administer the program.

TeachNC is a partnership of BEST NC, NCDPI, and TEACH.org. TeachNC includes a full suite of strategic recruitment activities including a robust communications campaign, a comprehensive website encompassing all existing resources in the state, and 1-on-1 personalized supports for teacher candidates. These resources create a trusted, safe, and user-friendly support system for anyone considering a teaching career in North Carolina. Visit TeachNC to learn more.

VGCC Dr. Levy Brown

VGCC’s Dr. Levy Brown Hired For State-Level Post

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Dr. Levy Brown, a vice president of Vance-Granville Community College, has accepted a position as senior vice president/chief academic officer for the North Carolina Community College System in Raleigh. He will begin his new job in January 2022.

In a written statement, Brown said he appreciates his time at VGCC and is excited about the opportunity to pursue new professional endeavors. “VGCC has a number of brilliant students, faculty, staff and community members. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to lead and serve alongside these individuals during my time at the college,” Brown stated. “Looking ahead, I am humbled by the opportunity to partner with my colleagues to make a difference at the system level. We have myriad opportunities to make a tremendous impact on students, faculty, and staff across the Great 58,” he said, in reference to the 58 community colleges that comprise the state system.

VGCC President Dr. Rachel Desmarais thanked Brown for his leadership during his time at VGCC. “Dr. Brown’s focus on building student supports and investing in faculty development has put our college on a transformational path for student success,” she stated.
“I look forward to working with Dr. Brown in a new capacity as he leads academics for North Carolina community colleges.”

Cecilia Wheeler will be acting vice president of learning, student engagement and success while VGCC conducts a nationwide search beginning in the fall of 2022. Wheeler, a 32-year VGCC employee, is Dean of Arts and Sciences. She has delayed her retirement plans to serve in the capacity of vice president until a candidate is in place, hopefully by January 2023.

In his new role, Brown will oversee a variety of areas, including systemwide academic educational delivery activities such as adult basic skills, curriculum programs, student support services and workforce continuing education. He also will be responsible for leading and coordinating instruction and student learning supports among other critical areas that impact the student experience.

He fills the position vacated by Dr. Kimberly Gold, who was promoted at the state board’s November meeting to the position of chief of staff with NCCCS.

Brown’s prior work includes several leadership roles with Vance-Granville Community College (VGCC), including Vice President of Learning, Student Engagement and Success; vice president of Academic Affairs, and Vice President of Student Services. In his current role, he serves as the college’s Chief Academic and Student Affairs Officer. He is responsible for leading and working collaboratively with credit faculty and staffers in the areas of academic programs, student success, equity and inclusion, enrollment management, K-12 partnerships and other areas. Brown is serving as the college’s primary lead for their work with Achieving the Dream. He continues to work alongside a cadre of faculty and staff to improve student outcomes. Further, he is one of the leaders at VGCC tapped to focus on the adult learner experience through NC ReConnect.

Prior to joining VGCC, Brown served as Dean of Arts & Sciences at Lenoir Community College. Also, he has served in various leadership roles and has taught at other higher education institutions in North Carolina. Brown has been actively engaged in service at the local, state, and national level. On the national level, Dr. Brown serves on the Commission on Student Success for the American Association of Community Colleges and he was recently named a 2021-22 Aspen Rising Presidents Fellow. Together, the 2021-22 fellows are leaders at colleges that collectively serve more than 400,000 students. As well, 67 Rising Presidents Fellowship alumni have become presidents of community colleges that collectively serve an additional 953,000 students nationwide. Locally and regionally, Brown has served on various boards and committees including, but not limited to, the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce (current chairperson), Teach for America-Eastern North Carolina, North Central North Carolina Boys and Girls Club, and the Transfer Advisory Committee (TAC).

Brown holds a bachelor’s degree from East Carolina University, a master’s degree in library science from North Carolina Central University, and a doctorate in educational leadership with a focus on higher education from East Carolina University.

City of Henderson Logo

Council Approves Amendments To Wards; Minor Changes May Affect Voters’ Polling Places

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The city of Henderson’s population decreased by 2 percent since 2010, according to 2020 Census data, and the City Council approved changes this week to the municipal voting districts to reflect that change.

According to 2020 Census data, 15,060 people live in Henderson. The deadline to approve changes is today (Friday). The council approved the changes at its Dec. 13 meeting.

The city’s Development Services Director, Corey Williams, presented information about the redrawn ward boundary lines to the council during the Monday meeting. The city began the task of redistricting the wards in September, when information from the recently completed Census was received.

Federal law requires that the wards have balanced populations, and the ward maps were redrawn to within 1.5 percent of each other, according to information from the city council minutes.

The council held a public hearing on Nov. 30 to share the information and to hear from citizens. City Manager Terrell Blackmon said the current maps needed to be adjusted to comply with federal and state laws.

The four wards had minor adjustments, but Ward 1 saw the biggest drop in population, according to Census figures. Ward 1 basically comprises the north and east sides of Henderson.

At the public hearing, Williams said the ideal population average for each ward is 3,762. The redrawn districts show that the existing four wards are balanced to within 20 people.

Anyone interested in knowing whether their ward information has changed should contact the Vance County Board of Elections at 252.492.3730.

Read the complete public notice and view ward maps at https://henderson.nc.gov/.

Following is a list of the council members and the wards they represent:

Ward 1:

Marion B Williams

Sara Coffey, at-large

Ward 2:

Mike Rainey

William Burnette, at-large

Ward 3:

Gary Daeke

Melissa Elliott, at-large

Ward 4:

Ola Thorpe-Cooper

Jason Spriggs, at-large

North Carolina Dept. Of Revenue Program Helps Businesses Affected By COVID-19 Pandemic

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The North Carolina Department of Revenue’s Business Recovery Grant Program is making one-time payments to eligible businesses in the state that have suffered significant economic loss because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The deadline to submit an application is Jan. 31, 2022. Visit https://www.ncdor.gov/business-recovery-grant to learn more.

According to the NCDOR website, there are two types of grants available for businesses that had at least a 20 percent loss of business during the pandemic:

  • A hospitality grant for eligible arts, entertainment, and recreation business, as well as eligible accommodation and food service businesses such as a hotel, restaurant, and bar (NAICS codes 71 and 72).
  • A reimbursement grant for eligible businesses not classified in NAICS Code 71 and 72, and which did not receive funding from other relief programs including Paycheck Protection Program, COVID-19 Job Retention Grant, and EIDL Advance.

The amount an eligible business would receive is a percentage of the economic loss or $500,000 whichever is less. NCDOR will reduce grant amounts if the total amount of grants requested exceeds the maximum amount of funds authorized for the for Business Recovery Grant by the state of North Carolina.

Grant amounts will be determined at the conclusion of the application period. All payments will be made by check, mailed to the address provided by the respective business once the amounts are determined after the application period closes.

 

 

Swine, Dairy Producers Can Apply For COVID-19 Funds To Help Recoup Losses

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The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has opened the application period for the first phase of its North Carolina Swine and Dairy Assistance program. The $30 million in federal COVID-19 funds appropriated by the N.C. General Assembly will offer assistance for eligible swine and dairy producers for losses incurred from termination of contracts or ceased milk production due to the pandemic.

“A significant number of swine farms have lost contracts and dairies have been forced out of business due to the pandemic. It has been a rough time for many farmers,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. The application process has two phases. Phase 1 determines eligibility is open now. Eligible applicants will receive a one-time assistance payment of $31,500. Phase 1 is designed to get money quickly to farmers. “If you are a farmer and this program applies to you then get your application in as soon as possible,” Troxler stated.

Phase 2 will focus on infrastructure modifications to barns, hog houses and/or lagoons. More details on Phase 2 will be released in February 2022.

The grant application and required forms can be downloaded from the NCDA&CS website at www.ncagr.gov.  The deadline to apply is June 30, 2023, but funds are limited so farmers are encouraged to go ahead and apply.

For questions about the program in general, call 866.747.9823. Farmers may also contact their local cooperative extension, Farm Service Agency or N.C. Farm Bureau offices for help with the application.

Infinite Possibilities, Inc. Offers Support Group To Help Women Overcome Scars Of Violence, Abuse

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Infinite Possibilities, Inc. is offering a support group to help women who have experienced abuse and trauma.

Participants can attend the “Mending The Soul” support group either virtually or in person, according to Erin N. Carter, a victim’s advocate for Infinite Possibilities, a domestic violence & comprehensive support services agency in Henderson.

Attendees will choose which group to join – either the virtual sessions on Tuesdays from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. or the in-person sessions which will be held on Thursdays from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. Participants who register for the face-to-face meetings will be informed of the location upon registration.

The support group provides a safe, judgment-free environment where participants can rediscover their true voice. Topics to be discussed include healthy boundaries, self-esteem and the importance of self-care. The session leaders strive to empower and heal women who have experienced domestic violence and sexual assault.

Space in the support groups is limited.

For more information, contact Infinite Possibilities, Inc. at 252.431.1926 or visit their website at www.infinitepossibilitiesinc.com.

 

Vance Co. Regional Farmers Market

Farmers Market Final Day Of The Season Is Saturday

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Saturday, Dec. 18  is the final day of the season at the Vance Regional Farmers Market, and Market Manager Pat Ayscue invites everyone out for one final walk-through to purchase from area vendors. There will be some freshly gathered collards, cabbage, broccoli and turnip salad for sale, Ayscue said.

The market is open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

In addition to the fresh cool-season greens, customers can shop for jellies, pickles and canned tomatoes and more shelf-stable goods.

The locally produced beef vendors will be there as well, and Ayscue said they have a variety of cuts to choose from and recipes to share.

There also are handcrafted items, including Christmas decorations that have been lovingly created for decking the halls and adding to the holiday spirit.

“Come join us and put a smile on a local farmer’s face,” Ayscue stated.

“I have loved opening the doors early in the morning and seeing the amazing garden that the Master Gardeners put so much time and love into. I give thanks for our farmers and all those who love tending the soil. When I close the doors this Saturday, I will have a heartfelt feeling that it will be some months before I view the garden at sunrise or open the bay door for a farmer, (but) at the same time I am assured there are seasons and spring is coming.”

The regional farmers market will reopen in the spring.