The Vance-Granville Community College Small Business Center will host the 7th Annual VGCC Small Business Summit on Monday, October 15, 2018, from 5 – 8:15 p.m. at the Warren County Armory & Convention Center.
This free event offers aspiring entrepreneurs, small business owners and non-profit leaders the opportunity to network and discover available resources in the community.
Deadline to register for the summit is Friday, October 5. Register online by clicking here.
Dinner will be served and is made possible by Duke Energy.
Schedule:
4:30 – 5 p.m. – Registration/Networking
5 – 6 p.m. – Keynote Address: What is Your Digital First Impression Online and Why it is Important – Martin Brossman
Your future customers want to know more about you then just what is on your website and they may trust you less if they don’t. We all are looking for secondary validation for everything from credible information for a product, business, person or service. This class is going to show you the free and low-cost way to make the best digital (web-based) first impression that will lead to more sales and more referrals for your business.
6 – 6:10 p.m – Break
6:10 – 7:10 p.m. – Stock Your Pantry With The Right Business Resources
Got a business idea you’d like to cook up from scratch or the possibility of expanding your business or nonprofit? Then, be inspired, gain courage and practical insights from our dynamic panel of experts from planning and zoning, insurance, accounting and legal. Panelists will share insights into pitfalls to watch out for when starting the process as well as where to find resources that can help you succeed. They will also be available for specific questions during the Q&A session to help you better achieve the outcomes you desire for your small business. Ask questions, plan next steps, meet like-minded peers and walk away ready to take action so that your “pantry” is stocked with the right business resources so that you can be successful.
7:10 – 8:10 p.m. – Top 10 Tips: How to Work with Media – Kristen Baughman
What’s a social influencer? How about a micro-influencer? Join Tabletop Media Group’s Founder Kristen Baughman for a session on “Top 10 Tips: How to Work with Media.” During her presentation, she will cover how your brand can help your small business gain more exposure by pitching and engaging with bloggers, media, Instagram stars and more.
Co-Sponsor(s): Duke Energy, Warren County EDC; Lake Gaston Regional Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Center, Chamber of Commerce of Warren County
For more information, contact Tanya Weary, Director, VGCC Small Business Center at (252) 738-3240 or smallbusiness@vgcc.edu.
(This is not a paid advertisement)
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The Vance-Granville Community College Health Sciences clubs are collecting donations at all four VGCC campuses for a “Prom Attire” collection drive through February 28, 2019.
All donations will be collected for a giveaway event to provide local high school students free attire to fulfill their prom dreams, according to Stacey Soles, VGCC’s program head for Medical Assisting and clinical coordinator for Radiography.
The drive is the second for the Health Sciences Clubs in Radiography, Human Services, Pharmacy, Histotechnology, Medical Assisting and Nursing.
Dozens of prom dresses were donated for the first “Prom Attire” collection drive held earlier this year on Vance-Granville Community College’s four campuses. A drive is now underway through February 2019 to collect suits, shirts, dresses, shoes and accessories to be donated to high school students for free to fulfill their prom dreams. Donations can be dropped off at any VGCC campus. (Photo Credit: VGCC)
The club leaders are asking that only clean, gently-used or new items be donated. All sizes will be accepted. The clubs also request that no dated items be donated.
Items that will be accepted are:
• Suits & Shirts: Tuxedos, suits, suit separates, dress shirts, slacks, vests;
• Ties & Shoes: Neck ties, bow ties, dress shoes;
• Dressy Dresses: Gowns, prom, party, formal; and
• Accessories & Shoes: Jewelry/hair accessories, handbags/clutches.
Soles said that the clubs could use more items for males. “In our initial drive, we received a good number of dresses that are available for distribution next year,” she said. “We are especially in need of suits, dress shirts and slacks for men.”
Drop-off locations are located at:
• Main Campus, Building 5, Room 5225: Audrey Stainback;
• South Campus, Building 2, Room G2212: Stacey Soles;
• Franklin Campus, Building 1, Room F1101: Priscilla Lewis; and
• Warren Campus, Building 1, Room W1101: Ruthie Davis.
For more information, donors should contact Stacey Soles at (252) 738-3515 or soless@vgcc.edu.
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As the American Red Cross responds to Hurricane Florence, providing food, shelter and comfort to those affected, blood and platelet donors are urged to give when it’s safe to travel to care for patients in the storm’s path and across the country. People can also help by making a financial donation to support relief efforts.
Hurricane’s impact on blood and platelet donations
Hurricane Florence’s wrath left catastrophic damage behind and also took a toll on blood and platelet donations. Nearly 200 Red Cross blood drives in the Southeast were forced to cancel, resulting in more than 5,200 uncollected blood and platelet donations. In North Carolina, 57 blood drives were called off due to the storm, causing nearly 2,100 blood and platelet donations to go uncollected.
“Natural disasters like hurricanes can disrupt blood drives and prevent donors from giving, but hospital patients still depend on lifesaving transfusions,” said Cliff Numark, senior vice president, Red Cross Blood Services. “There is an especially critical need for platelets to help cancer patients and type O blood donations for ongoing patient care and emergencies. Every donation can be a lifeline for patients.”
How to help
As conditions improve, donors of all blood types are urged to make an appointment to give blood or platelets and replenish the blood supply. Appointments can be made by using the Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
Financial donations are also needed and allow the Red Cross to provide disaster relief immediately. Help people affected by Hurricane Florence by visiting RedCross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS or texting the word FLORENCE to 90999 to make a $10 donation.
Up-to-date information about how the Red Cross is responding to Hurricane Florence is available at RedCross.org.
Upcoming blood donation opportunities in your area:
Franklin County
Louisburg
9/22/2018: 9 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., Rock Spring Baptist Church, 34 Rock Springs Church Rd.
10/13/2018: 8 a.m. – 1 p.m., Zion United Methodist Church, 141 Zion Church Rd.
How to donate blood
A blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age in most states (16 with parental consent where allowed by state law), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.
Blood and platelet donors can save time at their next donation by using RapidPass® to complete their pre-donation reading and health history questionnaire online, on the day of their donation, before arriving at the blood drive. To get started, follow the instructions at RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass or use the Blood Donor App.
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit RedCross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.
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The Vance-Granville Community College Board of Trustees approved a firm to assist in the search for a new president, adopted a budget for the current fiscal year, and welcomed a trustee who is returning to the board after being away for two years. The actions came at the bi-monthly meeting on Monday, Sept. 17, on the college’s Main Campus.
The Trustees selected the firm of Executive Leadership Associates (ELA) LLC of Emerald Isle to assist in the search for a replacement for Dr. Stelfanie Williams who left the college in August to take a job with Duke University.
ELA describes itself as “a consortium of former North Carolina community college presidents who are committed to ensuring that our internationally recognized community college system continues its proud tradition of excellence — one community college at a time.”
VGCC’s newest Trustee, Dr. Doris Terry Williams, was sworn in for a four-year appointment on the college board by retired District Court Judge J. Henry Banks. From left are Judge Banks, Dr. Williams and Jerry Stainback, the attorney for the Board of Trustees, who assisted with the swearing in. (Photo Credit: VGCC)
The firm will help the VGCC Board of Trustees by guiding the search process, creating a presidential profile of the ideal candidate needed, and recruiting and screening applicants as needed. The search will begin in October with plans to have the new president in place in March 2019. The trustees are expected to present finalists to the State Board of Community Colleges for evaluation early in 2019, according to Dr. Gordon Burns who is serving as interim president for the college. Dr. Burns served as president of Wilkes Community College in North Wilkesboro for 18 years before retiring in 2014.
Six firms responded to the requests for proposals, according to Trustee Deborah Brown, chair of the Trustees’ presidential search committee. Serving with Brown are Trustees Herb Gregory, vice chair; N. Annette P. Myers, Abdul Sm Rasheed, Donald C. Seifert, Sr., and Sara C. Wester.
Budget Adopted
The Trustees adopted a budget of $33,166,414 for the new fiscal year, approving VGCC’s budget resolution for Fiscal Year 2018-2019 on a recommendation from the Budget Committee of the board, chaired by Trustee Abdul Sm Rasheed.
On the Current Expense side of the budget, $19,438,484 comes from the State of North Carolina, $2,587,868 from the four counties served by the college, and $9,273,716 from institutional funds. In the Capital Outlay budget, $1,726,846 comes from the State and $139,500 from the counties.
At the county level, Vance County is contributing $1,151,597 to the current operating funds; Granville, $752,184; Franklin, $369,168; and Warren, $225,625, with an additional $89,294 coming from institutional funds. Among capital improvement funds from the counties, Vance is contributing $73,874; Granville, $39,626; Franklin, $20,000; and Warren, $6,000.
The 2018-2019 budget is allocated as follows: institutional support: $5,433,372; curriculum instruction: $10,362,152; continuing education: $2,705,504; academic support: $1,368,526; student support: $2,075,516; plant operations and maintenance: $2,018,035; proprietary/other: $2,272,851; student aid: $5,064,112; capital outlay, excluding capital improvements: $786,141; and capital improvement projects: $1,080,205.
Dr. Doris Terry Williams Appointed To Board
Dr. Doris Terry Williams was sworn in to a four-year term on the VGCC Board of Trustees after being selected by the Vance County Board of Education to fill the vacancy created when long-time Trustee L. Opie Frazier, Jr., retired.
Dr. Williams, a retired educator and administrator, returns to the Board of Trustees after being off the board for two years. She was previously appointed to the board by the Governor’s Office in 2010 to fill an unexpired term and was reappointed in 2012 for a full four-year term.
As the owner and chief executive officer of EdComm, LLC, her own consulting group, Dr. Williams provides consultation regionally and nationally on education and community development issues.
A Vance County resident, she lived in Warren County and served on the Warren County Board of Education for 12 years, including five as the board chair. She has served as executive director of the Rural School and Community Trust and director of the Trust’s Capacity Building Program. She is now a senior fellow with the Rural Trust, which is a national non-profit dedicated to addressing the crucial relationship between good rural schools and thriving rural communities. She also has served as assistant dean and associate professor in the School of Education and director of University-School Partnerships at North Carolina Central University.
In other action:
The Trustees voted to close the Child Care Center on the Franklin Campus no later than June 1, 2019. The decision comes after an extended evaluation leading to the conclusion that the center is not financially sustainable, Dr. Burns told the board. Information packets that list other options for child care in the Franklin County area have been prepared for parents who currently have children at the center. The center, which currently has nine children, was originally created to provide Vance-Granville’s curriculum students with an environment to advance their Early Childhood experiences and to provide child care services for our students and staff. The center has been used mostly by the public in the past several years, Dr. Burns said.
In an update on capital projects, Trustee Donald C. Seifert, Sr., said a design contract was executed in August for $320,400 for fire alarm replacements and renovations to heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems on the Main Campus. Fire alarm replacement work will be bid out in February 2019 with work expected to begin the following May. The HVAC renovations will begin in the summer of 2020. Meanwhile, renovation work is scheduled to start this month on the second phase of renovations to Building 10. Space is being renovated to add a Practical Simulation Lab for Law Enforcement, Fire/Rescue and Emergency Medical Services programs.
Steve Graham, VGCC’s vice president of finance and operations, reported for the Investment Committee, citing a 12 percent growth in the college’s investments since the beginning of 2017.
Trustee Sara Wester, chair of the board’s Personnel Committee, provided an informational report on new employees, retirements, resignations and changes in positions.
The Curriculum Committee, chaired by Trustee Barbara Cates Harris, presented new appointments to the Advisory Committees for college programs for the 2018-2019 academic year. The appointments were approved by the Trustees.
Presiding over the meeting was Board of Trustees Chair Danny Wright.
The Board of Trustees will hold its next regular meeting on Monday, November 19 at the Main Campus.
-Press Release, North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation
The State Bureau of Investigation and the Littleton Police Department have concluded their investigation into the deaths of three family members whose bodies were found June 9 at 1010 Kirkland St. They determined the deaths were a murder-suicide case. This is in agreement with the findings of the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner which listed the manner of death for Charles Davis as suicide and homicide as the manner of death for Gladys Davis and Antonio Mills.
Littleton Police Department requested the SBI’s help after doing a welfare check at the Kirkland Street home. The officers had to force entry into the house where they found the bodies of 75-year-old Charles Davis, his wife, Gladys Davis, 76, and their grandson Antonio Mills, 41.
“The SBI did a thorough investigation into this tragic case,” said Special Agent in Charge Anthony Jernigan. “Evidence conclusively pointed to a murder-suicide. I appreciate the work done by the Littleton Police Department and the SBI agents from the Northeastern District Office.”
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The Halifax EMC service area was spared by the changed storm path taken by Hurricane Florence. Due to pre-storm preparations and the diligent work of Halifax EMC’s operations crew, members were minimally impacted with less than 350 power outages, which were restored in most cases in less than 1 ½ hours. Halifax EMC was back to normal operations by Friday afternoon.
On Sunday, September 16, 2018, Halifax EMC dispatched seven line workers and equipment to assist Carteret-Craven Electric Cooperative which serves members in Carteret, Craven, Jones and Onslow Counties. Currently, CCEC has 31,500 of 39,691 members out of service. The Halifax EMC crew is working in the Harker’s Island community of Carteret County to assist in power restoration.
“During times of disaster, cooperatives ban together to offer mutual aid to one another. It’s just part of our cooperative culture,” said Charles Guerry, executive vice president of Halifax EMC. “Halifax EMC is thankful that Hurricane Florence had minimal impact in our area and we are proud to have crew members who volunteered to help others in need.”
At this time, it is unknown as to how long our crew will be away; however, once the rains cease and flooding begins to subside, power restoration will move more quickly.
https://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Halifax-Electric-Logo.png265504WIZS Staffhttps://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/wizswebsitelogoimage.pngWIZS Staff2018-09-18 16:56:322018-09-18 16:56:32Halifax EMC Sends Crew to Assist Carteret-Craven Electric Cooperative
The Saturday, September 22, 2018, “Gathering of Gardeners” workshop which was to be held at Buck Spring Park in Warren County has been canceled.
Any questions may be directed to Paul McKenzie at NC Cooperative Extension, Warren County at paul_mckenzie@ncsu.edu or by phone at 252-257-3640. We sincerely regret any inconvenience.
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-Press Release, NC Department of Information Technology
State Chief Information Officer Eric Boyette and State Chief Risk Officer Maria Thompson are urging North Carolinians to be cautious of cybercrime before, during, and after Hurricane Florence.
Cybercriminals take advantage of natural disasters such as hurricanes to solicit personal information illegally and to take advantage of vulnerable infrastructures, disaster victims and volunteers by phishing. Phishing is when a criminal sends out an email, text message, or even a phone call pretending to be a reputable and legitimate source in order to obtain personal information such as credit card and Social Security numbers.
“Be cautious and stay vigilant,” said State Chief Risk Officer Maria Thompson. “Let’s ensure one disaster does not lead to another. Phishing threats are real. Cybercriminals will use every tactic in their arsenal to deprive citizens of their information and ultimately their financial assets.”
Take these steps to prevent being taken advantage of by cybercriminals:
Carefully look at email and web addresses since cybercriminals will make them look as legitimate as possible, often using variations of spellings. The URL may have a different domain, such as .gov instead of .net.
Do not click on links in emails from anyone unless you know and have verified the sender of the email.
Take time to look at the sender’s email address. Do not click on any links until you are certain the organization is real. Check the organization’s website for its contact information and use sites such as www.charitynavigator.org to verify a charity organization.
Make sure all of your anti-virus software is up-to-date and you’ve enacted the anti-phishing software provided by your email client.
Phishing emails and phone calls may also try to pose as official disaster aid organizations such as FEMA. A true FEMA representative will never ask personal banking information, Social Security number, or registration number.
“We all need to be mindful of the value of the data we have and use every day,” said Eric Boyette, State Chief Information Officer and Secretary of the Department of Information Technology. “Too many people are vulnerable during natural disasters and it is imperative to take necessary precautions to protect yourself. Think of it as preparing an emergency kit for your personal data.”
For more information about the North Carolina Department of Information Technology, visit our website or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Flickr.
https://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/NC-DIT-Logo.png265504WIZS Staffhttps://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/wizswebsitelogoimage.pngWIZS Staff2018-09-14 10:50:482018-09-14 10:50:48Boyette, Thompson Warn of Cyberattacks During Hurricane Florence
WIZS will be bringing you updates on Hurricane Florence as new information is received. Please check the WIZS website, Facebook page and listen live to WIZS 1450 AM and 100.1 FM for updates throughout the week.
The latest briefing from the National Weather Service can be found by clicking here. The forecast – including rainfall amounts, wind speeds and storm direction – is remaining steady from earlier today.
Updated Thursday, Sept. 13 at 10:30 a.m.
We should begin to feel the effects of the storm late this evening and tonight with conditions gradually worsening overnight and into tomorrow. They have increased our rainfall potential slightly but, other than that, nothing much has changed.
We have now officially decided to open the emergency shelter at Eaton Johnson Middle School located on Beckford Drive in Henderson at 5 p.m. today. Please DO NOT arrive early as no one will be there and the school will likely be locked until that time.
We are using our CODE RED system to get this message out to all of our citizens this morning. If you are not already signed up to receive messages on that system, please visit our web page at www.vancecounty.org/EM and click on the Emergency Alert System link to sign up. This system will be used to issue important notices prior to and after the storm’s impact.
We will be activating the Emergency Operations Center at 5 p.m. this evening and will begin 24-hour EOC operations at that time. As of now, we are at Readiness Level 1, which is our highest level in preparation for the storm. The 911 Center will be overstaffed as of 11 a.m. today and will remain that way throughout the storm. We are expecting the communications center to be extremely busy during the storm, so we are asking residents NOT to dial 911 for general questions to ensure that true emergency calls are able to get through.
Please “like” Vance County Emergency Operations on Facebook to stay up to date on what is happening with the storm. We will also continue to forward along all relevant information as it is received.
Hurricane Florence is approaching the coast and will slow today, and make landfall early Friday along the southern North Carolina coast, then slowly meander southwest into and across South Carolina. Confidence is HIGH that the event will occur; MODERATE confidence in expected impacts.
Strong sustained winds and gusts expected on Friday, likely persisting into the weekend. Strongest gusts expected across the southeastern coastal plain of NC. Flash and eventually river flooding likely beginning this evening and persisting through the weekend and into early next week. A risk for short-lived and weak tornadoes as the rain bands push ashore this evening through Saturday afternoon.
YOUR PREPARATIONS SHOULD BE IN PLACE NO LATER THAN MID-DAY TODAY!
Three Key Points
1. Hurricane Warning now in effect for Sampson and Wayne Counties. Tropical Storm Warning for Cumberland, Harnett, Hoke, Johnston, Lee, Moore, Nash, Richmond, Wake and Wilson counties.
2. Prolonged, life-threatening inland flooding event from heavy rain is expected across much of southern and eastern N.C.
3. Dangerous winds will also result in downed trees which will likely culminate in widespread and prolonged power outages.
For a much more detailed breakdown of the current forecast, including expected wind speed and rainfall amounts in our area, visit the National Weather Service website by clicking here.
The gardening public is invited to attend a “Gathering of Gardeners: Practical Strategies for Gardening in Challenging Times and Conditions” on September 22, 2018, 9 a.m. to noon. Gardeners in Warren County and surrounding areas can learn about straw bale gardening, rain barrels and more at this workshop sponsored by the Extension Master Gardener℠ volunteers.
Participants can also get their gardening questions answered from a panel of Master Gardener volunteers. The event will be held at Buck Spring Park near Lake Gaston, located at 217 Nathaniel Macon Dr. Registration is $10 in advance or $12 at the door. All the details are available at https://warren.ces.ncsu.edu/ or by calling 252-257-3640.
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