Tag Archive for: #wizsnews

New Granville Company Makes Game-Changer Construction Materials That Saves Trees

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— Information courtesy of Granville County Public Information Officer Terry Hobgood

A facility in Granville County that had been used to make cigarettes has new life making highly advanced building materials out of fast-growing perennial grass. That’s right: Grass.

Plantd Materials officially opened its new headquarters and production facility last week in the Knotts Grove Road building last occupied by Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company, according to information from Granville County Public Information Officer Terry Hobgood.

City and county leaders, as well as the local Chamber of Commerce were on hand Friday, May 6, to officially welcome the new business.

Plantd is an advanced production technologies company that manufactures carbon-negative building materials using natural materials, like its proprietary perennial grass.

“In Granville County, we see an unparalleled opportunity to reshape the construction industry, build a credible climate change solution, and bridge this rural region into the 21st-century economy,” said Josh Dorfman, co-founder and CEO of Plantd. “Integrating into the economic and social fabric of this area is the foundation we will build upon to drive positive impact at the local, national, and global levels.”

“We couldn’t be happier that Plantd has decided to literally Grow with Granville,” said Granville County Board of Commissioners Vice-Chair Tim Karan. “A company like Plantd is such a great fit for Granville, melding our agricultural roots with a new forward-thinking production process for building materials is the perfect combination of tradition and innovation. We are thrilled that Plantd has decided to invest in Oxford and Granville County so soon after Santa Fe closed their doors.”

“When the Santa Fe Natural Tobacco decided to close its Oxford facility in 2022, Granville lost one of its anchor economic development engines,” said Granville County Economic Development Director Harry Mills. “Santa Fe was so important to Granville in providing contracts and employment for many local farmers and workers.  Plantd will provide a new opportunity for local farmers who will grow Plantd’s proprietary perennial grass, and this company will create many jobs to boost the local economy as they continue to grow. They have already made a concerted effort to hire local workers and we look forward to helping them in any way we can for years to come.”

Learn more at https://www.plantdmaterials.com.

NC DMV Notes Changes For Teen Drivers

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Parents with teen drivers, take note: there are some changes coming to the graduated driver licensing program, and the state’s Division of Motor Vehicles wants to make sure a trip to your local DMV office goes as smoothly as possible.

The General Assembly passed a bill that went into effect earlier this week which requires teen drivers to have their Level 1 learner permit for 6 months before they get their provisional license. Other requirements remain the same: drivers must be at least 16 years old, log 60 hours of driving time, pass a road test and show printed proof of insurance in the teen driver’s name.

This could lead to bottlenecks at the local DMV, as demand for road tests increases so teens can get provisional driver licenses.

“We ask for your patience as we work to accommodate the thousands of teen drivers that are suddenly eligible to take a road test and receive their Level 2 provisional license,” Goodwin said.

One reminder: road tests, which teen drivers must pass to achieve the Level 2 license, will not be scheduled after 4 p.m.

Customers who need to make an appointment for a road test or conduct DMV business as a walk-in have a new tool which will show the current average wait time at their local DMV office. Find it on the https://www.ncdot.gov/dmv/offices. Customers can now hover over the icon marking each driver license office and a box will pop up with the current walk-in wait time. The wait time is defined as the current average length of time from check-in until the customer is called to the workstation for service.

“I’m very excited about this new tool that will show customers the walk-in wait time at driver license offices so they can make an informed decision on which office to go to, or whether to try again another day,” said DMV Commissioner Wayne Goodwin. “This tool will be most useful in the afternoon when our 115 driver license offices are serving walk-ins only.”

During COVID-19 restrictions, the long-standing requirement that teen drivers have their permits for 12 months was temporarily shortened to 6 months; that requirement lapsed at the end of 2022. Furthermore, beginning Jan. 1 2024, the 6-month period will permanently extend to 9 months.

Another change to the graduated driver license process allows Level 2 permit holders to be able to drive one passenger under 21 who is not a family member, if they are being driven directly to or from school. This is in addition to the existing provision allowing one passenger under 21 that is a family member.

Schedule an appointment at https://skiptheline.ncdot.gov/

 

SportsTalk: Local Schools Making A Run In State Playoffs

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It’s an exciting time at Oxford Prep and Kerr Vance Academy.  Both schools have teams advancing through the state playoffs.

At Oxford Prep it’s Tommy Anstead’s softball team that is looking to make it to the third round of the state playoffs.   “We’ve never been as far as the third round,” Anstead said on Thursday’s SportsTalk on WIZS. On Tuesday Oxford Prep had a convincing 5-3 win over Union High School.  That school featured a pitcher with 196 strike outs this year.  When asked how you prepare for a pitcher with that type of talent Anstead said, “You hope they don’t have any,” referring to the strike outs. This is the school’s third time advancing to the second round and they must defeat Riverside Martin from Williamston Friday night to make it to round three.  Riverside Martin is ranked eleventh in the state.  That game is in Oxford and will be at 6pm Friday.

Meanwhile, Mike Joyner, Athletic Director at Kerr Vance Academy, will need to be in two places at once Friday night as both the baseball team and the girl’s soccer team will be playing.  The Spartan’s soccer team is ranked #8 in the state and escaped with a 1-0 win over Lee Christian earlier this week and will now face local rival Crossroads Christian.  That game is at 5pm Friday.  At 6pm the #1 seeded baseball team, which is coming off a first round bye, will take on North Hills Christian.  “We lost in the semi-finals last year and we felt we were in good shape to make a run this year,” Joyner said of the team.  “We are young with no seniors but we added two really good players,” Joyner added.  KVA will be at home throughout the playoffs with the championships coming up on May 19th and 20th.

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Front Porch Bluegrass Show With Tasker Fleming

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Tune in to Tasker Fleming’s Front Porch Bluegrass Show on Sunday evenings on WIZS and you’ll surely find yourself tapping your toes to some familiar songs, featuring fiddles, mandolins and more.

But tune in to the program on Sunday, May 21 at 6 p.m. and you may hear some familiar – and local – artists as well.

Fleming said he plans to mark the second anniversary of the show being aired on WIZS with some nods to all things Henderson.

“I’m going to dedicate the whole show” to Vance County, whether he’s featuring local bluegrass musician Wayne Kinton or reminiscing about eating in local restaurants as a child traveling through Henderson on his way to visit relatives in Virginia.

The show originates from Albemarle, in Stanly County, and it is aired on numerous stations in North Carolina and Virginia. He’s in talks now with a station in Galax, VA. “I’ll offer my show to anyone who wants to listen,” he said.

Folks who tune in on May 21 may just hear him tell the story about his days as a new UNC graduate who landed his first job at Vance Senior High School. The superintendent at the time was Wayne Adcock. Fleming said he was the only employee in the school system who could “boast” of having been paddled by the superintendent.

He’d deserved that paddling, Fleming confessed, when he had been a second-grader with Adcock as his principal.

Fond memories of Nunnery-Freeman and Hereford House restaurants are sure to bring back memories, Fleming noted. And bringing up good memories is part of what the Front Porch Bluegrass show is all about.

“I love doing the show,” Fleming said. “I’ve always had a passion for bluegrass.”

Tune in on Sunday evenings and contact Fleming at frontporchbluegrass21@yahoo.com.

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H-V Emergency Operations

TownTalk: Short To Retire As Director Of Emergency Operations

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Brian Short, director of Vance County emergency operations, is retiring at the end of May. But you won’t find him on the golf course or puttering around in the yard for very long – he’ll begin a new state job just four days after he turns over his local duties to Vivian Lassiter, who will serve as interim director.

Short and Lassiter were guests on Thursday’s TownTalk segment to talk about the state of emergency operations in the county and what may lie ahead.

“With the exception of being a husband and a father,” Short said, “this is the most important thing I’ll do in my life.” He started out in 1991 as a part-time 911 dispatcher and rose through the ranks to become its director in 1998.

“I’ve got a lot of faith and a lot of pride in this agency,” Short said. Lassiter said she’s been preparing for this new role as interim director and said she feels confident because of the way Short has prepared her.

“Brian’s worked with me one on one…I feel as ready as anyone else. I believe I’ll do fine (but) I’ve got big shoes to fill.”

Short said he always tried to make sure the emergency operations staff was ready to work outside their comfort zones “so they’d be ready to grow and progress when the opportunity presented itself.”

Having the safety and welfare of close to 50,000 people is a heavy burden, he acknowledged, but he has great confidence in the people who run the 911 call centers and everyone else who responds to emergency situations.

“They’re the ones in there on the front lines, making split-second decisions, making the right calls,” he said.

Today’s local 911 dispatchers have the best equipment and technology available, Short said. You may find bigger operations functioning in larger cities, “but you won’t see one with any more or better technology than what we have,” he added. “We try to always be on the cutting edge.”

Lassiter knows all about that technology – she’s currently the acting operations manager for the 911 center and occasionally fills in as a 911 operator when needed.

“I just enjoy saving lives,” she said. And that desire was only heightened during the COVID-19 pandemic. “I wanted to do more,” she said.

She plans to keep the agency running just like it’s running now. “I think the way that we do things and involving the community is the right thing to do,” she said.

CLICK PLAY for TownTalk broadcast with Brian Short and Vivian Lassiter!

 

Cooperative Extension with Wayne Rowland: Carpenter Bees

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Listen live at 100.1 FM / 1450 AM / or on the live stream at WIZS.com at 11:50 a.m. Mon, Tues & Thurs.

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Upcoming Blood Drives In The Area

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May is Trauma Awareness Month, and American Red Cross encourages individuals to sign up to give blood at upcoming local drives as a way to help in situations where every second counts.

Blood products – blood, plasma and platelets – can provide lifesaving care, but hospitals often struggle to keep sufficient supplies on hand.

Did you know that Type O is the universal blood type? Donors who have Type O Negative blood are especially needed now, according to information from the local Red Cross office in Raleigh.

Type O Negative blood can be used in emergency situations when there’s no time to determine a patient’s blood type; Type O Positive blood can be transfused to Rh-Positive patients of any blood type.

As a thank-you, all donors who come in to give blood between now and May 19 will get a $10 e-gift card. And anyone who gives at any time during the month of May will automatically be entered for a chance to win a trip for two to the MLB All-Star Game in Seattle, WA.

The prize package includes two tickets to the 2023 MLB® All-Star Game® thanks to the support of Fanatics, round-trip airfare, four-night hotel accommodations, a $750 gift card and more. Additionally, those who come to give May 20-31 will receive an exclusive Red Cross beach towel, while supplies last.

The prizes are just a small way to say thank you to donors who give blood, but the larger reward is knowing that your donation helps keep hospital blood banks full and ready to help in the event of a medical trauma.

Visit RedCrossBlood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1.800.733.2767).

 

Upcoming blood drives:

 Vance

Henderson

5/15/2023: 10 a.m. – 2:30 p.m., Maria Parham Health, 566 Ruin Creek Rd.

5/23/2023: 9 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., Henderson Family YMCA, 380 Ruin Creek Rd.

5/30/2023: 10 a.m. – 2:30 p.m., Central Baptist Church, 2574 Ruin Creek Rd.

Granville

Creedmoor

5/26/2023: 2 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., Creedmoor United Methodist Church, 214 Park Ave.

Franklin

Louisburg

5/22/2023: 11 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., Senior Citizens Center, 279 S. Bickett Blvd.

 

TownTalk: Kerr Lake Regional Water Systems Keeps The Water Flowing

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A recent groundbreaking ceremony at the city’s water treatment facility is a tangible indication that all the t’s have been crossed and the I’s dotted to set in motion an expansion project that will, once completed, double the facility’s output to as much as 20 million gallons of water a day.

This is good news for the current 55,000 customers who rely on the Kerr Lake Regional Water System, but Water Resources Director Christy Lipscomb said increased capacity also will allow for growth.

Lipscomb was a guest on Wednesday’s TownTalk and explained just what the almost $80 million expansion project would involve and when it is expected to be completed.

“I am very excited,” Lipscomb said. “This will give us more tools in our toolbox to treat the water and some of the things that show up in the water.

As water testing improves, the EPA and the state set forth regulations that water systems must comply with. “We have to meet (the regulations) and know that it’s going to be safe for the customers,” she said.

The existing system is what Lipscomb calls a “conventional” system, and the plan is to add on to the current building to add a super pulsator system – or Super P, for short.

“It’s like the conventional system, but it runs more efficiently and effectively,” she said of the Super P.

And while there presently no problems with contaminants in the water, having this newer style of system with activated carbon will help if problems arise in the future.

If all goes according to plan, the project will take between 20 months and 30 months to complete, but it will allow for up to 20 million gallons of water a day to be treated and returned to customers for use.

The City of Henderson is the managing partner of the regional water system and has a 60 percent ownership; the city of Oxford and Warren County each have a 20 percent ownership.

Right now, Lipscomb the different entities aren’t using all the water that is allocated to them on paper, which helps the system stay ahead of the game.

On an average day, the water plant treats 7.1 million gallons. When that capacity more than doubles, it could be a game-changer for the area.

Once there is more capacity, customers like Henderson, Oxford and Warren County can use that as a drawing card for economic development.

The plan is to use the Super P as the main treatment source, but keep the conventional system as a backup, just in case. And then, later, a second Super P would be installed and the conventional system would be decommissioned, Lipscomb said.

She said customers shouldn’t see any disruptions in service or changes in water quality because of the expansion.

“They shouldn’t experience anything disruptive,” she said, adding that the city would send out notices if something were to occur that would affect water customers.

CLICK PLAY to hear Christy Lipscomb TownTalk Broadcast!

Home And Garden Show

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On the Home and Garden Show with Vance Co. Cooperative Ext.

  • Identify your insect pest before purchasing a control.
  • Read the instructions before purchase.
  • Practice Lawnmower safety. Scout lawn for debris, never refuel a mower when mower is hot,  don’t mow when grass is wet, No extra riders one seat means one person!
  • Don’t override mower safety features.
  • Clean up fallen fruit that may have fallen after
  • Good time to check tree/shrub health. If any trees and shrubs have not put out vigorous new growth by now, it may be time to consider replacing them.
  • Honey bees are still swarming if you see a swarm call Cooperative extension 252-438-8188
  • In general, don’t apply insecticides to plants that are blooming.

Click Play!