Tag Archive for: #wizsnews

Cooperative Extension with Wayne Rowland: Types of Gardens

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On the Vance County Cooperative Extension report from Wayne Rowland:

The different types of gardens to meet each gardener’s needs.

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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TownTalk: Around Old Granville – Historical Markers

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The state’s very first official historical marker was erected in 1936 – just a year after the Highway Historical Marker Commission was established. But where was it placed? Any ideas?

If you said Granville County, you’d be correct. The first marker honors John Penn, one of North Carolina’s three signers of the Declaration of Independence.

But Old Granville County – that four-county area that includes Vance, Warren and Franklin along with Granville – has a total of 57, said Mark Pace, local historian and North Carolina Room specialist at Oxford’s Thornton Library.

The state’s 100 counties are divided into 17 regions; Vance and Granville counties each boast 15 markers and are in Region G; Franklin and Warren, both in Region E, have seven and 20, respectively.

Pace and WIZS’s Bill Harris are tackling the topic of historic markers for the next few “Around Old Granville” segments of TownTalk. First up, Granville County.

The John Penn marker, located along Highway 15 in Stovall, was issued along with four others in the inaugural group, Pace said.

Interestingly, Granville County has the oldest marker, but also two of the newest: Camp Butner got a marker in 1989 and James E. Webb, who was instrumental in the creation of NASA and the space program, got a marker in 2018.

The commission started its work with the marker program as the country was emerging from the economic devastation of the Great Depression, which Pace said showed the state’s commitment to history. There are criteria for getting a marker approved and placed, he said, including placement in a prominent location on official state highways.

Webb’s marker, for example, is located along College Street in Oxford. He grew up a block away, Pace said.

Thomas Person has a historical marker in Granville County. He was probably the wealthiest person who ever lived in Granville County and owned 80,000 acres. But that’s not what got him a marker along Highway 158 back in 1972. His marker reads “Leader of popular movements: Regulation, Revolution and Antifederalism. His home in Goshen stood five miles north.”

Pace observes what he called “commemoration fever” when it comes to remembering historical figures or events. There seems to be renewed interest in history 50 or more years after an important event, he said.

“It’s kind of like the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,” he said. Rockers aren’t considered until 25 years after their first record is released.

Horner Military Academy got a marker in 1939. It was known nationally because of the prominent people who attended the private school, which was established in 1851 by James JH. Horner.

There’s a marker for Henry Plummer Cheatham, who was born into slavery and served in the U.S. Congress from 1889-1893. Cheatham also was the superintendent of what is now Central Children’s Home for close to 30 years until his death in 1935. His marker can be seen on N.C. 96 at Eighth Street in Oxford.

Central Children’s Home – and the Masonic Home for Children, the other orphanage in Oxford, also have markers, placed in 1965 and 1936, respectively.

A marker for Mary Potter Academy was erected in 2005 along College Street, also known as U.S. 158 Business. Its inscription reads: “Founded by G.C. Shaw 1889 to educate African Americans. Named for a Presbyterian benefactor. Later a public school. Operated one block E.”

Bullock has one of five markers in Region G that identifies the Native American Trading Path that was subsequently used by colonists and settlers between Petersburg, VA and well into North Carolina – Hillsborough and beyond. There’s also a Trading Path marker in Vance County, but that’s a story for another day.

Check out all the historical markers in Granville County and across the state at https://www.dncr.nc.gov/about-us/history/division-historical-resources/nc-highway-historical-marker-program

 

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The Local Skinny! Granville’s Creative Lifelong Learning Presents “The Regulators: Right Or Wrong” Debate

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Before the American Revolution, North Carolina and the other 12 Colonies pretty much operated independently – the idea of a unifying federal system wouldn’t be a “thing” until the Constitution was ratified in 1789, replacing the Articles of Confederation, which largely preserved the sovereignty and independence of the 13 Colonies.

A fellow named George Sims didn’t like the way he and fellow Colonists were being treated by the government – excessive taxes, unfair payments, the average guy not getting a fair shake were just a few of the complaints lodged by a group of colonists known as The Regulators.

“George Sims was just an average guy,” said local historian Mark Pace. He was a farmer and schoolteacher from the Nutbush area, in what is now the Drewry area. But in a compelling speech delivered in 1765, Sims shared his views in a politically correct way – never criticizing existing laws or inciting violence while demanding reforms to the law of the land.

Pace has been researching Sims to prepare for an upcoming program of Granville County’s Creative Lifelong Learning program. Pace will portray Sims in a debate with one of Sims’s counterparts, Margaret Wake Tryon, the wife of Gov. William Tryon.

The program “The Regulators: Right or Wrong” is scheduled for Wednesday, Mar. 19 at 10 a.m. at the Granville County Convention & Expo Center on Hwy 15 outside Oxford. CLL members get in free; non-members may pay $12 to become members at the door.

Courtney Smith of Orange County will portray Tryon, who no doubt backed her husband’s views of government.

The debate will take place as if it were taking place in 1771, before the Colonists rose up against British rule to gain independence.

Sims will have the floor for 20 minutes and Tryon will have the floor for 20 minutes, Pace explained during Thursday’s segment of The Local Skinny!

“This is not the Revolution, but it’s planting the seed of revolution,” Pace said. People were becoming increasingly discontented with what they considered poor governance.

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Cooperative Extension with Jamon Glover: Healthy Co-Parenting Part 2

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Cooperative Extension

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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Home and Garden Show

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

  • The Growing The Spring Vegetable Garden Event will be on Monday March 31, 2025 at 6:30pm at the Vance County Regional Farmers Market.
  • Resist the temptation to plant tall fescue.
  • Prune as soon as possible.
  • Order your bees for pollination ASAP
  • Apply crabgrass preventer to lawns
  • Reread owners manual of all power equipment
  • You can plant spinach, irish potatoes, mustard, beets, kale, lettuce, carrots, peas, onions, and radishes. Get your copy of central piedmont planting guide.
  • Provide ventilation for plants in greenhouse and cold farame
  • Remember to wear PPE equipment when doing all garden chores.
  • Start checking your lawn care equipment
  • Check areas for mice. Greenhouse storage shed.
  • Check houseplants dust weekly with a soft cloth.
  • Check storage areas for mice.

The Vance County Cooperative Extension is located at 305 Young St, Henderson, NC 27536

The Vance County Regional Farmers Market is located at 210 Southpark Dr., Henderson, NC 27536

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Granville Vance Public Health Logo

TownTalk: GVPH Director Lisa Harrison Keeps Eye On Health Issues, Funding For Federal Programs Like Medicaid, WIC

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In addition to all the health-related issues that Granville Vance Public Health Director Lisa M. Harrison monitors, lately she’s been keeping a close watch on what’s happening in Washington, DC as politicians consider cost-saving measures to address a focus on government efficiency and tax cuts.

For Harrison, what happens in Washington has a direct effect on what happens right here in North Carolina – and specifically in rural areas like the area her department serves.

“People don’t often realize that our federal tax dollars are so closely tied to programs and local jobs,” Harrison said on Wednesday’s TownTalk. There are many connections to the work done here in Vance and Granville counties that are federally funded, she said.

“It’s important to pay attention and give people advance notice” if funding cuts are recommended.

As health director, she’s especially interested in Medicaid and the WIC program. So far, so good, she said, adding that she’s hopeful both programs will be spared from cuts.

“If Medicaid goes away, we all pay the price,” Harrison said. Medicaid is not a handout, she said; rather, it’s an insurance option that enables the working poor, children and disabled individuals to have access to health care. She said it also helps keep premiums and costs down for those who have private insurance.

“The way we make payroll is by billing Medicare and Medicaid,” Harrison said. They take private insurance and self-pay clients as well, but about 50 percent of the health department’s clients use Medicaid.

Cuts in Medicaid and WIC – which provides vouchers to women with infants and children for nutritious foods, baby formula and more – would be felt sharply and quickly, she said.

But federal funds also make it possible for GVPH to administer programs like THRIVe, a grant-funded program that addresses behavioral health services from licensed clinical social workers to Vance County Schools and Granville County Public Schools for students from5-18 years of age.

There’s a licensed clinical social worker based at the health department who provides one-on-one counseling for children and families. In addition, Harrison said THRIVE connects with behavioral health professionals from UNC and Duke to help school staffs better understand how to assist or help students with behavioral health, including training teachers about trauma-informed care.

Children come to school and need a lot more than facts, Harrison said. The $4 million federal grant for THRIVe allows adults to help children with the resources they need to be their best selves, she said.

Grant funding has increased dramatically over the 50 years that GVHD has been in existence, Harrison said.

The health department published a report to celebrate and reflect on its 50 years of service to the two counties. In those 50 years, Harrison is only the third director. Dr. Charles Rollins was the first director and served from 1974 to 1991. Dr. Roddy Drake was the second director and served until 2012. Harrison became the director when Drake retired.

Harrison called Rollins “a passionate advocate” for bringing the WIC program to rural areas in the 1970’s. The health department oversaw seven programs and had a couple of dozen employees for both counties. Today, there are close to 60 programs and almost 100 employees.

“Our team is amazing,” Harrison said, “making a difference in the lives of others and health outcomes.”

Visit www.gvph.org to learn about all the programs GVPH offers and to read the 50th anniversary annual report.

 

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