Tag Archive for: #wizsnews

Specialty Food Distribution Hub To Create 23 Jobs In Granville County

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A food distribution company that has its roots in France and New Jersey is coming to Granville County, creating more than 20 jobs in a warehouse and distribution facility that will help the company expand its reach into the Southeast.

D’Artagnan, Inc., a specialty food company distributor, will create 23 new jobs and invest more than $4 million to locate a warehouse and distribution facility in Granville County, according to a press release from County Public Information Officer Terry Hobgood. The operation will take up a portion of the former Burlington Mills facility on Lewis Street in Oxford.

“Our whole team is excited about developing our sales in this beautiful region!” said Ariane Daguin, CEO of D’Artagnan. “We have closely followed the food scene in the Carolinas and are very happy to be able to contribute to it,” Daguin added.

“We are extremely excited that D’Artagnan has selected Granville County to expand their company with this new distribution warehouse,” said Granville County Economic Development Director Harry Mills.

“We have created a hub for food distribution and processing in Granville County that is attracting the attention of companies around the world. D’Artagnan choosing Granville County shows how integral our location and workforce is in the global food supply chain. Mills thanked county commissioners, members of the economic development advisory board, the city of Oxford as well as local realtor Wills Hancock and the team at Century 21 Hancock Properties for their efforts in attracting D’Artagnan to the county.

Daguin founded D’Artagnan in 1985 and the French food pioneer has continued to lead her company which provides of high-quality meats, produce and delicacies to high-end hotels and restaurants in the United States.

The New Jersey-based  company distributes natural, sustainable food raised on farms and ranches across the world to offer organic products. D’Artagnan has three business segments that cover food service, retail and e-commerce to market its food products in all 50 states.

The new Oxford facility will be the largest distribution site outside of New Jersey and will support D’Artagnan’s expansion into the Southeast market.

Granville County Economic Development partnered with the North Carolina Department of Commerce and a host of partners locally and statewide in supporting D’Artagnan’s decision to expand to North Carolina, bringing the new jobs with it. Although wages will vary for each position, the average annual salary for the new positions is $46,170, – which exceeds Granville County’s overall average annual wage of $45,096. The new jobs have the potential to create an annual payroll impact of more than $1 million.

A performance-based grant of $50,000 from the One North Carolina Fund will help with D’Artagnan’s location to North Carolina. The One NC Fund provides financial assistance to local governments to help attract economic investment and to create jobs. Companies receive no money upfront and must meet job creation and capital

investment targets to qualify for payment. D’Artagnan must invest at least $3,695,300 to receive One NC grant payments. The grants require a 50 percent local match, subject to approval by the Granville County Board of Commissioners that would total $25,000.

“This is another great economic development win for Granville County,” said State Sen. Mike Woodard who represents District 22, which includes the entirety of Granville County. “We welcome these new jobs and $4 million investment to our community and are ready to support the company’s future success.”

“More and more companies are finding the business climate in our region ideal for their strategic growth plans,” said N.C. Rep. Terry E. Garrison who represents District 32, which includes northern Granville County and Oxford. “We appreciate the diligent local and state officials and economic development partners that helped bring this project to Oxford.”

Other partners include the Kerr-Tar Council of Government, Granville County Chamber  of Commerce, Granville County Public School System, Vance-Granville Community College, NCWorks Career Center of Oxford, the N.C. Dept. of Commerce, the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, the North Carolina Community College System, and the North Carolina General Assembly for their assistance in locating D’Artagnan in Granville County.

Vance County High School

Noel Named AD For VCHS, Trades Panthers For Vipers

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Vance County Schools has named Raymond Noel, a lifelong resident of the area, as the new athletic director for Vance County High School. Noel is a 2002 graduate of J.F. Webb High School in Oxford, where he played football and ran track and field.

He continued his education at Averett University, where he played football and

served as a student assistant for the school’s basketball program.

In 2007, Noel graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Physical Education and a minor in coaching.

Noel’s career immediately took off following graduation as he became the assistant football and basketball coach at Granville Central High School. He also served as the Driver’s Education

Instructor.

In 2015, he took on the head coaching position for the women’s basketball team and, in 2017, became the athletic director, during which time he led athletic teams to multiple-season victories through innovative training strategies. Noel earned his Certified Athletic Administrators Certificate through the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association.

VCHS Principal Rey Horner said he welcomes Noel to the school and the district. “We are excited that Mr. Noel will be joining our district. We know his experience and dedication to athletics will continue to help our Viper programs flourish.”

Noel and his wife, Michelle, live in Granville County with their son, Blake.

Noel will start work in VCS on July 1, 2022.

“I am very excited about the opportunity to lead athletics at Vance County High School,” Noel said in a written statement.
“Thanks to Mr. Horner and the administration for this opportunity. GO VIPERS!”

Crossroads Christian School

SportsTalk: Richardson Says Spring Sports A Success

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If you see Crossroads Christian School Athletic Director/Head Basketball Coach Scottie Richardson with a smile on his face, that’s because he is happy with how spring sports have gone at the school. The Colt’s Girls Soccer team made a deep run in the playoffs and the golf team won the conference championship finishing third in the state. On top of that, five seniors who played on Crossroads Christian’s athletic teams will be moving on to play at the college level.

Under Richardson, the Colt’s athletic program has grown to 22 teams in nine sports and that includes 12 All State players in five sports.  No wonder Richardson is happy.

Next school year when Richardson puts on his basketball cap, it will mark his 28th year as a basketball coach.  Last season, Crossroads had it’s first final four post season run, and with changes in the conference, Richardson feels that the school has a real shot at a state championship, so much so that it is Richardson’s goal for the team to bring that championship home to Vance County.

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NC Forest Service

Forestry Field Day June 24 In Oxford

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-information courtesy of Vance County Cooperative Extension

A Forestry Field Day is scheduled for Friday, June 24 to help area landowners with best practice strategies to enhance their woodland resources. Participants will learn first-hand about the possible benefits of forest management techniques of herbicide application and prescribed fires.

This free event will begin at 2 p.m. at the N.C. Forest Service office in Granville County, located at 911 Hillsboro St, Oxford.

From there, the group will proceed to two different field sites that show the results of the respective practices. Transportation to the field sites will be available, or participants may travel in personal vehicles.

The sponsors of the Field Day are the N.C. Forest Service office for Granville County, along with the N.C. Cooperative Extension County Centers in Granville and Vance counties.

Registration is required.

For more information, visit http://go.ncsu.edu/manageyourwoods or call 252.438.8188 or 919.603.1350.

The Local Skinny: KARTS Makes Getting From Here To There Easy

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People use KARTS for a variety of reasons – to get to work or doctor’s appointments, to go food shopping, keep dialysis appointments and even get to the local community college campus. Whatever the reason, KARTS buses crisscross the four-county area to provide transportation to people who need it.

And that’s something that make KARTS Executive Director Irene Johnson happy.

Each day, schedulers make appointments for residents and the Kerr Area Regional Transportation Authority buses are dispatched throughout the counties they serve.

“We are here to serve the community,” Johnson told John C. Rose on Thursday’s The Local Skinny! “We do so much transportation now,” she said. She said a daily tally could be in the hundreds of routes.

The buses run hundreds of routes each week and even operate on Saturdays to transport people to their jobs or to their dialysis appointments. Drivers are on the road as early as 2:30 in the morning to make sure folks make their 4:30 a.m. appointments at area dialysis centers.

But Johnson has a suggestion for anyone thinking about calling for a ride from KARTS: Call as soon as possible. “As soon as you know you have a trip planned, we need you to call as early as possible,” she said.

And while it’s not mass transit like city buses or subway trains, KARTS buses are considered public transportation, Johnson noted. And for that reason, the use of masks is recommended. And even though the COVID-19 restrictions have eased, she assures riders that the buses are thoroughly cleaned to help keep everyone as safe as possible. There also are cameras with live feeds mounted inside and outside the buses for an additional layer of safety

The last couple of years have been hard on everyone, but especially hard on those without a means of transportation. Johnson said she has enjoyed seeing those folks who found themselves confined at home being able to get out and enjoy life without having to worry about transportation.

The main dispatch center is in Henderson on Ross Mill Road, but each county has its own fleet of buses that remain in those counties, she explained.

And KARTS is not immune to the labor shortage that everyone is talking about. If you’re looking for a job, KARTS is always looking for drivers. Retirees who may just want a part-time job could be prime candidates, she said, inviting others to join the hard-working staff of drivers.

“They are dedicated and want to make sure people get (to their destinations) safely,” Johnson said.

Contact KARTS at 252.438.2573 to learn more.

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Granville Revaluation Process Underway

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Workers with the county’s contracted vendor for conducting the mandated tax revaluation process have started their field work and residents can expect to see clearly marked vehicles and employees identifying themselves for this specific purpose.

The updated property tax values go into effect on Jan. 1, 2024, and employees with Pearson’s Appraisal Service have begun verifying and updating tax listings to ensure fair and equitable tax values are applied to commercial and residential properties throughout the county, according to information from Granville County Public Information Officer Terry Hobgood.

Employees will have photo identification badges as well as vehicles marked “GRANVILLE REVALUATION.” The appraisal process involves photography of each property and verification of information in the existing Granville County tax listing. Property owners interested in providing additional information or requesting an interior inspection for a property can do so by calling Pearson’s Appraisal Services at 888.573.2776.

Revaluation is the process of reappraising all properties within the county for tax assessment purposes. The purpose of revaluation is to re-establish equity among properties that may have changed in value at different rates since the county’s last revaluation, which was completed in 2018.

Each county in the state must conduct a reappraisal of all real property – land, buildings, and other improvements to land –  at least once every eight years as mandated by North Carolina General Statutes. Granville County conducts revaluations on a six-year cycle.

For more information regarding property tax values or the revaluation and assessment process, please contact the Granville County Tax Administration Office at 919.693.4181 or visit the Granville County website:  https://www.granvillecounty.org/government/tax-department/.

RAM Clinic Helped 150 Clients At Recent Pop-Up Medical Clinic

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The Duke Remote Area Medical (RAM) clinic held recently in Henderson was a roaring success and organizers want to make the free pop-up medical clinic at least an annual event.

According to follow-up information received from one of the Duke University students that helped organize the event held May 14-15 at Vance Charter School, the clinic saw 150 different patients and provided close to $150,000 in free medical, dental and vision care over the course of the two-day clinic.

“Sadly, demand for the services was so high that we had to start turning people away at 7 a.m. on Saturday and 5 a.m. on Sunday,” said Avni Charvu, who will team up with Saajan Patel to be the lead organizers for next year’s clinic.

The goal , Charvu said, is to learn from this first experience to make the clinic an annual event, working up to multiple Duke RAM clinics a year. This year’s lead organizers Rishi Dasgupta and Rishabh Jain graduated last month, and Charvu said he and Patel are already making plans for next year’s Henderson clinic,

“For each patient we were able to serve, there were scores more who would have benefited and couldn’t be seen…We enlisted local nonprofits to distribute free Narcan, sexual health products, dental care product and more,” Charvu said.

The NC Navigator Consortium was also helping under- and uninsured patients sign up for Medicaid. For patients who were diagnosed with longer-term chronic conditions or may require emergency care in the coming days after surgical procedures, we identified over a dozen private practices, regional hospitals and outpatient clinics in the area for follow-up care at a reduced cost.

The clinic was especially crucial for low-income, low-education, and minority populations, Charvu explained. A breakdown of patients showed that 37 percent were Hispanic, 43 percent were African American. About half of the patients  had a high school education or less and many of the were non-English speakers.

“It was incredible to see such an enthusiastic response from volunteers and community organizations, with 120 people traveling from as far as Washington state to volunteer their time,” Charvu said.

Drink To Your Health: The Story Of Mineral Springs

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Nowadays, health professionals are quick to point out the importance of staying hydrated and drinking enough plain ol’ water as a key component of good health. A good rule of thumb is eight 8-ounce servings of water each day.

But around the time of the Civil War to the turn of the 20th century, there were a number of mineral springs in the area whose proprietors made great claims about their water’s restorative properties.

There was sort of a mineral springs “belt” that was loosely situated across Halifax County that ran through Warren and Vance counties on the way toward the Clarksville area, according to Mark Pace, local historian and N.C. Room specialist at the Richard Thornton Library in Oxford. Pace joined WIZS’s Bill Harris on the tri-weekly history segment of TownTalk Thursday and talked about the heyday of the area’s mineral springs and the visitors who came in search of health restored.

The waters of Panacea Springs in Littleton, for example, was reportedly good for whatever ailed you – from excema to digestive problems and everything in between.

Shocco Springs in Warren County and Buckhorn Springs in northern Granville County joined other mineral springs that developed national reputations – not just for their water’s restorative powers, but as vacation destinations for the rich and famous of the time.

Marketing played a key role in the popularity of the springs, Pace said, but it was the railroad that played a major role.

“Kittrell wouldn’t even exist if the railroad hadn’t come through,” Pace said. The medicinal benefits of the waters aside, hotels sprang up around some of them to accommodate the travelers. There were four hotels in Kittrell, for example. Kittrell Springs Hotel had a bowling alley, miniature golf, concerts and horseback riding just to name a few amenities.

Back in 1858, “you didn’t go to Nags Head, you went to a place like this,” Pace remarked.

The Panacea Springs resort in Littleton hosted Renaissance festivals back in the years leading up to the Civil War; Jones Sulphur Springs in Warren County included among its guests Annie Lee, daughter of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. She was sent there to ease the effects of tuberculosis  and died there in 1862.

There aren’t many structures left on the sites of the old springs, Pace said – some stone foundations and a small bottling building here are a couple of remnants.

The Buffalo Springs near Clarksville remains active, and visitors can see where the famous water erupts from the ground.

It used to be called Buffalo Lithia Springs because of the claims that the water contained contained lithium bicarbonate.

But when Congress passed the Pure Food and Drug Act in 1906, the Buffalo Lithia Springs claims were called into question. When the water was tested in 1910, Pace said, but the news wasn’t good: Although the water was shown to have traces of lithium, a person would have to drink  hundreds of thousands of GALLONS of water a day to reap the benefits. Needless to say, the springs operation lost the Supreme Court case and had to change its name to Buffalo Springs.

They sold bottled water from there until 1941, Pace said, making it one of the last mineral springs operations in the area.

It also was a stop on the vaudeville circuit and one of the seasonal performers was a very talented Mr. Ebsen from Florida, Pace recounted. Eventually, Ebsen’s son, Frank, got his start at Buffalo Lithia Springs, Pace said.

He became better known as the performer and actor Buddy Ebsen.

 

 

Cooperative Extension With Jamon Glover: Biting, Pt. 2

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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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