Tag Archive for: #wizsnews

The Local Skinny! Duke Energy Carolinas Carbon Plan

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Duke Energy is hosting the second in a series of three stakeholder meetings as it continues to develop its Carolinas Carbon Plan which is due to regulators in May 2022.

In a statement from Duke Energy’s District Manager Tanya Evans, the virtual meeting is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 23.

The first stakeholder meeting was held on Jan. 25, 2022 and the third meeting is scheduled for March 22.

“The Carolinas Carbon Plan will serve as a roadmap for modernizing our energy system, reducing risks for customers and reducing emissions from power generation,” Evans said in the statement. The plan targets a 70 percent carbon reduction by 2030  and is set to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The reductions will be made while Duke Energy continues “to prioritize the affordability and reliability that our customers depend on.”

Input gathered at the three meetings will help the energy company design and shape the initial proposal to the N.C. Utilities Commission.

Click the date to register for the virtual meeting: Feb 23, 2022.

In addition, visit duke-energy.com/CarolinasCarbonPlan to read updates.

The Utilities Commission must develop a carbon plan by the end of 2022 and Duke Energy is required to present its proposed plan by mid-May 2022 as part of the process.

Masks Optional In Vance County Schools Starting Feb. 28

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The Vance County Board of Education voted on Monday to lift the mask mandate for students and staff beginning Monday, Feb. 28, 2022.

The board held a special called meeting this morning (Feb. 21) to discuss the use of face coverings and the board voted unanimously to begin optional masking next week.

The vote comes on the heels of Gov. Roy Cooper’s update last week, during which he discussed guidance from DHHS and on passage of Senate Bill 173.

“The district will continue to encourage students and staff to become vaccinated as well as participate in weekly COVID-19 testing provided by a partnership with Mako Labs,” according to a written statement from VCS.

“The Board of Education recognizes that COVID-19 is still present in the community and will continue to offer optional layers of protection for students and staff,” the statement continued.

Temperature checks will be optional and the district will maintain nurses in schools. Schools also will continue the increased cleaning protocols. Staff will continue to ask students to respect personal space and to bring reusable water bottles for the touchless water fountains.

At their scheduled work session held on Monday, Feb.21, the Granville County Board of Education voted unanimously to make masks optional, except as required by law, for students and staff effective February 28, 2022.

The Board heard a summary of recent action at the state level, including a recent report made by the Governor which encouraged all school districts to make masks optional by March 7, 2022.  In addition, Senate Bill 173 (the “Free the Smiles Act”) was passed by the General Assembly yesterday and sent to the governor.  If the governor signs the bill or lets it stand without a veto, then it will become law in no less than 10 days.  Finally, specifics of the newly updated NC Strong Schools Toolkit were also shared.

While masks will be optional in school beginning next Monday, there are some settings and instances where they will still be required. Currently, there is still a federal CDC order in place requiring masks for drivers and passengers on school buses.  Masks are also still required on days 6-10 for individuals after they have tested positive or have been identified as a close contact to someone with COVID-19.  These specific instances will be reviewed by our school nurses in consultation with the local health department.

Franklin County Schools has made the decision to make masks optional beginning immediately.

TownTalk: Low Dose CT Screening Can Catch Cancer Early

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Maria Parham Health is offering low-dose CT scans to screen for lung cancer, catch the disease early and provide appropriate treatment.

Much like mammograms and colonoscopies are routine tools to detect breast cancer and colon cancer, MPH Cancer Center Director Kimberly Smith said the low-dose CT is helpful for early detection.

Long-time smokers between the ages of 50 and 77 who show no signs or symptoms of lung cancer are eligible for the scans, Smith said on Monday’s Town Talk. She and MPH Social Worker Hope Breedlove told John C. Rose they hope that anyone wants to know whether they meet the criteria for the scan will call 252.506.7070 this week to learn more.

“We’re really excited to have this life-saving lung cancer test for smokers and former smokers,” Smith said. She and Breedlove want the community to be educated about what it is, especially because Vance County and the surrounding area has a high rate of lung cancer. In fact, she said, lung cancer accounts for 12.7 percent of all newly diagnosed cancers. In Vance County and the surrounding area, lung cancer is in the top three of all cancer diagnoses.

The phone line will be active through Feb. 28 at 4 p.m. Callers will be asked to leave a message with their name, date of birth, a phone number and insurance information, Smith said. A cancer center staff member will follow up within 2-3 business days and walk prospective patients through a series of questions to determine eligibility.

Insurance will pay for the scans of eligible patients, she added. And there are a certain number of scans available for those without insurance.

Not sure you are eligible? Not to worry, Smith said. “We’ll help you navigate through that.”

“The scans are a really great way for us to find out if a patient has some type of lung cancer,” Smith said. The earlier even a small spot is detected, the earlier a treatment plan can be developed and implemented. “We really want to find (it) earlier,” she said, adding that the cancer center uses a software program that monitors a patient for life.

Breedlove explained that the age range has expanded some in hopes of getting younger people screened. “We want to catch the lung cancer early,” she said.

Smith said COVID-19 has interrupted those routine screenings that are so important at early detection of disease. She encouraged everyone to get those screenings scheduled – not just the low-dose CT scans, but mammograms and endoscopies as well.

“That’s how we save people’s lives,” she said.

COVID-19 Rates Continue To Drop In Vance, Granville

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COVID-19 cases continue to recede in Vance and Granville counties, and there have been no new deaths reported in the past week, according to information from Granville Vance Public Health.

Trends are decreasing, lowering the risk of infection, according to Lisa Harrison, GVPH director. Harrison also notes that there have been improvements in hospital capacity.

There have been 79 new cases reported in Vance County in the 7 days ending Friday, Feb. 18. The percent positivity rate is 12.9 percent; in Granville County, 164 new cases were reported in the same period for a percent positivity rate of 11.6 percent.

A total of 11,658 cases have been reported in Vance and 13,888 cases have been reported in Granville.

In the Bureau of Federal Prisons in Butner, there were 3 Granville County inmates whose positive test results were reported to the local health department this week (57 cases have been reported during the 30-day period). There are no new cases among staff to report.

Granville County Sheriff

Granville Sheriff’s Office To Offer Citizens Academy In April

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The Granville County Sheriff’s Office will host the second annual Citizens Academy, set to kick off in April 2022.

Registration is required for the program, which will be held at the Law Enforcement Center, 525 New Commerce Drive, Oxford. Classes will be held on Tuesday evenings from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

The Citizens Academy offers classes to provide a general overview of law enforcement issues, crime prevention, patrol procedures as well as additional topics of interest regarding law enforcement for the community. This program will build a better understanding between law enforcement and those served by the Granville County Sheriff’s Office. Interested participants may pick up a paper application at the Granville County Sheriff’s Office.

Download an application at https://www.granvillecounty.org/residents/sheriff/new-citizens-academy/.

For more information about the Citizens Academy, contact the sheriff’s office at  919.693.3213.

Warren Plans Sessions For Residents To Comment, Learn More About Comprehensive Development Plan

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Warren County’s comprehensive development plan team is conducting two public engagement sessions that will be held over the course of the next month.

The first public engagement session will be held on Monday, Feb. 28 at the Warren County Armory, 501 US Highway 158 Business East in Warrenton. The session will be held from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The second public session will be held Saturday, Mar. 12 from 10 a.m. to 12 noon at the Drewry Fire Department, 125 Firefighter Rd, Manson, according to information from the office of County Manager Vincent Jones.

These public sessions will be floating events that allow community members to ask questions, provide feedback and be involved in the future planning of Warren County. Participants will have the opportunity to visit tables with information, take the public engagement survey and look at maps of Warren County to gain more information.

Light refreshments will be provided for both sessions.

These sessions are part of the comprehensive development plan updates, a 10-month process that will result in updates to the existing 2002 plan, which was meant to run through this year.

A comprehensive development plan aims to address and guide growth and development for the County. Its focus is on the areas within the county’s jurisdiction and along the edges of town limits. Public participation will play a key role through these conversations and feedback. The comprehensive development plan will help to shape the vision and priorities for the future of Warren County.

The plan will update the 2002 Land Development Plan and address new issues and priorities that have come forward in the 20 years since then. This is a guiding document upon which land use decisions are based.

To follow along with the comprehensive plan process, visit planwarrencountync.com. For more information, contact the Warren County comp plan team at compplan@warrencountync.gov.

SportsTalk: Hunt Is Getting The Feel Of The Warren Co. Eagles’ AD Position

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It was only a week ago Victor Hunt, head football coach at Warren Co. High School, was named as athletic director at the school. He characterizes his first few days as a time to grow and learn.

This past football season Hunt took the Eagles to the state playoffs, something that hasn’t happened in quite a few seasons for Warren County.  The team made it to the second round before falling. He feels that injuries and Covid hampered the Eagles’ effort last season and they would have been better had those problems not been a part of the season. Despite the Eagles improvement on the grid iron Hunt was not happy. “When you don’t win a championship, you don’t feel like you’ve accomplished enough,” Hunt said.

However, Hunt is very pleased with the showing of the Eagles Women’s basketball team.  With only seven to eight players, the Eagles are in the state playoffs. “They have to play a lot of minutes,” Hunt said of the girls. “They never complain,” he added.  According to Hunt, the program is taking steps in the right direction.

It’s been harder for the men’s team which finished the season at 2-21. “It was tough,” Hunt said of the Eagles season.  He said half of the team had never played organized basketball before. Despite the losing record Hunt remains optimistic, “I don’t look at losses as losses but as lessons.”

The Eagles are now gearing up for spring sports with, what he describes, as a good group of kids on the baseball team and the highest participation in quite some time for softball. Track and field will get underway next week.

 

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SportsTalk: Coach’s Corner: WIZS Players Of The Week – Championship Recap

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Conference championships are hard to come by but Thursday night Vance County had two schools do just that.  Vance Charter’s women’s team took the Triangle North Athletic Conference Tournament Championship with a 58-47 win over Oxford Prep and Henderson Collegiate took the men’s championship with a 59-46 victory over Durham’s Voyager Academy.  Vance Charter relied on Allie Bliss’ 15 points to propel the team to victory and Henderson Collegiate’s T.J. Ragland scored 2o points in their win.  Their performances earned them WIZS Player of the Week honors.

Ragland topped his tournament average of 18 points per game in Henderson Collegiate’s win. He did have help however as Markel Lloyd contributed 18 points and Ellis Williams poured in another 8 points including two back-to-back three pointers at the beginning of the second half.  (Listen to the Audio Recap Below.) Henderson Collegiate now waits until Saturday to find out just where they will be seeded and who they will play as they pursue another state championship.

Vance Charter’s Bliss didn’t begin her basketball career as a starter but she worked hard to move up from a reserve spot and as a senior is one of the team’s leaders. She averaged 17 points per game in the conference tournament. With their conference championship win they also wait until Saturday to find out where their seeding is and who the next opponent will be as the state playoffs begin.

Congratulations to Henderson Collegiate’s T. J. Ragland and Vance Charter’s Allie Bliss. WIZS Players of the Week.  The Players of the Week can be heard every Friday at 1pm on the Coach’s Corner segment of SportsTalk on WIZS 1450am, 100.1fm and online at wizs.com.