Tag Archive for: #wizsnews

Kerr Tar Regional Council of Governments

TownTalk: KerrTar COG Loan Program Helps Small Business

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The Kerr-Tar Region Council of Government’s “Open for Business” loan program continues to disperse money to small- and medium-sized businesses in its five-county area and Director Diane Cox said there’s still time to apply.

The Kerr-Tar COG received $1.1 million as part of the federal government’s effort to help businesses weather the COVID-19 storm. To date, a dozen small businesses across Vance, Granville, Franklin, Warren and Person counties have benefited from the program, Cox told John C. Rose on Thursday’s Town Talk. She said about $605,000 has been distributed, and if the rest isn’t used before the end of June 2022, it reverts back to the federal coffers.

She’d rather have the money be used locally to assist businesses as the economy continues to open up as pandemic restrictions loosen.

Anyone who owns a business with fewer than 100 employees is eligible to apply for the loan, which originally was designed to help companies that had seen a decline in revenue as a result of the pandemic. In addition, the loan criteria were made more flexible to make for easier access by small businesses. The local COG board decided to make the loans zero-interest loans, she said, which makes them even more appealing. There is flexibility in payback periods, she said, as well as other criteria that are required for regular loan programs such as providing proof that the business wouldn’t qualify for a conventional bank loan.

“We rolled the program out in the fall and had lots of requests,” Cox said, but then they hit a lull. Now the program is kicked off again and she said she hopes more applications come in.

She said, so far, approved applicants include restaurants, a transportation-related business, a small fitness center and an office supply organization.

“Most have been small businesses,” Cox said, from sole proprietors to companies with as many as 35 employees. “We’ve not seen the requests coming in from the 75-99 employee range,” she said, adding that the agency has been able to serve the businesses they were hoping would request the loans – and have helped keep the doors open and the economy moving along.

“We know that the reason our economy is thriving is because of our small businesses,” Cox noted. Small business is what keeps downtowns healthy and the Kerr-Tar COG wants to continue to focus on programs like the Open for Business loan program to help small businesses.

A committee made up of banking professionals and others involved in business and economic development meets to review and recommend application for approval by the executive committee, which has final approval for all loans.

Apply online at kerrtarcog.org and attach additional required documents to submit online. Cox said applicants can request to receive a copy of the application via email or by U.S. Postal Service. Call the office at 252.436.2040 to learn more. Cox or finance assistant Katie Conner can help answer questions.

 

 

Vance County High School

SportsTalk: Pender And The Vipers Head To Fayetteville For State Playoffs

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Burnout was a concern for Vance County Head Football Coach Wilbur Pender. With the 2020 season getting moved to the spring of 2021 due to Covid and then right back on the field in August it was a valid concern for the Viper’s coaching staff.  Vance County was up to the challenge for the most part finishing with a 7-2 regular season record and 4-1 in the Northern Lakes Athletic Conference which put them second behind Southern Durham and good enough to put the team into the playoffs.

Vance County will be on the road tomorrow night as they head to Fayetteville to play the 8th seeded Westover Wolverines who bring an 8-1 record to the contest. The Wolverines have a strong passing and running game and will give the Vipers all they can handle. “Hopefully, we can put it all together,” said Coach Pender Thursday on SportsTalk with Trey Snide.  “Being in the top 32 teams in the state is an honor but not where we want to be,” added Pender who hopes the Vipers can advance further than just the first round. “Playoff football is the expectation but, we don’t want to get bounce early,” Pender said of the Viper’s playoff hopes.

While players like Nazir Garrett, Dave Vines-Holder and Carl Stephens got much of the attention this season Coach Pender also singled out Omari Allen, Nate Durham and Jasir Gamble, all linemen, for their excellent play this season.  They will need all of them and then some if they hope to get past the Wolverines.

The Vance Co. Friday Night Football broadcast can heard on WIZS 1450am, 100.1fm and on wizs.com beginning immediately after the Joy Christian Center Broadcast at approximately 6:50pm. Trey Snide and Doc Ayscue will have all of the action from Fayetteville tomorrow night.

 

Diabetes: A Simple Blood Test Is First Step To Management, Treatment

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When it comes to vital statistics, most of us know our height and weight. Knowing our blood sugar level is one that most of us wouldn’t be able to recite, but health professionals suggest that this number is an important one – too little sugar in our blood can lead to cognitive difficulties and too much can be a sign of an underlying condition like diabetes.

November is American Diabetes Month (designated because insulin was discovered in November 1922).

Cheryl Hester, a board-certified family nurse practitioner at Maria Parham Health, said that having a simple test to check blood sugar levels is an easy way to find out whether you may be at risk for developing diabetes.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 34 million Americans have diabetes, and 1 in 5 of those with the condition are not even aware they have it.

Additionally, more than 88 million American adults have what is known as prediabetes – a condition where blood sugar levels are abnormally high, but not quite high enough to qualify as Type 2 diabetes.

Persons with prediabetes can adjust their diet and lifestyle in the hope of staving off Type 2 diabetes.

There are three types of diabetes – Type 1 is usually diagnosed at an early age, Type 2 is often referred to as adult-onset and gestational diabetes occurs during pregnancy.

Type 1 diabetes is classified as an autoimmune disorder because the body does not produce insulin; rather, the body destroys the cells that produce insulin.

Having Type 2 diabetes means that your body doesn’t use insulin properly. Some Type 2 diabetics can manage their blood sugar levels through healthy eating and exercise and others may need medication or insulin to regulate levels.

And a pregnant woman may develop gestational diabetes, which also can be managed to ensure a safe delivery for mother and baby.

Type 1 diabetes usually develops suddenly and intensely; Type 2 is slower to develop, sometimes without symptoms.

The most common symptoms include increased hunger or thirst, frequent urination, unexpected weight loss, fatigue, numb or tingling hands or feet and slow-healing sores.

Having a blood sugar test is the first step in knowing what your levels are and starting a treatment plan, because, left untreated and unmanaged, diabetes can have devastating effects on your health down the road. Hearing or vision loss, heart attack, stroke and more are several of the complications that unchecked diabetes can lead to.

If you would like to schedule a blood sugar test or talk with a provider about your health, call 800.424.DOCS. For more information about diabetes, visit diabetes.org and cdc.gov/diabetes.

Home And Garden Show 11-3-21

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

  • Compost leaves please DO NOT BURN THEM!
  • Continue planting trees and shrubs. Dig a planting hole that’s 2 or 3 times as wide as the rootball, and no deeper than the rootball.
  • Have Frost Protection materials ready projected forecasts for lows will be in the 30’s
  • Plant spring flowering bulbs such as daffodils and tulips. If the bed has not been fertilized recently, mix some into the planting site first.
  • Harvest your sweet potatoes today if possible you do not want sweet potatoes that have been exposed to frost.
  • Even perennial flowers can be planted now. The tops will die off over the winter, but the roots will continue to grow and the plant will come back strong next spring.
  • Winterize any equipment that may have water in it.
  • Many plants can be divided now, giving you a free way to expand your plantings or share with friends. Possibilities include daylily, hosta, iris, liriope, and many perennial flowers.
  • Do not leave pet food outside it will attract wildlife. Skunks, raccoons, opossums.
  • Monitor lawn for cool season weeds through the fall and winter. It’s best to treat them as they appear.

Click Play

 

Town Talk Logo

TownTalk: Midterm Elections Are 370 Days Away

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Midterm Elections are now just over a year away and the idea of conformity vs. non-conformity will possibly be what could define the election season.

 

South Granville HS Campus Converts To Middle School In 2022-23; SGHS, Granville Central Merging

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The Granville County Board of Education made some moves toward school reorganization and consolidation by voting Monday to move the campus of G.C. Hawley Middle School to the current South Granville High School campus. The move will be effective for the 2022-23 school year. The board chose not to close any other schools, according to information from Dr. Stan Winborne, associate superintendent of curriculum & instruction and student services and public information officer.

The decision effectively merges the two southern-end high schools at the current Granville Central High School location in Stem. In a written statement to WIZS Tuesday, Winborne said the southern-end high school would have its own identity, which implies that it will be called neither South Granville High nor Granville Central.

The decision to move Hawley was not unanimous; the board voted 5-2, with Dr. Tom Houlihan and Leonard Peace, both former school board chairmen, voting against the motion. The motion to shift the middle school students to the campus of South Granville and the high school students to Granville Central’s campus was made by Chairman David Richardson and seconded by Dr. Gregory McKnight.

The school board has been considering different options for reorganization and consolidation for the past couple of years; some of the options included closing Wilton and Creedmoor elementary schools and converting Tar River Elementary to a middle school so the Hawley students could be relocated there.

County commissioners recently nixed the renovation of Hawley Middle School when the estimated costs were shown to be upwards of $25 million.

In the past several years, enrollment in Granville County Public Schools has trended downward, due in part to families choosing to send children to charter schools. The district has faced schools with more empty classrooms and teachers taking jobs in larger districts nearby in search of higher pay and supplements.

There have been opportunities for the public to comment on the various options that the school board was considering; at a public hearing on Oct. 18, parents and staff of Tar River Elementary spoke strongly against making the K-5 school a middle school.

In addition to the votes mentioned above, Winborne outlined the different motions that passed and failed during Monday’s board meeting:

  • A motion to leave open Wilton and Creedmoor schools passed unanimously.
  • The motion to close Creedmoor Elementary and keep Wilton open failed 3-4. Glenda Williams, Amanda LaBrecque and Houlihan voted yes and Anderson, McKnight, Richardson and Peace voted no.
  • The vote to make Tar River a middle school also failed. Williams, Peace and Houlihan voted yes and Ethel Anderson, McKnight, Richardson and LaBrecque voted no.
  • The motion to take Tar River off the closure list passed 5-2; Williams and Peace voted against the motion.
  • The motion to take Wilton off the closure list failed 3-4; Anderson, McKnight, Richardson and Peace voted no.

Granville Economic Development Director Appointed To Regional Foreign Trade Zone #93 Board

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Granville County Economic Development Director Harry Mills has been appointed to the Rates, Tariff, and Legal Review Board for the Research Triangle Area Foreign Trade Zone #93. Mills will serve a three-year term, beginning Jan. 1, 2022, along with eleven others representing Granville, Chatham, Durham, Harnett, Johnston, Lee, Moore, Orange, Person, Sampson, Vance, Wake, Warren and Wilson counties, according to a statement from Granville County’s public information officer Terry Hobgood.

The Foreign Trade Zone #93 Board’s job is to review and recommend applications for zone status; adopting a zone schedule including rates, rules and regulations; and ensuring the Grantee operates the zone as a public utility.

Triangle J Council of Governments is the grantee of the Research Triangle Area’s full-service, multi-site Foreign Trade Zone #93, which allows companies importing and exporting products to reduce or delay custom duties or taxes on products received within the zone. All zone activities must result in public benefit and a net positive economic effect. Triangle J Council of Governments views the Foreign Trade Zone as a benefit to member organizations through its ability to stimulate international trade in the region, create jobs engaged in international trade, and encourage job creation in the larger market.

Granville County is the home of two companies conducting operations as approved sites in Foreign Trade Zone #93: one is Revlon Consumer Products in Oxford, and the second is AW North Carolina in Butner.

To learn more, visit https://www.tjcog.org/focus-areas-community-economic-development/foreign-trade-zone .

 

 

TownTalk: Supt. Bennett Proud To Serve Vance County Schools

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Dr. Cindy Bennett has been superintendent of Vance County Schools since July 1. In these past few months, she and her team have continued to navigate the rough waters of the COVID-19 pandemic. Recent tragedies affecting VCS students and families have offered challenges as well, and Bennett said her team is pitching in to provide support for students and staff.

“I firmly believe in servant leadership,” Bennett said on Tuesday’s Town Talk with John C. Rose. “It’s all hands on deck and that’s the way we operate,” she added. It’s the way she and her administrative team – her Cabinet, as she calls the central services staff – deals with issues and problems, as well as in times of great success.

Last week’s tragic car accident that took the lives of two teenage siblings on their way to Vance County High School also injured two students and their mother who were on their way to Aycock Elementary.

Upon hearing the news of the accident, Bennett said a team of guidance counselors and social workers were dispatched immediately to the high school. The leadership team went as well, to offer support to their colleagues at the high school, as well as to students.

The students were well-loved, she noted. “It’s been a tremendous loss.”

She added that she hopes and prays for a speedy recovery for the two Aycock students.

Feeling part of a team is an important component of Bennett’s attitude of leadership. She said she and former superintendent Dr. Anthony Jackson had a very good working relationship before they found themselves working in the same school district. Jackson arrived about six months before Bennett, who has now in her 7th year with VCS.

In fact, she said, they both applied for the VCS superintendent job that Jackson ultimately won. “I had a desire to be a superintendent,” Bennett said, whether in this district or elsewhere.
Vance County has been “home” now for the past 13 years, and Bennett said she is very grateful to have a chance to give back to her community.

In her first six years or so with VCS, she said she has observed a real focus on innovative practices. “I think there is a very strong mindset of innovation and a desire to provide the best possible opportunities and experiences for our students,” Bennett said. “That is something I want to continue.”

Opportunities sometimes arise from challenges, and she said the COVID-19 pandemic certainly has proven to be a challenge for everyone. And educators are no exception. She said she hopes to be able to continue to offer school staffs and families social emotional support as the district and the community face a “new normal or our next normal, whatever that might be.”

The district will continue to focus on what is best and what is right for students, she said. “I think one of my areas of focus will be providing authentic experiences for students” so that whether they decide to further their education after high school or stay at home to join the work force, they will have had great opportunities and experiences with VCS.

Focusing on this aspect surely will have a positive effect on graduation rates and staff retention, she noted.

“Ultimately, our one responsibility is to the students in this community to recognize where the gaps in learning might be, to recognize where there are places and experiences that we can provide for them,” Bennett said.

Understanding the needs of the community while tapping the expertise of educators is key to providing a quality education.

The Center for Innovation is one such facility that Bennett looks to for creative ways to teach students. “I don’t want this to be a facility that is planned from the top down,” she said. “We want to be good neighbors and good partners, she added.

“We want to be seen as an organization providing experiences to our community but also providing support to our community,”

Bennett said.

“it’s all about relationships – those that trickle down and those that bubble up in the organization. We want to be seen as an organization that values its community…sees the value, power and worth of every single student that comes through our doors. (We want to) take them from where they are and grow them as much as we possibly can…That’s what we are here for.”

A couple of things that nag at the superintendent are staff shortages and bus driver shortages.

She said she’s trying to get a pay increase for bus drivers and there’s a $2,500 signing bonus to entice prospective drivers. “They are essential to everything we do,” she emphasized.

Making sure that parents feel reassured about safety protocols in schools is uppermost in her mind as well. The district follows a layered protection approach to achieve the COVID-19 safety protocols – masks, daily temperature checks and school nurses diligently monitoring the health of everyone inside school buildings – all serve to keep the school environment safe.

She commended parents, staff and students for working together in this effort and encourages anyone in the community to ask if something is unclear. “We do not mind answering their questions,” she said. “We understand how important it is to know that our children are safe.”

For Bennett and her leadership style, it’s all about focusing on relationships and on transparency.

 

“It’s all about servant leadership – that’s what we’re practicing,” she said.