Tag Archive for: #wizsnews

TownTalk: Maria Parham Health Wall Breaking Ceremony and Staff Recognition

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Maria Parham Health has embarked on a construction project that will make trips to the Emergency Department safer and more efficient, especially for individuals with behavioral health challenges or substance abuse issues.

The project to transform the ED area will take months to complete, but the hospital can’t just shut down while construction is going on, so officials and staff have had to make some adjustments to precisely how folks in the community access the Emergency Department area.

With directional signs in place, staff and other community leaders took part in a “Wall Breaking” ceremony on Monday. Typical ground-breaking ceremonies may call for officials turning over small piles of dirt with a golden shovel, but Monday’s wall-breaking involved gloves, hammers and protective eyewear. MPH Chief Executive Officer Bert Beard welcomed participants to take a swing at a wall inside the hospital that is marked for demolition.

The lead-up to the actual renovation has taken a few years. What began as a roundtable discussion with stakeholders that included law enforcement officials, mental health and public health leaders, the District Attorney and our state representatives has been translated into a multi-million-dollar project to reshape the ED’s physical setup to better and more safely care for patients that come in seeking help, Beard said in remarks to those gathered on Monday morning.

As the MPH hospital chaplain for 36 years, Pastor Frank Sossamon shares a unique perspective on the project. As N.C. State Representative Sossamon, he helped secure $5 million in state funding to make the project a reality.

The renovation will create designated spaces within the ED specifically designed to meet the needs of behavioral health patients and patients facing social challenges.

Sossamon called the project a “win” for patients, staff and the community.

Although the hospital’s Emergency Department area is undergoing a significant transformation, the day-to-day activities that go on behind the scenes remain in place and hospital officials used the occasion on Monday to recognize several individuals for their exemplary work that keeps the hospital humming and patient care top-of-mind.

Kim Smith, chair of the Maria Parham Resilience Committee, announced the winner of the Employee of the Year and called James Boyd up to receive the honor.

Smith said Boyd always goes above and beyond what is expected and offers his considerable expertise – along with a positive attitude and with humility – that creates a true collaborative effort.

The 2025 Clinical Director of the Year is Crystal Hobgood, director of Surgical Services.

Dr. Darius Divina read some of the comments about Hobgood, including “champion of patient care,” “example of integrity to all” and “encourages team camaraderie.”

The 2025 Ancillary Director of the Year is Tracy Moseley, Market Director, Materials Management.

Moseley is a key member at both the Henderson hospital and the Person County hospital, Divina said. She demonstrates leadership qualities and comes in and covers at either hospital when someone calls out and she steps in to receive and deliver supplies where they are needed. And she does her job “with excellence and integrity,” Divina said.

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Perry Memorial Library

The Local Skinny! Author Talks About Writing Books At Next Kids Connect Program

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A published author with local ties is visiting Perry Memorial Library to share her book and what it takes to be a writer at the upcoming Kids Connect program, Tuesday, Mar. 25 at 4 p.m.

The Kids Connect program is geared to children in elementary school – grades K-5, and Youth Services Librarian Melody Peters said she’s excited to be able to let young people hear from a real, live author about writing books.

Kristen Mann lives in New York, but she’ll be visiting family in the area and is planning to stop by the library.

“I love when authors reach out to me,” Peters said on Tuesday’s segment of The Local Skinny! “Kids love to learn hands-on,” she said. They ask questions to learn about the nuts and bolts of writing, illustrating and publishing a book.

Mann latest book is called “Legendary Lessons: We Use Our Hands,” Peters said.

Mann will bring her book and talk about it, which Peters said is a great way to connect the act and art of writing a book with a child who may be developing a passion for writing, too.

“They like to think, ‘I can do that,’” Peters said.

She’s had a couple of other authors come to speak to children’s groups and said it’s hard to tell who has more fun – the kids or the grownups.

Often, authors have other jobs and writing is their passion.

“It’s so important for kids to understand that (writing) doesn’t have to be your only job,” Peters said.

She wants young people to find their passion – what they enjoy doing – that doesn’t always have to do with a device like a phone, a tablet or a computer.

Learn more about the programs the library offers at www.perrylibrary.org.

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Cooperative Extension with Michael Ellington: Gardening and Vendor Opportunities

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Today’s segment covers ongoing gardening and vendor opportunities with the farmers market and offers a reminder of upcoming educational events.

Community Garden Volunteer Form (March 21st, 29th, April 11th)

https://go.ncsu.edu/vcrfmgarden

Planting: A Spring Vegetable Planting Guide (March 31st)

http://go.ncsu.edu/vancespringgarden

Food Farmacy – A Health and Wellness Event (May 2nd)

https://go.ncsu.edu/foodfarmacy

Vance County Regional Farmers Market Information (Opening Day May 3rd)

https://vance.ces.ncsu.edu/vance-county-regional-farmers-market/

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: Vance County Animal Shelter Receives Grant for Spay and Neuter

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Thanks to a collaboration that involves non-profit agencies, Vance County Animal Services and the Vance County Board of Commissioners, Animal Services Manager William Coker and his staff have $20,000 to spend on a spay/neuter program for dogs and cats.

When the folks at Ruin Creek Animal Protection Society passed along information about a $10,000 matching grant opportunity from Community Partnership for Pets, Coker asked the board of commissioners to participate. The board approved spending the $10,000 and – just like that – county residents can make an appointment to have their dogs and cats undergo the procedures that will render them unable to reproduce.

Spaying females is a little more expensive than neutering a male, Coker said on Monday’s TownTalk. A spay is in the $150 range under this program. But that $20,000 will go a long way to reduce the number of unwanted animals that end up at the shelter.

Coker said there are spay/neuter funds available to residents who already receive some type of state or federal assistance.

“I wanted to be able to offer that same service to anybody – the working class – just anybody that needed assistance,” he said.”We’re excited about it. We’re hoping that we can continue this program next year.”

Spaying and neutering dogs and cats is the best way that pet owners can help the shelter manage the unwanted pet population. “We’re trying to get ahead of the breeding season,” Coker said. “We’re going to have to stop it at the spay/neuter stage.”

One feral cat hanging out in an outbuilding on your property may seem fine, and there’s no harm in feeding it. But it doesn’t take long for one female cat to birth an average litter of six and before you know it, there are dozens of feral cats prowling around.

If this sounds familiar, and you’d like help to keep the cats you have without adding litters each year, give the Animal Services staff a call at 252.492.3136. It could take a few weeks to get an appointment, so please be patient. “We’ve got so many that we’re trying to do,” he said. “The first step is that initial phone call.”

Visit https://vancecounty.org and find Animal Services under the Departments menu to learn more about the services and hours of operation.

 

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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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