Archive for January, 2020

Are you registered to vote?

The Granville County Board of Elections offers a reminder that the deadline for voter registration is Friday, Oct. 9, 2020 by 5 p.m. If those interested in registering to vote miss that deadline, they can register and vote at a One-Stop site and will be required to provide documentation of their identity and residence. It will not be possible to register AND vote on election day.

Voters who wish to change their party affiliation, name, or address must also do so by Friday, Oct. 9, 2020 by 5 p.m. Party changes CANNOT be made at a One-Stop site or on Election Day.

The Board of Elections Office is located at 208 Wall Street in Oxford. Contact the Granville County Board of Elections at 919-693-2515 for more information.

Region K Senior Games scheduled to begin March 27

Region K Senior Games are set to begin on Friday, March 27. Athletic events are scheduled during the months of April and May and will include tennis, horseshoes, shuffleboard, golf, bowling, track/field and many other contests. Games are open to any adult age 50+ in Granville, Franklin, Person, Vance and Warren Counties.

Registration forms are now available at the Granville County Senior Center in Oxford (107 Lanier Street), the North Granville Senior Center in Stovall (318 Highway 15 South), the temporary location of the South Granville Senior Center in Creedmoor (2539 Sam Moss Hayes Road) and the City of Oxford’s Parks and Recreation Department (Hix Gym, next to City Hall). Registration deadline is Feb. 28.

This year’s Senior Games will open in Warren County and will conclude at the National Guard Armory in Louisburg on May 27. Closing events include the 2020 SilverArts Showcase, hosted by Franklin County, and the Senior Games Awards Ceremony.

For more information about the Region K Senior Games, contact Angela Wright, Granville County Senior Games Coordinator, at 919-693-1930.

Cooking matters! Pop-up grocery store tour scheduled

(Information by Jennifer Grable, Area Agent, Family and Consumer Sciences, Granville and Person Counties)

When shopping at the grocery store, it is always good to have a plan in order to reduce costs and make the healthiest decisions. When in doubt, ask for help.

To help people learn more about eating healthier and saving money, the Granville County Extension Office will be hosting a FREE “Cooking Matters At The Store” pop-up tour program on Tuesday, Feb. 25 at 10:15 a.m. at the Granville County Senior Center in Oxford. It is a free one-hour long program that takes participants on a grocery store tour to learn how to spend less time grocery shopping, how to make the best choices, and how to plan easy and delicious meals while saving money.

This event is free to attend but pre-registration is required, as supplies are provided. Contact Angela Wright at the Granville County Senior Center (919-693-1930) or email jennifer_grable@ncsu.edu to register by Feb. 21.

Tourism Development Authority offers grant opportunities

The Granville Tourism Development Authority (GTDA) is now accepting grant applications for the upcoming fiscal year.

The primary purpose of the GTDA’s mini-grant program is to assist Granville County organizations and agencies in the promotion and marketing of events and activities that encourage tourism and create an economic impact from visitor spending. The goal is to help stimulate events/activities that can grow and eventually thrive on their own merit, without direct funding. Any approved funding should be considered as a supplemental resource only.

Applicants eligible for grant funding must be a Granville County-based community group, nonprofit organization, county municipality or recognized community within the county lines. For-profit groups cannot apply for grant funding unless the event’s proceeds will go to a community-supported event.

Projects to be considered should encourage out-of-county visitors, with primary consideration given to those that promote the GTDA’s mission of marketing the area as a travel destination. (The tourism industry’s definition of a “visitor” is an individual trekking outside of 50 miles to attend an event or activity.) Events planned for off-peak times may receive higher priority.

Total funding of any event, project or program will not be greater than 25 percent of the total project budget and will not exceed $5,000. Included with the request can be a one-time artist/entertainment allowance of up to $1,000.

Grants applications will be accepted until April 3, 2020 for inclusion in the upcoming fiscal year (July 2020 through June 2021). The GTDA Board will review applications and will be prepared to make recommendations for approval during their May board meeting. Award recipients will be notified after July 1, 2020, when the new fiscal year begins.

Applications are available online or through the Granville County Tourism Development office, 124 Hillsboro Street in Oxford. Visit www.granvillecounty.org/visitors/ to access application or to learn more about grant requirements and/or the review process. Those interested may also contact Angela Allen, Tourism Director, at 919-693-6125 or angela.allen@granvillecounty.org.

Click here for more details and to access application: https://www.granvillecounty.org/visitors/tda-mini-grant-2019-2020/

Yancey shares family’s cancer journey with newly-released book

Granville County’s own Brenda Yancey is the first author scheduled for a series of book discussions at the Richard H. Thornton Library in Oxford during the month of February. This book signing and special program will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 1.

Yancey’s book, “After Cancer: A Family’s Journey to Normalcy,” describes how her family depended on their faith to guide them through one of the darkest times in their lives. After her husband Larry received a diagnosis of stage 4 cancer in 2008, the Yanceys’ world was turned upside down. The life her family once knew, she said, was over – and a “new normal” was expected as family members struggled to accept the diagnosis and the impact it made on each of their lives.

“Every person has to make the decision to do what he (or she) feels is best, and what they feel God is leading them to do,” Yancey says in her book. “Every person is different, and each has to do what it takes to handle the situation.”

When the couple received the diagnosis of Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Yancey describes their reaction on hearing the news. While she fought back tears she had promised would not come, her husband was quiet as he carefully listened. “Okay,” she wrote. “We are going to trust God and take him at his Word.”

Through this newly-released book, Yancey tells the touching story of the support of her close-knit family and friends, the perseverance of her husband as he fought his battle with cancer and survived, and the choices she had to make concerning her own health. The book was written, she says, to encourage and help build up the faith of others who may be facing their own health battles. On Saturday, she will be sharing her own family’s experiences and signing copies of her work after the discussion.

“Life is good for us because we wake up every morning having a new appreciation for life,” she concludes. “When you come out of an experience like this, you see life totally different, and you understand that life is precious.”

A second local author discussion is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 16 with special guest Dr. Jason Miller. Miller will be introducing his latest novel, “Langston Hughes,” and will be providing insight into Hughes’ life as the first black author in America. This program will also begin at 2 p.m.

The Richard H. Thornton Library is located at 210 Main Street in Oxford and is one of four branches of the Granville County Library System. For more details about the Local Author Discussion series, contact Stefani Perry, Adult Librarian at 919-693-1121. To learn more about upcoming events scheduled at all four library branches, visit https://granville.lib.nc.us.

Notice of Special Meeting

All interested persons please take notice that the Granville County Board of Commissioners will hold a Special Meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2020 at 4 p.m. at the Granville County Expo and Convention Center, located at 4185 Hwy. 15 South in Oxford. The purpose of the Special Meeting is to continue the hearing on the appeal requested by Oxford Preparatory School, pursuant to North Carolina General Statue (N.C.G.S.) 115S-218.35.

Debra A. Weary

Clerk to the Granville County Board of Commissioners

Shape Our Future: Census Bureau unveils 2020 outreach campaign

The U.S Census Bureau has launched its public education and outreach campaign to reach 99 percent of U.S. households and to communicate the importance of responding to the U.S. Census. The “Shape Your Future, Start Here” campaign has been unveiled to demonstrate that responding to the census is easy, safe and important.

Granville County can expect to be included in this massive effort to encourage participation. The campaign is designed to first reach multicultural and historically undercounted audiences (going on now) and will begin reaching general audiences in mid-February. This awareness/education phase continues through March 12 and will be followed by a motivation/participation phase (March 13 – May 20) and a reminder/follow-up phase (May 13 – June 28).

The U.S. Constitution requires that a census of the population be taken every ten years to count everyone who lives in the U.S. as of April 1, 2020 (Census Day). Census data is used to determine the number of seats each state holds in the U.S. House of Representatives and to inform how billions of dollars in federal funds are distributed to states and local communities for critical public services and infrastructure. This includes planning/funding for health clinics, schools, roads and emergency services.

Census workers are still being recruited for this nationwide effort. Applicants should be at least 18 years old and a U.S. citizen, as well as having a valid Social Security number and email address. Potential employees must also pass a criminal background check and have access to a vehicle and a valid driver’s license, unless public transportation is readily available. To complete the training process, those hired should also have access to an internet-connected computer. Census takers will be assigned to work in their own communities.

Households can respond to the census as early as mid-March and can submit responses online, by phone or by mail in 13 languages. This is the first year that online responses are being made available.

To learn more about the 2020 census, visit www.census.gov. To apply to be a Census Taker or to learn more about specific application requirements, visit www.census.gov/jobs.

Currin is Granville’s new Natural Resource Conservationist

Byron Currin is the newly-hired Natural Resources Conservationist for Granville County’s Soil and Water District. A native of the area, Currin has prior experience from the Vance County Soil and Water Conservation District, where he worked for the past seven years.

Currin hold certifications from the N.C. Forest Service, as well as completing training in cropland conservation planning, watering facilities/piping, pasture planning, herbicide application, customer service and other trainings that have helped prepare him for this role.

A 2006 graduate of J.F. Webb High School, Currin holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology. He has also completed training with the UNC School of Government for Soil and Water Conservation Supervisors.

He officially began work with Granville County Government in October of 2019, where he shadowed Soil and Water Conservation District Director Warren Daniel, who recently retired after a 35-year career. Currin’s office is located at 518 Lewis Street in Oxford, where he can be reached at 919-693-4603 (ext. 3) or at byron.currin@granvillecounty.org.

Reavis takes reins at Granville County Emergency Services

Granville County Government announces that Jason Reavis has been hired as Director of Granville County Emergency Services.

Reavis has more than 20 years’ experience in the emergency services field, with his most recent position being Assistant Director of Emergency Operations in Vance County. In that role, he helped supervise all functions associated with Emergency Management and 911, including emergency planning, response, recovery and mitigation. Along with planning and executing numerous exercises in preparation for natural and manmade disasters, Reavis has helped build and strengthen relationships with area governments, departments and agencies to manage effective planning and implementation of emergency response strategies.

The new Emergency Services Director, who is stepping in after the Dec. 31 retirement of former Emergency Services Director Doug Logan, is a certified N.C. Executive Emergency Manager, an International Emergency Medical Dispatcher, and an International Emergency Fire Dispatcher, among many other distinctions. Various supervisory and instructional roles in his extensive career have helped prepare him to fill the position of Emergency Services Director, as well as experience as a paramedic and volunteer firefighter.

At the Fall Conference of the North Carolina Emergency Management Association, Reavis was recognized with the 2019 Vance E. Kee Award, which is presented annually to the local emergency management staff person who has demonstrated outstanding achievement through promoting emergency management among other county and state agencies and elected officials.

A graduate of Vance-Granville Community College, Reavis holds an Associate of Science degree in Business Administration. He is married and has five children.

His first day of work was Dec. 1, 2019.