GRANVILLE COUNTY LIBRARY SYSTEM: The National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) has named Granville County as a 2024 Digital Inclusion Trailblazer. This national program recognizes the Granville County Library System’s efforts to close the digital divide by providing broader access to digital resources for all residents. Granville joins 60 awardees representing municipal, county, and regional governments, paving the way for digitally inclusive communities across the US. The City of Durham was the only other local government in North Carolina to receive this recognition.

NDIA recognizes that in an increasingly connected society, digital inclusion—access to affordable high-speed internet, devices, and digital skills training—is essential not only to participate in society but also to finding greater opportunities to thrive using tools to navigate the internet confidently and independently.

“The Granville County Board of Commissioners and our staff have worked tirelessly to ensure that no Granville resident is left behind in this digital age,” said Chair of the Granville County Board of Commissioner Jimmy Gooch. “This recognition from NDIA shows that our efforts are making an impact and serving as model for local governments across the country.”

Trailblazers provide models for other local governments to aspire to as communities build greater access to digital resources. Granville County achieved Trailblazer status by prioritizing digital inclusion for residents of their communities through:

• Developing and adopting a digital inclusion plan with input from all five municipalities and other community partners.

• Working collaboratively with Granville County Schools, local nonprofits, faith-based organizations, and county departments to provide innovative access to digital resources including technology classes, Wi-Fi router lending programs, and laptop lending programs.

• Purchasing equipment, including braille keyboards, for all four library branches to provide digital access for vision impaired residents.

• Purchasing mobile device charging lockers to ensure those who utilize library branches for internet access can use their devices safely and securely throughout the day.

For more information about the 2024 Trailblazer award winners, visit the NDIA website: www.digitalinclusion.org/digital-inclusion-trailblazers-2024/

HENDERSON, NC (February 20, 2025) — Vance-Granville Community College has been designated a Leader College by Achieving the Dream (ATD), a national nonprofit dedicated to advancing community colleges as accessible hubs of learning, credentialing, and economic mobility in their communities. ATD made the announcement on February 20 at its DREAM 2025 conference in Philadelphia.

“VGCC is honored to be recognized as a Leader College for the ATD Network as we work to achieve student excellence and success,” commented Dr. Rachel Desmarais, Vance-Granville Community College president. “Continuous improvement is the fuel to advance the people and communities we serve.”

Leader Colleges play an important role in accelerating the adoption of effective practices within the ATD Network and across higher education. They have demonstrated quality work in whole-college reform, resulting in increased completion rates for all students. Leader Colleges develop innovative ways to work with other colleges to share knowledge and facilitate an exchange of ideas about evidence-based reform strategies.

VGCC joined the ATD Network in 2018, a coalition of 300+ colleges nationwide committed to supporting student success at their institutions and promoting economic vitality in their communities. The College’s three-year Leader College term begins in February 2025, after which it will have the opportunity to recertify its designation.

“We are proud to recognize our 2025 Leader Colleges and Leader Colleges of Distinction for their extraordinary commitment to student success,” said Dr. Karen A. Stout, president and CEO of Achieving the Dream. “These colleges exemplify excellence within the ATD Network, achieving measurable gains in student outcomes and fostering impactful change within their institutions and communities. Their dedication to using data-informed approaches to create meaningful opportunities for students and their communities serves as a powerful example for all institutions of higher education and especially for those in the ATD Network.”

About Achieving the Dream:

Achieving the Dream (ATD) is a partner and champion of more than 300 community colleges across the country. Drawing on expert coaches, groundbreaking programs, and national peer network, the organization provides institutions with integrated, tailored support for every aspect of their work — from foundational capacities such as leadership, data, and equity to intentional strategies for supporting students holistically, building K–12 partnerships, and more. ATD calls this Whole College Transformation. Its vision is for every college to be a catalyst for equitable and economically vibrant communities. ATD knows that with the right partner and the right approach, colleges can drive access, completion rates, and employment outcomes — so that all students can access life-changing learning that propels them into community-changing careers.

Follow ATD on X (Twitter), Facebook, and LinkedIn. To learn more, visit the Achieving the Dream (ATD) website: www.achievingthedream.org.

About Vance-Granville Community College:

Your community, your college. Since its founding in 1969, Vance-Granville Community College has proudly educated, inspired, and supported a diverse community of learners to achieve professional and personal success. VGCC offers 40+ Curriculum programs, as well as short-term Continuing Education, High School Equivalency, and Adult High School Diploma programs. Located in North Carolina's Triangle region, VGCC serves the counties of Vance, Granville, Franklin, Warren, and beyond!

For the latest college news, visit www.vgcc.edu or follow Vance-Granville on Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

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Over 300 miles separate and Vance-Granville Community College and Western Carolina University—but the two schools are now much closer than the physical distance that separates them.

On Thursday, Feb. 6, VGCC President Rachel Desmarais, WCU Chancellor Kelli R. Brown, and colleagues from both institutions met by video call to sign a memorandum of understanding, guaranteeing admission to WCU for all Vance-Granville graduates who satisfy certain requirements. The agreement will offer a direct pathway for Vanguards to earn their four-year degree at WCU.

"We are pleased to be a participant in the Catamount Connections program offering a direct-entry admission opportunity to qualified VGCC graduates,” said Desmarais.

“Western Carolina University offers unique programs of study, and we are excited to offer a pathway to these possibilities."

Brown is excited Western Carolina can help make higher education more accessible to students in VGCC’s four county service area.

“WCU continues to make the process of transferring to WCU as smooth as possible for the graduates of all our community college partners across the region and the state,” Brown noted. “This memorandum of understanding is an important tool in providing Vance-Granville Community College graduates with the resources and access to continue their higher education journey.”

Participating students must satisfy the following conditions:

• Be a currently enrolled student at Vance-Granville Community College in a degree-seeking capacity

• Submit WCU application for admission and records by WCU deadlines

• Submit application fee or waiver and fulfill all commitment action steps

• Be in good standing at VGCC and other institutions attended

• Demonstrate good citizenship and conduct

• Earn and maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.50 at VGCC and a minimum GPA of 2.20 in their most recent term

• Earn an associate’s degree from VGCC in a college transfer program or in an applied program for which an articulation agreement exists

• Enroll at WCU within one academic year (within the next two regular terms [fall/spring semesters]) of completion of the associate’s degree

VGCC students planning to transfer to a four-year college or university may find more resources at www.vgcc.edu/transfer. For additional information, contact Robinette Fischer, Department Chair of Transition, Student Success, & College Transfer, at 252-738-3255 or fischerr@vgcc.edu.

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About Vance-Granville Community College: Your community, your college. Since its founding in 1969, Vance-Granville Community College has proudly educated, inspired, and supported a diverse community of learners to achieve professional and personal success.

VGCC offers 40+ Curriculum programs, as well as short-term Continuing Education, High School Equivalency, and Adult High School Diploma programs. Located in North Carolina's Triangle region, VGCC serves the counties of Vance, Granville, Franklin, Warren, and beyond!

For the latest college news, visit www.vgcc.edu or follow Vance-Granville on Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

Contact: Courtney Cissel, Public Information Officer cisselc@vgcc.edu • 252-738-3484

Podcast Audio:

HENDERSON, NC (February 10, 2025) — Did you know that in the 1980s, a local movement set the foundation for American environmental activism…and that there’s an award-winning film about the historic case? Join Vance-Granville Community College for a powerful screening of Our Movement Starts Here, a documentary that traces the landmark fight led by a rural Warren County community against the state’s plan to build a toxic landfill in their county. One of the first cases of environmental justice in the United States, this courageous movement brought civil rights activists and environmentalists together in solidarity. This film not only revisits the historic battle fought over 40 years ago, but it also brings the voices of the original protesters into the present, inspiring a new generation of activists to confront the ongoing injustices faced by marginalized communities today.

· Vance-Granville Community College Civic Center in Henderson

· Monday, February 24, 2025 | Doors open at 5 p.m.; screening begins at 5:30 p.m.

This free event will begin at 5 p.m. with light hors d’oeuvres. Following the film, attendees will enjoy a question-and-answer session from a panel comprised of original protesters and filmmaker John Rash.

VGCC presents this event as part of its annual Black History Month festivities. To learn more or to add a reminder to your calendar, please visit www.vgcc.edu/our-movement-starts-here-documentary-screening.

Official film description from the Southern Documentary Project

Our Movement Starts Here (82 mins, 2024)

· Producers / Co-directors: John Rash & Melanie Ho

· Team: Allison Friday, Jeffrey Reed, Raeghan Buchanan, Rex Jones, Sandip Rai, Bethany Fitts, and Lillian Slaughter

DOCUMENTING THE HISTORY AND GLOBAL URGENCY OF ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE | In 1982, a rural, predominately Black community in North Carolina mobilized and fought the state’s plan to site a toxic PCB landfill in their county. This landmark action, the first to articulate the concepts of environmental racism and environmental justice, brought together civil rights activists and environmentalist for the first time to fight for common goals. Forty years later, the citizens of Warren County commemorate the anniversary by inspiring a new generation of environmental justice activists to push the movement into a future that grapples with the inequities of climate change, continued environmental atrocities that target poor communities of color, and a system that continues to dump on those with the least power to fight. Through contemporary interviews with the original protesters who inspired the environmental justice movement in 1982, this feature documentary tells the story of a rural community fighting the state of North Carolina’s plan to construct a toxic landfill near their homes.

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About Vance-Granville Community College: Your community, your college. Since its founding in 1969, Vance-Granville Community College has proudly educated, inspired, and supported a diverse community of learners to achieve professional and personal success. VGCC offers 40+ Curriculum programs, as well as short-term Continuing Education, High School Equivalency, and Adult High School Diploma programs. Located in North Carolina's Triangle region, VGCC serves the counties of Vance, Granville, Franklin, Warren, and beyond!

For the latest college news, visit www.vgcc.edu or follow Vance-Granville on Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

Contact: Courtney Cissel, Public Information Officer cisselc@vgcc.edu • 252-738-3484

Podcast Audio: 

The Granville County Board of Commissioners held a regular meeting on Monday, February 3, at the Granville County Convention and Expo Center. The meeting featured the approval of the extension of funding for three programs supported by the Granville County’s participation in the National Opioid Settlement.

The Granville County Opioid Advisory Committee has begun several initiatives with funds received from the National Opioid Settlement to combat the opioid epidemic locally. A Request for Proposals (RFP) was issued in the spring of 2024 to solicit programs that would align with the focus areas received by the committee during public input sessions. The Granville County Sheriff’s Office submitted a proposal to begin a Medication Assisted Treatment program in the Detention Center and Granville Health System submitted a proposal to form a Post Overdose Response Team. Both programs received first-year funding in July 2024 and have now been extended for two additional years. Granville-Vance Public Health also received first-year funding in July 2023 to hire a Substance Use Prevention and Treatment Program Manager and that funding has now been extended to align with the programs at the Sheriff’s Office and Granville Health System.

Other business conducted on February 3 included:

• Accepting the results of the 2023-2024 fiscal year audit were presented by Thompson, Price, Scott, Adams and Co., PA. An audit performed by an independent third-party Certified Public Accountant (CPA) is required by the State of North Carolina.

• Approving a contract with Avid Health at Home to provide in-home aide services on behalf of Senior Services to provide additional coverage to the existing contracts with Maxim Healthcare and United Home Care.

• Holding an Evidentiary Hearing and approving a major special use permit to place a 300-foot guyed wireless telecommunication tower with a fenced equipment compound on Jones Road north of Oxford.

• Holding an Evidentiary Hearing and approving a major special use permit to place a 195-foot monopole wireless telecommunication tower with a fenced equipment compound on Lucy Averette Road west of Oxford.

• Reappointing Sandy Gabel and appointing Randy Guthrie to the Agricultural Advisory Board.

• Reappointing James Lumpkins, Bobby Wheeler, and Jimmy Gooch and appointing Mark Griffin to the Granville Health System Board of Trustees.

• Reappointing Karen Alley and appointing Sue Hinman to the Library Board of Trustees.

• Reappointing Dorothy Hunt, Larry Downey, Ronnie Norwood, Joseph Waldon, Carolyn Heggie, Paula Jones, Robin Saxton, and Juanita Rogers to the Orange Street Community Center Board of Trustees.

• Reappointing Cynthia Ratliff to the Tourism Development Authority Board of Directors.

• Reappointing Larry Hester and appointing Charonica Moseley and Matthew Kufahl to the Veterans Affairs Committee.

• Approving EagleView to serve as a vendor for aerial imagery services and authorizing the County Manager and County Attorney to negotiate a contract agreement.

• Reclassifying the Facility Maintenance Director Position from Salary Grade 71 to 74 and approving a new Facility Maintenance Assistant Director position in Salary Grade 72.

• Receiving and accepting the Tax Collector’s report as of January 28, 2025. As of this date Granville County has a 94.8% collection rate and $2,595,557.55 in unpaid tax bills.

• Approving Budget Amendment 12 for fiscal year 2024-2025 to recognize and appropriate cash back rewards received by Truist for county business credit card usage and recognizing and appropriating into the operating budget fees and donations collected by the Senior Center.

• Approving Tax Refunds, Releases, and Write-Offs for January 10, 2025, through January 23, 2025.

• Approving January 6, 2025, and January 21, 2025, Board of County Commissioners meeting minutes.

The next meeting of the Granville County Board of Commissioners will be the annual retreat scheduled for Monday, February 17 at 3:00 p.m. and Friday, February 21 at 9:00 a.m. Both sessions will take place at the Granville County Convention and Expo Center meeting room. The next regular meeting is scheduled for Monday, March 3 at 7:00 p.m. at the Convention and Expo Center auditorium.

To stay informed about upcoming meetings of the Board of Commissioners, visit the Granville County website at www.granvillecounty.org where you can sign up for the “Sunshine List” and follow the county on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GranvilleCountyGov.

Podcast Audio:

North Carolina Room Receives $4,000 Donation GRANVILLE COUNTY LIBRARY SYSTEM: The North Carolina Room at the Richard H. Thornton Library recently received a $4,000 donation from an anonymous donor via the Friends of the Library. This is the largest single donation received by the North Carolina room during the sixteen-year tenure of North Carolina Room Specialist Mark Pace. The donor grew up in Oxford and has longstanding ties to Granville County but gave the donation on the condition of anonymity.

The donation will be utilized for a currently unfunded area of need for the North Carolina Room. This could include the purchase of archival storage boxes, a genealogical book series, or other equipment or maintenance needs in lieu of taxpayer dollars.

Resources in the North Carolina Room include county histories like Census records for Granville and surrounding counties, archives of the Oxford Public Ledger and Butner-Creedmoor News, minutes from court proceedings, marriage certificates, deeds, family genealogical histories, and church histories. The North Carolina Room is located at the Richard H. Thornton Library, 210 Main Street, Oxford. More information is available on the Granville County Library System website: www.granvillecounty.org/438/NC-Genealogy-Room

The Friends of the Library is a volunteer, non-profit organization dedicated to the support of the Granville County Library System, including the development and growth of library resources, services and facilities. More information about supporting the Library System through the Friends of the Library is available on the Granville County Library System website: www.granvillecounty.org/431/Friends-of-the-Library

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