Field Trip!!

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Approximately 80 students, school staff members and parents from Aycock Elementary School ate dinner at the Kanki Japanese restaurant at Crabtree Valley Mall in Raleigh, on September 24, as part of their trip to attend a men’s soccer game between N.C. State University and Gardner Webb University. They are all seen in the accompanying photo as they pose for photos outside of the restaurant. The trip proved to be a great experience for students and their families members who attended, as well as the school staff members. They attended the soccer game to specifically cheer on a former Aycock student, Lorenzo Ortiz, who is a starting forward for Gardner Webb. Hope Howard, physical education teacher at Aycock Elementary, organized the trip and received assistance from Principal Kristen Boyd and Assistant Principal David Cooper, who also participated in the event.

(Information provided by Vance County Schools Public Information Officer Terri Hedrick)

UNC ACC BB Favorite

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com)– North Carolina will enter the 2015-16 season as the Atlantic Coast Conference favorite, according to a vote of media in attendance at the league’s  annual “Operation Basketball.”

The Tar Heels, who return four starters from last year’s team that reached the finals of the ACC Tournament and the “Sweet 16” of the NCAAs, received 60 of 89 first-place votes in Wednesday’s preseason poll. In addition to point guard Marcus Paige, the Tar Heels will welcome back forwards Brice Johnson and Kennedy Meeks and sophomore guard Justin Jackson. Five additional players that saw significant playing time from last season’s 26-12 team are also set to return.

Virginia, which has won a total of 60 games over the past two seasons while claiming the 2014 ACC championship and placing atop the ACC regular-season standings in both 2014 and ’15, received 18 first-place votes and placed second in the overall preseason voting. Defending national champion Duke (eight first-place votes) placed third.

Defending ACC champion Notre Dame received one first-place and placed fourth, followed by Miami, Florida State (one first-place vote) and Louisville.

NC State placed eighth, while Syracuse received the remaining first-place vote and finished ninth. Pitt placed 10th, while Wake Forest, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech and Boston College rounded out the voting.

North Carolina senior guard Marcus Paige and Virginia senior guard Malcolm Brogdon were named Preseason ACC Co-Players of the Year after each received 36 votes among those casting ballots. Paige averaged 14.1 points and 4.5 assists last season while shooting .395 from 3-point range and .865 from the foul line. Brogdon (14.0 ppg) was a finalist for the 2015 John Wooden Award and was named a second-team All-American by four publications.

Duke freshman Brandon Ingram, a 6-foot-9, 190-pound swing man from Kinston, North Carolina, was the overwhelming choice as ACC Preseason Freshman of the Year on 82 of the ballots cast. Ingram averaged over 24 points and 10 rebounds as a high school senior and led Kinston High to four consecutive state titles.

Paige, Brogdon, Ingram, Florida State’s Xavier Rathan-Mayes and Notre Dame’s Demtrius Jackson were voted to the Preseason All-ACC first team. Virginia’s Anthony Gill, Duke’s Grayson Allen, Notre Dame’s Zach Auguste, NC State’s Anthony “Cat” Barber and North Carolina’s Johnson were second-team selections.

UNC was picked as the ACC preseason favorite for a league-high 21st time (20 times outright, one tie) in the 47-year history of the poll, and the sixth time under current head coach Roy Williams.  Media voters tabbed Duke as the preseason favorite each of the previous two seasons.

The Tar Heels tied with Kentucky for the No. 1 spot in the USA Today Coaches Preseason Poll, while Duke ranked fourth and Virginia sixth. Notre Dame was voted 18th, while Louisville, NC State, Florida State and Miami all received votes.

The regular season begins for all 15 ACC teams the weekend of Nov. 13-15. In addition to an 18-game regular-season conference schedule, the 63rd annual ACC be held March 8-12 (Tuesday through Saturday at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.

ACC Operation Basketball 2015-16 Preseason Poll
(First-place votes in parenthesis)

Team & Points
1. North Carolina (60): 1292

  1. Virginia (18): 1226
  2. Duke (8): 1187
  3. Notre Dame (1): 949
  4. Miami: 841
  5. Florida State (1): 827
  6. Louisville: 821
  7. NC State: 808
  8. Syracuse (1): 666
  9. Pitt: 623
  10. Wake Forest: 391
  11. Clemson: 359
  12. Georgia Tech: 296
  13. Virginia Tech: 260
  14. Boston College: 134

2015-16 Preseason All-ACC Team

(votes in parenthesis)

First team
Marcus Paige, Sr., North Carolina (86)
Malcolm Brogdon, Sr., Virginia (77)
Xavier Rathan-Mayes, So., Florida State (43)

Brandon Ingram, Fr., Duke (29)

Demetrius Jackson, Jr., Notre Dame (28)

Second team

Anthony Gill, Sr., Virginia (27)

Grayson Allen, So., Duke (27)

Zach Auguste, Sr., Notre Dame (24)

Anthony “Cat” Barber, Jr., NC State (22)

Brice Johnson, Sr., North Carolina (22)

ACC Preseason Co-Players of the Year
Marcus Paige, Sr., North Carolina

Malcolm Brodgon, Sr., Virginia

ACC Preseason Freshman of the Year
Brandon Ingram, Duke

For more, visit theACC.com | @theACC

ACC Teams

Fri. and Sat. Halloween Fun

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Trick or Treating in Henderson Friday & Saturday:

Friday, October 30th from 4:30-6:00 pm, the local Downtown businesses will host Trick-or-Treat on Garnett Street. Businesses displaying the orange signs are participating sponsors. Children from the age of two to twelve can trick-or-treat from the corner of the Fire Station on Garnett Street to intersection of Garnett Street and Raleigh Road.

Also, on Friday, October 30th from 3:30-6:00 pm on Wyche Street in downtown Henderson, several local businesses would like you to join them for Halloween Red Ribbon Funfest. There will be trick or treating, games, music, free food, bouncy house, educational booth and much more.

Saturday, October 31st – Door to Door Trick or Treating in the City of Henderson will be from 6:00 PM until 9:00 PM.

Also on Saturday night, come out to Southern Vance High School  for “HALLOWEEN ABA NIGHT CELEBRATION!” It all starts at 6PM when two ABA Basketball teams – NC Coyotes and the Hampton Roads Stallions play against each other.

Then join in on the fun immediately after the game for their “Haunted Howler” Scary Bowl over at Carolina Lanes located at 85 US-158 Bypass in Henderson.

Dress up and bring your little ones. Prizes for Best Costume and Most Mysterious.

For more information, please Reinaldo Espinosa at 252-204-8515.

(Information provided by the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce)

News 10/30/2015

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City Council To Meet Once Per Month

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The Henderson City Council voted at its regular Monday night meeting this week to change to a once-per-month meeting schedule. There is a six month time frame in mind to try the reduced number of meetings, but it can be changed back to the twice-per-month routine at anytime. Two council people present voted against the idea.

Councilwoman Sara Coffey told WIZS News, “Brenda Peace and I voted to keep it twice per month because we don’t feel like meeting once per month is a fair representation of the City, to handle City business.” She said, “Especially with a new City manager, and you’ll have new people coming on the council. Meeting once a month is not going to be enough.”

The City will also have a new mayor. Mayor-elect Eddie Ellington has already started attending the meetings, and he was present for the vote, although just as an observer. Ellington said, “I kind of have mixed feelings on it. I guess we’re just going to have to wait to see how it works out.”

The City Council’s move takes place post election, except for next week’s runoff between Brenda Peace and Melissa Elliott as well as between Marion Brodie Williams and Clarence J. Dale, but before the new mayor and at least one new member comes to the board, if not two new members.

Ellington said he understood what Mayor Pete O’Geary was saying about it being beneficial to the City staff because they would not have to be there twice per month, but, Ellington said, “then again you want to make sure you get the City’s business done, and you don’t know how easy it is going to be with one meeting per month. It’s always been twice a month, so I don’t know why now it’s some kind of burden.”

Coffey said, “I don’t want anybody thinking that I’m not doing my job for the City, and as far as I’m concerned, once a month is not nearly enough to handle City business. Now during the summer when everybody is on vacation, and we’re not meeting half the time, I mean I could see changing it during the summer time, but not during regular time.”

With only one meeting per month, it would result in a longer agenda, and it could mean less time for the public to speak to the council, in the meeting setting anyway, on issues they are having.

Ellington said, “I respect their vote, but I just don’t know how easy it’s going to be to stay on top of things with once per month meetings.”

WIZS News has left messages with additional council people for comment, and those comments will be added once received, although the position of the council people present at the meeting other than Peace and Coffey is not unknown because they voted for the once per month meeting schedule.

New Henderson Fire Chief Soon?

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In a brief phone interview with Henderson City Manager Frank Frazier Tuesday morning, Frazier said the process of selecting a fire chief for the Henderson Fire Department continues.  He said he has a couple of interviews set up for next week and that a decision could come as early as the end of next week.

August 31 was the date that former Fire Chief Danny Wilkerson retired after 40 years of service to the department and 16 years as chief.  Assistant Fire Chief Steve Cordell is serving as Interim Fire Chief during the application and selection process.

Frazier previously told WIZS News that he had “received 11 applications from human resources that (he was) reviewing.  There are several internal applicants.  Besides the internal applicants, most of the other applicants are not local.”

One of those 11 applications is that of Interim Fire Chief Cordell.  Cordell expressed his excitement about being selected as the interim chief.  He said, “I would love to be the next fire chief and to provide the leadership needed to move the department forward.”

Frazier said, “The City of Henderson Fire Department has maintained a very good record and has been actively involved in the community for many years, so we certainly want that to continue.  Our department has experienced a good amount of retirement of seasoned firefighters, so it will be important for the new chief to provide leadership to insure that training and other aspects of running the fire department are passed on to the newer firefighters.”

Cordell said, if selected as chief, he would love to continue the good things going on in the department and the opportunity to carry the department successfully into the future.

The interviews for the new chief are being conducted by Frazier as well as the human resources director.

Wright’s Commission Seat To Be Filled

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The 60-day deadline to fill Eddie L. Wright’s District 5 Vance County Commission Seat is November 9.  Archie B. Taylor, Chairman of the Vance County Board of Commissioners, sent a request to the chairman of the local Democratic party asking for the names of individuals good for the position who fulfill the requirements.  Betty Boyd, who is the Third Vice Chair and in charge of publicity, told WIZS News, “We met last Thursday night (Oct 15) at Perry Library.  Four candidates made a three minute speech.  Leo Kelly received the nomination to serve the unexpired term of the late Eddie Wright.”

Vance County Clerk to the Board Kelly Grissom said, “It will go to the board on November 2.  If they decide to appoint him, it would be done during that meeting.  Then, he would be sworn in during the board’s December 7 meeting.”

The board is not bound by state statute to appoint Kelly, but all indications to date seem to suggest the Vance County Board of Commissioners will accept the Democratic Party’s nomination.

Commissioner Tommy Hester, who is Republican, said, “My personal opinion is, yes, I do expect that, but I’m only one vote.  And my vote is to go along with that because that’s up to the Democrats.  If that’s the recommendation, I’m going to vote for it.  I can only talk for myself.  If (Mr. Kelly) is who the Democratic party is recommending, that’s the normal procedure, and that would be who I think we should go with.”

Hester spoke of knowing Kelly for a longtime, his respect for Kelly and that Kelly “is an excellent person.”

Kelly was a longtime Dean at Vance Granville Community College.  A news article published by the college in 2009 quotes VGCC’s president at the time, Randy Parker, as saying, “Leo Kelly is the longest-serving full-time employee in the history of our college, and his dedicated leadership has made an enormous difference in the lives of so many people in our communities.”

Eddie L. WrightWhoever is appointed will fill the seat for approximately one year because the district 5 seat was already due for election in 2016 anyway.  At that point, if the appointee chooses to run for the seat, he or she will either be elected or defeated by a challenger.

Wright was first elected in 2000.  He served on the Granville-Vance Public Health District Board and was a minister of a local church.

Soon after Wright’s death, the news was not as much about this process or who the appointee would be, but rather more about Wright himself.  At that time, Taylor said Wright’s death had come as a shock to him as it had to many others.  While Wright had suffered from joint ailments for years, no one in the public seemed to expect his death.

Taylor said, “The county is going to feel his abscence.  He was a man of great faith and spiritual beliefs, an elder of the church, a pastor and preacher, and he was a champion of the little man.  He was definately wanting of a better quality of life for everyone in this county.  He was a great advocate for those who didn’t have a voice.  He is going to be missed.

“His voice of reason and compassion will be missed.  He showed his faith by his work.  (Wright) had a very supportive family during this illness.  They have been extremely supportive of him and that speaks highly of them and their spiritual values.”

As for the laws governing the appointment to Wright’s seat, Vance County Attorney Jonathan Care provided WIZS News with the North Carolina General Statute.  N.C. G. S. 153a-27 essentially means the newly appointed board member must be of the same political party, a resident of the same district, that the board shall consult the county executive committee of, in this case, the Democratic Party and, if an appointment is not made within 60 days, then the appointment is to be made by the Clerk of Court.  Neither the board nor the clerk is bound by the Democratic Executive Committee’s recommendation.