Vance Co. Cooperative Extension – Weekly Parenting Tip
-Weekly parenting tips provided courtesy of Jean Bell, Parenting Education Coordinator, Vance County Cooperative Extension
Parenting tip week of 5/7/18
Engage your child’s senses in play
Young children learn through exploration. Kids explore with their whole bodies, using all of their senses. Find ways to help your child explore their world by engaging their senses while they play. Play experiences with water, sand and finger paints encourage your child to feel, touch, look at and manipulate things with different textures.
Blending finger paints brings the world of colors to life. Cooking with adults can engage your child’s sense of smell, taste and touch. Finding play materials your child can feel, smell, taste and see will engage their senses and make playtime fun.
Grooms Charged with First Degree Murder, Sentenced to Life Without Parole
-Press Release, Office of District Attorney Mike Waters
Warrenton, NC – Warren County Criminal Superior Trial Court was held during the week of April 30, 2018. Senior Resident Superior Court Judge Henry W. Hight, Jr. presided over the term. The State of North Carolina was represented by District Attorney Mike Waters and Assistant District Attorney Onica Fuller.
Much of the week was devoted to the murder trial of Kadeem Grooms, who, along with Marquis Davis, Montrell Davis and Darren Alston, was charged with First Degree Murder, five counts of Attempted Murder, two counts of Shooting into an Occupied Vehicle and one count of Assault with a Deadly Weapon with the Intent to Kill.
The acts occurred in the early morning hours of August 9, 2015, when six men from Oxford traveled to the Connect 25 nightclub in Warren County. As the six men were leaving Connect 25, they were fired upon. Michael Pressley, a passenger in one of the vehicles, was shot and died as a result of his wounds.
A Warren County jury deliberated approximately 70 minutes before returning guilty verdicts on all counts. Judge Hight sentenced Mr. Grooms to life in prison without parole for the First Degree Murder conviction, plus 70 years for the other offenses. Darren Alston and Montrell Davis had previously plead in the matter. Marquis Davis is scheduled for trial during the September trial term of Warren County Superior Court and is innocent until and unless proven guilty.
This matter was investigated by the Warren County Sheriff’s Office with the assistance of the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.
Overgrowth on Hwy 39 Hot Topic at Committee Meeting
Vance County’s Planning/Environmental Committee consisting of Commissioners Carolyn Faines, Committee Chair, Leo Kelly, Jr. and Gordon Wilder met yesterday in the administrative conference room to discuss the removal of vegetation growth on Hwy 39 North at Kerr Lake.
According to Vance County Manager Jordan McMillen, the vegetation at Hwy 39 has previously been maintained by the NCDOT. The agency sprayed the bridge last year; however, the vegetation is to a point of overgrowth where heavier machinery may be needed for proper removal.
In speaking with the DOT regarding the diminishing quality of vegetation removal around the area, McMillen said the agency cites “the lack of access to prison labor that they use to have.”
Kerr Lake cannot be seen through the vegetation overgrowth on Hwy 39
Commissioner Wilder raised concerns about the County taking on the responsibility of NC State road maintenance and setting a precedent that would be difficult to maintain, “Counties in this state do not do road maintenance. If we take on this responsibility, where does this stop?”
Commissioner Faines reminded the committee and those in attendance that this overgrowth has been an eyesore for those living around that area for some time and that the obstructed view of Kerr Lake could hurt the local economy. “The 39 area is considered the gateway to Vance County,” Faines said. “We have to consider that as well.”
Commissioner Kelly suggested the possibility of rallying a volunteer group in the community to help maintain the area and lessen the cost of hiring a contracted worker. Other Board members brought up issues of liability with private citizens engaging in that type of work and the more involved process of closing off a lane of traffic while work is in progress.
Bryan Yount, a concerned citizen, addressed the commissioners and stated that the same type of saplings that are overgrown on Hwy 39 are starting to grow at Nutbush. “If they aren’t sprayed now, the Board will be having the same discussion and looking at spending more money in five years,” Yount said. “An ounce of prevention can save you $20,000 later.”
Saplings at Nutbush Bridge are quickly growing and may block the view of Kerr Lake in a similar manner to the bridge on Hwy 39
The final recommendation was to take the matter before the full Board of Commissioners for further discussion. McMillen will be responsible for getting quotes in an amount not to exceed $20,000.
McMillen also presented a proposal to remove two additional trees on Young Street in front of the former Vance County Courthouse. The large tree that fell last week was severely damaged due to an internal fungal issue not visible from the outside.
“We are very fortunate that the tree did not cause property damage or injure someone,” said McMillen.
According to McMillen, it is suspected that two additional trees, one large and one small, may also be affected by the fungal disease and should be removed for safety purposes.
“We may not get so lucky [as to avoid injury] next time,” said Wilder.
The Committee agreed to take the matter before the full Board for further discussion. McMillen will get several quotes on the price of tree removal and stump grinding in an amount not to exceed $7,000.
J.M White Funeral Home Receives Chamber’s Small Business Award
The Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce held their annual Small Business of the Year luncheon at Henderson Country Club on Wednesday, May 2.
Vance County Commissioner Archie Taylor, Jr. served as speaker for the luncheon. A 2017 Small Business of the Year award was presented to one business from each of the counties represented in the four-county service area.
Receiving this year’s awards were J.M. White Funeral Home – Vance County; Granville Insurance Agency, Inc. – Granville County; Winslow Custom Homes – Franklin County; and Robinson Ferry Restaurant & Spirits – Warren County.
J.M. White Funeral Home is a locally owned business that has been serving the community since 1967. The business is currently managed by Betty White and her sons Scott and Jerry White.
In a phone call to Betty White, she said she and her staff were very honored to receive the award and “are grateful to have served the community for 51 years.”
“This honor would not be possible without the dedication of our staff who give the very best service as they interact with those who have lost loved ones,” White said.
The funeral home has been a long-time Chamber member and supporter, a part of the North Carolina Funeral Director’s Association and active in local organizations.
“We are so appreciative to the citizens of Vance County for their support through the years,” White said. “What an honor for both our family and staff.”
Exciting Changes Ahead for E.O. Young Elementary School
-Press Release, Vance County Schools
Exciting changes are coming to E.O. Young, Jr. Elementary School for the 2018-2019 school year.
Principal Marylaura McKoon and her colleagues on the school’s design team for the Opportunity Culture initiative are completing plans to implement the innovative program to benefit students and staff members in the school.
E.O. Young will be one of three local elementary schools launching the Opportunity Culture initiative next school year. After a year of planning, McKoon and her staff are ready to implement the initiative.
Opportunity Culture is designed to extend excellent teaching throughout the school, pre-kindergarten through fifth grade, to touch all students. The initiative will require the hiring of a multi-classroom leader, who will coach teachers in the school and will create and facilitate Professional Learning Communities (PLCs).
Opportunity Culture also will include the employment of an Extended Instructional Teacher (EIT) at the second-grade level who will have a classroom of students and also will pull in a small number of students from other second-grade and first-grade classrooms to work with them during a 90-minute English/language arts block each day.
A third new position, Reach Associate (RA), will be filled by a teacher assistant who also will work with students in the EIT’s classroom.
McKoon added that the person in the MCL position will model lessons and teaching for teachers in the school, particularly in grades 3-5. She said this will be especially helpful to any new or novice teachers in the school.
Another key role for the MCL will be to assist classroom teachers to evaluate available data on students’ academic progress to see where he or she can most effectively help the teachers to enable their students to be more successful and to master skills.
Educators who are hired in these three new positions will receive higher pay for their responsibilities.
The hiring process for these three positions at E.O. Young will begin this spring.
McKoon notes that for the 2018-2019 school year, the Opportunity Culture initiative at her school will focus on instruction and support in English/language arts, with plans to expand the focus to mathematics the following school year. Since the MCL will be supporting classroom teachers, he or she will be a reading coach for teachers in grades 3-5 and assist them with classroom management and personal skills, McKoon said.
The work being done as part of the Opportunity Culture initiative in the school will be driven by data available for student achievement. The data will show where students at all grade levels need the most help and the MCL will lead efforts with the teachers to assist the students.
Principal Marylaura McKoon, right, talks with Assistant Principal Cassandra Evans in front of the charts for the school’s Opportunity Culture initiative that is being planned for implementation next school year at E.O. Young, Jr. Elementary School.
“This is a really good program and I am excited for what it will do for our school,” McKoon said. “It will provide us with the opportunity to expose excellence in teaching to all of our children and will be great support for our teachers. It really is a win-win situation. It will do good things for our school.”
McKoon also said that for the educators selected for the three new, key positions it will be essential that they be committed, good leaders, work well with others and have the ability to develop good relationships with students and colleagues. The MCL, EIT and RA also will have time during each school day to complete their “homework” to help colleagues and students and to have important planning time.
“Each of our schools now involved in Opportunity Culture, has its own design team to plan a program that best fits their school, students and staff,” McKoon added. “Our team also has developed our program budget, which includes funds for the higher pay for the three new positions.”
L.B. Yancey and Pinkston Street elementary schools also will implement their Opportunity Culture initiatives in 2018-2019. Those schools join E.O. Young as the second cohort for the innovative program. The first cohort includes Aycock, Dabney and Zeb Vance elementary schools which began their Opportunity Culture programs this year.
The new positions as part of the schools’ Opportunity Culture initiatives are now open for applications from current teachers (for MCL and EIT) and teacher assistants (for the Reach Associate).
Interested persons may apply online at www.vcs.k12.nc.us or seek answers to questions from staff members in the Vance County Schools’ Human Resources Department at 252-492-2127 or by email at amiles@vcs.k12.nc.us.
Vance Co. Board of Commissioners’ Meeting – Mon., May 7
-
-Information courtesy Kelly H. Grissom, Clerk to Board/Executive Asst., County of Vance
- The Vance County Board of Commissioners will meet Monday, May 7, 2018, at 6 p.m. in the Commissioners’ Meeting Room, 122 Young Street, Henderson.
Items on the agenda include:
An organizational update from Felicia Gregory, FVW Opportunity.
Presentation from Dennis Jarvis, director of the Henderson-Vance Economic Development Commision, on an EDC marketing initiative.
Recommendations from the Public Safety Committee on fire engine financing, options for the old fire engine, Volunteer Fire Department funding and response and fire commission guideline revisions.
Recommendations from the Planning/Environmental Committee on tree removal at the Administration Building, Williamsboro Wayside vegetation, electronics waste, cost reduction pilot and roadside cleanup.
Finance Director’s report on surplus property, FY 2017-18 audit contract and Pension Testing Engagement letter.
Vance County Manager’s report on fireworks permit for Cokesbury Volunteer Fire Department and presentation of FY 2018-19 proposed budget.