Demolition of Former ACTS Building Paves Way for New Green Space

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-Information courtesy the Citizens Aligned to Take Back Henderson, NC Facebook page

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The removal of this old house at 305 S. Chestnut Street in Henderson, the former ACTS location, that was owned by First Baptist Church is going to lead to what will be a beautiful green space. It will complement an area that has been so improved in recent years with the addition of McGregor Hall, the new Henderson Police Station and what will soon be the new Breckenridge Pavilion. Thank you, First Baptist Church!

A crew removes the old house at 305 S. Chestnut Street, the former ACTS location, owned by First Baptist Church. The resulting space will be utilized as a green space for the community (Photo courtesy Citizens Aligned to Take Back Henderson, NC)

The following message is from Ronald Cava, Senior Minister, First Baptist Church, Henderson, N.C.:

“The structure was a blessing to many people throughout the years. It was home to many ministers of FBC, then later was used in conjunction with the Baptist Children’s Homes of NC to temporarily house children whose families were in crisis. Untold meals and other good deeds were then served up for decades by ACTS. Unfortunately, the years took a toll on the building. The foundation and other critical aspects of the structure were compromised beyond repair. Removing the building was the right thing to do and new green space will contribute to the resurgence of downtown Henderson as a safe, beautiful, and healthy place to live, work, and worship”.

Citizens Aligned to Take Back Henderson, NC is a group founded in 2015 by Hope Hoyle Howard and fellow members Tommy Haithcock and Heidi Owen with the goal of bringing positive change to the community.

Today, over 4,000 people follow the group’s Facebook page which includes posts designed to bring attention to areas in the community that need work and to help educate the community on the positive aspects of the area.

Town Talk 10/24/19: Williams, Domestic Violence Survivor, Shares Personal Story

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As part of WIZS’ commitment to bringing awareness to the prevalence and far-reaching effects of domestic violence, local organizations and individuals have appeared on-air weekly in October.

On Thursday’s Town Talk segment, domestic violence survivor Valerie Williams shared her very personal story and discussed her upcoming participation as the honorary guest at a local domestic violence awareness event.

On a February afternoon in 1996, Williams said her life changed forever in a violent, 20-minute attack. Arriving home on her lunch break from work, Williams said she found herself at the end of a .38 Smith and Wesson with her husband threatening to kill her.

Williams’ husband then shot her three times – once in the head and twice in the right arm – before turning the gun on himself. Williams survived the incident, eventually regained use of her arm and is alive today to tell her story and empower other victims.

Through it all, Williams said she had a difficult time reconciling herself as a victim of domestic violence because her husband was not previously abusive; however, one time of domestic violence was one too many.

The CEO & Founder of LOVESMART, Williams is now a passionate speaker, advocate and author of five self-published books.

Williams looks forward to sharing both her story and the insight she has gained at a “Think Community” domestic violence awareness event to be held at 3 p.m. on Saturday, October 26 at Clearview Church in Henderson.

Along with Williams, who will serve as honorary guest, the event will feature keynote speaker Patrice Andrews, chief of police, with the Town of Morrisville, NC.

The event is hosted by the Vance County Sheriff’s Office in collaboration with Pastor Abidan Shah of Clearview Church and is sponsored by Cardinal Innovations Healthcare of Henderson.

The church is located at 3485 Hwy 158 Bus. (Oxford Road) in Henderson. The public is welcome to attend.

To hear the interview with Williams in its entirety, please click the play button below. Listen live to WIZS’ Town Talk Monday-Friday at 11 a.m. on 1450AM, 100.1 FM or online at www.wizs.com.

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Oxford’s Resurfacing Project Begins Monday; Impacted Street Names Released

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-Information courtesy the City of Oxford

On Monday, October 28, 2019, the City of Oxford is set to begin a much-anticipated street resurfacing initiative. The City expects this project to be completed within a span of 60 days.

In order to successfully complete this resurfacing initiative, the City of Oxford requires the assistance and cooperation of residents who live on the streets to be resurfaced. Please remove and keep all vehicles off of these streets in order to allow the City’s contractor to complete their work.

The following streets have been selected for this initial resurfacing project:

Road Name From To
Meadow Park Meadow Brook Ln Dead End
Meadow Brook Lane Meadow Heights Dead End
Meadow Heights Meadow Brook Ln Dead End
Greenfield Cir Meadow Heights Dead End
Rock Creek Cir Meadow Heights Dead End
Stratford Dove Rd Dead End
Dove Rd E. Quail Ridge Rd Dead End
Kearney Ave Harris St Coleman St
Cross St Maple Dr Maple Dr
Maple Dr Cross St Dead End
Lanier St Williamsboro St E. McClanahan St
High St Belle St Gilliam St
Eighth St Wilmington Ave Raleigh St
Person St Henderson St Eastway Dr
Hunters Rd Fox Hollow Rd Planters Pl

If you have any questions, please contact City Hall at 919-603-1100.

Granville Little Theatre to Present Dinner, Staged Reading of ‘War of the Worlds’

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-Information courtesy Cynthia Bowen, City Clerk, City of Oxford

Granville Little Theatre will present a staged reading of Orson Welles’ famous radio drama “War of the Worlds” at Tobacco Wood Brewing Company on Tuesday, October 29, 2019. Doors open at 6 p.m.

Tickets are $25 and include the show and a delicious buffet meal provided by Tobacco Wood.

Tickets for the meal/show combo can be purchased at www.granvillelittletheatre.net until late Friday evening, October 25.

SHOW ONLY tickets will be available at the door the night of the show for a reduced price of $10.

Proceeds to benefit Granville Little Theatre.

Tobacco Wood Brewing Company is located at 117 Wall St. in Oxford.

City of Oxford to Hold Thanksgiving Food Drive

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-Information courtesy Alyssa Blair, Executive Administrative Assistant, City of Oxford

The City of Oxford will hold a Thanksgiving Food Drive from Friday, October 25 through Tuesday, November 26, 2019.

Please bring in non-perishable food items for local families in need! Drop off boxes will be located in City of Oxford departments.

For more information, please call Alyssa Blair at (919) 603-1102 or email alyssa.blair@oxfordnc.org.

Basketball Season Kickoff Clinic Scheduled for Oct. 26 CANCELED

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-Information courtesy Tara Goolsby, Henderson-Vance Recreation and Parks Facilities Supervisor, Aycock Recreation Center

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Basketball Season Kickoff Clinic sponsored by “Soul-Out” Ministry, Henderson Optimist Club, Boyd Honda of Henderson, Alamance Academy, LLC and the Henderson-Vance Recreation & Parks Department originally scheduled for Saturday, October 26, 2019, has been canceled.

We apologize for any inconvenience.  Thank you for continually supporting the Henderson-Vance Recreation & Parks Department.

NC Coop Extension

Cooperative Extension with Jamon Glover 10/24/19

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News 10/24/19

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Town Talk 10/23/19: Local Participants Needed for UNC-Sponsored Well Survey

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Dr. Frank Stillo, research manager for the MacDonald Gibson Research Group at UNC-Chapel Hill’s Gillings School of Global Public Health, and Drew Griggs, a junior chemistry major at UNC, were on Wednesday’s edition of WIZS’ Town Talk to invite local residents to participate in a private well survey.

Stillo, who recently received his Ph.D. in public health from UNC, has been studying disparities in drinking water since early 2014.

He is particularly interested in how lead exposure involving residents with private wells affects children under the age of 7 in predominantly African-American communities. Lead is a neurotoxin, and young children are especially sensitive to the damage overexposure can cause to their still-developing brains, Stillo explained.

Griggs, son of Greg and Melanie Griggs of Henderson, attended a lead exposure seminar this summer held by the Gibson Research Group and said he was motivated to apply for a position as part of Stillo’s survey team.

The study group is seeking 300 households who use private well water and have a child under the age of seven living in the home.

Participants will receive the benefit of a well water test, dust testing, lead blood testing for their child provided by a licensed UNC phlebotomist, a consultation on ways to mediate lead issues if discovered and a $75 cash gift card – all free of charge.

In a small Wake County study of 29 cohorts completed a few years back, Stillo said a research team found that 28% of participating households with a well had elevated levels of lead in their drinking water. In running a variety of tests, Stillo said the team concluded that the majority of lead issues arose from plumbing structures inside the home.

“When you have water that is stagnant in your plumbing system and it doesn’t have a chance to get treated like those on the public water system, it will leach the lead out of the different metals in your system. When I had the same problem, I reached out to 24 Hour Emergency Plumbing Services near me and asked them to fix the plumbing,” said Stillo.

Factors such as the age of the house, age of plumbing materials and components of piping and connectors, also affect the level of lead exposure.

“Another reason well water has higher levels of lead is that residents with wells are stewards of their own water systems, whereas people on the public system have someone with technical expertise looking after their best interests,” Stillo said. “People on a public system are constantly having their water tested. Many on private wells don’t know to test their well water or what to test for and often don’t understand the effects of contaminants.”

Griggs said he is excited to be a part of this drinking water survey that can bring awareness to his hometown and took the first step in informing the community by reaching out to WIZS for an on-air interview.

“There are a lot of different ways to serve people; I’m really fortunate to have found an outlet to do so at UNC, especially one that can help a small, underserved community like Henderson.”

To learn more about the survey, please visit https://gillingswellwater.web.unc.edu/, email gillingswellwater@unc.edu or call (919) 843-5786.

To hear the interview with Stillo and Griggs in its entirety, please click the play button below. Listen live to WIZS’ Town Talk Monday-Friday at 11 a.m. on 1450AM, 100.1 FM or online at www.wizs.com.

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Vance Co. DSS, Senior Center to Occupy Former EJMS by 2021

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Vance County Manager Jordan McMillen provided WIZS with the following summary of the Vance County Properties Committee meeting held Tuesday, October 22, 2019:

Related to the former Eaton Johnson Middle School, the Vance County School System will convey the school and property to the County for $1.

In a separate, unrelated agreement, the County is agreeing to utilize school capital funds, lottery funds if necessary, and any future school bonds to provide $8.3 million in capital funding for several facility usage redesigns, preventative maintenance items, school safety and technology initiatives in the school system over the next five years.

During the meeting, commissioners met and reviewed budget and timeframes related to a renovation at Eaton Johnson in order to move the Vance County Department of Social Services and the Senior Center to the property.

The projected timeframe for the move of these departments to the former Eaton Johnson is March 2021.