100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm
-Press Release, Vance County Sheriff’s Office
On Wednesday, January 29, 2020, the Vance County Sheriff’s Office Patrol Division responded to a call for service at 141 Chloe Lane in Henderson, NC. When patrol arrived, the victim of a sexual assault was already inside the Vance County ambulance. After speaking with Vance County paramedics about the victim’s injuries, the victim was transported to Maria Parham Health.
The Vance County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Unit was contacted, at which time the victim was interviewed.
Warrants were obtained for the suspect Shamon Keshawn Yancey (age 36) for First Degree Forcible Rape, First Degree Kidnapping and Assault on a Female.
Yancey was placed in the Vance County Detention Center without bond.
On Wednesday, January 29, 2020, the Vance County Sheriff’s Office arrested Keshawn Yancey (age 36) on charges of First Degree Forcible Rape, First Degree Kidnapping and Assault on a Female. (VCSO photo)
https://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Shamon-Yancey-Mug-Shot.png265504WIZS Staffhttps://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/wizswebsitelogoimage.pngWIZS Staff2020-01-31 19:51:542020-01-31 19:53:03Yancey Charged With Rape, Kidnapping
Katherine Burnette, the incumbent district court judge for the Ninth Judicial District of North Carolina, faces challenger Brian Cloninger in the March 3, 2020 Primary election. The district court judge position serves Vance, Franklin, Granville, Warren and Person counties.
Katherine Burnette, the incumbent district court judge for the Ninth Judicial District of North Carolina, faces challenger Brian Cloninger in the March 3, 2020 Primary election. (Photo courtesy Katherine Burnette)
Appointed district court judge by NC Governor Roy Cooper in 2018, Burnette filled the vacancy created by Judge Carolyn J. Thompson who was appointed to serve as a Superior Court Judge in the Ninth Judicial District earlier that year.
With 15 months of experience as a district court judge, Burnette said her current service coupled with her varied legal experience make her the ideal candidate for the job. “I have 35 years of legal experience, and it’s been broad legal experience; it’s been private practice, clerking for court of appeals judges and bankruptcy judges. I have also been a public servant since 2002 when I became an assistant district attorney in this district.”
Describing the district court process in an interview with WIZS, Burnette said she oversees a range of cases including mental health, child support, abuse/neglect/dependency, family law, domestic violence and criminal.
“I hope the main thing people say about me [as a judge] is that I am fair, that I listen to everyone and that I make reasoned decisions on the bench,” Burnette stated.
She graduated cum laude from Wake Forest University in 1981 with a BA in both English and politics and from the Wake Forest University School of Law in 1984. In 2019, she was awarded a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from Queens University in Charlotte.
According to Burnette’s website, she has practiced law in state and federal courts and has experience in family law, criminal law, and bankruptcy law as well as civil and commercial litigation. She served as an assistant district attorney for the former ninth (now eleventh) prosecutorial district from 2002-2007.
In her role as an assistant United States attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina from 2007-2011, Burnette received two national service awards for her work in financial litigation, as the civil division’s financial litigation attorney, primarily in the recovery of restitution for crime victims.
From 2011-2018, Burnette served the Violent Crimes Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office where she participated in multiple criminal trials and prosecutions for bank robbery, federal firearms, and controlled substance offenses in North Carolina.
Burnette has also held positions on the NC Board of Elections, NC Board of Ethics and State Personnel Commission.
Burnette and husband Tom, an attorney, reside in Granville County. For more information on her background, awards and volunteer work, please visit https://keepkatherineburnette.com
To hear the interview with Burnette in its entirety, please click the link below.
(This is not a paid political advertisement. Political candidates are offered equal time.)
Brian Cloninger, a Henderson resident and private defense attorney at Cloninger Law Offices, PLLC, will challenge incumbent Katherine Burnette for district court judge of the Ninth Judicial District of North Carolina in the March 3, 2020 Primary election. This position serves Vance, Franklin, Granville, Warren and Person counties.
Brian Cloninger, candidate for the Judicial District 9, District Court Judge seat, is shown here being interviewed on WIZS’ Town Talk program. (WIZS photo)
Cloninger attended public schools and graduated from the Reich School of Education at Appalachian State University in 2000 and the North Carolina Central University School of Law in 2006.
According to Cloninger’s website, he is a current member of the Vance County Bar, the 9th District Bar, the North Carolina State Bar, the North Carolina Advocates for Justice, and the VCS Board of Directors.
He is the Immediate Past President of the Vance County Bar, the Immediate Past Chair of the Criminal Defense Section of the North Carolina Advocates for Justice, and the Immediate Past Chair of the VCS Board of Directors Policy and Personnel Committee.
He is also a former member of the American Bar Association, the North Carolina Bar Association, the North Carolina Association of Educators, and the American Institute of criminal defense attorneys in Festus.
Sharing his knowledge with other lawyers and judges, Cloninger teaches a class titled “Traffic Practice: Doing it Right and Solving Problems: Courthouse-Based Driver’s License Remediation,” which was approved by the North Carolina State Bar for credit toward required continuing legal education.
Cloninger has 14 years of legal experience practicing in the district courts of the 9th District with a concentration in civil and criminal cases. In a recent interview with WIZS, he said it is his experience and the encouragement of his peers that prompted him to enter the race.
“I’ve been asked by people in the system to run for judge, particularly for this seat. They think that I can help because I have been in the district courts of each of the counties in our district almost every day for 14 years. I know the law. I know about the people who make up the justice system and I know what they need to help make this particular seat a better seat.”
District court handles misdemeanor criminal and traffic matters, including domestic and family law cases. According to Cloninger, with 95% of cases ending in a plea deal or some form of deferred agreement, only 5% of district court cases go to trial. District courts see an exceptional amount of cases, with 200 cases on each criminal docket in Vance County alone.
For Cloninger, the incentive of serving as a district court judge is not financial but rewarding all the same. “The incentive is the ability to help more people, to make sure that our district court is a place that people feel like they can go to get equal justice,” he said.
“The role of a judge is to help victims feel safe and comfortable that justice has been served and help offenders get the rehabilitation they need so that once they’ve served their sentence, they can become productive members of the community.”
Cloninger is married and has two children. His wife, Alison Finch Cloninger, is also from Henderson. For more information on his campaign, please visit www.cloningerforjudge.com.
To hear the interview with Cloninger in its entirety, click on the link below.
(This is not a paid political advertisement. Political candidates are offered equal time.)
https://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Brian-Cloninger.png265504Kelly Bonduranthttps://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/wizswebsitelogoimage.pngKelly Bondurant2020-01-31 19:45:092020-09-25 08:08:59Attorney Brian Cloninger Challenges Burnette for District Court Judge
100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm
-Press Release, Vance County Schools
Vance County Schools Pre-K and Kindergarten registration is open and “The Wow Starts Now!” Stop by any of our elementary schools or district office (1724 Graham Avenue) to begin the registration process.
Pre-K is open to children whose fourth birthday is on or before August 31, 2020. Children whose fifth birthday is on or before August 31, 2020, are eligible for Kindergarten.
Between February 24 and March 11, each elementary school will offer two tours on their respective day at 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Families are invited to come to any of the tours, meet the administration and ask any questions they may have.
Vance County Schools School Tour Schedule: February 24 – Carver; February 25 – Aycock; February 26 – Dabney; February 27 – EO Young; March 2 – Pinkston; March 3 – EM Rollins; March 4 – New Hope; March 5 – LB Yancey; March 9 – Clarke; March 11 – Zeb Vance.
On March 10 and 12, every elementary school in our district will hold Learning in Action opportunities at 9 a.m. This allows families to come see the class in action and learn about specific programs offered at all of our schools, including Letterland and Feeling Friends.
We would like to remind everyone, you must bring your photo ID to enter our buildings for school tours and our Learning in Action opportunities. We will have district employees on-site at each school tour to assist those wishing to register that day. Registration is also available every day at the district office, where staff are available to assist you with the process.
When coming to enroll, you will need to bring Proof of Residency (utility bill, rental lease, or mortgage statement), the child’s immunization record and their proof of age (birth certificate, medical record, or baptismal record).
Vance County Schools continues to offer phenomenal programs, making sure our learning is personalized and relevant to every single student in our ever-changing world. We are excited to meet our new families and begin their adventure of learning in Vance County Schools. We are truly better together!
100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm
-Information courtesy Kelly H. Grissom, Clerk to Board/Executive Asst., County of Vance
The Vance County Board of Commissioners will meet Monday, February 3, 2020, at 6 p.m. in the Commissioners’ Meeting Room, 122 Young Street, Henderson. The Invocation will be given by Rev. Joseph Ratliff of Shiloh Baptist Church.
3. Appointment – 6:15 p.m. – Stuart Hill, Thompson, Price, Scott, Adams & Co. – FY 2018-2019 Audit Report
4. Water District Board
a. Committee Report
b. Monthly Operations Report
5. Committee Reports and Recommendations
a. Properties Committee
– Boiler Replacement – Eaton Johnson Gym
– Dennis Building – Light Post Repair
– Eaton Johnson – Updated Architectural Fees
– Eaton Johnson Project Update
b. Intergovernmental Committee
– City/County Joint Programs and Partnerships
– McGregor Hall Funding Request
– Downtown Wi-Fi
6. Finance Director’s Report
a. Surplus Property
b. Purchase of New Ambulance
c. Campbell Oil Lease/Contract
7. County Attorney’s Report
a. REO Properties – New Offers – 318 Rowland Street – Parcel 0073 04002
8. County Manager’s Report
a. Resolution – Black History Month
b. Semi-Annual Jail Inspection Report
9. Consent Agenda Items
a. Budget Amendments and Transfers
b. Tax Refunds and Releases
c. Ambulance Charge-Offs
d. Monthly Reports
e. Minutes
10. Miscellaneous
a. Appointments
b. March Meeting Date
Click here to view current and prior Board agendas.
https://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Vance-County-Logo.png265504WIZS Staffhttps://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/wizswebsitelogoimage.pngWIZS Staff2020-01-31 16:54:472020-01-31 16:54:47Vance Co. Board of Commissioners to Meet Mon., Feb. 3
100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm
-Press Release, Oxford Preparatory School
Ey’Mania Alston, a senior at Oxford Preparatory School, has been accepted into the Honors College at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a full scholarship.
Ey’Mania Alston, a senior at Oxford Preparatory School, has been accepted into the Honors College at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a full scholarship. (OPS photo)
Ey’Mania is the daughter of Shareena Alston and is from Henderson, NC. She plans to major in biology while at Carolina.
During her time at Oxford Prep, Ey’Mania has earned a number of academic distinctions including being named marshal and a Director’s List recipient every quarter. She is currently the president of Interact. Over the past years, Ey’Mania has partnered with her peers to lead many Interact service projects to benefit the community including blood drives and sponsoring roadside clean-up activities.
Ey’Mania is also a member of the OPS Chik-fil-A Leader Academy and a senior peer advisor for the Order of the Griffins.
https://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/EyMania-Alston.png265504WIZS Staffhttps://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/wizswebsitelogoimage.pngWIZS Staff2020-01-31 16:54:222020-01-31 16:54:22Ey’Mania Alston Receives Full Academic Scholarship for UNC Honors College
100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm
-Information courtesy Granville County Public Schools
NOTICE TO PUBLIC AND PRESS
The Granville County Board of Education will meet for a regular board meeting on Monday, February 3, 2020, at 6 p.m. at the Central Services Building, 101 Delacroix Street, Oxford, North Carolina.
The Board will also meet in a Closed Session with the Board’s attorney in accordance with N.C. General Statute pursuant to G.S. 143-318.11(a) on this evening.
To view the agenda for this meeting, please click here.
https://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Granville-County-Public-Schools.jpg265504WIZS Staffhttps://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/wizswebsitelogoimage.pngWIZS Staff2020-01-31 16:53:502020-01-31 16:53:50Granville Board of Education to Meet Feb. 3
It’s not easy to bring people together. To bind them together is still more difficult.
It takes energy, and sometimes it takes a “new generation of business leadership.” That’s the phrase used to describe Tyler Brewer at Thursday night’s Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce Meeting and Banquet. Brewer is the incoming, 2020 Chamber Board Chair.
Tyler Brewer, 2020 Chamber Board Chair
The 2019 Chamber Board Chair, Nancy Wykle, described Brewer just that way. Brewer followed by saying to a packed Vance-Granville Community College Civic Center crowd of 400 plus, “Let us all help each other grow.” Economic growth, like will be discussed at the upcoming Economic Development Summit sponsored in part by the Chamber in February. And the continued growth of downtown Henderson, Henderson at large and the County already started in 2019 as described by Wykle.
Wykle said, in 2019, the Chamber performed 17 ribbon cuttings, five business after hour events, four lunch and learn sessions, hosted and sponsored a hometown debate on healthcare that was broadcast statewide on Spectrum News, continued community outreach programs like with “Shop With A Cop” and put on a successful golf tournament plus adjusted its budget to achieve solvency.
For just the third time in the history of the Chamber’s Citizen of the Year Award, a couple was selected for the 2019 Citizen of the Year Award. Tommy and Carolyn Farmer were introduced by 2018 Citizen of the Year Thomas C. Church.
Tommy and Carolyn Farmer, 2019 Citizens of the Year for the H-V Chamber of Commerce
The Farmers have been a binding force in the community too, at church, at school, at places all around where they volunteer. As Mr. Church built the anticipation in the room as he worked up to naming Mr. and Mrs. Farmer, he described the “dynamic duo” with some of the words found on the nomination forms: “Genuine. Dedicated. Faithful.” The Farmers were described as servants. And Church said, “They have planted seeds and the fruits of their labor can be seen in their students.”
It even turns out that Brewer himself was a former soccer player under Mr. Farmer. And the two socialized together at the end of the night. A fitting end to an evening that started with a social hour of hor dourves, coffee and hot chocolate and live music.
The Farmers were selected because they saw the “value of helping children…and education…and they have done (their) work quietly and tirelessly.” The United Way, the local Men’s Shelter, Civic clubs and duties, community service, tutoring and working with children and families, church leaders and volunteers. The love of sport and soccer and athletics and even transporting other children, along with their own, to sports and church. The Farmers have helped bring together and bind together their community.
A short video presentation showed an active, supportive membership which is engaged with it’s Chamber. Sort of a “you should join the Chamber because” type video to affirm a mission and energize for the future.
And to go along with it, the Chamber Banquet was fun. It worked. Great food. Music. Time to socialize. And geared for a
L to R: Nancy Wykle, Publisher of The Daily Dispatch, along with Desiree Boyd Brooks, 2019 Chamber Ambassador of the Year and advertising director at The Daily Dispatch.
diverse group of ages, backgrounds and beliefs. The banquet was timely and business-like. It radiated an energy, if you will, that can bind its members and community.
Also named at the banquet was the 2019 Ambassador of the Year, Desiree Boyd Brooks. She was recognized for being an ambassador for several years now, because she works with members to add value to their membership and because of her passion. Hal Muetzel introduced Brooks as “well connected…a walking testimonial for the Chamber…and a busy mom.”
Shout Out to the Vance County High School Chorus!! Fantastic, awesome and great job and performance tonight at the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce banquet. Just as our Chamber binds businesses, citizens, volunteers and leaders together, your performance of “Pray for Peace” demonstrated to all the binds of prayer. Beautiful job chorus and soloists…”Pray for Peace…Pray for mother…father…children…Pray for leaders…Pray for forgiveness…Pray for brother…sister…me…Pray for wisdom…Pray for others…Pray for Peace!”
Vance County High School Chorus
https://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Tommy-Carolyn-Farmer-01302020-HV-2019-CTZ-of-YR.png294560John C. Rosehttps://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/wizswebsitelogoimage.pngJohn C. Rose2020-01-30 23:46:042020-01-30 23:55:56A Chamber That Binds
