News 03/03/20
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Town Talk 03/02/20: Severe Weather Preparedness Week March 1-7
THIS STORY IS PRESENTED IN PART BY DRAKE DENTISTRY
Brian Short, Director of Henderson-Vance County Emergency Operations, appeared on WIZS Town Talk Monday at 11 a.m.
Short announced that March 1 – March 7 is the 2020 North Carolina Severe Weather Preparedness Week. With the potential of severe weather peaking with the beginning of the spring season, Short said now is the time to prepare in case of an emergency situation.
“Mother Nature rarely gives us a break,” said Short. “It seems like there is something we face every season. As we slide into spring, there is the potential for severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, straight-line winds, flash flooding and lightning.”
The number one thing you can do to prepare for severe weather is to make a safety plan for you and your family, Short explained. The plan should include which room(s) of the home to seek shelter in and who to contact in case of an emergency.
Tips for staying safe in events such as a tornado include seeking shelter in an interior room with no windows, staying close to the ground and getting in a doorway, which tends to be more structurally-sound than other parts of the home.
In addition to making a severe weather safety plan, Short said the National Weather Service (NWS) encourages everyone to participate in a Statewide Tornado Drill, which will occur on Wednesday, March 4, 2020, at 9:30 a.m. Every school, business, workplace, and family across the state is strongly encouraged to participate.
In information Short provided to WIZS, the NWS states the following:
- The tornado drill will be broadcast on NOAA Weather Radio and the Emergency Alert System via the Required Monthly Test (RMT). There will not be an actual Tornado Warning issued.
- Many NOAA Weather Radio receivers (including the older Midland WR-100 radios that many schools have) do not sound an audible alert for the RMT product; instead, they may have a blinking light on the display to indicate that an RMT was received. As such, when the RMT for the statewide tornado drill is initiated at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, March 4, 2020, there is a chance that your NOAA Weather Radio will not sound an alarm.
Since your NOAA Weather Radio may not sound an alarm at the time the RMT is issued, you may do one of the following:
- Manually turn on your NOAA Weather Radio receiver and listen to the audio broadcast to hear when the RMT is issued, which will mark the beginning of the statewide tornado drill.
- Plan to start your tornado drill on your own at 9:30 a.m.
There will be no follow-up statements issued by the NWS to mark the end of the statewide tornado drill. It will end when your group feels that you have adequately practiced your tornado shelter procedures.
According to the NWS, if there is actual severe weather occurring on March 4, 2020, the statewide tornado drill will be postponed. The alternate date for the drill is Friday, March 6, 2020, at 9:30 a.m.
Short encourages Henderson residents (that haven’t already done so) to visit www.vancecounty.org/em to register for the Code Red emergency notification service. By signing up for Code Red, you will receive local weather alerts and emergency information – evacuation notices, bio-terrorism alerts, boil water notices, missing child reports, etc. – directly to your phone.
For additional information on Severe Weather Preparedness Week, please visit https://www.weather.gov/rah/2020ncswpw where you’ll find links to daily severe weather topics and useful severe weather preparedness tips and information.
To hear the interview with Short in its entirety, go to WIZS.com and click on Town Talk.
Tues. is Election Day; Less Than 10 Percent of Vance Co. Voters Cast Early Ballots
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Early voting finished Saturday. According to election director Faye Gill for the Vance County Board of Elections, “ The grand total for entire Early Voting is 2,793.” Vance County has 28,471 registered voters, which means 9.8 percent of eligible voters in Vance County voted early.
When compared to the May 2018 primary in Vance County, which held a Democratic Primary race for Sheriff, 18.39 percent of eligible voters cast a vote in 2018. Just a head-to-head comparison would lead you to believe that half of those who will vote have already done so early.
But this is a Presidential election year and Super Tuesday.
If you go back to the March 2016 primary election – the last Presidential Election year – almost 32 percent of eligible Vance County voters cast a vote, which would be an indication that so far this year a little less than one third, or more specifically about 30.6 percent, of the people who are planning to vote have already done so early.
The Polls are open Tuesday from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
All absentee ballots must be returned by Tuesday, March 3, 2020, at 5 p.m. or must be postmarked by March 3, 2020, and received in the Board of Elections Office by 5 p.m. on Friday, March 6, 2020.
Voters WILL NOT be required to show photo ID for the March 3, 2020 Primary Election. In a December 31 order, a federal district court blocked North Carolina’s voter photo ID requirement from taking effect. This injunction will remain in place until further order of the court.
H-V Chamber Thanks Community for Support of Annual Membership Banquet (Pics)
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Information and photos courtesy Michele Burgess, president of the Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce:
The Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce had a very successful 2020 Annual Membership Meeting and Banquet. We had an early sell-out of our 400 available seats, so I wanted to share some highlights with those of you who were unable to attend.
We appreciate the efforts of our 2019 Outgoing Chairman of the Board of Directors, Nancy Wykle (The Daily Dispatch) and we were excited to welcome Tyler Brewer (Brewer Cycles) as our new 2020 Chairman of the Board of Directors.
Our Annual Meeting Planning Committee did an outstanding job of recommending new and exciting features to reinvigorate this signature event. The members of the Planning Committee were Stephanie Hoyle, Diane Finch, Julia Langston, Melissa Paul, John Charles Rose, Micheal Shaw, Ana Vaughan, Gayle Watkins and Nancy Wykle.
I hope you will enjoy the Chamber video that was shown at the Annual Meeting – Click on this link to watch: https://youtu.be/D2zykVWh4G4.
Special thanks to Edward Ortega with Vance County Schools, Jeannie Rose and John Charles Rose with WIZS Radio who volunteered many, many hours of their time and talent to produce this video for our Chamber.
Congratulations to our 2019 Citizen of the Year – Tommy and Carolyn Farmer – and congratulations to Desiree Brooks (The Daily Dispatch) our Chamber Ambassador of the Year.
Thank you to our Presenting Sponsor – Duke Energy. Other sponsors included: (Gold) Benchmark Community Bank, MARS Petcare, and Walmart Distribution Center; (Silver) Truist Bank, Maria Parham Health, and Wake Electric Membership Corp; (Bronze) EnviroLink and Union Bank.
We added a Social event prior to dinner at this year’s banquet; thank you to Rose Oil Company for sponsoring the hot beverage bar and to Maria Parham Health for providing the appetizers.
Catering for dinner was provided by Ted Wheeler, Ted’s Catering Service.
We enjoyed entertainment by the Vance County High School chorus and the Just Friends band that played during our Social.
Thank you to Chick-fil-A for donating meal gift cards for the students and the band members. MARS Petcare contributed chocolate candy table favors to everyone and Emily Arner Freeman provided homemade cupcakes for a special dessert.
Door Prizes were donated by Document Systems (office supplies); Henderson Family YMCA (6-month membership); Henderson Wellness (spa package gift certificates); Lowe’s Home Improvement ($50 gift certificate); Mast Drug Company (gift basket); Ribeye’s of Henderson ($50 gift certificate); Schewels Home (LG 32” Television); Southern Laundry ($25 gift certificate); The Daily Dispatch (1-year subscription); and The Peanut Roaster (peanuts gift basket).
We appreciate your support of our Chamber and we encourage you to become involved in one of our many Chamber of Commerce committees or attend one of our networking events. Contact the Chamber at (252) 438-8414 for more information.
GCPS Working to Keep Students & Staff Healthy
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-Press Release, Granville County Public Schools
On Thursday, February 27, 2020, the GCPS District Safety Task Force convened for their regular monthly meeting. This group of approximately +/- 40 members has a laser focus on improving and protecting the safety, health and welfare of students and staff in our school district.
Superintendent McLean created the District Safety Task Force shortly after arriving in the district more than two years ago. Since that time, it has been extremely successful in addressing areas of concern with rapid and effective solutions. The Safety Task Force consists of a wide variety of stakeholders, including board members, law enforcement officers, first responders, health care officials, local elected officials, faith-based leaders, district administrators, school nurses, principals and, of course, parents.
At this recent meeting, one of the agenda items was COVID-19, or the “Coronavirus,” and how the district should plan and prepare for its potential threat. Currently, there are no confirmed cases in North Carolina, and the threat of the virus remains very low. In fact, the district has recently been more focused on absenteeism and illnesses caused by the common cold and influenza viruses. In just the past two weeks, some schools have had nearly 1/3 of students and staff out as a result.
The district’s immediate response to those outbreaks, as recommended by the CDC and the Departments of Health, largely focused on the following three tactics:
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Practicing and encouraging good personal hygiene (Frequent and proper handwashing, coughing or sneezing in the bend of elbow or sleeve, using tissues, just being “courteous” with your space, etc.).
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Thoroughly cleaning frequently touched surfaces or high traffic areas using Lysol or similar products which are highly effective at killing the viruses.
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Staying home when sick, and avoiding people who are sick.
These three main tactics are highly effective against the spread of any such contagions and should be practiced by all, especially when considering the potential future threat of COVID-19.
One additional item of consideration is the use of facemasks. According to the CDC, the use of facemasks is NOT recommended for use by people who are well. Instead, only those who show symptoms should wear them, but ideally, those individuals should stay home and be isolated if possible.
Dr. McLean has already begun close dialogue and scheduled meetings with our local Health Department officials, school nurses and healthcare experts. “We are certainly not attempting to create a scare or undue alarm. Just like we drill, practice and prepare with any other potential threats, we are simply doing what is needed to keep our children and staff safe. After all, if you are ready, then you don’t have to get ready.”
The district continues to work with the Health Department and other experts to create action plans for the district. GCPS would like to thank everyone in the community in advance for their attention to this matter. The safety, health and well-being of everyone in our community is the top priority for GCPS!
Registration Underway for Vance Co. Special Olympics Volleyball
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-Information courtesy Tara Goolsby, Henderson-Vance Recreation and Parks Program Superintendent, Aycock Recreation Center
Vance County’s Special Olympics Volleyball will play on Tuesday nights from March 24 through May 26, 2020, at the Aycock Rec. Center. Games will be held from 6 – 7:30 p.m.
Applicants must pre-register by Friday, March 13, 2020.
The purpose of the Vance County Special Olympics North Carolina is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community.
For more information, please contact Crystal Allen at (252) 431-6091 or callen@ci.henderson.nc.us.
Warren Co. Memorial Library Celebrates Women’s History Month
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-Press Release, Warren County Government
Warren County Memorial Library celebrates Women’s History Month through literacy, culture, and the arts. The highlight will be three special programs featuring scholars offering a unique look into women’s history. In addition to these programs, the library will have celebratory book displays, bookmarks, reading lists and activities.
Joanna Liguz will host an Exhibit and Mini-Workshop on March 6, 2020, from 9:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. (Photo courtesy Warren Co. Govt.)
The first of the three featured programs will be a Quilt Exhibit and Mini-Workshop on March 6, 2020, from 9:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. Local quilter Joanna Liguz of Material Blessings will host this exhibit and workshop. Stop by to see several beautiful examples of her work and learn the basics of quilting by watching as she quilts an example quilt square.
The second featured program will be Women of Dance on March 16, 2020, from 12 until 1 p.m. Vernita “Nana Vee” Terry presents this look into the history and creative influences of several women of color who became leading figures in the world of dance.
Vernita “Nana Vee” Terry will present “Women of Dance” on March 16, 2020, from 12 until 1 p.m. (Photo courtesy Waren Co. Govt.)
The third and final featured program will be “The Crusade Against Illiteracy in the United States: The Life and Times of Cora Wilson Stewart” on March 24, 2020, from 3 until 4 p.m. Long before it became popular to decry the problem of adult illiteracy, Cora Wilson Stewart was leading public crusades to solve this problem.
In this program, Road Scholar Willie Nelms will describe Stewart’s life, her role as a woman, and the literacy movement. This project is made possible by funding from the North Carolina Humanities Council, a statewide nonprofit & affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views expressed by this program do not necessarily represent those of the North Carolina Humanities Council.
To learn more about Women’s Month 2020, visit the official website: https://womenshistorymonth.gov/. To view the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources’ celebration of the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, guaranteeing and protecting women’s constitutional right to vote, go to https://www.ncdcr.gov/about/featured-programs/she-changed-world-north-carolinawomen-breaking-barriers.
Road Scholar Willie Nelms will present “The Crusade Against Illiteracy in the United States: The Life and Times of Cora Wilson Stewart” on March 24, 2020, from 3 until 4 p.m. (Photo courtesy Warren Co. Govt.)
For more information on library programs, go to www.wcmlibrary.org for event details and additional programs offered. All library programs are free and open to the public. Visit the library for more information and resources at 119 S. Front Street, Warrenton, NC 27589.
News 03/02/20
100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm
Town Talk 02/28/20
100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm
Town Talk 02/28/20
100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm