Local News Audio

Local Noon News Audio 9/24/20

100.1 FM ~ 1450 AM ~ WIZS, Your Community Voice ~ Click to LISTEN LOCAL

Vance County EMS Selected as a 2020 Mission Lifeline Award Recipient

Green Rural Redevelopment, Inc. (GRRO) has hired 25 Health Workers to Fight COVID-19 in Rural NC

Duke Energy Offering Extended Payment Plan Options

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Vance Co EMS Lifeline Award

Vance County EMS Selected as a 2020 Mission Lifeline Award Recipient

100.1 FM ~ 1450 AM ~ WIZS, Your Community Voice ~ Click to LISTEN LOCAL

-Information and photos courtesy the County of Vance

Vance County EMS was recently selected as a 2020 Mission Lifeline Award recipient by the American Heart Association.

On Wednesday, County Manager Jordan McMillen and Chairman of the Board Gordon Wilder presented Paramedic Christopher Rigg with a certificate of appreciation for his role in coordinating the application process. The County also presented Director Javier Plummer and the entire department with a certificate in recognition of their accomplishments leading to this award.

McMillen said the County appreciates all public safety workers and first responders and congratulates Vance EMS on this accomplishment.

Ronnie Daniel Scholarship

New VGCC Scholarship Endowed in Memory of George Ronald ‘Ronnie’ Daniel

THIS STORY IS PRESENTED IN PART BY DRAKE DENTISTRY

-Press Release, Vance-Granville Community College

Faye Daniel Chappell and her brother, R. T. “Tom” Daniel, both of Oxford, recently established a new scholarship at Vance-Granville Community College in memory of their brother, George R. “Ronnie” Daniel.

VGCC will award the Ronnie Daniel Memorial Academic Achievement Scholarship to a student from Granville County. Preference will be given to students in programs of study related to information technology or medical fields. VGCC Health Sciences programs include Radiography, Nursing, Histotechnology, Medical Assisting and Pharmacy Technology.

A new scholarship was recently established at Vance-Granville Community College in memory of the late George R. “Ronnie” Daniel. VGCC will award the Ronnie Daniel Memorial Academic Achievement Scholarship to a student from Granville County. (Photo courtesy the Daniel family.)

“Ronnie would be pleased that from this memorial scholarship, many others will join the ranks of healthcare professionals,” Faye Daniel Chappell said.

Ronnie Daniel was born and raised in Oxford and remained there until his death in 2019. He graduated from J.F. Webb High School in 1967 and attended Hardbarger Business College in Raleigh. Daniel was employed by Food Lion for the last 15 years before he retired. While there, he was a faithful employee, never missing a day of work. He received several awards and recognitions while employed.

“Ronnie had a very outgoing personality and never met a stranger. His ability to interact with people enabled him to form many lifelong friendships. He enjoyed traveling. He particularly loved Disney World and had been there six times throughout the years. He also loved history, especially that which pertained to Granville County. He enjoyed getting out to use his Metal Detector, collecting coins and geodes,” his siblings, R.T. “Tom” Daniel and Faye Daniel Chappell, recalled.

“Thanks to this family’s generosity, the Ronnie Daniel Scholarship will support hard-working students for years to come by allowing them to complete training for rewarding careers,” said Dr. Rachel Desmarais, VGCC’s president.

“We are honored that Faye and Tom would choose to celebrate the life of their brother, Ronnie, by helping VGCC students achieve their educational goals,” added VGCC Endowment Director Eddie Ferguson.

Through the Endowment Fund, VGCC has awarded more than 9,700 scholarships to students since 1982. Scholarships have been endowed by numerous individuals, industries, businesses, civic groups, churches and the college’s faculty and staff. Tax-deductible donations to the VGCC Endowment Fund have often been used to honor or remember a person, group, business or industry with a lasting gift to education. For more information, call (252) 738-3409.

City of Henderson Logo

After Second Public Hearing, City to Move Forward With Coronavirus Grant Application

100.1 FM ~ 1450 AM ~ WIZS, Your Community Voice ~ Click to LISTEN LOCAL

Henderson City Manager E. Terrell Blackmon provided WIZS with the following summary of the City’s second public hearing regarding the submission of a Coronavirus-related Community Development Block Grant (CDBG-CV). The hearing was held Wednesday, September 23, 2020.

There was no one present to speak for or against the City’s proposed Community Development Block Grant Coronavirus Application (CDBG-CV) at Wednesday’s second public hearing on the matter.

The purpose of the hearing, very similar to the first, was to receive citizen input regarding the City’s intent to apply for Community Development Block Grant CDBG Coronavirus (CDBG-CV) funds from the North Carolina Department of Commerce’s Rural Economic Development Division (REDD).  The North Carolina CDBG-CV Program is designed to help non-entitlement municipalities or counties to prepare, prevent, or respond to the health and economic impacts of COVID-19.

As noted by Governor Roy Cooper, “efforts to support families, small business, and economic recovery remain critical” during the COVID-19 pandemic. In support of these public health and economic recovery goals, North Carolina CDBG-CV Program projects must incorporate at least one of the following as an area of focus:

  • Support families and communities through telehealth support and other public services.
  • Protect the most vulnerable and high-risk populations.
  • Assist small businesses with economic recovery.
  • Address testing, tracing, and trends.

The State has established the following funding priorities by eligible activity:

  • Public Service: The priority in this category is subsistence payments to prevent evictions and utility disconnections. Food distribution, testing and diagnosis, and employment training for health care workers on the frontlines are also prioritized.
  • Public Facilities: The priority in this category is broadband services and enhancing internet access that supports increased connectivity to schools, jobs, and healthcare.

The City of Henderson is proposing to utilize the funds primarily to address eligible activities in the Public Service category, such as subsistence payments to prevent evictions and utility disconnections. In addition, broadband services and enhancing internet falls under the Public facilities category.

The maximum grant is $900,000, which the City intends to apply for, and the grant period is 30 months or less. Applications are being accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis as of September 1, 2020, and there is $26.55 million available in funding.

Now that the City has met the public hearing requirements, its plan is to finalize and submit an application to the State by the end of September, but no later than early October.

Vance County Logo

Planning Committee to Consider White Goods Disposal at Hwy 39 Convenience Site

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-Information courtesy the County of Vance

Please be informed that Vance County’s Planning Committee (Faines, Kelly, Wilder) is scheduled to meet Tuesday, September 29, 2020, at 4 p.m.

The meeting will be held in the Administrative Conference Room of the Vance County Administration Building located at 122 Young Street, Henderson, NC.

The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the possibility of taking white goods to the Hwy 39 Convenience Site.

Home and Garden Show 09-22-20

Listen live at 100.1 FM / 1450 AM / or on the live stream at WIZS.com on Tuesday at 4:30 PM.

Duke Energy

Duke Energy Offering Extended Payment Plan Options

100.1 FM ~ 1450 AM ~ WIZS, Your Community Voice ~ Click to LISTEN LOCAL

-Information courtesy Tanya Evans, District Manager, Duke Energy

As Duke Energy gradually resumes standard billing and payment practices in North Carolina, our goal is to work with customers in need to ensure they have the opportunity to enroll in a payment plan that meets their specific situation, and that they have an opportunity to connect with local assistance agencies and funds.

Beginning October 1, 2020, customers behind on their bills will receive notices about their past-due balances. Disconnecting a customer’s service is the very last step in a lengthy process, and it’s a step we want to avoid altogether.

That’s why we are giving all customers who need more time to pay the opportunity to establish an extended payment plan to catch up on any balance that accumulated during the disconnection suspension. No customer on a payment plan who is current on that arrangement will be disconnected. It is important that they contact us as soon as possible to set up the payment arrangement.

We want customers facing financial hardship to know that we are here to help. Our team is prepared to support customers through these challenging times and provide manageable solutions to keep their lights on. We can be reached at the following numbers:

Duke Energy Carolinas: 1-800-777-9898

Duke Energy Progress: 1-800-452-2777

We also encourage customers to consider using the online self-service options to avoid longer wait times.

We recognize the financial impacts from this pandemic, for some, are far from over. If you know someone who needs help managing their Duke Energy bill, please encourage that person to give us a call.

Warren Co. Memorial Library

Warren County Memorial Library Reopens

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-Information courtesy Warren County Memorial Library

The Warren County Memorial Library reopened to this public this week. Hours are currently Monday – Friday from 8:30 a.m. until 3 p.m.

Book/resource browsing, copying, printing and faxing are available inside. No contact pickup is still provided.

Restrooms and computers will be unavailable for use from 11 a.m. until 12 p.m. to allow for cleaning.

Guests are asked to wear face covers and practice social distancing.

Vance County NC

Town Talk 09/23/20: Historian Tem Blackburn Talks Local History

THIS STORY IS PRESENTED IN PART BY DRAKE DENTISTRY

In a rebroadcast from the June 24, 2020, edition of WIZS’ Town Talk, George Templeton “Tem” Blackburn II, local historian, discussed the important role Richard Henderson played in the expansion of the American West. Henderson was a member of one of the first families to settle in the local area.

While officially chartered by the North Carolina General Assembly in 1841, the city, named in honor of former North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Leonard Henderson, son of Richard Henderson, was home to the Henderson family approximately one hundred years prior.

Unlike many areas of the country that experienced settlement from east to west, Blackburn explained the local area had a principal settlement pattern of north to south.

The Henderson family, including a young Richard, was the first among several planter families that relocated from the area near Richmond, VA in the 1740s, according to Blackburn. Other families, including the Bullocks and Williams, soon followed suit.

Richard Henderson, whose father Samuel was the first sheriff of Granville County, became a lawyer with an interest in opening the lands west of the Appalachian Mountains.

Blackburn said Richard Henderson, with ties to pioneer Daniel Boone, ultimately gained the approval of the Cherokee Nation for a settlement through the Cumberland Gap into what is now Kentucky and Northern Tennessee.

While no major battles were fought in NC during the American Revolutionary or Civil War, and no prominent generals originated from the state, Blackburn said the local connection to the westward expansion of the country is of great historical significance.

“Before the Revolution, there was the opening of the American West,” Blackburn stated. “Richard Henderson played a key role in that. That gives our area a claim to say we are connected with the most significant event in NC history, which is tied to the larger history of the nation.”

To hear the interview in its entirety, go to WIZS.com and click on Town Talk.

Local News Audio

Local Noon News Audio 9/23/20

100.1 FM ~ 1450 AM ~ WIZS, Your Community Voice ~ Click to LISTEN LOCAL

Maria Parham Health Nationally Recognized as a Best Maternity Care Hospital by Newsweek

Local COVID-19 Update

Nationally-Recognized Hungry Heroes and Founder Amanda Riggan Visited and Fed Henderson Fire Station #1 and Henderson Police Department on Tuesday

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