The Local Skinny! City Council Public Hearing Lynne Avenue at Dabney Drive

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A notice from the City of Henderson has gone out indicating the City Council will hold a public hearing on Monday, June 14, 2021 at 6 p.m. regarding the much-discussed area, the Lynne Avenue at Dabney Drive intersection.

The notice indicates a recommendation to build a cul-de-sac on the east side of Lynne Avenue in order “to close Lynne Avenue from Dabney Drive.”

WIZS News is working to learn the origin of the recommendation and other details.

Questions or comments concerning the public hearing may be made during the meeting or submitted to the City Clerk, Esther McCrackin, no later than 3 p.m. on Monday, June 14. Email emccrackin@ci.henderson.nc.us or call City Hall at 252.431.6000.

At the July 13, 2020 Henderson City Council meeting, members voted to deny the second request in two months to rezone residential properties located at 1337 and 1343 Dabney Drive at the corner of Lynne Avenue.

According to that meeting’s agenda, Hill Dubose, a commercial/industrial developer from Greensboro, NC, requested to rezone the properties located at the corner of Lynne Avenue from an OIA (Office Institutional “A”) District to a B-2A Highway Commercial “A”) District.

Councilwoman Melissa Elliott told WIZS News after that July 2020 meeting that four citizens spoke at the virtual public hearing, including two in favor of rezoning who had “a financial interest” in the matter and two 30-plus year residents of the Lynne Avenue neighborhood who spoke against.

The council denied the request citing issues with potential hazardous traffic in the area associated with a then-proposed fast-food restaurant.

Elliott said at the time, “I want to express that we on the Council are for redevelopment, economic development and bringing job opportunities to our area.”

As it was last year and in previous years when other traffic calming measures were placed, including the adding of stop signs on the lower half of the street, the effect on Lynne Avenue’s residents remains top of mind.

TownTalk: VGCC Adult Learner Program Helps Students Return To School To Complete Degree, Program

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Vance-Granville Community College is one of five community colleges across the state selected to participate in a pilot program designed to help students return to school to complete their post-secondary education.

VGCC President Dr. Rachel Desmarais told John C. Rose on Monday’s Town Talk about the Adult Learner program and how myFutureNC and the John M. Belk Endowment are providing support to bring students back to school who left without completing a degree or certificate.

“We’re excited to be a part of this,” Demarais said, adding that the program objective complements VGCC’s vision of being “a catalyst to strengthen communities.” Helping people prepare for fulfilling employment and life-long careers is what VGCC is all about, she said.

The myFutureNC program is a statewide nonprofit organization focused on educational attainment and is the result of cross-sector collaboration between North Carolina leaders in education, business and government.

The adult learner program will work to remove barriers to education. VGCC strives to make education meaningful, but “meaningful is in the eye of the beholder,” she said. “We have to prove that meaning – we’ve got to connect people to careers…to see what they could do to use their strengths, abilities and talents.”

“We’re not getting a pot of money,” she explained. “We are getting so much more than money – we’re getting access to services that have shown they work to move the needle” to improve achievement.

Part of the program will include development of a marketing strategy to help craft the message and then get that message out to the public. One particular data tool will be especially useful, Demarais said. It will be used to identify those former VGCC students who have some college credit but haven’t completed all the requirements to get a degree or certificate.

“We need to call these folks back and … make it easy to help them finish what they started,” she said.

Through the adult learner program, Demarais said she hoped to see some results as early as 2022. “If we can increase the number of people 25 and older to come to college, that’s a leading indicator,” she noted.

It will take some creativity to reach  the 25- to 44-year-old group, who must “be able to juggle work and family life, and school life,” she said. VGCC will have to provide flexible options, making sure that the education is efficient – even shoring up and refreshing knowledge that hasn’t been used in awhile.

The adult learner program will evaluate the credits that students already have completed and determine exactly what is left to complete the course of study and get certificates of completion for programs or degrees.

An additional resource is the Second Chance Scholarship, Demarais noted. Students lose access to federal Pell Grant money if they weren’t successful with previous courses. “The only way to get (access) back is to take a class,” she said. But that takes money, which the student may not have. The Second Chance Scholarship can help.

For so many of these students, “life got in the way,” Demarais said. “We need to make it easy for them to finish what they started.”

(For full broadcast audio and details click play.)

 

Vance County Tourism

July 4th Fireworks at Kerr Lake Will Move to Sept 4, 2021

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The fireworks display and gathering that typically takes place on Kerr Lake July 4th weekend has been moved to Labor Day weekend, specifically Saturday, Sept 4th at Satterwhite Point.

Vance County Tourism Director Pam Hester said, “It was not practical to have it. … The Board voted to move it.”

The reason is a deadline that needed to be met, which included deposits for the fireworks, came before CDC guidance changed concerning covid and before Governor Roy Cooper relaxed state mandates.

In addition, the North Carolina Parks Service is short staffed, which was going to make it very difficult to have the necessary manpower in place to host a large event at Satterwhite Point.

As of the time of this publication, Henderson-Vance Recreation and Parks is planning fireworks on July 3rd, and Cokesbury is planning fireworks for July 10th.  More details as we get closer.

Vance County Manager Jordan McMillen

McMillen: Social Services Renovation “Coming Together Nicely” For A Late Summer Move-In

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Work to transform a former middle school into updated office space for the Vance County Department of Social Services is well underway, and County Manager Jordan McMillen said despite a couple of hiccups, the project is on budget and “coming together nicely.” Move-in dates have been pushed back until late July or August, he added.

Among McMillen’s comments and observations to WIZS News earlier this week, he noted that the renovation project at the former Eaton Johnson Middle School campus is wrapping up – “nearly all of the final finishing touches are currently being completed,” he said.

The flooring has been installed, painting is complete in all but one area, furniture has been installed and the building portion of the project will be nearing completion over the next few weeks, he predicted. The inside work on the building should be finished by mid- to late June – that’s only a couple of weeks behind schedule, he said.

“Contractors ran into unsuitable soils in the parking lot area which delayed most of the site work approximately two months,” McMillen said. Work on the parking lot has resumed after completion of soil testing from outside agencies and, barring weather delays, should be finished in mid- to late July.

Commissioners will hear at their meeting Monday about several change orders that will be recommended, all dealing with HVAC and minor modification in the part of the building that will house the Senior Center.

At this point, the project is about $231,000 under budget, so the change orders – totaling just more than $107,000 – could be absorbed without affecting the overall cost.

Nurse Practitioners Join Maria Parham Primary Care

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Maria Parham Health announced the addition of two nurse practitioners to its staff at Maria Parham Primary Care.

Cheryl Hester is a family nurse practitioner with 14 years of experience in health care. Melanie Kiser specializes in gastrointestinal (GI) care.

Hester will serve patients in Henderson and Louisburg; she has been employed with Maria Parham Health since 2007, according to information from MPH.

Kiser had been a clinical nurse II at UNC Hospital and at New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington.

“Cheryl Hester has years of experience in patient care, and she is an excellent addition to the Maria Parham Primary Care team,” said Bert Beard, CEO of Maria Parham Health. “Family Medicine is a continuing concern in Henderson, and (her) clinical expertise will be important as Maria Parham Health strives to meet our region’s evolving healthcare needs and make our community healthier.”

Hester has worked as a licensed practical nurse in the Emergency Department, as well as registered nurse, charge nurse and triage nurse during her time at MPH. She also has been the assistant director of the progressive care unit before being promoted to director of critical care and medical-surgical units and then director of critical care services.

Hester is a 2015 graduate  Chamberlain College of Nursing and received her master’s degree in nursing from Grand Canyon University in 2019. Most recently, she completed a family nurse practitioner post graduate certification from Herzing University.

Hester’s office is in Vance Medical Arts Building, 511 Ruin Creek Road, Suite 101 in Henderson. Call 252.436.0440 for a referral or to make an appointment. The Louisburg office is located at Maria Parham Multispecialty Clinic, 1501 N. Bickett Blvd., Suite E. For an appointment in Louisburg, call 919.497.8380. Online appointment scheduling is available at https://www.mariaparham.com/schedule.

Kiser is a Board-Certified Family Nurse Practitioner with more than seven years of clinical experience.

“Melanie Kiser has years of experience in primary and critical care, and she is an excellent addition to our hospital team,” Beard stated.

Kiser graduated from East Carolina University in May 2020 with the designation of doctor of nursing practice-family nurse practitioner. She is a member of the Sigma Theta Tau Honor Society, the American Association of Critical Care, and the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

Kiser is seeing patients at her office at Maria Parham GI Associates. For a referral or to schedule an appointment, please call 252.430.8111.

(Maria Parham Health is an advertising client of WIZS Radio and WIZS.com.  This is not a paid ad.)

TownTalk: Elder Abuse Awareness

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Keeping Older Adults Safe, Protected –

Whether it’s unintentional or purposeful, mistreatment of older adults is serious business. It’s called elder abuse and two local experts discussed the topic with John C. Rose on Thursday’s Town Talk.

Elder Abuse Awareness month is observed, appropriately enough, between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day in North Carolina; World Elder Abuse Awareness Day is June 15. In her job as long-term care ombudsman with Kerr-Tar Area Agency on Aging, Kimberly Hawkins monitors nursing homes and long-term care facilities to make sure residents’ rights are being respected. Most often, she said, residents are satisfied with the care they receive. But when a resident has a complaint, Hawkins said, it is her job “to find out what they want me to do with that information.”

In her role as advocate, Hawkins said, she sometimes needs to refer a complaint to the Department of Social Services. Deloris Cooke works in Granville County’s DSS adult protective services division. Cooke said she fields referrals from folks like Hawkins and from the community at-large.

Such a referral can come from anywhere in community, Cooke said. “Anyone has the right to call in and share any type of concern for an elderly person” – anyone over the age of 18, actually, who is disabled. It’s up to DSS personnel to determine if an allegation meets the criteria to be evaluated.

Even if a case of abuse, exploitation, neglect or self-neglect is not substantiated, Cooke said a visit to the home is in order to make sure the adult is ok. Such a “self-report” visit is one way to make sure that individuals and families know about resources that can help.

Whether it’s intentional or unintentional, abuse, neglect or exploitation of an elderly person is something that she works to prevent. Through the evaluation, she can “determine what is the situation, what has caused this and how we can resolve it,” Cooke said.

Sometimes an older person living alone can’t get to the pharmacy to pick up medications or prepare meals – that’s self-neglect.

An example of caretaker neglect could be a care recipient being left alone while the family member providing care is at work; and then there are the scammers, who prey on vulnerable older adults to cheat them out of money.

Cooke said the APS reports can be made anonymously; “we cannot and will not divulge (the name of the reporter) unless it is court-ordered,” she said. So often, the reports come from individuals who care about the well-being of the older adult. DSS has up to 45 days to complete its evaluation of the situation, and they provide the reporter with basic findings once the investigation is complete.

“Our primary job is to make sure the adult is safe,” Cooke said. Often, providing resources and putting a plan in place to keep the adult safe, is sufficient. Sometimes, however, it is necessary to file a petition to the court to have the person removed.

Hawkins said she works with a different complaint process, and sometimes she must refer a long-term care facility complaint to DSS. And, of course, she informs the facility that a complaint has been lodged. But with nursing homes, she sends referrals to the state’s department of health and human resources – with the consent of the resident or that person’s legal guardian.

“Most of the time, it’s a lack of communication,” Hawkins said of complaints she receives. High staff turnover could contribute to complaints, as well as staff that feel overworked and overwhelmed.

“We offer trainings to facilities on resident rights and appropriate actions,” Hawkins said. “Getting new information helps a lot.” She also does activities with residents – like a residents’ rights BINGO game – to raise awareness.

Events in the five-county region are having events in the next couple of weeks to observe elder abuse awareness; contact your county’s Senior Center to learn details. In Vance County, Hawkins and colleague Austin Caton will present a program on family caregiver support at the Vance County Senior Center on June 17; other counties will have contactless, drive-through events to share information about elder abuse awareness.

To learn more, contact Hawkins at 252.436.2050 or toll-free at 866.506.6223; contact Cooke at 919.693.1511.

For complete details and audio click play.

Cooperative Extension with Jamon Glover 06-03-21 – Communication

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Listen live at 100.1 FM / 1450 AM / or on the live stream at WIZS.com at 11:50 a.m. Mon, Tues & Thurs.

The Local Skinny! Vance Unemployment Third Worst in NC

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While the unemployment rates in Vance and Warren counties improved in the last month and drastically improved in the last year, both remain about the worst in North Carolina.

Vance County improved from a rate of 7.6% in March to 7.2% in April but remains 98th out of North Carolina’s 100 counties. That’s the third worst.

Warren County improved from 7.2% in March to 7.0% in April, giving Warren the fourth worst in the state at 97 out of 100 counties.

Speaking in general or round figures, the rates in both Vance and Warren are about half what they were in April of 2020, soon after the pandemic started.

Granville County’s unemployment rate is 3.6%, and that lands Granville County at the ninth best in the state.

Franklin County is in the middle of the pack at 4.2%.

The North Carolina Department of Commerce reports as well that the number of workers employed statewide (not seasonally adjusted) decreased in April by 4,935 to 4,757,583. Those unemployed decreased by 11,269 to 217,379. Since April 2020, the number of workers employed statewide increased 710,828, while those unemployed decreased 395,936.

For the audio and additional details, click play.