SportsTalk: Murray Plans For Championships At Henderson Collegiate

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“The energy is great and I’m ready to get going,” says Paul Murray. Murray is the new men’s basketball coach at Henderson Collegiate and he is preparing for his first season after spending three years as an assistant at The Burlington School which has a reputation for being “a basketball powerhouse,” as Murray put it on Thursday’s SportsTalk with George Hoyle and John Charles Rose.

When asked about his goals as the head man at Henderson Collegiate, Murray stated his plans were “to take it to the next level.”  From Murray’s point of view, the next level is a state championship. “A State championship or nothing,” said Murray. He also feels that winning a state title is more do-able than most people seem to think.

Murray says he expects Henderson Collegiate to be a fast paced team. “Up-tempo, up-tempo, up-tempo,” Murray stressed. “We want to be the fastest paced team in the country,” he added.  He’s only had one practice so far and that was for an hour this past Saturday but the team did play three games this week winning two by 2o points and losing one in a hard fought game with Franklinton. These off season games will give Murray an idea of what he has to work with throughout next season. It’s a new staff and a new system but one that will hopefully be successful for Murray. Murray got used to success at The Burlington School where, in his three years there, the school sent 13 players to play college ball.  He hopes to repeat that with Henderson Collegiate.

Murray said he always wanted to be a head coach and Henderson Collegiate seemed like the right choice for him. “It was time to do something I wasn’t comfortable with,” Murray said. He felt a little too comfortable and feels like this new position will keep him challenged. In the end, Murray says that the team has one goal at Henderson Collegiate: “Have a lot of fun and win a lot of games.”

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240 VCS Seniors Turn Tassels During Recent Graduation Exercises

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Vance County Schools has been in graduation mode for the last couple of weeks and announced Thursday that 240 seniors in four schools have received their high school diplomas.

Graduation exercises began on the morning of May 25, with Vance County High School; Vance County Early College High School graduated later that evening at the Vance-Granville Community College Civic Center.

Vance Virtual Village (V3) Academy and AdVance Academy graduated on June 10 in the Wayne Adcock Auditorium of the district’s Center for Innovation. Students, staff and guests gathered to celebrate their accomplishments.

At the graduation ceremonies, representatives from the Class of 2022 shared words of encouragement with their fellow classmates:

To the Class of 2022, Karla Cruz Ochoa offered encouragement for the new graduates “to triumph against all the odds and to relentlessly chase your dreams.  Let us never forget that we are the product of Vance County High School. The home of the Vipers!”

Aniya Palmer of Vance County Early College High School shared a similar sentiment with her classmates. “As we go into the next major part of our lives,” Palmer said, “I hope that everyone keeps the same perseverance and dedication to accomplish whatever they desire in life. And one day may we all become Big Chiefs and be an influential person to someone around us.”

And from Vance Virtual Village Academy’s Naadirah Moore: “Face [future] challenges with your head high and heart wide open. You must excel in everything you do, and strive for excellence in every task. It is your job to make the best of everything you have, at every moment you experience.”

Following is a breakdown of some of the accomplishments of the 240 newly minted graduated of Vance County Schools:

  • 18 cum laude Scholars (weighted grade point average of 3.25-3.5),
  • 18 magna cum laude Scholars (weighted grade point average of 3.6-3.9)
  • 16 summa cum laude Scholars (weighted grade point average of 4.0+).
  • 4 North Carolina Scholars, 71 college endorsements and 68 college/UNC endorsements.
  • 31 students with the President’s Award for Educational Excellence
  • 17 students with the President’s Award for Achievement
  • 19 graduates earned North Carolina Career endorsements
  • 22 were early graduates
  • 23 students were recognized in the top 10 percent of the Vance County Schools Class of 2022.
  • 15 students who graduated associate’s degrees in Arts
  • 11 students graduated with associate’s degrees in Science.
  • 3 graduates are members of  Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society
  • 4 National Honor Society Scholars
  • 37 Beta Club Scholars

Oxford Designated As Affiliate Main Street America Program

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-information courtesy of the City of Oxford

The City of Oxford and the Downtown Oxford Economic Development Commission have been designated as an Affiliate Main Street America™ program for meeting rigorous performance standards.

Each year, Main Street America and its partners announce the list of Affiliate programs to recognize their commitment to creating meaningful improvements to their downtowns using preservation-based economic development and community revitalization through the Main Street Approach™.

The City of Oxford and DOEDC’s performance is annually evaluated by North Carolina Main Street which works in partnership with Main Street America to identify the local programs that are committed to comprehensive, place-based revitalization efforts and achieving meaningful community outcomes.

We are thrilled to acknowledge this year’s 383 Affiliate Main Street America programs and their commitment to advance economic vitality and quality of life in their downtowns and commercial districts,” Main Street America President and CEO Patrice Frey. “During another incredibly challenging year, these programs demonstrated the power of the Main Street movement to respond to the needs of their communities, driving essential local recovery efforts, supporting small businesses, and nurturing vibrant neighborhoods.”

In 2021, Main Street America programs generated $5.76 billion in local reinvestment, helped open 6,601 net new businesses, generated 30,402 net new jobs, catalyzed the rehabilitation of 10,595 historic buildings, and leveraged 1,427,729 volunteer hours. On average, for every dollar that a Main Street program spent to support its operations, it generated $19.34 of new investment back into Main Street communities.

Main Street America leads a movement committed to strengthening communities through preservation based economic development in older and historic downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts. For more than 40 years, Main Street America has provided a practical, adaptable, and impactful framework for community-driven, comprehensive revitalization through the Main Street Approach™. Our network of more than 1,200 neighborhoods and communities, rural and urban, share both a commitment to place and to building stronger communities through preservation-based economic development. Since 1980, communities participating in the program have leveraged more than $95.33 billion in new public and private investment

generating 161,036 net new businesses and 717,723 net new jobs and rehabilitated more than 314,431 buildings. Main Street America is a nonprofit subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. For more information, visit mainstreet.org.

TownTalk: Stop Gun Violence Forum June 30

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Gun violence continues to be a hot topic of discussion in big cities and small towns all across the nation, and Henderson is no exception. The community is invited to participate in a forum on June 30 to hear thoughts and concerns about how to stop gun violence, especially among young people.

Melissa Maloko is a juvenile court counselor based in Henderson and she told John C. Rose Thursday that the forum, sponsored by the Henderson-Vance Recreation & Parks Department’s youth services division, is a follow-up to an April meeting that involved key stakeholders – think law enforcement, school officials and local leaders.

“This is Part 2 because we want to hear what the community has to say about gun violence,” Maloko said during the TownTalk segment. The session will begin at 6 p.m. at the Youth Services Department, located in the gym on the former Eaton-Johnson campus.

There is no single approach to eliminating, or even curbing gun violence, Maloko said. Rather, a collaborative effort from the community, involving faith-based community leaders and others is a step in the right direction.

“We all have to work together,” Maloko said. “There’s not one single solution to address the problem.”

Young people, especially those younger than 18, may find themselves involved in gun violence for any number of reasons, she explained. It could be they feel bullied, or are influenced by older friends or even family members. “Sometimes, they want to do what they see other peers do,” she said, without understanding the seriousness or the repercussions of their actions.

Her work falls under the umbrella of the JCPC – Juvenile Crime Prevention Council – and when she meets with juveniles in the adjudication process, she said tries “to wrap resources around them” in an effort to help them be successful. “We want to work with juveniles from a therapeutic approach – putting the right programs in place.”

“A network of support is very important,” Maloko said. “We work with them now to prevent future involvement (in crime).”

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Cooperative Extension With Jamon Glover: Start Early

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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.

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Kittrell Man Faces Assault Charges In Weekend Incident

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A Kittrell man is in jail facing assault charges following a weekend incident that left one man injured, according to Henderson Police.

On Saturday, June 11, about 4 p.m., Henderson police officers were called to 715 E. Andrews Ave. in response to an assault, according to Capt. C. Ball.

Officers found Brandon Allen, 31, at the scene, suffering from injuries sustained in an assault. Allen was treated and transported by EMS to an area hospital.

After canvassing the area, Quintez Alston, 19, was located on Cherry Street and was arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon with the intent to kill, felony breaking and entering and property damage.

According to the report, a steel pipe was the alleged weapon in the assault. The suspect followed the victim to his home, kicked in the front door and assaulted the victim. Alston is in the Vance County Detention Center under a $121,000 secured bond.

Author Talk Saturday Morning At Perry Library

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North Carolina author Adrienne Barr will be at the Perry Memorial Library on Saturday, June 18 at 11 a.m. to discuss her new book, Dancing with Butterflies: Discovering Mindfulness Through Breathing.

Library Director Patti McAnally invites the community to come out and hear from the author about her book, which also is the featured book on the library’s Storywalk at Fox Pond Park Trail.

The book tells the story of Leah, who is about to perform in her first recital and is a little anxious. As the story unfolds, Leah learns about deep-breathing exercises. The book, a meditation for beginners primer, encourages readers to manage anxiety with an easy-to-read story. Designed to educate children and parents on the power of breathing techniques to overcome anxiety, this book encourages African-American children to recognize the beauty in body awareness, so they have the confidence to dance their way to their dreams, McAnally said in a press statement.

Volunteers Needed For Upcoming MedAssist OTC Medicine Distribution

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MedAssist NC is planning a distribution event in Henderson tomorrow and is in desperate need of volunteers. The event will take place at the Salvation Army, 2292 Ross Mill Rd.

Project Manager Lisa Szabo said a group from Durham was scheduled to provide volunteers but had to back out at the last minute because of a rise in COVID-19 cases.

“Volunteers help ensure our event will be successful. We can’t do this without them,” Szabo said in a written statement to WIZS News.

She said she needs at least 3 to 4 volunteers to help out on Friday from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

As of Wednesday, there were two volunteers registered for the morning shift (8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and six registered for the full day. She said she needs at least 15 to 20 more volunteers to work to make the event run as smoothly as possible.

Please consider volunteering for this worthy community event. Register at https://cerv.is/0332×251

Visit https://medassist.org to learn more.