Terry Garrison

Henderson Gets $5.4 Million For Water, Wastewater Projects

/by

An additional $5.4 million is set to flow into the City of Henderson to target drinking water and wastewater projects, most of which will go to fund the Sandy Creek Basin Sewer Rehab project.

The money comes from the American Rescue Plan Act and the state Water Infrastructure Authority approved funding for the local projects, according to information from the office of Rep. Terry Garrison, who serves District 32 – Vance, Granville and Warren counties.

In addition to $5 million designated for the Sandy Creek project, two allotments of $200,000 each were awarded to the city to conduct asset inventories and assessment planning for both water and wastewater.

“I am happy to see this critical funding come from the Department of Environmental Quality to Henderson,” Rep. Terry Garrison said. “Clean water is essential for every North Carolinian. This money is going to help Henderson ensure that everyone has access to clean, safe water.”

City Manager Terrell Blackmon told WIZS News Friday that this money will be used to address excess water that flows into sewer pipes from groundwater and stormwater, known as “infiltration and overflow.”

The $5 million is added to $2.5 million, zero interest loan the city got last year from the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality, Blackmon said.

“The other $400,000 will be used to perform a water study centered around inspecting our water lines…(to) help us better map our system,” he added.

Granville and Warren counties also received chunks of money for improvements to their water systems, Garrison’s office noted.

The City of Oxford got more than $9.5 million to fund sewer system improvements and the South Granville Water and Sewer Authority was awarded $150,000.

Warren County got money for three projects totaling $745,000. The breakdown includes two planning grants: a $189,500 planning grant for a regional elevated storage tank and a $400,000 pre-construction planning grant for the Eatons Ferry sewer extension and $155,500 for the Pleasant Hill pump station replacement.

Granville Welcomes New Interim Manager, Bids Farewell To Felts

/by

Granville County welcomes Doug Logan as interim county manager during a swearing-in ceremony Friday afternoon, just moments before a reception honoring outgoing manager Mike Felts begins.

Logan returns to county service, having retired in 2020 from the position of emergency services director and fire marshal, a job he had held since 1994.

Felts was appointed county manager in July 2013. He tendered his resignation to the board of county commissioners in May 2022 after accepting a position with the N.C. Association of County Commissioners Risk Management Pools.

Logan will be sworn in at 2:45 p.m. and the reception for Felts is from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Both events will take place at the Granville Expo Center, 4185 Hwy. 15 South.

Vance County High School

SportsTalk: Elliott And Vipers Prepare To Kickoff 2022 Season

/by

Twelve midnight!  12:01 a.m. Monday to be exact.  That’s when the Vance Co. Vipers football team will begin the first official practice of the 2022 season.  According to Coach Aaron Elliott, the team is excited about the “midnight madness” practice.  The team will gather around 9 p.m. Sunday to prepare and learn the rules and expectations from Elliott and his coaching staff. “I’ve always wanted to have a midnight practice. I’m super excited,” Elliott said on Thursday’s SportsTalk.

“We have a special group of kids. Very mature. They stick together and hold each other accountable,” Elliott said of the 2022 Vipers. Right now Elliott has between 45 and 50 kids. Twenty of those will be on the JV team with the remainder making up the varsity unit. The Vipers have not had a JV team for several years but this season Elliott has re-established the JV team and they will have a full schedule.

Coach Elliott, in his first season, has been building relationships with the Vipers. He has taken them bowling, eaten dinner and brought a water slide to the school. He hopes all of this will add up to the Vipers playing as a team. “Talent and good players don’t necessarily make a great team,” Elliott said, citing the Louisburg Warriors team where he was a coach a few seasons ago. Louisburg went deep in the playoffs that season because of team work not because he had the best talent.  He’s hoping for the same thing to take place with the Vipers.

The Vipers, who made it to the playoffs last season, have a strong core to build around.  Elliott feels the receiver corp, anchored around Israel Terry, is particularly strong and Quarterback Nazir Garrett has also been impressive. Elliott adds the offense is ahead of his expectations.

On August 12th the Vipers will host the annual Jamboree with Cedar Ridge, Western Guilford and Roanoke Rapids participating and then on Friday night, August 19th, the season gets underway against Warren County – a team that Elliott says the Vipers will have to be ready for because the Eagles don’t quit.

You can catch the action all season long on Vance Co. Friday Night Football on WIZS beginning with the Vipers traveling to Warren County to take on the Eagles.

CLICK PLAY!

Community Partners of Hope

Men’s Shelter Opening One Month Early On Path To 12-Month Operation

/by

The local men’s shelter has gotten the green light to open its doors for an extra month, putting the group a step closer to realizing its dream of being open year-round for those in need.

The shelter, based at the First Presbyterian Church in downtown Henderson, is an outreach of Community Partners of Hope.

In previous years, the shelter was open from November through March, with the hope of being able to expand services and there is a campaign underway now to raise the $133,225 needed to make the dream a reality. To date, more than $15,000  has been raised.

Visit the Dream Team Fundraiser Link Here.  

Information in the recent CPOH newsletter stated that Darryl Jones will continue as shelter manager and Josh Stokes will manage weekend duties, but the shelter continues to need volunteers to partner with paid staff to keep things running smoothly. The group is looking at the possibility of adding another paid overnight supervisor.

Community Network Specialist Delthine Watson is pursuing grant opportunities, as well as possible collaboration with other agencies and partners. Watson is available to speak to church and civic groups to share the mission and vision of CPOH. Contact her at specialist.cpoh@gmail.com or 919.339.1462 to learn more.

Salvation Army

TownTalk: Welcoming Capt. Joshua Keaton To The Henderson Salvation Army

/by

The training that the Salvation Army provides to its leaders is thorough, to be sure. But no two places are exactly alike, and Capt. Joshua Keaton and his wife, Capt. Amanda Keaton, are still learning about Henderson as they jump in to the day-to-day operations of their new assignment.

Capt. Joshua Keaton was John C. Rose’s guest on Thursday’s Town Talk and he said it’s been a busy time since they left their previous assignment in Concord, NC, and made their way to Henderson in mid-June. Father’s Day weekend, to be exact.

The local Salvation Army, based at 2292 Ross Mill Rd., serves a handful of surrounding counties – not just Vance County. From summer day camp to daily food distributions, there’s something going on most of the time at the Ross Mill Road facility.

There are two weeks left of summer day camp, then the Vacation Bible School will be Aug. 1-5.

The after-school program cranks up on Aug. 22, with daily pickups from a number of schools in Vance and Granville counties. Keaton encourages parents to get those completed applications in as soon as possible – space is limited.

Learn more at facebook.com/tsahenderson.

Keaton said he and his wife have a long association with the Salvation Army – they met at an SA camp in West Virginia in 2006 – he was a lifeguard and she was in charge of the dining hall. They married in 2009, and he said they “saw there was a need and felt the Lord nudging us to do more.”

The “more” turned into learning all about the Salvation Army – he called their time in Georgia “730 days of full-on engagement of learning the ins and outs of the Army – what you’d basically do during seminary,” he said.

The team spent several years in Greenville, SC before moving to Concord, NC and now to Henderson. They earned the rank of Captain and hope to achieve the rank of Major when the time comes.

Whether he is overseeing local programs like food distribution, inviting people to shop at their thrift store or talking with folks who have fallen on hard times, Keaton said he and his wife are willing to meet people wherever they are.

“We see constantly people struggling – spiritually, financially – being a shoulder they can lean on in their weakest moment is always a blessing to me,” he noted.

Life can change in an instant, he said, adding that it is important for him to live a life in service to the Lord.

“Everyone needs to receive salvation,” he said. “My goal is to lead you to it…the ultimate goal is to win souls for Him.”

CLICK PLAY!

City Council Reviews Proposed Minimum Housing Code; Could Approve At Aug. 8 Meeting

/by

The stage is set for the Henderson City Council to possibly approve a revised minimum housing code at their August meeting. Updates to the code were reviewed during a called meeting of the City Council at noon on Wednesday, and Mayor Eddie Ellington told WIZS Thursday the changes in code are needed and called current enforcement “mediocre at best.”

Ellington said the city needs more code officers to address the challenges of enforcement. “This has been an ongoing 20-year troublesome problem that is holding our city back and we’ve paid the price for it, especially with our older neighborhoods,” Ellington said to WIZS News Thursday.

But there were some concerns about some of the details contained in the document, such as requiring property owners to designate an authorized agent and provide that information to the city. City Attorney D. Rix Edwards is consulting the N.C. League of Municipalities/School of Government to determine what city leaders can and cannot ask of rental property owners. State law prohibits municipalities from having any type of registration of rental property owners, and City Manager Terrell Blackmon said Thursday that he hopes to get clarification about the language contained in the revised code.

Blackmon told WIZS that the intent simply is to have a person to contact in case of an emergency regarding a rental property.

“At this time, we are considering just making it voluntary for all landlords as we await legal interpretation,” Blackmon said. “This is a work in progress, but there will be changes to the current code,” he added.

Council member Garry Daeke said he thought most of the ordinance is good, but he said there are a few things to check on to ensure due process.

He said he felt it premature to call for additional code enforcement staff at this time. “That question is legitimate, at another time, and for our manager and staff to propose to Council once the process is finished and they submit a plan of action,” Daeke said.

Although Daeke had to leave the meeting before it concluded, he said Thursday that he also has concerns about the point of contact. “We need it, but the lien issue isn’t the answer,” he said.

Despite what he described as a “chaotic” meeting, Daeke said he felt he and his fellow Council members made a good start to address the code challenges.

Council member Sara Coffey echoed Daeke’s sentiments. “I’m real happy that we are moving forward with issues that we have been burdened with for quite some time now,” Coffey said in a written statement to WIZS.

“We still have a few tweaks and are going to have all that done by our August meeting,” she continued. “It be great to work together to help our citizens and our city to be more productive for the betterment of all.”

Another concern related to an increase in penalties assessed as a result of inspections resulting in code violations.

Blackmon observed that the City Council has decided “not to sit on their hands and do nothing. The penalties already exist and the increases are not out of bounds with the General Statutes.”

Ellington said the city’s future depends on clear action from Council and others.

“The business constituents have spoken, as noted by their submitted letter to the City and also being in attendance (at) every meeting since,” he stated. “We as leaders are faced with as I’ve said, ‘hard truths’ and difficult decisions. But the future direction of our City depends upon it. This is expected from us as a municipality.”

CLICK PLAY!

Man Suffers Non-Life-Threatening Gunshot Wound to Head; Suspect Arrested

/by

— press release information from VCSO

On July 23, 2022, Vance County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to the area of Stewart Farm Road and Aycock Road reference a shooting. Upon arrival, Deputies located the victim, Gregory Hayes, age 46 of Henderson, with a head injury from a gunshot wound. Mr. Hayes was transported to Maria Parham Health with non-life threatening injuries.

The Vance County Criminal Investigation division was notified for further investigation.

After a thorough investigation, warrants were obtained on Juston Demetric Nicholson, age 36 of Norlina, for Assault With a Deadly Weapon Inflicting Serious Injury and Discharge a Weapon Into an Occupied Vehicle.

Nicholson was apprehended on July 27, 2022 and processed at the Vance County Sheriff’s Office. Nicholson received a $40,000 secured bond and given a court date of July 28, 2022.

Cooperative Extension With Jamon Glover: Communication, Pt. 4

/by

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

Click Play!