Over 1,000 Dosage Units of Heroin Nets Suspect a $355,000 Bond and a Trip to Jail

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— HPD Press Release Information — 

On September 30, 2022 officers of the Henderson Police Department served a narcotic search warrant at 1141 Booker St. Henderson, North Carolina in response to a drug complaint.

During the service of the warrant, approximately 1,088 dosage units of heroin, 537 grams of marijuana, drug manufacturing equipment, US currency, and two semi-automatic pistols were seized. One of the pistols was reported stolen from Wake County.

36-year-old Cornelius Vandergrift was arrested in relation to this investigation.

Vandergrift was charged with two counts of Trafficking Heroin, one count of Possession with Intent to Manufacture, Sell, Deliver Heroin, one count of Possession with Intent to Manufacture, Sell, Deliver Marijuana, Felony Possession of Marijuana, one count of Possession of a Stolen Firearm, Simple Possession of Schedule II, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, one count of Maintaining a Dwelling Place for a Controlled Substance and two counts of Possession of Firearm by Felon.

Vandergrift received a $355,000.00 secured bond and was remanded to Vance County Detention by the magistrate.

Granville County Public Schools

Granville School Board Selects Helen Lindsey To Fill Vacant Seat

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A retired schools employee has been appointed to fill the unexpired term on the Granville County Board of Education.

Dr. Helen Lindsey was selected from a field of five candidates interviewed Thursday for the seat made vacant when Dr. Tom Houlihan tendered his resignation effective July 31.

Following the interviews, the board discussed the candidates before casting their votes.

“This was a very difficult process in that all of the applicants brought their own unique strengths and experiences,” said Board Chair Glenda Williams. “One thing they all had in common was their willingness to serve, and we are grateful to each of them for investing their time and effort in this process,” Williams added.

Dr. Lindsey will be sworn in at the next regularly scheduled meeting, scheduled for Monday, Oct. 3.

The agendas, minutes and video recordings for board meetings may be found at

https://www.boarddocs.com/nc/gcsd/Board.nsf

 

Warren Offers Smart Start Basketball Class For Youngsters Ages 4-5

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The Warren County Parks and Recreation is offering a new basketball program for 4- and 5-year olds call Smart Start Basketball. The program is a parent/child instructional program led by an instructor weekly for six weeks at the John Graham Gym.

The fee is $10 and includes a basketball for each child.

Register between Oct. 3 and Nov. 3 online at https://www.warrencountync.com/345/Parks-Recreation or in person at the parks and recreation office Monday-Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. The office is located at 113 Wilcox St., Warrenton.

Two sessions will offered on Saturdays, Nov. 5-Dec. 17. The first class begins at 10 a.m. and the second class begins at 11 a.m.

Space is limited for each class, so register soon.

For more information, call 252.257.2272.

 

Warren Winter Youth Basketball League Registration Opens Oct. 3

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Registration for Winter Youth Basketball with Warren County Parks and Recreation begins Monday, Oct. 3 and runs through Thursday, Nov. 3. The winter youth league is for youth between 6-17 years. The registration fee is $10.

Registration can be completed online at  https://www.warrencountync.com/345/Parks-Recreation or in person between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday-Friday at the parks and recreation office, located at 113 Wilcox St., Warrenton.

Visit the website for more information or call the office at 252.257.2272.

Warren County Parks and Recreation is also seeking volunteer coaches for youth basketball season. Please submit volunteer application and complete an online background check at www.warrencountync.com/345/Parks-Recreation.

News and Announcements Related to Ian

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With the likelihood of downed trees and power lines, travel could be hazardous in some areas.

If you should lose power, please do not call 911 to report it. This is not an emergency and your call could prevent someone with a true emergency from getting through.

Duke Energy District Manager Tanya Evans wrote in an information release that customers who experience an outage during a storm can report it the following ways, according to Evans.

  • Text OUT to 57801 (standard text and data charges may apply).
  • Visit duke-energy.com on a desktop computer or mobile device.
  • Use the Duke Energy mobile app – Download the Duke Energy App from a smartphone via Apple Store or Google Play.
  • Call the automated outage-reporting system: Duke Energy Progress: 1-800-419-6356; Duke Energy Carolinas: 1-800-POWERON (1-800-769-3766)

Click here for more from Duke Energy.

Remember to check on your elderly neighbors, friends and family both before and after the storm to make sure they have what they need. Remember your pets and bring them indoors if possible or at least make sure they are safe outside.

When the storm is over, be careful when venturing outside particularly in areas that receive damage as unseen hazards could be present.

Not Rain, Not Wind…RHI Fundraiser a Success

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The fall barbecue chicken fundraiser was Friday.

All indications are it was a complete sell out.

Served were chicken halves, potatoes, string beans, bread and dessert for $8 per plate.

Rebuilding Hope Director Randolph Wilson reached out to WIZS Friday morning for radio announcements saying, “Our fundraiser is still on and we have drive thru pickup in the warehouse out of the rain.”

By 4:45 p.m. Friday, only 30 plates remained according to Wilson.

Here at WIZS we all enjoyed our plates and many happy people reached out about how delicious it was, including on social media.

Water Outage Along and Near 158 Bypass

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A transmission line failed Friday morning, and crews were quickly on site.

The initial determination was the areas involved were “158 Bypass from Calvary Church to Poplar Creek Road, Huntstone Subdivision, West Hills Subdivision, and VGCC,” said William Bailey, street maintenance supervisor for the City of Henderson Public Works Department.

As of 2:30 p.m. Friday, water had been restored to VGCC and Huntstone Subdivision.

Bailey told WIZS Friday afternoon, crews anticipated “being able to turn water on this evening (Friday) around midnight.”

The City had a 24-inch transmission line that failed. Several areas experience no water or low water pressure.

Even though most of the areas described are not within the City limits, they receive City water service in a lot of cases because they are in the extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ).

TownTalk: Lakeland Cultural Arts Center Livens up Littleton

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Littleton, situated on the Warren-Halifax county line, has long been known to those travel there to enjoy second homes or to vacation on nearby Lake Gaston. But Lakeland Cultural Arts Center, looking especially spiffy after a recent renovation, is looking to attract more people to visit, shop and enjoy this little corner of the world.

Lakeland’s Executive Director Peter Holloway and Artistic Director John DuVall agree that, while the COVID-19 pandemic made it difficult to have shows, it allowed for a renovation that is nothing short of spectacular. Holloway said the pandemic afforded them the opportunity to do more planning, which resulted in more of a multipurpose facility. There’s a smaller performance space in the rear of the arts center, which gets a lot of use from students at Littleton Academy, right next door.

Lakeland Cultural Arts Center first opened in 1978, but a recent gala to celebrate the completed renovation served to mark its reopening.

Littleton native Ed Fitts and wife Deb have played a significant role in revitalizing the town of 520. “They’ve injected so much life and enthusiasm into the town,” Holloway told WIZS’s Bill Harris on Thursday’s TownTalk.

The center is actually attached to the former high school, but a brand-new lobby and art gallery provides a cohesive look to the facility.

“It’s kind of mind-blowing that it’s sitting in a town like Littleton,” Holloway said of the center, which boasts a 300-seat auditorium where patrons can enjoy concerts, stage productions and even watching films.

DuVall said volunteers drive much of the work that is done, both on stage and behind the stage.

“We need volunteers every day,” Holloway agreed.

DuVall said in his role as artistic director, he seeks to offer a well-rounded season with a variety of programming. He seeks to balance the familiar with other performances that people may not be as familiar with.

“Tuesdays With Morrie” is scheduled for two performances tonight and Saturday afternoon. The play is based on Mitch Albom’s bestseller of the same name.

Then the new hit movie “Elvis” will be shown at 7 p.m. on Oct. 8. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Visit https://www.lakelandcac.org/ to see the full schedule of events or phone 252.586.3124.

“We’re working really hard to choose folks who’ve got an educational component,”

Holloway explained.

There often is a matinee performance that gives students the chance to experience the arts live, he added.

On Oct. 28, Mike Wiley will perform “Breach of Peace,” based on true accounts of the Freedom Rides in the early days of the civil rights movement.

The Neil Simon classic “Odd Couple” comes to the main stage in November and then pianist Robin Spielberg will perform in early December. Later that month, Holloway said the familiar “A Christmas Carol” will take the stage, but it will have a unique twist. With a nod to the radio plays of the 1940’s, a small group of actors will perform a radio play of the Dickens classic, complete with the Foley artist, whose job is to create the play’s sound effects.

“It’s a very endearing, fun, and exciting performance – a great way to see an old classic,” Holloway said.

 

CLICK PLAY!

 

The Local Skinny! Clayton Homes Of Oxford Supports KidsCan! At Duke Cancer Institute

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Clayton Oxford is known as #929 in the larger corporate family that is Clayton Homes, so what better day than Sept. 29 – 9/29 – to kick off the local manufacturer’s monthlong fundraising effort called Pink October?

One long table in the breakroom at the Knotts Grove Road plant was filled Thursday with all sorts of sweets for the first of several events of Pink October. Sandra Santos, Clayton Oxford’s team member experience manager, said the bake sale would probably earn close to $400 toward a $20,000 goal. Add that to $3,700 from “Stronger Together” t-shirt sales, and they’re about a fifth of the way there. And it isn’t even October yet.

Santos said other events will be held throughout the month – hotdog lunch fundraisers, 50/50 raffles and a carnival closer to Halloween are just a few of the fun things planned.

Clayton Oxford raises money each year for Duke Cancer Institute, Santos said. The roughly 220 team members had no problem meeting last year’s goal of $15,000, and Santos predicts this year will be no different.

On hand for Thursday’s kickoff event was Kristy E. Sartin, director of external relations for Duke Supportive Care and Survivorship Center. Sartin’s program is part of the umbrella organization that is Duke Cancer Institute, which provides a range of services – at no cost – to cancer patients and their families.

Leslie Dixon, a customer care advocate for Clayton Oxford, is one such patient.

Dixon was diagnosed with melanoma in late 2020, and she said she received “amazing care” not only from her medical team but also from the folks at Duke Cancer Institute. The KidsCan! Program helped her young son process his mom’s diagnosis, treatment and prognosis.

“KidsCan! helped with counseling and tutoring for my son, who was 10 at the time of my diagnosis,” Dixon said Thursday. The support he received from KidsCan! gave him a different outlook on cancer, she said.

“KidsCan! gave him an outlet and access to therapists for counseling,” Dixon said. And, he realized “they can also help me get my math grade back up,” she added.

“KidsCan! is a great program,” Santos said, “that provides support for children and teenagers…who can share their concerns and be treated with love and respect.”

Dixon said that during her six years at Clayton Oxford, there have been a number of fellow employees who have gotten a cancer diagnosis. They all went to Duke for their treatment, so it’s easy to support programs like the Duke Cancer Institute and KidsCan! because those programs have helped their friends and fellow team members.

“We’re part of a wonderful company,” Santos said. One of their core values is Do Good. And Pink October fits perfectly with that value, she said. “We do it and we serve our community in this way. We do good because it is good for everybody.”

To learn more, visit http://www.dukecancerinstitute.org/ and click Supportive Care.

CLICK PLAY!

Vance Vipers Defeated Carrboro Thursday Night 54-0

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Vance County High School’s varsity home football game against Carrboro High School was moved to Thursday, September 29th due to weather concerns.

The Vipers won 54 – 0.