The Local Skinny! Vance County Schools Receives Awards

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For the third year in a row, Vance County Schools has brought home top honors for excellence in school communications, presented to school districts by the N.C. School Public Relations Association.

VCS earned a total of 16 Blue Ribbon awards for outstanding and effective

school public relations, according to information from Aarika Sandlin, VCS director of communication and marketing. The local school district was one of 38 to receive honors at the ceremony held Friday, Feb. 10 in High Point.

“Vance County Schools was recognized in every Blue Ribbon Award category for exemplary work,” Sandlin said in a press statement. “This recognition is an honor for our entire district, as well as a testament to the hard work of our team and the collaboration between departments on a daily basis.”

One of its five gold awards came in the Marketing category and the entry “Center for Innovation: The Hub of Our Community” received a perfect score.

The other four gold award categories and their winning entries were:

  • Photography – Superintendent Bennett Reads Across the District
  • Electronic Media – Moving Forward in our Strategic Plan
  • Special Events and Programs – Business After Hours
  • Digital Media Engagement – Alumni Roll Call: Homecoming 2022

VCS received five silver awards in the following categories:

  • Special Events and Programs – Arts Alive 2022
  • Special Events and Programs – Honoring our Community Partnerships
  • Digital Media and Engagement – New Principal Announcements for the 2022-2023 School Year
  • Photography – Play hard. Laugh louder. Love bigger.
  • Publications- Visual Identity Across the District

VCS received six bronze awards in the following categories:

  • Excellence in Writing – Growing through Accountability
  • Image and Graphic Design – Vance County Schools: A Quick Glimpse
  • Image and Graphic Design – In the Know on the Road
  • Electronic Media: Polly C – A Unique Look at Policies
  • Special Events and Programs – Honoring Wayne Adcock: Auditorium Dedication

Representing Vance County Schools for NCSPRA, in addition to Sandlin, are Brielle Barrow, communications coordinator; Dr. Destiney Ross-Putney, executive director of the Center for Innovation; and Kristen Jeffreys, digital learning and innovation specialist. NCSPRA is a statewide professional organization serving more than 175 members. Its mission is to build support for public education through well-planned and responsible public relations. For more information, visit www.ncspra.org.

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Cooperative Extension with Wayne Rowland: Woodscaping Woodlands

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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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TownTalk: Foundation Continues The Work Of Mary Emma Evans

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If her mother were still alive, Phyllis Evans said she would not be giving high marks to the city – or to its residents – for its level of cleanliness.

But a foundation named for the late Mary Emma Evans is trying to do its part to make things better and cleaner in Henderson, one litter sweep at the time.

Mary Emma Evans served the South Henderson area as a Ward 1 representative on the Henderson City Council. She died in 2011, and the same year family members formed a foundation to keep her memory alive.

Daughter Phyllis and granddaughter Phylicia spoke with John C. Rose on Monday’s TownTalk to provide an update on what the foundation has been doing and continues to do in her name.

“I know Mama is shaking her head,” Phyllis said, on the condition of many city roadsides that she sees strewn with litter.

Although she and a cousin routinely venture out along roadsides in South Henderson to clean up, the foundation sponsored a cleanup day in late January to come out in force to make a difference. Couldn’t make it to the January cleanup date? Not to worry – they plan quarterly cleanups along the portion of Dabney Road by Aldi’s, extending toward Hicksboro Road near St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church. That is the stretch of road that will be designated by NC DOT for the Mary Emma Evans Foundation’s Adopt-A-Highway sign.

Evans’s mother championed, among other things, the efforts of the Clean Up Henderson Committee, during her time on the City Council. “I know my mom would be happy to see our city clean,” Phyllis said.

But the foundation also extends its work to caring for the people that live in the community, too, and it has partnered with other community agencies on various outreach projects over the years.

Now, however, they’ve got their own community basketball team that practices a couple of times a week.

Phylicia said there are probably 50 or more youth that live in the South Henderson area who can walk to the outdoor courts at the former Salvation Army facility.

“They walk to the courts, Phyllis said, “or they’ll meet us at the foundation site on Alexander Avenue and we’ll transport them.” They practice on Wednesdays now at the Henderson Family Y and on Sundays at Aycock Recreation Center.

There may be a dozen or more who show up for practice, but Phyllis said even if there were more, the foundation would find a way to transport them all.

Partnerships strengthen a community, and Phyllis said her mother would be proud of what is being done in her name.

“We’re coming together with love,” she said, adding that Henderson is a beautiful place to live.

She just wants to keep it beautiful – to honor her mother’s memory and for others to have a sense of pride about where they live, work and play.

“We know that’s what mom would want us to do,” she said.

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The Local Skinny! Dogs Deserve Better To Hold Quarter Auction

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“Dogs Deserve Better Piedmont” is sponsoring its 3rd annual “Puppy Love” Quarter Auction later this month at The Barn at Vino in Stem.

This chapter of the nonprofit organization is based in Granville County, and it serves neighboring counties including Vance, Person, Wake and Franklin. Lucy Poynton joined WIZS’s Bill Harris Monday to launch a new segment of The Local Skinny! Called “Pets and People.”

The doors open at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 25, Poynton said. There will be food trucks and vendors on hand in advance of the 7 p.m. auction start.

Tickets are $10, but if you’re interested in attending, don’t wait – 80 percent of the tickets have already been sold.

Poynton said she and her small band of volunteers have been working for the past 3 ½ years or so to help get dogs off tethers.

“We’d drive around and see a lot of outdoor, chained dogs,” she said. The money the group raises pays for materials to construct 10-foot by 20-foot kennels for the dogs, and other items like dog houses, straw for winter bedding and flea and tick collars.

She estimates that the organization has “unchained” close to 140 dogs, distributed hundreds of flea/tick collars and helped with urgent vet care, including spay/neuter, for 65 animals.

They occasionally will help provide spay/neuter services for cats as well, although the focus is on providing items for dogs – from kennels to toys – “anything to make their life a little better.”

The Barn at Vino is located at 3200 Bliss Trail, Stem, NC 27581.

Contact dddpiedmont@dogsdeservebetter.org to learn more

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Kittrell Man Sentenced In 2019 Bank Robberies

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A Kittrell man has been sentenced to more than 15 years in prison for his role in two bank robberies in 2019.

Stanley Kearney Jr., 27, was sentenced to 190 months earlier this week, according to information from the office of Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina.

The SunTrust bank on Creedmoor Road in Raleigh was robbed at gunpoint by four men on Dec. 6, 2019, according to court records and other information. The men left the bank with $11,578. Witnesses saw the suspects fleeing he scene in a white Hyundai Elantra.

Then, on Dec. 30, a Greenville, N.C. Branch Banking & Trust was robbed at gunpoint by three men. They took $72,853, according to a press statement from Easley’s office, and also left in a white Hyundai Elantra.

Kearney was stopped on Jan. 10, 2020, for unrelated traffic violations and attempted to flee from law enforcement. In an interview with law enforcement, Kearney admitted to committing the SunTrust and BB&T bank robberies. Co-defendants Clifton Harris, Cameron Evans and Joshua Bailey also pled guilty. Harris was sentenced to 81 months. Evans and Bailey are awaiting sentencing.

Easley’s office made the announcement after sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II. The Davie County Sheriff’s Department, as well as the Raleigh, Greenville and Mebane police departments and Federal Bureau of Investigation all assisted in the investigation of the case.

Ready, Set, Go! Hot Sauce Vendors Can Sign Up Beginning Feb. 15

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Are you ready for some hot sauce? Vendor applications will go live next week as the City of Oxford gears up for the 17th annual NC Hot Sauce Festival, set for Saturday, Sept. 9, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

All applications and payments will be processed online, according to information from Alyssa Blair, Oxford’s downtown development and Main Street director.

The official online kickoff for early-bird registration is Wednesday, Feb. 15 and will continue through June 30; regular registration is July 1-Aug. 1. The deadline to submit an application is Aug. 1, but waitlist applications will be accepted until Sept. 1.

Stay up-to-date on all the latest information at Hot Sauce Facebook page.

Warren Co. Emergency Services Offers Training On A Variety Of Life-Saving Techniques

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Warren County Emergency Services will sponsor a day of training for anyone in the community who wants to learn how more about life-saving techniques, from CPR to Narcan.

The classes will repeat each hour throughout the day on Friday, Feb. 24, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Chris Tucker will teach:

  • CPR basics
  • Proper use of an AED (automated external defibrillator)
  • How to administer Narcan in the event of an opioid overdose
  • Proper use of a “Stop the Bleed” kit

 

The training will take place at Warren County Emergency Services, located at 890 U.S. Hwy 158 bypass, Warrenton.

To learn more, contact Tucker at 252.257.1191 or by email at christucker@warrencountync.gov.

Granville CTE Students Have Internship Opportunities

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One of the ways that Granville County Public Schools is observing CTE Month in its district is by sharing information about internships that give students job experience while earning high school credit.

During the internship period, students gain experiences and skills that promote their learning and skill set related to a career or a career pathway, according to GCPS Public Information Officer Dr. Stan Winborne.

Interns must complete 120 hours to earn the credit, but they gain so much more – from observing and participating in the daily operations of the business to having unique access to particular careers and performing specific job tasks related to the business.

The teacher, student and the business community jointly formulate the details of the internships, which can be paid or unpaid, Winborne noted.

Oxford Parks and Recreation has had interns in the past, and Director Tina Cheek said it’s been a positive experience.

“Our past interns have allowed us opportunities to train and teach new skills as well as share experiences within the department. Interns allow us the opportunity to gain a fresh perspective on things we do every day. Hosting an intern is definitely a win-win,” Cheek stated.

Students get to develop those “real-world” skills that employers find desirable: time management, perseverance, problem-solving and teamwork, just to name a few.

Sound good?

To be eligible for an internship opportunity, a student must be a CTE concentrator – which means having successfully completed a second-level CTE course in a career pathway. Students can obtain their own internship site or they can ask for assistance from their CTE teacher or from GCPS Career Development Coordinator Tamara Rodebaugh.

Business leaders who would like to join the internship program can contact Rodebaugh at rodebaughtw@gcs.k12.nc.us.

3 Granville Residents Charged In Marijuana Growing Operation

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Three people face felony charges after state and local law enforcement officials executed search warrants and seized marijuana, liquid THC, non-tax paid liquor and cash in Granville County late last month.

Personnel with the Granville County Sheriff’s Office and state ALE special agents seized more than 200 pounds of marijuana, more than 20 pounds of liquid THC, non-tax paid liquor and a large sum of cash on Jan. 26 as part of an investigation into an illegal outlet and marijuana growing operation along NC Hwy. 96, according to information from the N.C. Department of Public Safety’s Alcohol Law Enforcement division.

Dalton Huff and Alyssa Vaughn, both of Oxford, were charged with the illegal possession and possession for sale of alcoholic beverages as well as numerous other felony and misdemeanor offenses including manufacturing and trafficking of marijuana. Linda Huff, also of Oxford, was charged with felony conspiracy.