Donate Blood In August, Get $10 To See A Movie

/by

There are several blood donation clinics popping up in the area through the end of the month, and the American Red Cross has issued an appeal to donors to help keep hospital shelves stocked with lifesaving blood products.

Right now, the Red Cross especially needs type O negative, type O positive, type B negative and type A negative blood donors, as well as platelet donors.

Don’t know your blood type? Making a donation is an easy way to find out. The Red Cross will notify new donors of their blood type soon after they give.

Just to sweeten the pot, everyone who comes to give during August will get a $10 e-gift card to use at a movie merchant of their choice.

Find details at RedCrossBlood.org/Movie.

Schedule an appointment to give by downloading the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

Here’s a list of upcoming blood donation clinics in the area:

Vance

Henderson

8/30/2023: 10 a.m. – 2:30 p.m., Maria Parham Health, 566 Ruin Creek Rd.

Franklin

Franklinton

8/31/2023: 1 p.m. – 5:30 p.m., Solid Rock Bible Way, 2 Risen Way

Granville

Butner

8/23/2023: 12 p.m. – 4:30 p.m., Butner Town Hall, 415 Central Ave.

Dr. Wykia Macon New CED At Vance Cooperative Extension Center

/by

Vance County native Dr. Wykia Macon has been chosen to be the director of the Vance County Cooperative Extension.

Macon has been the county’s 4-H agent since July 2020, and began her new role as cooperative extension director just a couple of weeks ago on Aug. 1.

“I am excited to support Cooperative Extension as we bring more relevant and useful programs that will benefit the community,” Macon stated in a press release. “I am very grateful for this opportunity and I look forward to further serving the community of Vance County in this capacity.

She is a 2005 graduate of Southern Vance High School, and earned a bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies from UNC-Chapel Hill.

Learn more about Macon’s commitment to her community, her work with the Peace Corps and her vision for how cooperative extension can work within the county on Monday, when she will be the featured guest on TownTalk. Tune in at 11 a.m. or listen to the podcast later.

Sewer Line Project To Detour Traffic Along Oxford’s Hillsboro Street

/by

Oxford drivers are reminded to pack a little patience as they maneuver around a downtown detour that will be in place in the upcoming weeks.

According to information from City of Oxford Communications Specialist Sabrina Richards, H.G. Reynolds Co. will be installing sewer lines along a portion of Hillsboro Street, making a detour necessary.

The work will be conducted from Lewis Street to MLK/ Broad Street. There will be barricades at Lewis/West Spring Street, Orange Street, Granville Street, Hillsboro/Broad Street and then in one lane at Hillsboro/ West Spring Street to block traffic headed into town.

The detour will only be up during working hours from Monday through Thursday, stretching into Fridays if inclement weather delays work.

The barricades will be removed at the end of each workday for two-way traffic to resume.

There was no word on how long the detour will be in place or how long this part of the sewer line installation will take.

VGCC Logo

Franklin County’s Novozymes Endows VGCC Scholarship

/by
  • information courtesy of VGCC Public Information Officer Courtney Cissel

A global biotech company with a facility in Franklin County has endowed a new scholarship at Vance-Granville Community College.

Novozymes and VGCC recently announced the $15,000 gift, which currently could be up to $500 based on the level of investment income generated. Current VGCC students or newly enrolled students are eligible to receive the scholarship award based on their academic achievement.

“This scholarship presents another wonderful opportunity to expand resources that will allow us to educate, inspire, and support a diverse community of learners to achieve professional and personal success,” stated Tanya Weary, VGCC Foundation executive director.

Darren Alfano, head of People & Organization for Novozymes North America, made the presentation to VGCC President Dr. Rachel Desmarais, Weary and other school officials during a recent visit to the VGCC Franklin Campus

“The biotechnology industry is growing at a record pace as biosolutions continue to be developed for more applications every day,” Alfano commented. “From the food you eat to the clothes you wear, biosolutions are part of all of our daily lives. We are excited to partner with Vance-Granville Community College in providing high quality education to the future biotech workforce in our local communities.”

Considered a world leader in their field, Novozymes’ biosolutions enable everything from more drought-tolerant crops to cold water laundry washing to advancements in renewable energy. The company has expanded to serve 30-plus industries across 130 markets with enzymatic, microbial, advanced protein and digital solutions.

While the roots of international parent organization Novo Group reach back a century to the 1920s, Novozymes has had a presence in Franklin County since 1979, when the company arrived in North Carolina to establish its North America headquarters along with a manufacturing plant in Franklinton. Novozymes quickly formed a relationship with Vance-Granville Community College when the college’s Franklin Campus opened at its current location, and the company was instrumental in the construction of the campus’s biotech lab in 2001.

The VGCC Foundation offers over 300 endowments for scholarships VGCC students—more endowed scholarships than any other program of its kind in North Carolina. Scholarships have been endowed by numerous individuals, industries, businesses, civic groups, and churches, as well as the college’s faculty and staff. Tax-deductible donations to the VGCC Foundation have often been used to honor a person, group, business, or industry with a lasting gift to education. For more information, call 252.738.3409.

Warren County Native Serves In U.S. Navy

/by
    

  • Information courtesy of Navy Office of Community Outreach

A Warren County native serves as master-at-arms for the U.S. Navy in Pearl Harbor and has stated that the lessons he learned growing up in rural North Carolina have helped him throughout his 20-year career.

Chief Petty Officer Michael Atkins, of Littleton, is assigned to Commander Naval Surface Group Middle Pacific operating out of Pearl Harbor.

“I joined the Navy because of a family tradition of service,” Atkins said in a press statement from the Navy’s office of Community Outreach.

Atkins, a 1997 graduate of Warren County High School, said he is proud to help others succeed in their careers and in life. “Being a part of an organization like the Navy is not about an individual, it is a team effort.”

“I come from a small town and we had a lot of respect for others and treating others how you want to be treated,” he said.

“Each of our sailors is an ambassador for the United States,” Atkins said, “whether they are the most junior seaman or an admiral.”

Atkins and the sailors he serves with have many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during their military service.

As Atkins and other sailors continue to train and perform missions, they take pride in serving their country in the U.S. Navy.

“To me, serving in the Navy means carrying on a tradition of our nation’s history that goes back hundreds of years and I am now part of that history,” said Atkinss.

Atkins is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.

“I would like to thank my parents, Charles and Linda, my wife, Maria, daughter, Natasha, and countless mentors and service members I have served with for supporting me and giving me guidance along my career,” added Atkins.

With 90 percent of global commerce traveling by sea and access to the Internet relying on the security of undersea fiber optic cables, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity of the United States is directly linked to trained sailors and a strong Navy.

“Our mission remains timeless – to provide our fellow citizens with nothing less than the very best Navy: fully combat-ready at all times, focused on warfighting excellence, and committed to superior leadership at every single level,” said Adm. Mike Gilday, chief of Naval Operations. “This is our calling. And I cannot imagine a calling more worthy.”

SportsTalk: Hunt Prepares Eagles For Football

/by

The Warren County High School Eagles’ progress as a football team can be easily traced by looking at the number of wins over the last three years. Two, four and, last season, seven. Those seven wins last year put the Eagles in the state high school playoffs.  Victor Hunt, Head Football Coach and Athletic Director at Warren County, points out that those seven wins came with a struggle: overcoming an injury bug. “We were down to a fourth string running back,” Hunt said on Thursday’s SportsTalk.  The injuries caused Warren County to get off to a slow start last year and put players who were not ready to play on the field. Hunt hopes that experience along with many returning players from last year will mean that the Eagles can improve on last year’s playoff team.

Warren County kicks off their season on Friday, August 18th against Vance County in Henderson.  “It’s a rivalry game. The loss last year haunts us.  It really hurt and it really stung, ” Hunt said of the last minute Vance County win.

He has 47 players on the roster this season and is pleased with the number of kids who have turned out. “Winning helps but it has a lot to do with what is going on culturally at the school,” Hunt said about athletic participation.

As athletic director, Hunt has also kept things moving along for volleyball and cross country.  The Eagles’ volleyball team has back to back conference championships and Hunt is looking for a threepeat in that sport.  Last year also saw the cross country team bring their first conference championship back to Warren County High School as well.

You can hear the matchup between Warren County and Vance County here on WIZS beginning at 6:50pm Friday, August 18th.

CLICK PLAY!

 

The Local Skinny! Pop The Hood: Air Filters

/by

 

— For our sponsor, Advance Auto Parts, as part of a paid radio sponsorship on WIZS.

Air filters play a vital role in preventing dirt, grit and other impurities from fouling vehicle engines. In the old days, the air filter casing was pretty easy to spot: it was round like a donut and sat right up there on top in a housing that resembles a frying pan.

At least that’s how WIZS co-host John Stevenson said he describes it. These days, however, an air filter is likely found in a rectangular housing near the inside of one of the fenders.Stevenson and colleague Bill Harris discussed the finer points of air filters on the Pop the Hood segment of The Local Skinny!

Let the folks at Advance Auto Parts help you figure out the right type for your make and model.

With just a few bits of information – make, model, year and/or the VIN – the staff at Advance Auto can help you determine the exact type of filter you need.

The air filter should be changed annually – more often, though, if you drive along dusty areas like gravel roads or other places that kicks up dirt.

A clogged air filter can affect your vehicle’s overall performance, Stevenson said.

“It can affect your gas mileage and could throw a check engine light,” he said.

And if your vehicle rolled off the assembly line earlier than 1989, don’t go looking for its cabin air filter – they were first introduced in 1989.

 

The information contained in this post is not advice from Advance Auto Parts or WIZS.  Safety First!  Always seek proper help.  This is presented for its informational value on and is part of a paid advertising sponsorship.

 

CLICK PLAY!

 

TownTalk: Way To Grow Festival Is This Saturday

/by

The Way to GROW festival unfolds this weekend in downtown Henderson, putting the crowning touch on a week of activities to promote entrepreneurship in the community.

Heather Joi Kenney, president of Gateway CDC, is expecting more than 50 vendors to set up shop along Garnett Street, as well as along Breckenridge Street, as part of the celebration.

There will be plenty of vendors on site, serving up food and beverages and more. Two DJs are providing music throughout the day and several groups will perform live during the afternoon. Real Entertainment, based in Henderson, takes the stage first, followed by Jim Quick & Coastline and The Queen’s Court of Charlotte, who will entertain the crowd through the afternoon.

Hosting the festival is Vance County native Chanel Scott, herself an entrepreneur who is an author and FOX Soul talk show host.

The event is a way to showcase local businesses, but Kenney said it’s also a way to show off downtown Henderson.

“It draws people in and shines a light on downtown,” she said. The downtown district has plenty of room for future entrepreneurs to open up their business ventures. “Henderson can become an entrepreneurship hub,” Kenney mused.

“At first, it was just going to be a stand-alone festival,” Kenney said on Thursday’s TownTalk. But she took an idea from a local bank representative and created a weeklong series of workshops for new business owners and for others who are interested in learning starting their own business.

About 30 entrepreneurs have attended the workshops over the course of the week, representing a wide range of businesses – from restaurants and boutique clothing to women farmers and medical billing.

Just as with entrepreneurship, planning a street festival requires lots of planning, creativity and support. Kenney said city officials have been helpful during the planning process since the idea for the festival first germinated.

With a grant from NC IDEA to support businesses in underserved, low-income communities, Kenney and fellow organizer Tracy Mosley from Helping All People Succeed, the festival has moved from the planning stage to the moment everyone’s been waiting for: Festival Day.

Kenney emphasizes that Way to GROW is for the entire community.

“This festival is for all members of the community,” she said. “Henderson needs this,” she continued. “We plan to continue it into the future.”

 

CLICK PLAY!

 

 

Local Businesses Invited To Show Up, Cheer On VCS Educators At Aug. 22 Convocation

/by

The Vance County Chamber of Commerce invites local businesses to turn out for the back-to-school Convocation planned for Tuesday, Aug. 22 for Vance County Schools educators.

Chamber President Sandra Wilkerson said it’s a fun celebration and an opportunity to show support for teachers as they come together in advance of the first day of class for traditional-calendar students on Monday, Aug. 28.

According to school officials, teachers will arrive by bus between 7:45 a.m. and 8:30 a.m., and all community “cheerleaders” can line the entrance to McGregor Hall to provide well wishes for a successful school year.

It’d be cool to see some of those familiar business mascots, too – yep, we’re talking to you, Pete the Cat, Chick-fil-A cow, Sparky the Dog and Mikey the Shark…are there others?