WIZS Radio Local News Audio 11-27-23 Noon
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Cooperative Extension with Wayne Rowland: Fall Planted Bulbs
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NCDOT Awards $3.5 Million Contract For Road Improvements in Franklin County; Work Begins Spring 2024
More than 21 miles of local roadway will be updated across Franklin County beginning next spring.
The N.C. Department of Transportation recently awarded the work to Carolina Sunrock LLC of Raleigh. The $3.5 million contract includes milling, resurfacing and reconstructing shoulders along portions of seven roads. Work should start in March 2024 and will be completed in October 2025.
The following roads are included in the project:
- C. 96 from U.S.1 to the Granville County Line
- S. 1 Alternate North/South Main Street from just east of U.S.1 to south of N.C. 56
- Ronald Tharrington Road from N.C.56 to Seven Paths Road
- Allen Road from N.C. 561 to Leonard Road
- Tarboro Road/East Main Street from U.S. 401 to Youngsville
- East Jewett Avenue/Baptist Church Road from Sledge Road to N.C. 39
- East Main Street in downtown Youngsville
Granville Commissioners Makes Changes To Land Development Code
Information courtesy of Granville County Public Information Officer Terry Hobgood
The Granville County Board of Commissioners has approved changes to the county’s Land Development Code that increases minimum lot sizes of “rural cluster” subdivisions.
During its meeting on Monday, Nov 20, the commissioners continued a public hearing that had begun on Oct. 16, according to information from Granville County Public Information Officer Terry Hobgood.
After hearing input from the public, as well as from county planning and zoning staff, the board unanimously approved changes to the plan, which more than doubles the minimum lot size requirement – to 40,000 square feet from the previous 12,000 square feet.
In addition, the minimum lot width is increased to 80 feet from 60 feet and the street and side setbacks are now 50 feet and 15 feet, respectively – up from the previous 25 feet and 7.5 feet).
This change doesn’t affect existing regulations for conventional major subdivisions, family subdivisions or minor subdivisions, which is defined as a subdivision with fewer than 10 lots.
Elevated Lead Levels Found In Two Recent County Water Samples
Some county water customers may find some information in their upcoming water bills letting them know that some recent samples have tested high for lead.
The Vance County Board of Commissioners heard from Special Projects Coordinator Frankie Nobles during the Monday work session, who outlined the next steps required to address the violation. The county must comply with nine steps set out by the N.C. Division of Enviornmental Quality in a report Nobles received on Nov. 2.
He singled out two locations, one on Warrenton Road and one on Vicksboro Road, that were found to be at .030 MG/L (milligrams per liter) – double allowable threshold of .015 MG/L.
“It’s not a concern that’s affected our whole system,” Nobles told commissioners.
Vance County Manager Renee Perry said that, in addition to informing the public in a variety of ways about the levels, Envirolink – the county’s contracted water department – would perform more sampling to determine the source of the lead.
In an email to WIZS News Wednesday, Perry said the county has to perform a lead inventory to identify all the existing piping that contain elements with lead in it, and therefore need replacing. Pipe replacement is not part of Envirolink’s activities, she said.
There could be several possible causes, she said, including the source of water, the distribution system (material with lead components) and the sample point itself.
“Due the monitoring results, the lead was not detected in the majority of the sites, so we can conclude that neither the water source, nor the distribution system have these implications,” she said, which means the community is not exposed to a potentially harmful situation.
Perry said that once additional samples are analyzed, the county will get the results and send to the affected locations a consumer notice of lead tap water results.
Warren Farmers Market Gets $500,000 Grant To Build Pavilion On Former Fairground Property
The Warren County Farmers Market is closer to becoming a reality, thanks to a $500,000 grant from the Tobacco Trust Fund.
Danylu Hundley, chairperson of the Warren County Growers Association, said when the county incorporated into its strategic plan having a permanent home for the county’s only farmers market, it was a game-changer.
“I was on the committee that was formed to seek funding for a permanent structure for the farmers market,” Hundley said in a recent telephone interview.
This 20-member committee divided itself into three subcommittees, and Hundley chaired the funding subcommittee. The other subcommittees looked into finding a location for the local market, as well as types of structures that other markets use.
Warren County got $300,000 from the N.C. Department of Commerce’s distribution of American Rescue Plan funds in July 2022, which was used to purchase the Warren County Agriculture Fairgrounds.
Hundley said having a site for a farmers market made their application to the Tobacco Trust Fund more attractive. “I’ve been in touch with the Tobacco Trust Fund for years,” Hundley explained. “The sticking point was we didn’t own any property.”
This property provides plenty of space for parking and for the proposed 9,000 square foot structure, which most likely will be a pavilion-style building – open sides with a deep overhang to allow vendors protection from the elements.
According to information on the Tobacco Trust Fund website, the permanent area will also provide an office for creating a new farmers market manager.
The open-air pavilion with attached indoor space will allow for COVID-safe practices in the future.
The farmers market has been located in several different locations, including bank parking lots to, most recently, the Warren County Health Department.
Hundley said Warren County Manager Vincent Jones suggested the market set up shop at the health department. “It was the first time we ever really thought about growing,” she said. “We were able to see that with more space, we could have more vendors,” Hundley added.
Having a permanent location will help vendors and customers as well. In addition to being able to use EBT to purchase local produce, meat, eggs and more, the market facility will be used to host health education events such as cooking classes, weight management activities and gardening sessions.
“Warren County has a rich agrarian history that we are proud of,’ said Jones, adding that the farmers market “will allow small to large farmers a market for their goods and provide our residents and neighbors with locally grown, fresh food that lessens the impact of food deserts in some areas.
The county also intends to reactivate the former fairgrounds space for community use including private events, public gatherings, festivals, and other community-oriented activities.
“A well-developed market can also serve as a tourism draw, as well. The recent holiday market saw over 500 visitors to the market in the heart of the town of Warrenton. We think this only means positive things to come,” Jones said.
Paul McKenzie, interim director of the Warren County Cooperative Extension, said the committee has been working for about 18 months to make the dream a reality.
“We’ve had great support from the county manager (and) county commissioners,” McKenzie said. “We’ve had great support all along.”
For Hundley, it’s important to have a farmers market close to where the produce comes from. “We live in a farming community,” she said.
Henderson Police Arrest Two On Drug Charges; Heroin, Cocaine, Marijuana, Oxycodone Seized At Local Motel
Henderson police arrested two individuals on a variety of drug charges including manufacturing cocaine and trafficking heroin Tuesday at a local motel.
After serving a narcotics search warrant at the “121” Motel, Room 232, located at 197 Parham Rd., officers of the Henderson Police Department approximately 450 dosage units of heroin, 12.9 grams of marijuana, 14.7 grams of cocaine, 38 Suboxone Strips, oxycodone, drug manufacturing equipment, $1,512 in U.S. currency, and one semi-automatic pistol, according to information from Henderson Police Chief Marcus Barrow.
Arrested were Devon Blake Rhodes, 27 and Dylaney Darnes, 21, Barrow stated.
Both Devon Rhodes and Dylaney Darnes each were charged with:
- two counts of trafficking heroin
- two counts of maintaining a dwelling place for a controlled substance
- possession with intent to manufacture, sell, deliver heroin
- possession with intent to manufacture, sell, deliver cocaine
- possession with intent to manufacture, sell, deliver Schedule II
- possession with intent to manufacture, sell, deliver Schedule III
- possession with intent to manufacture, sell, deliver marijuana
- manufacture cocaine
- possession of drug paraphernalia
- possession of drug paraphernalia not marijuana
Rhodes received an additional charge of possession of firearm by a felon. Both were remanded to the Vance County Detention Center. Darnes received a $580,000 secured bond; Rhodes received no bond due to being on pre-trial release.
Chamber “Shop With A Cop” Fundraiser Nets $15,000
The Shop With A Cop fundraiser sponsored by the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce was a huge success, and Chamber President Sandra Wilkerson said law enforcement officers and first responders were going to have about $15,000 to spend on their upcoming shopping spree with area youngsters.
A celebratory reception held last week for all the sponsors went great, Wilkerson said Monday. About 100 people attended the event, which included a 50/50 raffle. Between the proceeds of the raffle and a couple of last-minute sponsors, Wilkerson said the fundraiser exceeded her initial expectations of $11,000.
According to Wilkerson, Barrow commented that it’s the most money he’s heard any program in the area getting for a Christmas shopping program.
The shopping spree will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Dec. 19 at the Walmart in Henderson.
Rebuild Communities NC Teams Up With AARP To Host Computer Classes Beginning Dec. 5
Join Rebuild Communities NC at Perry Memorial Library for a Digital Skills Ready@50+ program to learn more about navigating an increasingly digital world.
Rebuild Communities NC is again partnering with AARP’s Senior Planet to help senior adults learn more online skills.
Whether you want to learn how to participate in a Zoom call or host your own, the classes will have something for anyone interested in honing their computer application skills.
Classes are Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the library’s Farm Bureau Room.
Whether you’re hoping to stay connected with family and friends, interested in learning new technologies, exploring entrepreneurship, or looking for a job, the classes offer trainings technologies like video conferencing and accessing online job search.
The first two classes – Tuesday, Dec. 5 and Thursday, Dec. 7 – will discuss using Zoom.
On Tuesday, Dec. 12, the topic will be “Exploring & Downloading Apps;” the topic for Thursday, Dec. 14 is a lecture on Cloud Storage.
The classes will resume in January.
TownTalk: Jimmy Sidberry Explains Insurance Options During Annual Enrollment Period
The adage “One size does not fit all” is especially true for insurance coverage, a point to which local insurance representative Jimmy Sidberry can attest.
“This is my season,” Sidberry said on Tuesday’s TownTalk with guest host Steve Lewis, referring to the annual enrollment period open now through Dec. 7.
The annual enrollment period is a time for Medicare beneficiaries to take a look at their existing plans and make sure they’re still getting the best deal for their situation.
As Sidberry, with The Health Insurance Store on Dabney Drive explained it, Medicare is a federal insurance that pays 80 percent of a plan for people over 65. Medicaid is a state plan that helps low-income people pay that 20 percent not covered by Medicare.
Medicare is for people over 65 and for people under 65 with certain disabilities.
There are Medicare Advantage plans that provide coverage for extras like dental and vision, Sidberry said.
The main thing that Sidberry said people approaching Medicare age should remember is this: Apply during the all-important window before your 65th birthday and no later than two months after. “If you wait, you can run into penalties,” he said. Penalties that won’t go away.
Same with prescription drug plans. The federal government requires beneficiaries to select a drug plan.
Beneficiaries who follow all the guidelines and meet all the deadlines have options before committing to a yearlong plan, Sidberry said. The open enrollment period runs between Jan. 1 and March 31.
“If a plan isn’t working for you, talk with your agent during the open enrollment period,” Sidberry suggested.
Want to learn more? Contact Sidberry at 919.500.9648.
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