Golden Leaf Scholarship Application Period Open Now For 2024-25

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Applications are being accepted now for the 2024-25 Golden LEAF Colleges and Universities scholarships, which assists incoming college freshmen and transfer students pay for school.

There are more than 200 scholarships that will be awarded, according to information from the office of N.C. Rep. Frank Sossamon, whose District 32 includes Vance and most of Granville counties. Students in both counties are eligible to apply based on criteria that include being rural counties, economically distressed and tobacco dependent.

The scholarships could be as much as $14,000 – that breaks down to $3,500 a year for four years – for incoming freshmen attending a North Carolina college or university. Students transferring from a N.C. community college can get $3,500 a year for up to three years.

Students must be a graduating North Carolina high school senior or a currently enrolled North Carolina community college transfer student, enrolling full-time in the fall 2024 semester at a participating North Carolina public or private college or university. If a student intends to return to a rural North Carolina county after graduation, this can increase his or her chances of earning the scholarship.

Applicants must fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and demonstrate financial need as determined by the application process; have a cumulative GPA of no less than 2.5; and be a resident of a rural North Carolina county that is economically distressed and/or tobacco dependent.

For more information, visit CFNC.org or scholars.goldenleaf.org/apply/colleges-and-universities/.

Study: McGregor Hall Huge Boost For City’s Economic Health

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As McGregor Hall gears up for another jam-packed season of concerts, plays and more, its Executive Director Mark Hopper knows that a well-attended event at the downtown venue creates a big ripple effect felt throughout the city.

And Hopper has a study to back him up.

Well, it’s in draft form, but the board got the initial results at the meeting earlier this week.

“The numbers that we see, so far, are very exciting,” Hopper said during Thursday’s segment of The Local Skinny.”

A previous economic impact study looked at a 12-month period during 2018-2019, and results indicated that McGregor Hall contributed just shy of $3 million to the city’s economy.

The most recent study looks at the 4-year period between 2019 and 2022 and it states that McGregor Hall contributed about $15.6 million during that time. And, Hopper reminded, two of those years the venue was shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

When folks come to a competition, show or concert in downtown Henderson, there’s a good chance that they’re going to find a restaurant or lodging, too, Hopper said.

Those meals and overnight stays add up over time and put more money in local businesses and tax revenues as well.

One revision Hopper and the board would like to see is a year-by-year breakdown so they can have a better idea of impact per year.

The study is looking only at McGregor Hall’s impact within the city limits, but Hopper said the county surely benefits as well and folks in the tourism department are always happy to talk up events at McGregor Hall.

“Pam (Hester) has been on our team since Day 1,” Hopper said. “She’s been a great advocate for us.”

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Coming up at the end of January, legendary beach music band The Tams will perform, followed by some beach music with a West Coast flavor when Sail On – The Beach Boys Tribute comes to town on Friday, Feb. 9.

McGregor Hall will host Contemporary Christian musician Michael W. Smith on Thursday, Mar. 7 at 7:30 p.m.

“This is a big one for us – we’re on his national tour,” Hopper said.

And comedian Karen Knotts will take the stage on Sunday, Mar. 17 for a matinee performance called “Tied Up In Knotts,” a time to entertain the audience with stories about her dad, Don Knotts.

Visit mcgregorhall.org for a complete schedule of events and to purchase tickets.

TownTalk: Around Old Granville Visits Watkins Township

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At just 10.5 square miles, the Watkins township is the smallest of the 38 townships located in the geographical area once known as Granville County. It was established in 1881 – the same year that Vance County was formed from the larger Granville County, but local historian Mark Pace said while it may lack in size, the Watkins township is rich in history.

Pace and WIZS co-host Bill Harris talked about the origins of the Watkins township, or Watkins “community,” as it often is referred to by locals on Thursday’s segment of TownTalk called Around Old Granville.

Perhaps the most famous person to come from Watkins township was Henry Plummer Cheatham, who was a Congressman during Reconstruction. He served from 1889-1893 and ran the Central Children’s Home in Oxford for 35 years.

“He kept that institution going during some dark times,” Pace said, “through the Depression and the Jim Crow era.”

Another individual who hailed from Watkins township was John Bullock Watkins, a nephew of the two men for whom the township is named.

Born in 1881, Watkins was a lumber contractor in the 1940’s during World War II. Pace said Watkins “disappeared” for a while, and rumor had it he was conducting secret government business.

Turns out, that business was in the state to our west. “He went to Oak Ridge, Tennessee and helped build the facilities where the atomic bomb was developed,” Pace said.

He died in 1949, but Pace said Watkins spent a lot of time writing down stories he’d heard from his grandmother. “A lot of what we know about history here” is because of Watkins’s writings. “He did a great service to history by writing down some of what he heard,” Pace said. Watkins died in 1949.

Today, there are about 500 folks who live in Watkins, which once had a post office, a store and a railroad depot. “The depot may still be standing as an outbuilding on a farm there, believe it or not,” Pace said.

There are two churches that have been around since the 1800’s – Hermon Methodist was built in 1853 and Rehoboth Baptist Church was built in 1883. There are homes still standing that are older than those churches – the Burroughs house, located near the fire department, was built in the 1840’s in the popular Greek Revival style of the period.

Hundreds of Union troops camped there after the Civil War ended in 1865 as they made their way back home as victors.

It was another war, however, that brought the Watkins township some notoriety, however briefly, Pace noted.

It was Dec. 1945 and World War II was raging in Europe. A U.S. plane flying out of the Washington, D.C. area, encountered trouble in the air and crashed in a tobacco field in Watkins, just across from the present-day neighborhood of Huntstone along Highway 158.

“It crashed in Huntstone and bounced over 158 and landed over in the field,” Pace said.

Everyone on board parachuted to safety, and one crew member who went knocking on a door for help “and he was met by a man with a shotgun asking whether he was a German paratrooper,” Pace said.

The incident was kept kind of hush-hush to maintain wartime security, and the military sent in a crew to clean up the debris from the crash. According to Pace, the farmer who tended the field said he “hit a scrap of metal” every once in a while.

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NCDOT

Washout Closes Section of Old NC 75 In Stem

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A section of Old North Carolina 75 near School Street in Stem washed out and will remain closed, according to a N.C. Department of Transportation press release, through late Thursday (01-18-2024).

Maintenance crews made the discovery and are “working to fix the problem and will reopen this section of Old North Carolina 75 as soon as possible.”

For a detour, drivers will use Otho Mangum, Lyon Station, and Brogden Roads.

Home And Garden Show

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Home and Garden Show

first line of body of wordpress is always — On the Home and Garden Show with Vance Co. Cooperative Ext.

  • What are your garden goals for 2024?
  • Construct frames for new raised beds. Many different options are available. Aim for a rooting depth of 10 inches.
  • When ordering seed check for disease resistant varieties.
  • Prep last year’s containers for spring planting.
  • Try growing a new vegetable that you haven’t grown before ex arugula
  • Invest in lightweight row covers so you’ll have the flexibility to plant early.
  • Check stored fruits and vegetables
  • Get a good quality grow light if you will be trying to start seeds indoors.
  • Check storage areas for mice.

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Democratic Party

Gubernatorial Candidate Josh Stein ‘Meet And Greet’ Set For Jan. 24 At Perry Memorial Library

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Gubernatorial candidate Josh Stein will visit Henderson on Wednesday, Jan. 24, according to information from local Democratic Party officials.

Bad weather forced Stein’s Jan. 9 visit to be cancelled, and Vance County Democratic Party Chair Angela Thornton said she’s thrilled that Stein and his team rescheduled.

In an email to WIZS News Wednesday, Thornton said scheduling conflicts sometime prevent candidates from visiting as many places as they’d like.

“When we received confirmation (that) Vance County was in the works for his visit, we were thrilled…and are even more thrilled…that they made an effort to reschedule so quickly,” she stated.

The community is invited to come to the meet and greet event, which will be held at Perry Memorial Library. The doors will open at 5 p.m. and the program will begin at 5:30 p.m.

 

NC DIT Survey To Collect Info About Internet Accessibility

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Granville County residents are being asked to take part in a survey about internet capabilities where they live and their accessibility to the internet with phones, computers, tablets and more.

Having reliable broadband internet continues to be an important factor facing communities across the state and nation, and Granville County is no exception.

“In an effort to bridge the digital divide and ensure that every resident of North Carolina has access to high-quality internet services, we have launched the North Carolina Broadband Survey,” according to information from the N.C. Department of Information Technology’s division of broadband and digital equity. The survey will help gather information about which areas throughout the region lack adequate internet access and high-speed connectivity, officials noted.

Access the survey at: https://ncsu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9EpNXtAhUn7IOQS

TownTalk: Rivera Douthit, Candidate For N.C. Lieutenant Governor

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The following is part of WIZS’s ongoing election coverage. The Mar. 5 primary is the lead-in to the November elections and WIZS strives to provide its listeners and readers with comprehensive coverage of local and state races.

Rivera Douthit is one of 10 Republican candidates who wants to be North Carolina’s next lieutenant governor.

Douthit was a guest on WIZS “TownTalk” Wednesday and talked via telephone about the election and what makes her the best candidate for the job.

She describes herself as a conservative Christian and, as such, a candidate who is passionate about issues like abortion, gun ownership and prayer in schools.

But she talked about veterans’ affairs, sex trafficking and the economy and said as lieutenant governor, she would work hard to make North Carolina a model for other states to emulate.

“I’m passionate, as a mom, about the children,” Douthit said. “I’d love to see the Bible and prayer back in schools,” she added. “That’s something I’d love to see happen.”

She said she would work to put safeguards in place to protect schoolchildren’s safety, but also wants children “learning accurate history.” She also said she wants to make sure there’s no pornography in school libraries.

She said she stands strong against abortion, adding that she would work to continue some of the forward momentum that the state has seen recently on that issue.

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Douthit grew up in Mooresville and lives there today, where she and her husband own a plumbing business. Her experience as a small business owner puts her in a good position to support small business needs.

“The economy is on everyone’s radar,” she said, calling herself “a capitalism type of woman.”

Before becoming a small business owner, Douthit said she was a critical care nurse. She stayed at home to raise children and then was called into the ministry. She said she looks at everything through a biblical lens.

“God called me to run” for office, Douthit stated. “I try to be obedient to what he asks me to do.” As she discerned running for office, Douthit said what she does not want to be is a politician; rather, she wants to “be someone who can influence people on his behalf.”

“Everything I do comes thru that lens of being intimately acquainted with the Lord.”

As lieutenant governor, Douthit said her role will be that of a bridge builder – one who presents her thoughts and ideas to both parties “and see if I can get us to meet somewhere in the middle.”

To learn more, visit rivera4nc.com.

SportsTalk: Alex Tharp Talks JF Webb Basketball

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Alex Tharp, J.F. Webb head basketball coach, discusses the current basketball season.

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