Troxler: Western NC Livestock Owners Need Fencing Supplies, Feed

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As supplies for people make their way to western North Carolina following last week’s devastation by Hurricane Helene, N.C. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler issued an urgent plea for donations of fencing supplies to assist livestock owners as they attempt to secure cows, horses and other animals in their care.

“We have seen time and time again our agriculture community support one another in times of need, and this is no different,” Troxler said in a press statement released Thursday.

Hay – especially square bales – and other livestock feed are needed, in addition to the fencing supplies. Area extension agents are good sources of information if you have questions about how to help. Granville County Livestock Extension Agent Kim Woods provided information that includes a direct link to the Disaster Hay and Livestock Assistance Portal. Visit https://go.ncsu.edu/livestockdisasterhelp, note whether you need help or want to offer help. To donate, click on the ‘Want to Help’ button, which will ask for a bit of information and items you have to donate.

“We are seeing an outpouring of support with hay, animal feed, fencing and other supplies that are going out to those needing these resources. In the days ahead, we know we are going to need even more fencing supplies, especially solar fence chargers to help livestock producers. If you have resources to donate, please go to our website to let us know.”

Various donation collection sites have been set up in and around Western North Carolina. For a list of these sites that are being continuously updated, go to: https://www.ncagr.gov/emergency-programs/disaster-information/agsupplydonation

At the present time, here is a list of items being accepted at these locations:

Corn Silage
Grain mix or pellets for cattle
Round and square hay bales
Baleage/Haylage
Mineral Supplements
Fence Supplies
Feed tubs/troughs
Water troughs
Basic animal supplies

TownTalk: MHCO Homecoming Oct. 11-13

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The Masonic Home for Children at Oxford has been in the business of caring for children for more than 150 years. Coming off last year’s sesquicentennial celebration, MHCO Administrator said Year 151 shines just as brightly as last year.

“It’s been an incredible journey and it’s just getting started,” Otis said on Thursday’s TownTalk.

Alumni, Shriners, pit masters and more will converge on the historic campus next weekend for the annual Homecoming, which runs Oct. 11-13.

“This whole event is (a way) for the home to say ‘thank you’,” Otis said. Thank you to the community, thank you to alumni, Shriners and all the people who support the mission of the home.

Things kick off on Friday, Oct. 11 about 5 p.m. when the barbecue team get organized for the next day’s featured food. One team travels from Delaware each year to support MHCO, Otis said.

The community is invited to come out and mingle and then stay to hear music by Brightest Light, which takes the stage about 6 p.m.

Come back early the next day, Otis said, because everything kicks off about 10 a.m. There will be amusement rides for the kids – free of charge – and then the anticipated parade begins at 11 a.m.

This year’s parade route is different, so anyone who wants to watch needs to park on the MHCO campus and find a space along the main campus drive area – the parade will NOT take place on College Street, he noted.

He encourages parade watchers to bring a chair. There will be parking attendants and golf cart shuttles for those who need a ride from their cars to the middle of campus.

The barbecue pit opens at the conclusion of the parade and folks can sample meats and sides from the teams who’ve been cooking and preparing for hours.

“You give us a donation, we’ll give you a plate,” Otis explained.

Other activities include tours through the museum galleries at Cobb Center and one of the residential cottages, too. Cory Luetjen & the Traveling Blues Band performs in the afternoon and the day’s activities will conclude about 3 p.m.

There are so many things to see and experience during the course of the weekend’s activities, which Otis said is the result of a lot of work and preparation from staff and residents alike.

“Having the kids involved is an experience for them,” he said. They can enjoy all the fun of the weekend, but they can also take pride that they helped get things ready.

Just like the Shriners Hospital, the children’s home provides care for children without asking families to pay for anything, Otis explained.

Donations of any kind – from school supplies and money to fund a weekend excursion to remembering MHCO in your estate – Otis said it’s all put to good use to help provide children with the tools they need to be successful – in school, in their career and in life.

Otis said he’s always interested in hearing from married couples who think they want to be cottage parents.

Visit https://mhc-oxford.org/ to learn more.

 

The Local Skinny! Vacant County Director Roles Now Filled

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Back in February, Vance County Manager C. Renee Perry was just a few months into her new job. On top of gearing up to prepare the county’s annual budget and getting up to speed on some of the unique challenges and opportunities across the county she was now responsible for, Perry also faced having to fill a good handful of county positions, including five directors of departments.

Perry turned a negative into a positive at the time, and said back in February that she chose to see the vacancies as a chance for her to build her own leadership team.

When Vance County announced Tuesday that it had selected a new Social Services Director, that “team” is officially complete.

Sandy Weaver began her new role as DSS director effective Oct. 1, as did Jeremy T. Jones as assistanc county manager.

And Perry won’t celebrate her first anniversary as county manager until Nov. 1.

One by one, the vacancies have been filled:

·       Budget and Finance director – Stephanie Williams;

·       Animal Services manager – William Coker;

·       Planning director – Sherry Moss;

·       Elections director- Haley Rawles;

·       Economic Development director – Ferdinand A. Rouse;

·       DSS director – Sandy Weaver

·       Chief Code Enforcement Officer – Bob Rosch

The code enforcement office is located in the same office as planning, but it will function as a separate department with Rosch as the department head, county staff noted.

Anglers Hit Kerr Lake Thursday For 3-Day Tournament In Hopes Of Landing $60K Grand Prize

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-information courtesy of Vance County Tourism Development Authority

Anglers are taking to Kerr Lake beginning today to take part in the final tournament of the season as the Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine sets sail for a three-day run.

Hosted by the Vance County Tourism Development Authority and presented by T-H Marine’s Buckeye, Northeast, Shenandoah and South Carolina divisions, the tournament features the top 45 boaters and co-anglers – plus tournament winners from all four divisions – who will be battling it out for a top prize of $60,000, according to information from the local tourism office.

Additional prizes include a Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard and $10,000, along with lucrative contingency awards, including up to an additional $7,000 Phoenix MLF Bonus. Strike King co-anglers will compete for a top prize of $50,000, including a Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard. Winners will be determined by the heaviest three-day catch.
The top six finishers in each regional will qualify for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the 42nd annual BFL All-American. The highest finishing boater from each division will also receive a $1,000 bonus and the highest finishing co-angler from each division will receive a $500 bonus.

“This regional tournament is going to be a good one to follow, because I think MLF is hitting at just the right time,” said local pro Derik Hudson of Concord, VA who has eight top-10 finishes on Kerr Lake – including a victory in last year’s 2023 BFL Super-Tournament. “This past weekend the water temperatures was still very high – 77 to 79 degrees. But we’re at that time of the year where the fall transition is coming soon. I think in this one the fish are going to be spread out – shallow and deep – and guys are going to be able to catch them fishing their strengths.”

Hudson said that he expects forward-facing sonar to play a large role in this tournament, but he does think that an angler can compete to win strictly by fishing shallow.

“There is a ton of shad in the lake right now, and out deep those fish are going to be keyed in on the shad,” Hudson said. “The majority of fish seem to still be out offshore, but lately it seems like the bigger fish are moving shallow and being caught on transition banks, stumpy points and on rock. That’s what makes this one so interesting – they’re going to hit it right in the middle of the fall transition and it’s still really anybody’s ballgame.”

When Hudson won the BFL Super Tournament on Kerr Lake last year, he weighed in limits totaling 16- and 15- pounds and his 31-pound total won by nearly a 5-pound margin. He expects weights to be down a little bit in this regional tournament due to the fall transition.

“I feel like if you catch 13 to 14 pounds a day, you’re going to be sitting really good,” Hudson went on to say. “But, like we just saw this last weekend in the Super Tournament, if you get on that right roll offshore or on the bank, the lake has 18 or 19 right around the corner. So, I would say to shoot to stay right in the middle. If you shoot for 15 a day, that’ll be a great day for anybody. But know that 18 to 19 (pounds) is still out there somewhere.”

Anglers will launch at 7 a.m. ET each morning from the Nutbush Bridge Access at the Kerr Lake State Recreation Area, located at 115 Jack Wade Farm Road, in Henderson, North Carolina. Weigh-ins will also be held at the landing and will begin at 3 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend the event or follow the action online through the “MLF Live” weigh-in broadcasts at MajorLeagueFishing.com

The 2024 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying event winners, will advance to one of six BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2025 BFL All-American will take place May 29-31, 2025, at Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and is hosted by hosted by Visit Hot Springs and the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism.

The top boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division also earn priority entry into the Toyota Series, the pathway to the Tackle Warehouse Invitationals and ultimately the Bass Pro Tour. For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Sponsors of the 2024 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, General Tire, GSM Outdoors, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, PowerStop Brakes, REDCON1, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters and YETI.

For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5 on social media.

Vance County High School

SportsTalk: Vipers Take An Unexpected Week Off

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SportsTalk on WIZS 12:30 p.m. M-Th 

The Vipers of Vance County are having a good football season so far as we are officially over halfway through the 2024 campaign. Head Coach Aaron Elliott joins SportsTalk on WIZS to talk all about it.

Coach Elliott first off gave us his thoughts on the 38-33 wins against Louisburg. “A couple of things that we liked and improved on was our offense. We were able to put together a pretty complete offensive game where we had 500 total yards of offense and five touchdowns so we had a really good game offensively. Some things that we didn’t like we gave up some big plays on defense. That just came down to missed assignments.” The Vipers had three different rushers go over for 100 yards in the game against the Warriors. Javion Vines-Holder and Antoine Doyle Jr with 117 yards each, while Jontavious Nile with 171 yards for the night. Nile is now Top-30 in the state of North Carolina in rushing with over 700 yards and 10 touchdowns. “We knew he was going to be a workload for us and he’s really done a great job for us.”

With no game this week, Coach Elliott will turn into a scout as he will head to Creedmoor as South Granville hosts Southern Durham in a Northern Lakes Conference matchup. “I plan on being there that way we can do a little scouting on South Granville and actually cheer for them a little bit.” The Viper’s next game is at South Granville, on October 11th.

The game between Vance County and East Rutherford has been canceled this week due to Hurricane Helene impacting the western part of the state where East Rutherford would be coming from. Vance County was supposed to have a Hurricane Relief Rally during the game on Saturday, but Coach Elliott says that if anyone wants to bring their supplies for donation, they can bring their supplies to Vance County High School anytime during the week and the weeks ahead. Vance County High School is located at 925 Garrett Road here in Henderson.

Even though the game has been canceled for this Saturday, there is still football in Vance County this week at least. The Vance County JV Vipers host Wake Prep and their JV squad tonight here in Henderson. Coach Elliott gives us his insight on what impresses his JV Team the most this season. “I like to go watch and play… it’s how aggressive they are on plays. How they get after the ball on defense, they’re flying around making plays, they tackle well. And I always think about that because you know the JV is your future. The JV, they’re good you know, they’re winning the conference right now so we’re pretty excited for them.”

Coach Elliott’s message for the fans coming to the JV game tonight is to, “Just come out and support. Although the Varsity game was canceled, it gives us some way to come together and watch a little football, especially this week.”

We are right behind you Coach! Go Vipers!

The next time Vance County will take the field is when they travel to Creedmoor to take on South Granville for Week 8 of the 2024 season on Friday, October 11th and you can hear all the action on WIZS 1450AM, 100.1FM, and online at wizs.com with pregame starting at 6:50 p.m. and kickoff thereafter at 7:00 p.m.

CLICK PLAY! 

 

 

Warren Co. Flag

Warren County Drop-Off Locations For Hurricane Relief

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Warren County residents have a number of dropoff locations to donate supplies that will be delivered to flood-ravaged areas of western North Carolina.

Monetary donations will go toward providing essential supplies such as food, water and medical supplies to those affected – even the smallest donations can have a significant difference to those impacted by this devasting storm.

A shipment is scheduled to head west on Friday, but there’s still time to donate.

Take contributions to any of the following locations:

  • Tar Heel Tire, 130 Tar Heel Ave., Warrenton, weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Hardware Café, 106 S. Main St., Warrenton, weekdays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Donations can be dropped off at any volunteer fire department at the below locations:

  • Norlina VFD dropoff will be located at Rachel’s Whistle Stop, Norlina, weekdays, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
  • Warrenton Rural VFD, 236 S. Main St, Warrenton, weekdays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Arcola VFD, 2169 NC Hwy 43, Warrenton, weekdays, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Drewry VFD, 125 Firefighter Dr., Manson,, weekdays, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  •  Inez VFD will be located at EB Harris Livestock, 3200 NC Hwy 58, Warrenton, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Afton-Elberon VFD, 2350 US Hwy 401 S., Warrenton, weekdays, 8 a.m. to  5 p.m.
  • Hawtree VFD, 1720 US Hwy 1 North, Norlina, weekdays, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
  • Macon Rural VFD, 1644 US Hwy 158 East, Macon, weekdays, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Ridgeway VFD will be located at Ridgeway Pawn Shop, 691 US Hwy 1 S, Ridgeway, weekdays, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
  • Roanoke-Wildwood VFD, 790 Lizard Creek Road, Littleton, weekdays, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Churchill Five Forks VFD, 1168 Churchill Road, Macon, weekdays, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Soul City VFD, 103 Cresent Dr., Norlina, Tuesday and Wednesday, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
  • Longbridge VFD, 1678 Eaton Ferry Road, Littleton, weekdays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Cokesbury VFD, 1516 S. Cokebury Road, Henderson, weekdays, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Littleton VFD, 226 US 158, Littleton, Tuesday 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. and Thursday 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Warren County Emergency Services, 890 US 158 Bypass, Warrenton, weekdays, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

NOT accepted at this time are donations of clothing, perishable foods and chemicals.

Following is a list of needed items:

  • Baby Wipes
  • Toothbrushes and Toothpaste
  • Toiletries – shampoo, deodorant, soap
  • Toilet Paper
  • Hand Sanitizer
  • Canned Food/nonperishable food items
  • Bottled Water
  • Flashlights
  • Disposable Plates, forks, spoons
  • Cleaning Supplies
  • Diapers (Children & Adults) Manual Can Openers
  • Empty Gas Cans
  • First Aid Supplies
  • Trash Bags (Commercial Grade)
  • Batteries (all sizes)
  • Pet Food (Dog & Cat)
  • Feminine Hygiene Products

 

For additional information regarding donations of supplies, contact Mike Coffman at mcoffman@caststonesystems.com .

Make checks payable to Carolina Loggers Foundation, PO Box 785, Henderson, NC 27536. Credit card payments can be made by Venmo to: @carolina-loggers-foundation (For information regarding monetary donations, please contact Jonzi Guill at jguill@ncloggers.com or via phone at 252.809-3057.

Cooperative Extension With Jamon Glover: Rewriting the Narratives, Episode 5

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Cooperative Extension 

Listen live at 100.1 FM / 1450 AM / or on the live stream at WIZS.com at 11:50 a.m. Mon, Tues & Thurs.

Click Play! 

Local Efforts Support Hurricane Relief

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People from all over the country are responding to pleas for help from western North Carolina as relief efforts continue in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. Crews continue to work to restore power, clear roads of mud, fallen trees and debris and take care of so many whose homes have been rendered uninhabitable.

Residents of Henderson and Vance County are stepping up to the plate to fill trucks and trailers with cleaning supplies, drinking water, food and more, which is being delivered to hard-hit areas to our west.

The Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce has passed along information from state officials that bears repeating as relief efforts continue.

NCDOT has declared all roads in western North Carolina “closed to non-emergency vehicles,” so it’s important to coordinate plans with state agencies like Emergency Management and Business Emergency Operations Center.

“Do not self-deploy resources or supply logistics unless you are attached to an existing NCVOAD organization. Until further notice, roads in Western NC (generally anywhere west of Hickory, NC) are closed to all traffic other than emergency services and pre-approved shipments coordinated through the BEOC,” according to information sent from the Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce.

Get updates at  https://www.ncdps.gov/our-organization/emergency-management.

In the meantime, here’s a list of donation drop-off centers in Henderson and Vance County that the Chamber provided, along with times that donations will be accepted:

  • Rebuilding Hope, Inc. 414 Raleigh Rd. – weekdays 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
  • City of Henderson – City Hall, 134 Rose Ave. weekdays 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
  • Henderson Police Department, corner of Breckenridge and Chestnut streets
  • Henderson Fruit & Produce, 1215 Old Norlina Rd. – during business hours
  • Mast Family Drug Center, 418 Dabney Dr. – during business hours
  • Zeb Vance Elementary, 4800 Raleigh Rd., Kittrell, Oct. 1-4
  • Vance Charter School, 2090 Ross Mill Rd., Oct. 1-4
  • Aycock Elementary, 305 Carey Chapel Rd., Oct. 1-4
  • Fred’s Towing & Transport, 340 Industry Dr., Oct. 1-4
  • Chick-fil-A – go to Chick-fil-A app and donate. Chick-fil-A is partnering with the American Red Cross. Every dollar that’s donated will be matched up to $500,000.

Here’s a list of needed items at this time:

  • non-perishable food
  • bottled water
  • toiletries
  • pillows and blankets
  • paper products/plastic forks and spoons
  • hand sanitizer/personal hygiene products
  • wet wipes/baby wipes
  • diapers – kids and adults
  • Clorox wipes/cleaning supplies
  • large trash bags/zip lock bags
  • work gloves
  • flashlights and batteries
  • first aid supplies
  • travel size shampoo, body wash and deodorant
  • manual can openers
  • baby formula
  • bug spray
  • cat and dog food
  • laundry detergent