SportsTalk: 1-1 Vipers Ready to Face Jordan Falcons Friday

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UPDATE – FINAL SCORE 

Jordan 52

Vance County 0

RECAP MONDAY ON SPORTSTALK 

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Vance County Vipers Head Coach Aaron Elliott was able to find something positive in last week’s 33-6 loss to South Granville High School, and that’s enough to keep him and the team focused on Friday’s matchup against the Jordan Falcons.

The offense racked up “a considerable amount of yards,” Elliott told WIZS’s Scout Hughes and George Hoyle. “We improved from the week before. We’re not where we want to be, but we improved offensively.”

Elliott said there will be a half dozen or so JV players dressed out, mainly because of some lingering injuries hanging around.

“I’ve never had the injury bug hit us like it’s gotten us the last two weeks,” he said. Zion Thornton is still nursing an ankle injury he sustained in a pre-season scrimmage, for example.

“Our main goal with him – and everybody really – is to get them healthy for conference time,” Elliott said.

But he’s not looking past Jordan, which he said is a good team with a solid coaching staff. They’re 2-0 in the young season, and Elliott said the Falcons beat two good teams – a 22-20 victory over Leesville Road and a 30-7 romp over cross-county rival Southern School of Energy and Sustainability (formerly known as Southern Durham).

“I’ve told my guys all week, if we’re prepared and (we) do not make mistakes – if we play a mistake-free ball game, we can definitely compete,” he said.

Keys to the game are making sure the players are playing assignment football and executing the plays.

“We’ve talked all week about executing,” he said. “I think we’ve got a good game plan, we’ve just got to execute. We’ve got to line up right defensively and we’ve got to do all the small things offensively,” he added.

The Labor Day Holiday meant a shortened week of practice for the Vipers, but Elliott said the team has had a couple of really good days. At the team meeting, Elliott and his staff addressed first thing all the missed assignments and alignments that hampered the Vipers against South Granville.

“We made too many mistakes,” Elliott said of his team’s performance last week in Creedmoor. “The very first play on defense we lined up wrong.” But he’s not one to wallow too long in what could have been.

He told his team not to let that game define who they are as a team. “We want to win. We want our best out there, but we have to think about us being healthy going in to conference play.”

“We built this schedule to make us better…the next three weeks are going to be tough,” Elliott said, but that’s ok because it will only help toughen up the team for what Elliott hopes will be  strong conference play that extends through the regular season and in post-season play.

And, just for the record, the last time Vance County took the field against Jordan was in Elliott’s first year as head coach. After a lackluster first half performance, Elliott was able to rally his team for a second half surge and ultimately a W with a 28-27 final score.

“I’ve definitely learned, especially from that season, that these kids are going to fight to the end,” Elliott said. “Our kids didn’t fold.”

Vance County hosts Jordan on Military and First Responders Appreciation Night for Week 3 of the 2025 season on Friday, September 5th 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.

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Henderson Fire Department; New Engine 1

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The Henderson Fire Department’s most recent purchase was officially recognized Friday afternoon during a “push-in” ceremony at Fire Station 1 on Dabney Drive. The shiny new Fire Engine 1 was ceremoniously backed into its bay, ready to go out on its first call.

During remarks at the 1 p.m. gathering, Fire Chief Tim Twisdale pointed out that there’s a memorial on the back door of the truck to remind firefighters and anyone else who sees it about the former fire chief, the late Steve Cordell.

The purchase was initiated by Cordell in September 2022. “We remember him as we put it officially in service,” Twisdale said.

It takes that long to get a truck like this one built, Twisdale said. “It’s a pretty big deal when we get to make a purchase like that. It should last for 20 years or more and the chief predicted that it would respond to 2,000 calls a year.

Audio of Chief Twisdale. Click Play!

The price tag? A staggering $763,000. But if he were to order the same thing today, that number would be somewhere around the $1 million mark.

“It’s a custom truck,” he said. “It’s built piece by piece from the frame rails to the lights and the final touches and polished pieces.”

Battalion Chiefs Lee Edmonds, Kyle Holtzman and Engineer Chase Carter put in a lot of hours researching the various components to make sure this truck would be equipped with the very best tools to make it the most efficient it can be.

“This one is built from the ground up,” Twisdale said. One component is the pump, which can handle 2,000 gallons, a capacity that helps the fire department keep its ISO rating of 2 – it all has to do with bringing people and water to a fire emergency within a certain amount of time.

This truck’s primary job “will be to respond to fires and emergency medical calls in the center of the city,” he said.

Twisdale said having this new truck added to the fleet will enable the city to be ready to house fire engines in a new station, if and when construction begins.

“We strive to stretch the dollars that we do receive as far as we can,” Twisdale said.

Watkins Fire Department Chicken And Barbecue Plate Fundraiser Oct. 3

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The Watkins Volunteer Fire Department is having a barbecue and chicken plate fundraiser on Friday, Oct. 3.

$12 gets you either barbecue or chicken, along with potatoes, slaw, bread and dessert.

Bump it up to $15 and get a combo plate with both meats.

“Every meal helps support Watkins Fire Department and our commitment to the community,” said Watkins Chief Brandon Link.

Stop by the fire department, located at 1590 Horseshoe Bend Rd., beginning at 11 a.m.

The last two sales have sold out by mid-afternoon, so mark your calendars, spread the word and come hungry to support the fire department.

American Flag

Vance County Committee Forming To Plan Activities, Events To Celebrate 250th Birthday Of The U.S.

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Communities across the country are gearing up for next year’s big 250th birthday, and Vance County is forming a planning committee to climb aboard the anniversary bandwagon.

America 250 NC, a program of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, is partnering with local governments and nonprofits across the state to plan celebrations to commemorate the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.

The celebration officially kicked off this past July 4 and culminates on July 4, 2026.

The local committee that is forming now will be responsible for planning and organizing events, projects and initiatives, said Vance County Manager C. Renee Perry.

“The plan is to have an event or some type of events leading up to the 250th anniversary,” Perry stated.

Anyone interested in serving on the planning committee is asked to complete the application found here and return to Kelly H. Grissom, County Clerk, to the address or email listed on the application.

Visit https://america250.org/americas-250th/ for a comprehensive listing of programs and activities of the national celebration.

The Local Skinny! Vance County Schools Asks Commissioners For 5% Match Of State Grant Funding For Repair Projects

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The majority of Vance County’s schools need some work, from roof repairs and paint  to sewer lift station upgrades and new windows and doors. All that work would surely come with a hefty price tag, but Superintendent Dr. Cindy Bennett has a work-around that she presented Tuesday to the Vance County Board of Commissioners.

The work-around comes in the form of a state-administered grant for capital improvements and Vance County could stand to get more than $47 million to make those necessary repairs and renovations, Bennett told commissioners Tuesday.

“The capital needs grant allows us to apply for $47.2 million as a school district,” Bennett stated in her comments to the board. All the commissioners need to do is agree to a 5 percent match.

If the school district were to be approved to receive the maximum amount, the 5 percent match would amount to about $2.5 million.

The matching funds wouldn’t have to be paid all at once; rather, the money could come in over the course of the projects, which could take several years.

Bennett and Vance County Manager C. Renee Perry agree that Vance County is poised to receive the funding because of its Tier 1 designation and because it hasn’t applied previously to get the funding.

Time is of the essence, however, and that’s why Bennett and VCS Chief Finance Officer John Suther appealed to the commissioners for financial support. The grant opened on Aug. 15 and the application came online on Aug. 18, Bennett explained. All documentation must be back to the N.C. Department of Public Instruction no later than Oct. 3.

Although she expressed full support for the plan, Perry said she would request that commissioners have a chance to review the documents shared by Bennett before the board makes a decision.

“I’m in full support,” Perry said, but suggested that commissioners review and discuss the matter at an upcoming work session and then make a decision at a special called meeting in a couple of weeks. As of Thursday morning, that special meeting has been scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 16 at 4 p.m. The matching funds for the schools is one of three topics to be discussed.

“We need to look at our fund balance,” Perry said. “We also have to think about (other) capital projects. The school district gets money from the county each year that is designated for capital outlay, so perhaps some of that money from the budget line item could be used as part of the 5 percent match, she said.

Commissioner Tommy Hester called the decision a “no brainer” since the school district normally relies on county funding for capital projects. A 5 percent match is like saying the county will get a 95 percent discount if the state approves the grant funding.

 

(Our WIZS written coverage will appear here soon.)

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TownTalk: Sheriff Brame Requests Extension of Support from County Commissioners

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Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame appeared before the board of commissioners on Tuesday to thank them for the financial support that allows sheriff’s office employees to give much-needed support at the detention center and to ask for an extension of that support through the end of the year.

In the past five months, County Manager C. Renee Perry said the county has paid more than $483,000. And that is an unsustainable amount, Perry told commissioners at their Tuesday meeting.

Brame contends that much of the money comes from lapsed salaries – money budgeted for positions that haven’t been filled.

“It’s still a lot of money,” Perry told commissioners. “Five hundred thousand is excessive in my opinion.”

Perry estimated that the county has paid for roughly 9,671 hours – at $50/hour to sheriff’s office employees to fill in at the jail. She suggested that the agreement be revised to exclude exempt staff. “We’ve got to get this cost down – we have to,” Perry stated.

Brame said he expects that six of the 12 new jail hires can be certified by Dec. 1.

He said it takes time for employees to be trained, much less certified, for the positions they’ve been hired for.

“Right now, we need it,” Brame told commissioners. The ongoing staffing shortage, coupled with corrective action plans in place by the state spell big challenges for the sheriff, who oversees the detention center.

The state mandated the jail be depopulated, dispersing detainees to other facilities from Cherokee County in the mountains to Brunswick County on the coast.

On any given day, up to four transport teams are traveling to fetch detainees from where they’re being housed to court here in Vance County or to medical appointments. All the while, these teams are on the clock, racking up hours in vehicles, as well as lodging and other associated costs.

The Vance County jail has between 45 and 50 detainees as of Wednesday, but that number can swell temporarily as individuals come in for court appearances and other matters related to due process. Brame said there are about 150 detainees housed in facilities across the state at this time.

Perry said there will come a time when she will have to come before the commissioners to ask them for more money for the jail situation.

“At some point, we won’t have enough money to do a jail,” she said.

Commissioner Dan Brummitt said he would like commissioners to take some time to review the current plan, “probably make some revisions to it to try to tighten the belt a little bit.”

A motion by Commissioner Tommy Hester, seconded by Brummitt, passed unanimously to table a decision until the commissioners’ work session in a couple of weeks.

 

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Kerr-Tar COG Regional Housing Summit Sept. 11 At VGCC Civic Center

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Regional leaders, housing experts and community partners will come together on Thursday, Sept. 11 for the Kerr-Tar Regional Housing Summit, an event designed to address current housing challenges and explore opportunities for collaboration.

The summit will bring together local officials, planners, developers, nonprofit organizations, financial institutions and other stakeholders to discuss strategies for strengthening housing availability, affordability and accessibility throughout the region.

“Access to safe, attainable housing is central to our region’s long-term growth and quality of life,” said Kerr-Tar COG Executive Director Diane Cox. “This summit is an opportunity to share knowledge, identify common challenges, and work toward solutions.”

The summit will feature subject matter experts including Tyler Mulligan, professor of Public Law and Government at the UNC School of Government. He advises state and local officials as well as partner organizations on community economic development, affordable housing, public-private development partnerships, and revitalization initiatives. Also presenting will be Chris Allen, director of Events and Partnerships at Strong Towns, a national nonprofit that helps communities strengthen their housing markets and expand access to homes at prices residents can afford.

The event will take place at Vance-Granville Community College Civic Center, 200 Community College Rd.  from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Registration is open to the public, with particular emphasis on participation from government officials, housing professionals, business leaders and community advocates.

For more information or to register, please visit kerrtarcog.org  or contact Desiree Brooks at 252.436.2040 or dbrooks@kerrtarcog.org.

Cooperative Extension with Jamon Glover: Am I Enough

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Jamon Glover, on the Vance County Cooperative Extension Report:

We talk about self-doubt in fatherhood.

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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