Henderson’s McGregor Hall Transforms Into A Winter Wonderland

— courtesy mcgregorhall.org

Meet Santa & His High-Kicking Friends On December 5th For A ‘Branson-Styled’ Holiday Showcase

HENDERSON, N.C. — Get in the spirit of the holidays on Tuesday, Dec. 5, as the McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center transforms into the North Pole to present CHRISTMAS WONDERLAND, a holiday spectacular.

On tour from its year-round performances at The King’s Castle Theater in Branson, Mo., CHRISTMAS WONDERLAND features a highly acclaimed song and dance troupe produced by Spirit Productions and David King of the mega-hit-musical Spirit of the Dance.

Doors will open for this family-family event at 7 p.m. and the show starts at 8 p.m.

For this one-night-only show, the production will bring its full cast, sets and scenery to McGregor Hall’s stage. This includes 24 singers and dancers who will present more than 1,000 glittering costumes and more than a dozen holiday tunes.

Guest will enjoy more than a dozen holiday songs, including all the favorites from “White Christmas” and “Winter Wonderland” to “Silent Night” and “O Come All Ye Faithful.”

“This is the type of high-quality, grand-scale production that McGregor Hall was built for,” said Mark Hopper, Vice President of the McGregor Hall Board of Directors.

“CHRISTMAS WONDERLAND is quite simply one of the most delightful and enchanting shows coming to this region during the holidays,” Hopper added. “From the glittering costumes, a dazzling cast and the highest kicking chorus girls this side of the Mason-Dixon Line, your entire family can start Christmas in style as Santa and his merry helpers take you on an unforgettable nostalgic journey.”

Hopper also advised that seats are limited, suggesting that patrons purchase tickets in advance as the theater is expected to sell out.

Tickets are on sale for $35 or $30 plus sales tax. Group and student rates are available.

Tickets can be purchased directly at the McGregor Hall Box office, which is open Monday through Friday from 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. The Box Office is located at 201 Breckenridge Street in downtown Henderson. The Box Office can also be reached by phone by calling (252) 598-0662. Tickets can also be purchased online at www.McGregorHall.org by using the secure and trusted purchasing platform, eTix. Online fees apply.

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(McGregor Hall is an advertising client of WIZS.)

Governor appoints VGCC President to commission

— courtesy of VGCC News Release on 11-27-17

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has appointed Dr. Stelfanie Williams, the president of Vance-Granville Community College, to the Governor’s Commission on Access to Sound, Basic Education. The Commission, which the governor created through an Executive Order, will focus on the critical importance of North Carolina meeting its duties under the state constitution as underscored by the landmark court rulings in Leandro v. North Carolina and Hoke County Board of Education v. North Carolina.

The new commission includes experts from a wide range of fields that are relevant to education and student and school success. Dr. Williams was appointed as the representative of North Carolina community colleges. The commission will focus on key areas highlighted in the original Leandro ruling, including:

• staffing each classroom with a competent, well-trained teacher,

Dr. Stelfanie Williams (VGCC Photo)

• staffing each school with a competent, well-trained principal, and

• identifying the resources necessary to ensure that all children, including those at risk, have an equal opportunity to obtain a sound basic education.

The commission is scheduled to hold its first meeting on Nov. 30 in Raleigh. Its goal is to develop recommendations for specific actions necessary to achieve sustained compliance with the constitutional mandates established in Leandro.

“I look forward to the opportunity to work with the other leaders on this commission to identify concrete steps that our state can take to improve public education for all our young people in all corners of North Carolina,” President Williams said. “The success of our great state depends on strong K-12 schools, working in partnership with strong community colleges and universities.”

Williams became the sixth president of VGCC in 2012. Since then, she has focused the college strategically on educational excellence, continuous improvement, employee and student engagement in college life, and institutional stewardship. During her tenure, the college has added seven curriculum degree programs, secured the largest grants in the college’s history, the second-largest private donor gift, and held six consecutive highest-yielding annual golf tournaments for scholarships. With a focus on student success, the institution has improved completion rates, graduating the largest classes ever in 2015 and 2016, and initiating a private donor-sponsored college promise program called the “VanGuarantee” in an effort to make college more accessible for students with the greatest financial need.

Prior to leading VGCC, Williams served as faculty and in several administrative capacities at other North Carolina community colleges. She also currently serves as adjunct faculty for the North Carolina State University College of Education. Williams holds dual baccalaureate degrees from Duke University, a graduate degree from Western Carolina University, and a doctorate from North Carolina State University. In 2014, she was awarded the I.E. Ready Distinguished Leadership Award by North Carolina State University.

The Governor’s Commission on Access to Sound, Basic Education is the second education-related panel for which the VGCC leader has been selected in recent months. Dr. Williams was appointed to the “My Future NC” Commission by the president of the University of North Carolina, Margaret Spellings; the acting president of the North Carolina Community College System, Jennifer Haygood; and the state superintendent of public instruction, Mark Johnson.

–VGCC–

Former VGCC president Ben Currin retires from endowment board

— courtesy VGCC

Dr. Ben F. Currin recently retired from the Vance-Granville Community College Endowment Fund Board of Directors. That marked the culmination of Currin’s formal association with VGCC, which lasted for a total of 36 years — 18 as president of the college and 18 more on the endowment board after his retirement as president.

Currin, who now lives in Raleigh, became the third president of VGCC in 1981. ​Under Currin’s leadership, VGCC grew from one campus to four, with a total of almost $18 million worth of new construction at all campuses. During his tenure, VGCC reactivated the college’s Endowment Fund, which grew from $12,000 in 1982 to $5 million at the time of his retirement and provided scholarships for numerous students. In 1985, he started the annual VGCC Endowment Fund Golf Tournament, which has raised more than $862,000 to date. A VGCC scholarship, the Dr. Ben Currin Presidential Merit Award, was endowed in his honor upon his retirement through contributions from the college faculty and staff.

From left, VGCC President Dr. Stelfanie Williams and Dr. Ben Currin, the college’s former president, holding a plaque honoring him for his service to the Vance-Granville Community College Endowment Fund. (VGCC photo)

​A native of Granville County and a graduate of Oxford High School, Currin received his bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1959. He earned his master’s degree in education in 1962 and his advanced graduate certificate in professional education in 1963, both from UNC. He received his doctorate in education from UNC in 1970 in education administration with a minor in political science.

​Currin assumed the VGCC presidency after having served as a teacher, coach and public school administrator, including 11 years as superintendent of Rocky Mount City Schools. While in Rocky Mount, he also taught graduate courses at East Carolina University as an adjunct professor.

​Currin earned high esteem from his peers in higher education. A University of Texas study in 1988-89 named him one of the “best of the best” among community college presidents across the nation, and he was given a National Leadership Award at the Leadership 2000 conference in San Francisco. He was also one of 75 participants chosen nationwide to participate in the Management of Lifelong Education Institute at Harvard University. ​Currin received the Order of the Long Leaf Pine from Gov. Beverly Perdue. In 2016, Currin received the highest honor that can be bestowed by the State Board of Community Colleges, the I.E. Ready Award.

The board of directors oversees the Endowment Fund Corporation, a nonprofit organization established in 1976 to seek and receive scholarship funds and other contributions for the college. Current board members include Robert L. Hubbard (the vice-chair), Rev. Dr. Richard M. Henderson (secretary), Julius Banzet, III, Sarah Baskerville, Rep. James W. Crawford, Jr., Tanya Evans, Clay Frazier, L. Opie Frazier, Jr., Ronnie Goswick, Katharine Macon Horner, Darryl Moss, Donald C. Seifert, Sr., Marshall Tanner, Josh Towne and Todd Wemyss. As president of VGCC, Dr. Stelfanie Williams chairs the board, and Danny Wright, chair of the VGCC Board of Trustees, serves on the board ex-officio.

Through the Endowment Fund, VGCC has awarded more than 9,100 scholarships to students since 1982. Scholarships have been endowed by numerous individuals, industries, businesses, civic groups, churches and the college’s faculty and staff. Tax-deductible donations to the VGCC Endowment Fund have often been used to honor or remember a person, group, business or industry with a lasting gift to education. For more information about the Endowment Fund, call (252) 738-3409.

–VGCC–

(VGCC is an advertising client of WIZS.)

Former Franklin Medical Center Gets New Name

— courtesy Maria Parham Health

Former Franklin Medical Center Gets New Name: Maria Parham Franklin

Unveiling of new brand signals progress in restoring healthcare services to Franklin County

Louisburg, NC – Maria Parham Health, part of Duke LifePoint Healthcare, unveiled a new name for the former Franklin Medical Center: Maria Parham Franklin. The new name was presented to the Franklin County Board of Commissioners and Louisburg Town Council on November 20. This development marks an important milestone in efforts to bring essential healthcare back to Franklin County following the closure of the Louisburg hospital in 2015. Plans are in place to open a freestanding emergency department with 24/7 emergency care in mid-2018.

“Establishing the Maria Parham Franklin name symbolizes important progress in returning healthcare to our county,” said Sidney Dunston, Vice-Chair, Franklin County Board of Commissioners. “This is a clear sign of forward momentum for our community that will allow us to move beyond the closure of Franklin Medical Center and look toward a new, brighter future. We’re excited to be working with the Maria Parham and Duke LifePoint teams to get this facility back up and running, so that the people in our region will have access to the care they need and deserve.”

In 2016, the board of commissioners reviewed potential strategic partners interested in taking over services at the closed Franklin Medical Center. It unanimously voted to accept a proposal from Duke LifePoint to operate Franklin Medical Center as part of Duke LifePoint’s Henderson hospital, Maria Parham Health, and turn the Franklin County facility into a freestanding emergency department with 24/7 emergency care, diagnostic services and behavioral health services.

In 2017, a lease agreement was reached and Duke LifePoint began seeking state approvals to reopen the hospital’s emergency department as a freestanding emergency center. It also is working to secure state funds to further the development of additional behavioral health beds and services.

“We’re delighted to introduce the Maria Parham Franklin name to Louisburg and Franklin County,” said Bert Beard, CEO of Maria Parham Health. “Over the next few months, everyone will begin to see changes at the hospital site. By mid-2018, we expect needed renovations and hires to be complete so the first phase of the new emergency room can open to the public. We look forward to working with local officials to rebuild healthcare services in this region and ensure the health and wellbeing of people here.”

Maria Parham Franklin is expected to bring as many as 65 new jobs to Franklin County in the next three years, contributing to economic development and job growth in the region.

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(Maria Parham Health is an advertising client of WIZS.)

VanGuarantee Continues to Shine in National Spotlight

— courtesy VGCC

The Vance-Granville Community College Board of Trustees celebrated news from President Dr. Stelfanie Williams that the college’s VanGuarantee scholarship continues to gain national attention. The announcement was made on Nov. 20 at the board’s bi-monthly meeting on the Main Campus.

The trustees also welcomed two new board members and heard the results of a campus-wide campaign to raise money for the VGCC Endowment Fund.

In her report to the Board of Trustees, Dr. Williams said the “Community College Daily,” a publication of the American Association of Community Colleges, shared in October an annual report on the College Promise Campaign, described by the association as a movement focusing on providing a free community college education to qualified students.

In the past 12 months, the AACC said, more than 50 new programs were announced similar to VGCC’s VanGuarantee. “New College Promise programs are evolving at a rapid pace because communities and states recognize that a high school education is insufficient to secure a good job and a decent quality of life in today’s economy,” the report said, adding that there are now more than 200 such programs across 41 states.

The VanGuarantee benefitted 47 Vance-Granville students during the 2016-2017 fiscal year, according to VGCC’s Financial Aid Office. A total of $50,514 was disbursed to help those students.

Designed to help eliminate any financial barriers standing between students and their academic goals, the VanGuarantee was announced in March 2016, with the first scholarships awarded in the Fall 2016 semester. The innovative scholarship program was made possible by a $1.6 million bequest to the college from the estate of Wilbert A. Edwards, a Vance County native, who was living in Oxford at the time of his death. Edwards’ gift, announced in 2015, is the second largest in the history of VGCC.

The AACC said the annual report highlighted the efforts to create College Promise programs in rural areas of the nation, “which on average have fewer students attaining college credentials than students in cities,” citing specifically the program at Vance-Granville.

“More than half of the nation’s 1,400 community colleges in the United States are located in rural areas, and they serve a third of the nation’s community college population,” the College Promise Campaign annual report for 2017 says. “Some … like Vance-Granville Community College in North Carolina have the responsibility to serve a broad geographic area for their local populations. The aim of these rural programs is to help more students enter and complete a community college education within their region through shared education, business and philanthropic partnerships that identify sustainable financial resources for the College Promise.”

New Trustees

Xavier Wortham of Oxford, left, is sworn in as a newly appointed member of the VGCC Board of Trustees by Ninth Judicial District Court Judge Carolyn J. Thompson at the board’s meeting on Nov. 20. Wortham has been appointed to a four-year term by N.C. Governor Roy Cooper. (VGCC photo)

The Board of Trustees welcomed Xavier Wortham of Oxford as a newly appointed trustee at the meeting. Wortham, who works as executive director of the Oxford Housing Authority in Granville County, was sworn in by District Court Judge Carolyn J. Thompson, who serves District 9.

Appointed for a four-year term on the board by N.C. Governor Roy Cooper, Wortham replaces Michele Burgess of Henderson, who had served since September 2013.

Also joining the board for a one-year term was Sophie Taylor, who was recently elected president of the VGCC Student Government Association. Taylor, who is a student at Franklin County Early College High School, will serve as a Student Trustee, representing the interests of her fellow VGCC students at all meetings of the trustees.

Faculty-Staff Drive for Scholarships

The co-chairs of the annual faculty and staff drive for the VGCC Endowment Fund announced to the Trustees that $21,036 was raised this fall from among employees on Vance-Granville’s four campuses to support the mission of the college and students through scholarships.

VGCC Board of Trustees Chair Danny W. Wright celebrates the announcement of $21,036 raised in the Faculty-Staff Drive for the VGCC Endowment Fund this fall. Co-chairs of the campaign were Andrew Beal, public information officer for the college; Willie Mae Foster-Hill, receptionist at Main Campus; and Jeremy Lambert, assistant director of financial aid. Kay Currin, VGCC Endowment specialist, made the presentation to the trustees at their Nov. 20 meeting. Shown from left are Wright, Beal, Foster-Hill and Currin. Lambert was unavailable. (VGCC photo)

The drive co-chairs were Andrew Beal, public information officer; Willie Mae Foster-Hill, Main Campus receptionist; and Jeremy Lambert, assistant director of financial aid.

VGCC awarded 306 scholarships, including several funded by faculty and staff contributions, at its annual awards dinner this October.

Capital Projects

Trustee Donald C. Seifert, Sr., chair of the board’s Building Committee, and Steve Graham, VGCC’s vice president of finance and operations, gave updates on several capital projects.

A final report on the assessment of needed exterior masonry repairs to buildings on the Main Campus is expected soon. Some county funds and additional monies from the Connect NC Bond will be used to restore, structurally repair and waterproof campus-wide building masonry rooflines, walls and bridges.

A report is expected in January on options to replace existing deteriorated heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems and to replace obsolete fire alarm systems on the Main Campus, using funds from the Bond.

A portion of the renovations to the Welding Lab at the VGCC Franklin County Campus is expected to be completed in December, with the remaining work being done during the Summer Term next year. State Bond funds are being used to add eight welding booths to the existing lab at the campus near Louisburg and to add a demonstration area in an adjacent classroom.

Other Action

In other action:

• Trustee Abdul Rasheed, chair of the Budget Committee, presented a motion, that was approved, to write off $1,021.84 in uncollectable student accounts under $50 from the college’s financial accounting records and no longer recognize them as collectible receivables for financial reporting purposes.

• Graham, reporting for the board’s Investment Committee, noted the college’s investments have grown by 9.3 percent since the beginning of the calendar year.

• An informational report on new employees, retirements, resignations and changes in positions was provided by Trustee Sara Wester, chair of the board’s Personnel Committee.

• In her report to the board, Dr. Williams highlighted recent accomplishments and opportunities at the college. She noted the Vance-Granville Community Band concert will be held on Monday, Nov. 27, at 7:30 p.m. at the McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center in downtown Henderson.

Presiding over the meeting was Board of Trustees Chair Danny Wright.

The Board of Trustees will hold its next regular meeting on Jan. 22 at the Main Campus. Normally held on the third Monday of the month, the meeting in January is being moved to the fourth Monday because of the Martin Luther King, Jr., Holiday.

–VGCC–

(VGCC is an advertising client of WIZS.)

Franklin County Sheriff

Franklin Correctional Employee Charged With Smuggling Contraband To Inmate

— Courtesy Office of the Sheriff Franklin County

On October 19, 2017, a Franklin County Sheriff’s Office Patrol Unit was dispatched to Franklin Correctional in Bunn, reference a report of an employee smuggling contraband in to an inmate.

The case was assigned to the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office Investigative Unit and a criminal investigation was initiated. As a result of that investigation, Jaqueline Fields of Neal Lane in Henderson was arrested and charged with the following: one (1) count of Providing Phone/Electronic Device to Inmate.

Jaqueline Fields was released on a written promise to appear.

This matter remains under investigation and no further information will be released at this time. If anyone should have any additional information pertaining to this investigation, please call Detective A.R. Roberts at 919-340-4312.

Franklin County Commissioners Named Commissioners of the Year

– Press Release

Board Recognized for Outstanding Support of Education

Franklin County, November 14, 2017: Franklin County’s Board of Commissioners were recognized this evening as Commissioners of the Year by the North Carolina School Board Association (NCSBA). The award was presented at the Koury Convention Center in Greensboro as part of the 48th Annual Conference of the NCSBA.

Local boards of education nominate their board of county commissioners for this award, recognizing the service of the commissioners to the local community through outstanding support of public elementary and secondary education. The board was also recognized for establishing an excellent working relationship and for diligent effort toward creative funding of education.

For additional information, please contact Angela L. Harris, Franklin County Manager, at (919) 496-5994.

Franklin County Government is committed to effective and innovative public services for all Franklin County citizens and businesses.

Photograph includes Franklin County Schools’ staff and Board of Education as well as Franklin County staff and Board of Commissioners. (Franklin County Photo)

Vance-Granville Community Band to present free holiday concert on Nov. 27

— courtesy VGCC

The Vance-Granville Community Band will perform its tenth annual winter holiday concert on Monday, Nov. 27, at 7:30 p.m. at McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center, located at 201 Breckenridge Street in downtown Henderson. Admission is free of charge.

Included in the concert will be a host of holiday favorites, including “Silver Bells,” “White Christmas,” “The First Noel,” “A French Noel” (Pat-A Pan), “Appalachian Carol” (Jesus, Jesus Rest Your Head), and a medley of Christmas classics including “I’ll Be Home For Christmas,” “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town” and “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.”

“The Night Before Christmas” will be presented in a “story-time” format, as Clement Moore’s famous poem is read with band accompaniment.

The concert will begin with the traditional rendering of “The Star-Spangled Banner” and the state song, “The Old North State.” Plus, as is customary for any ensemble led by the director of the band, Brian Miller, a Sousa march will be included. “No concert is complete without Sousa,” according to Miller. “This year, while we are playing almost all Christmas music, we will of course play a Sousa march. It will be Sousa’s classic ‘The Invincible Eagle March,’ which the master of American music wrote in 1901.”

Brian Miller conducts the Vance-Granville Community Band during its 2016 holiday concert. (VGCC photo)

Miller, in his second year as director of the Vance-Granville Community Band, was known locally as the man at the helm of the Louisburg High School band program for more than two decades, a band program that grew into one of the largest in the state and was known for its performance of Sousa marches and traditional band literature. Miller now teaches band and humanities at Crosscreek Charter School in Louisburg, is the organist for both Louisburg Baptist Church and Louisburg College, teaches part-time for VGCC, frequently serves as music director for the Louisburg College Drama department and is found at North Henderson Baptist Church on Sunday nights, playing the piano and sometimes preaching.

“We want everybody to come hear this free concert,” said Miller. “It will be played right in the heart of historic downtown Henderson, in the center of this great community. The concert will only last about an hour, and hearing the band play these great old songs is a terrific way to usher in the holiday season.”

The Community Band, which is sponsored by the VGCC Division of Arts and Sciences, includes people of all ages, from all walks of life, and from throughout the region. No auditions are required. Rehearsals are held on Monday evenings from 7-9 p.m. at the Vance-Granville Community College Civic Center, on the Main Campus in Henderson, at Exit 209 on Interstate 85 (Poplar Creek Road). For more information, contact Brian Miller at (919) 496-5877 or at bmiller9302@vgcc.edu or Betsy Henderson at hendersonb@vgcc.edu.

–VGCC–

(VGCC is an advertising client of WIZS.)

NC Coop Extension

2017 Vance County Farm-City Breakfast

“Celebrating the Positive Relationships Between Farm Families and City Residents”

On Thursday morning at 8:00 at the Vance County Regional Farmers Market in Henderson, NC, the 2017 Vance County Farm-City Breakfast took place to show support for the local farmers of Vance County.

A special presentation was given by Lisa Prince with the North Carolina Dept. of Agriculture & Consumer Services.

The following awards were presented:

4-H Volunteer of the Year – Tiffany Hunter – Franklin County School System

Community Supporter of the Year – Christeen Crudup – USDA

Farm Family of the Year – Donald Faulkner – Faulkner Family Farm

Small Farmer of the Year – Gene Matthews – Jasm Farms

Vance County Census of Agriculture:

Total Acres in County – 162,248

Number of Farms – 242

Total Land in Farms, Acres – 54,880

Average Farm Size, Acres – 227

Harvested Cropland, Acres – 13,890

Average Age of Farmers – 62.1

Average Value of Farm & Buildings – $189,883,000

Average Market Value of Machinery & Equipment – $19,270,000

Average Total Farm production Expense – $52,538

Franklin County Logo

Franklin Names Assistant County Manager of Operational Services

Franklin County Press Release

Kim Boyette Denton Joins Management Team December 1st

Franklin County, November 16, 2017: Franklin County has selected Kim Boyette Denton as Assistant County Manager of Operational Services. Ms. Denton has been an Assistant Clerk in the Franklin County Clerk of Court’s Office, working in the Estates and Civil Departments, and has been employed in the Clerk’s Office for over six years.

Ms. Denton’s previous experience includes over ten years of experience in the telecommunications industry working with the company now known as CenturyLink, holding positions in Accounting, Marketing and Regulatory departments. For over 20 years, she has been an avid supporter of a number of volunteer organizations in Franklin County.

Among her duties as Assistant County Manager of Operations, Ms. Denton will provide direct supervision to departments as assigned, serve as lead on assigned projects, conduct budget research and development, assist in the development and implementation of policies, long-term planning and serve as Manager in the absence of the County Manager. She will assume her role effective December 1, 2017.

Ms. Denton graduated from Peace College in Raleigh, NC. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from UNC-Chapel Hill and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from East Carolina University. She is a native of Franklin County where she currently resides with her husband, Thomas. She has two sons, Mark and Edward.

For additional information, please contact Angela L. Harris, Franklin County Manager, at (919) 496-5994.

Franklin County Government is committed to effective and innovative public services for all Franklin County citizens and businesses.