4 Confirmed Tornado Touchdowns in Vance County

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Director of Emergency Management for Henderson and Vance County told WIZS News, “We have at least four confirmed tornado touchdowns in Vance County.”

He said he thought it was all from the same tornado. “The weather service will have to confirm that from doppler imaging. They are also technically going to have to confirm that it’s tornadic damage, but I’ve seen enough to know that it is.”

Short said the weather service would be coming in tomorrow or the next day to make that determination.

There are no known deaths or injuries to report in Vance County.

Short said the four touchdowns caused significant damage. He said there were a few isolated power outages “in the Hicksboro, Williamsboro area, which is where most of the damage is.”

There are no roads closed at this time. Emergency crews cleared several downed trees really quickly, according to Short.

Based on our own observations at WIZS, these tornado touchdowns north of Henderson would have occurred right around 5:00 P.M. Wednesday. Additionally, there is an amateur video clip that has been shown several times on WTVD-TV that is supposedly of a tornado just north of Henderson, and if so, this would be in line with what Short is reporting. This stems from the first of three tornado warnings issued for Vance County on Wednesday.

The second and third tornado warnings for Vance County involved mostly areas south and east of the City of Henderson, down towards Bearpond, Kittrell and east towards Cokesbury. When asked if anything materialized from the warnings for the southern part of Vance County, Short said, “Not that I know of, but we had multiple people going in multiple directions, and I have not talked to all of them yet.”

In neighboring Granville County, near Huntsboro, which is not far from the Henderson-Oxford Airport, multiple structures were damaged.  One house was completely destroyed, while adjacent houses received heavy damage.  A local dairy farmer sustained heavy property damage, including two silos as well as equipment and other structure damage.  WIZS News spoke directly with a person on the scene in Huntsboro.  He reported the dairy farmer had not lost any of his cows and that he was observing the aftermath of the storm firsthand while speaking with us.

Severe Weather Threat

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Tornado Watch in effect until 7 P.M. link

Area Schools Dismissing Early.  Most in the Henderson-Vance and Granville area dismissing at 11:30 A.M.  (See WIZS Facebook Page)

National Weather Service link

NWSRaleighLatestBriefing (022416 morning) — as supplied by Brian Short, Director of Emergency Operations for Henderson and Vance County

VGCC Child Care Center awarded Five Stars

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The state of North Carolina has once again awarded a five-star license — the highest possible rating — to the Child Care Center at Vance-Granville Community College’s Main Campus.

State evaluations of child care programs are conducted once every three years, explained Bridget Perry, the manager of the VGCC center. “On a scale of one to 15 points, our program received 13 total points, earning the renewal of our five-star status,” Perry said. “The five-star rating shows our parents and children how dedicated we are to providing quality care, facilitating positive learning, and maintaining a healthy and safe environment on a daily basis.”

Since the North Carolina Division of Child Development and Early Education began the current system of rating child care centers in 2000, the center on VGCC’s Main Campus has earned the five-star rating in six consecutive evaluations (2001, 2004, 2007, 2010, 2013 and 2016). VGCC also maintains a five-star-rated child care center on its Franklin County Campus.

As part of the evaluation process, the Main Campus Child Care Center was visited by fire and sanitarian inspectors, a state licensing consultant and two state-appointed evaluators. They rated the center in two categories – staff education and program standards. The center received a perfect score of seven points in the area of staff education, five points for program standards, and a bonus point because all of its teachers have associate’s degrees in early childhood education.

“The strengths of our child care center are the level of commitment the teachers demonstrate every day, the support from Vance-Granville Community College faculty and staff, and the support from the community, students and the families we serve,” Perry said. She also had high praise for the center’s staff. “The dedication of Hilda Cordell, Pam Harris, Kathy Hughes, Deborah Harris, Rhonda Pegram and Lizzie Nelms made our success possible,” Perry said. “They all are eager to come here every day and be the best! They are awesome, and I am blessed to have such an amazing group of teachers. I am grateful I was chosen one year ago to become a part of this family.”

Perry pointed out that not only does the center provide outstanding child care, but it also affords an excellent environment for students in Vance-Granville’s Early Childhood Education program to gain practical training. The VGCC Child Care Center is licensed to accommodate 38 children, toddler to four years old. For more information, parents can call Bridget Perry at (252) 738-3220.

–VGCC–

Early College Applications

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Vance County Schools is now accepting applications for rising ninth graders to enroll in the Vance County Early College High School for the 2016-2017 school year.

Applications can be picked up from counselors at Eaton-Johnson Middle School, Henderson Middle School and the STEM Early High School, as well as on the Early College website and at the school’s office on the third floor of Building 2 on the campus of Vance-Granville Community College off Poplar Creek Road.

The deadline for receiving completed applications is March 3, 2016.

The first of the parent information meetings with parents of current eighth graders will be held Thursday, February 18, at Eaton-Johnson Middle School at 6 p.m. in the school’s media center. Additional, parent meetings are scheduled on February 24, at 6 p.m. at the STEM Early High School on the campus of Northern Vance High School, and on February 25 at 6 p.m. at Henderson Middle School.

(VCS Press Release)

Early College Recognitions

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Administrators and faculty members at the Vance County Early College High School hosted their annual “Leading the Pack” celebration for outstanding students on February 9, in the Civic Center at Vance-Granville Community College.

There were 18 students honored during the celebration as they near the end of their fourth year in the five-year program and are on target to complete their high school education and have two years of college course credits when they graduate in May of 2017.ECHS awards spring 2016a

The students honored included Christopher Blue, David Cobbs, Nealee Fisher, Sierra Hawkins, Mychell Keith, Kristen Oakes, Bali Reavis, Autumn Richardson, Alexandra Saravia, Rebecca Short, Alicia Tucker, Jacob Weaver, Angel White, Darius Williams, Hailey Williamson, Jordan Williamson, Anautica Wilson and April Zuniga-Trejo.

Upon completion of their studies at Early College, the students will receive their high school diplomas and will have college course credits to transfer to four-year colleges and universities as juniors. Some will successfully complete work to receive a two-year associates degree in a chosen field of study from Vance-Granville Community College.

Principal Michael Bullard of Early College, led the celebration. He was joined in recognizing each of the students by Dr. Anthony D. Jackson, superintendent of Vance County Schools; Dr. Stelfanie Williams, president of Vance-Granville Community College; Dr. Cindy Bennett, assistant superintendent of Student Services and Strategic Planning at Vance County Schools; and Dr. Angela Ballentine, vice president of Academic and Student Affairs at Vance-Granville Community College.ECHS 2 awards spring 2016b

(Information supplied to WIZS by VCS press release.)

Winter Weather Closings

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Updated:  All campuses of Vance-Granville Community College will be closed on Monday, February 15.

Vance County Schools closed Monday, February 15, for all students and school system employees.

Granville County Public Schools closed for all students and staff for Monday, February 15.

Cast, crew announced for VGCC Dinner Theater production

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Vance-Granville Community College has announced the cast and crew for “Deathtrap,” a comedy-thriller that will be the college’s fourth annual Dinner Theater event.

The dinner theater is scheduled for the evenings of Thursday, April 28, and Friday, April 29, in the Civic Center on VGCC’s Main Campus in Vance County. Dinner begins at 6 p.m. each night. Then, on Saturday, April 30, at 2 p.m., there will be a special encore matinee performance of the play, without dinner, at the same location.

For the first time, the dinner theater will incorporate two casts in order to provide more opportunities for students to participate. On Thursday and Friday, the cast will include Spencer Nunn of Warrenton as Sidney Bruhl, Jessie Hartley of Oxford as Myra Bruhl, Morgan McFalls of Oxford as Clifford Anderson, and Jordan Bunting of Rocky Mount as Porter Milgrim. For the Saturday matinee, the cast will feature TaJuan (“Taj”) Glenn of Oxford as Sidney Bruhl, Tia Garren of Henderson as Myra Bruhl, Malachi Glass of Henderson as Clifford Anderson, and Keyante Lindsey of Oxford as Porter Milgrim. Brittney Patterson of Henderson will play the part of Helga ten Dorp in both casts.

The crew includes Jerome Bulluck of Henderson, who is serving as stage manager, sound designer and lighting engineer; Michael Frink of Raleigh, the sound engineer who is also helping with props; and Ashley McEntee of Oxford, who is supervising props and costumes, with assistance from Jamie McGinn of Wake Forest and Allen Young of Henderson.

All are current students at the college, except for Garren, a VGCC alumna who is now on the staff of the college’s Continuing Education division.

Betsy Henderson, VGCC’s Department Chair/Instructor of Humanities and Fine Arts, is the director of the play.

Written by the late playwright and novelist Ira Levin, Deathtrap enjoyed a successful original Broadway run from 1978 through 1982 and was then adapted into a feature film. Skillfully blending thrills and laughter, the plot concerns the devious machinations of Sidney Bruhl, a writer of thrillers whose recent offerings have been flops, and who is prepared to go to any lengths to improve his fortunes. He receives a script from a student, Clifford Anderson, and immediately recognizes the thriller as a potential hit, setting in motion a suspenseful chain of events.

Tickets are scheduled to go on sale on March 15. For more information, visit www.vgcc.edu/dinnertheater.

VGCC Trustees endorse Connect NC Bond

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The Vance-Granville Community College Board of Trustees has voiced its support of the Connect NC Bond on the ballot for voters in the primary on March 15.

In a unanimous vote on Monday night, Feb. 8, at the trustees’ regular bimonthly meeting, the board adopted a resolution of support for the $2 billion bond package.

“The Connect NC Bond … will enable North Carolina’s systems of higher education to educate and train a highly qualified workforce for the 21st century and will support our state’s parks, National Guard, community infrastructure, and agricultural resources,” the resolution states.

If approved by the state’s voters, $7.6 million of the bond package “will pay for ongoing, necessary improvements for VGCC and provide a substantial savings to the people of Vance, Granville, Franklin and Warren counties,” the resolution states.

“This is the first statewide bond we’ve had since the year 2000,” VGCC President Dr. Stelfanie Williams told the board. “The state of North Carolina has actually grown by 2 million people since then. We have a lot of new people in our state.

“This will very much benefit our region. Not only will the community college receive funding but also the state parks. Kerr Lake is set to receive $3,750,000. Municipalities can apply for water and sewer infrastructure,” Dr. Williams said.

The college can use its allocation for new construction, renovations and repairs across its four campuses, Dr. Williams added.

VGCC’s proposed allocation is the eighth largest among the state’s community colleges. “The nice thing about this bond for Vance-Granville is that the formula for determining allocations incorporated county wealth and the age of buildings, so we fared well with $7.6 million,” Dr. Williams said.

Steve Graham, VGCC’s vice president of finance and operations, said the college has many needs for retrofitting and enhancing instructional program spaces and addressing critical repair and renovation needs with the bond proceeds, if approved.

Graham noted as examples that partnerships with area industry are resulting in higher enrollments in programs such as the new Mechatronics Engineering Technology academic program. Additional space is needed for lecture areas and for housing new equipment.

Some buildings on VGCC’s main campus have air handling units that are over 30 years old, and there are older model fire alarm systems that need to be replaced, Graham added. In some curriculum areas, such as Cosmetology, electrical and ventilation upgrades are needed.

Dr. Williams added that the public school students will also benefit from the bonds in the four-county area, because there are approximately 800 enrolled in the early college high schools on VGCC’s four campuses.

On the ballot, the Connect NC Bond will be labeled the “Connect NC Public Improvement Bond.” Early voting is scheduled for March 3-12, Dr. Williams said.

The board voted to contribute $7,000 of non-state funds to support the Connect NC Bond Committee.

In other action:

  • Mid-Year Amendments to the 2015-2016 Budget Resolution were approved. Trustee Danny Wright, chair of the board’s Budget Committee, said the adjustments were necessary to account for $2,074,022 in carryover funds from the previous year and grant funding.
  • The board voted to close the Industrial Systems academic program, effective in the fall of 2016, upon recommendation of the Curriculum Committee, chaired by Trustee Barbara Cates Harris. More students are gravitating to the Mechatronics program, contributing to low enrollment in Industrial Systems.
  • Under a new sales tax redistribution plan, the state and local sales tax base will be expanded to include repair, maintenance and installation services, Graham reported. A portion of local sales tax revenue will be placed in a statewide pool and allocated under a new statutory method with the proceeds used for expenditures related to economic development, public schools or community colleges. By county, the estimated annual distribution is: Vance, $241,000; Granville, $1,157,000; Franklin, $1,903,000; and Warren, $778,000.
  • Following a report by Trustee Sara Wester, chair of the Personnel Committee, the trustees approved resolutions to adopt two additional Supplemental Retirement Plans established by the State for the benefit of VGCC employees with no cost to the college. All qualified employees are eligible immediately for the NC 403 (b) and NC 457 plans.
  • The Investment Committee, co-chaired by Trustees Opie Frazier and Donald Seifert, reported on a joint meeting held with members of the VGCC Endowment Fund Board of Directors in January. Seifert said the two boards are currently updating the college’s investment policies.
  • In an update for the Building Committee, Graham reported that work began on the Building 10 renovations in January with an expected completion date of June 23.
  • The board approved a course offering at Polk Correctional Institution in Butner and Warren Correctional Institution in Manson. All courses offered at the state’s prisons must go before trustees for approval.
  • Student Government Association President Aleria Perry, who serves as Student Trustee, announced upcoming events at the college, including Fun Friday for Valentine’s Day on Feb. 12, Spirit Week starting Feb. 29, and a Talent Show for students on March 4.
  • In Dr. Williams’ report to the board, the trustees were updated on activities since the board last met in November, including the recent announcement of a former VGCC president, Dr. Ben Currin, winning the community college system’s top award, the I.E. Ready Award, and plans for VGCC’s new online learning initiative, VOLT (Vanguard Online Learning through Technology), to offer online College Transfer degrees starting in the fall. She also announced the dates of an Arts & Sciences Lecture Series that will feature Bill Barker of Colonial Williamsburg, Va., as Thomas Jefferson; lectures are set for Feb. 18, March 17, and April 21, at 11 a.m. each day in the Auditorium in Building 2. The college’s Fourth Annual Dinner Theater will be held April 28-30. The annual VGCC Endowment Fund Golf Tournament is set for Tuesday, May 3.

The Monday night meeting was moved to Feb. 8 because of inclement weather on the original meeting date of Jan. 25. The next meeting of the Board of Trustees is set for Monday, March 21, on the Main Campus.

VGCC welcomes “Thomas Jefferson” for lecture series

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Vance-Granville Community College’s Arts and Sciences division is offering a spring lecture series with a distinguished guest speaker, former President Thomas Jefferson — or, to be exact, Bill Barker, the critically acclaimed resident “Mr. Jefferson” at Colonial Williamsburg, Va.

The public is invited to attend the Jefferson presentations, as are VGCC students, faculty and staff. On Thursday, Feb. 18, at 11 a.m., the series kicks off with “Mr. Jefferson and the Pursuit of Science.” That will be followed by “Mr. Jefferson and the U.S. Constitution,” on Thursday, March 17, at 11 a.m.; and finally “Mr. Jefferson and Slavery,” on Thursday, April 21, at 11 a.m.

All of the hour-long lectures will be held in the small auditorium in Building 2 on VGCC’s Main Campus in Henderson.

The lectures will illuminate topics from many different disciplines within the arts and sciences at VGCC, from the math and natural science subjects that so fascinated Jefferson to history and other social sciences. Meanwhile, the lively format also highlights language and dramatic arts.

Barker has portrayed Thomas Jefferson in a variety of venues since his first appearance at Independence Hall in Philadelphia in 1984. He has been a regular interpreter at Colonial Williamsburg since 1993. Born and raised in Philadelphia, his interest in Thomas Jefferson reaches back to his youth. He enjoys researching the American world Jefferson knew with an interest in the role the man played and continues to play in our American identity.

Barker received a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in history, from Villanova University. Attracted to the stage at an early age, he became a professional actor, director and producer. He was cast as Jefferson in many different venues including the musical, 1776. Barker is the same height, weight and general appearance as Mr. Jefferson.

He has performed as Jefferson at the White House, the Palace of Versailles and throughout the United States, Great Britain, France and even on the Las Vegas Strip. He appeared as the Founding Father in programs that aired on ABC, NBC, CBS, PBS, CNN, The History Channel, and C-SPAN.

For more information on the lecture series, call David Wyche at (252) 738-3364 or Deanna Stegall at (252) 738-3311.

Read-a-Thon at Perry Memorial Library

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One of the most important missions of the Perry Library Youth Department is to promote early literacy within the library through programming and information distribution and to partner with community organizations with similar goals.  To that end, the library is holding a Read-a-Thon in cooperation with FGV Smart Start.  The theme of the Read-a-Thon will be:  “Read for the Youngest Readers”.  All proceeds from the Read-a-Thon will go the Dolly Parton Imagination Library program which provides age appropriate books, one per month, to children ages 0-5 years.

We are looking for community organizations and local businesses that would be willing pledge donations based upon the number of hours read during our Read-a-Thon.  The Read-a-Thon will take place at Perry Memorial Library on Monday, February 15th from 12:00 pm until 8:00 pm.  Any and all members of the community ages 1 to 100 are encouraged to read for this cause.  The total number of hours read by all who come to the library will be the basis for any pledges we receive.  The names of all businesses or organizations pledging their support for the Read-a-Thon will be publicized so that the community will know who to thank.

If you would like more information about the Read-a-Thon, or would like to give a pledge of support, please contact Angie Bates at abates@perrylibrary.org or 252-438-3316 (ext 225).  If you would like more information about the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, please contact Gary Daeke, Development Coordinator of Smart Start, at gdaeke@vance.net or 252-433-9110 (ext 227).

(All of the information above was written and supplied to member businesses of the H-V Chamber of Commerce by email.)

(Perry Library Online) – (Perry Library on Facebook)

(F-G-V Smart Start Online) – (F-G-V Smart Start on Facebook)

(Dolly Parton Imagination Library Online) – (Dolly Parton Imagination Library Online on Facebook)