Vance-Granville awarded $150k for public safety training

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The Cannon Foundation Board of Directors recently approved a $150,000 grant to the Vance-Granville Community College Endowment Fund to renovate a 3,200-square-foot space on the college’s Main Campus for an Emergency Simulation Lab.

The new lab will enable law enforcement and emergency services departments in Vance, Granville, Franklin and Warren counties to train and certify their current and future public safety workers using a realistic scenario-based curriculum in a controlled environment.

The grant will be used, along with funds from the Connect NC bond (approved by North Carolina voters earlier this year), to complete the final phase of Building 10, which opened in August on the main campus in Vance County. The building houses classrooms, labs and faculty for VGCC’s law enforcement, fire/rescue and emergency medical services education and training programs.

“We are very pleased to receive this grant, because it will allow Vance-Granville to further enhance our vital partnerships with the local agencies that protect and serve our communities,” said Dr. Stelfanie Williams, president of VGCC. “We’re excited about the possibilities that this new lab will provide for us to serve students and our public safety partners.”

The Cannon Foundation, based in Concord, N.C., is part of the philanthropic legacy of Charles A. Cannon, an industrialist and humanitarian who was president and chairman of Cannon Mills Company for more than half a century.

“Our region is fortunate that VGCC has hands-on, real-life emergency simulation equipment to train students and professionals in public safety careers,” said Kaine Riggan, VGCC’s grants and government relations coordinator. “The simulation lab will give us a new facility in which to provide training for first responders throughout our four counties to be prepared for emergency scenarios, which saves lives.”

VGCC’s PRISim ShootBack system, for instance, fires plastic ammunition up to 110 miles per hour, teaching life-saving defense techniques and methods for using less-than-lethal force, when appropriate.

The college is currently seeking a $15,000 sponsor for a new EMS simulation mannequin that can, among other things, simulate stroke symptoms, ensuring that students are more prepared to recognize and call the stroke code into the ER, where saving even a minute can save a life.

VGCC is now starting the design phase of the renovation project, which will complete the overhaul of the 16,000-square-foot building, a former commercial structure that was purchased by the college in 2010.

Rehoboth United Methodist Church endows VGCC Scholarship

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A new scholarship has been endowed at Vance-Granville Community College by Rehoboth United Methodist Church, carrying on the legacy of a Granville County native and educator.

The church, located in Vance County between Henderson and Oxford and less than five miles from the college’s Main Campus, received a bequest from the estate of Marie Wilson Thomson. A onetime church member who passed away in 2014 at age 87, she is buried in Oxford and left portions of her estate to several area churches.

Thomson, a schoolteacher who began her career in education in Stovall before teaching for 30 years at an elementary school in San Diego, California, left instructions that the bequest be used to benefit high school seniors entering their first year of college. Church leaders decided that one way they would use the funds would be to create a scholarship at VGCC. The church’s contribution to the college represents approximately 10 percent — in religious terms, a tithe — of the sizable Thomson bequest, the remainder of which will be awarded as scholarships to youth in their congregation. The VGCC scholarship will be awarded in the church’s name as a Presidential Scholar Award, the college’s largest, most prestigious level of endowed scholarship.

“We wanted to help our whole community,” said Donald Clayton, the church’s lay leader, of the VGCC endowment. “A scholarship like this can provide hope for a student and maybe change their lives.”

In awarding the scholarship, preference will be given to residents of Granville or Vance counties who are enrolling as full-time students at the college immediately after graduating from high school and meet certain academic requirements.

“We are honored that the members and leaders of Rehoboth United Methodist Church have entrusted us with a gift that will support students for generations to come,” said Dr. Stelfanie Williams, president of VGCC. “It is a truly fitting tribute to the generosity and vision of Mrs. Thomson, who devoted her life to education.”

Through the Endowment Fund, VGCC has awarded more than 8,500 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.

15th Annual Show, Shine, Shag, Dine

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Show, Shine, Shag and Dine and East Coast Drag Times Hall of Fame

October 14th, 15th and 16th, the Vance County Tourism Development Authority presents the 15th Annual Show, Shine, Shag and Dine and The East Coast Drag Times Hall of Fame and Reunion.

Tourism Director Nancy Wilson said the reunion and drag racing hall of fame inductions is what it’s all about.  She said, “It all leads up to this.  It’s a way to honor these guys for their contributions.  They’ve learned so much and have shared it with the racing world.”

Wilson said she started the show here to honor these drag racing legends, folks like Roy Johnson, Levi Holmes, John Livingston and his “Tennessee Thunder,” and nostalgia fuel dragsters.  She said, “They come to reunite and are just as happy as a lark to be here.”

You can join in too and see the inductions.  Admission is free on Sunday, October 16th.  Starting at 10 a.m., meet race icons of the 50s, 60s and 70s at the Vance Granville Community College Civic Center.  Everyone is invited to attend.

Saturday, October 15th is the big show day in downtown Henderson.  1976 and older antique, classic cars and nostalgia drag cars line the streets.  Admission is free on Saturday, and there will be vendors, food and live entertainment.

About 30,000 people are expected, at least that’s how many appeared last year.  In a wrap up article posted on WIZS.com last year, Wilson was asked to compare the show here to shows done elsewhere in towns the size of Henderson.  She said, “I don’t think there’s anyone who can compare.  We’re not a festival.  That’s not what we do.  It’s an event, a production.  The State Fair is about as close as I can get to the number of people at one location at one time.”

The economic impact here, for spending done while the show is here, will be between 2.5 and 3.0 million dollars.  If you ask around, the community, the people here and the leadership here are grateful for the show and especially for all the cars and drivers and legends that come in from out of town.

On Friday, October 14th at Satterwhite Point on Kerr Lake, guests will enjoy a southern style barbecue from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. for a $10 cover charge.

See more below and online at kerrlake-nc.com.

show-shine-shag-dine-2016

Henderson-Vance Crime Stoppers Thanks You for Support

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On September 15th The Henderson-Vance Crime Stoppers held their annual Awards Banquet at Vance Granville Community honoring “The Best of the Best” in law enforcement.  They would like to thank the following people for being a sponsor for helping make this award winning night so special to so many.  They are:

1st Sgt. Jeff Rowan
Adam Johnson
Advantage Ford-Lincoln
Alice Harris
Baskerville & Baskerville, PLLC
Beacon Light Masonic Lodge #249
Billy Ford
Bobby Choplin
Calvary Baptist Church
Carolina Carpet and Flooring
Caroline Burnette
Charles Boyd Chevrolet Cadillac Buick GMC
City of Henderson
Clearview Church
Cobblestone Community Watch
Craig Thorpe
Danny Wright, CPA
Early Falsom Properties
Edward Woodlief
Frankie Nobles
Freison
Henderson Fruit and Produce
Henderson Institute Historical Museum
Henderson Vance Recreation Department
Home Decorator Shop
Henderson Police Department
J M. White Funeral Service
Joe Dittmar
Larry’s Service Company
Mainstreet Marketplace
MR Williams
Magnolia Management, LLC
Mike Waters, District Attorney
Vance County NAACP
Pinnell Insurance Agency
Rosemyr Corporation
The Screen Master
Senior Citizens Home, Inc.
Sheriff Peter White
Superior Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram
Vance County
Vance Johnson
Vance-Granville Community College
Wester Realty & Insurance Agency, Inc.
Western Vance Academy
WIZS Radio

 

Again, thank you for your support in all that Crime Stoppers does to honor those for their commitment and dedication in serving the citizens of Henderson and Vance County.  Without your support, we would not be able provide them with necessary funds as well as other necessities to help gather information to make our city and county a safer place for all of us.

Murder Conviction in Granville County

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Trial in Granville County Superior Court leads to Murder Conviction

Oxford, NC– Granville County Criminal Superior Court was held during the week of October 3, 2016.  Superior Court Judge G. Wayne Abernathy presided during the session.  The Office of District Attorney Mike Waters was represented by Assistant District Attorneys Allison S. Capps and Michael W. Putney, Jr.

The primary focus of the week-long session was the trial of State of North Carolina vs. Rotonya Russell.  Mrs. Russell was charged with the Second Degree Murder of her husband, Carlos Russell, Sr. on June 11, 2014, at their home on Belltown Road.  Mrs. Russell, the defendant, was represented by Keith Bishop of the Durham County Bar.  At the close of all evidence and arguments of counsel, the jury convicted Mrs. Russell as charged.  Judge Abernathy sentenced Mrs. Russell to an active sentence of 148 to 190 months in the North Carolina Department of Public Safety, Division of Adult Correction.

This case was investigated by Detective Todd Wilkins and officers from the Granville County Sheriff’s Office under the direction of Sheriff Brin Wilkins.

(Official Press Release from District Attorney Mike Waters)

Event Update for the Masonic Homecoming Festival Starting on Friday

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Masonic Homecoming Festival Modifications Due to Hurricane Matthew

As of 12pm, October 5, 2016 – In light of the impending weather events and the uncertainty of its impacts on the 2016 Masonic Homecoming Festival, MHCO officials, Alumni Representatives, and members of the Masonic Grand Lodge and Shrine Temples of North Carolina met to discuss those changes that needed to be made to ensure the safety of all participating and attending this year’s events.  Based on this meeting the following changes to the schedule of events have been made:

The Shrine Parade for Saturday Morning has been cancelled.

All other activities are being held as previously scheduled.  For a full list of activities and changes as well as any additional updates, please visit the MHCO website at www.mhc-oxford.org or our Facebook page.  You can also listen to the following radio stations for further updates – US 98.3 FM and WIZS 1450 AM.

The Home extends its thanks to the City of Oxford Police Department, Granville County Sheriff’s Department, Granville Emergency Management, the Oxford Orphanage/MHCO Alumni Association, our Shrine Temples of NC, and all those locally and throughout the state who have volunteered their time, resources, and support for this year’s festival.  We apologize for any inconvenience these changes have caused, but again must focus on the safety and comfort of our participants and guests, both in Oxford and across North Carolina.

IT certification courses offered at VGCC through new grant

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Information technology training courses are set to be offered soon at Vance-Granville Community College, and grant funding from the new NC TechHire program can help eligible area residents pay for them. These courses are offered in a “hybrid” format, with some coursework online and some on VGCC’s Main Campus.

Three upcoming courses provide opportunities to earn certain certifications through CompTIA, the Computing Technology Industry Association. The CompTIA certifications are internationally recognized and are required by most companies hiring information technology professionals. When students complete each course or module, they take the appropriate certification exams.

“CompTIA A+” covers the basic hardware of a personal computer, including the installation, operating systems, upgrading/maintenance of both equipment and software, as well as troubleshooting and repairing non-functioning personal computers. Upon completion of specific modules, the CompTIA 220-901 and 220-902 exams will be administered to students. The course will be taught by VGCC instructor Donna Gill.

“CompTIA Network+” will introduce students to the networking field and is also set to be taught by Gill. Upon completion, students should be able to perform tasks related to networking mathematics, terminology, models, media, Ethernet, sub-netting, and TCP/IP Protocols. Students will take the N10-006 exam at the end of this class.

“CompTIA Server+” covers the installation and administration of a Windows Server network operating system. VGCC instructor Gerald Young will teach students about managing and maintaining physical and logical devices, access to resources, the server environment, managing users, computers, and groups and managing/implementing disaster recovery. Students will take the SKO-004 exam at the end of this class.

These courses, which are being scheduled now and will be offered multiple times, are approved for funding through the NC TechHire grant that VGCC recently received as part of a consortium of four community colleges. Area residents between the ages of 17-29 who are not currently in school may qualify for grant funding, which can pay for registration fees, course fees, and certification fees.

For more information, contact Kenneth Wilson at (252) 738-3259 or wilsonk@vgcc.edu or Tiffani Polk at (252) 738-3291 or polkt@vgcc.edu.

Candidates Forum to be held at Granville Expo Center

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The Granville County Human Relations Commission, The League of Women Voters Unit of Granville County and the Granville County Chamber of Commerce are sponsoring a Candidate Forum. Candidates who have filed for the 2016 November elections have been invited to participate.

The forum will be held Tuesday evening, October 11. The intention for the Forum will be to allow each candidate a few minutes to introduce themselves. Following, the candidates will participate as a panel to answer prepared questions asked to the panel by the moderator. Panels will be determined based on the number of candidates participating. Granville County Tourism Development Authority Director Angela Allen will be the moderator for the event.

The public is invited to arrive at 6 pm to enjoy light refreshments and conversation prior to the candidate panels beginning at 6:30 pm.

 

VGCC presents free seminar to help businesses prepare for holidays

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The Vance-Granville Community College Small Business Center, in partnership with the Henderson-Vance Downtown Development Commission, is inviting local businesses to plan ahead for success in the upcoming holiday season.

A free workshop, entitled “Maximizing Sales During the Holidays,” will be held at the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce (414 S. Garnett Street, Henderson) on Wednesday, Oct. 26, from 8-10 a.m.

Mike McConchie of Creedmoor will serve as the instructor. The owner of M&M Consultants, Inc., McConchie is a Certified Business Coach and a Senior Business Consultant. He has over 36 years of retail management experience and is the past president of the Granville County Chamber of Commerce.

Topics for the workshop will include: the importance of different time periods, including November as a whole, Thanksgiving weekend in particular, and the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day; merchandising; pricing; staffing; marketing; how to capture customer information for use throughout the year and its relation to target marketing; decorating a store front; why holiday selling is different than the rest of the year; why gift cards are so important; and overcoming sold-out situations.

Breakfast will be provided at no charge to attendees who register in advance by Oct. 20.

Registration can be completed online at www.vgcc.edu/schedules/small-business-center.

For more information, contact Tanya Weary, director of the Small Business Center, at (252) 738-3240 or smallbusiness@vgcc.edu.

Vance County Friday Night Football is on the Air

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Tonight.  Double coverage of Southern Vance hosting Bartlett Yancey and Northern Vance at Southern Durham.  Pregame at 6:45 p.m. following the Joy Christian Center broadcast.  Kickoff at 7 p.m. for NV at SD and 7:30 p.m. for SV vs BY.  Join us for the live play by play on 1450 AM WIZS plus the live stream on wizs.com and via the Tunein Radio App on your computer, smartphone or tablet.

Scouting Reports by Jeff Jenkins:

For the past four years, the Spartans of Southern Durham have had good reason to consider themselves the best in the Big Eight 3A conference, and they were justified in believing they were the best 3A team in the state.  After being re-classified from 4A to 3A in 2013 and joining the Big 8, Southern swept the conference two consecutive years, won the State 3AA championship in 2013, got upset in the Playoffs in 2014, and went back to the championship game again last year.  They lost to Crest, the school they beat for the crown in 2013, to enter this season as the reigning state 3AA runners-up, but then last year’s Big 8 title – and last five wins – were forfeited due to fielding a player whose participation was based on an physical exam form that expired in late-season. The Big Eight title crown went to Orange County, which had finished second to Southern for three years running.  Whatever the record book says now,  everyone had to admit that the Spartans looked like a team that would contend with the state’s best again this year.  Head coach Darius Robinson admitted that his team had lost a few stand-outs from last year, but felt his 17 returning starters would make his team even more experienced and deeper.  Returning veterans include all-conference quarterback Jalen Greene and all-conference defenders Tackle Bobby Fuller, middle linebacker Andre Purvis, and end Ezekial Jennette.

But something went wrong.  As usual, the Spartans started their season against four tough 4A teams, all of which reached the playoffs last year. But, instead of beating 2 or 3 of the big schools and entering Conference play with their usual record of 4-1 or at least 3-2, Southern came out 2-3 against nonconference opponents.  Then, they lost to Orange County for the first time in recent memory, and by an eye-popping score of 49-7 – the Spartan’s worst defeat since 2012.  Orange was gunning for Southern, and with good reason – the Panthers had been conference runners-up to the Spartans for three straight years, AND fell to Southern in the playoffs in two of those three years as well.  Orange is undefeated this year and, with Southern Durham out of the way, they are likely to stay that way throughout the regular season.

Statistically, the Spartans do not look like an elite team; before the Orange game, they were scoring 23 points per game, compared to 34 last year, and they allowed 24 per game, compared to 19 last year.  The Orange blow-out does nothing to improve that picture.   The Offense averages a respectable but unspectacular 325 yards per game in total.  Sr. QB Jalen Green has passed for 143 yards per game and 6 TDs, and he is also the #2 rusher on the team with 53 yards per game and one TD.  Sr. WR Montrel Cooper, at 6’4,” averages 64 yards per game receiving for 2 of those TDs, followed  by Sr. Marcus McDonald at 6’3” with 53 yards per game and one score.  The rushing game is surprisingly mediocre, with only 130 yards total per game and Sr Joey Strong Jr leading the team with 83 yards per game. As predicted by Coach Robinson, Southern’s defense is indeed being led by Sr MLB Andre Purvis with nearly five tackles per game, and Sr. Tackle Ezekial Jennette with over four, but Sr. Tackle Bobby Fuller has missed three of the six games, and has not been a factor.  However, Soph DB Taron Beauford, Jr. utility player Ryan Bond and Sr. LB Dezmon Criss-Barnard have all stepped up with four or five Tackles each per game.

Northern Vance will still need to play their best game of the season to come out on top tonight, but there is a real possibility that the Vikings can go toe-to-toe with the 2016 Spartans, something they could not even hope for in previous seasons, when they were thrashed by Southern by scores of 62-6, 69-0, and, last year, 42-13.

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The Buccaneers of Bartlett Yancey, the only high school in Caswell County, invade Raider Stadium tonight under the leadership of second-year head coach David Weathersby, who is being credited with changing a culture of losing that gripped the school’s football program around the turn of the 21st century.   In Weathersby’s first game as coach, the Bucs won their 2015 season opener against Raleigh’s 4A Enloe, ended a 19-game losing streak, and laid the groundwork for a 5-6 record and their first playoff appearance since 1996.  Graduation robbed Weathersby of his starting quarterback and some other key players, but the winning season brought out a good crop of new players, and “the new BY” is continuing to rebuild.  Enloe got their revenge with a 58-35 win over the Buccaneers in this season’s opener, and 4A Person County beat them in week two, but Bartlett-Yancey has now won three in a row to bring a 3-2 record against the Raiders, who lost last year’s meeting 42-8 in Yanceyville.

This season, B.Y. features 14 seniors, including starting QB Tre Dildy, and several experienced receivers, including Sr. Jaylon Jeffries and Jr. Brandon Budd.  Among the talented newcomers are 6’2” Fr WR and kick returner Dequondre Newman, the team leader with 316 yards receiving for 4 TDs.  In the five games this season, Dildy has a 61 % completion rate, passing for 549 yards and five TDs, and rushing for three more scores.  Sr RB Shay Jeffers rushed for over 1200 yards last season on his way to an all-conference selection.  So far this season, Jeffers is on schedule to exceed his 2015 production, rushing for 1120 yards and 9 TDs so far.   In a 19-14 win over Granville Central two weeks ago, the Bucs had 477 total yards, with Dildy passing for 117 yards, and Jeffers rushing for a whopping 261 yards.

The defense is led by the linebacking group of Sr. MLB Tyree Foster who was a leader in the first five games last year, before an injury ended his season;   Jr. Joe Durden, this year’s leading tackler with 8 tackles per game; and  Jr. Hart Modlin.  As a RB,  Durden has also rushed for 2 short-yardage TDs

The Bucs offense is averaging 27 points per game, an improvement over last year’s 21 per game.  As a result of their high-scoring losses to begin this season, the defense has allowed 34 points per game, but only 19 per game in their 3 wins.  Overall the Buccaneers tend to lose big and win close, suggesting that their defense needs more improvement.  Their 42-8 win over Southern Vance last year was their highest scoring and most lopsided win of that season.