Wayne Rowland, on the Vance County Cooperative Extension Report:
Pine stands can be improved by thinning unproductive trees.
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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In a special called meeting on Wednesday, the Henderson City Council approved retaining a Raleigh law firm to provide legal counsel in the absence of a city attorney.
When the Council reconvened following a closed session, Council member Sara Coffey made the motion, seconded by Council Member Tami Walker, to retain the services of Hartzog Law Group.
In making the motion, Coffey said, “After careful consideration, talking with everyone, that we go ahead and retain the law firm of Hartzog to represent the city and get this taken care of so that we will have a law firm on hand when we need them, as we need them.”
The vote was 5-1, with Council member Sam Seifert casting the “no” vote.
Council members Garry Daeke and Lamont Noel were not present.
The city has been without an attorney since Sept. 9, when City Manager/City Attorney Hassan T. Kingsberry’s resignation was accepted by the City Council.
According to information on its website, Hartzog Law Group specializes in employment law, municipal law and education law.
From Nicola Goslin-Ricks, Vance County Veterans Service
The Henry A. Dennis Building in downtown Henderson will be illuminated green through the month of November as part of Vance County’s participation in Operation Green Light, a national initiative to support military veterans.
With Veterans Day next week, local residents have a chance to participate in Operation Green Light, too, by swapping out clear light bulbs for green ones to show support. The Vance County Veterans Service office is located in the Henry A. Dennis Building, 300 S. Garnett St.
It’s all part of a new initiative spearheaded by the National Association of Counties and other national organizations.
NACo President Denise Winfrey said, “Operation Green Light is a simple way to express our collective appreciation for the public service of our veterans. We encourage everyone to join us in displaying a green light for our veterans and to also reflect on how we, as a nation and at the county level, assist our military service personal back into civilian life upon completion of their service to our country.”
In addition to lighting the Henry A. Dennis Building, residents and businesses are encouraged to participate by simply changing one light bulb in their house to a green bulb. This can be an exterior light that neighbors and passersby see, or an interior light that sparks a conversation with friends.
By shining a green light, we let our veterans know that they are seen, appreciated, and supported. While this event is focused around the week of Veterans Day (November 4th – 11th ), participants are encouraged to continue shining the light year-round. Residents can share their participation on social media using the hashtag #OperationGreenLight.
Visit naco.org/operationgreenlight for more information and links to resources available to veterans.
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WIZS Radio ~ 100.1FM/1450AM
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Listen On Air at 8am, 12pm, 5pm M-F
WIZS Radio ~ 100.1FM/1450AM
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OK, local history buffs, here’s a question for you:
What do the Declaration of Independence, inventor of a Space-Age portable stereo and the poet Langston Hughes all have in common?
Ready for the answer?
Sassafras Fork township.
Northern Granville County residents may be more familiar with Sassafras Fork than others, but back in the 1760’s, Sassafras Fork encompassed the general area now known as Bullock, Grassy Creek, Gela, Stovall and Soudan, just across the NC/VA border.
WIZS’s Bill Harris and local historian Mark Pace talked about what that area used to look like in the recurring TownTalk segment “Around Old Granville.”
Now, here’s how those three seemingly unrelated items intersect in northern Granville County:
The town of Stovall recently held a Harvest Festival, featuring a celebration of one of its famous residents, John Penn. Penn was one of the state’s three signers of the Declaration of Independence and he moved from Virginia to North Carolina in part because there were too many lawyers where he was from in Virginia, but also because his wife’s family lived near Sassafras Fork.
Now, about that Space-Age portable radio…
Pratt Winston, who died in 2024, was an entrepreneur and inventor. He created the iconic Weltron radio product line, which sold all over the world into the late 70’s.
Winston’s home, Rose Hill, originally was part of the Speed holdings, still stands.
Pace said it’s probably the oldest brick home in the area, having been built around 1834. The two-story Greek Revival-style home was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.
Ready to make the connection between Sassafras Fork and Langston Hughes?
“Shaw School was so well known back in the 1940’s and ‘50’s, Pace said, that it was able to attract numerous speakers of some renown.
The poet Langston Hughes, of Harlem Renaissance fame, visited the school in 1953 for a poetry reading, Pace said.
At the time of Hughes’s visit, Stovall was enjoying a population of close to 500, but over time, that number dwindled.
The 2010 Census reported just more than 400 people living in Stovall, and that number dropped to 324 in the 2020 count.
But Stovall once boasted a booming economy for the times – with a funeral home, doctors, a bank, factories, lumber mill, hotel, numerous churches and a railway station. There were close to 800 people living in Stovall in the 1920’s, Pace said.
A man named John Stovall gave land to have the rail depot put on his land, which is what prompted the name change from Sassafras Fork to Stovall, he said.
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With all the ribbon-cuttings taking place recently, the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce has had to keep those giant scissors sharpened. This is a busy time for the Chamber, not just because of all those ceremonial welcomes – it’s also annual membership campaign season.
And Chamber President Sandra Wilkerson wouldn’t have it any other way.
“It’s been a busy time at the chamber,” Wilkerson said on Tuesday’s TownTalk, “but it’s been a great time” as new businesses and new members come on board.
Of course, Wilkerson said, the Chamber welcomes new members any time during the year, but folks who join during the membership campaign won’t get another bill until January of 2027 – that’s like getting 15 months for 12. The current campaign runs through Dec. 19.
As Wilkerson sees it, a members’ annual dues are really an investment from members who reap the benefits of being a part of an organization that brings people from across the community together to network with each other, forming partnerships and friendships.
“You get out of it what you put into it,” she said, emphasizing that the regular get-togethers have a way of strengthening ties within the business community. “If you are one who never gets out of the office, you’ll lose some of that energy,” she said.
And the Chamber’s fundraisers also are celebrations, she said, as people come together for a common goal.
“It’s so much more for the people that come and participate,” she said.
When Wilkerson realized she needed to offer something for the members that are nonprofit organizations, the Chamber started quarterly nonprofit engagement gatherings. The most recent one had 80 people in attendance.
“It’s been very successful,” she said. They bring in speakers – some local, some from elsewhere – and learn about grant opportunities and more.
Last week’s “State Of” luncheon had more than 100 people, and Wilkerson said it’s been a popular series for the community to learn what’s up in the community and across the region.
Another Chamber-sponsored program is Leadership Vance, which brings a diverse group of people from a cross-section of the community together for a months-long program to learn about the county where they live and work.
“I’ve seen so many people in Leadership Vance,” she said, “so many that go on to become Chamber ambassadors, board members and elected officials…and a greater love for the community.”
A spinoff of that is a student version of Leadership Vance. It started a few years ago to get high school students involved in learning about and appreciating all the positives in the county. This year, 44 students applied for the program, and the Chamber loosened up the 16-participant cap to make room for 19.
“These kids can go out and spread that positivity to their peers and to their parents,” Wilkerson said.
The Chamber has its finger in a lot of pies throughout the community, but for Wilkerson, the best part about being the Chamber president is getting to spotlight local businesses. As a lifelong Vance County resident, she said it’s interesting to go into a business and sit down with people she may have known for a long time and learn all about their work and how they fit in – and give back to – the community they call home.
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Jamon Glover, on the Vance County Cooperative Extension Report:
We continue our role model and mentorship series, specifically building a circle of voices that you trust around your child.
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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The Vance County Board of Commissioners were presented an updated version of the county’s approved Emergency Operations Plan but voted to table taking action to allow for more discussion.
Vance County Emergency Management Specialist Willie Kearney presented the draft document – the most recent update had been July 2019.
Kearney said the Vance County Rescue Squad has been removed from the EOP since it had been defunded by the county.
And since the 911 Communications and Emergency Management are no longer housed under Emergency Operations, Kearney stated that that Vivian Lassiter will oversee 911 and Kearney will oversee emergency management services in the plan.
Other proposed changes include an updated mutual aid agreement with the state of North Carolina. That agreement was signed on Sept. 23, 2025 by Assistant County Manager Jeremy Jones.
The local Department of Social Services responsibilities were amended in the EOP since DSS is no longer responsible for contacting medical/health care facilities to encourage development of emergency guidelines.
The existing EOP refers to a N.C. General Statute that was repealed and replaced with an updated G.S. concerning emergency declarations, and that also was updated in the draft document.
In other action taken by the board, County Manager C. Renee Perry said, at the direction of Chair Carolyn Faines, she is in the process of reviewing various county committees to determine whether they should be decommissioned.
First up was the Fire Commission, which Perry said she would suggest that the board decommission, since it was created for the specific purpose of resolving issues around the most recent fire study.
Since the commissioners have regularly scheduled work sessions, Perry said the work of individual committees could take place at work sessions instead. Commissioner Tommy Hester made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Leo Kelly, Jr. to decommission the Fire Commission. The lone dissenter was Commissioner Dan Brummitt.
Before the vote was taken, Brummitt said, “I still believe that committees are an essential part of the board. I don’t agree with getting rid of committees…I think we need to continue with our committees.”
Perry said commissioners earlier had decided to move the work of committees to regularly scheduled work sessions, allowing all board members to receive the same information at the same time.
“It’s always good for me not to be surprised with what questions are going to be asked at the meeting, so we can be prepared to answer those questions,” Perry said.
Speaking of work sessions, commissioners voted to cancel the upcoming Nov. 17 work session. Perry made the request, stating that the board would be together twice in December, once for the regular December meeting and the second for the annual retreat.
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