150K Doses of Heroin Seized in Traffic Stop

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In an email to WIZS News, Henderson Police Chief Marcus Barrow wrote, “On the morning of June 9, 2021 officers from the Henderson Police Department conducted a traffic stop on I-85, resulting in the seizure of 150,000 doses of heroin, two containers of marijuana, and $742.00 in US Currency. The estimated street value of the seizure is around one million dollars.

“The vehicle’s operator, 25-year-old Niamani Faith Dantzler-Sneed, was arrested and charged with 3 counts of Trafficking in Heroin, Possession with Intent to Sell Manufacture and Deliver Heroin, Maintaining a Vehicle to Keep Controlled Substances, and Misdemeanor Possession of a Schedule VI Controlled Substance. She received $231,000 secured bond.”

Vance County Logo

Commissioners Approve Rescue Squad Contract, Level Funding In Budget

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The Vance County Commissioners voted Monday to approve a four-year contract extension for the county rescue squad, and County Manager Jordan McMillen said he expects the new contract – with one small change – to be signed later this month.

McMillen told WIZS News that the vote was 4-3 to approve the contract extension, but commissioners voted to remove the fifth item in the contract, which resulted in approval. The fifth item, McMillen said, was a proposed requirement to gather addresses and certifications along with the annual roster submissions. Instead, the county will get a list of active members from the Rescue Squad’s worker’s compensation listing, he explained.

“In terms of funding, the contract does not guarantee any level of funding, as that is determined each year with the budget,” McMillen explained. The commissioners approved the FY21-22 budget Monday evening, which McMillen said “includes level funding for the Rescue Squad for the coming year – this totals $100,000 in annual funding plus up to $2,775 additional to cover financial reviews and Verizon service for their mobile data terminals.”

TownTalk: Inaugural Juneteenth Celebration Filled With Activities For Family Fun

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Henderson’s first celebration of Juneteenth will take place next week, thanks to a partnership with Henderson-Vance Recreation and Parks Department and numerous local community agencies.

Tara Goolsby, HVRPD program superintendent, discussed the week’s scheduled activities Wednesday on Town Talk. Activities kick off on Sunday, June 13 at Fox Pond Park with a cookout from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. There will be a COVID-19 vaccination clinic, as well as craft activities for children, a deejay playing music.

The Juneteenth Week of Freedom continues on Monday, June 14 with a 6 p.m. presentation about genealogy by local expert Brandy Parker. This event will be held at Aycock Recreation Center.

The observation of Juneteenth comes from June 19, 1865, when word about enslaved people’s emancipation after the end of the Civil War finally reached enslaved people in Texas.

“This is the first time we’ve had a Juneteenth celebration in Henderson, and the first big event since COVID,” Goolsby said. “We’re excited that we’re bringing something new to Henderson, she told Town Talk host John C. Rose.

There will be a community information fair on Tuesday, June 15 at Aycock Recreation Center. Participants can learn more from representatives of various agencies and entities in the area, including Vance-Granville Community College, the Henderson Tobacco Warehouse, the City of Henderson human resources department and others. There also will be a booth for voter registration.

Between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., folks can take a bus tour of what had been known as Black Wall Street in Henderson. Goolsby describes this area as the general area of Montgomery Street. The bus will run every 30 minutes from Aycock to Montgomery Street and participants can learn more about the businesses that used to be in that area.

Goolsby said the organizers were intentional in their planning. “Of course, we want to have a celebration, but also want to provide people with information that they may not otherwise have access to,” she said.

Two presentations – one on the African diaspora and one on home ownership – will be given on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Aycock Recreation Center.

A street festival on Breckenridge Street will provide activities and excitement on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will be food trucks, vendors and music. “I started watching the weather last week,” Goolsby said. “So far, it looks like it’s going to be an amazing day!”

Goolsby said Juneteenth is a time for celebration, but also a time for reflection. And she looks forward to planning future Juneteenth activities.

Goolsby said it’s not too late to register to be a vendor. Contact her at 252.438.3948 or tgoolsby@ci.henderson.nc.us to learn more.

For broadcast audio and other details, click play…

The Local Skinny! Home and Garden Show

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Thank you for listening to WIZS Radio, Your Community Voice!!

The Local Skinny! Home and Garden Show for June 9, 2021.

Hosts Paul McKenzie and Wayne Rowland with Vance County Cooperative Extension.

Maria Parham Job Fair; June 24th; 2p-9p

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Maria Parham Health Job Fair

June 24, 2021

2 p.m. until 9 p.m.

RSVP

(Maria Parham is an advertising client of WIZS Radio and WIZS.com. This is not a paid ad.) 

NC Dept of Agriculture

Pool Side Pests Can Be Nonnative and Invasive and Wreak Havoc

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Now that Memorial Day has passed, many homeowners with in-ground or above-ground backyard pools have turned their attention to getting conditions right for summertime water fun. N.C. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler is encouraging pool owners to conduct a little “citizen science” to help identify certain invasive, nonnative pests that can wreak havoc on agricultural systems and forests.

“Two more nonnative invasive pests are at North Carolina’s doorstep – the Asian longhorned beetle recently found in South Carolina and the spotted lanternfly recently found in Virginia,” Troxler said in a press release. “Both insects could cause devastating losses to North Carolina’s forests, agriculture and landscapes.”

‘Poolside Pests’ is a program aimed at increasing awareness of Asian longhorned beetle and spotted lanternfly and is so named because these pests are attracted to water and may be found in pools and pool filters. Pools across the state can serve as traps for these pests and North Carolinians are encouraged to report the pests if they see them. Early detection is critical because management tactics are most successful when a new invasion is detected and reported quickly.

While the ‘Poolside Pests’ program targets pool owners and managers, it’s important that everyone keeps an eye out because these insects can be found anywhere.

The Asian longhorned beetle is native to Asia and was first found in the U.S. in the mid-‘90s in New York. It has recently been found in the South for the first time and is much closer to North Carolina than ever before. It attacks many species of hardwood trees but prefers maple.

The spotted lanternfly is native to Southeast Asia and was first found in the U.S. in Pennsylvania in 2014. It is quickly expanding its range and, in 2018, was detected in Virginia and continues to spread toward North Carolina. It is a significant nuisance pest and a major pest of agriculture, specifically grapevines, fruit trees, hops, and many tree species.

All North Carolinians are encouraged to learn how to recognize and report these pests, by going to https://www.poolsidepests.com/. If you suspect you have found one of these pests, click on the Report a Pest link on the page.

‘Poolside Pests’ is a collaborative effort between the Plant Industry Division, N.C. Forest Service and N.C. State University Cooperative Extension.

GCPS Announces Staff Changes, Shifts To Streamline Central Services

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The Granville County Board of Education approved numerous staff changes, from Central Services to individual schools across the district at its meeting Monday, June 7.

Dr. Stan Winborne was named associate superintendent of curriculum & instruction and student services. He will continue to be the public information officer, according to a press release announcing the changes.

Winborne replaces Dr. Michael Myrick, who leaves GCPS to become the superintendent of Weldon City Schools in Halifax County.

Winborne has worked with GCPS for almost 25 years, beginning his career as an English as a Second Language and Spanish teacher. He has held numerous administrative positions in Central Services.

“The new staffing assignments were designed to place highly qualified staff in key positions in order to move the district forward in the coming academic year,” the press release stated.   Superintendent Dr. Alisa McLean said the changes reflect a need to be more streamlined in district operations. “Just as our board is working toward school reorganization and efforts to become more efficient, so too will our leadership team.,” McLean said. “Now is the time to downsize our staffing at Central Services and streamline the way we support our schools. We will continue to make improvements to our organization by reducing and reorganizing the number of positions in central services that are paid for out of local or state funds, better positioning the district financially and strategically,” McLean said.

Other staff changes include:

  • Courtney Currin, principal at Tar River Elementary, was named director of federal compliance & personnel. Currin will also have marketing duties for the district.
  • Tar River Assistant Principal Timothy Bobay was named principal at TRES.
  • Jamar Perry was named executive director of human resources. He is beginning his third year with GCPS.
  • Bill Graham was named Interim executive director of operations.  Graham is a former GCPS high school principal and has worked for more than 35 years in education.
  • Mary Warehime was named interim principal of Granville Academy. She has been dean of instruction there for the past two years.

Additional staff were named as assistant principals at the following schools:

  • Kristin Wilson – Tar River Elementary School
  • Ashley Lloyd – Granville Central High School
  • Anthony Herndon – Butner-Stem Middle School
  • Kelly Helner – Creedmoor Elementary School
  • Emily Makay – Northern Granville Middle School
  • Pam Davis (Intern) – Northern Granville Middle School
  • Kellie Walton (Intern) – Butner-Stem Middle School

“It is a new day in GCPS, and as such we need to be positioned to not just respond to the needs of our students, but anticipate solutions and possibilities for the future,” McLean said. “These individuals will assist with this work and build upon the strengths we already celebrate.”

TownTalk: NC IDEA – Finding, Funding Entrepreneurs In Underserved Areas

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Those announcements about big-name companies coming to North Carolina grab headlines and garner attention, but NC IDEA President and CEO Thom Ruhe suggests that it’s the small businesses that deserve the fanfare.

Ruhe did a little quick math on Tuesday’s Town Talk and told John C. Rose that each new business, on average, creates five jobs. And in 2020, North Carolina had more than 7,000 new company filings than it did in 2019. You don’t need a calculator to know that, on average, those new companies created 35,000 jobs.

It’s that “army of entrepreneurs,” Ruhe said, that have a tremendous impact on the economy.

Ruhe and NC IDEA identify, support and promote entrepreneurs and their visions for creating new companies. NC IDEA and its 60 business partners help companies get off the ground, grow and thrive in today’s economy. The $50,000 Seed Grant program and $10,000 Micro Grant program are two streams of “free money” for new companies.

But it’s not just money that NC IDEA is concerned about. “Anybody brave enough to do that,” Ruhe said of those who start their own business, should also have access to resources and networking opportunities to accelerate the company’s growth.

Sometimes, especially in rural communities, if the last big employer packs up and moves away, employees are faced with having to move or do something else. That “something else” could develop into an entrepreneurial passion, he said. This “survival” entrepreneurship often leads to a journey of discovery, he added.

In the spring funding cycle that just ended, Ruhe said NC IDEA funded 50 companies in the state – 80 percent of which were for entrepreneurs representing underserved communities.

Last year, NC IDEA created a Black Entrepreneurship Council and gave the group $500,000 to decide how to advance this particular group of entrepreneurs.

Ruhe said he was breaking news on Town Talk by announcing that a second $500,000 would be headed their way next year.

Ruhe has been on the job at NC IDEA a little more than five years. In his time there, he has seen the organization be more intentional about focusing on areas outside the traditional entrepreneurial hot zones like the Research Triangle and Charlotte area.

It has not been an easy balancing act, but NC IDEA is committed to process improvement – and finding the money to put behind their vision.

An entrepreneur needs perseverance, and critical-thinking skills to looks at problems as opportunities, he said, and obstacles not as roadblocks but something to figure a way around

A person with an entrepreneurial mindset, he said, is an active participant in life, and puts aside the notion that life is just something that happens to him or her. It’s not a TGIF (Thank Goodness It’s Friday) mindset. It’s a TGIM mindset – Thank Goodness It’s Monday – “I’m ready to go out and engage the world again,” Ruhe said.

For more details and TownTalk with Thom Ruhe, please click play.

Triangle North Adds Scholarship To VGCC; Local Grant Cycle Open Until June 18

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The Triangle North Healthcare Foundation has made a $25,000 donation to create a Presidential Scholar Award at Vance-Granville Community College, which will result in a $1,250 scholarship given to a student each year, beginning in fall 2021. This is the fourth scholarship established at VGCC by TNH.

“We are grateful for the foundation’s longstanding commitment to supporting VGCC,” said VGCC President Dr. Rachel Desmarais. “This new scholarship will help excellent students who are training for careers in healthcare, and in other rewarding fields.”

TNH Foundation provides support to the community through scholarships and grants to agencies and organizations that strive to improve health and wellness in the four-county area. The deadline for submission of letters of interest is June 18, according to TNH Foundation Executive Director Val Short.

Anyone interested in applying for funding during this grant cycle should contact the foundation at 252.430.8532 or email at info@tnhfoundation.org  to schedule a meeting.

A regional healthcare grantmaking organization based in Henderson, NC, Triangle North Healthcare Foundation was established in 2011, following the merge of Maria Parham Medical Center and Duke Lifepoint.

The foundation seeks programs and projects that will provide positive results in one or more of the five focus areas: child well-being, chronic disease, mental health and substance use disorders, nutrition and physical activity and reproductive health.

The link to the foundation’s online grant portal is available at the website:  http://www.tnhfoundation.org.