Victory Baptist Church Celebrates 40 Years With Pastor Ricky Easter

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Victory Baptist Church celebrates Pastor Appreciation Day this Sunday, Oct. 25 and will include a special service honoring its pastor of 40 years, Ricky Easter and his wife, Debbie.

An announcement with details of the service describe the Easters’ role – as “40 years of faithfulness.”

Sunday School begins at 10 a.m. and the morning worship service begins at 11 a.m.

Victory Baptist Church is located at 475 J.P. Taylor Rd., Henderson.

‘Young Voices For Change’ Saturday, Oct 24 At Perry Memorial Library

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The 3rd annual Young Voices for Change will take place at Perry Memorial Library Saturday, Oct. 24.

According to organizer Jayden Watkins with the nonprofit Higher is Waiting, the nonpartisan Young Voices for Change event is free and will feature a half dozen or so young people who will speak at the event, which will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Gospel artist Sarah Jaye will perform, and several candidates in the upcoming Nov. 3 elections will be present as well.

In addition to Vance County Board of Commissioners Chair Carolyn Faines, present at the event will be State Senate District 11 candidates James Gailliard and candidates for N.C. House District 32 Bryan Cohn and Frank Sossamon.

The Local Skinny! Annual Fall Festival Returns on October 31st

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Nina Evans, Director of Community Engagement with Turning Point CDC, joins The Local Skinny! to talk about the Annual Fall Festival coming up on October 31st at Turning Point CDC.

(Our WIZS written coverage will appear here soon.)

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TownTalk: Kerr-Tar Family Caregiver Conference Coming to VGCC November 5

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Many people find themselves in the position of providing care for a family member who’s aging or who’s been diagnosed with a chronic health condition like dementia or Alzheimer’s. It may not have been something they’d planned for, but they’re doing their best.

“Caregiving is a tough journey,” said Michael Patterson, family caregiver specialist with Kerr-Tar Council of Governments. “It’s not something that everyone necessarily signs up for…it’s a duty that takes a lot of emotions.”

The 4th annual Family Caregiver Conference, which will be held on Thursday, Nov. 5 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Vance-Granville Civic Center auditorium, is a perfect opportunity for individuals to come and learn more about this business of providing care to loved one that, at times, can be physically and emotionally demanding.

The doors open at 9 a.m. and participants will get a swag bag of goodies, as well as breakfast and refreshments, Patterson said.

Registration is $10 for family caregivers; $25 for professional caregivers, who also can receive up to 1.5 continuing education credits for attending.

Register online at www.kerrtarcog.org or visit any of the senior centers in the five-county KTCOG service area (Vance, Granville, Warren, Franklin and Person counties) and sign up there, Patterson said. Phone him at 252.436.2040 x6072 or email him at  mpatterson@kerrtarcog.org

This year’s speakers include a Duke University researcher who will discuss the importance of oral health care for people with disabilities, a husband and wife team – both health professionals – who will talk about their book and tell their story about caring for a family member with Alzheimer’s and the founder of an organization that focuses on the over-prescription of medications and the importance of having regular medication reviews.

There’s a lot of responsibility that goes along with providing care for a loved one, Patterson said.

“There’s no manual or instruction booklet,” he continued. And caregiving looks different for every individual because every individual has their own story and own journey.

He wants caregivers to give themselves the grace to know one thing: “You’re already doing your absolute best and that should be enough…the simple fact that the caregiver has taken their intentional time to care for a loved one is commendable and they need to be appreciated for that.”

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TownTalk: United Way Hosting Business Luncheon October 29

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The United Way of Vance County is hosting a business luncheon on Thursday, Oct. 29 as a way to share what it’s all about and to learn about how individuals and businesses can help support the programming it provides – all while enjoying a complimentary and tasty lunch.

The luncheon will be held from 12 noon to 1:30 p.m. at Southern Charm Event Center in downtown Henderson.

According to United Way Board of Directors President Helen Bradby, “If you are a local citizen of Warren or Vance County and you are engaged in your community, we are asking that you come out and learn about your United Way.”

The local United Way has no paid staff members, which is good news as far as financial donations go. No administrative overhead means more money goes back into the community, she explained on Wednesday’s TownTalk.

“Honestly, we just don’t have much overhead. We have about 11 members on our board, and we are 100 percent volunteers, so we have no paid staff members,” Bradby said.

They had to hit the “pause” button on giving grants last spring because they just didn’t have sufficient funding.

“When we give out these grants, we’re going to make sure the amount is enough for it to be meaningful and that it is actually going to make an impact within that agency,” Bradby said.

This year, so far, hasn’t been great, but “we’re not doing bad,” she said of donations received.

The United Way provides grant funding to agencies and others whose mission is to help disadvantaged families. Bradby said grants support education, children and young adults, health and nutrition, physical activity and financial stability.

Examples of previous grant recipients include ACTS of Vance County, Community Partners of Hope, Franklin Granville Vance Smart Start, Lifeline Ministries and Spoken Existence Ministries.

Bradby said she’s grateful to Brightspeed for sponsoring the luncheon, which will be catered by Warren County’s C and L Catering.

Visit https://unitedwayvance.org/ to learn more. There’s a QR code on the website to register to attend the luncheon, or you can call 252.213.7466 or email unitedwayofvance@gmail.com

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Perry Memorial Library

The Local Skinny! October Winds Down at Perry Memorial Library

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The staff members at Perry Memorial Library stay busy bringing all types of programs and special events for the community, and Youth Services Librarian Melody Peters said she loves it when patrons make suggestions for programs that she and others may not come up with on their own.

Take the Gaming Club, for example. Sure, young people love video games, so the library offered an afternoon for that activity. But there was so much interest, Peters told WIZS’s Scout Hughes on Tuesday’s segment of The Local Skinny!, that now gamers can gather on the first and third Tuesdays of the month and then a spinoff group will meet on the second and fourth Tuesdays for Dungeons & Dragons.

Abigail Martin is the library’s youth outreach coordinator. Contact Abby – also a gaming enthusiast – to learn more at amartin@perrylibrary.org.

Patrons also wanted to have more movies, so families are invited to come out Sunday, Oct. 25 at 2 p.m. for the Halloween-themed film “Frankenweenie” to get you in the spirit. The screen isn’t as big as one you’d find in a movie theater, but the popcorn’s free and so is admission.

Other activities with a Halloween theme include:

Monday, Oct. 26 Teen Time: Goosebumps and Punch. Teens will enjoy making a fizzy mocktail drink and Monster Munch trail mix from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.

While the teens are enjoying themselves, the rest of the family can enjoy Family Paint Night, Peters said. A local artist offered to teach and guide families for a two-week session, beginning Oct. 26 and continuing on Monday, Nov. 2.

As if that weren’t enough, the next day, Tuesday, Oct. 27 is the library’s Fall Festival. There will be games and crafts for the kids from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., then Trunk-or-Treat in the parking area from 5:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

“Families love it,” Peters said. “It’s a good time, a safe environment…we like to be able to offer that. Come for the candy, but you’ll also get a chance to admire the creativity involved in all the decorating that goes along with Trunk or Treat.

Then, on Wednesday, Oct. 28, join the library staff for the October Read Out at Chestnut Street Park. The bookmobile will pay a visit, and kids can get a free book and coloring sheets at the hour-long event, which begins at 4:30 p.m.

The park is located at 745 N. Chestnut St.

The last Thursday of each month belongs to the Anime Club. The club meets from 3:30 p.m. to -4:30 p.m. The group will meet on Thursday, Oct. 29.

“Kids love to get together and talk ‘anime’,” Peters said.

If you don’t know what anime is, and if there’s not a tween or teen nearby, it’s a wildly popular animation style that originated in Japan that has fans from children to adults.

Visit www.perrylibrary.org to learn more about all the programs and special events at Perry Memorial Library.

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TownTalk: Next Steps For Jail As County Leaders Await Action Plan From NCDHHS

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Click Play for audio from October 21st, 2026

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The Vance County Detention Center remains under state scrutiny and in corrective action for numerous ongoing deficiencies that include the physical plant, staffing shortages, overpopulation and lack of safety and security for detainees and jail employees.

Officials with the N.C. Dept. of Health and Human Services called a meeting with Sheriff Curtis Brame, the county commissioners and other county leadership, which was held on Oct. 15 in Henderson to discuss next steps and possible consequences for the county’s seeming lack of action in addressing the deficiencies.

Vance County Board of Commissioners Chair Carolyn Faines told WIZS News Tuesday that the meeting “provided an opportunity to discuss recent events at the jail, the repairs, inmate population reduction, recruitment challenges, and other related concerns.”

Faines said County Manager Renee Perry would provide an update at the November regular meeting of commissioners, scheduled for Nov. 2.

In a letter dated Oct. 2 and signed by N.C. DHHS Secretary Dev Sangvai, the county has 30 days from the date of the letter to fix the problems or the detention center could face closure. That deadline is two weeks away.

The letter is available on the county’s website at https://www.vancecounty.org/vcdc/.

WIZS News followed up with numerous county leaders who were cc’d on the letter for details of the meeting and the county’s next steps.

District Attorney Mike Waters, who attended the meeting with two others from his office, said jail population census and strategies to reduce the number of detainees was discussed.

“They also shared ongoing concerns with the recruitment and retention of corrections officers,” Waters said.

“We discussed challenges our office faced in getting to pleas and trials with a lack of defense attorneys and a lack of access by in custody defendants to attorneys, in custody defendants being brought to court, timely submission of evidence for testing and delivering reports to prosecutors. Our office discussed past processes that proved successful and other suggestions we hope are incorporated into an action plan,” he said.

Brame told WIZS News that he made sure to point out that “these issues didn’t occur overnight and it’s going to take coordinated efforts in addressing DHHS concerns.” As he has stated before, funding for salaries must be looked at to attract and retain staffing, as well as training and education.

He said he believes DHHS will continue to provide assistance going forward.

Waters said DHHS will be creating an action plan for the detention center and Brame, who, as sheriff, has responsibility for the jail’s operations.

A spokesperson for NCDHHS said last week’s meeting “marked a step forward in the collaboration needed to improve the safety and well-being of people who are incarcerated at the facility. The group reaffirmed its commitment to work together to build a plan that addresses the immediate infrastructure and staffing needs while ensuring a long-term strategy for sustainable improvements at the facility.”

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NCDOT

NCDOT Crews At Poplar Creek, US 158 Bypass Intersection Wednesday To Create All-Way Stop

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The intersection with U.S. 158 Bypass and Poplar Creek Road is set to undergo a transformation Wednesday as NCDOT crews install stop signs to create a new all-way stop.

Stop signs are already in place on Poplar Creek Road.

Work will take place on Oct. 21 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., weather permitting. Drivers should allow extra travel time and be mindful of crews working in this area, according to information from a NCDOT spokesperson.

NCDOT crash data shows all-way stops improve driver safety with minimal impacts to travel time. Drivers approaching an all-way stop should follow these rules:

The first vehicle to the intersection has the right of way ahead of any vehicle that has not yet arrived;

When two or more vehicles reach an intersection at the same time, the vehicle to the right has the right of way;

The vehicle with the right of way may move straight ahead or, if legal and after signaling, turn left or right;

When two facing vehicles approach an intersection at the same time, both drivers can move straight ahead and turn right. If one driver is going straight while the other wants to turn left, the driver who wants to turn left must yield. The driver who is traveling straight ahead has the right of way;

Even with the right of way, remember to use the appropriate turn signals and be careful to avoid hitting other vehicles and/or pedestrians.