Vance Commissioner Carolyn Faines Named Vice-Chair Of Kerr-Tar COG Board

– Information courtesy of Kerr-Tar COG Administrative and Program Assistant Christa Hight

Vance County Commissioner Carolyn Faines was named vice-chair of the Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Government’s board of directors at the group’s annual awards banquet Thursday evening.

About 160 attended the event from across the five-county area that comprises the KTCOG. Betty Wright of the town of Louisburg was named board chair and Warren County’s John Alston will serve as treasurer, according to information from KTCOG Administrative and Program Assistant Christa Hight.

The following awards were presented:

  • Kerr-Tar Outstanding Board Member – John Alston, Warren County
  • Outstanding Municipal Elected Official – Butner Mayor Linda Jordon
  • Outstanding County Elected Official – Granville Commissioner Russ May
  • Outstanding Manager – Franklinton Town Manager Zachary Steffey
  • Outstanding Clerk to the Board, Lynda Clayton, City of Roxboro

Derrick Sims, current chair of board of directors presided over the meeting, which was held at Festival House at the Homestead Steakhouse in Timberlake.

 

Community Info Series: Fair Housing Oct. 8

Fair housing is the topic of the upcoming Community Info Series hosted by Baskerville Funeral Home.

Join Legal Aid of North Carolina’s Fair Housing Project for the free workshop, scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 8 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Presenters include attorneys Kelly Clarke and A.D. Skaff, both of whom work with Legal Aid’s Fair Housing Project. They will share information on a variety of topics, including who is protected by the federal Fair Housing Act, who must comply and how to lodge a complaint and how to get help with housing issues.

The workshop will be held in the chapel of Baskerville Funeral Home, located at 104 S. Chestnut St., Henderson.

To learn more, call 252.430.6824.

Watkins Volunteer Fire Department Fundraiser Oct. 4

The Watkins Volunteer Fire Department is cooking up plans for its fall fundraiser. Come out to the fire department, 1590 Horseshoe Bend Rd., on Friday, Oct. 4 to enjoy barbecued chicken, pork barbecue and more.

The fundraiser will begin at 11 a.m. and customers are welcome to eat in or take out.

Plates of barbecued chicken OR pork barbecue, complete with boiled potatoes, sauce, slaw, bread and dessert are $12 each; choose a combo plate with chicken AND pork for $15. One-pound containers of pork barbecue are available for $10 each.

Grace Ministries Hosts “Too Beautiful For Earth” Program Oct. 5

Grace Ministries will host the third annual “Too Beautiful For Earth” event on Saturday, Oct. 5 at its 215 Crozier St. location.

The event will be held from 12 noon to 3 p.m. and is held to honor babies who have lost their lives due to medical complications including miscarriage, preterm birth, stillborn, birth defects, SIDS or any type of pregnancy loss.

Come out to support this effort and the families affected by this type of loss. There will be speakers, crafts, a raffle and more.

American Red Cross: October Blood Drives In The Area

According to the American Red Cross, only three out of 100 Americans donate blood. With the blood supply still at critical levels, every single donation is key to making sure all patients relying on lifesaving transfusions, including car accident victims and those living with sickle cell disease, get the care they need.

The Red Cross needs blood donations and platelet donations. Find an upcoming blood drive near you at

RedCrossBlood.org, by calling 1-800-RED CROSS or by using the Red Cross Blood Donor App.

Those who come to give Oct. 1-31 will receive a $10 Amazon.com Gift Card by email, plus be automatically entered for a chance to win one of three $5,000 gift cards. For full details, visit RedCrossBlood.org/Treat.

Here’s a list of upcoming blood drives in the four-county area:

Vance County:

  • Thursday, Oct. 3 – 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. – Raleigh Road Baptist Church, 3892 Raleigh Rd.
  • Monday, Oct. 21 – 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. – Henderson Family YMCA, 380 Ruin Creek Rd.
  • Monday, Nov. 4 – 12 noon to 5:30 p.m. – South Henderson Pentecostal Holiness Church, 905 Americal Rd.
  • Tuesday, Nov. 12 – 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. – Kerr Lake Country Club, 600 Hedrick Dr. 130-6 p.m.

Granville County:

  • Saturday, Sept. 28 – 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., New Grassy Creek Missionary Baptist Church, 8182 Cornwall Rd., Oxford
  • Friday, Oct. 11 – 12:30 p.m. – 5 p.m., Ernest F. Hart American Legion Post 90, 914 Williamsboro St., Oxford

Warren County:

  • Saturday, Oct. 5 – 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., Haliwa-Saponi Tribal School, 130 Haliwa Saponi Trail, Warrenton

Visit https://www.redcrossblood.org/ to learn more.

Dr. Roddy Drake Recipient Of Order Of The Long Leaf Pine

With family, friends and colleagues looking on, W. Rodwell Drake, M.D. – Roddy – became the most recent recipient of The Order of the Long Leaf Pine.

Rep. Frank Sossamon presented Drake with the framed award Thursday morning on behalf of N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper.

“It’s important to recognize people who have served us and served us well,” Sossamon said in remarks before presenting the award. “Dr. Drake is one of those who’s made an impact,” he said.

Recipients of The Order of the Long Leaf Pine are selected for long-standing service to their community and to the state. Sossamon said he’d heard Drake characterized as “’the epitome of what a family physician should be’ – what a compliment,” he said.

Drake grew up in Warren County and long-time resident of Henderson, practiced medicine at Henderson Family Medicine from 1975 to 1991, when he became director of the Granville-Vance Health District.

After the ceremony, he told WIZS News that he appreciated hearing all the kind comments that came from long-time friends and from family members.

“It’s nice to be recognized,” Drake said, but “the real satisfaction is in knowing that you’ve done a good job and that you’ve been supported by a good team of workers and support from friends and others in the community that makes it all possible.”

He retired from his role as GVPH director in 2012, but Drake currently serves as interim medical director in Nash County.

“I’ll always be involved,” he said. “It’s in my blood…that’s just the way it is. Medicine has been an important part of my life.”

Friend and local attorney Jerry Stainback read a resolution that he crafted to honor the occasion, signed by several dozen friends and colleagues, to recognize Drake for “his lifelong work and standard of work, and that his friends, colleagues and coworkers desire to honor him for his outstanding achievements as a friend to all whom he meets” and for “unfailing and faithful service to his community and State.”

In his role as district health director, Drake said he always tried to make sure he made the community a priority. But over the years, he had the chance to participate in a number of statewide committees and played a large role in creating guidelines and decision-making.

Gov. James B. Hunt appointed him to the N.C. Advisory Council on Cancer Coordination Control, and he served two four-year terms working with Dr. Joseph Pagano of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer He also was a steering committee member at the N.C. Institute of Medicine to develop a 10-year plan to improve health outcomes.

Lisa Harrison, who succeeded Drake as GVPH director, also served on that steering committee. In the nomination letter, Harrison wrote, “We all applaud Dr. Drake.  We appreciate his dedication to the health of others and to the health of these rural communities. His leadership still makes such a positive difference.”

Harrison brought greetings Thursday morning from the health department – and a card signed by many staff members – and said she is grateful for “all of the wonderful things that Dr. Drake has done to keep communities healthy.”

In his remarks to those gathered, Drake said a community is strengthened by all its connections. “It takes a strong community to make good things happen,” he said. “I am so connected with all of you, not only in work, but in board work and tremendous long-lasting friendships.”

As the ceremony was winding down, Drake stood at the podium a second time to exercise his new authority as a recipient of the Order of the Long Leaf Pine – the privilege to recite the state’s toast whenever and wherever he so chooses.

Here’s to the land of the long leaf pine,
The summer land where the sun doth shine,
Where the weak grow strong and the strong grow great,
Here’s to “Down Home,” the Old North State!

(WIZS News would like to credit and thank Jean Thompson, Dr. Drake’s sister, with providing additional help to WIZS for this story and for the pictures you see.)

TownTalk: Around Old Granville: The Changing Role Of Sheriffs

Sheriffs today have plenty of work to do – after all, they are the chief law enforcement officer in the county in which they serve. But when the concept of sheriff first came to the Colonies, it was a catch-all job, making it a powerful, sought-after position.

The first sheriffs were appointed by the governor, according to local historian and North Carolina Room Specialist Mark Pace, and it wasn’t until 1829 when the job became an elected position.

Pace and WIZS’s Bill Harris reflected on the evolution of the role of sheriff in Thursday’s TownTalk segment of Around Old Granville.

William Perry was appointed the county’s first constable/sheriff back in 1746.

Pace said sheriffs in Colonial and antebellum North Carolina had a lot of power – they did everything from serve warrants and civil papers to collect taxes. There was a little added incentive for this last role, Pace said. “They got a percentage of the taxes that were paid.”

Samuel Benton, who gave the land to form the city of Oxford back in the 1760’s, held the jobs of sheriff, member of the House of Commons, justice of the county court, registrar and clerk of court, mostly simultaneously, Pace said.

These days, Benton wouldn’t have been able to hold the office – state statute says a sheriff can’t hold any two or more appointed office at the same time or a combination of elected and appointed offices.

William Henry Smith was the first sheriff of 16 sheriffs to serve Vance County. Smith and E.A. Powell rotated back and forth for a long time, Pace said, one winning one election cycle and defeated by the other in the following election.

In 1881, Powell is reported to have made a deal with challenger Isaac Jones Young, Pace said, regarding the upcoming election. “I won’t spend a dime if you won’t spend a dime,” Pace said. The two agreed, and Powell soundly defeated Young.

“And the next term, Young spent twice as much as he ever had” to regain the seat.

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Sheriff Warns Folks Are Scamming Using His Name

In another brazen scam, unlawfully using the names of local law enforcement officials, a Henderson resident is out $14,000.

Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame said the local scammers used his name and that of Lieutenant Goolsby. The victim in this case was convinced to go to a local Food Lion and send out a money order in the amount of $14,000, under the false impression that it would keep somebody out of jail or out of the reach of law enforcement.

And that’s simply not true and not how it works.

Brame wants residents to know, first of all, that neither he nor any personnel of the sheriff’s office will ever ask anyone via telephone call or text message for sensitive personal information.  In an earlier scam case back in July, Brame told WIZS, “My staff…will knock on your door and ask you to come to our office,” adding that deputies will provide badge numbers, call numbers and other official information identifying them as sheriff’s deputies.

The sheriff urges members of the public to be vigilant to avoid being taken in by scammers.

“Never say the word ‘yes’ to these people,” he said. Never provide personal information like dates of birth and Social Security numbers to people via email or text message.

An investigation is underway in the case, and the Henderson Police Department is conducting it because the crime happened in the City.

The Local Skinny! Fire Prevention Lunch And Learn Oct. 3

In observance of National Fire Prevention Month, the Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce, along with Abria’s Chase Foundation and the Henderson Fire Department, present a Lunch and Learn at Station #1 on Thursday, Oct. 3 beginning at 12 noon.

The deadline to sign up is Monday, Sept. 30, so please call the Chamber office at 252.438.8414 or email Tanya Wilson at tanya@hendersonvance.org to register.

Ayana Lewis of Abria’s Chase Foundation said their mission is to prevent others from experiencing the tragedy she and her family endured because of a house fire. Two of the couple’s children perished in a 2009 housefire.

Since 2010, the nonprofit helps provide smoke detectors, support groups and other resources to families who have found themselves in need.

Henderson Fire Chief Tim Twisdale said he and his staff strive to engage the community about smoke alarms, including talking with residents who live in areas with a higher instance of fires In addition to making sure homes have working smoke alarms, Twisdale said he and fellow firefighters remind people about the proper use of drop cords and safe placement of supplemental heat sources like space heaters.

Fires that involve cooking account for half of all fires nationwide, he said, adding that “local numbers reflect that also. Never leave cooking appliances unattended,” he warned.

Chamber President Sandra Wilkerson commended the fire department for the excellent job its members do to educate schoolchildren and called on business leaders and others to come learn what the fire department offers as a way to further prevent fires.

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