The Local Skinny! Henderson Fruit And Produce Expands To Warrenton

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It’s been a few years since Warrenton has had a grocery store, but Chris Fisher, owner of Henderson Fruit and Produce, is getting ready to change that – hopefully, by Saturday.

Stop by 140 S. Main St. in downtown Warrenton to check out Henderson Fruit and Produce of Warrenton.

People familiar with the Henderson location at 1215 Old Norlina Rd. may see some familiar items, Fisher said, but he described the Warrenton location as more of a butcher shop, deli and retail store and less of the bulk items that the Henderson store is known for.

Having two locations obviously means double the work, but Fisher is excited for the opportunity and said the fact that they’re only 10 or so miles apart makes it doable.

“I’ve got a great staff – they do most of the work,” he said on Thursday’s segment of The Local Skinny!

The new location has a prime spot in downtown Warrenton, and Fisher said customers can come in for fresh meats, produce, deli items and more.

Need to order for a special occasion? No problem. They can get pigs for pig pickin’s and keep ribeyes and tenderloins in stock. Most special orders are next-day deliveries, but if it’s a large order, it could take a couple of days.

Check out the weekend specials on their Facebook page, or give the Warrenton store a call at 252.879.0234.

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Vance County Sheriff’s Office Makes Drug Arrest

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-information courtesy of Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame

Members of the Vance County Sheriff’s Office made an arrest late last week after serving a search warrant at a home located on Raleigh Road.

Rufus Kenneth Williams, 51, was charged with one count of possession with intent to manufacture, sell and deliver cocaine and felonious possession of cocaine, according to a press statement issued Tuesday afternoon by Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame.

Brame stated that a search warrant was issued for 3777 Raleigh Rd. as part of an ongoing investigation into citizen complaints of illegal drug sales occurring at the residence.

Upon service of the warrant, and a brief foot pursuit of the suspect who was later taken into custody, members of the Vance County Sheriff’s Office located and seized cocaine and other assorted paraphernalia related to the sell, possession, and use of illegal narcotics.

Williams was given a $54,000 bond. He was scheduled to appear in court on Monday, Aug. 28

Local Man Faces Drug Charges Following Traffic Stop

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-information courtesy of Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame

 A Henderson man faces drug charges following a traffic stop conducted by the Vance County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics unit in mid-August.

According to a press statement issued late Tuesday afternoon by Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame, a vehicle driven by Devon Rhodes was stopped and officers developed probable cause to search the vehicle’s interior.

During the search an amount of heroin, cocaine, cocaine base “crack” and marijuana was located and seized.

Rhodes was arrested and charged with one count each of possession with intent to sell and deliver heroin and cocaine, as well as a felony charge of maintaining a motor vehicle to transport a controlled substance. He also was charged with two misdemeanor charges of possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana.

He was released after securing a bond set in the amount of $20,000.

Maria Parham Health Schedules Free Prostate Screening Event Sept. 14

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Maria Parham Health has scheduled its annual free prostate screening for Thursday, Sept. 14.

September is Prostate Cancer Awareness month, and Maria Parham is offering the screening event from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at its Henderson location on Ruin Creek Road

The American Cancer Society recommends that all men 50 and older should be screened annually – those in high-risk groups including African American men and males with a family history of prostate cancer should start at age 45.

No appointment is needed.

Visit https://www.mariaparham.com/ or call 252.436.1656 to learn more.

TownTalk: ACTS To Hold Concert At McGregor Hall

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The third concert to benefit ACTS – Area Christians Together in Service – will take place at McGregor Hall on Saturday, Sept. 16. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the program will begin at 7 p.m. ACTS Executive Director Lee Anne Peoples invites the community to come out and enjoy the music – it’s for a good cause.

Tickets are $5 to attend the “Make A Joyful Noise Unto The Lord” benefit concert, Peoples said. Children 12 and under get in free.

Tracy Dalton is cook and kitchen manager for the food bank and meal ministry that operates on William Street, and she’s just one of the featured acts on the program. ACTS volunteer and vocalist Evelyn Couch will perform as well. And Peoples said there is plenty of room on the program for additional individuals and groups to join in.

“The money goes into our general operating fund,” Peoples explained on Wednesday’s TownTalk. In addition to the cost of the food itself, there are the indirect costs associated with the Monday-Friday hot meal distribution that takes place from 11 a.m. to 12 noon.

On a normal day, she said more than 200 folks come by to pick up plates. Add the 40 or so mobile meals that go out and the daily number of meals served can easily be between 250 and 275.

Those associated costs include things like paper products needed to package the meals, as well as utility bills, she noted. “There’s a lot of dishes to wash up” after preparing all that food, she said.

“Everything has really gone up,” Peoples said, referring to increased prices for everything that goes into providing the hot meals and food boxes for households.

What else has gone up?

The need in the community.

“We have seen an increased need,” she said. ACTS served close to 50,000 meals in 2022, and that number is not going down.

The first concert was held in 2018, and Peoples said this year’s event is sure to please.

There are sponsorship levels available for the concert. Sponsor names will appear in the glossy, full-color program that will be available at the concert. Platinum level is a full-page ad for $1,000; Gold level is a half page for $500; and Silver level is a business card size for $250.

It probably comes as no surprise that the food pantry shelves could use some more items, too.

“We’re really low in the pantry now,” Peoples said.

Donations of shelf-stable food can be made any time between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, although it would be wonderful to avoid the 11 a.m. to noontime hour when they’re serving meals, Peoples said.

There is a list of useful items on the ACTS of Henderson Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ACTSofHenderson/

Any type of canned meat, vegetable or fruit would be a big help – but they have ample green beans, green peas and corn at this time.

Mail monetary donations to: ACTS of Vance County, Inc.

P.O. Box 25

Henderson, NC 27536

Learn more about how to help ACTS through donations or by volunteering by contacting Peoples at lapeoples@actsofhenderson.org.

 

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State Highway Patrol

Driving This Holiday Weekend? Remember: Booze It And Lose It

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State and local law enforcement officers will be out in force over the holiday weekend and beyond as part of the “Labor Day Booze It & Lose It” campaign, so as you plan to enjoy a last summertime hurrah, make sure those plans include having a designated driver. Don’t drink and drive.

Increased patrols and checkpoints will be conducted statewide through Sept. 10, to keep impaired drivers off North Carolina roads. North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein helped lead Monday’s kickoff event at the Davidson County Rest Area off Interstate 85 South.  “Keeping people safe has to be Job One for all of us,” Stein said. “If you drink and drive, you will get caught. Protect yourself and others – never operate a motor vehicle if you’ve been drinking.”The “Booze It & Lose It” campaign aims to eliminate impaired driving using outreach and stepped-up law enforcement efforts. Nearly every law enforcement agency in North Carolina participates in the 29-year-old campaign.   “This Labor Day, we want you to plan ahead by arranging a sober ride home from any festivities that might involve alcohol or other impairing substances,” said Mark Ezzell, director of the N.C. Governor’s Highway Safety Program, a part of the N.C. Department of Transportation. “Law Enforcement will be working extra patrols during this campaign to keep all motorists safe by catching those who don’t heed this message. There’s really no excuse.”

Alcohol is a leading contributor to fatal crashes in North Carolina, according to crash data compiled by the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles. Between 2017 and 2022, North Carolina has averaged more than one alcohol-related vehicle fatality each day. Last year, there were 462 alcohol-related fatalities on North Carolina roads and 16 of those deaths came during the Labor Day period.

TownTalk: Hester Discusses Shell Building And Development

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It was just last fall when local government officials and others gathered at the Industrial Park outside Henderson to break ground on construction of a shell building.

Today, that building is ready to be upfitted to suit a potential buyer’s needs. County Commissioner Tommy Hester said the building is under contract to a manufacturing firm, but the company isn’t ready to make a public announcement just yet.

Hester, who chairs the Industrial Park Board, said construction went smoothly since that chilly November groundbreaking.

The idea was simple: Put up a building and have everything in place for a manufacturer or other commercial entity to come in and finish out the space to suit its particular needs.

As for this shell building, Hester said the new owner will probably still have to put in another $1 million or more to complete the building.

“You don’t want to finish it because you don’t know what upgrades they’ll want,” Hester said on Tuesday’s TownTalk. “You try to hit all of the major things that you think they’ll need,” he added. The building has a layer of gravel and a vapor barrier, as well as cargo doors and it’s expandable to 97,000 square feet.

“You’ve just got to have flexibility,” Hester said, to accommodate a variety of prospective buyers.

Hester said he predicted this building would be sold before it could be completed, and that’s just what has happened.

“I think we can do it again,” he said.

The county purchased the land for the park for $1.6 million. Add the infrastructure – with grants and from the state and federal departments of Commerce to offset costs – and the park has roads and water and sewer services. The road should be completed in December, Hester said.

The county made an investment, and Hester said it’s paying off.

“Success builds on success,” he said. “If you don’t invest, you don’t get a return.” More manufacturing means more local jobs and more money flowing to county coffers in the form of taxes.

“We’re in the right location at the right time,” Hester said of Henderson and Vance County’s proximity to Wake and Durham counties.

35 or 40 jobs over 2 or 3 year period, where growth is burgeoning.

It’s not just growth in the commercial sector, either. Hester cited housing developments in the county that could add 1,000 more homes in the next three to five years.

“The more rooftops you get here in this community, the more retail, the more you can help with quality of lives of citizens,” Hester said.

“It’s all happening faster than I thought,” he acknowledged. “I think we’re getting ready to grow.”

 

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Perry Memorial Library

The Local Skinny! Upcoming Events At Perry Memorial Library

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The official first day of autumn is still a few weeks away, but fall programs at Perry Memorial Library are getting started this week.

Youth Services Director Melody Peters said things are shaping up for a wonderful fall at the library – come on in and have some fun!

Mother Goose story time is starting back up after a short end-of-summer break, Children 0-5 are welcome to come hear a few stories, sing a few songs and get some wiggles out, Peters said Tuesday on The Local Skinny!

Before children can read the words on a page, Peters said, they really need to hear the stories read to them.

Children pay attention to the voices as the stories are read aloud, she noted. All the senses are firing in a child’s first two years, so she takes care to choose books that are visually appealing written by diverse authors.

“It’s a fast, full 30 minutes,” Peters said of the weekly story time. “We’re not sitting still for this…we’re goint to have that song and move their bodies,” she said. They “practice” sitting while the stories are being read, but other than that, there’s a good bit of activity.

The story time uses themes and the first one is “On the Farm,” followed by “Apples” and “Fall.”

Story Time is all about “quality, not necessarily quantity,” she said. “You want to leave them wanting more.”

Speaking of more, that’s exactly what teens in grades 6-12 are getting in this season’s Life Hack series, Peters said. To kick things off, there’s STEM gaming fun in the Maker Space in September. From using the popular Wii system to learning about robots, tweens and teens can come together and just get used to coming to the library and using the creative space.

In October, they’ll have a chance to learn about electricity and actually have some hands-on learning by making electric circuits. Peters found a grant to purchase some kits filled with dozens of projects for the teens to learn with.

In November, a local bank representative is going to navigate youth through the ins and outs of personal finance. Although it’s pretty simple to wave your phone in front of a device to pay for something, the time will come when young people will need to be a little more tuned in to paycheck information, bank deposits and checking accounts.

Visit https://www.perrylibrary.org/ to learn about all the programs and services available for children and grownups alike.

 

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