4 Arrested In Vance County Drug Bust

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Press release from Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame

On or about the 21st day of August 2024 the Vance County Sheriff’s Office executed a Search Warrant for illegal drugs at a residence located at 84 Avery Lane, Henderson N.C. At the time of service, the residence was found to be occupied by two adults and numerous juveniles.

As a result of the warrant service, and subsequent search of both the home and property, the following items of evidence were located and seized:  4870 Bindles of Heroin, 1154 grams of Cocaine Hydrochloride and Cocaine Base (more than one Kilogram), more than 20 pounds of Marijuana, five firearms and more than $30,000 in US Currency.

The following arrests were made:

Maurice Kearney (of the residence)

Traffic Cocaine

Traffic Heroin

Traffic Marijuana

Felony Maintaining both a Residence and Motor Vehicle to Keep/Sell/Store Controlled Substances

Kearney’s bond was set at $250,000 Secured.

Andrea Swain (of the residence)

Traffic Cocaine

Traffic Heroin

Traffic Marijuana

Felony Maintaining both a Residence and Motor Vehicle to Keep/Sell/Store Controlled Substances

Swain’s bond was set at $200,000 Secured.

Michael Gill 

Traffic Cocaine

Traffic Heroin

Felony Maintaining a Motor Vehicle to Keep/Sell/Store Controlled Substances

Gill’s bond was set at $130,000 Secured.

Tiffanie Moore  

Traffic Cocaine

Traffic Heroin

Felony Maintaining a Motor Vehicle to Keep/Sell/Store Controlled Substances

Moore’s bond was set at $100,000 Secured.

The Vance County Sheriff’s Office wishes to thank the Henderson Police Department and the NCSBI for their assistance in the service of this warrant.  No parties were injured during the execution of the search warrant.  No further arrests are anticipated related to this investigation.

 

The Local Skinny! Steve Falkner’s 40th Year at Henderson Fire Dept.

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When a fire call comes in, time is of the essence. And if Steve Falkner is around, you can bet that he knows the quickest route to get from the firehouse to the scene.

Falkner began his 40th year with the Henderson Fire Department last week, and his colleagues celebrated the milestone with the person they affectionately know as “Chicken.”

A social media post shows Falkner sitting behind a big cake and fellow firefighters surrounding him, along with text which reads, in part, “…we all know him as someone who is full of great experience and knowledge…”

In a phone conversation with WIZS News Monday, Falkner said he wasn’t really sure of the origin of his nickname, but it may have come from the mid-to late 1980’s when he was a fire dispatcher – before the days of the 911 call center.

He may or may not have been known to run around the fire department like a chicken with its head cut off, he said.

The first to add his comments to the post was Fire Chief Tim Twisdale, who said Falkner was the source of advice, humor and help to all. “He is like a walking encyclopedia of history and knowledge of our area,” Twisdale continued. “He definitely keeps things going at the fire station.”

For his part, Falkner said the celebration was “a very, very nice thing they did for me.” He’s worked with some good leaders in the fire department since he first came on the scene in 1984.

By 10 a.m. Monday, the post had 76 comments, and by 3 p.m. Monday, the number of reactions to the post had swelled to 353.

In the words of Chief Twisdale, Falkner is “a joy to have around. Here’s to 40 and many more!”

Congratulations to Steve Falkner for his four decades of service to the community.

The Local Skinny! Airs on WIZS Mon-Thurs at 11:40 a.m.

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TownTalk: James Baines – Vance County Board of Elections

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No doubt, county boards of elections all across the state – and beyond – have been preparing for quite some time for the launch of in-person early voting and requests for absentee ballots in advance of the Nov. 5 General Election.

Vance County is no exception, but local elections officials have had an extra layer of logistics to deal with, thanks to the results of a couple of routine inspections – one by the fire department and one by Homeland Security.

As a result, Vance County Board of Elections Chair James Baines said folks who visit the elections board offices in the Henry A. Dennis Building in downtown Henderson may notice a few changes. And if they want to come down to witness election results, they may find themselves on the balcony outside.

Turns out, Baines said on Monday’s TownTalk, that the elections board is going to have to “downsize” the number of people allowed into the space to wait for elections returns, adding that attendance for previous election nights “had been exceeding capacity that is safe and secure.”

“In November, when they all come, there will be a limited space for poll workers,” Baines said, adding that he and local elections officials will adhere to the fire code recommendations.

An inspection by a Homeland Security agent produced findings that were passed on to the county manager and county commissioners, he said.

The agent “told the director that the election board was not a safe place for the director or any staff in Vance County” and recommended that the director’s office and that of the deputy director be moved from the front of the office space to the rear “for security reasons.”

According to Baines, Elections Board Director Hayley Rawls submitted the findings to County Manager C. Renee Perry, who relayed the information to the board of commissioners for action.

In the meantime, elections officials continue to plan for the start of in-person early voting, which begins Thursday, Oct. 17.

Vance County has two early voting locations – one at Aycock Rec Center on Carey Chapel Road and the second at the former Eaton-Johnson gym located on the county government complex on Beckford Drive.

Baines reminds voters that the City of Henderson Operations Center is no longer a site for early voting.

Early voting continues for “two weeks, back-to-back,” from Baines said, “and the last time (residents) can early vote will be Saturday, Nov. 2. Polls close that day at 3 p.m.

Absentee ballots will be mailed out beginning Friday, Sept. 6. The deadline to request an absentee ballot is 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 29, Baines said.

All completed ballots must be received by the time the polls close at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 5.

Completed ballots may be returned in person to the board of elections office or to either of the early voting locations, Baines said. Any voters casting an absentee ballot needs to make sure that there are two signatures on the form – the voter’s signature and the signature of a witness.

Baines said requests for absentee ballots usually come from nursing homes, the homebound elderly, military personnel and people “who don’t wat to get out into the hustle and bustle” of election day.

“I’m pretty sure, with the general election coming up – and it’s going to be one for the books – that we’ll be getting large requests from across the county” for absentee ballots.

Visit https://www.vancecounty.org/departments/board-of-elections/ or call 252.492.3730 to learn more.

TownTalk Airs on WIZS M-F at 11 a.m.

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The Local Skinny! N.C. Arts Council Grant Awards

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Local arts programs are getting some financial assistance for 2025 in the form of grant awards from the North Carolina Arts Council.

The Vance County Arts Council will receive $34,728 for a Grassroots Arts Program, and the Embassy Cultural Center Foundation, Inc. – that is to say, McGregor Hall – is the recipient of a $21,000 sustaining support grant, according to information from the N.C. Arts Council.

McGregor Hall is one of 85 new organizations to get flexible funding through an expanded category called Sustaining Support, which more than doubles the agency’s investment in work that promotes stability and sustainability in the arts sector.

Vance County’s $55,728 is part of more than $11.5 million that is being distributed across the state.  A total of 366 grants were awarded to nonprofit arts organizations, schools, after-school programs, municipalities and artists in all 100 counties this year. The grants range from $5,000 to $338,000.

This year’s grant awards significantly increase the N.C. Arts Council’s investment in small and mid-sized arts organizations.

Funding priorities went to projects that emphasize community outreach and audience engagement, connect K-12 students with a variety of artists and disciplines, notably traditional arts of North Carolina, as well as to projects that foster public-private partnerships to weave local support with state and federal funding and those that provide outreach to military veterans and their families.

In Granville County, for example, a project called Military and Veterans Healing Arts will get $10,000 to create a veteran artist-led community based mural project and accompanying educational activities.

The Granville Educational Foundation will get $46,631 for a Grassroots Arts Program, bringing the total in Granville County to $56,631.

“The record number of applications we received this grant cycle signals that artists are inspiring audiences and producing arts experiences that make our state a wonderful place to live, work, and visit,” said Jeff Bell, the Arts Council’s executive director. “I thank Governor Cooper and the General Assembly for championing our arts and culture sector. The arts deliver more than $2 billion in economic impact annually to our state and are a powerful tool to uplift entire communities.”

“The arts are woven into the fabric of our state’s identity, and as I travel across North Carolina, I see firsthand how much the creative sector contributes to the cultural and economic vibrancy of cities, towns, and regions. When the arts flourish, communities flourish,” said Department of Natural and Cultural Resources Secretary Reid Wilson.

Franklin County was awarded $55,946 for a Grassroots Arts Program.

In Warren County, the school district will receive $22,965 for its Grassroots Arts Program.

See the complete list of FY2024-25 grant recipients at  https://www.ncarts.org/fy2024-25.

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TownTalk: Tiffany Jones Community Uplift Project

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Tiffany Jones uses her nonprofit Community Uplift Project to do a lot of good in the local area.

In addition to helping parents connect with resources for children who may be on the autism spectrum, the 501(c)3 has food giveaways and has even offered assistance to those struggling to pay bills.

But the bill assistance has been put on hold – for the time being, anyway – because Jones is focusing her attention on a fundraiser to make some upgrades to her office space at 105 S. Garnett St.

She needs to raise $10,000 to pay for contractors and materials to bring the space into code compliance. “We’re shooting for the stars… to upgrade our space…and continue to operate,” Jones said on Thursday’s TownTalk.

One of her passions is being an advocate for children who may have autism spectrum disorder.

“Autism is real, autism is present,” she said, but she wants parents, grandparents and others who care for children to know that there are resources that can help.

Children on the spectrum may be nonverbal or have other challenges when it comes to expressing themselves. Aversions to certain noises, smells or other stimuli they may encounter can trigger strong reactions that may be mistaken for bad behavior, but Jones said autism represents something bigger than just a behavior issue.

“I wanted to make sure I was able to help them,” she said, adding that when she detects stress and worry from parents of children on the spectrum, it just made her want to help them as well as the children.

She suggests that parents observe how their children interact with other children; autistic children often prefer to play in isolation. Watch for particular triggers: it could be something as simple as not wanting to share or not having a particular familiar toy, she said.

Challenges or obstacles that many children can resolve or think through themselves pose problems for children on the autism spectrum.

Autistic children won’t be able to resolve those issues on their own, Jones said. “They have to learn how, by teachers or parents,” she said.

Jones hopes one day to be able to house a training center at Community Uplift Project that helps adults learn more about autism and how to successfully support children on the spectrum.

But that won’t become a reality until she’s got the building issues taken care of. Jones will be at Saturday’s Way to Grow! festival in downtown Henderson to promote what C.U.P. is all about.

There are several different ways to make a donation, including Cashapp, credit or debit card and donating online at www.cuprojectnc.org.

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Duke Energy

TownTalk: Duke Energy and VGCC Foundations Support Small Business

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The Vance Granville Community College Foundation has received a $50,000 grant award from Duke Energy Foundation to support small business growth in the four-county area it serves.

And community college officials have come up with a creative way to make sure that the money is equitably distributed to do the most good.

The VGCC Foundation was one of 21 community organizations from across the state to share in $700,000 in this round of funding, said Beth Townsend, Duke Energy local government and community relations manager. Since it was established in 2020, the program has given more than $2 million in grant funds to small businesses across the state.

Townsend was a guest on Wednesday’s TownTalk, and was joined by VGCC’s Carolyn Perry, director of the Small Business Center, and Kyle Burwell, dean of Business and Industry Solutions, who provided details about how the money would be used.

The VGCC Small Business Center will select grant fund recipients through a series of workshops, one based in each of the four counties the college serves. Each workshop session will be comprised of four evening classes for a total of 10 hours of instruction. The sessions will culminate with a five-minute pitch contest, after which five of the session’s 10 participants will receive a $2,500 award to support their small business.

Workshop dates and locations are as follows:

  • 16–19: VGCC South Campus, Creedmoor
  • 30 – Oct. 3: VGCC Main Campus, Henderson
  • 7–10: VGCC Warren Campus, Warrenton
  • 14–17: VGCC Franklin Campus, Louisburg

Perry said there are just a few requirements to participate – applicants must be 18 years old and must be residents of the county of the workshop they sign up for. Only one participant per household is allowed and anyone associated with VGCC is not eligible to take part, she said.

If you do a little quick math, $50,000 divided by 4 equals $12,500. There will be 20 awards – 5 per county – which means that each grant will be $2,500.

The first three days of the process will involve coaching and developing a plan that will be pitched on day 4, Perry said, sort of like TV’s “Shark Tank.”

VGCC leaders have devised a creative way to help small business owners come up with innovative ways to infuse capital into their endeavors.

“When you start off with some capital,” said Burwell, you increase a business’s survival rate, not to mention provide stability and create additional employment opportunities. She said it’s a way to help businesses learn how to use funding and market themselves, which creates “a true impact for all of our communities.”

Perry said the Number One question she gets from entrepreneurs who seek advice and help from the Small Business Center is “Can you tell me where there are some grant dollars for my business?”

Owners of retail shops, restaurants and other small businesses looking to expand, their business, upgrade technology, improve marketing or downtown storefronts are just the kind of participant VGCC’s Small Business Center is looking for.

“We want to see how creative they’ll be,” Perry said. The timing right before the holidays could prove extra helpful; some small businesses depend on a brisk holiday sales season to boost their bottom line.

“Small businesses remain the backbone of the U.S. economy, and in rural areas, they also serve as the heartbeat of our local economies,” noted VGCC President Dr. Rachel Desmarais. “This monetary commitment enables Vance-Granville Community College to promote the entrepreneurial mindset and support budding small business ideas into real businesses within our larger community.”

To learn more about this program and participant requirements, contact Perry at 252.738.3240 or perryc@vgcc.edu.

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