WIZS Radio Local News Audio 01-25-23 Noon
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TownTalk: Wayne Goodwin Talks About NC DMV
Granville County has been without a license plate agency for a few months now, but DMV Commissioner Wayne Goodwin says the process is underway to have an office open again soon.
Goodwin spoke with John C. Rose Wednesday morning on TownTalk and provided an update on this and other topics, from the Real ID program and DMV kiosks to the increased use of electric vehicles in the state.
The DMV office where folks get their driver’s licenses are state agencies, staffed with state employees, Goodwin explained. But the license plate agencies – LPAs – are operated by private contractors with state oversight.
“Occasionally, we’ll have a license plate agency close,” he said, usually because the contract is up and isn’t renewed for one reason or another.
Goodwin said the state has received applications and in currently in the process of choosing a new contractor.
Conducting business online is a popular way to avoid the wait times and sometimes long lines for anyone who needs to transact their business in person. Visit www.myncdmv.gov to renew driver licenses, renew plates and more.
But Goodwin said North Carolina is exploring placing service kiosks that can be accessed any time of the day for those who don’t want to use the online services.
“We’ve decided to do what a few other states are doing,” Goodwin said, in exploring the use of kiosks – standup machines that can provide certain DMV services to the public.
“Be on the lookout for that,” he said, adding that about 20 will be rolled out in grocery stores and other public locations in the near future to test the public’s interest in using them.
Smartphones are figuring into the world of DMV, too.
Some states are implementing mobile driver licenses as a way to cut down on identity theft. North Carolina is exploring that idea, too, he said.
As for the Real ID, Goodwin said “folks on the federal level decided it’d be best that the deadline be pushed back two years…which gives folks more time to become compliant.”
It’s an idea that came about as a result of the 911 attacks, but it is not a requirement.
A gold star in the upper right corner of the driver license certifies that the person has provided the necessary documents that verify identification.
Summit ways to better prepare ourselves for the future.
As for the increased use of electric vehicles in the state, Goodwin said it really boils down to two things: customer demand and what the automobile industry decides to provide consumers.
More EVs means more charging stations as well, and Goodwin said he would anticipate more charging stations popping up.
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WIZS Radio Local News Audio 01-24-23 Noon
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The Local Skinny! Youth Programs Happening Perry Memorial Library
Chocolate fondue. Sewing on a button. Legos.
Not necessarily what you’d associate with a library.
But Melody Peters, youth services director at Perry Memorial Library says all these things – and more – are available for library patrons.
From Mother Goose Story Time on Thursday mornings to Life Hacks sessions, Peters said the library offers something for everyone.
“We use every square inch” of the library, she said. “It’s wonderful.”
The Legos club meets on Thursdays at 4:30 p.m. The Survival Skills class helps participants with things like sewing on a button.
Take the recent Survival Skills session that focused on sewing on a button. One participant took the new-found knowledge and said she was going to go home and sew the hole in her bunny. And not only that, she’d be able to sew the hole in her blanket and even the hole in her mom’s coat. Now that’s a survival skill, taken to the next level.
The library has its own spaces to hold classes like the Survival Skills class, but the adjacent Farm Bureau Room also is a space that community groups can reserve.
“It is certainly a gift to have a room accessible to the community for different programs,” Peters said. “It’s amazing,” Peters said, of the community space.
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TownTalk: Upcoming Events At VGCC
All campuses of Vance-Granville Community College will stay open late on Tuesday, Feb. 7 to accommodate students – current and prospective – who may need help or guidance from staff about planning their next steps with coursework.
Sherri Alston, director of admissions and enrollment services, told John C. Rose on Tuesday’s TownTalk that the day is designed to help students get help learning what their next steps are – whether it’s speaking with an advisor, beginning the registration process or participating in a new student orientation.
VGCC Public Information Officer Courtney Cissell said the new orientation classes will be offered that day on the Main Campus at 10 a.m. and again at 5:30 p.m.
Students would participate in orientation sessions after completing the registration process, Alston reminded, which means students should have a letter of acceptance in hand before attending the orientation.
Students these days have the chance to sign up for course offerings that are completed in just 8 weeks. The second 8-week course begins on Mar. 13, Alston said.
“Students are having a good time doing the classes in a quicker time span,” Alston noted, adding that students often have to juggle work, home, families and children’s activities on top of attending classes. The shorter 8-week time frame is a faster pace, but it also means a student may be able to complete a program more quickly.
No matter the type of program students are interested in pursuing, a good first step is consulting with VGCC staff.
“Call us, let’s talk about your goals…what’s driving you,” Alston said. “We want to steer you in the right direction.”
Visit www.vgcc.edu to learn more. Call the office of admissions and enrollment services at 252.738.3327.
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Henderson Included Among Stops In 2023 “Mountains To Coast” Bike Ride
Henderson is scheduled to be an overnight stop on the 24th annual “Mountains to Coast” bicycle tide this fall.
More than 900 icyclists from across the country are predicted to begin the trek in Banner Elk, wending their way along a route that will eventually take them to Emerald Isle, according to information from Visit NC’s executive director, Wit Tuttell, unveiled in a videotaped announcement Thursday. Click here to view the clip:
Check-in for the ride is Sept. 30; the ride begins on Oct. 1 and concludes on Oct. 7, with cyclists logging about 60 miles each day. There will be plenty of stops along the state’s scenic backroads as the cyclists make their way eastward.
Overnight stays are planned in the towns of Wilkesboro, Winston-Salem, Mebane, Henderson, Tarboro and Kinston.
The Cycle North Carolina “Mountains to Coast” Tour is the state’s only cross-state, fully supported ride created in 1999 with the N.C. Division of Tourism (now Visit NC), Capitol Broadcasting Company, the N.C. Department of Transportation and North Carolina Amateur Sports as founding partners. Cycle North Carolina was developed to promote North Carolina’s scenic beauty, heritage tourism, visitor attractions, historic sites, state parks, fitness, healthy lifestyles and the benefits of bicycling to individuals and our state. During the past 23 years, Cycle North Carolina has stopped overnight in more than 100 North Carolina towns and visited over 800 North Carolina communities.
Online registration is open at www.ncsports.org and interested riders are encouraged to register early, to avoid missing out on the highlight of the year for bicycling in North Carolina.
In addition to the “Mountains to Coast” Tour, Cycle North Carolina will host the Coastal Ride in Oriental, NC, April 28-30, 2023. Cycle North Carolina will also host its ninth annual Mountain Ride in Lake Lure, NC, August 4-6, 2023. Registration for both rides is open at www.ncsports.org.
Cycle North Carolina is presented by Retire NC. Partner organizations of Cycle North Carolina include: BODYARMOR, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, Truist, Capitol Broadcasting Company, Morningstar Law Group, the N.C. Department of Transportation and Motion Makers Bike Shop.
Local Stakeholders Invited to Join Community Collaborative of Vance County
The Community Collaborative of Vance County’s mission is to be a catalyst for change to create a stronger, healthier and more compassionate community.
The partnership includes Triangle North Foundation, The Salvation Army and the Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce, who formed the group as a way to gather together a diverse group of non-profit organizations, businesses, churches and others to discuss issues and concerns that may affect the community.
A principal tenet of the group states that a community is stronger when everyone works together. “The Community Collaborative of Vance County unites various sectors to address critical needs, promote volunteerism, support networking, encourage partnerships and connect resources,” according to the group’s statement of purpose.
Val Short, executive director of Triangle North Foundation, invites interested individuals to join the next meeting on Jan. 31. Contact Short at 252.430.8532 to register or to learn more about the group.
Seating is limited, so call to reserve a spot soon.
TownTalk: Nobles And Wood Recognized
It’s always nice when your colleagues recognize you for your efforts in the workplace. Frankie Nobles, chief of animal services for Vance County, thinks it’s so important that he belongs to the county’s Employment Engagement Team, a group that thinks of ways to show appreciation to the county’s employees.
One of the ways the county shows its appreciation is by identifying an “employee of the month” and recognizing the award winners at county commissioners’ meetings.
Shelly Wood was recognized as December’s employee of the month. Wood works with the Board of Elections.
January’s employee of the month was a surprise to Nobles, who chairs the employment engagement team.
It was him!
“They pulled one over on me,” Nobles told John C. Rose on Monday’s TownTalk, who said he was honored to accept the award. And he didn’t know ahead of time, he said, that he would be January’s recipient.
Nobles and the others on the employee engagement team are always looking for ways to make employees feel appreciated and valued.
“You want your staff to want to come to work and be proud to work for Vance County,” Nobles said. Employee retention is a challenge that many employers face these days, he added. He and the other members of the engagement team meet monthly to brainstorm how to improve and, in turn, attract prospective employees to find careers in Vance County.
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County Agrees To City Purchase Of Properties
Vance County Commissioners approved last week the sale of its share of more than 100 properties jointly owned by city and the county. County Manager Jordan McMillen said the Properties Committee reviewed an offer of $181,529 from the City of Henderson.
“Our board did approve the sale of the properties,” McMillen told WIZS News last week. “We are working with our attorney to begin the title work and necessary legal work prior to conveying the properties.”
He estimated this process could take several weeks, considering the number of properties – 114 in all.
The deal has been in the works for a while, and city leaders plan to bundle properties and seek private developers as a part of an overall residental development plan.
The properties total approximately 26.7 acres within the city limits that came into possession of the city and county as a result of tax foreclosures dating back to 2007.
The properties committee also recommended holding off on selling three county-owned parcels totaling 8.16 acres along County Home Road to the city for future residential development.
Golden LEAF Scholarship, Internship Opportunities
-information courtesy of the Golden LEAF Foundation
The Golden LEAF Colleges and Universities Scholarship application window is now open for the 2023-2024 academic year. Applications are available at CFNC.org. A total of 215 awards will be offered to first-time recipients from qualifying rural and economically distressed counties. Applications are due March 1, 2023.
The awards are valued at $14,000 ($3,500 per year for up to four years) for North Carolina high school students attending a participating North Carolina college or university. North Carolina community college transfer students can receive $3,500 per year for up to three years.
“The Golden LEAF Scholarship Program is an important component of the Foundation’s workforce preparedness strategy,” said Golden LEAF President, Chief Executive Officer Scott T. Hamilton. “Our goal is for Golden LEAF Scholars to gain the talent, knowledge and skills necessary to help North Carolina’s rural communities thrive by returning home to live, work and raise families.”
To be eligible, students must be a graduating North Carolina high school senior or a currently enrolled North Carolina community college transfer student, enrolling full-time in the fall at a participating North Carolina public or private college or university. Recipients are selected based upon multiple factors including an intent to return to a rural North Carolina county after graduation. Applicants must also fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and demonstrate financial need as determined by the application process; have a cumulative GPA of no less than 2.5; and be a resident of a rural, economically distressed North Carolina county. Click here for the full list of eligible counties.
For more than 20 years, the Golden LEAF Scholarship Program has provided more than 6,000 scholarships to help rural students attend the state’s colleges and universities.
The Golden LEAF Scholarship Program is administered by the North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority and funded by the Golden LEAF Foundation. A complete list of program requirements, participating campuses and qualifying counties can be viewed at CFNC.org. Call 1-800-700-1775 or send an email to information@ncseaa.edu, for more information.
Learn more about the scholarship at https://scholars.goldenleaf.org/.
Scholarship recipients may also apply for the Golden LEAF Rural Internship Initiative. The Rural Internship Initiative provides Golden LEAF Scholars with professional work experience related to their career field in a rural North Carolina community. The application window closes Jan. 31.
The Golden LEAF Foundation provides funding to pay interns $15/hour for up to 400 hours of work. Internships take place over 8-10 weeks, between June and August.