Tyquaveon Williams, 20, of Abbott Road Arrested on Drug-Related Charges

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VCSO Press Release Information —

On Dec. 28, 2022 the Vance County Sheriff’s Office executed a traffic stop in the Gillburg Community.

Upon initial approach and contact with the driver, the detective was confronted with circumstances which led to probable cause to search the vehicle and its occupant.

The driver was identified as Tyquaveon Williams, 20, of Abbott Road. Williams was operating a white in color, 2016 Honda Accord four door at the time of the encounter and was driving with a suspended license.

Additional units with the Vance County Sheriff’s Office arrived on the scene to assist. A search of the vehicle was conducted revealing in excess of seven bricks of heroin, over 350 dosage units, a small amount of marijuana, brass knuckles and cash. Williams was taken into custody and transported to the Sheriff’s Office.

As a result of the traffic stop, Williams was charged with two (2) counts of trafficking heroin, felony maintaining a vehicle, carry a concealed weapon and simple possession of marijuana.

Tyquaveon Williams posted a $75,000 bond and was released from custody.

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County Commissioners May Decide To Sell City Its Share Of 114 Vacant Properties For City To Redevelop

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The city’s land planning committee and the county’s properties committee held a meeting Thursday afternoon to discuss the disposition of 114 jointly owned properties within the city limits.

The group decided to allow the plan to sell the land to the city to move forward, and that is the recommendation that will go before the full board of county commissioners at its Jan. 9 meeting.

If the board approves the recommendation, the city would buy out the county’s interest in the properties – all are vacant tracts and all are tax foreclosures dating back to 2007, said County Manager Jordan McMillen. The city has a 43 percent interest in the properties and the county holds a 57 percent interest.

The meeting lasted about 90 minutes, with both groups asking questions and sharing opinions about possible future redevelopment of the properties, which McMillen said totals about 26 acres when added all together.

“If it all went back on the tax books today,” McMillen told WIZS News after the meeting’s conclusion, it would add about $4,800 tax dollars to the city and county coffers.

County commissioners Dan Brummitt, Yolanda Feimster, Leo Kelly and Archie Taylor were present for the joint meeting representing the county’s properties committee; Melissa Elliott and  Jason Spriggs represented the city of Henderson’s land planning committee.

“I don’t mind transparency or accountability because I feel confident with what I’m doing,” said

Henderson City Manager Terrell Blackmon, who explained the general plan to the group.

Blackmon said the city is ready to ramp up the redevelopment efforts as other projects to piggyback on progress being made with the West End Urban Redevelopment Area and a similar effort getting underway in the Flint Hill community.

In outlining the overall efforts taking shape within the city, he said there are developers knocking on the door to begin projects. When planning for the West End URA, the UNC School of Government reported that the city was 3,000 housing units short of where it needed to be. The city needs housing that is diverse, safe and affordable, Blackmon said. And as the city ramped up code enforcements over the past few years, the result was more torn down houses than houses that were preserved.

By all accounts, both groups supported the idea of having the city move forward with purchase of the properties, but Commissioner Brummitt said it’s time to “pick a project and move – make it happen.”

In comments to the joint group, Brummitt and Taylor both expressed concern that there has been much talk over the years about redevelopment, but little action.

We “continue to talk and talk about it, but we’re not taking any steps,” Brummitt said.

“We have developers on deck that are ready to move,” said Council member Elliott.

Blackmon said the redevelopment would most certainly need to be a mixture of single-family and multi-family structures, as well as a combination of renters and homeowners.

In response to some discussion about neighborhood safety, Brummitt said home ownership would be beneficial. “If you own that property, you’re more committed to it,” he said. Blackmon also commented that home ownership is one way to stabilize neighborhoods.

Elliott said a key component to the redevelopment efforts is educating the community about home ownership.

“If you can pay $1,200 to rent a house, you can pay $1,200 to buy a house,” she said, noting numerous programs available for first-time homebuyers.

Blackmon reminded the group that municipalities don’t build homes, but they can help plan for the types of housing that get built.

“When the municipality owns the dirt, we have some flexibility” in the type of housing we’d like to see in the community.

He used the term “workforce housing” to describe affordable housing options, including those for city employees and others who may choose to live in the same community where they work.

Whether it’s single-family or multi-family housing, the city must be aware of what the community can afford to spend. And developers that build in existing neighborhoods have the opportunity to improve the quality of life for residents who already live there – or who may choose to move there.

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Sandra Wilkerson Begins New Leadership Role As President Of Henderson-Vance Chamber

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Sandra Wilkerson has officially begun her new role as president of the Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce. Wilkerson succeeds outgoing president Michele Burgess, who announced her retirement in the fall.

Wilkerson has been the Chamber’s director of programs for the past four years.

“I am excited to step into this leadership role for our community and look forward to working with the board and all of our current team members who make our chamber as strong and vibrant as it is,” she said in a press statement announcing her selection.

“We are excited to have Sandra step into this leadership role to continue the positive momentum within our Chamber as well as the community,” incoming board chairman Bert Long said in the press statement. “Sandra has made it clear that she hopes to foster collaboration and provide a pathway to business for all in our community,” Long said.

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VGCC’s Aviation Program Cleared For Takeoff With FAA Initiative

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Vance-Granville Community College has been selected by the Federal Aviation Administration to participate in a collegiate training initiative for unmanned aircraft systems – also known as drones.

The college’s aviation program will participate in the Unmanned Aircraft Systems-Collegiate Training Initiative program, or the UAS-CTI.

“I’m happy for VGCC to have been recognized by the FAA as UAS-CTI partner,” says James Brown Jr., customized training irector at VGCC’s South Campus in Creedmoor. “First and foremost, it means that the FAA thinks we’re doing the right things to promote safe and responsible drone piloting. North Carolina was ‘First in Flight’ and remains on the leading edge of drone technology.”

The FAA program recognizes institutions that prepare students for careers in unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), or drones. In order to qualify, schools must provide curriculum covering various aspects of UAS training, including hands-on flight practice, maintenance, uses, applications, privacy concerns, safety and federal policies concerning UAS.

If you ask Brown, the sky’s the limit when it comes to the future of UAS programming at VGCC.

“This is a big step that will see VGCC expand its offerings in the unmanned aviation space, including entrepreneurialism, youth summer camps, extracurricular activities, university partnerships and the expansion of UAV technology for consumer, industrial and agricultural use. This partnership with the FAA will ensure that VGCC stays aligned with the UAS industry going forward.”

Vance-Granville’s aviation program currently consists of unmanned flight programs available to both hobbyists and commercial drone pilots. Hands-on flight training takes place at various VGCC campus locations based on demand. To learn more, view the class schedule or register, visit https://www.vgcc.edu/coned/aviation/

U.S. Attorney’s Office Reports More Than $16 Million In Civil, Criminal Collections In 2022

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The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina has collected more than $16 million in criminal and civil actions over the course of 2022.

U.S. Attorney Michael Easley said, “We are committed to using every tool available to aggressively collect restitution for victims, criminal fines, and recover taxpayer dollars lost to fraud and owed to government agencies.”

A press statement from Easley’s office broke down the $16,323,043.41 in criminal and civil actions as follows: $12,196,251.65 collected in criminal actions and $4,126,791.76 collected in civil actions. 

Some significant collections included: In August 2022, the Eastern District of North Carolina collected over $360,000 from Yousef Kaid.  Although not the District’s largest monthly collection total, it was the result of significant enforcement action, netted a substantial sum for the victims of Kaid’s crimes, and epitomizes the office’s dogged pursuit of criminal monetary penalties. https://www.justice.gov/usao-ednc/pr/nine-arrested-conspiracy-traffic-contraband-cigarettes

In January and June 2022, the Eastern District of North Carolina collected a total of $1.5 million from Margaret Gibson.  Those payments were the result of a settlement agreement resolving False Claims Act allegations against her. https://www.justice.gov/usao-ednc/pr/north-carolina-durable-medical-equipment-corporation-sentenced-10-million-healthcare

Additionally, the Eastern District of North Carolina worked with other U.S. Attorney’s Offices and components of the Department of Justice to collect an additional $25,900.61 in cases pursued jointly by these offices. Of this amount, $25,300.61 was collected in criminal actions and $600 was collected in civil actions.

The U.S. attorneys’ offices, along with the department’s litigating divisions, are responsible for enforcing and collecting civil and criminal debts owed to the U.S. and criminal debts owed to federal crime victims. The law requires defendants to pay restitution to victims of certain federal crimes who have suffered a physical injury or financial loss. While restitution is paid to the victim, criminal fines and felony assessments are paid to the department’s Crime Victims Fund, which distributes the funds collected to federal and state victim compensation and victim assistance programs.

Additionally, the U.S. attorney’s office in the Eastern District of North Carolina, working with partner agencies and divisions, collected $16,891,175 in asset forfeiture actions in 2022. Forfeited assets deposited into the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund are used to restore funds to crime victims and for a variety of law enforcement purposes.

“We are proud of the men and women in our office who have worked so hard to ensure justice through their collection efforts.  They are to be congratulated for their tremendously successful efforts.”

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TownTalk: James Turner, NC Governor

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Back in his day, James Turner may have been considered a “typical” farmer in the area – by today’s standards, however, it depends on how you define “typical.”

Turner owned productive farmland, but he also was a legislator, a U.S. senator and served three one-year terms as the governor of North Carolina.

The plantation home known as Oakland, situated near Williamsboro, burned down in 1935, but his other home, Bloomsbury, still stands in Warren County in the general vicinity of Ridgeway and Manson.

Turner was born in 1776 and died in 1824, and he and some of his contemporaries were the topic of the tri-weekly history segment of TownTalk with Bill Harris and Mark Pace.

Pace, a local historian  North Carolina Room specialist at Oxford’s Richard Thornton Library, said Turner was referred to as “Lordly Governor Turner,” in his day. He was among a handful of prominent Warren County-area individuals that some have called the “Warren Junta.”

The term “junta” refers to a small group wielding great power in a country, usually following a revolution.

“Between 1790 and 1840, Warren County was the place to be,” Pace said, adding that during that time, three of the state’s five governors hailed from Warren County.

One governor, Nathaniel Macon, went from governorship to become the Speaker of the U.S. House.

In 1802, Turner was chosen by the state legislature to be the 12th governor of the state following the death of John B. Ashe, who died after being elected governor but before he could be sworn in to office.

He then served three one-year terms and then represented North Carolina in the U.S. Senate.

Turner was among a group of relatively conservative politicians at the time who advocated minimal responsibilities by the federal government – basically, they just wanted a federal postal service, Pace said.

There is some uncertainty about where Turner is buried, but Pace said he is fairly confident that Turner’s final resting place is at Bloomsbury.

One of Turner’s sons, Daniel Turner, also figured prominently in the politics of his day. The younger Turner, a West Point graduate, also served in the state legislature and in the U.S. Congress, Pace said. But he never really was able to capitalize on the opportunities afforded him.

He came home to Warren County and studied to become an attorney, Pace said. He was elected to the state house, and then made a successful bid for the U.S. Congress, where he served a couple of terms.

Pace said Turner opened an academy in Warren County. His wife, Anna, “ran things and kept things going,” Pace said. The academy brought in teachers from up North and was going along pretty well until it ran into financial trouble.

“His friends got together, pulled some strings,” Pace said, and Turner ended up accepting an appointment to be the director of the Naval shipyard in San Francisco Bay. He and his wife both are buried there.

Turner’s wife, Anna, married into a fairly prominent family, but her lineage was nothing to sneeze at. Her maiden name was Key – and her father, Francis Scott Key, was an attorney in his own right who perhaps is best known as the person who wrote what was to become this country’s National Anthem.

 

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Registration Open For Upcoming Master Gardener Training That Begins Feb. 9

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Maybe you’ve always wanted to know the difference between a gardenia and a hydrangea. Or maybe you want to add to that green-thumb skill set that you’ve had for years. In either case, the Master Gardener program may be just the thing for gardeners, new and experienced.

The next class of Master Gardeners will commence on Feb. 9, 2023, according to information from Paul McKenzie, horticulture agent for the N.C. Cooperative Extension in Vance and Warren counties.

Applications for the 15-week training program are being accepted now, McKenzie said. The fee is $125.

The Master Gardener program is a combination of education, community service and outreach. Upon completion, participants will engage in a variety of garden-related activities and project alongside an existing group of dedicated volunteers.

The class will meet on Thursday mornings, and will cover all aspects of gardening including fruits, vegetables, weeds, insects, diseases, trees, shrubs, turf and more.

The class location will alternate between Henderson and Warrenton.

Participants with specialized skills – from public speaking to photography – can help the group as it participates in volunteer projects throughout the community.  Recent volunteer projects demonstration gardens, newsletters, gardening workshops and seminars, youth education and more.

For more information, please visit http://go.ncsu.edu/mgvw. Call the Vance County extension office at 252.438.8188 or the Warren County office at 252.257.3640.