3rd Annual Vance County Camp Meeting Dec. 2-6 At McGregor Hall

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The 3rd annual Vance County Camp Meeting will take place in early December at McGregor Hall, 201 Breckenridge St.

The gatherings will begin at 7 p.m. nightly Monday, Dec. 2 through Friday, Dec. 6.

The moderator is Evangelist Scott Matthews and the schedule of featured speakers is noted below:

Monday – Dr. Kenny Baldwin

Tuesday – Dr. Joe Arthur

Wednesday – Evangelist Dale Vance

Thursday – Pastor C.T. Townsend

Friday – Evangelist Jared Dixon

The Matthews Family will perform nightly and The Morrison Sisters will perform Wednesday through Friday.

For more information, contact Scott Matthews at 864.490.0852 or Ronnie Matthews 252.425.9035.

Chamber’s “State Of Transportation” Luncheon Program Details Dabney Drive, S-Line Projects

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The Dabney Drive facelift from Coble Boulevard to Garnett Street is on the state’s to-do list, with right-of-way acquisitions set to begin in about a year and contracts to be let for bid by summer 2027.

It’s among several projects on the 2024-2033 NCDOT State Transportation Improvement Project – STIP – as Division 5 Engineer Brandon Jones explained during the “State of Transportation” program hosted Wednesday by the Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce.

Locals may simply call it the Dabney Drive project, but at NCDOT, it’s known as U-5890.

The project includes making Dabney Drive a one-way road, creating  sidewalks and bike paths and a peanut-shaped roundabout near Dabney and Garnett, Jones said during his presentation.

Also on that list are two bridge projects – Bridge 89, or Nutbush Bridge, and Bridge 38, at U.S. 1 North over the CSX rail line. Contracts for the bridge projects are scheduled to be let in July 2028 and January 2030, respectively.

The Dabney Drive project is going to be a “great improvement,” Jones said, not only benefitting drivers, but for bicyclists and pedestrians. Dabney Drive will feature a six-foot-wide sidewalk and Corbitt Road, which will handle westbound traffic to Dabney Drive’s eastbound traffic, will include a 10-foot-wide multi-use path.

The 10-year STIP gets updated every couple of years, and Jones said there are three “buckets” of money that projects must fall under: state mobility projects, regional impact projects and division needs projects. The state projects get 40 percent of the funds, with regional and division projects each getting 30 percent.

“Every bucket has to be balanced in the STIP – that’s what creates differences in scheduling,” Jones explained.

With only 25 percent coming from federal dollars, Jones said the state relies on the motor fuel tax to help fund road projects.

But that tax is going down,” he said, because vehicles are becoming more fuel efficient – and generating less revenue.

“It’s a good thing for the environment, but has a negative impact on the potential revenue we receive to keep our transportation system expanded and maintained.”

Road projects can seem like they take a long time to complete, but Jones reminded the audience that all pre-construction design can easily take years. It’s not like the city can just close Dabney Drive while it’s being worked on – NCDOT crews are “always having to build new, shift traffic, tear out old and repeat that pattern for awhile,” he said.

The other major transportation-related news for Henderson and Vance County is the much-anticipated S-Line passenger rail line. When the North Carolina portion is completed, it will help connect Atlanta to the D.C. area, Jones said.

Henderson is set to be one of the stops along the S-Line as it makes its way north into Raleigh and then Wake Forest before chugging through Franklin County into Henderson and Norlina.

Jones said the estimate to get the stretch from Raleigh to Wake Forest alone will cost $1 billion. It’ll take another billion to complete the link from Wake Forest to Henderson.

The state is buying the existing rail line from CSX, but there will be a lot to do to be ready for high-speed passenger rail service.

“You can’t just take care of the rail,” Jones said, “you’ve got to take care of the at-grade intersections…(and) grade separate them,”

Alexander Avenue is one local street that will need this attention as the S-Line makes progress. An underpass or tunnel at Peachtree Road and closing off Chavasse Avenue are also planned.

The Alexander Avenue project is one of three projects that have cleared one hurdle to be considered in future STIP funding, Jones said. The other two are making intersection improvements at Raleigh Road and Belmont Drive and a citywide signal system in Henderson. If they don’t make “committed” status in the next five years, they’ll have to compete again to get on the STIP list.

TownTalk: Accident Interferes With Phone And Internet Service

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Internet and phone services interrupted by accident early this morning plus Halloween is today!

 

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Early-Morning Crash Shuts Down Vance County’s Verizon, Spectrum Services

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A trash truck struck a low-hanging line near the intersection of NC 39 North and Spring Valley roads early Thursday morning, creating major disruptions to customers with Spectrum internet and Verizon wireless services.

According to Henderson Police Chief Marcus Barrow, the crash occurred at 4:30 a.m. Barrow said at this time, services are expected to be restored sometime Friday, Nov. 1.

As of Thursday morning, Vance County 911 calls are being forwarded to Granville County for dispatch during the service disruption.

Among other services affected include KARTS, which cannot receive calls during this outage. Additionally, a social media post from Vance County government states that county offices “have lost internet connectivity in all county buildings, and lost network, server and phone access in most buildings.”

 

 

 

 

 

NC Department of Insurance

Two Vance County men charged with acting as a bail bondsman without a license, breaking and entering, felonious restraint, simple assault

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— press release courtesy of NC Department of Insurance

North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey (Friday, Oct 25, 2024) announced the arrests of James Otis Perry, 76, of 610 E. Montgomery St., Henderson, and James DeCarlo Alston, 44, of 177 Tungsten Mine Road, Henderson. Both were charged with felony breaking and entering and felonious restraint. The two were also charged with acting as a bail bondsman without a license and simple assault, both misdemeanors.

Special agents with the Department of Insurance’s Criminal Investigations Division accuse the two of acting as bail bondsmen without a license when they broke into an apartment on Franklin Court in Louisburg, striking a man at the apartment, restraining him and taking him to the Franklin County Sheriff’s office.

The offenses occurred on Aug. 21.

The two were arrested on Oct. 14.

Special agents expect to arrest an additional person in the case.

“I encourage everyone to report illegal behavior, suspected scams or insurance fraud immediately by calling 919-807-6840 or toll free from anywhere in North Carolina at 888-680-7684,” Commissioner Causey said.

You can anonymously report the scam or fraud. Information is also available at www.ncdoi.gov.

TownTalk: Winder Street Signs To Get Special Designation To Honor Eddie Hicks

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The City of Henderson is officially honoring the late Eddie Hicks by attaching his name – literally – to the street where he grew up.

In a ceremony scheduled for Friday, Nov. 1 at 11 a.m., local leaders, dignitaries and others will gather at the corner of Garnett and Winder streets in downtown Henderson to witness the unveiling of the new Winder Street signs, which will have a second sign attached to it bearing Hicks’s name.

City Manager Terrell Blackmon gave a sneak preview to Hicks’s widow, Jackie, and others present at the October City Council meeting. Hicks died on Oct. 31, 2022 at the age of 67.

“This council took the time to take action to recognize Mr. Hicks, based on his commitment to this community,” Blackmon said in remarks during the meeting. Hicks had a long association with the Henderson Vance Recreation and Parks Department, having worked there as a teenager and during the summers when he was in college. A college football standout at ECU, Hicks returned to his hometown – and the recreation and parks department – following a successful NFL career with the New York Giants.

“We wanted to honor his name on Winder Street, where he grew up,” Blackmon said. And the city’s Public Works Department created a design that honors Hicks without having to change the street name.

The city will dedicate Winder Street to remember one of Henderson’s most beloved residents. Each street sign along Winder Street will have the second sign bearing Hicks’s name, Blackmon explained.

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NC Coop Extension

Cooperative Extension “Winter Webinar” Series Discusses Small Ruminants

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If you’ve always wanted to learn about goats and sheep and what kind of care they need, join the N.C. Cooperative Extension for its “Winter Webinar” series.

There are five different webinars that will take place via Zoom, and each one discusses different aspects of the care and management of small ruminants.

The first webinar is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 7; webinars will be held monthly through March. Each session has a unique registration link.

Register here: https://www.ces.ncsu.edu/categories/agriculture-food/animal-agriculture/

The sessions are listed below:

  • Nov. 7 – Goats 101 covers basic nutrition, health and management
  • Dec. 5 – Hoof health, prevention and treatment of common hoof issues
  • Jan. 9 – Opportunities with sheep and solar farms
  • Feb. 6 – Livestock guardian animals – considerations and challenges
  • Mar. 6 – Pasture management for small ruminants

Contact your local extension agent to learn more.

  • Vance County: 252.438.8188
  • Granville County: 919.603.1350
  • Warren County: 252.257.3640
  • Franklin County: 919.496.3344

The Local Skinny! Morse Clinic Ribbon Cutting

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Vance Recovery’s new 7,000 square-foot facility on West Andrews Avenue was officially welcomed Monday afternoon with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by local business leaders and county and municipal officials. But for now, the clinic will continue to provide services at its 510 Dabney Drive location.

Clinic owner Dr. Eric Morse and Program Director John Mattocks look forward to being able to welcome patients to the more spacious clinic by mid- to late November.

Morse’s MOUD approach – Medications to treat Opioid Use Disorder – helps individuals overcome addictions to street drugs like heroin and Fentanyl.

Mattocks told WIZS back in September he would love for people plagued by addiction to be encouraged and celebrated for choosing the MOUD approach instead of coming to the clinic as a last resort.

Vance Recovery is one of nine – soon to be 11 – clinics owned and operated by Morse, a nationally acclaimed leader in the field of opioid treatment and recovery programs. He said at the ribbon-cutting that Vance Recovery was the second of the clinics to open – in 2013 – and will be the largest once it occupies its new space at 932 W. Andrews Ave.

“We’re really excited about being able to treat even more people,” he said. “The Fentanyl epidemic is killing a lot of people.” He said he appreciates the local partnerships that Vance Recovery enjoys, from the City of Henderson to Maria Parham Health, Granville Vance Public Health, Daymark and others.

Although Vance Recovery currently is fully staffed, there are plans to add staff and be able to serve more clients.  During a walking tour of the new clinic, Morse said, “Because we have more space, we’ll be able to have more counselors and grow. So that’s a really important thing.”

Vance Recovery staffs a medical provider, at least one, Monday through Friday.  Morse said, “We don’t like for anybody to have to wait to see the doctor. If you need to be seen that day, you should be seen that day. And if we need to increase our doctor time, we’ve got other doctors who can give more.”

Also, Morse said there are usually at least four nurses working.

Morse now owns the clinic’s physical space and will be leasing to providers who are like-minded so there will be co-location to help more people.  Morse said, “So any of our patients that need that higher level of care, they don’t have to go anywhere else, they’re going to be here anyway to dose but they can also get more intensive counseling.”

Henderson Mayor Melissa Elliott said, “We already know the challenges we have in our community,” adding that patients who come to Vance Recovery also “get that hope and stay alive.”

Margier White, a member of the H-V Chamber board, said Vance County is fortunate to have the clinic in the community, which provides support not only to the addicted individual, but also to family members. White said she has had family members who have died from addiction, so having a clinic like Vance Recovery in the local area is “near and dear to my heart.”

Dr. Shauna Guthrie, GVPH medical director and chief medical officer at Maria Parham Health, said, “Vance Recovery has been an excellent partner for the hospital, for the health department,” and other agencies who provide services to patients with addiction.

Guthrie said people with opioid use disorder “often feel forgotten, neglected, ignored.” Having a shiny new clinic shows them, she said, that they are NOT forgotten, neglected or ignored because they have “a really nice place to go for care.”

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