TownTalk: The Kyle Harris Story

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Kyle Harris is going to graduate from Vance-Granville Community College’s automotive systems technology program next month. But it will be the second time in as many months that he will be recognized for his efforts.

Harris accepted the Dallas Herring Student Achievement Award last week, given to one student or former student from across the state that best fits the philosophy of the community college visionary of “taking people where they are and carrying them as far as they can go,” according to a press release from VGCC Public Information Officer Courtney Cissel.

Each of the state’s 58 community college systems submits a nominee for the achievement award named for a person whose work set in motion what would become the N.C. Community College System.

The awards dinner was held on Thursday, Apr. 3 at the Umstead Hotel and Spa in Cary, Harris said on Monday’s TownTalk.

There were a lot of powerful people – politicians, donors to the Community College foundation, and others at that dinner. “They were all very interested in my story, and they gave me a round of applause that just really blew me away,” he said.

Things hadn’t been easy for Harris, a military veteran who found himself at the Veterans Life Center in Butner, unsure of what his next steps might be. He got sober and then he got to work on changing his life.

“I had lost a lot of hope in the fact that I would recover,” he said, recalling that period of his life that may seem in stark contrast to the life he leads today. “I’m so grateful I was given the opportunity to reinvent myself,” Harris said. “it’s changed my life. It’s changed the life of my family.”

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Once he was at the Veterans Life Center, he said representatives from the community college came to help him figure out some next steps.

He’d been in the Signal Corps and Communication Corps when he was in the military, and “a lot of the skills I had didn’t transfer over into the civilian world.”

But he did know about mobile communication network maintenance and operations, along with troubleshooting wiring problems using wiring diagrams. With that information, Harris decided to try the automotive systems technology program, trading out communication wiring application for automotive wiring

“In the end, they’re all wires,” he said.

He’s already working at Southeastern Specialty Vehicles in Henderson, which builds ambulances and other emergency vehicles. It’s a challenging job, but it’s one he really enjoys.

With employment comes a level of financial stability Harris truly appreciates, and he said it has given him the self-confidence to assure that he “will never have to go back to a homeless situation.”

“We work on ambulances that service the community all across North Carolina, and places where I have friends and family,” he said, adding that he now feels like he’s paying back a community who supported him. “Now I’m able to help my community through my work, by producing the best ambulances to service our state.”

“Enrolling in the Automotive [Systems] Technology associates’ program is where my redemption story really began,” he noted. “I hope that my story reaches as many people as possible struggling in addiction, to not only choose sobriety but to enroll in a community college.”

It was a fellow veteran who made that first phone call on Harris’s behalf that got him to the Veterans Life Center and that person’s concern for another’s welfare is what got Harris to where he is today. Remembering the idea behind the Dallas Herring award – to take people where they are and carry them as far as they can go – is what he plans to do for others.

“I want to be that person for another veteran in this community one day,” Harris said. “There is a path forward…that if you choose a life of sobriety, the community is here to help you and that you can turn it all around.”

Cooperative Extension with Wayne Rowland: Carpenter Bees

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On the Vance County Cooperative Extension Report from Wayne Rowland:

Carpenter Bees can be difficult to control if you have unpainted wood around the exterior of your home.

Listen live at 100.1 FM / 1450 AM / or on the live stream at WIZS.com at 11:50 a.m. Mon, Tues & Thurs.

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Vance Co. Regional Farmers Market

Attend May 2 ‘Food Farmacy’ To Learn How Wellness, Food Choices Affect Health

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We’ve all heard the saying, “you are what you eat,” and we know we should make healthy food choices — at least most of the time – to be our healthiest selves. But did you know that our food choices could play a role in helping us combat chronic illnesses and reduce health disparities within the community?

Learn more about choosing healthy food options that don’t bust the budget at the upcoming 2025 Food Farmacy Market on May 2 at the Vance County Regional Farmers Market.

With a focus on health and wellness, the Food Farmacy will take place from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the day before Opening Day of the farmers market.

Organizers are building on the success of a previous event, and they’re taking things to the next level to promote nutritious diets and physical fitness and address health-related challenges facing the community.

The Food Farmacy will provide access to nutritious, affordable food options while also hosting educational opportunities on making healthier food choices and lifestyle choices. Come learn about the local food system and how to come together as a community to reduce chronic illnesses and health disparities.

There’s a brief interest form in the link below for anyone who wants to be a vendor, an educator or a volunteer for this community event.

Find the form here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc4dGKOiAOxk3nHgWsKGGTRu1NlE-GtyrMKEG1XXujRfM9qcg/viewform

TownTalk: Around Old Granville – Vance County Historical Markers

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Placing historical markers along prominent roadways is one way to make sure that they’ll be seen by lots of people driving by, but it also means that they run the risk of being struck by a wayward vehicle or even by the occasional grass mowing crews keeping the shoulders tidy.

Vance County has 16 historical markers located within its boundaries – seven of them honor individuals and the other nine are for particular events, towns and structures.

Pace and WIZS’s Bill Harris continued their discussion of historical markers with a focus on Vance County on Thursday’s Around Old Granville segment of TownTalk.

There are no fewer than five markers in and around Williamsboro, and Pace said that’s a nod to when the area – now not much more than a crossroads – was a thriving community back in the pre-Revolutionary days of the 1700’s. Williamsborough, as it was known during Colonial times, has its own marker which reads: “Eighteenth century town, named for John Williams, judge, state legislator, congressman, who lived nearby. Old St. John’s Church is here.”

“You wouldn’t know it riding through there today,” Pace said. Except for the fact that the historical markers bring attention to St. John’s Episcopal Church, the oldest frame church building in the state, as well as James Turner, an early governor and senator who lived in nearby.

Another marker remembers the Bingham School, which didn’t stay very long in Williamsboro, but was the first military school, established in 1826.

The marker for Richard Henderson originally had been placed on Norlina Road, across from the former WHNC radio station, but Pace said it was relocated to Satterwhite Point Road, about a mile from where his grave is. Henderson was the founder of Transylvania County in Kentucky and Nashville, TN.

Another Henderson, Leonard Henderson, has a marker, too. He’s who the city is named for, Pace said, but he was also an educator and a member of the first state Supreme Court in the early 1800’s.

The majority of the markers remind passersby of people and places long gone: there’s the Glass House in Kittrell, for example, that had been a destination for wealthy Northerners to escape city winters and enjoy the healing powers the area’s springs. And there’s Kittrell’s Springs, the health resort-turned hospital for Confederate soldiers in the waning days of the Civil War.

And the Confederate cemetery, where 52 soldiers’ graves are located.

But the historical marker that was placed in 2007 recalls a more recent event that has claimed its own place in history: The strike at Harriet-Henderson cotton mill occurred between 1958 and 1961, and Pace said it helped to showcase the South as a place where unions didn’t have traction as in other areas of the country, particularly the Northeast.

And although it’s not the earliest marker to be erected, the marker for John Lederer along N.C. 39 north of Townsville honors a pioneering German explorer who traveled in the area in 1670, with the help of a Native American guide.

Pace said Lederer may very well be the first person of European descent to set foot in this part of the world, but he sort of “fell through the cracks, history wise,” Pace added.

Are there other potential people and places that could be honored with their own historical marker?

Surely, Pace said.

He would consider the Blacknall family’s Continental Plant Co. that shipped strawberry plants all over the world, Greystone Quarry as well as Kerr Lake, which was the largest reservoir east of the Mississippi when U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built between 1947 and 1952.

Find a county-by-county listing of historical markers at https://www.dncr.nc.gov/nc-historical-markers-guide-may-2024/open

 

Listen back to the entire interview at www.wizs.com.

 

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Mobile Home Owners Will Pay More For Fire, Casualty Insurance Beginning Sept. 1

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The N.C. Department of Insurance has ended its legal dispute with the North Carolina Rate Bureau over a proposed rate increase for two types of insurance policies for mobile home owners.

The two policies are Mobile Home Fire and Mobile Home Casualty, and the settlement calls for a statewide average increase of 11 percent per year over the next two years for the fire policy and an average of 8 percent over the same time period for the casualty policy.

The first set of increases will take effect on new and renewed policies beginning on or after Sept. 1. The second set of increases will take effect on Aug. 31, 2026. The agreement prevents the insurance companies from seeking an increase before Sept. 1, 2027.

Although the cost will go up, the increase is much less than the proposed 82.9 percent and 49.9 percent increase in fire and casualty policies that companies asked the Rate Bureau for about one year ago, according to information from the N.C. Dept. of Insurance.

“I am happy to announce that North Carolina mobile homeowners will save more than $10 million a year in premium payments compared to what the insurance companies requested, Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey said. “I am also glad the Department of Insurance and insurance companies have avoided a lengthy, expensive administrative legal battle.”

The increases affect approximately 148,000 policyholders in North Carolina.

Unlike standard homeowners’ programs, both the MH-F and MH-C programs include flood coverage. The two programs are similar. However, the MH-F program provides coverage for a broader range of perils.

The agreement means a hearing on the issue scheduled for May 21 has been canceled.

Upcoming Community Resource Festival Shaping Up To Be Largest Yet

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With more than 100 vendors already registered, the Community Resource Festival 2025 is shaping up to be the largest resource gathering in two counties, and organizers are eager to provide the community with valuable information and a fun day of networking.

The third annual event takes place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Apr. 16 at the Vance-Granville Community College Civic Center. In addition to VGCC, sponsors include Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce, Granville County Chamber of Commerce and Huff Consulting, LLC

Michele Walker with Huff Consulting, LLC is one of the volunteer organizers. Interest in the event has been great, she said – so much so that some vendors have been placed on a wait list. If previously registered vendors know they cannot attend, Walker asks that they contact organizers as soon as possible to allow as many vendors as possible to take part.

“Thank you so much for making it happen and breaking records, yet again!” Walker said in a written request to vendors for door prizes and other donations.

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Walker asks vendors to share on social media outlets counts as the participation/registration fee, she said. Vendors are asked to “tag” the resource partners to help get the word out to as many people as possible.

Facebook users can add “Shelli Walker” to their tags for verification as well. Walker said she will accept all “follow” requests and she will be showcasing random vendors as a way to further promote the event’s activities and participants.

“Again, we can’t thank you enough for being a part of this Community Resource Festival and we hope you all have an amazing time yourselves! Network, Network, Network!” Walker said.

This year, vendors are eligible to win door prizes, she said. Vendors who are donating prizes are asked to inform organizers no later than Monday, Apr. 7 of the type and quantity of door prizes they’ll be providing.

There will be a table by the entrance to the Civic Center to drop donated items on the day of the event. That’s also where the winners will be announced. Previous door prizes have been gift cards, gift baskets, books and donated services.

Please send the following information to michele.walker@huff-consulting.com.

  1. Item (description)
  2. Quantity
  3. Name of Organization

Please include on each item the name of the donor organization as well as accurate contact information.

A Chase, 30 Shots Fired, and Manhunt Ends in Under 24 Hours

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UPDATE April 3:

On April 1, 2025, at approximately 11:30pm, deputies from the Vance County Sheriff’s Office assisted officers from the Henderson Police Department in their attempt to apprehend a fleeing suspect from a traffic stop.

The suspect, identified as Markus Hilliard, fled officers from the Henderson Police Department during a traffic stop. Deputies assisted due to the pursuit heading into the county. Deputies took over the pursuit once Hilliard turned on Gillburg Rd. Hilliard, in an attempt to get around deputies, hit a Vance County Deputy head-on causing damage to the deputy’s vehicle.

The pursuit ended inside Foster Mobile Home Park in close proximity to where Hilliard lived. Hilliard then jumped and ran from the vehicle into a heavily wooded area with an AR-15. He then began firing several shots while in the wooded area. Vance County Deputies and North Carolina State Highway Patrol and the Henderson Police Dept. setup a perimeter in the area in an effort to locate Hilliard. After a few hours that search was called off.

On April 2, 2025, Deputies received information that Hilliard was in the area of Fern Ln., Henderson, NC and wanted to turn himself in. Deputies went to the location to take Hilliard into custody. He then jumped out a window and began running. A perimeter was set by Vance County Deputies, North Carolina State Highway Patrol and the State Bureau of Investigation as well as the Henderson Police Department and Franklin County Sheriff’s Office. After a chase in the wooded area, Hilliard was finally taken into custody by Vance County Deputies.

Deputies charged Hilliard with misdemeanor Assault on a Government Official, Hit and Run Failure to Stop resulting in Property Damage, Felony Fleeing to Elude Arrest, and he received a secured bond of $27,500.

The Henderson Police Department also charged Hilliard with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, Felony Fleeing to Elude Arrest, Driving while License Revoked, Resisting a Public Officer, and he received a secured bond of $60,000.

Markus Hilliard was processed and transported to the Vance County Detention Center.

Approximately 12:50 pm today, Hilliard posted bond and was released from custody.

(The above text from a press release from Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame.)

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Original News Post, April 2, 2025:

Wednesday afternoon about 4:30, the Vance County Sheriff’s Office ended a manhunt, which had been underway since Tuesday night, with the arrest of the suspect. Sheriff Curtis Brame told WIZS News deputies hemmed in the suspect, talked to him for about 15 minutes, and he surrendered without incident. Brame said his office has taken Markus Hilliard, approximately 36 years of age, of 1000 Foster Road, Lot 17, into custody.

Sheriff Brame said it was City Police that attempted a traffic stop of Hilliard Tuesday night and that once the car chase ended, Hilliard jumped and ran. While running through a wooded area, the Sheriff explained, Hilliard “discharged a firearm to keep us away,” shooting off about 30 rounds.

There have been no injuries and deputies and law enforcement did not return fire.

Brame said earlier Wednesday that his office received information that the suspect was on Fern Lane, but when a residence there was surrounded, the suspect “ran out the back, and we’ve been on foot pursuit ever since.”

Around 3 p.m. Wednesday, Brame said the search was going on in the Briggs Road and South Lynnbank Road area, just west of Bearpond.