Stories include:
– Salvation Army Christmas programs
– Covid19 case counts
– Court Cancelled for this week
– City Council Meeting scheduled for today
For full details and audio click play
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-Press Release, NCDA&CS
The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Agronomic Services Lab announces its peak-season testing fee effective Dec. 1 through March 31, 2021. Samples must be delivered by 5 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 30, to avoid being charged peak-season fees.
During this peak-season time period, the cost of soil testing is $4 per sample. The fee originated in 2013 to encourage earlier sampling in the fall, one of the busiest times of the year for the lab. By submitting samples before Dec. 1, users can avoid peak-season fees and get results back quickly. Outside of the peak-season, soil testing is free to growers.
Samples with completed soil sample information forms must be delivered and received by the Agronomic Services Division prior to Dec. 1 to avoid the fee. Samples will not be accepted without completed paperwork.
“Despite the pandemic, the agricultural industry has marched forward and continues to be our number one economic driver in the state. Soil fertility is critical to crop success, and soil testing can help ensure optimal plant growth,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “I encourage growers to try to get samples submitted early to avoid the fee; however, the fee does help our Agronomic Division continue to provide one of the best soil testing services in the United States.”
Growers are reminded that all money collected during the fee period is dedicated to improvements in the soil testing lab as well as hiring additional staff for the peak-season.
Due to the pandemic, the Eaddy Building is closed to the public, but growers still have access to the loading dock seven days a week, 24 hours a day until Monday, Nov. 30, at 5 p.m. at which time the gate to Agronomic Division property will close.
During the fee period, sample drop-off times will be between 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, except during state holidays. There will be no after-hours drop-off times for samples during peak season.
Growers who visit the loading dock will find new signage and directions of where to unload and pick-up sample supplies. If interaction with clients is necessary, a new protective kiosk can be used.
“The division has taken a lot of precaution in delivering safe, customer-friendly service during the pandemic,” Troxler said. If growers need supplies, they are advised to call a day or at least several hours ahead of arrival so supplies will be ready for pickup.
As to submitting samples, growers are encouraged to submit sample information forms online, so their information can be accurately and quickly uploaded into the database system. Peak-season fees can be paid with a credit card using a secure online payment service called PayPoint. Online submission can be accessed through the PALS homepage at www.ncagr.gov/agronomi/PALS/ after a user account is established under the Utility link.
Up-to-date turnaround times can always be found at www.ncagr.gov/agronomi/PALS/. If a faster turnaround time is needed, the lab offers an expedited soil testing service on a limited basis.
Growers can purchase expedited shippers, which can hold up to 36 soil samples, for $200 each while supplies last. The service guarantees a seven-business-day turnaround time if the lab is contacted and notified 24 hours in advance of the quantity being delivered. Otherwise, the guaranteed turnaround time of two weeks upon delivery at the lab is offered. These guarantees exclude the Christmas season. Unused expedited shippers can be used in the following years. Currently, only a small supply of expedited shippers is available.
Contact the Agronomic Services Division at (919) 733-2655 for questions regarding the peak-season soil testing fee, online sample submission or the purchase of expedited shippers.
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Join the Henderson Vance Recreation & Parks Department for a holiday craft workshop for youth on Monday, December 21, 2020, at 6 p.m. at the Aycock Recreation Center.
Participants ages 4 to 8 will take part in crafts that are age-appropriate and holiday-themed. This event will be open to the first 12 participants to register. The cost is $5 per participant, and the registration deadline is Thursday, December 17, 2020.
You can register online at https://hvrpd.recdesk.com/ or at the Aycock Recreation Center.
Each participant must have an adult over the age of 18 with them at all times to help them with the crafts. Only the participant and one guardian will be allowed due to COVID-19 restrictions. Participants over the age of 5 and guardians are required to wear a mask at all times.
For more information, please contact Lauren Newlin at (252) 438-3160 (lnewlin@ci.henderson.nc.us).
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Guest host Brandon Boyd interviewed someone near and dear to his own heart for Tuesday’s segment of Town Talk, his father Charles Henry Boyd. Many in the community may know Charles as the owner of Charles Boyd Chevrolet Buick GMC in Henderson.
Born in Henderson in 1949, Charles, with the exception of his years in college, has called Vance County home all of his life. “Henderson has always been home,” he said. “It’s been a great life. Vance County has been so very good to us; a great place to live and to work.”
A child in the 50s and a teenager in the 60s, Charles said he has many memories of good times spent with his three brothers, family and friends. “I have memories of going downtown, going to the Embassy and going to the Stevenson Theatre. You could take about 15 cents to spend your evening and have a great time.”
Interested in cars since he was old enough to remember, Charles said he spent his younger years going with his father and brothers to tobacco warehouses to prospect vehicles, and later working after school “polishing cars, cleaning hubcaps and washing engines” at the used car lot.
Brandon Boyd (left) and Charles Boyd (right) pictured with one of their classic cars.
“Me and my three brothers, Maurice, Glenn and Jerry, have always had a passion for cars,” said Charles. “My father started off in farming and then went into the used car business.”
That passion continues today with Charles and his brothers collecting classic cars. “We collect cars, which is a great pastime, and we share the thrills in finding these cars and reselling them,” Charles stated. “We try to find cars that have been stored, that don’t have many miles; we like originality. It’s an enjoyment when you find something and think there’s not another one like it in the world. It’s not what you end up with; it’s the chase of finding something.”
Charles continued, “The car business has been a great part of my life. It’s been good to me and my family. Vance County has supported us in so many ways. We try to give everybody a fair and honest deal. My dad was known for being honest and looking out for customers, and that’s what we try to do.”
After starting out at Boyd Auto Sales on Garnett Street and selling his first used car at 11, Charles rented an available used car lot on Raleigh Road upon graduating Atlantic Christian College. According to Charles, rent was $75 a month, and the lot had no bathroom or running water.
“Today, we have a facility that’s state-of-the-art; we’ve come a long way,” Charles said. “It’s not what we’ve done, but what Vance County has done for us.”
Charles Boyd Chevrolet Buick GMC is located at 250 Ruin Creek Road in Henderson, NC.
To hear the interview with Charles and Brandon in its entirety, including more on growing up in Henderson and the car business, go to WIZS.com and click on Town Talk.
Stories include:
– Vance Co. Court Cancelled
– Food give away
– Christmas Spectacular
– VGCC appoints dean
– Perry Library
– Click it or Ticket
– Pat Christie
For Full details and audio click play
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Lisa Harrison, director of Granville-Vance Public Health (GVPH), appeared on WIZS Town Talk Wednesday at 11 a.m.
According to Harrison, GVPH and its support teams have been working with the local public school systems, private schools and charter schools to ensure safety and to prevent the spread of COVID-19 as much as possible.
“We have some dedicated nurses who have been working really hard since March with our school systems who are trying to figure out how to manage in this new world order of COVID-19,” said Harrison. “We are trying to provide enough data, updates and information for our school systems to make good decisions and to manage any outbreaks or clusters.”
At this time of Thanksgiving, Harrison said she is thankful for the positive working relationships that she and GVPH have with community partners. Addressing one such partner, the Vance County Court System, Harrison said their partnership led to the quick handling of the Vance County Courthouse’s recently reported cluster of positive COVID cases.
“We have taken a tour of the courthouse a number of times over the past eight months just to make sure we’re informing all on the procedures that are new and different, to make sure that people are screened and to make sure that we are preventing the spread of COVID as much as possible,” explained Harrison. “Unfortunately, it [COVID spread] still happens.”
Due to a reported COVID cluster, Vance County court sessions were canceled beginning November 19 and will remain canceled through December 3, 2020, as of the time of this posting. The courthouse will remain open for necessary business during this time.
Clarifying the term COVID ‘cluster’ versus an ‘outbreak,’ Harrison said clusters are defined as five or more cases in one location that are tied together. Clusters are also commonly referred to in locations that are not healthcare-related, such as schools and courthouses.
Outbreaks, on the other hand, are defined as two or more cases in healthcare settings and long-term care facilities where the spread can be more rapid and detrimental if not quickly controlled.
Data reported ahead of Thanksgiving Day indicated 1,604 total confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 in Vance County, with 446 known active cases.
Of those 1,604 cases, 1,434 are associated with community spread, 58 are associated with Pelican Health of Henderson, 49 are associated with Kerr Lake Nursing Home, 62 are associated with Senior Citizens Nursing Home (42 of which are new and still active) and one is associated with Alliance Rehabilitative Care.
These numbers include 54 individuals who have died from COVID-related complications in Vance County.
COVID testing is ongoing through Maria Parham Health, GVPH and private institutions. Please visit www.gvph.org/COVID-19/ for the latest local information.
To hear the interview with Harrison in its entirety, go to WIZS.com and click on Town Talk.
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-Information courtesy the Hon. Henry L. Gupton
Chief District Court Judge John Davis has ordered that all sessions of Vance County court which include the following: District Criminal, District Civil and District Juvenile be canceled for Monday, November 30, Tuesday, December 1, and Thursday, December 3, 2020.
The Vance County Courthouse will remain open on the aforementioned days; however; court will not be in session.
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-Information courtesy McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center
Welcome in the holiday season with McGregor Hall and the Miss North Carolina Scholarship Organization! McGregor Hall is thrilled to be the host venue and streaming sponsor for a Virtual Christmas Spectacular Show on Saturday, December 12, 2020, at 7 p.m.
The show will feature the reigning Miss North Carolina, Alexandra Badgett, and Miss North Carolina’s Outstanding Teen, Karlee Sanderford; Former Miss North Carolinas and Miss North Carolina’s Outstanding Teens from years past; and 10 current local Miss and Outstanding Teen candidates vying for the state crown in 2021.
Purchase a $25 ticket reservation (click here) to receive an exclusive viewing link to tune in virtually on December 12 in the comfort and safety of your home. This Christmas Spectacular will be streamed across the state (and nation) for all ages to enjoy.
The event will be pre-recorded, following all state and health protocols, at McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center in Henderson, North Carolina. Performers will be recorded individually to ensure personal safety in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
(This is not a paid advertisement)
THIS STORY IS PRESENTED IN PART BY DRAKE DENTISTRY
-Press Release, Vance-Granville Community College
Vance-Granville Community College recently named Cherrelle Lawrence as its new Dean of Corporate Learning & Professional Development. In this role, Dean Lawrence will identify and develop corporate training and external professional development offerings for companies, local government agencies and civic organizations.
Lawrence will also serve as the lead administrator (Dean) for the VGCC Franklin Campus and work with Franklin Campus faculty and staff to ensure successful implementation of the mission of the satellite campus.
Vance-Granville Community College recently named Cherrelle Lawrence as its new Dean of Corporate Learning & Professional Development. (Photo courtesy VGCC)
Lawrence is a certified Global Career Development Facilitator & Trainer (GCDF) and has worked in Career Services & Employer Relations in higher education and the non-profit sector for over five years.
Lawrence most recently served as Assistant Director of Employer Relations at the UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School. During her time there, she led the Undergraduate Business Program’s Diversity & Inclusion initiatives and fostered strong working relationships with over 200 companies across a variety of sectors.
Prior to working at UNC-Chapel Hill, Lawrence served on the TAACCCT & TechHire grant teams at VGCC, where she built relationships with local companies and directly engaged with VGCC students, staff and faculty.
“It has always been my vision and plan to grow in Higher Education, with a specific interest in Training & Development,” Dean Lawrence said. “I look forward to being able to share my expertise, learn from others and ultimately help cultivate our Workforce and Community Engagement Department.”
Lawrence holds a master’s in Business Administration from East Carolina University and a bachelor’s in Business Education & Marketing from North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University.
“We are glad to welcome Cherrelle Lawrence back to VGCC in this new capacity, and we are excited about the leadership she will provide to help our area’s employers succeed through training and to continue the outstanding services and programs available at our Franklin Campus,” said Dr. Jerry Edmonds, VGCC’s Vice President of Workforce Development and Community Engagement.
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-Information courtesy the City of Henderson
On November 30, 2020, members of the Henderson City Council will hold a brief meeting with individuals from the North Carolina School of Government regarding the selection process for the Urban Redevelopment Commission.
This meeting will be held at 5 p.m. via Zoom. Council members may participate from home, work or in Council Chambers. The Zoom information will be posted on the City’s website no later than 12 p.m. on November 30.
It is possible a quorum of Council members will attend this meeting; however, no action will be taken.
