The Local Skinny! “Night To Shine” Returns To North Henderson Baptist Church Feb. 7

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North Henderson Baptist Church is pulling out all the stops again this year for a very special prom night. This year’s “Night to Shine” will take place on Friday, Feb. 7, and Pastor Eddie Nutt said the promgoers will get the royal treatment.

The evening is especially for individuals 14 and older with special needs, Nutt said. It’s just one of many events that will take place that day across the country and the world as part of the Tim Tebow Foundation.

It’s only the second time that the local church has participated, but this is the 11th year that the Tebow Foundation has hosted it. It’s always the Friday before Valentine’s Day, Nutt noted. Over the years, more than 625,000 guests have participated in all 50 states and in 72 countries across the globe.

Things will get underway about 6 p.m. at the church, located at 1211 N. Garnett St., Promgoers will walk the red carpet and will be greeted by paparazzi as they make their way into the church building for an evening of music, dancing and, of course, refreshments.

There will be limo rides “if they want to go out and ride around in the community,” Nutt said on Thursday’s segment of The Local Skinny!

If a lady needs a refresh or touchup of their hair or makeup, she can head over to the hair station or the makeup station, Nutt said. Gentlemen can get a fresh shine on their shoes if they need one.

“They’ll get the complete royal treatment throughout the evening,” he said.

The royal treatment continues as, one by one, Nutt gets to place a crown or tiara on each person’s head to crown them King or Queen of the evening.

“Seeing that look in their eyes as their name is called,” Nutt said, “is a heart-touching moment…to see that expression on their face, that they have worth, value – they are kings and queens in God’s eyes.”

Please pre-register for the evening by calling the church at 252.438.8012 or online at the church website, www.nhbcnc.org.

 

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Cooperative Extension with Jamon Glover: Raising Emotionally Intelligent Kids

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Cooperative Extension

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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Henderson Man Sentenced In Drug Trafficking Case

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— from U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina Michael F. Easley, Jr.

A Henderson man was sentenced to 117 months in prison for possessing with the intent to distribute a mixture and substance containing fentanyl and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

Kortez Travon Williams, age 26, pled guilty to the charges on Sept. 23, 2024, according to information from U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina Michael F. Easley, Jr.

According to court documents and other information presented in court, law enforcement utilized a confidential informant to conduct multiple controlled purchases of narcotics from Williams. Two days after selling the CI marijuana, Williams sold the CI approximately 400 dosage units of a substance containing fentanyl. One week later, Williams sold the CI almost 500 dosage units of a substance containing fentanyl. During all three controlled purchases, Williams had a firearm with him and visible. Following the controlled purchases, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Williams’ residence, during which they recovered approximately 7,095 dosage units, a firearm, and $12,736.

Williams was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation, the Henderson Police Department, and the Vance County Sheriff’s Department investigated the case.

One Man In Hospital With Gunshot Wound Following Incident At Gillburg Convenience Store

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— information from Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame

A 22-year-old Henderson man was shot outside a convenience store in Gillburg on Tuesday afternoon.

Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame identified the victim as Kemarreus Jones. In a press release issued Wednesday afternoon, Brame said Jones was transported to Duke Hospital and reported that he is in stable condition.

No other details about his injuries have been released.

At 4:40 p.m., sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to a shots fired call at the Best Bet Convenient Store, located at 4765 NC 39 Highway South.

The Vance County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation’s Division/ Narcotics Division responded to the scene to conduct an investigation into the incident. It was discovered that two vehicles, each being occupied by multiple people, had a verbal encounter which turned into shots being fired.

At the time of the press release, this case remains under investigation; however Brame stated there is no ongoing threat to the general public.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact the Vance County Sheriff’s Office at 252.738.2200 or Henderson-Vance Crime stoppers at 252.492.1925. Cash rewards are available for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of the people involved in this incident and information can be anonymous.

TownTalk: Guardian ad Litem Program Provides Advocates To Children In Court System

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Eight hours a month doesn’t sound like much, but it could make all the difference in the life of a child.

Eight hours is what most Guardian ad Litem volunteers can expect to spend in their advocacy role for young people who are involved in the court system because of abuse or neglect.

Ruth Griffin, recruitment and retention lead for the statewide GAL program based in Raleigh, said there are roughly 3,200 volunteers in North Carolina, but there’s always a need for more.

In Vance County, for example, there are 77 children in care, but 21 do not have an advocate, Griffin said on Wednesday’s TownTalk.

Of 23 in Granville County, three are without advocates at this time.

“We have some awesome, awesome volunteers who are active in other cases,” Griffin said, “but we want more folks from the community to step up and to speak up for these kids in court – our goal being that every child should have an advocate.”

There is some training involved with becoming a guardian ad litem volunteer, and the winter training sessions begin Tuesday, Jan. 21. The virtual sessions will be held on Tuesdays from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. through Feb. 25. Apply at volunteerforgal.org.

As Griffin explained, it is a district court judge who begins the process of involving the Guardian ad Litem program when there’s a case of abuse or neglect of a child. A local advocate will be assigned and that person begins gathering information from adults in the child’s life – parents, teachers, physicians, etc. With support from an attorney and from GAL staff, the advocate creates a report with recommendations for what’s best for the child going forward.

For some children, their GAL advocate is the only constant in their lives. Social workers change, foster homes change, but a GAL advocate can remain with a child to provide emotional support as the case moves through the courts.

Advocates can visit with the children in familiar settings like their foster home or school, said Sarah Sattelberg, an advocacy specialist who works in the Raleigh office. “You’re never meeting them alone,” Sattelberg said.

Griffin said most of the cases that are referred to GAL involve neglect, but every case and every child is different. Some could be “situations that the average person just can’t imagine,” she said. “Oftentimes, we are meeting these kids at their worst moment.” The goal is to advocate for the best interests of the child as he or she moves through the court system.

Aside from the specific training that all advocates must complete, there’s no special background or expertise needed to become an advocate.

“You just have to have a heart to care,” Griffin said. “If you have that, you can begin to change a child’s life.”

Samantha Branch is the local contact for the Judicial District 11, which includes, Vance, Granville, Warren, Franklin and Person counties. Below are the addresses and phone numbers for the offices in the WIZS listening area:

Vance County
156 Church St., Henderson, NC 27536
252.430.5121

Granville County
147 Williamsboro St., Oxford, NC 27565
919.690.4921

Warren County
113 S. Main St., Louisburg, NC 27549
919.497.4244

Franklin County
113 S. Main St., Louisburg, NC 27549
919.497.4244

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VCS On 1-Hr. Delay For Wednesday, Jan. 15; Tuesday’s Info Sessions Postponed

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Vance County Schools will operate on a one-hour delay on Wednesday, Jan. 15.

While remnants of last weekend’s snow and ice largely have gone away, VCS chief communications officer Aarika Sandlin said Tuesday that the delay

will allow buses to operate during daylight hours, ensuring the safety of students and staff.

But other events scheduled for Tuesday afternoon and evening have been postponed, and Sandlin said announcements will be forthcoming regarding new dates for the PK/K registration sessions, as well as the Innovative Schools information sessions.

The application process for parents to register their children for one of the five Innovative Schools continues through Feb. 7.

There also will be a virtual session scheduled for 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 22, during which principals of the five innovative schools will be available to answer questions and to share additional information about their programs. Find the link on the VCS website in the top right corner

The application is available on the VCS website, too. Visit  www.vcs.k12.nc.us  and click on Innovative Schools at the top of the page.

Children must be 5 years old on or before Aug. 31, 2025 to be eligible for kindergarten enrollment.

The district’s PK program provides children with foundational learning experiences that set the stage for long-term academic success. Children must be 4 years old on or before Aug. 31, 2025 to be eligible for Pre-K enrollment.

Find the PK and K applications by visiting www.vcs.k12.nc.us and clicking Enroll in the upper right corner. The district will hold open registrations at individual elementary schools on Tuesday, Jan. 14.

Virtual info sessions for PK and K will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 22 and Thursday, Jan. 23. Times will be announced at a later date, but the Wednesday session will be held during the day and the Thursday session will be held in the evening.

TownTalk: Man Dies In Weekend House Fire On Reservoir Street

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A local man died in a house fire on Reservoir Street Sunday afternoon.

Henderson Fire Chief Tim Twisdale said firefighters were dispatched to 1418 Reservoir St. at 4:37 p.m. When they arrived, Twisdale said the whole left side of the house was engulfed in flames, and the remainder of the structure was filled with smoke.

Twisdale identified the victim as Robert J. Faucette, Jr., 63. County tax records list Faucette as the homeowner.

“We don’t know exactly how long it was burning prior to our arrival,” Twisdale told WIZS News Tuesday, “but it had gotten a good head of steam” by the time trucks arrived on the scene.

In fact, Twisdale said, firefighters reported seeing “a heavy column of smoke visible from a good distance away” as they made their way to the fire call.

One firefighter suffered burns to his ears, Twisdale said.

Officials have been in contact with the man’s sister, who is next-of-kin, and the medical examiner will perform an autopsy to determine the cause of death.

Twisdale said the home did not appear to have a working smoke alarm.

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