News 09/10/19
100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm
HPD: Attempted Breaking & Entering Ends in Death of Suspect
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-Press Release, Henderson Police Department
On Monday, September 9, 2019, at approximately 2 a.m., Henderson Police Department officers responded to a report of someone shot at 232 Crozier Street. Upon arrival to the area, officers located a deceased subject who had been shot, lying outside a window.
Preliminary investigative efforts reveal that the subject was attempting to break and enter the window when he was shot by a resident inside the home. The investigation is continuing, however no charges have been filed at this time.
The identity of the deceased is being withheld pending proper notifications.
Anyone from the area that may have information on the shooting or breaking and entering is urged to contact Henderson Police Department at 252-438-4141.
Town Talk 09/09/19: Restaurant 39 Holds Free Appreciation Breakfast
100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm
If you were anywhere near the Crossroads Shopping Center in Henderson this morning, you may have wondered about the large gathering of police officers, deputies, fire personnel, EMS/EMT, Rescue Squad, State Highway Patrol and other public and civil servants.
Thankfully, the cause of the gathering at 946G West Andrews Avenue was not of the emergency variety but was instead a show of gratitude.
Restaurant 39 owner J.R. Stainback held a free breakfast buffet for law enforcement and first responders from 8 until 10 a.m. to show his appreciation for those who serve and protect.
“We are just trying to let them know we appreciate everything they do for our city and our community,” Stainback said. “I worked with Sheriff Curtis Brame and Henderson Police Chief Marcus Barrow to get this breakfast together, and I hope we can get other businesses to follow suit.”
Local law enforcement, fire, EMT/EMS, Rescue Squad and other first responders attend a free appreciation breakfast courtesy of Restaurant 39 in the Crossroads Shopping Center, Henderson. (WIZS photo)
Henderson Fire Chief Steve Cordell spoke to WIZS’ John Charles Rose during the station’s live broadcast and expressed his gratitude to Stainback and the restaurant staff for their generosity.
“It means the world to us to know that we’ve got business owners and volunteers that are here today looking after local fire, EMS and law enforcement. Knowing that the community and people like JR and his staff have public safety in their thoughts and prayers means the world to us,” he said.
Sheriff Curtis Brame remarked on the good turn out and said, “We don’t often get that pat on the back; it’s great to be appreciated.”
WIZS John Charles Rose brings listeners a live, on-location broadcast from Restaurant 39’s appreciation breakfast. (WIZS photo)
Brame also informed the crowd that Chief Barrow was unable to attend due to a prior engagement but did have a big part in planning and promoting the breakfast.
Javier Plummer, director for Vance County EMS, said he and his crew were glad to be included in the occasion. “Hopefully, we don’t have any interruptions and then we can enjoy and fellowship,” joked Plummer. “We do the best we can for the citizens and we are proud that we can be here and represent.”
Before partaking of the meal, David Barnett, associate minister at South Henderson Pentecostal Holiness Church, offered a blessing and words of encouragement.
“Your jobs are very difficult, very dangerous and very demanding,” he said. “I hope you find them very rewarding also. It’s not just a grab and it’s not just a job. Restaurant 39 and the rest of the people gathered here today want to say we love and appreciate you. Lives are changed because of what you do.”
To hear WIZS’ broadcast from Restaurant 39, please click the play button below. Listen live to WIZS’ Town Talk Monday-Friday at 11 a.m. on 1450AM, 100.1 FM or online at www.wizs.com.
Scholarship Fund Established at VGCC in Memory of Local Teacher
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-Press Release, Vance-Granville Community College
Friends and colleagues of the late Robert C. Pirie, Jr., have established a scholarship fund in his memory at Vance-Granville Community College.
Pirie passed away in May at the age of 75. A Vance County native, he was a veteran of the United States Marine Corps, including service in Vietnam. He retired from the Vance County school system after teaching for more than 30 years, primarily at Zeb Vance Elementary School.
From left, Mike Bullard, Billy Horner, Wanda Bullard and VGCC Endowment Director Eddie Ferguson meet to discuss plans for the scholarship in memory of Robert Pirie. (VGCC photo)
Retired educators Michael and Wanda Bullard, along with Pirie’s best friend, Billy Horner, and his wife, Patricia Horner, helped set up the scholarship at VGCC. “I was a student of Mr. Pirie’s during his first year of teaching and then had the honor of teaching with him for 12 years,” Wanda Bullard said. “He encouraged me to become a teacher and then became my mentor. We became very close and I thought of him as a second father. I am one of many that he encouraged and supported.”
Bullard noted that Pirie received several awards for his math teaching abilities. He also coached the Zeb Vance Eagles Pee Wee football team for many years and was well-respected in the school system and the community. She recalled that Pirie and Horner shared a love of college sports, attending numerous Duke University home football games and ACC basketball tournaments together.
When Pirie struggled with health issues in his later years, Bullard and Horner helped take care of him. “He was like family to both of us,” Bullard said. “We wanted to start the scholarship in his name as a way to continue his legacy of encouragement and support of students being the best they can be.”
“We are touched that those who knew and worked with Mr. Pirie, those he taught and those he inspired, have been generous and thoughtful enough to honor his memory through a scholarship,” said VGCC Endowment Director Eddie Ferguson. “When fully endowed, this new scholarship will help VGCC students continue their education, and that’s a perfect way to pay tribute to an outstanding educator.”
Through the Endowment Fund, VGCC has awarded more than 9,400 scholarships to students since 1982. Scholarships have been endowed by numerous individuals, industries, businesses, civic groups, churches and the college’s faculty and staff.
Tax-deductible donations to the VGCC Endowment Fund have often been used to honor or remember a person, group, business or industry with a lasting gift to education.
For more information or to make a contribution to help fully endow this scholarship, call Kay Currin at (252) 738-3409.
Contributions to the scholarship fund can be mailed to the Vance-Granville Community College Endowment Fund, at P.O. Box 917, Henderson, NC 27536.
Vance Charter School Earns ‘B’ Grade, Exceeds Expected Growth
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-Information courtesy Renee Currin, Vance Charter School
On Wednesday, the North Carolina State Board of Education approved school performance data for all public schools in North Carolina. We are proud to announce Vance Charter School earned a B letter grade and exceeded expected growth for the 2018-2019 school year.
This is a testament to the diligent work our students and teachers demonstrated on a daily basis and their commitment to academic excellence.
Please congratulate our students and teachers for this accomplishment and help spread the word about our success.
Vance Charter is UKnighted!
City Operations Director to Speak at West End Community Watch Meeting
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-Information courtesy Claire Catherwood, West End Community Watch
West End Community Watch will meet on Tuesday, September 17, 2019, at 6:30 p.m. at West End Baptist Church on Dabney Drive. Please plan to attend!
The speaker will be Andy Perkinson, Director of the City Operations Center. Police will be present to give an updated crime report.
See you there!
H-V Rec. Dept. Introduces First ‘Kiddie Kardio’ Class for Preschoolers
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-Information courtesy Tara Goolsby, Henderson-Vance Recreation and Parks Facilities Supervisor, Aycock Recreation Center
The Henderson-Vance Recreation and Parks Department introduces its first fitness class for preschoolers. Kids ages one to five will move and groove, play and stretch to fun music while bringing out lots of energy!
Parents must stay and supervise and are welcome to join in on the fun.
Classes will be held at the Aycock Recreation Center in Henderson on October 7, 14 & 21, 2019, from 6 – 6:30 p.m.
Cost is $1 for members, $2 for non-members.
For more information, please contact Lauren Newlin, Aquatics Program Supervisor, at lnewlin@ci.henderson.nc.us or (252) 438-3160.
News 09/09/19
100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm
Dr. Emma White Joins Maria Parham Women’s Care
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-Information and photo courtesy Maria Parham Health
Maria Parham Health (MPH), a Duke LifePoint hospital, is excited to announce that Emma White, DO has joined their women’s care practice, Maria Parham Women’s Care. Dr. White joins the community from Pitman, New Jersey where she has completed her residency program.
Dr. White earned her medical degree from Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine in Spartanburg, South Carolina. She completed a residency program at the Rowan School of Medicine in Stratford, New Jersey.
Dr. White is a member of the American Medical Women’s Association, American College of Osteopathic Obstetrics and Gynecology, American Osteopathic Association and the North Carolina Osteopathic Medical Association.
When she is not working, Dr. White enjoys sporting activities, mountain recreations, reading, traveling and quality time with her friends and family.
Dr. White is now accepting patients at Maria Parham Women’s Care located at 1209 SE Industry Drive in Oxford, North Carolina. This practice offers women’s health care services including well woman visits, obstetrical care, birth control management, high risk pregnancy care and menopause management.
To schedule an appointment, please call (252) 492-8576.
Blacknall, of Henderson, Sentenced to Federal Prison for Heroin, Gun Convictions
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-Press Release, U.S. Department of Justice
Robert J. Higdon, Jr., the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, announces that United States District Judge James C. Dever, III, sentenced JERMILL BLACKNALL, 31, of Henderson, North Carolina, to 81 months’ imprisonment, followed by 5 years of supervised released.
On June 6, 2019, BLACKNALL pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute heroin and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. On January 21 and 28, 2018, officers of the Henderson Police Department (HPD) conducted controlled purchases of heroin using a confidential informant from BLACKNALL’S residence.
Subsequently, a search warrant was executed at that location where officers recovered a loaded assault rifle with two extended magazines and a 50-round magazine “drum.” HPD also found raw heroin, a blender with heroin residue, digital scales, and packaging materials.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.
Since 2017, the United States Department of Justice has reinvigorated the PSN program and has targeted violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
This case is also part of the Take Back North Carolina Initiative of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina. This initiative emphasizes the regional assignment of federal prosecutors to work with law enforcement and District Attorney’s Offices on a sustained basis in those communities to reduce the violence crime rate, drug trafficking, and crimes against law enforcement.
The investigation of this case was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Henderson Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. Dodson prosecuted the case for the government.