VGCC Celebrates 50 Years on Four Campuses

/by

100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

-Press Release, Vance-Granville Community College

Vance-Granville Community College recently brought together students, faculty, staff and community members to mark the 50th anniversary of the college, with festivities on all four of its campuses. The original charter for the college, then known as Vance County Technical Institute, was issued on Sept. 4, 1969.

VGCC Board of Trustees Chair Danny Wright and VGCC President Dr. Rachel Desmarais cut the “birthday cake” on the college’s Main Campus to celebrate the institution’s fiftieth anniversary. (VGCC photo)

During the week of the actual anniversary, celebratory ceremonies featuring speakers and refreshments were held on each campus: the Warren County Campus on Sept. 3, Main Campus (in Vance County) on Sept. 4, South Campus (in Granville County) on Sept. 5, and the Franklin County Campus on Sept. 6.

In addition, Main Campus hosted an anniversary ‘bash’ on Sept. 4 with the band, “Liquid Pleasure,” performing, and food trucks on hand.

“We are grateful to everyone who attended our 50th anniversary events, and to the citizens and businesses who made contributions to support this celebration,” said Dr. Rachel Desmarais, president of VGCC. “We have reflected on the educational opportunities that this college has provided to Vance, Granville, Franklin and Warren counties, while we have also looked forward to the next 50 years of shining the light of education in service to our communities.”

The “Liquid Pleasure” band performs in front of the gazebo on VGCC’s Main Campus during the 50th anniversary ‘bash.’ (VGCC photo)

Guest speakers at the anniversary events included Vance County Manager Jordan McMillen; Franklin County Manager Angela L. Harris; Devon Suitt, a VGCC alumnus and Granville Early College High School graduate; Zelodis Jay, chair of the Granville County Board of Commissioners; Gary Massenburg, a VGCC alumnus and Warren Early College High School graduate; and Tare “T” Davis, chair of the Warren County Board of Commissioners.

Two VGCC staff members who are also alumni of the college made remarks, as well. Amy O’Geary, director of student success, spoke at Main Campus. “As a graduate and longtime employee, Vance-Granville Community College has been a part of my life for over 30 years,” O’Geary said. “This college guided me in my career path and has allowed me the opportunity to do what I truly love: help students reach their own potential.”

O’Geary recalled that after graduating from VGCC, she went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. “I quickly realized that I was not cut out for a career in sales; however, I can sell one thing,” she said. “I can ‘sell’ Vance-Granville Community College, because I believe in our mission and what we have done for this community for 50 years!”

Devon Suitt speaks during a celebration of VGCC’s 50th anniversary at the college’s South Campus. He is currently a social work investigator and a graduate student at North Carolina Central University. (VGCC photo)

Julie Jones, the college’s distance education coordinator, spoke at the Franklin Campus. That was where she first became a student, as a single mother who had recently lost her job due to company downsizing. At the time, Jones had been out of school for 17 years.

“The counselor at the time saw that I was anxious about starting back to school,” she recalled. “She was very encouraging and got me set up with my program of study and first classes. That is when I took my first computer course and knew I wanted a career working in I.T. My first computer instructor had enough confidence in my ability to do well that he asked me to apply for the part-time position of Open Computer Lab Technician. I started to believe in myself and gained the confidence that I could actually make it through college.”

Julie Jones (standing) speaks during a celebration of VGCC’s fiftieth anniversary held at the college’s Franklin County Campus. Seated, from left, are VGCC President Dr. Rachel Desmarais, VGCC Board of Trustees Chair Danny Wright, VGCC Franklin County Campus Dean Bobbie Jo May and Franklin County Manager Angela Harris. (VGCC photo)

Jones excelled in her academics and, after graduation, became a full-time employee in the campus computer lab. She would go on to earn a bachelor’s degree, as well.

“What I found at VGCC was a home and a supportive family,” Jones said. “Without the encouragement I found along the way, I would not be where I am today.”

The September events capped off a series of activities throughout the year that helped celebrate 50 years of excellence, including a Dinner Theater in April; the 35th annual Endowment Fund Golf Tournament in May, commencement exercises for VGCC’s 50th graduating class in May, and the formal inauguration of President Desmarais in August.

 

News 09/20/19

/by

100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

Downtown’s 18th Annual ‘Show, Shine, Shag & Dine’ Set for Oct. 18-19

/by

100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

-Information courtesy the Vance County Tourism Development Authority

Don’t miss the 18th Annual Show, Shine, Shag & Dine on Friday, October 18 and Saturday, October 19, 2019, in downtown Henderson. 1988 and older antique cars, classic cars, nostalgia drag cars, muscle cars, street rods, rat rods and trucks will cover a ten-block area of Garnett Street in Historic Downtown Henderson.

The weekend festivities include car judging, live entertainment, food vendors, miscellaneous vendors and much more.

The Corbitt Preservation Association will also host their annual Corbitt Truck Show and Reunion on Saturday, October 19 in downtown Henderson from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The association will have its newest find, a rare 1911-1912 Corbitt Automobile body, on display.

Additionally, the Corbitt Museum will be open to visitors on Saturday. The museum is located at 180 Church Street, Henderson.

This world-class car show is one of the largest tourism draws and economic boosts to Vance County each year. Local hotels, gas stations, restaurants, stores and places of entertainment all benefit from the dollars spent over the weekend.

2019 Show, Shine, Shag & Dine Schedule:

Friday, October 18

11 a.m. – 4 p.m. ~ Pre-show Cruise-in and BBQ cookout for $12 per plate. Meal served 12 – 2:30 p.m. Open to all makes and models 1988 and older and all spectators. Location: Satterwhite Point Park, Kerr Lake, I-85 – Exit 217.

5 – 9 p.m. ~ Southern Classic Cruise-in will be held at 117 Horner Street in downtown Henderson. A DJ will be spinning your favorite tunes from the past and Chick-fil-A will be on site. Cruise-in parking will be located in the 700 block of S. Garnett St. Watch for signs.

Saturday, October 19

7:30 – 11 a.m. ~ Car registration – enter from W. Winder Street. Open to all makes and models 1988 and older. Antique cars, classic cars, nostalgia drag cars, muscle cars, street rods, rat rods and trucks. Judged cars $25; other vehicles $20. Dash plaques to the first 400 cars.

7:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. ~ MAIN EVENT – 18th Annual Show, Shine, Shag & Dine Car Show and East Coast Drag Times Hall of Fame. Live entertainment, kids entertainment, DJ, food, vendors, judging and award presentations on Garnett St. in downtown Henderson.

For more information, please visit www.kerrlake-nc.com or call 1-866-438-4565.

NC Opens 24/7 911 Network Monitoring & Assistance Center

/by

100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

-Press Release, NC DIT

The N.C. Department of Information Technology on Thursday officially opened the Network Monitoring and Assistance Center (NMAC), which will help support an uninterrupted flow of communication for emergency call centers that have adopted next-generation 911 technology.

NC DIT Secretary and State Chief Information Officer Eric Boyette and N.C. 911 Board Executive Director Pokey Harris were joined by 911 board members and staff in Raleigh for a ribbon-cutting unveiling the center. The first of its kind in the nation, it is staffed 24/7 and equipped to monitor service and performance on North Carolina’s new digital emergency services network, called ESInet.

N.C. 911 Board Members watch as members of the N.C. Department of Information Technology cut the ribbon on the N.C. 911 Network Monitoring & Assistance Center. From left: network engineer Gerry Means, NMAC manager Stanley Meeks, NC DIT Secretary Eric Boyette and N.C. 911 Board Executive Director Pokey Harris. (Photo courtesy NC DIT)

Sixteen of the state’s 127 911 centers – including those in Cumberland, Durham, Forsyth, Gaston, Guilford, Iredell, Martin, Polk, Robeson, Richmond, Scotland, Vance, Wake and Wilson counties – have already migrated to ESInet.

Under state law, the remainder must develop and fully implement plans to migrate no later than July 1, 2021.

“As more and more 911 centers across the state upgrade their technology to support next-generation 911 services, the Network Monitoring and Assistance Center will play an important role in making sure services run smoothly across the state,” Boyette said.

For example, technicians monitoring ESInet can quickly reroute emergency calls to other 911 centers as they identify increased trends in emergency calls – particularly in cases such as severe weather or major events that draw large volumes of people to a particular area.

During Hurricane Dorian, technicians at the NMAC were prepared to assist in rerouting calls from the coast to counties farther inland, however, it was not necessary.

“The NMAC can immediately troubleshoot network issues and help behind the scenes to provide seamless 911 coverage, so emergency personnel can focus on helping North Carolina residents get the assistance they need as quickly as possible,” Harris said.

ESInet, or the Emergency Services IP Network, makes that possible.

It enables call centers to connect through high-speed internet-based routing services to more quickly and effectively communicate with callers as well as other 911 centers.

The ability to reroute emergency calls is one important capability. Call centers also have the option to let users send photos and videos, in addition to voice calls and text messages.

ESInet is a core function of Next Generation 911 – an upgrade to the current 911 system, which was developed in the 1960s – to ensure residents can access 911 services regardless of their location or how their communicating.

“Although reliable, our current 911 system can no longer accommodate how we communicate today,” Boyette said. “Fewer people are using landline phones, and the popularity of wearables and other digital communication services are on the rise. Our residents expect to be able to communicate these ways. And that’s where NC DIT comes in.”

Town Talk 09/19/19

/by

100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

VGCC Gearing Up for Medical Assistants Recognition Week Celebration

/by

100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

-Press Release, Vance-Granville Community College

The Vance-Granville Community College Medical Assisting Program is gearing up to celebrate Medical Assistants Recognition Week, October 21 – 25, 2019, as designated by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). Medical assistants across the country will be recognized during this special week and honored on Medical Assistants Recognition Day, October 23, 2019.

In celebration of Medical Assistants Recognition Week, the Vance-Granville Community College Medical Assisting Program has planned the following special events and activities:

MED Mini Health Fair to be held at Vance-Granville Community College’s Franklin Campus Student Lounge, 8100 NC 56 Hwy, Louisburg, NC on Monday, October 21, 2019, from 9 a.m. until 12 p.m.

“Medical Assistants are at the heart of healthcare and we support our community,” says Tonia Boyd, Vance-Granville Medical Assisting Class President of the 2020 graduating class.

Medical assisting is an allied health profession whose practitioners function as members of the health care delivery team and perform administrative and clinical procedures. With their unique versatility, medical assistants are proving to be the allied health professional of choice for this decade and beyond. Medical assisting is one of the nation’s careers growing much faster than average for all occupations, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The American Association of Medical Assistants is the only organization devoted exclusively to serving the professional interests and educational needs of all medical assistants. The association provides numerous services that help medical assistants put their careers on a successful and rewarding track and keep them there.

Vance County Logo

Vance Co. Properties Committee to Discuss Dennis Building, City Properties

/by

100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

-Information courtesy Kelly H. Grissom, Executive Assistant/Clerk to Board, Vance County Board of Commissioners

Please note that Vance County’s Properties Committee (Brummitt, Taylor, Wilder) is scheduled to meet Monday, September 30, 2019, at 4 p.m. in the Administrative Conference Room of the Vance County Administration Building located at 122 Young Street in Henderson.

Topics to be discussed include the Dennis Building and city properties.

News 09/19/19

/by

100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

Brian Short Named NCAPCO Director of the Year

/by

100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

Brian Short, the Henderson-Vance Emergency Management Director, has been named Director of the Year for the North Carolina Chapter of the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials.

At a Monday evening meeting of the Vance County Firemen’s Association, Short smiled and said, “They caught me by surprise on that one.”

The Firemen’s Association met and Short was there in his capacity as E-911 and Emergency Operations Director. As he recently explained on WIZS TownTalk, mapping of the County and City remains essential so firemen and other emergency personnel can quickly arrive at precise locations.

With the ongoing possibility of fire redistricting in Vance County, new mapping will possibly be required to help lower ISO ratings as the County is looking at switching to 5-road miles districts, as in the distance from the fire station, from the existing 6-road miles districts.
As to the redistricting, WIZS News learned at the Association Meeting that the plan is to tackle this question in more detail after the early October ISO testing is completed. The plan in mid-to-late October is to involve the Volunteer Fire Department Chiefs and start looking at Vance County in four sections, addressing each quadrant until new plans can be proposed.

(Click the image, as it’s embedded courtesy of the NCAPCO on Facebook.)

Town Talk 09/18/19: Harvest Gala, Upcoming Downtown Events

/by

100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

Dr. Alice Sallins, chairperson of the Henderson-Vance Downtown Development Commission’s Promotions Committee was on Tuesday’s edition of WIZS’ Town Talk to discuss the annual Harvest Gala event.

This year’s “fine dining in the street” experience is scheduled for downtown Henderson Saturday, September 21 on West Young Street. Participants will enjoy an eloquent, four-course meal courtesy of Chef Llew Sutton, owner of Uncle Llew’s Restaurant & Pub in downtown.

The Meet and Greet session begins at 6 p.m., with starters to follow at 6:30 p.m.

If weather is not cooperative, the event will be held inside at 130 West Montgomery Street.

Tickets are still available for $75 and may be purchased online by visiting Downtown Henderson’s website (click here), or by calling Sallins at (252) 767-4579.

Menu items for the evening include:

Starter
Salmon Cake Resting on House-Made Cocktail Sauce with Citrus Soli and Cilantro Atop

Chef Llew’s California Salad
Mixed Greens, Red Onions, Cherry Tomatoes, Peppered Bacon, Dried Cranberries, Blue Cheese Crumbles, with House- Made Balsamic Reduction Drizzle

Main Course
Thyme Seared Pork Tenderloin Medallions complimented with Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes along with Fresh Lemon Peppered Asparagus

Dessert
Creme Brulee in Mini Mason Jars

The gala is the only fundraising event for the Henderson-Vance Downtown Development Commission, a non-profit organization focused on revitalizing Henderson’s historic downtown business district. According to Sallins, donations will be used for events and beautification projects in Henderson’s central business district in an effort to preserve historic integrity.

“The money raised at the Harvest Gala allows us to promote new downtown businesses by offering incentives and facade improvement grants,” explained Sallins. “We were recently able to offer a grant to the American Legion and Sadies Coffee Corner as well as organize a beautification project in the parking area of the former Gupton’s Sporting Goods thanks to those who support the gala.”

To hear Sallin’s interview in its entirety, including information on Downtown Trick-or-Treating and the 2019 Christmas Parade, 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.