TownTalk: Remembering Amanda Pearson

/by

Amanda Pearson, owner of Sadie’s Coffee Corner in Downtown Henderson, has passed away.

Click Play. 

Vance County Schools Get ‘Opportunity Culture’ Designation For Use Of Innovative Staffing Models

/by

– information courtesy of VCS Chief Communication Officer Aarika Sandlin

Seven Vance County elementary schools are among 366 schools across eight states to be designated as Certified Opportunity Culture schools for their dedication to advancing student achievement and teacher career development through innovative staffing models.

Vance County Schools began using the Opportunity Culture model in 2016, an initiative of Public Impact, LLC, which has been in business since 1996.

According to information from VCS Chief Communication Officer Aarika Sandlin, Opportunity Culture models allow schools to innovate by extending the reach of their best educators to more students while providing career advancement outside of the administrative pathway. Since 2013, Public Impact’s Opportunity Culture models have been adopted by more than 75 districts in 14 states, leading to significant boosts in student learning outcomes and teacher retention.

These schools have been designated as Opportunity Culture schools:

  • Aycock Elementary School
  • Clarke Elementary School
  • Dabney Elementary School
  • E.O. Young Elementary School
  • L.B. Yancey Elementary School
  • Pinkston Street School
  • Zeb Vance Elementary School

This designation highlights our schools’ dedication to an innovative and impactful education, Sandlin said. The newly certified schools hold provisional status based on their performance in the 2023–24 school year, with opportunities to achieve higher certification levels in subsequent years.

Certification is based on four key factors:

  • Careful selection for Opportunity Culture roles
  • Expanded student access to high-quality instruction
  • Strategic incorporation of high-dosage tutoring
  • Long-term financial sustainability of staffing models

Casey Jackson is the VCS Advanced Teaching Roles Coordinator.  “We are extremely proud of our Certified Opportunity Culture Schools, where educators have boldly reimagined traditional staffing structures to enhance teaching and learning,” Jackson stated. “By earning this certification, these schools have shown that innovative, well-thought-out design not only transforms the educational experience for students but also elevates teachers’ professional growth and support. This achievement is a testament to the power of intentional change in creating lasting, meaningful impact across the entire school community.”

This recognition underscores Vance County’s commitment to creating excellent learning environments for students and providing innovative career pathways for educators. Each school using Opportunity Culture models forms a design and implementation team of teachers and administrators who develop strategies to extend the reach of excellent teachers. The Multi-Classroom Leader role is central to the model, with MCLs leading small teaching teams. Other key roles, such as Extended Impact Teachers and Reach Associates, help expand the impact of high-performing educators.

Learn more at https://www.opportunityculture.org/.

N.C. Fisherman Reels In Top Prize At Kerr Lake Tournament

/by

– Information courtesy of Vance County Tourism Development Authority and Phoenix Bass Fishing League

Boater Jake Monti of Mooresville caught a three-day total of 14 bass weighing 38 lbs., 12 oz., to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine Regional on Kerr Lake last weekend.

The tournament, hosted by the Vance County Tourism Development Authority, finished up Saturday, Oct. Oct. 5.

Monti’s prize package – valued at $63,429 – included a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200hp Mercury or Suzuki outboard, $10,000 and a $2,500 Phoenix MLF contingency bonus.

The field for the Kerr Lake event, served as regional championship for BFL Region 2, included the top 45 boaters and co-anglers based on point standings, plus each of the tournament winners, from the 2024 Buckeye, Northeast, Shenandoah and South Carolina divisions. The top six boaters and co-anglers in the Regional have qualified for the 2025 BFL All-American, which will be held on Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, May 29-31.

It was an up-and-down … then-back-up-again tournament for Monti, according to information from BFL officials. He opened with a 21-pound limit that was easily the biggest stringer of the event. But on Day Two, Monti slipped, weighing just four bass for 6 lbs., 5 oz. Though Monti was able to hang onto his lead, Ohio’s Chris Martinkovic cut the distance, getting within two pounds of the leader.
On Day Three, Monti scrapped everything he’d been fishing to that point and was able to pull together 11 lbs., 7 oz. to close out a wire-to-wire win by a margin of 1 lb., 7 oz. over fellow North Carolinian Logan Anderson. Reflecting on the experience, the 21-year-old Abu Garcia MLF College Fishing competitor and local business owner admitted it was his own stubbornness that caused such a stressful swing on Day Two.

“In practice, I’d found a couple areas that had fish that were wolf-packing shallow,” Monti said. “Day one of the tournament, I went back there in those same areas, and they were there big time. I had 21 pounds in about an hour all within about a hundred-yard section.”

Monti caught those fish flipping a 1/2-ounce Queen Tackle jig. Assuming the fish would stay in the area, Monti left early, thinking he was preserving his best spot for Day Two.

“Day two, I go back, and I re-fished that area and didn’t have a single bite,” he said. “I caught one bass off a willow tree at like 10 o’clock. At 12, I was still sitting on one bass, and that’s when I went back into Nutbush (Creek) and just started flipping a little area that at the end of day one I found a couple bites in. I ended up putting three more in the boat.”
After weighing just the four keepers on Day Two, Monti decided he needed to make an adjustment. He swapped rods, tackle, areas and tactics.

“I ended up going out deep (Saturday), fishing schooling fish. I threw a bait in 30 feet with LiveScope, using a Queen Tackle Rollin head. And I caught a really big spot early that got me up to a little over 11 pounds. I stuck with that throughout the day and got what I needed.

“I wish I would’ve adjusted sooner and I wouldn’t have made it so stressful. I was just stubborn,” added Monti, who qualified from the South Carolina Division. “I thought there were fish in that area because I laid off them on day one. I caught what I caught and got out of there early and thought there’d be some left, but that was not the case.”

With a tough lesson behind him, Monti is now looking ahead to the 2025 All-American, grassroots bass fishing’s biggest event.
“It’s awesome,” he said of his shot at the All-American. “I don’t really have any words for it yet. It honestly hasn’t set in. I’m so tired from fishing so hard the last couple days, and my nerves are shot from yesterday. I’m ready to be there.”

The top six boaters who qualified to fish the 2025 Phoenix BFL All-American are:

1st: Jake Monti, Mooresville, N.C., 14 bass, 38-12, $63,429 (includes $2,500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
2nd: Logan Anderson, Sherrills Ford, N.C., 15 bass, 37-9, $10,929
3rd: Billy Shelton III, La Crosse, Va., 12 bass, 35-11, $5,967
4th: Tyler Campbell, Martin, Ga., 15 bass, 35-6, $2,979
5th: Chris Baldwin, Lexington, N.C., 13 bass, 34-3, $2,111
6th: Brandon Pritchett, Goode, Va., 15 bass, 34-2, $1,787

Rounding out the top 12 boaters were:

7th: Chris Martinkovic, Hamilton, Ohio, 14 bass, 34-1, $2,589
8th: Jason Shipton, Muncy, Pa., 14 bass, 32-13, $2,390
9th:  Chuck Cunningham, Duncan, S.C., 14 bass, 32-6, $1,191
10th: Seth Fricke, Oxford, Ohio, 14 bass, 29-12, $1,092
11th: Mark Tornai, Fredericksburg, Va., 12 bass, 28-1, $993
12th: Rodney Bell, Salisbury, N.C., 10 bass, 26-11, $993

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

The top four boaters from each division that earned a $1,000 bonus for placing highest in the event were:

Buckeye: Chris Martinkovic, Hamilton, Ohio, 7th Place, $1,000
Northeast: Jason Shipton, Muncy, Pa., 8th Place, $1,000
Shenandoah: Billy Shelton III, La Crosse, Va., 3rd Place, $1,000
South Carolina: Logan Anderson., 2nd Place $1,000

Monti caught a bass that weighed 7 lbs., 1 oz., and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $1,000.

Ryan Sykes of Fairfield, Ohio, won the Strike King co-angler division Saturday, after bringing a three-day total of 10 bass to the scale that weighed 22 pounds, 7 ounces. His $50,400 prize package included a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200hp Mercury or Suzuki outboard.

The top six Strike King co-anglers who now qualify for the 2025 Phoenix BFL All-American are:
1st: Ryan Sykes, Fairfield, Ohio, 10 bass, 22-7, $50,400
2nd: Riley Smallwood, Shallotte, N.C., 11 bass, 22-4, $5,471
3rd: Richard Williams, Sutherland, Va., nine bass, 21-13, $3,482
4th: Shaquille Freeman, Farmville, Va., nine bass, 21-1, $1,491
5th: Cornell Badra, Clarksburg, Md., 11 bass, 20-11, $994
6th: Scott Standafer , Felicity, Ohio, 10 bass, 20-5, $1,395

Rounding out the top 12 Strike King co-anglers are:

7th: Thomas Pennell III, Boiling Springs, S.C., nine bass, 19-8, $795
8th: Mekye Barnes, Knightdale, N.C., eight bass, 17-6, $696
9th:  Jeff Bender, Glenshaw, Pa., eight bass, 16-15, $596
10th: Kevin Walton, Norfolk, Va., seven bass, 16-8, $547
11th: Tony Toombs, Drakes Branch, Va., six bass, 16-6, $497
12th: Todd Huntley, Inman, S.C., six bass, 14-4, $497

The top four Strike King co-anglers from each division that earned a $500 bonus for placing highest in the event were:

Buckeye: Scott Standafer, Felecity, Ohio, 6th Place, $500
Northeast: Michael Bell, Ogdensburg, N.Y., 17th Place, $500
Shenandoah: Richard Williams, Sutherland, Va., 3rd Place, $500
South Carolina: Riley Smallwood, Shallotte, N.C., 2nd Place $500

Richard Williams of Sutherland, Virginia, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $500, catching a bass that weighed in at 5 pounds, 9 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the tournament.

The 2024 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying event winners, will advance to one of six BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2025 BFL All-American will take place May 29-31, 2025, at Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, AR, and is hosted by hosted by Visit Hot Springs and the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism.

Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7 Brew Coffee, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, General Tire, GSM Outdoors, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, PowerStop Brakes, REDCON1, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters and YETI.

For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

Granville Vance Public Health Logo

GVPH Gets $50K For ‘Tooth Club’ Preventive Oral Health Services

/by

– information courtesy of Granville Vance Public Health

Granville Vance Public Health has been awarded $50,000 by the Triangle North Healthcare Foundation for the CFFD-Tooth Club, a program to address and correct oral health issues among students enrolled in Vance County Schools, Henderson Collegiate, and Vance County Head Start. The GVPH Carolina Fellows Family Dentistry clinic will run the Tooth Club with a goal of ensuring that all uninsured students attending partner schools receive needed preventive and restorative oral care.

Dr. Navid Nesab, a CFFD dentist, said the grant will make possible an array of convenient services for students and their families.

“Our CFFD Tooth Club clinics allow students to receive preventive oral health services within a familiar school environment, reduce the amount of time students are absent from school for oral health appointments, and keep parents from having to miss work to take their child to the dentist for needed oral health services,” Nesab stated. “Triangle North Health Care Foundation’s grant also allows us the ability to perform restorative care for uninsured patients at  no cost to the families.”

The Tooth Club will offer preventive oral care – such as cleanings, x-rays, fluoride, sealants and oral health education – to uninsured students enrolled in the CFFD-Tooth Club.

CFFD provides services, including restorative oral health care, at no cost to the student or family regardless of insurance status, household income or immigration status.

While the nation’s oral health has improved, not everyone in Vance and Granville counties has access to dental care. Regular preventive dental care is essential for good oral health, and early childhood tooth decay is the most common chronic childhood disease in the U.S.

Left untreated, tooth decay can lead to infection and pain that can inhibit a child’s ability to eat, sleep, speak, play and learn, as well as cause chronic health challenges such as diabetes, heart disease and malnourishment.

Any child attending Head Start, Henderson Collegiate or Vance County Public Schools is eligible to enroll for the Tooth Club clinics, which will be held at each school location periodically.

To enroll, parents can contact the school nurse of their child’s school to obtain a consent form, or contact the dental clinic at 919.693.8797 or dental@gvph.org.

For more information, visit https://www.gvph.org/clinic/dental/.

The Triangle North Healthcare Foundation is a non-profit organization that awards grants to support and invest in health and wellness initiatives in Vance, Warren, Franklin and Granville counties that result in immediate and long-term improvement in the health status of the region.

The Local Skinny! Jayden Watkins And ‘Higher is Waiting’

/by

Jayden Watkins the student is on fall break this week, which gives Jayden Watkins the part-time radio guy some extra daytime hours at WIZS. And maybe, just maybe, it gives Jayden Watkins the founder of the nonprofit “Higher Is Waiting” a little time to devote to his developing organization.

At age 16, the junior at Henderson Collegiate said he had gotten a little pushback from folks who didn’t think he could get the nonprofit off the ground. “I did not listen to those naysayers,” he said.

With a mission “to educate, equip, and empower individuals to live according to their life’s purpose by providing necessary resources and faith-based events,” Higher Is Waiting has a youth Bible Study group and provides food, clothing and other supplies to area agencies that serve needy populations.

The “Empowered” teen Bible study has 130 members who range in age from 13-19. Their monthly meetings include mentorship opportunities and learning life skills, Watkins said. They also do service projects in the community.

“I’m thankful to God and thankful for donations,” he said on Thursday’s segment of The Local Skinny!

Like many an entrepreneur and nonprofit founder, Watkins said his biggest challenge right now is financing to provide food, winter clothing and more. The youth have created more than 300 “Blessing Bags” filled with toiletry essentials, nonperishable foods and more that have been distributed to shelters and other places that serve needy populations.

He’s done interviews with a couple of local TV stations, which come to town when there’s something going on that casts Henderson in a negative light.

“Let’s highlight something positive,” Watkins said. “There are some positive, world-changing young people in Henderson, North Carolina.”

An upcoming event that Watkins is organizing is called “Young Voices for Change,” which is scheduled to take place on Saturday, Oct. 26 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Perry Memorial Library. It’s a chance for young people to speak for up to five minutes on an issue they’re concerned about – from gun violence and self-esteem to substance use among youth in the community. Local officials will be on hand to listen and learn, Watkins said, and “to hear the concerns of our youth…in a good, welcoming, positive environment.”

Call Watkins at 252.425.0354 to learn ways to help Higher Is Waiting.

Click Play!

TownTalk: N.C. Court Of Appeals Seat 12 Contest

/by

The following is part of WIZS’s continuing coverage of the upcoming general election on Nov. 5. In-person early voting begins Thursday, Oct. 17 and runs through Saturday, Nov. 2.

Carolyn Thompson

The N.C. Court of Appeals is the second-highest court in the state, and as the name implies, the 15 judges that make up the court sit on three-member panels to review lower court rulings.

Judge Carolyn J. Thompson was appointed to Seat 12 in September 2023 by Gov. Roy Cooper, and she’s on the ballot in the upcoming election to retain that seat.

The State Supreme Court is the highest court in the state, but the majority of cases are determined by the court of appeals and go no further, Thompson explained.

Opinions coming from the appeals court impact the entire state, she said. “It’s a last resort for a lot of cases,” she added. “We are an error-correcting court,” she said.

The judicial races are statewide races and the judges serve 8-year terms.

She said she’s the best candidate for the job because she has extensive legal and judicial experience, and she’s “already there, doing the hard work for all of North Carolina… I uphold the law and the Constitution equally – it doesn’t matter your ZIP code or your background.”

She suffered a narrow defeat in 2022 in her bid for a seat on the court of appeals, and before her most recent reappointment to the appellate court, spent about nine months as deputy commissioner of the N.C. Industrial Commission, which she described as a quasi-judicial role that hears workers’ compensation issues and cases of tort claims from incarcerated people.

Over the past year, Thompson said she’s written 96 opinions for cases she and her fellow judges on the panel have heard.

The panels get about 30 cases per month, and Thompson said she’s required to author at least eight. Her 27 years of experience on both sides of the bench, Thompson said, gives her knowledge of criminal, domestic and civil cases. “You can only do that kind of work when you’ve been experienced in it,” she said.

There’s no room for partisan politics in the decisions made by the appellate court. “We never even know party affiliations…we just see issues that need answers,” she said.

Although state law requires judicial candidates to list their party affiliation, Thompson, a Democrat, said she doesn’t allow political rhetoric to interfere with her work on the appellate court.

“We have to stay independent,” she said. “We are an independent branch of government.”

With her roots working for women and children in domestic court, Thompson said she’s a longtime advocate for survivors of domestic violence.

“I can’t serve in that capacity any more because I’m now a judge ruling in cases…once you become a judge you can’t practice law any more.”

Thompson, a licensed and ordained minister, is the author of “Abigail’s Veil: A Domestic Violence Handbook for Clergy and Church Leaders.

She gives credits to her family for helping her stay focused. She’s a wife, a mom and a grandmother, and those roles are as important to her as her role as judge.

“They keep me centered,” she said. “They keep me focused on why it’s important to fight for justice.”

Visit https://judgecarolynthompson.com/ to learn more about the candidate and visit https://www.nccourts.gov/ to read some of her opinions and find a livestream link to the hearings.

Tom Murry

Tom Murry describes himself as a conservative who believes that the original words of the Constitution mean what they say.

Murry is a candidate for Seat 12 of the N.C. Court of Appeals, a seat currently held by Judge Carolyn Thompson. Thompson was appointed in September 2023 to that seat, and state law requires that she be elected to keep it.

As her challenger, Murry said his experience as an attorney and an assistant district attorney – as well as time spent on the Morrisville Town Council and in the N.C. House – would help him in his role as appellate court judge.

“I understand the three branches of government,” Murry said. “I think I can stay in my lane as a judge.”

When he was a law student at Campbell University, he said he got to see a three-judge panel in action. And, as a prosecutor for the 11th Prosecutorial District, he had a case that was appealed – and affirmed – by the very court that he now seeks to join.

Murry said half of the cases that come to the N.C. Court of Appeals are criminal cases, and he said his time as a prosecutor will help him if he is elected. He has experience working in the courtroom and working with local law enforcement.

State law requires that judicial candidates’ party affiliations be included on ballots, but Murry said there’s no place for partisan politics in the courtroom.

“I’m going to be listed as a Republican on the ballot,” Murry said, but as a judge, he will wear a black robe. Like the camouflage he dons on National Guard Drill Weekends, the robe is neither blue nor red, he said.

“When judges issue rulings based on their political views it undermines the public’s trust in our courts. It’s extremely concerning to me. There are other branches of government that are responsible for policy and making the law. Judges need to be restrained and focused on the issues at hand, not how they want them to be,” Murry said.

“I believe that Lady Justice has a blindfold for a reason,” he said, adding that he will administer the law “without favor, delay or denial…same facts, same law, same outcome – that’s equal protection under the law and that’s what we’re called to do.”

Visit https://www.jointom.com/ to learn more.

Click Play!

Henderson Police Charge Two Men In Sept. 28 Garnett St. Shooting Incident

/by

– Information From Henderson Police Chief Marcus Barrow

Two Vance County men face charges related to a Sept. 28 incident outside a downtown business that involved gunfire and five people being injured.

The shooting incident happened just before midnight on Saturday, Sept. 28, and Police Chief Marcus Barrow said that, as of Tuesday, Oct. 8, two people have been charged in the incident.

Rodney Na’ru Palmer Jr. , 22, was charged with three counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury, as well as discharging a firearm in the city limits and going armed to the terror of the public.

Robert Creshun Lamaar Monroe, 36, faces the same charges as Palmer, along with the following additional charges: possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and injury to real property.

Both men were remanded to Vance County Detention Center without bond pending their first court appearance.

TownTalk: District 1 Candidates For County Commissioner

/by

The following is part of WIZS’s continuing coverage of the upcoming general election on Nov. 5. In-person early voting begins Thursday, Oct. 17 and the lone contested county race is for the District 1 seat on the Vance County Board of Commissioners.

Democratic incumbent Carolyn Faines is seeking re-election and faces opposition from Republican challenger William Heitman. 

Carolyn Faines

Carolyn Faines probably has some stories she could tell from her 20+ years in public education. For the past five years, Faines has taught business at Bunn High School in Franklin County, but education is something that takes up a lot of space in her head and her heart.

But she’s got room as well for Vance County and the people who live here, many of whom – like her – have been here their whole lives.

She has master’s degrees and is currently pursuing credentials to become an administrator, but she’s also been a bus driver, teacher assistant, a data manager, a bookkeeper within public schools.

“Education has always been a big part of my life,” she said. “I believe in education. love teaching – it’s one of my passions.”

Faines is the District 1 incumbent on the Vance County Board of Commissioners, first elected in 2016. She also is the founder of I Believe God Outreach Church in the Williamsboro community.

On the issues:

Property tax revaluation – “I think eight years is entirely too long,” she said. Faines said she initially backed the revenue-neutral budget, but ultimately determined that the county had so many projects that needed to be funded, so she voted for the 10-cent tax increase during the budget process.

“I felt like there were things that needed to get done,” she added.

Jail – “The jail is in a bad shape,” Faines said. It is run down, she continued, and said that something needs to be done to improve conditions.

“Regardless of the reason they’re there, they’re still people,” Faines said.

Fire study – “We are still in a lot of discussion,” Faines said, noting an upcoming joint meeting later this month with the public safety committee and the fire safety committee.

“We make sure that our people are safe, as we look at redistricting, (as we) look at our volunteer fire departments (and) Golden Belt.”

She said she’d love to see all fire departments have 24/7 coverage. “To me, that would be wonderful,” she said. “Taking care of our citizens is first.”

Faines said she loves her role as a county commissioner and she said she keeps people top of mind with every vote and every decision she makes.

“The policies that I vote on are what I believe will help the people of Vance County,” she said.

“My heart is in it – that the people get what’s best. I love it because this is where I was born and raised…and I’m glad to be a part of the Vance County team.”

William Heitman

William Heitman has lived in Vance County for just over a decade, having moved from Durham and putting down roots on four acres of land in the northern part of the county.

“There are good people here…I have good neighbors,” Heitman said during an interview with WIZS News, recorded for broadcast on Wednesday’s TownTalk.

“After I retired, I decided I wanted to try to give something back,” he said. So he threw his hat into the ring to represent District 1 on the county board of commissioners.

He’s a newcomer to politics, and describes himself as a conservative. He feels the management skills he honed during his years as a pilot, flying 747 jets all over the globe, will be useful if he’s elected. He retired with the rank of captain.

“As a captain on a 747, you have a crew – sometimes a double crew -,” Heitman said. “You have to manage people” and keep them focused on the task at hand.

He said he knows how to take, and accept, responsibility to have good outcomes.

On the issues:

Property tax revaluation – Heitman said he’s in favor of changing the revaluation from every 8 years to every 4 years. “I’m sure it worked well for many years,” he said. He is not in favor of bringing evaluators from more urban areas like Raleigh and Cary to a rural area with no local oversight.

“There weren’t local people taking care of local people,” he said, adding that he would not have voted for the property tax rate that commissioners approved.

“I would have voted against it, absolutely,” he said.

Fire study – Heitman said he’ll need to do a little more research into the status of the fire study. “I have caught wind of this fire issue that the commissioners wanted to take a county funded fire department and put it back to a volunteer fire department…there are, I’m sure, other parameters to take into consideration.”

Since he’s retired, Heitman said he’ll have the time needed to get out into the community, talk to people and get the facts.

Jail – The current situation with the jail is another matter for further research, and Heitman said he’s interested in taking a look at the current facility, and talk to law enforcement officials like the sheriff and police chief to find out what the needs are.

If he’s elected, Heitman said he’s going to be looking into where taxpayers’ money is being spent. “This is where I have to get in there and start digging,” he said.

He also is keen to work on the county-wide problem of littering, citing roadside trash from fast-food restaurants that folks toss from their cars.

He said he wants residents to take more pride in their county. Tourists and lake visitors would take away a better impression of their time in the county. But first, he said, it’s important to “change people’s attitudes towards where they live.”

“I have ideas and ideals,” Heitman said, “that I want to make Vance County better, a destination for people to come and visit, and leave feeling good about it.”

CLICK PLAY!