Candidates Forum for May 8, 2018 Primary (Audio)

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Candidates Forum for May 8, 2018 Primary

On Sunday, April 22, 2018 in downtown Henderson, The Daily Dispatch, The Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce and WIZS partnered to present a local candidates forum in advance of the May 8th Democrat Primary in Vance County.

The question and answer portion of the forum was confined to candidates with opposition in the primary.  Not all candidates in the primary chose to appear, but a microphone, name card and seat were available for all candidates.  Other local candidates, even those without opposition, were allowed equal time in the opening statement portion of the forum.  Closing statements however were confined to candidates with opposition.

The full audio of the forum is presented here.

 

News 04/23/18

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Vance County, NC

Vance County Senior Center Provides Important Services for Ages 55+

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By: Kelly Bondurant, Freelance Writer/Editor for Hire

The Vance County Senior Center located at 126 S. Garnett Street in downtown Henderson hosts a variety of activities and programs for a growing senior population.

According to Juan Jefferson, director of operations for the Senior Center, “The aging population in Vance County is exploding.” Jefferson said this increase in the aging population is also true at the state and national level.

With the combination of the popularity of the Senior Center and the increase in the aging population, Jefferson says the Center is often at capacity. “We usually have 100 people in and out of our facility every day,” agreed Amber Gupton, Medicare Coordinator for the Senior Center.

Vance County residents age 55 and older are welcome to visit the Senior Center Monday – Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

A state-of-the-art fitness center with exercise equipment including stationary bikes and weight machines is available along with activities such as low impact aerobics, line dancing, billiards, card games and cornhole.

According to Jefferson, the card games and billiards are popular activities and the line dancers are well known throughout the area.

“We have very energetic line dancers,” said Jefferson. “We get invitations from all around to come dance. Our line dancers are really popular. Just about every month they have some kind of engagement.”

The Senior Center also offers day trips several times a month and overnight trips occasionally.

According to Gupton, the group just returned from an overnight trip to Lancaster, P.A. “We have a good time on our trips,” said Gupton. “For our overnight trips we’ve been to New York City, Atlantic City and Gatlinburg, T.N. to name a few. Cost varies by trip.”

Daytime trips have included the N.C. State Fair, the Fruitcake Factory and a chocolate factory in Raleigh. Cost for daytime trips ranges from $5 to $20.

The Senior Center also offers general and medical transportation via KARTS. To qualify for transportation, the rider must be 60 or older and live in the Vance County area.

“Transportation is one of the biggest issues for our senior citizens,” Jefferson said. “The second biggest issue is safety and security.”

Other programs offered include Meals on Wheels, on-site nutritional programs, educational programs, on-site health screenings, blood pressure checks and support groups.

April is National Volunteer Month and the Senior Center recently held a luncheon to honor their 70 volunteers.

While the Senior Center already has a large number of volunteers, those who are interested in assisting are always welcome. “To help, you can complete a volunteer application and then we welcome you to what I call the family,” said Gupton.

In summing up the overall goal of the agency, Jefferson said, “The Vance County Senior Center strives to enhance the intellectual, emotional, social and economic well-being of seniors across the county.”

For more information on the Vance County Senior Center, please call (252) 430-0257 or visit the website at https://www.vancecounty.org/departments/senior-citizen-center/.

NVHS Seniors Honored for Job Internships

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NVHS Seniors Honored for Job Internships

— information from VCS Press Release written by Terri Hedrick, Public Information Officer

Five seniors in the Occupational Course of Study program at Northern Vance High School were honored the morning of April 13th for successfully completing the hours required by the state for their job internships.

Each of the seniors works at a local business.

Julia Foster, their job coach, led the recognitions.

The students were presented with gold trophies and praised by Foster and other Northern Vance educators.

The students honored are shown in the accompanying photo with Foster, standing at far left. The students include, from left, Jaquez Sneed, Branden Strickland, Brittany Powell, Tre’darrius Tunstall and James Eastman. Two additional seniors who have also completed their internships are Joshua Jones and Bernabe Rodriguez, Jr. They were not available for the photo.

 

City of Henderson Logo

Henderson City Council Committee Meetings 4-24-18

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— submitted by Esther McCrackin, City Clerk

Henderson City Council Committee Meetings

The Henderson City Council’s Human Resources Committee will meet on Tuesday, April 24, 2018, to discuss issues relating to health insurance and other benefits. This meeting will take place at 3:00 p.m. in the Large Conference Room at City Hall, 134 Rose Avenue.

The Henderson City Council’s Intergovernmental Committee will meet on Tuesday, April 24, 2018, to discuss changes relating to the Rec Players. This meeting will take place at 4:00 p.m. in the Large Conference Room at City Hall, 134 Rose Avenue. The public is welcome.

Diverse Healthcare Leader To Speak To Students, Public On April 24

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— courtesy VGCC

The Medical Office Administration program at Vance-Granville Community College will host a presentation on medical office careers by a veteran healthcare instructor and manager on Tuesday, April 24, at 6 p.m. on the Main Campus.

Marianne Durling, currently an associate compliance officer with the Duke University Health System, will be in the Conference Room in Building 8 to speak with students in VGCC’s Health Services programs. The public is also invited to attend.

Durling has been active in some aspect of healthcare for more than 37 years, including clinical patient care, insurance and auditing, resulting in a diverse background, according to Christal Thomas, program head and instructor for Medical Office Administration at the college.

She has developed and taught a successful medical coding degree program, as well as a healthcare management degree program, for local colleges, for more than 11 years, garnering praise from employers and students. She won Instructor of the Year in 2012 at one of those colleges and was nominated for a state instructor of the year honor. She works with the American Academy of Professional Coders curriculum and credential development and serves as a member of the Healthcon Education Committee.

Durling has a Master’s degree in Healthcare Administration, a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Health Information Administration, a Bachelor’s degree in Health Sciences, and an Associate’s Degree in Health Professions. She has credentials in RHIA, CDIP, CCS, CPC, CPCO, CIC and CPC-I.

She is described as a coding, auditing and revenue cycle subject matter expert for lawyers as well as a seasoned textbook editor for multiple publishers.  She has been published in national professional publications.  She has served on the AAPC National Advisory Board and has served multiple terms as president and president-elect of the Oxford Tri-County North Carolina chapter of the AAPC. She has also served two terms as coordinator of the Triangle Region chapter of the North Carolina Health Information Management Association. In 2017, she was awarded the NCHIMA Special Recognition Award for her work with NCHIMA.

For more information, those planning to attend can contact Christal Thomas at (252) 738-3325 or thomasc@vgcc.edu.

— VGCC —

News 04/20/18

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Henderson/Vance County Business Broadband Survey Link

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https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HendersonVanceCountyBusinessSurvey

On Thursday, April 12, 2018, the Downtown Development Commission in Henderson conducted a board meeting at 4 p.m.  It was noted at that meeting that the link above to a BUSINESS Broadband Survey should be distributed.  The survey literally takes two minutes to complete.  As DDC Executive Director Kaine Riggan noted in his email to WIZS News, taking the survey will help us get broadband internet to the area.

The residential version of the survey in Vance County was completed 6 to 8 months ago.

If you live in a neighboring county, here are some additional links:

Click here for Franklin County

Click here for Granville County

Click here for Warren County

I Voted Sticker

Vance County Early Voting Schedule for the May 2018 Primary

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Vance County will offer early voting opportunities for the May 8, 2018, democratic primary beginning April 19 and ending May 5.

Early voting will be available at the Aycock Recreation Complex, the Henderson Operations Center and at the Vance County Board of Elections office in Henderson.

Registered voters may request an absentee ballot by mail from now until Tuesday, May 1. Please call the Board of Elections office at (252) 492-3730 for more information.

This is a Democrat primary. You must be registered as a Democrat or as unaffiliated in order to vote in this primary election. There will not be a Republican primary. The deadline has passed for registered voters to change their party for this election.

 

Schedule for Early Voting (please note all three sites have the same days and times):

Aycock Recreation Complex – 307 Carey Chapel Road, Henderson

Henderson Operations Center – 900 S. Beckford Drive, Henderson

Vance County Board of Elections – 300 S. Garnett Street, Henderson

Thursday, April 19, 2018                   8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Friday, April 20, 2018                         8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Saturday, April 21, 2018                   CLOSED

Sunday, April 22, 2018                      CLOSED

Monday, April 23, 2018                     8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Tuesday, April 24, 2018                     8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Wednesday, April 25, 2018               8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Thursday, April 26, 2018                   8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Friday, April 27, 2018                         8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Saturday, April 28, 2018                   CLOSED

Sunday, April 29, 2018                      CLOSED

Monday, April 30, 2018                     8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Tuesday, May 1, 2018                        8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Wednesday, May 2, 2018                  8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Thursday, May 3, 2018                      8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Friday, May 4, 2018                            8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Saturday, May 5, 2018                       8:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Parenting Education Opportunities in Vance County

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By: Kelly Bondurant, Freelance Writer/Editor for Hire

Tonya Smith, program coordinator with Franklin-Vance-Warren Opportunity, Inc. (F-V-W), and Jean Bell, parenting education coordinator with the Cooperative Extension Center, were recently on air to discuss parenting education opportunities in Vance County.

April’s designation as National Child Abuse Prevention Month makes this a great time to spread the word on educational opportunities for parents.

“Sometimes parenting is a hard job,” said Bell. “Our services help to teach parents to discipline their children in nonviolent ways.”

The Vance County Cooperative Extension Center, located at 305 Young Street in Henderson, currently offers two parenting programs – the Triple P – Positive Parenting Program and the Incredible Years series.

According to Bell, the Triple P program teaches parents effective, nonviolent ways to help their child learn appropriate behavior.

“Kids are going to follow what they see,” Bell said. “If a child grows up in a house with a lot of violence, they are more likely to try to solve problems with violence.”

The Incredible Years, a 15-week series, focuses on parenting issues such as why it’s important to play with children, why and how to praise your children, appropriate rewards, healthy eating tips, timeout and much more.

The Cooperative Extension Center also publishes a monthly newsletter titled Growing Together. This newsletter is geared towards parents with preschool-age children, but according to Bell, is useful for any parent with young children.

“With these programs, we are trying to make sure that parents have the tools that they need to help kids grow up to be happy and productive adults,” Bell said.

F-V-W offers Circle of Parents, a support group for local parents, every Monday night at 5:30 p.m. at 180 South Beckford Drive in Henderson.

This 40-week program is offered free of charge. Free childcare during the meeting, free dinner, fun activities for the children and field trips are also offered.

Meetings typically last two hours and participating adults hear from speakers on various topics relating to parenting, ask questions and discuss their thoughts and concerns.

According to Smith, all participants who attend at least three meetings receive a $25 gas gift card.

The Circle of Parents support group often relies on word-of-mouth to attract interested participants, but they also distribute flyers and receive referrals from community agencies.

“It is a great support group; just one big family,” said Smith.

For additional information on these programs, please contact Tonya Smith at F-V-W by phone at (252) 492-8810 or by email at tonyasmith@fvwopp.com. Jean Bell with Cooperative Extension may be reached by calling (252) 438-8188.