Mother’s Day Weekend Concert at McGregor Hall

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-Information courtesy of the McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center

Mother’s Day weekend concert with Terrance & Tiffany Brown at the McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center.

Friday, May 11, 2018, at 8 p.m.

Tickets on sale for $20 (before tax)

Dr. Terrance Brown, baritone, and Dr. Tiffany Bostic-Brown, soprano, are versatile, world-class vocalists who will present a program of Art Songs, German Lieder, Gospel and Broadway.

A native of Alabama, Dr. Brown holds a Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts, and currently serves as the Chair for the Department of Music and Director of Opera at the University of North Alabama (UNA).

Dr. Bostic-Brown, originally of Virginia, currently serves on the faculty at UNA and holds a Master of Music and a Doctor of Musical Arts. She also serves as Vice President for the Walk with Me Foundation, which works to preserve culture through the visual and performing arts.

Tickets may be purchased in-person at the box office of the McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center, 201 Breckenridge Street in downtown Henderson or by calling (252) 598-0662. The box office is open Monday – Friday from 1:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Tickets may also be purchased online by visiting www.McGregorHall.org  (use the eTix official site, online fees apply).

Doors open one hour prior to showtime. Group and student discounts are available.

(This is not a paid advertisement)

Town Talk 04/26/18

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News 04/26/18

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Take Back North Carolina Initiative Press Conf

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Wednesday afternoon at 3:30, the United States Attorney’s Office conducted a press conference at the Henderson Police Department. The audio of the press conference is available here. Discussed was the beginning of a new initiative to combat violent and drug crime in the Eastern District of North Carolina. This initiative will bring the full weight and resources of the federal court system in the fight against crime in the counties of Vance, Granville, Warren, Franklin and all the counties of the Eastern District of NC in partnership with the District Attorneys’ offices and federal, state and local law enforcement. The initiative will also focus on the alarming level of opioid use and the deaths associated with it. The speaker was United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr. and in attendance were the Vance, Granville, Warren and Franklin County sheriffs as well as the Police Chief of Henderson, Oxford and Louisburg. Also present were the District Attorney for the 9th Prosecutorial District and the ADA. According to what was said at the press conference, the goal is to reverse the trends where violent crimes and drug-related deaths have shot up in the last couple of years both in North Carolina, specifically the Eastern District, and across the nation. Higdon said opioid use is higher in eastern NC than the rest of the state. He essentially said the federal government in recent years had stopped using all its tools to prosecute the worst offenders and charge them with the worst crime. He said the work was already underway and through cooperation among law enforcement agencies and local and federal prosecutors, the goal was to significantly reduce crime by getting the worst offenders in federal court as fast as possible. He said when death was involved in a drug case, a federal court can us a 20 year mandatory sentence. He said when a gun is in the possession of the offender five years can be added to the sentence, and that goes to seven years if the gun is brandished and 10 years if the gun is discharged. He said there would be a 14-day plea deadline, and it was best if the offender plead guilty to reduce his/her sentence and because the penalties would be consistent for offenders and the punishment would fit the crime. Crimes against a law enforcement officer would be given a priority. He said there would be seizure of assets – cash, car, house, business. He said the federal courts would be going after medical professionals who administer drugs inappropriately. He said he hoped to deter crime rather than have to prosecute.

Veterans Dog Walk at Vance Co. Animal Shelter

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The Vance County Animal Shelter, located at 1243 Brodie Rd in Henderson, will host a Veterans Dog Walk on Saturday, May 12, 2018, from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

The public is welcome, with veterans and first responders strongly encouraged to attend. Participants will be walking and interacting with selected shelter dogs in an effort to provide companionship and trust-building activities.

The event, titled Paws, Tails and Boots, was founded by veteran and Vance County Animal Shelter volunteer Mark Ferri. Ferri began the program in 2016 as a way to raise awareness of the mental health issues faced by veterans.

According to Ferri, the event has grown with the support of both the Vance County Animal Shelter and Chief Frankie Nobles. “Frankie and his staff are like family to me,” Ferri said. “I couldn’t do it without them.”

Ferri believes that the veterans and dogs interact so well because “both of us have had traumatic experiences, both of us need help and both of us need each other.”

By working together, Ferri believes that the interaction is beneficial and healing to both human and dog. “When you take a dog for a walk, the veteran engages with the public, gets out of their shell and builds trust,” said Ferri. “The animal also enjoys the walk and builds trust in humans as well.”

While there, Ferri and other participants will be encouraging others who are eligible to commit to adopting a shelter animal, be it dog or cat.

According to Ferri, the only thing you need to do to participate in the event is to “bring some good walking shoes and a good attitude.”

For more information on the Vance County Animal Shelter and their services, please visit their website at https://www.vancecounty.org/departments/animal%20control/.

Northern Vance High School Honors Graduation Marshals

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Vance County Schools

For Immediate Release

Juniors who attend Northern Vance High School were honored on Friday, April 13, 2018, at a reception for their selection as graduation marshals for the Class of 2018.

The students were selected based on their outstanding academic achievements.

Northern Vance’s graduation ceremony will take place on Saturday, June 9, 2018, beginning at 12 p.m. in the McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center in downtown Henderson.

 

Those who will serve as graduation marshals include: front row – from left, Billy Zheng (lead marshal), Tomesha Jefferson, Matthew Munn, Ryan Stainback, Destinee Bullock and Briana Sulyans. Back row – from left, Anterrahn Harris, Brittany Kersey, Jaida Lewis, Alex Machado, Breana Williams and Tierra Bullock.

Southern Vance High School Honors Graduation Marshals

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Vance County Schools

For Immediate Release

Students who are juniors at Southern Vance High School and have qualified as graduation marshals for the Class of 2018 due to their outstanding academic performance were honored at a reception recently at the school.

Southern Vance’s graduation ceremony will be held on Saturday, June 9, 2018, beginning at 8 a.m. in the McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center in downtown Henderson.

Those who will serve as graduation marshals include: first row – from left, Madonna Baselios, Mya McKnight, Shel’Nyia Hargrove, Miracle Chin, Tar’Naja Thorpe and April Pendergrass. Second row, from left, Eleodoro Nunez Aldana, Gabriela Ventura, Wendy Portillo and Robert Susewell. Unavailable for the photo were Shannon Riggan, Deana Hawkins and Aaliyah Simril.

City of Henderson Logo

Boards & Commissions Committee to Meet Friday, April 27

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-Submitted by Esther J. McCrackin, City Clerk, City of Henderson

As of 4/27/18, this meeting has been CANCELLED and will be rescheduled for a later date.

The Boards and Commissions Committee of the Henderson City Council will meet on Friday, April 27, 2018, at 2 p.m. in the large conference room at City Hall, 134 Rose Avenue.  The purpose of the meeting is to consider applications for various citizen committees.  The public is welcome to attend.

News 04/25/18

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Henderson-Vance Spring Litter Sweep Week: April 23 – 28, 2018

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The Henderson-Vance Spring Litter Sweep Week is being held in conjunction with the state-wide litter sweep week Monday, April 23 through Saturday, April 28.

Terri Hedrick, chair of the Vance County Appearance Committee, was recently on air to encourage all citizens of Vance County to spend time outdoors this week improving the community by cleaning up trash and debris.

“We ask all who are able to participate to please clean up around homes, churches, neighborhoods and local schools,” said Hedrick.

Approximately 35 Adopt-a-Highway programs will be participating throughout the week and mowing is scheduled for many roadways.

Gloves and orange trash bags are available for interested participants throughout the week at the City Operations Center at 900 S. Beckford Drive and at the Vance County School’s Administrative Office at 1724 Graham Avenue in Henderson.

Participants are asked to fill their orange trash bags, tightly secure them and place them by the curb, if in the city, or by the side of the road, if in the county. Maintenance crews should collect the trash bags by next week.

The litter sweep will culminate in the annual Recycling Day at the City Operations Center on Saturday, April 28 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Volunteers and vendors will be accepting, for free, a variety of recyclables including electronics, cardboard, metal, aluminum cans, plastic, glass, newspapers/magazines and other household recyclables.

Old medications, including prescription, over-the-counter and medical syringes, may also be recycled.

Shredding trucks will also be on site to securely dispose of participants’ personal documents.

Old paints will not be accepted for recycling at this year’s event; however, Hedrick reminds the community that paints that have been dried either by chemical means or by cat litter may be taken to any of the manned trash sites throughout the county.

Starting at 12 p.m., there will be a free hot dog luncheon inside the City Operations Center. Jason Brown and his Wisdom for Life Foundation and Fruit of the Spirit community group will once again be hosting this time for food and fellowship.

Brown, a former NFL player, is the owner of First Fruits Farm in Louisburg and is, according to Hedrick, a big supporter of the community, giving freely of his produce to help feed others.

Cash prizes will also be given away at the luncheon to litter sweep participants who can document they participated in the cleanup process. Participants must be present to win prizes.

Prizes include $150 for most bags of trashed filled by a group, $100 for most people in a group and $50 for the most unique item found.

To be eligible for cash prizes, participants must document how many bags of trash they filled, how many people were in their group and take a picture of their efforts, especially of their most unique item found.

Packets of information regarding litter sweep week and the forms and documentation procedures needed to be eligible for the free lunch and cash prizes are available at the Vance County School’s Administrative Office.

While Hedrick is encouraged by the efforts of the community during this week each year, she says the Appearance Committee would ultimately “like to see people cleaning up all year and stop being litterbugs.”