Cooperative Extension with Wayne Rowland: Raising Chickens

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Wayne Rowland, on the Vance County Cooperative Extension Report:

You can raise chickens successfully if you take the time to care for your chickens.

Listen live at 100.1 FM / 1450 AM / or on the live stream at WIZS.com at 11:50 a.m. Mon, Tues & Thurs.

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Food Bank Teaming Up With Schools, Henderson Family YMCA For Summer Food Distribution During July

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The Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina is partnering with Vance County Schools and the Henderson Family YMCA to provide food to children during the summer.

Two food distribution sites will be set up throughout the month of July – Wednesdays at Vance County Middle School and Fridays at the Henderson Family YMCA – to provide a week’s worth of shelf-stable breakfast and lunch items for any child 18 years and under who resides in Vance County.

The Wednesday dates are July 2, July 9, July 16, July 23 and July 30 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Vance County Middle School, located at 293 Warrenton Rd.

The Friday dates are July 11, July 18 and July 25 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Y, located at 380 Ruin Creek Rd.

Participants may visit one site per week; the program is open to any child in Vance County.

Along with the food items, children and families will be able to pick up other items and get connected with other community resources.

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Cooperative Extension with Jamon Glover: Supporting Father Involvement Ep.2

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Jamon Glover, on the Vance County Cooperative Extension Report:

We talk further on the Supporting Father Involvement Program.

Listen live at 100.1 FM / 1450 AM / or on the live stream at WIZS.com at 11:50 a.m. Mon, Tues & Thurs.

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N.C. Attorney General Investigation Into PowerSchool Breach Continues

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— information courtesy of the office of N.C. Attorney General Jeff Jackson

A security breach of the company many public school districts have used as their data management system has affected about 4 million teachers, students and parents in North Carolina. N.C. Attorney General Jeff Jackson said he is demanding that the company, PowerSchool, disclose more information about exactly how the breach happened and how it affected as the investigation continues.

Students and staff affected by the data breach have until July 31, 2025, to enroll in free identity protection and credit monitoring (offered for adult students and educators) here. You can also find out more about setting up a free security freeze here.

Vance County Schools was part of the security breach. Visit  https://www.vcs.k12.nc.us/about/powerschool-data-breach for the most current information about the breach.

“Last year’s data breach compromised the personal information of teachers, public school employees and families across North Carolina,” Jackson stated in a press release.  “I’m demanding more information from PowerSchool about how this breach happened and who it affected, and what we learn will drive our next steps.”

Jackson issued a Civil Investigative Demand (CID) to PowerSchool that legally requires it to provide to him the following information:

·          The exact number of North Carolinians impacted by the 2024 data breach.

·          Details about PowerSchool’s cybersecurity measures that were in place to protect users’ personal information leading up to the breach.

·          Which security flaws may have contributed to the breach.

·          Information about PowerSchool’s response and actions in the immediate aftermath of the breach.

·          Steps PowerSchool has taken to address the cybersecurity failures that contributed to the data breach and strengthen data protection methods.

·          PowerSchool’s work to communicate with and assist consumers affected by the breach.

PowerSchool sells software products used by schools across the country, including public schools across North Carolina. In December 2024, a hacker gained access to that software, potentially exposing Social Security numbers, addresses, names of minors, and medical and disciplinary information. The breach impacted more than 62 million people across the country. PowerSchool later paid a ransom to the hacker to delete the information that was stolen, but a hacker then tried to extort North Carolina public school districts again.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Justice charged 19-year-old Massachusetts college student Matthew Lane with hacking PowerSchool’s system and facilitating the 2024 data breach. Lane entered a plea deal with the federal government in May. Lane pleaded guilty to cyber extortion conspiracy, cyber extortion, unauthorized access to protected computers, and aggravated identity theft.

Telessie McGhee Honored By Prince Hall Grand Lodge Masonic Group Aug. 9

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Telessie McGhee is being honored by the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Free & Accepted Masons of North Carolina & Jurisdiction, Inc.

A celebration of service and testimonial is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 9 at the Durham Hilton, 3800 Hillsborough Rd., Durham.

Tickets for the event are $60.

Contact the hotel at 919.383.8033 to make a lodging reservation. Mention “PGWP McGhee Testimonial” to receive a special room rate.

The following web address (https://mwphglnc.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Telessie-McGhee-Testimonial-2025.pdf) has a QR code for tickets to the testimonial dinner.

TownTalk: Henderson Kiwanis Club

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The Henderson Kiwanis Club celebrated its 100th anniversary a couple of years ago – that’s quite an accomplishment for any group, and this local civic club is staying active as it begins its second century of service to the community.

Kiwanis Club President Danny Wilkerson said the local group has had several different long-standing fundraisers over the years – peanut sales and azalea sales, for example – but the club’s biggest fundraiser is the annual golf tournament.

This year’s tournament at Kerr Lake Country Club brought in a little more than $10,000, Wilkerson said on Tuesday’s TownTalk.

“It’s the most money we’ve ever made from a tournament,” he said. “We were just so excited about it that day,” he added. The 17 teams on the course that day, as well as a variety of sponsors and enough volunteers to have everything run smoothly, added up to a record-breaking year.

But the club doesn’t hang on to the money for long. “We take it in and push it right back into the community,” Wilkerson said, “to help the needs of the kids.”

The Kiwanis motto is Serving the Children of the World, and that’s a motto that Kiwanians take to heart. “It’s all about the kids,” Wilkerson said.

The local club established two scholarships at Vance-Granville Community College in memory of Robert Turner and Bob Harrison, and Vance County Schools Superintendent Dr. Cindy Bennett was a guest speaker at a recent club meeting.

The club provides gifts for needy children at Christmas and support youth organizations like the Boy Scouts of America, Boys & Girls Club, the Salvation Army, local library and more.

What the club needs, however, is more members. It’s down to fewer than a dozen, but Wilkerson said anyone is welcome to attend their meetings, held at 6 p.m. on the first and third Wednesdays of the month at Henderson Country Club.

He knows young parents have a lot of responsibilities raising their own families, which has affected membership in many organizations besides his own.

“We’ll feed you and hope you stick around to become a member of the club,” Wilkerson said. “We really want to attract some younger people to carry the torch forward.”

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