Older Adults CAN Prevent a Fall
Henderson, NC – The Kerr-Tar Area Agency on Aging, along with the National Council on Aging (NCOA) and its Falls Free® Coalition, will be celebrating the 10th Annual Falls Prevention Awareness Day on September 22, 2017 (the first day of fall) by helping support balanced lifestyles.
“Older adults want to stay active, independent, and safe in their homes, but many worry about their risk of falling,” says Jillian Hardin, Director, Kerr-Tar Area Agency on Aging. “In fact, one in three Americans over the age of 65 falls every year. However, falling is not a normal part of aging. Falls can be prevented.”
Kerr-Tar Area Agency on Aging is supporting the 2017 theme, 10 Years Standing Together to Prevent Falls, by educating older adults on simple steps that can be taken to prevent falls and fall related injuries. Two free eight week workshops on falls prevention are scheduled; one at the North Granville Senior Center in Stovall on Tuesdays from September 12 – October 31 from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. and the second class scheduled for October 18 – December 6 from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. at the Warren County Senior Center in Warrenton.
The program, called A Matter of Balance, is designed to help older adults to overcome the fear and help prevent falls. Participants learn physical activities to strengthen muscles, increase social activity, safety hazards to prevent falls, problem solving and goal setting.
To find more falls prevention resources, go to ncoa.org/FallsPrevention. The official social media hashtag for this year’s event is #FPAD2017.
The Kerr-Tar Area Agency on Aging leads and is involved in the efforts that provide for the development and enhancement of comprehensive and coordinated community based systems of services, opportunities, and protections for older adults which assist them in leading independent, meaningful and dignified lives in their own homes and communities for as long as possible. We serve five counties, Franklin, Granville, Person, Vance and Warren.
The Kerr-Tar Area Agency on Aging Celebrates National Falls Prevention Awareness Day by Supporting Balanced Lifestyles.
MEET ME IN THE STREET – Thurs, Sept 14
— courtesy Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce
The third and final concert of the season will feature Liquid Pleasure. After more than two decades of bringing audiences to their feet, this band has become a multi-cultural icon. Veteran member Melvin Farrington says, “We love being in touch with people like us, who love a variety of good music, and appreciate hearing it performed live.” Liquid Pleasure presents a mix of Oldies, Beach Music and Disco.
Liquid Pleasure
Join us for live music and dancing, and our Kid’s Zone sponsored by Maria Parham Health. Bring the whole family for an evening of food, friends and fun!
Sponsors for this year’s concert series are:
Presenting Sponsors: CenturyLink, Envirolink, and Prim Commercial & Residential Rentals
Duke Energy and Maria Parham Health – Gold Sponsors
BB&T, Mars Petcare, Wake Electric Membership Corporation and Walmart DC #6091 – Silver Sponsors
Henderson Vance Downtown Development Commission, Express Employment Professionals and Waste Industries – Bronze Sponsors
Benchmark Community Bank – Contributor Sponsor
All concerts are free to the public and will be held at the corner of North Garnett and Breckenridge Streets from 5:30 until 8:30 p.m.
For more information, contact Melanie Mann at the Chamber at 438-8414 or info@hendersonvance.org.
Louisburg man Sentenced for Several Firearm Offenses
GREENVILLE – The United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, John Stuart Bruce, announced that today in federal court, Senior United States District Judge Malcolm J. Howard sentenced DAVID EARL GILL, JR., 26, of Louisburg, North Carolina, to 216 months of imprisonment followed by 5 years of supervised release and ordered to pay $4,477.07 in restitution.
On May 12, 2017, GILL pled guilty to carjacking and using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence and possessing and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. Additionally GILL plead guilty to possession of a stolen firearm in the Northern District of Georgia.
According to the Indictment and information in the public records, on July 31, 2015, GILL and his codefendant Kyara Nicole Jones, forced entry into a residence in Louisburg, North Carolina. GILL was armed with a sawed off shotgun and forced the homeowner into a closet and barricaded the door with furniture and took the two homeowner’s vehicle. Jones previously pled guilty for her role on January 12, 2017 and will be sentenced later this year.
On August 5, 2015, GILL pawned a shotgun that was reported stolen from Rockingham County at a store in McDonough, Georgia. The next day, law enforcement officers in McIntosh arrested GILL when they located him driving the stolen vehicle from Louisburg, North Carolina.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office, the McIntosh, Georgia, Sheriff’s Office, and the Henry County, Georgia, Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jane Jackson prosecuted the case for the Eastern District of North Carolina and Assistant U.S. Attorney Bret Hobson prosecuted the case for the Northern District of Georgia.
VGCC invites community to Manufacturing Day
Vance-Granville Community College will hold a “Manufacturing Day” celebration on Thursday, Oct. 5, from 8:30 to 11:15 a.m. and 12:30 to 2:30 p.m., in the Civic Center on the college’s Main Campus in Vance County. Job seekers and students are invited to attend and to learn more about manufacturing and related careers.
Local manufacturers and equipment vendors will provide demonstrations and information highlighting their products and their employment opportunities. Attendees will learn about career options in the region’s industries and the technical skills required to succeed in such careers.
Participants are set to include Altec of Creedmoor, Boise Cascade of Roxboro, Glen Raven of Norlina, Mars Petcare of Henderson, CertainTeed of Oxford and Carolina Sunrock of Butner, among others.
Representatives of VGCC technical programs, including those that provide education and training related to advanced manufacturing, will also be on hand. These include curriculum programs in Air Conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration Technology, Automotive Systems Technology, Electronics Engineering Technology, Mechatronics Engineering Technology and Welding Technology. VGCC’s Admissions and Financial Aid departments will also have representatives there. Attendees will also be able to learn about the North Carolina Triangle Apprenticeship Program (NCTAP), a four-year program that leads to a student obtaining an associate degree at a community college and paid, on-the-job training at a participating employer.
Event organizers hope to develop a pipeline of highly trained and skilled employees. “VGCC and industry partners are working together to address the skills gap, connect with future generations, and educate them about the outstanding opportunities that manufacturing careers can provide,” said Ken Wilson, project manager for the TechHire grant at VGCC, which supports advanced manufacturing training and information technology training.
The VGCC event is one of many across the country celebrating National Manufacturing Day (also known as “MFG Day”). The annual observance was established by the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, International (FMA), the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), the Manufacturing Institute (MI), and the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP).
For more information, contact VGCC Academic & Career Coach Tiffani Polk at polkt@vgcc.edu or (252) 738-3291.
Irma Update for Henderson-Vance and surrounding
For the latest briefing on Hurricane Irma from the National Weather Service in Raleigh – CLICK HERE
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LOCAL UPDATE Noon Monday –
Brian Short, the Director of Emergency Management for Henderson and Vance County, said, “Please see the (latest) briefing from the NWS regarding TS Irma. As you can see, our impact will be very light if at all with some gusty winds and minimal rain.
“This will likely be the final update unless our situation should change for the worse.”
(A note from WIZS Radio and WIZS.com about Brian Short: Our immense thanks to Brian for providing these and other updates, for how he conducts himself, and for how he takes care of the citizens he serves.)
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LOCAL UPDATE 2:30 p.m. Sunday –
Brian Short, the Director of Emergency Management for Henderson and Vance County, said, “As you might imagine, our office has been watching Irma very closely as it moved into Florida keeping an eye on the track for any changes that could potentially change our forecast for the worse, but thankfully that has not happened.
“As you can see from the (latest) weather briefing from the National Weather Service, we are forecast to receive some gusty winds and some rain, but nothing that we anticipate will cause any problems for us.
“What is left of Irma as it moves on shore is expected to track west of us late (Monday) and overnight with some rain possibly still remaining on Tuesday.
“We will continue to keep everyone informed.”
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LOCAL UPDATE 2:12 p.m. Friday –
Brian Short, the Director of Emergency Management for Henderson and Vance County, said, “As you can see (in the noon briefing), the impact in our area is now forecast to be minor. With that said, we will continue to monitor it very closely and will make any response related decisions that may be necessary as the storm progresses.”
Henderson-Vance County Emergency Operations
#VanceCoProud – Excellence in Education
— story and photos courtesy of Vance County Public Schools
Vance County Schools presented its top education awards to individuals during the school system’s “Excellence in Education” banquet held on September 6, at McGregor Hall in downtown Henderson.
Kedecia Stewart sits in her new car.
Kedecia Stewart, a fourth and fifth-grade math teacher at Pinkston Street Elementary School, was presented the award as the school system’s 2017-2018 Teacher of the Year. Stewart was selected from an outstanding field of 16 teachers for the district award. Stewart is a native of Jamaica and has been teaching at Pinkston Street since August of 2013. She joined the Pinkston Street staff as a participant in the Visiting International Faculty (VIF) program and had taught in Jamaica since 2005.
Dave Genetti, owner of Toyota of Henderson, presented a 2018 Toyota Camry to Stewart for her use during the next year as our Teacher of the Year.
Kristen Boyd, 2017-2018 Principal of the Year, left, and Dr. Jacqueline Batchelor-Crosson, 2017-2018 Assistant Principal of the Year, hold their trophies after receiving their awards.
Kristen Boyd, principal of Aycock Elementary School, was named the Vance County Schools’ 2017-2018 Principal of the Year. She received the award after leading Aycock Elementary School to another successful year in 2016-2017. Aycock Elementary has the highest overall achievement score for all local elementary schools for N.C. end-of-grade testing with an almost 80 percent proficiency rate. Boyd is now in her fourth year as the principal of Aycock Elementary. She was the school’s assistant principal for seven years prior to becoming principal and was a teacher at Aycock from 2001-2007. She has been nominated for the Principal of the Year award several times.
The 2017-2018 Assistant Principal of the Year award was presented to Dr. Jacqueline Batchelor-Crosson, who serves as the assistant principal at both L.B. Yancey and Pinkston Street elementary schools. Batchelor-Crosson was a finalist for the award for the 2016-2017 school year. L.B. Yancey Elementary showed the highest growth in student performance for last school year among local elementary schools and Pinkston Street has the third highest proficiency rating for its students in the district based on state standards. Batchelor-Crosson has been an assistant principal and testing coordinator with the school system, mostly at Pinkston Street Elementary, since July 2014. She also has served as the assistant principal at New Hope Elementary School. Prior to becoming a school administrator, she was a teacher at Pinkston Street Elementary for eight years.
For the first time, the school system named a Beginning Teacher of the Year. Estelle Mangum, a fourth-grade teacher at L.B. Yancey Elementary School, was selected as the award recipient. Mangum had a solid year in 2016-2017 in leading her students to academic achievements.
Estelle Mangum, 2017-2018 Beginning Teacher of the Year, poses with Superintendent Anthony Jackson after accepting her award.
An audience of almost 200 people, including teachers, school administrators, local school officials, city and county leaders and community representatives, attended the event and enjoyed a nice meal during the banquet held in McGregor Gallery at the McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center.
Darlynn Oxendine, vice chairperson of the Vance County Board of Education, and Dr. Anthony Jackson, superintendent of Vance County Schools, presented the awards to the honoreers. They were joined in the presentations by Dr. Cindy Bennett, assistant superintendent, and Joy Suther, 2016-2017 Assistant Principal of the Year and the assistant principal of Dabney Elementary School. Crystal Richardson, 2016-2017 Principal of the Year and the principal of Clarke Elementary School, was unable to attend the event.
Joining Stewart in receiving recognition as Teachers of the Year for their respective schools were Kelly Smith of Aycock Elementary School; Fe McCoy of Carver Elementary School; Cynthia Arthur of Clarke Elementary School; Justin Wrenn of Dabney Elementary School; Tina Terry of New Hope Elementary School; Faye Crawford of E.M. Rollins Elementary School; Kevon Grant of L.B. Yancey Elementary School; Julia Morton of E.O. Young Jr. Elementary School; Alfreda Murphy of Zeb Vance Elementary School; Katrina Tunstall of Eaton-Johnson Middle School; Rosalia Cervantes of Henderson Middle School; Mary Soriano of STEM Early High School; Joannie Aldridge of Northern Vance High School; Brandelyn Breinig of Southern Vance High School; and Ana-Maria Topliceanu of Vance County Early College High School.
An outstanding group of 2017-2018 Teachers of the Year from our schools join together for a group photo at our banquet.
Additional Principal of the Year nominees were Dr. Carnetta Thomas of L.B. Yancey Elementary School; Kristian Herring of Zeb Vance Elementary School; and Rey Horner of Southern Vance High School.
For the Assistant Principal of the Year award, Angela Pugh of Henderson Middle School, also was nominated.
Along with Mangum as nominees for the Beginning Teacher of the Year award were Regina Durham of Dabney Elementary School; Rachel Bradshaw of New Hope Elementary School; Conetta Terry of Pinkston Street Elementary School; Sikera Alston of E.M. Rollins Elementary School; Julia Hicks of Zeb Vance Elementary School; Anthony Davis of Eaton-Johnson Middle School; Trevor Kirby of Henderson Middle School; and Peter Hasselburg of Southern Vance High School.
A special selection panel of local school administrators chose the award winners after nominees made PowerPoint presentations and answered questions, with the exception of the Beginning Teacher of the Year nominees who submitted essays.
Kedecia Stewart, 2017-2018 Teacher of the Year, reacts as Dave Genetti, owner of Toyota of Henderson, presents her with a 2018 Toyota Camry to drive this year during her reign.