Canvass Complete

/by

The Vance County Board of Elections’ canvass of the October 6th Henderson Municipal Election is complete.  Two runoffs are anticipated.

Candidates Marion Brodie Williams and Clarence J. Dale finished tied with 234 votes apiece for the Ward 1 Ward Seat.  Election Board Director Faye Gill said, “One of the candidates may withdraw up to three days after the canvass by writing a letter to The Board of Elections.”  Otherwise, a runoff is expected.

George McCue is Agency Council for the North Carolina State Board of Elections.  He said in 2013 there were a handful of ties across the state.  “With 550 plus municipalities and multiple contests in each, and with the relatively smaller number of voters, it’s pretty typical in a municipal election year to have at least a couple tie votes somewhere in the state,” he said.

The Ward 3 At Large contest between Melissa Elliott, Brenda Peace and Jason Spriggs wound up with nine votes separating Elliott and Peace.  Elliott 1,037 and Peace 1,028.  More importantly, Elliott did not have at least 50 percent of the votes plus one more vote.  Therefore, a runoff is expected between Elliott and Peace.

McCue said, “The nice thing about October elections is you can have a runoff in November.”  When an election is held in November, there are some situations where random selection of a candidate can come into play by state statute.

Early voting starts October 22nd.  Election day is November 3rd.

Aycock School News Broadcast

/by

Near and dear to our hearts here at WIZS is a good news broadcast, just another reason its so much fun to tell you about this!

Students and staff members at Aycock Elementary School receive important information about their school each Friday morning through the “Aycock News” television broadcast.

The approximately 10-minute broadcast, seen on televisions stationed in classrooms and other locations throughout the school, features students in grades 2-5 who serve as the news anchors and additional reporters who share information about the week’s weather forecast, the breakfast and lunch menus for the coming week and important announcements about upcoming events.

Aycock News

The broadcasts are done each Friday shortly after 8 a.m. and are led by Edward Ortega and Erika Barnett, both Aycock faculty members, who use lots of technology and hands-on direction with the students to complete each program. Ortega serves as the production manager for each broadcast. He sits at a table in front of a laptop computer and controls the sound and two cameras which depict the students at two separate stations. Each of the stations has a green screen serving as a background for the students. Ortega uses computer software to provide a variety of background images on the green screens. Two additional laptops are used to display the scripts and production schedule for the broadcast.

For the broadcast on October 9, Ortega had a red-white-and-blue U.S. Flag theme as the green screen background. The background was seen behind the two students who were the news anchors and the small groups of students who led everyone in “The Pledge of Allegiance” and students who reported the weather forecast, menus and school announcements. Barnett worked with the students to ensure that everyone was in the right place when it was time for them to be on camera.

The October 9 broadcast was special, because it featured brief speeches by students who were seeking officer positions on the school’s newly established Student Council. They gave their speeches and were scheduled to have their names on the ballots during Student Council elections on October 14.

The broadcast concluded with a few words from Squeaky, a hand puppet controlled by Barnett with a disguised voice from Ortega. Squeaky urged everyone to have a “Super Duper Day!”

Vance Principal of the Year

/by

Heddie Somerville, the principal at Pinkston Street Elementary School for the past four years, has been selected as the 2015-2016 Vance County Schools’ Principal of the Year.

She was chosen for the honor after interviews were conducted by a special selection committee.

Somerville 1

Mrs. Somerville is receiving the prestigious award after leading Pinkston Street Elementary to success in the 2014-2015 school year that saw students have some of the highest growth in reading and mathematics in the school district. The school also met state growth standards and increased its School Performance Grade by one grade. The school’s third-grade N.C. Read to Achieve scores also showed substantial improvement with student proficiency rising to 84 percent from 68 percent the previous year.

Mrs. Somerville has worked at Pinkston Street Elementary School her entire educational career over the last 23 years as a teacher, assistant principal and principal.

She is described by Jo Tyler, a member of the Pinkston Street faculty who nominated her for the honor, as a knowledgeable and proficient leader.

“Under her leadership, our school has been recognized for many accomplishments,” Tyler wrote. “She has insight, excellent organizational skills, an in-depth grasp of the curriculum and has worked diligently establishing relationships on all levels . . . She unselfishly gives in innumerable ways and her extreme gift of building relationships with and improving the lives of others (students, parents, staff, colleagues; most everyone she comes in contact with) has made her a great leader.”

Mrs. Somerville earned the Principal of the Year award as a fellow nominee among an outstanding field of educational leaders. Other Principal of the Year nominees and their schools include:

  • Kristen Boyd of Aycock Elementary School
  • Dr. John Hargrove of Henderson Middle School
  • Marylaura McKoon of E.O. Young Jr. Elementary School
  • Dr. Michael Putney of Dabney Elementary School
  • Dr. Harold Thompson of New Hope Elementary School
  • Dr. Larry Webb of Northern Vance High School
Mrs. Somerville was surprised by a presentation to announce her recognition October 9 at her school.  Congratulations to Mrs. Somerville and all of her fellow nominees!

Small Business Summit and Expo to be held October 20 at Warren County Armory

/by

via Andrew Beal

The Vance-Granville Community College Small Business Center has announced the complete lineup of presenters for the fourth annual Small Business Summit and Expo, which will be held Tuesday, Oct. 20, from 11:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. at the Warren County Armory Civic Center in Warrenton.

The Chamber of Commerce of Warren County, the Warren County Economic Development Commission, the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Warren County Center, and the Lake Gaston Regional Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Center are partnering with the college to organize the event, which has the theme, “Weaving the Fabric of a Thriving Economy.” CenturyLink is the presenting sponsor. Other co-sponsors are Halifax Electric Membership Corporation, The Warren Record, Hundley’s Greenhouses, Inc., The Lake Gaston Gazette-Observer, 1450 AM WIZS, the Roanoke Rapids Daily Herald, The Daily Dispatch and WARR.

The summit kicks off with a keynote address during lunch by Susan E. Harris, owner of Quilt Lizzy in Warrenton. Her discussion is entitled “Why Your Small Town is a Great Place to Do Business.”

For the rest of the afternoon, attendees can choose from among several breakout sessions being held simultaneously.

During Session 1, from 1:15 until 2:15 p.m., the choices are: “Creative Opportunities for Arts and Crafts Businesses in the Community” with professional artist and educator Theresa Brown; “Making Your Business Model Work in a Small Town” with Warrenton town manager Robert Davie; and “Turning Your Passion Into a Business” with Adam Fields, owner of AF Wake & Wakeboard World Champion.

Session 2, from 2:30 until 3:30 p.m., offers these options: “Farm to Fork Enterprise” with Crystal Smith and Paul McKenzie of N.C. Cooperative Extension and Gabe Cummings of Warren FoodWorks; “Emerging Consumer Markets for Agriculture” with Debbie Hamrick, Director of Specialty Crops for the North Carolina Farm Bureau Federation; and “Social Media: The Black Hole” with Dave Blodgett of Buggs Media.

For the third and final session (3:45 until 4:45 p.m.), attendees will select either “Financing Opportunities for Small Businesses” with Barry Ryan of the North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center and Lou Grillo of the Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments; “USDA Loans & Grants Program” with Rhonda Pope, USDA Farm Service Agency’s Strike Force Coordinator and County Executive Director at large, Michelle Winslow, Dock Jones and Rob Satterfield, all of USDA/Farm Service Agency, and Lyn Millhiser of USDA/Rural Development; or “Social Media: The Black Hole” with Dave Blodgett of Buggs Media.

Between breakout sessions, attendees can browse through booths set up by representatives of various resources for small businesses. These include CenturyLink, Carter Bank & Trust, Ag Carolina Farm Credit, N.C. Rural Center, North Carolina Cooperative Extension – Warren County, Warren County Economic Development Commission, USDA, Kerr Tar Regional Council of Governments, Roanoke Rapids Daily Herald, Lake Gaston Regional Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Center, Vance-Granville Community College, Vance-Granville Community College Small Business Center, Halifax Electric Membership Corporation, North Carolina Farm Bureau, North Carolina Institute of Minority Economic Development, The Daily Dispatch, WARR, and The Warren County Chamber of Commerce.

The purpose of the Small Business Summit and Expo is to engage, empower and enrich participants to help make their small businesses more successful. “We welcome all aspiring entrepreneurs, small business owners, and non-profit leaders to participate in this inspirational, educational and motivational experience with us,” said Tanya Weary, director of the VGCC Small Business Center.

Lunch is provided free of charge by CenturyLink to the first 50 registered participants. After that point, lunch is $10.

For more information, call Tanya Weary at (252) 738-3240 or e-mail her at smallbusiness@vgcc.edu.

Ellington Wins; Other Races Not Over

/by

Eddie Ellington is the mayor-elect for the City of Henderson.  While the canvass still takes place on Tuesday, Ellington can now be safely declared the winner of the Mayoral election.

Audio from the 5 P.M. Local News – WIZS Lead Story

Ellington said, “I am honored to become the next mayor for the City of Henderson. It’s been a long process, and I want to thank the citizens of Henderson for standing behind me, and I look forward to going to work for all the people of the City. Thank you and may God bless you.”

The question since Tuesday night had been about the 10 provisional ballots.  Those ballots determined the Mayoral race, but the Ward 1 race between Marion Brodie Williams and Clarence J. Dale is far from over.  The Ward 3 At Large race between Mellissa Elliott and Brenda Peace will still go to a runoff if Peace requests the runoff.

Chairman of the Vance County Board of Elections, Kevin Kilgore, said, “Out of the 10 provisional ballots, four were counted in full, two were partially counted, and there were four that were not counted at all.”

Kilgore said, “Ellington’s margin went up by two votes and his percentage went to 50.20 percent.”

That is enough for Ellington to avoid a runoff with Jim Kearney.

As for Ward 3 At Large, “Elliott and Peace each got three more votes, so the margin stays the same,” Kilgore said.

Now to the really fine print, Ward 1 Ward seat.  Dale and Williams each have 234 votes now.  They are tied.  So, what’s next?

“We have three mailed absentee ballots that have not be returned.  As long as they are here by 5 P.M. tomorrow (Friday) and postmarked by election day, they can be counted,” Kilgore said.  Also, he said, “We have four mailed absentee ballots that have not be counted because we are waiting for more information.  Those are due by the canvass on Tuesday.”

In most elections, there is not a tie, nor is it this close.  Kilgore said, “In most elections this would not make a hill of beans of difference.”

Instead, Kilgore, Faye Gill and all of the board and volunteers are still hard at work.

Seven more votes, not enough to affect the Mayoral result or the anticipated runoff between Peace and Elliott, but seven votes is plenty of votes to break a tie.  To that end, the State Board of Elections has required the Vance County Board of Elections to perform a hand recount on the Ward 1 race, which will be started tomorrow (Friday) at 10 A.M.

Stay tuned to WIZS 1450 AM and wizs.com.

Alzheimer’s Caregivers

/by

If you are:

  • A family or professional caregiver of a dementia patient
  • A member of the clergy, a student, or a volunteer desiring dementia education
  • A professional in need of 5 Continuing Education Units
  • A person with a desire to learn more about Alzheimer’s Disease and other types of dementia

Alzheimer’s Conference Schedule

Sign up for the 8th Annual Alzheimer’s Caregiver Education Conference to be held at Vance-Granville Community College in the Civic Center on Thursday, October 15, 2015 from 8am-4pm.  Lunch will be served.

For more information, please contact Melissa Catlett at Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments at 252-436-2040, or Lisa Levine at Alzheimer’s North Carolina, Inc. at 800-228-8738.

 

First Of Its Kind – DWI Court

/by

Oxford, NC – The District Attorney’s office held a week-long session of District Court from September 28, 2015 through October 2, 2015. This week-long session was the first of its kind in Granville County and was scheduled for the disposition of Driving While Impaired (DWI) cases only. The week-long DWI session was a collaborative effort between the offices of District Attorney Michael D. Waters and Granville County Clerk of Superior Court J. Yancey Washington. District Court Judge John W. Davis presided over the week-long session. Further assistance was provided by the North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys (Conference). Rashad A. Hauter, a DWI Resource Prosecutor with the Conference, assisted the District Attorney’s staff in the prosecution of these cases. Mr. Hauter is a native of Vance County and a graduate of Southern Vance High School.

Fifty-three cases were set for trial during the week-long session, and forty-one of those cases were resolved. Of those forty-one cases, twenty-eight cases were resolved by guilty plea or a guilty verdict by Judge Davis. Two defendants were found not guilty. Eleven cases were dismissed for insufficient evidence. Ten cases were continued to another court date and three defendants failed to appear and an order for their arrest was issued.

Many factors contribute to the successful prosecution of a DWI, including the presence of the arresting officer for his or her testimony and the return of any toxicology results from the SBI laboratory. The District Attorney’s office made every effort to coordinate all factors in an effort to begin to reduce the backlog of pending DWI cases in Granville County.

EVERY VOTE MATTERS

/by

UPDATE:  THE VANCE COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS ADVISES THAT IT PLANS TO REVIEW THE 10 PROVISIONAL BALLOTS THIS AFTERNOON (THURSDAY) AROUND OR SHORTLY AFTER 4:00 P.M.  AS SOON AS THE REVIEW RESULTS ARE AVAILABLE, WIZS NEWS WILL PROVIDE ANOTHER UPDATE.

(Unofficial Results, subject to provisional ballots and canvass by The Vance County Board of Elections)

The Henderson Nonpartisan City Elections were close.  In fact, three of the four contested races are too close to call.  One recount and one run off are certain, and a second run off for the Mayoral position is a possibility.

Ten provisional ballots, which will now be subject to scrutiny by The Vance County Board of Elections, are enough ballots to reverse the projected winner for the Alderman 1st Ward Ward Seat contest between Marion Brodie Williams and Clarence J. Dale as well as enough votes to force a run-off election for mayor.

Eddie Ellington is the projected winner for mayor.  He received 1,152 votes or 50.13% of the votes cast.  Jim Kearney received 740 votes or 32.20% of the votes.  Juanita Somerville earned 406 votes or 17.67 percent.  Ellington received more than 50 percent plus one vote, so a runoff is not an option for Kearney at this time.  But, the 10 provisional ballots may change those percentages, which could then result in a runoff.

For the Alderman 1st Ward Ward Seat, there was just one vote of difference in the final tally.  Williams received 233 votes or exactly 50% of the votes cast.  Dale earned 232 votes, or 49.79%.  There was one write-in vote.  It is clear to see that the 10 provisional ballots could easily change the projected winner.  If that one write-in vote were to happen to be for Dale, then each candidate will have received exactly the same number of votes.  No matter what, in a two-person race where there is less than one percent of separation, the second-place candidate can ask for a recount.  That request for a recount must be received by The Vance County Board of Elections, in writing from the candidate, no later than November 14th at 5:00 P.M.

For the Alderman 3rd Ward At Large Seat, there will be a run off between Melissa Elliott and Brenda Peace.  Peace told WIZS News as a part of our live election coverage that she was 99.99 percent sure she would ask for a run off.  Elliott received 1,034 votes or 47.37%, while Peace earned 1,025 votes or 46.95%.  Elliott did not get 50 percent of the votes plus one vote, therefore a runoff is in the making.  With a separation of nine votes, it is unlikely that the 10 provisional ballots would have an impact.  If Peace does in fact ask for a runoff, she must do so in writing to the Vance County Board of Elections by November 15th at 12:00 P.M.

All the numbers are in the chart below, which clearly shows that incumbent George M. Daye defeated Blakely Bates for Alderman 4th Ward At Large Seat.  Daye’s 1,333 votes or 66.82% are clearly enough to declare him the victor when compared to the 645 votes, or 32.33%, attained by Bates.

Mike Rainey ran unopposed for Alderman 2nd Ward Ward seat.  He earned 777 votes, while there were seven names written in for the position.

Voter turn out was 23.13 percent.  Of the 9,978 registered voters, 2,308 ballots were cast.

Our WIZS live election coverage on 1450AM and on wizs.com included live comments from Ellington, Somerville, Peace, Bates, Dale and Rainey.  Kearney spoke with WIZS reported Kevin Bullock but chose to hold his public comments until later.

Our thanks to The Vance County Board of Elections for allowing us to broadcast from their location and to all their staff and volunteers.  Special thanks to Faye Gill and Kevin Kilgore.

LIVE ELECTION COVERAGE

/by

Live election-night coverage begins on WIZS at 7:00 P.M.  Listen live on 1450 AM or on wizs.com.

The polls close at 7:30 P.M., but our broadcast will begin from The Vance County Board of Elections at 7 o’clock.  We will report the results accurately to you as the precinct information arrives after 7:30 at The Board of Elections.  Our coverage will also include our mix of top-hit Country, Beach music, Oldies from the 50s to the 80s as well as Jazz and Big Band.

Print out this sheet and fill in the blanks with us at home.

A quick word with officials at The Board of Elections reveals that there is nothing unusual to report at this time, and it sounded as if everything was running smoothly so far today.

If a runoff is necessary, it will be held November 3.  The second place candidate may choose to call for a runoff if the candidate receiving the most votes does not get 50 percent of the votes plus one vote.

A total of 911 voters cast an early ballot.

Mayoral candidates are: Jim Kearney, Juanita Somerville and Eddie Ellington.

First Ward Ward Seat candidates are: Clarence J. Dale and Marion Brodie Williams.  Kearney presently holds this seat but is giving it up to run for mayor.

Second Ward Ward Seat is unopposed.  Incumbent Mike Rainey does not have a challenger in this election.

Third Ward At Large candidates are:  Brenda Peace, the incumbent, and challengers Mellissa Elliott and Jason Spriggs.

Fourth Ward At Large candidates are: George Day, the incumbent, and challenger Blakely Lee Bates.

City Fire Chief

/by

The process of selecting a fire chief for the Henderson Fire Department is underway, with applications in hand and interviews being set up, according to City Manager Frank Frazier.

August 31 is the date that former Fire Chief Danny Wilkerson retired after 40 years of service to the department and 16 years as chief.  Assistant Fire Chief Steve Cordell is serving as Interim Fire Chief during the application and selection process.

Frazier said, “I have received 11 applications from human resources that I am reviewing and should be setting up interviews over the next two weeks or so.  There are several internal applicants.  Besides the internal applicants, most of the other applicants are not local.”

One of those 11 applications is that of Interim Fire Chief Cordell.  Cordell expressed his excitement about being selected as the interim chief.  He said, “I would love to be the next fire chief and to provide the leadership needed to move the department forward.”

Frazier said, “The City of Henderson Fire Department has maintained a very good record and has been actively involved in the community for many years, so we certainly want that to continue.  Our department has experienced a good amount of retirement of seasoned firefighters, so it will be important for the new chief to provide leadership to insure that training and other aspects of running the fire department are passed on to the newer firefighters.”

Cordell said, if selected as chief, he would love to continue the good things going on in the department and the opportunity to carry the department successfully into the future.

A little more than a month ago, former Chief Wilkerson said, “We restructured the department some after he (Ranger) retired, and they may do that again when I leave, but the mission is still the same.”  He agreed that it was to protect and serve.

Danny Wilkerson started as a firefighter on July 24, 1975.  On April 1, 1999, Chief Danny Wilkerson became chief as former Chief Ranger Wilkerson retired.  Ranger served 40 total years and 32 years as chief.  All together, their time protecting and serving spanned 55 consecutive years.

Wilkerson reflected to a time in 2009 when deadly fires occurred in Henderson almost back to back.  Several young people had perished.  He said, “I felt like we were doing something wrong.  That’s when we started our fire inspection program, and we haven’t had a fire death since then.  We try to get into every home in the city limits and do inspections, get the person a smoke detector and install it.”

The interviews for the new chief are being conducted by Frazier as well as the human resources director.  Applications are still being accepted as of the time of this publication.