Vance County Animal Shelter Groundbreaking

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Vance County is building a new animal shelter.  Vance County Commissioners, Vance County Animal Control, The Ruin Creek Animal Protection Society and The U.S. Department of Agriculture along with local volunteers and citizens celebrated at a groundbreaking ceremony.  The ceremony began at 10:00 A.M. Thursday, January 21, 2016 on Brodie Road.

012116 New Animal Shelter (Ceremony)Vance County Chairman of the Board of Commissioners, Gordon Wilder, welcomed those in attendance and introduced the speakers.  He said he was most grateful for the folks who have propelled this forward, especially Charles and Mary Boyd.  He said you have to give a lot of credit to Frankie Nobles, Chief Animal Control Officer, and how Nobles and his staff have fostered relationships in the community.  Wilder said the work of Nobles and his staff has helped our community stay out of trouble with state officials.  Wilder said this project is a “testament to how this area is moving forward and upward.”

Past-Chairman of the Board of Commissioners, Archie B. Taylor, Jr., said the board had been working for nine years to reach this point.  He said the County’s existing shelter was far behind the shelters of neighboring counties.  Taylor thanked Charles and Mary Boyd, who were in attendance and who donated the land for the new shelter, and he thanked The Ruin Creek Animal Protection Society for dreaming up this project and all the volunteer work the society does in Vance County and Henderson.

Alan Hedgepeth of The Ruin Creek Animal Protection Society said it had been a long journey and thanked the commissioners for securing funding.  The USDA will be the long-term financier of the project.  Hedgepeth said the new shelter would greatly increase the care of animals while they wait for forever homes.  Ruin Creek Animal Protection specializes in fostering animals as well as seeing to it that animals are treated and adopted out to permanent and healthy homes.  Hedgepeth encouraged those in attendance to foster, to adopt and to give donations if they wanted to help.

Nobles indicated that the existing circumstances at the old shelter and that the knowledge that a new shelter would be open next year at this time were emotional for the shelter staff.  He said the support and donations were amazing, and it was amazing how much the community had gotten behind this plan and this dream.  Nobles said to those in attendance, “You are the ones that made this happen.”

Nobels described Dr. Patricia Norris, DVM as “the top lady at the shelter.”  Norris of NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services praised the shelter staff for the tremendous job it has done at the existing facility.  She said the new shelter “will benefit the animals (and in doing so) will improve the quality of life for every person in the community.”012116 New Animal Shelter Waste Industries $10k Check

Lee Bodenhamer with Waste Industries, Inc. presented a check towards the project for $10,000.00.  He spoke of Waste Industries’ work in the community and talked about how the company wanted to take part in the social responsibility aspect of helping building a new shelter.  He indicated that in 2014 Waste Industries started the “Full Circle Project.”  As he described it, Waste Industries customers were surveyed, and the top place they said to donate funds was animal rescue.  Over 26 percent of respondents indicated animal rescue.  Bodenhamer said he hoped this gift was just the beginning.

The official groundbreaking was then held and those in attendance socialized before departing.

012116 New Animal Shelter Groundbreaking (in post)

012116 New Animal Shelter Model

(Editor’s Note — WIZS is pleased to present this news story and to help recognize those in attendance and those who have worked so hard.  While the story was presented the same day on the radio, it has just now been published online.  We apologize for the delay.  Recent winter weather consumed extra time, and we had wanted this to be presented without distractions caused by the weather because the new shelter construction and the teamwork it has taken to get to this point are very important. — John C. Rose)

 

Home and Garden Show 01/26/16

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Affordable Care Act Deadline

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Less Than a Week Left for North Carolinians to enroll in Affordable Care Act

January 31 is the final deadline to enroll in coverage on the Health Insurance Marketplace and avoid paying a fine of $695 or more

RALEIGH – January 31 is the final deadline for North Carolinians to enroll in coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace during the third Affordable Care Act open-enrollment period. With just six days left, the clock is ticking and North Carolinians should act now to make sure they have time to shop around, consider their options, and enroll in the plan that best fits their needs and budget.

The North Carolina Navigator Consortium and Enroll America are urging North Carolinians to check out Affordable Care plans, which cover what they need and meet their budgets so they can have peace of mind knowing that in an event of medical emergencies they would be covered.

“The Affordable Care Act insurance continues to help many North Carolinians,” said Jennifer Simmons, North Carolina Navigator Consortium Director. “We have talked to consumers who have undergone life-saving surgeries using their coverage. The marketplace plans are affordable and meet consumers’ budgets. We encourage uninsured North Carolinians to check out their options before the January 31 deadline so they can get covered.”

“So far, more than 569,000 North Carolinians have signed up for coverage during this open enrollment period – but there are still many who stand to benefit and need to take action before January 31,” said Get Covered America North Carolina State Director Sorien Schmidt. “Last year, we saw an unprecedented surge of interest leading up to the final deadline, and we expect to see the same this year as we approach the end of the month. That’s why we are encouraging people to start the process now to make sure there’s plenty of time from them to find the best plan for their family.”

To help North Carolinians learn about their options, there is free, in-person enrollment help available in communities across the state. Consumers can sit down face-to-face with unbiased local experts who can answer questions and help them make the best coverage decision for them and their families. They can also help people change plans if they are already insured through the Affordable Care Act and want to explore the new options available to them this year. North Carolinians can find someone near them by calling 1-855-733-3711 or using the Get Covered Connector tool at www.getcoveredamerica.org/connector.

During this open enrollment period, there are new plans and new prices available on the Health Insurance Marketplace, so North Carolinians should shop the options available to them. All Marketplace health plans are required to cover the basics – from preventive care, emergency services, prescriptions, and more. And quality protection comes at an affordable price for most North Carolinians, thanks to the financial assistance available to lower the cost of plans. In fact nearly 9 in 10 of the North Carolinians who have signed up so far are receiving financial help.

Those who don’t have health insurance in 2016 may face a fine of $695 or 2.5% of their income – whichever is greater. And that’s on top of having to pay out of pocket for routine medical care and unexpected emergencies. North Carolinians shouldn’t delay and risk paying the fine and high medical bills when they can have quality, affordable health insurance that will cover the essentials and protect them from the unexpected.

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The NC Navigator Consortium is a group of 14 health care, social service and legal aid organizations that helps North Carolina consumers enroll in affordable health insurance plans through the Affordable Care Act. The consortium is led by Legal Aid of North Carolina, a statewide, nonprofit law firm that provides free civil legal aid to low-income North Carolinians. Members of the consortium are Access East, Capital Care Collaborative, Cape Fear HealthNet, Care Ring, Council on Aging of Buncombe County, Cumberland HealthNet, HealthCare Access, HealthNet Gaston, Legal Services of Southern Piedmont, MDC, Partnership for Community Care, Pisgah Legal Services and United Way of Greater Greensboro.

Enroll America is the nation’s leading health care enrollment coalition. An independent nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, Enroll America works with more than 6,700 partners in all 50 states to create cutting-edge tools, analyze data, inform policy, and share best practices in service of its mission: maximizing the number of Americans who enroll in and retain health coverage under the Affordable Care Act.

 

(Information provided to WIZS in the form of a Press Release from Legal Aid of North Carolina.)

Henderson PD Press Release – Drug Bust

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Press Release- January 15, 2016

On Thursday, January 14, 2016, members of the Henderson Police Department Special Operations Unit and the North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement Agency executed a search warrant at 1442 Perry Avenue. Officers recovered heroin, methamphetamine, marijuana and cocaine during the search.

Daronte Hawley, 27, 1442 Perry Avenue, Henderson was charged with one count of possession with the intent to manufacture, sell, or deliver marijuana, manufacturing marijuana, possession with the intent to manufacture, sell, or deliver methamphetamine, manufacturing methamphetamine, maintaining a dwelling for keeping a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

He was placed in the Vance County Jail after failing to post a $55,000.00 secured bond. A preliminary hearing is scheduled in Vance County District Court on February 8, 2016.

Monte Baskerville, 29, 225 Springhill Lane, Henderson was charged with possession with the intent to manufacture, sell, and or deliver heroin, one count of possession with the intent to manufacture, sell, or deliver cocaine, one count of manufacturing heroin, and one count of manufacturing cocaine.

He was placed in the Vance County Jail after failing to post a $120,000.00 secured bond.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled in Vance County District Court on February 8, 2016.

Authority: Chief Marcus Barrow

Home and Garden Show 01/12/16

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Sheriff’s Office Press Release

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Office of the Sheriff – Vance County

156 Church Street, Suite 004

Henderson, North Carolina  27536-5574

Telephone 252-738-2200

Fax 252-738-2220

 

Press Release

 

Sheriff Peter White announces the following arrests by the Vance County Sheriff’s Office:

Deandre Shaquille Hudson

907 A Parkway Dr.

Henderson NC 27536

Age: 22

Charges: Trafficking in Heroin 3cts.

Maintaining a vehicle for keeping and selling controlled substances

Possession of firearm by convicted felon

Possession of firearm with altered/removed serial number

Possession of Drug Paraphernalia

Carrying a concealed gun

Possession of Marijuana

Possession of a schedule IV controlled substance

Resisting a public officer

True Bill of Indictment for PWIMSD Heroin and Possession of a stolen firearm

 

Bond: $365,000

Court date: 01/26/2016

 

Vance County Sheriff’s Office arrested the above individual resulting from a traffic stop on Ivey Street located in the North Henderson area. The stop resulted in a seizure of 134 bags of heroin, marijuana, and a handgun.

 

The Health Department Show 01/06/16

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Business Spotlight: Midnight Blue Martial Arts

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Many people seem to think that Karate is just a “kid thing.” That statement could not be further from the truth. Kim Gupton, the owner and a teacher at Midnight Blue Martial Arts, sat down with Kevin Bullock of WIZS to give you the breakdown.

Gupton said, “Many people think that Karate is just something for their kids to do, and they just watch. I have a parent or two that wants to get on the mat every once in a while, but that’s rare.” Karate was actually invented by adults, for adults.

Gupton also said, “People think that their child is going to get hurt doing karate; not here. We have had less than five people get hurt since we started, and that wasn’t because they did something wrong on the mat.”

Midnight Blue Martial Arts also does cheerleading from September until April, but the Karate lessons and training are year-round.

The process of going from a white belt to a black belt takes about four years. Gupton said, “It’s a four year college for kids and adults.”

When Gupton was asked why she decided to take up Karate, she said, “It gives confidence. I’ve never been in a situation where I was intimidated, because I knew I had this in my back pocket.”

To learn more about Midnight Blue Martial Arts call Kim at 252-438-8896 or visit them on Facebook.

Citizens Aligned to Take Back Henderson Holds Second Meeting

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On Monday night at the Maria Parham Medical Center Auditorium, a group of concerned citizens known as “Citizens Aligned to take back Henderson, NC”, met to discuss the state of dilapidating structures within the city limits. Steve Cordell, fire chief for the City of Henderson, and Alan Faulkner, of Faulkner Grading & Landscaping, addressed concerned citizens and provided quality answers to questions.

Cordell broke down the process of burning down a structure. Cordell said, “We have to evaluate the home for asbestos, check tax leans, financial considerations, process of removal, it’s a lot.” Cordell went on with, “…apply for demolition permits…file for air quality, get state approval, and do a cost benefit analysis.”

The process of burning abandoned houses in the City of Henderson is going to take time and money. However, there are other options.

Faulkner said, “It costs as much tear down a house as it does to take it to the landfill.”

The general consensus of the meeting was whether it is burning down abandoned homes or tearing them down, something must be done for the appearance and perception of the City of Henderson and all of Vance County.

The next step for the group is to take their cause to both the Henderson City Council and Vance County Board of Commissioners.

To learn more about Citizens Aligned to take back Henderson, like them on Facebook at facebook.com/cleanuphenderson.

Public Health Serving You 12/02/15

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