Sheriff Brame Gets More Personnel; May Lead To Other Cuts

/in /by

It’s budget time for Vance County, and the Vance County Board of Commissioners met Monday night and Tuesday night for more than four combined hours in budget sessions.

A priority emerged Tuesday night, and that is adding about $250,000 in additional funding to the proposed upcoming county fiscal year budget to provide additional manpower to Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame’s Office and his efforts at the jail.

In simplified terms, the Vance County Sheriff’s Office gets three more deputies and another lieutenant, while the Vance County Jail gets two more personnel to help with reducing workloads and safety concerns for jail employees and prison transports. To be clear, two deputy positions were in the originally proposed budget and now an additional deputy and an additional lieutenant are set to be added to the proposed budget.

After lengthy discussion by the board, Brame was asked to speak.

He said, “Vance County is a hub for heroin.” He said that hub was in Durham and now it is here. He said he needed more support and manpower to fix the problem. He said, “Nobody is dealing from home. If you see two cars meet in the street, they’re passing dope.”

Commissioner Tommy Hester said as he understood it, about $122,500 would fund two more deputy positions.

Commission Chair Archie Taylor said there appeared to be a consensus on the board to do more for the sheriff and said the money needed to be found.

Commissioner Leo Kelly raised the point of increasing the tax rate by a penny because it would generate about $287,000 and that would eliminate the squeeze on other parts of the budget.

As to the jail, it was stated that $90,000 would fund two more positions.

All present commissioners, and all but one was present, agreed and directed County Manager Jordan McMillan to find the necessary $250,000. It may come from the general fund, a tax increase, other cuts and by finding other priorities and making cuts.

Commissioner Dan Brummitt said, “The board has made the Vance County Sheriff’s Office and jail a priority.” He said it was in the best interest of public safety and for the county to move forward.

Commissioner Gordon Wilder said, “We have a new sheriff and we want to support him.”

As to the other public safety concern, the much ballhooed fire protection plans, the next public opportunity to hear about that comes Tuesday, May 28th. In a press release, the Commission board has announced that the location of the public safety committee meeting on the 28th has been changed to the Perry Library’s Farm Bureau room (205 Breckenridge Street).  The time is 6 p.m.

The fire coverage discussion at this time is centered around the proposed 2.3 cents increase in the fire tax rate, how the fire tax monies are used, the equitable distribution of funds to the volunteer departments, the provision for two paid positions in each volunteer department funded by the county, except at Epsom and Drewry who get one paid firefighter, and the additional debate about the future of the Vance County Fire Department and, stillmore, the future of the Vance County Rescue Squad.

There are more questions than answers and the commissioners appear to be stuck in the details without actually having fully decided if broader, more full scale changes are needed.

KVA Headmaster Frank Wiggins Talks Championship Win, Sense of Community

/in , /by

Frank Wiggins, Kerr-Vance Academy Headmaster, was on Wednesday’s edition of WIZS’ Town Talk program to discuss the Spartans recent NCISAA 1A Baseball Championship win and end-of-year activities.

The Spartans took the best two out of three series against Albemarle Academy on May 18 – 19, 2019, at home on Boyd Field. With a final score of 15-2, the win resulted in a third straight state title for KVA.

Prior to the championship round, the team defeated The Burlington School and Lawrence Academy.

“What a phenomenal accomplishment,” said Wiggins. “The kids have worked really hard this year, and the coaches have done an outstanding job. To win the championship three times in a row speaks volumes about the program.”

Wiggins praised the talent and leadership of upperclassmen Cam Murphy, Lane White and Matt Overton in addition to Head Coach Todd Wilkerson and Assistant Coach Mike Rigsbee.

The combination of “senior leadership, young talent and coaches that set a high standard for performance” led to a successful team that even had KVA’s daycare and preschool children cheering from the stands.

“One of the great things about Kerr Vance being such a small school is that everybody knows everybody. Our high school kids know our younger kids. You’ll see daycare and preschool kids at the ball games, and they know the players by name. That kind of community is something special,” Wiggins said.

As KVA winds down the 2018-19 school year with a victory, Wiggins said there is still plenty of excitement left this week with final exams, award ceremonies and the graduation of 23 seniors. This Friday, May 24 marks the last day of school and graduation is scheduled for Saturday, May 25 at 10 a.m.

Camp activities and events will be offered over the summer break. For additional information, please visit KVA’s website at www.kerrvance.com.

Looking ahead to enrollment for next school year, Wiggins said KVA staff would love to see you and your family in person via a campus tour. “I invite people to take a tour of the campus, to speak to our teachers and staff and to experience the routines and day-to-day operations that demonstrate what we’re all about.”

According to Wiggins, what KVA is all about is offering personalized education, all while fostering a sense of community.

“Our job is to educate children for success, and that takes a whole child approach,” said Wiggins. “We have an excellent track record of not only preparing kids to go to college but to be successful in college, graduate and then go on to outstanding careers. Many are leaders in their field and give back to the community.”

To hear the Town Talk interview with Frank Wiggins in its entirety, click here.

Vance Co. Sheriff’s Office Makes Arrests in Heroin Trafficking Cases

/in /by

-Press Release, Vance County Sheriff’s Office

On Monday, May 20, 2019, Lagarris Alexander Peace was arrested at North Pine Street and Harriett Street, Henderson, NC 27537.

Peace was part of an on-going drug trafficking investigation that involved Homeland Security Investigation (Norfolk) Virginia and Raleigh, NC along with the Vance County Sheriff’s Office and NCSBI.

Peace was charged with Conspiracy to Traffick more than 1.5 kilograms of Heroin.

Peace was placed in the Vance County Jail under an $800,000.00 bond.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

On Friday, April 12, 2019, the Vance County Sheriff’s Office conducted a search warrant at 1975 Carey Chapel Road in Henderson and recovered 104 bricks of Heroin.

During the investigation, deputies recovered an additional 184 bricks of Heroin.

Warren County’s Sheriff’s Office, Homeland Security Investigation and North Carolina State Bureau Investigation assisted with the investigation.

Arrested during the investigation were Demario Henderson, Jordan Collier and Shikevon Davis. As part of this same investigation, Anthony Brame was arrested at 2301 Outterburn Place, Apartment 202 in Raleigh, NC on May 1, 2019.

All four defendants were charged with trafficking Heroin.

 

Location Change for Vance Public Safety Meeting on Fire Matters

/in /by

-Information courtesy Kelly H. Grissom, Executive Assistant/Clerk to Board, Vance County Board of Commissioners

The Vance County Public Safety Committee (Brummitt, Faines, Wilder) is scheduled to meet Tuesday, May 28, 2019, at 6 p.m. to discuss volunteer fire department matters.

Originally scheduled to be held in the Commissioners’ Meeting Room, the meeting will now be held in Perry Library’s Farm Bureau Room, 205 Breckenridge St. in Henderson. Please make note of the location change.

Local Youth Ages 4-12 Needed for Competitive Football League

/in , , , /by

-Information courtesy Tara Goolsby, Henderson-Vance Recreation and Parks Facilities Supervisor, Aycock Recreation Center

The 2019 East Wake Football League is a competitive football league for youth of Vance, Warren, Franklin and Granville counties.

Participants will learn the skills and rules of football. Team tryouts will be conducted and participants will be placed on teams by coaches. In order to be on a team, participating youth must attend tryouts.

Schedules will be developed by the East Wake Football League and games will be played on Saturday afternoons. Participants will travel to local communities to participate in games.

Registration will be held June 3 – August 4, 2019, at the Aycock Recreation Center, 307 Carey Chapel Rd., Henderson.

Cost is $40 for both in and out-of-county participants. Participants may be eligible for the fee waiver program.

Age levels include:

Flag Football – Ages 4 – 6

Mini Mites – Ages 6 – 8

Mighty Mites – Ages 9 – 10

Pee Wee – Ages 11 – 12

Age will be determined as of August 1, 2019.

For more information or to inquire about the fee waiver program, please contact Steve Osborne at (252) 438-2670 ([email protected]) or Victor Hunt at (252) 430-3408 ([email protected]).

News 05/22/19

/in /by

Perry Memorial Library Gearing Up for Youth Summer Reading Program

/in /by

-Information courtesy the H. Leslie Perry Memorial Library and www.perrylibrary.org

Join the H. Leslie Perry Memorial Library for the annual Summer Reading program June – August 3, 2019!

The Summer Reading Kick-Off Celebration, featuring “the amazing, out-of-this-world teacher” Steve Somers, will be held Saturday, June 15 at 12 p.m.

Summer Youth Programs 

Totally Tweens – Ages 8 – 12 – Mondays at 5 p.m.

Dungeons & Dragons – Ages 13-18 – Tuesdays at 4 p.m.

Story Explorers – Ages 5 – 11 – Tuesdays at 5 p.m.

STEAMworks – Ages 10-14 – Wednesdays at 5 p.m.

Books & Babies – Ages Birth – 2 – Thursdays at 10:45 a.m.

Mother Goose Storytime – Ages 2 – 5 – Thursdays at 11 a.m.

LEGO Fun Club – Ages 5 – 13 – Thursdays at 4 p.m.

The Perry Memorial Library is located at 205 Breckenridge Street in Henderson. Visit their website at www.perrylibrary.org for additional summer reading information.

State Vet Encourages Livestock Owners to Vaccinate Before Peak Rabies Season

/in , , /by

-Press Release, NCDA&CS

Summer is peak rabies season and State Veterinarian Doug Meckes is encouraging North Carolina livestock owners to consider having their animals vaccinated against the disease.

“This year we have seen a rise in the number of reported rabies in livestock at seven cases,” Meckes said. “Last year the state had three cases reported for the entire year. Horses, cattle and goats are naturally curious animals, which puts them at risk for a bite if a rabid animal gets through their fence line.”

Rabies is transmitted primarily in saliva through a bite. Livestock infected with rabies usually appear depressed, have a lack of appetite; difficulty eating, drinking or swallowing; profuse salivation; blindness; head-pressing; circling; vocalization; fever; strained defecation; increased sexual excitement or activity; limp tail, anus, or tongue. Constant yawning, itching or nibbling may be a sign of rabies, too. Rabies can be associated with neurological problems such as incoordination, decreased muscle tone and reflexes, shifting lameness, or partial-to-complete paralysis. Horse owners should be aware that rabies can often mimic symptoms of colic in horses.

The incubation for rabies is between two weeks and six months. Once symptoms appear, the disease is almost always fatal.

Other ways to protect yourself and animals:

  • Do not feed or attract wildlife to your yard or try to capture wild animals.
  • Call your local animal control if you notice a nocturnal animal out during the day and demonstrating strange behavior such as no fear of humans or aggressive behavior.
  • If you hunt, use gloves while skinning animals, particularly when handling nerve tissue or organs.
  • If you are scratched or come into contact with the saliva of an animal you suspect was rabid, seek medical attention immediately.

Livestock owners should discuss with their veterinarians the risk of rabies in their area and preventive vaccinations.

H-V Rec. & Parks Youth Cheerleading Registration Begins June 3

/in /by

-Information courtesy Tara Goolsby, Henderson-Vance Recreation and Parks Facilities Supervisor, Aycock Recreation Center

Henderson-Vance Recreation & Parks announces that youth cheerleading registration will be ongoing from Monday, June 3 until Sunday, August 4, 2019.

Register at Aycock Recreation Center, 307 Carey Chapel Road, Henderson. Registration fee is $40 – $30 for those that played softball in 2019.

This program is designed for youth ages 6 – 14. The participants will learn the basic skills and fundamentals of cheering. Participants will have the opportunity to showcase their skills by cheering at youth football games for the Henderson-Vance Recreation and Parks Youth Football programs.

For additional information, please contact either:

Steve Osborne – [email protected] or (252) 438-2670

Victor Hunt – [email protected] or (252) 438-3408

News 05/21/19

/in /by