Vance County Logo

Vance County Seeks Applicants To Serve On Opioid Committee

/by

Vance County is looking for individuals interested in serving on its Opioid Committee. The purpose of this committee is to advise the Board of County Commissioners on strategies to address opioid-related impacts in Vance County through the effective use of settlement funds. Its duties include reviewing community needs, identifying evidence-based interventions, encouraging public and municipal input, and promoting intergovernmental collaboration to ensure that funding decisions reflect shared priorities and support long-term solutions.

The Board of County Commissioners is seeking to fill these roles on the committee:

  • Individuals with lived experience (maximum of 2 appointments)
  • Service Providers (maximum of 2 appointments)
  • Community Organizations (maximum of 2 appointments)

Applications may be obtained at www.vancecounty.org or by contacting Kelly H. Grissom, Clerk to the Board at kgrissom@vancecounty.org. Please submit completed applications to 122 Young Street, Suite B, Henderson, NC 27536 or kgrissom@vancecounty.org.

NC State Board of Elections

State Board Of Elections Registration Repair Project Underway To Update Voter Info

/by

The first wave of mailings is now going out to North Carolina voters who need to provide their driver’s license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number as part of the State Board of Elections “Registration Repair Project.”

The SSBE is sending letters to about 82,700 individuals whose voter registration records lack one of these numbers, as required by state and federal laws.

According to the SBE database, which is updated daily, Vance County has 451 voters who need to provide the additional information to keep their voter registration current. Granville County has 384, Warren County has 133 and Franklin County has 649.

Individuals who receive the letter requesting the additional information can provide their driver license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number either by completing and returning the form at the bottom of the letter and returning it in the mail, in person at their local Board of Elections office or online through the NCDMV secure website at to payments.ncdot.gov.

There is no cost to make the registration update using the NCDMV website.

Updating the voter registration may not be done by phone.

“It’s quick. It’s easy. It’s free,” said Sam Hayes, State Board executive director. “We strongly encourage all voters on the Registration Repair list to take action now and avoid any issues the next time they show up to vote.”

North Carolinians can search whether they are on the list via the Registration Repair Search Tool, which is updated daily.

The Registration Repair Project launched on July 17, and already, the registrations of more than 20,000 voters have been fixed through a combination of research by the county boards of elections and the response of individual voters to update their registration records. As of Monday, Aug. 18, 82,540 registrants remained on the repair list, down 20 percent from 103,270 on the original list.

In future elections, in-person voters who still have not provided the required information to update their registration must vote provisional ballots and provide the information when they vote. That process is easy — the application for voting a provisional ballot includes prompts for DL# or SSN4.

The State Board is creating a flag to appear on these voters’ records in the electronic or paper poll books used at voting sites to alert poll workers that these voters must vote provisional ballots and provide the missing information for their ballot to count. Once a voter provides their DL# or SSN4 and that number is validated, the provisional ballot will count. County boards of elections will train poll workers accordingly.

For more information, go to ncsbe.gov/registrationrepair.

Perry Memorial Library

The Local Skinny! Growth and Excitement at Perry Memorial Library

/by

Perry Memorial Library is all the things a library should be – it’s inviting and chock full of books and other reading materials for patrons to enjoy. But Youth Services Librarian Melody Peters is someone who likes to be in “the mix,” as she put it, so whenever she’s able to, she likes to be out and about – bringing the library and its services into the community.

“You have to go out to get people to come in,” Peters said on Tuesday’s segment of The Local Skinny!

With another successful summer program under their belts, the library staff is gearing up for the fall, but there’s a bit of a breather that has allowed Peters to do some outreach activities, most recently with The Salvation Army and AIM High.

And on Saturday, you’ll most likely find her at the Way to Grow Fest in downtown Henderson.
“This is happening in our backyard – we have to be there,” Peters said.

Stop by the library’s table on Saturday and enjoy a bracelet craft activity as you learn more about the various programs the library offers.

Then stop by the library on Thursday, Sept. 11 at 2:30 p.m. for the official ribbon-cutting ceremony to welcome to library’s fancy new Bookmobile.

“This is big news – this is huge!” Peters exclaimed.

A Greensboro-based company designed and outfitted the bookmobile’s interior. It’s got a ramp and all the bells and whistles, she said.

“People are going to love it! It opens up a whole new level of outreach,” Peters said.

 

CLICK PLAY!

TownTalk: ‘Way To Grow Fest’ Continues With Weeklong Activities

/by

The weeklong Way to Grow fest, in full swing in Henderson and Vance County, is shaping up to provide the community with a variety of ways to come together and support the place we call home.

At Monday’s community block parties, folks gathered at several different spots to share an easy meal and let the kids play together, conjuring up feelings of nostalgia for Tracy Mosley, director of Helping All People Excel.

When she was a child, cookouts and playing with other kids in the community all summer long were routine; it’s less so nowadays, but the Way to Grow festival is creating opportunities for children to play together and find things in common with one another instead of focusing on differences.

Mosley spoke with WIZS News Tuesday and outlined the rest of the week’s activities, leading up to the culminating street festival Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The block parties Monday “set the stage” for the rest of the week, Mosley said. “The energy is good; the vibe is great!”

Tuesday marks the launch of “Buy Local, Build Local,” a campaign that supports local businesses.  Patrons download an app on their phone and earn points or credits for shopping local.

It’s important to support small businesses and entrepreneurs, she said, but for small business owners to be successful, the whole economy around them has to be strong.

Wednesday is all about the S-Line, with a focus on what the future holds for Henderson and Vance County as plans progress to return passenger rail service to the area. Thursday brings a focus on the arts and Friday’s theme is college and careers. Come out to Southern Charm between 12 noon and 4 p.m. for Friday’s information about college and careers.

“We were very intentional about how we built this week,” Mosley said. From small business and economic development to education and the arts, the Way to Grow Fest offers a glimpse into what a future could look like when different sectors of the community come together for a common goal: helping each other to be better.

“The whole week is designed to be what we want it to be,” Mosley said, “to help Henderson and Vance County grow in the right direction.”

Visit www.waytogrowfest.com to learn more.

Saturday’s daylong festival in downtown Henderson has grown from last year. Last year, the festival stopped at Orange Street, but this year stretches one block further to include more buildings on the far end of Garnett Street, Mosley explained.

There will be more vendors and food trucks, participating shops and resource tables available for folks to enjoy, but if you don’t do anything else, Mosley said bring the kids to the Youth Village.

“They are the future of this community,” she said.

“For them to get together and get to know one another and learn how to work with each other now while they’re younger and learn that they have more in common than not, because at some point they’re going to leave this community and it’s our job to make sure that they’re getting everything that they need to be the best leaders that they can be. It’s truly a chance to invest in your future,” she said.

Learn more about Gateway CDC at www.thegatewaycdc.org

Click Play!

Cooperative Extension with Michael Ellington: Pesticide Applicator License Process

/by

Michael Ellington, on the Vance County Cooperative Extension Report:

This segment covers a recent change in the pesticide applicator license process and offers a reminder for upcoming pesticide trainings and a fall vegetable class.

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

Click Play!

TownTalk: Franklin-Vance-Warren Launches $3M Jubilee Center Project

/by

Franklin-Vance-Warren Opportunity, Inc. occupies the red brick building with the low profile up on the hill at 180 S. Beckford Dr. Through its efforts over the course of the last 60 years, FVWOPP has woven itself into the fabric of the communities it serves.

From this location, FVWOPP interacts with the community through a variety of programs that benefit pre-school age children all the way up to senior adults. The building began as Jubilee Hospital, and once served as Henderson City Hall.

By the time Abdul Sm Rasheed joined about five years ago as FVW’s CEO and senior advisor to the board, he said the first thing they had to do was fix the roof.

Community leaders gathered on Aug. 5 to launch a $3 million Jubilee Center renovation and transformation of the property, which includes much more than fixing a leaky roof. And Rasheed said it’s one way to give the facility new life by embracing its history and the role it played locally, statewide and beyond.

“We’re hoping that as we give the Jubilee facility new life,” Rasheed explained, “it will give inspiration, particularly to our young people in our community, and have them see how the future can look.”

“This project really grows out of my love for my community,” he said. “I love my community…I’m a product of this community and not a victim of all the history that some of us may want to point to and embrace. I’d rather embrace the triumphs of our community, and I consider what we are trying to do today with the Jubilee Center is a triumph that we want to announce to the world.”

The artist renderings of the project reflect the idea of bringing new life to the building. It’s not a restoration project, but more of a reimagining. Rasheed said the project isn’t abandoning the history, “but we do want to advance the image, the look, hopefully the inspiration that this facility can bring to all citizens of our community and visitors to our community.”

Roy Brown, Jr. is FVWOPP’s media and communications coordinator, and he said the groundbreaking event “Celebrating Triumphs” is bringing FVWOPP into the 21st century. Longtime programs like Head Start and Section 8 housing are making room for new programs like YouthBuild as some of the services that FVW offers.

“We want to present the public something nice,” Brown said. In addition to the outward transformation, there are plans for the building’s interior to honor numerous African Americans who have had a lasting effect on their communities. “It’s inspirational to look at a building, and the history, and where we came from and where we’re going…to inspire change throughout the whole city.”

The bulk of the funding – $2.7 million came from a U.S. Dept. of Agriculture lending program for small, rural communities.

Another $150,000 came from the Cannon Foundation and the roof repairs a few years ago were made possible by a $150,000 loan from First National Bank.

Rasheed’s 40+ years in the area of community development have cemented for him the need for public/private partnerships in projects like this.

“Public/private is the only way to address our major issues in our communities and neighborhoods,” he said.

The Section 8 housing program is sort of like that public/private partnership. The program subsidizes rents for qualified individuals.

Rasheed said it’s a $3 million initiative that brings dollars into the community for residents “to realize stable, safe housing” and pays landlords directly. “That’s a direct investment into local real estate owners,” he said.

The YouthBuild program provides wraparound services for young people 16-24 years who want to get their GED or trade certificate to make themselves employable. Rasheed said the program has helped 65 or so young people so far.

The Early Head Start and Head Start programs may be familiar to many, providing a preschool education experience before kindergarten. There are close to 500 children in both programs, he added.

With a current annual budget of about $12 million, Rasheed said there are more than 100 employees on the FVW payroll. “It has been bringing capital into this community and investing that capital into people to improve themselves and contribute to the health of the community,” he said.

CLICK PLAY!

Mike Waters

The Local Skinny! Dequante Terry Sentenced To Life Without Parole In 2020 Murder

/by

– Information courtesy of the office of District Attorney Mike Waters

A Vance County man was sentenced to life in prison without parole plus 19 years for the October 2020 murder in Henderson.

During the week of the Aug. 4 session of Vance Criminal Superior trial court, Dequante Jabree Terry was found guilty of first-degree murder, along with a string of additional charges related to an attempted armed robbery on Oct. 13, 2020 at a house on David Street during which Williard Ray Dement, Jr. was shot and killed.

Terry also was found guilty of attempted robbery with a dangerous weapon, assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury, assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, and possession of a firearm by a felon.

According to information from the office of District Attorney Mike Waters, during the robbery, Terry fired several shots inside of the residence, striking Misty Boyd and Haley Boyd. An unknown assailant outside shot multiple times into the residence and struck Dement, causing his death. Terry was apprehended within a block of the murder scene, with Dement’s DNA on his pants and a 9mm handgun in his pocket. The 9mm weapon was determined by a firearms expert to have been fired inside of the David Street residence.

The Vance County Sheriff’s Office and North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation investigated the case. The State of North Carolina was represented by Assistant District Attorneys Allison Capps and Theodore J. Marsh, Jr. Mr. Terry represented himself.

CLICK PLAY

Cooperative Extension with Wayne Rowland: Wildlife Habitats

/by

Wayne Rowland, on the Vance County Cooperative Extension Report:

Wildlife Habitat can be improved on your property when you consider the wildlife you want to attract.

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

Click Play!