Marvin Harrison Named Vance County Fire Department Chief

/by

Vance County has named Marvin Harrison as chief of the Vance County Fire Department.

Harrison begins the new job on Monday, April 21, according to information from County Manager C. Renee Perry.

With more than 14 years in the fire service, Harrison brings experience in leadership roles as well as operational expertise along with a deep commitment to public safety.

His previous department is accredited by the Commission on Fire Accreditation International and Harrison served in key leadership roles, including interim Division Chief of Budget and Logistics and Battalion Chief. His experience in a CFAI-accredited organization has given him firsthand expertise in high-level operations, strategic planning, and fiscal responsibility.

“I am honored to lead the Vance County Fire Department and to serve the residents of this great community,” Harrison said in a press statement. “My experience in an internationally accredited department has prepared me to guide this organization forward with a focus on professionalism, operational excellence, and community trust. I look forward to building upon the strong foundation already in place.”

Chief Harrison has outlined a forward-thinking leadership agenda that includes strengthening recruitment and retention, expanding diversity within the department, and prioritizing professional development for all personnel.  He also emphasized the importance of building strong relationships with the community and ensuring firefighters are supported with the tools, training, and leadership necessary to succeed.

“This is a historic moment for Vance County. Chief Harrison brings an exceptional blend of experience, education, and vision that aligns perfectly with our goals for the future of public safety. His leadership in an internationally accredited department and his passion for service make him the right person to move our fire department forward. We are excited to welcome him to the team and look forward to the positive impact he will have on our community,” Perry said.

A native of Rocky Mount, North Carolina, Harrison holds a bachelor’s degree in Fire and Emergency Services Administration from Fayetteville State University. He also earned an associate’s degree in emergency management from Nash Community College and an associate’s degree in healthcare administration from the University of Phoenix.

Home and Garden Show

/by

On the Home and Garden Show with Vance Co. Cooperative Ext.

  • The Integrated Pest Management For The Home Garden workshop will be on April 28, 2025 at 6:30pm at the Vance County Regional Farmers Market. Wayne Rowland will be hosting this workshop.
  • Read the back of seed packets lots of useful information. Ex: days to maturity, how to plant.
  • Top dress your raised beds with compost or aged manure plus some slow release fertilizer and incorporate that mixture before planting.
  • Read the label on all chemicals before you purchase them to see if it is the right product for the job.
  • When setting out transplants put a cardboard collar around the transplant to prevent cutworm damage.
  • If you limed in the fall, you might want to take another soil test to see if the PH has changed.
  • Identify insects before you spray. It could be beneficial! Bring us the insects and we can identify them for you.
  • Purchase a good rain gauge.
  • Purchase healthy transplants.
  • If you are purchasing transplants directly from the greenhouse, keep plants outside for a few days before planting.
  • Check areas for mice. Greenhouse, storage, and shed.
  • Check houseplants dust weekly with a soft cloth.
  • Check storage areas for mice.      

The Vance County Cooperative Extension is located at 305 Young St, Henderson, NC 27536

The Vance County Regional Farmers Market is located at 210 Southpark Dr., Henderson, NC 27536

Click Play!

Reducing Contraband At Detention Center

/by

Vance County Detention Center Administrator Maj. William Mitchell, Sheriff Curtis Brame and others are working feverishly to comply with a corrective action letter requiring improvement in five different areas at the jail – from staffing shortages to making repairs, supervision schedules to contraband.

It sounds an awful lot like the carnival game Whack A Mole at times, as one area is addressed another two or three pop up.

If there were more corrections officers at the jail, maybe there would be fewer instances of detainees destroying property. If property weren’t in disrepair, maybe detainees wouldn’t be able to sneak in contraband through a hole cut in a perimeter fence.

With the recent dismissal of several corrections officers, Mitchell told Vance County commissioners Monday afternoon at a special called meeting to discuss next steps at detention center, Mitchell said “somehow the contraband has dramatically slowed down.”

Another policy that is being put in place at the jail requires two people to be present when there’s any contact with a detainee. It can be two corrections officers, a CO and a deputy sheriff, Mitchell explained, but always two people.

And as for staff going off site for “smoke breaks” without being screened again upon return to the facility?

“Those days are over,” Mitchell said.

Neither Brame nor Mitchell is in favor of having staff go through the body scanner, however.

The scanner is used every day for detainees entering or returning to the jail, Mitchell said, but not for staff because of its “intrusive” nature.

Two stand-alone units – one for cell phone detection and one for metal detection have been ordered and should arrive soon, he added.

“The greatest success will be in no single (person) contact with inmates,” Mitchell emphasized as he offered details about reducing the amount of contraband entering the jail.

And from the “You Can’t Make This Stuff Up” Department comes this from Mitchell, when asked about a rumor going around about a detainee and Bojangle’s food.

“That’s not a rumor,” Mitchell said, referring to the food item simply as a breakfast treat.

“There was a video or picture taken by an inmate and posted on social media, so we all know it happened.”

The correction officer in question no longer employed at the detention center. “And we presume that the cell phone was recovered,” Mitchell said.

TownTalk: Henderson City Council Meeting Information

/by

Although city revenue collections are lagging behind projected rates at this time in the fiscal year, Finance Director Joey Fuqua told the Henderson City Council on Monday that work on the recommended FY 2025-26 budget is coming along and should be ready for to present to Council at its May 12 meeting.

Roughly 28 percent – about $2 million of a projected $8 million – from a category called “various revenue – has been collected so far. Responding to a question from Council Member Garry Daeke, Fuqua explained that the category includes a number of different licenses and fees paid to the city.

Water revenues are at 55 percent and sewer revenues are a bit lower at 48 percent.

“The impact of the cyberattack has seriously impeded our ability to capture real-time numbers,” Fuqua said, referring to an apparent computer bug that forced the city to shut down key computer programs including water bill payments.

Fuqua said his team has been “working diligently” to shore up all of those accounts and get the infrastructure back into place.

Last year’s budget required $4 million from the fund balance, and Fuqua said this year’s budget is “contingent on some very important variables” that should get firmed up in the next week or so when March and April revenues are finalized.

Fuqua said this year’s budget is shaping up to be conservative, with increases due mostly to inflation. There could be a bit of a cushion in the area of capital improvements due to the fact that the city will be retiring several loans.

The Council approved a schedule of six budget work sessions that will take place between the May and June meetings.

A public hearing on the budget is scheduled for Tuesday, May 27 beginning at 6 p.m.

There were a couple of matters before the Council that pertain to the water and sewer system – one involved granting access along Rock Mill Road at Martin’s Creek pump station through an easement to landlocked property adjacent to the pump station.

Another matter involved an application for money from the State Revolving Fund to make improvements at the Sandy Creek lift station and force mains. W.K. Dickson is submitting the application on the city’s behalf but needed the approval of the Council.

CLICK PLAY!

Perry Memorial Library

The Local Skinny! Perry Memorial Library Celebrates Earth Day, National Poetry Month

/by

Perry Memorial Library is teaming up with Vance County Cooperative Extension and Safe Routes To School to promote Earth Day 2025.

Youth Services Librarian Melody Peters invites the public to come out on Tuesday, Apr. 22 at 4 p.m. No registration is necessary – just come on out and have some fun!

Peters said there will be plenty of hands-on activities for youngsters as they learn about how to care for the planet and contribute to a greener, more sustainable future.

“We just want to celebrate Mother Earth,” Peters said, adding that there will be opportunities projects to create bird feeders and plant seeds in a cup, both of which can be taken home when they’re completed.

Hopefully, the weather will cooperate and the activities can take place outside. Safe Routes to School will bring a Story Walk to share and kids can take part in a scavenger hunt, too.

Then on Tuesday, Apr. 29, the library will be the site of an evening of poetry to celebrate National Poetry Month.

Peters said she’s visited Vance County High School to do programs, but this time, the school’s chorus and library club are coming to the library to share a program highlighting poetry and the spoken word.

Members of the Library Club are always helpful when they come to the library, and Peters said if you have never heard the VCHS Chorus perform, you should definitely come hear them on the 29th.

“They have a beautiful sound,” Peters said, adding that their voices, lifted together, just seem to fill the entire gallery area.

Bringing groups into the library to present programs improves and strengthens community partnerships. Peters isn’t shy about approaching groups or individuals, and the answer is usually a resounding ‘yes’ to the request.

It’s just another way to inform the community and raise awareness about resources located right here in the area.

Visit https://www.perrylibrary.org/ to learn more.

 

CLICK PLAY!

Cooperative Extension with Michael Ellington: A Special Message for Farmers

/by

On the Vance County Cooperative Extension Report from Michael Ellington:

Today’s recording is full of helpful reminders and contains a special message for farmers about the NCDA&CS disaster relief program.

NCDA&CS Agricultural Disaster Relief Program

https://www.ncagr.gov/agdisaster

Average last and first frost dates – Map

https://gardening.ces.ncsu.edu/weather-2-2/average-first-and-last-frost-dates/

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!

County Board Special Called Meeting To Discuss Lingering Jail Issues

/by

Update 4-14-25 at 11;30 p.m.

In a special called meeting held Monday afternoon, the Vance County Board of Commissioners took steps to move forward with repairs to the existing jail and construction of a new detention center, but are still wrestling with issues of having too many detainees and too few staff – both of which fall far below state expectations to rectify the problems.

Commissioners approved a proposal from County Manager C. Renee Perry to pay current staff $50 an hour on top of their regular hourly rate in an effort to get them to work additional hours at the jail and help close scheduling gaps – at least for the next two pay periods.

Three additional people per 12-hour shift would be needed to comply with the state’s mandate for staffing, which would result in about $69,000 in extra pay and benefits per month. There’s money already in the budget, so no budget amendment would be needed at this time.

Perry also recommended that the minimum salary for detention officers be bumped up one pay grade, effective immediately, from about $40,000 to about $42,000.

This move helps to make Vance County more competitive with surrounding counties, but Perry said it will affect more staff pay because when you shift one grade you have to shift the entire detention series.

The problems at the detention center aren’t new, and they aren’t a surprise to county leaders.  But finding solutions has proven to be complicated, and long-term solutions are elusive.

As of Monday, the county has failed to meet not one, but two, deadlines to comply with state mandates – to significantly reduce the number of detainees in the detention center and to address staffing shortages.

Perry said the county received a second letter from the state on Friday, Apr. 11 stating that the sheriff’s office must submit by 5 p.m. on Monday a list of 20 additional staff members who would be filling in those staffing gaps.

Maj. William Mitchell, interim administrator jail, frankly informed commissioners that creating and submitting that list isn’t quite as simple as writing 20 names on a piece of paper.

“It is physically impossible to have that done by 5 o’clock,” Mitchell said.

And although the sheriff’s office has made headway in whittling down the number of detainees – 77 have been moved to six counties across the state with another 10 scheduled to be moved soon – it still is far from the maximum of 20.

There were 81 detainees in the jail as of Friday, Apr. 11 – down from 178, Mitchell noted. As of Monday, the number had crept up to 87.

Mitchell introduced Maj. Kevin Staton as the new detention center administrator, effective next Monday and mentioned several other additions to staff rosters. Again, it’s a step toward filling the 30 or so vacancies, but there’s still a long way to go.

“Staffing is still a huge issue,” Mitchell told commissioners. “If we can’t get COs (correction officers) to come in on their days off, I don’t know what the next step is going to be.”

With three staff recently dismissed and an additional resignation late last week, the jail is short between 24 and 26 staffers. Sheriff Curtis Brame said his office needs between 8 and 10 additional officers to be fully staffed.

The Apr. 1 letter spelled out five areas of corrective action, including the depopulation of the jail, staffing deficiencies, supervision schedules, contraband and repairs.

Mitchell reported to commissioners that C Dorm is now empty and county staff have already taken a look to see what repairs can be made as a stopgap measure until the more comprehensive repairs using the “design/build” model can be implemented.

Although Perry assured commissioners that the county would continue to tackle repairs on the lengthy “to-do” list, she does not want to make repairs that ultimately would need to be done again.

“I just don’t want to spend a lot of money on things that may not be done correctly,” or not in accordance with recommendations from the design/build team, she said.

 

****************************************

Original Update 4-11-25 at 5:30 p.m.

With the state’s deadline now passed to drastically depopulate the Vance County Detention Center, Sheriff Curtis Brame said he and his office continue to look for places for the detainees to be relocated, but it hasn’t been an easy task.

Insufficient staffing and serious deficiencies in the physical facility prompted the state to issue the corrective action that included moving out more than 100 detainees to other facilities.

As of Friday morning – one day past the Apr. 10 deadline to reduce the jail population from more than 140 to 20 – Brame told WIZS News that there were fewer than 90 individuals still housed at the detention center.

Brame said he is working with other sheriffs to relocate more detainees, but other jails also face at-capacity or over-capacity censuses.

It’s not as simple as moving detainees from one place to another, he said. Detainees haven’t been convicted of crimes; they are in custody awaiting trial and cannot be housed in exactly the same space with individuals who have been convicted of crimes.

The Vance County Board of Commissioners will have a special called meeting on Monday, Apr. 14 at 4 p.m. to discuss matters concerning the jail. Included on the notice from Board Chair Carolyn Faines are three items:

  • new detention center construction and renovation recommendations
  • detention center deficiencies
  • emergency pay policy

The meeting will be held in the commissioners’ conference room of the Vance County Administration Building, 122 Young St.

The Local Skinny! Tasker Fleming on MerleFest 2025

/by

The campus of Wilkes Community College once again transforms into a sprawling concert venue later this month when MerleFest 2025 cranks up for four days of pure musical fun.

MerleFest 2025 begins Thursday, Apr. 24 and continues through Sunday, Apr. 27.

Tasker Fleming, host of the Front Porch Bluegrass Show that airs from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Sundays on WIZS said that folks who attend MerleFest will surely get their money’s worth – different musical groups will take to stages large and small, indoors and out, during the course of each day.

One local group, The Barefoot Movement, is scheduled for four performances on Friday, Apr. 25. They’re just one of the dozens of performers – from Bonnie Raitt and the Avett Brothers to Asleep at the Wheel and Peter Rowan – included in this year’s lineup.

singers, players and pickers

And if the musical variety weren’t enough, there will be vendors galore selling all kinds of items from food to musical instruments for the thousands of attendees expected.

When Fleming attended the music festival a couple of years ago, he said one thing that struck him was the relaxed atmosphere that existed between the musicians and the audience.

“When they get off the stage, they hang around and talk to you,” he said. “You won’t get that at a normal concert.”

Visit https://merlefest.org/ to learn more.

 

CLICK PLAY!