TownTalk: Vance County Republican Convention Coming Up

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Local Republican Party leaders are putting the finishing touches on plans for upcoming county conventions, that vital first step of electing delegates that will ultimately select delegates for upcoming state and national events in advance of the 2024 elections.

Jimmy Barrier chairs the Vance County GOP, which plans to have its county convention on Friday, Mar. 24 at Pool Rock Reception and Convention Center. He was joined by Mike Magnanti, vice-chair of the Granville GOP and David Woodson, Warren County GOP treasurer on Tuesday’s TownTalk with John C. Rose.

Granville County will host its county convention one day before the Vance County event – Thursday, Mar. 23 at the Granville County Expo and Convention Center. Doors open at 4:30, Magnanti said.

Warren County held its convention Saturday, Mar. 4, Woodson said. The GOP doesn’t have a large presence in Warren County, “but it’s growing,” Woodson reported.

“I’m excited about the momentum,” he said. “2024 will be here before you know it – we need to be ready.”

Political activity begins at the precinct levels in February, which leads to county conventions in March – that’s usually when the group elects officers and district delegates. The district and state conventions are held in June, followed by the national convention in July, Magnanti explained.

“It’s all about organizing the county, so that we can move forward to the state convention and the national convention,” he said.

As chairman, Barrier said his job is simple, but not always easy. “My job is to get candidates elected,” he said. He would like to see more Republicans throw their hats into the ring to run for local office.

“Come in and help us and show us what you want us to do,” he said, inviting the community to attend the upcoming Vance County convention. “It’s ‘us,’” he said. “It’s our party.”

Barrier said everyone is welcome to attend the Vance GOP convention, but only registered Republicans will be able to take part in any votes during the business portion; registration and credentialing begins at 5:30 p.m. and the business meeting begins at 7 p.m.

Scheduled to speak are State Sen. Lisa Stone Barnes and N.C. Rep Frank Sossamon.

Magnanti said State Treasurer Dale Folwell heads up a long list of speakers, including elected officials as well as other candidates running for office.

“This is a great meeting to…get to see what’s going on,” he said. “This is a great one to come to.”

The county conventions are certainly a time to conduct the business of the organization, but Woodson said, “it’s definitely a rally and it’s a community outreach.” Calling local conventions the grassroots of this nation’s political system, he continued by saying, “This is where it really all happens. “People are getting interested…they want to hear some answers and hear some options.”

Vance County GOP:

vancegop@gmail.com or find Vance County NC Republican Party on Facebook

Granville County GOP:

www.granvillegop.org or email info@granvillegop.org; find them on Facebook and Twitter

Warren County GOP:

warrennc.gop@gmail.com or find them on Facebook and Twitter.

 

 

Petco Provides $10k More for Vance Animals

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The Petco Foundation awarded Vance County Animal Services $10,000 in early March.

The Save Pet Lives Grant will be used for just that, lifesaving efforts of pets in Vance County.

Chief of Vance County Animal Services Frankie Nobles said in a press release, “These funds will help save lives of animals at the Vance County Animal Shelter as well as be used for spaying and neutering community pets.”

He indicated the grant money could also be used to pay unforeseen vet expenses for animals at the shelter.

This marks the second time a Petco Grant has been received in Vance County and is among a short list of organizations that have periodically awarded such grants here locally.

Petco recently opened a retail space in Vance County.

Search Warrant Leads to Drug Bust on Townsville Landing Road

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Information provided by the Office of Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame.

The Vance County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant March 3 at the residence of Kelly Hemann, located at 358 Townsville Landing Road.

The warrant was served as the result of an ongoing investigation into illegal drug sales at the residence.

Members of the Vance County Sheriff’s Office located and seized Cocaine, Methamphetamine, Heroin, Marijuana and Hydrocodone.

Hemann, 52, was arrested for Trafficking Cocaine, Trafficking Methamphetamine, Trafficking Heroin, Possess with intent to Manufacture, Sell and Deliver Heroin, Possess with intent to Manufacture, Sell and Deliver Cocaine, Possess with intent to Manufacture, Sell and Deliver Methamphetamine, Possess with intent to Manufacture, Sell and Deliver Schedule II Controlled Substance, Possess with intent to Manufacture, Sell and Deliver Schedule VI Controlled Substance, Felony Possession of Marijuana and Maintain Dwell/Place For Controlled Substance.

She received a $300,000 secured bond and a court date of April 25, 2023.

Three Face Murder Charges In February Killings

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Three people have been arrested and charged with murder after two men were found dead in a vehicle in a Henderson neighborhood last month.

On Monday, Henderson police, along with officers from the Vance County Sheriff’s Office, Oxford Police Department and the SBI made the arrests, according to information from Police Chief Marcus Barrow.

Antonio Ray Townes, 29, and Shyheem Burton, 27, both of Vance County, were arrested, along with Tiffany Greene, 30, of Oxford.

Each faces two counts of first-degree murder in relation to the deaths of Kentrell Venable, 18, and Quavon Champion, 22. The men were found in a car parked on Gholson Avenue in Henderson on Feb. 7. Both men had been shot.

The suspects have been remanded to the custody of the Vance County Detention Center without bond pending future court proceedings.

Older Than 45? Time For A Colonoscopy

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-information courtesy of Maria Parham Health and Colleen Truax MSN, APRN, FNP-C

March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. If you are 45 or older, it’s time to think about getting a colonoscopy.

Health experts say screening increases the chance of early detection – which increases greatly the odds of successful treatment. During a colonoscopy, polyps can be removed before they become cancerous, according to Colleen Truax, a nurse practitioner in gastroenterology at Maria Parham Health.

The American Cancer Society recommends people get screened at age 45 – or younger for those at higher risk. Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosed in both men and women, excluding skin cancers. It is also the third leading cause of cancer deaths in both men and women. And while most of these cases occur in people 50 and older, the disease can occur in men and women at any age.

Fortunately, colonoscopies are an easier procedure than many realize. Shortly before the procedure, you will be given medications to minimize your discomfort. This procedure is so tolerable, in fact, that many people will ask, “When will we start?” only to be told the procedure has already begun. During the approximately 30-minute procedure, any polyps found will be removed by the doctor, and tissue samples will be sent to a lab for a biopsy.

Colonoscopies are critical to diagnosing cancer early because the beginning stages of colorectal cancer can often appear without symptoms. A colonoscopy can detect cancer early, making it much easier to treat. In fact, thanks in large part to colonoscopies, the overall incidence of, and death rates associated with, colorectal cancers have been on the decline for more than a decade. But this downward trend is mostly in older adults.  In people younger than 50, rates have been increasing by one to two percent a year since the mid-1990’s. Although the early stages of colorectal cancer are often symptomless, there are some common signs of colorectal cancers you should be aware of, according to the American Cancer Society, including:

  • Bleeding from the rectum;
  • Blood in the stool or in the toilet after having a bowel movement;
  • Dark or black stools;
  • Change in your bowel habits, including diarrhea or constipation or a narrowing of your stool, that  lasts for more than a few days;
  • Cramping, pain or discomfort in the lower abdomen;
  • Weakness and fatigue; and
  • Decreased appetite and unintentional weight loss.

While these symptoms can also be indicative of other health conditions, you should always talk to your doctor about them so he or she can help you get to the root of the issue and determine the underlying cause. In addition to scheduling your colonoscopy and keeping an eye out for common symptoms, you can be proactive in preventing colon cancer by living a healthy lifestyle that includes daily exercise, a balanced diet, maintaining a healthy weight, limiting your alcohol intake and eliminating smoking.

Contact Maria Parham Health at 800.424.DOCS or visit MariaParham.com to schedule your colonoscopy today. For more information about colorectal cancer, visit https://www.cancer.org/cancer/colon.

Vance County Logo

The Local Skinny! Vance County Commissioners To Meet Tonight

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Update 10 p.m. Monday:

The Vance County Commissioners voted Monday to authorize the execution of the “second wave” of Opioid Settlements written about below, meaning Vance County would receive an additional $2.76 million between 2023 and 2036

Original Update 5:30 p.m. Monday:

The Vance County Commissioners are scheduled to hear this evening all about what amounts to a lot of activity by county staff, who continually work to make sure county business gets taken care of in a timely and efficient manner. Tonight’s meeting begins at 6 p.m.

County Manager Jordan McMillen will share information about money coming into the county from the national opioid settlement, money the county may need to come up with to support KARTS and an upcoming planning retreat for the commissioners and county staff later this week.

These topics and more are scheduled to be part of the county manager’s report to the commissioners at their meeting Monday.

The manager is expected to recommend that Vance County join in “Wave Two” of the opioid settlement, which would bring an additional $600 million to the state to be distributed to local governments and municipalities.

The decision needs to be made by April 18; if the commissioners approve the recommendation, Vance County would receive an additional $2.76 million between 2023 and 2036, McMillen said.

The county has gotten more than $315,000 of its total $3.45 million allotment from Wave One.

McMillen also will present a funding request from KARTS, which operates in the four-county region. The rural transportation service is asking for more “emergency funding” – $75,000 – from Vance County and from the other counties it serves to allow the service to finish out the fiscal year.

The total annual budget is approximately $3.75 million, most of which comes from federal funding. Another 10 percent to 15 percent comes from local counties. McMillen said KARTS is asking for an additional $154,936 in administrative funds for the upcoming FY 2023-24 budget, as well as an extra $32,931 in capital funds to allow for replacement of buses that are over the recommended mileage.

“It is our understanding the funding requests are a result of expiring Federal CARES Act funds which have been instrumental in filling a gap in their new facility and operational costs the past couple of years,” Jordan stated in agenda information. “They have also indicated a need to
increase driver rates and have been paying significant overtime due to driver shortages. The KARTS board is exploring various ways to improve efficiency and raise additional revenue to include possible increased rates for contracted services, recouping money for no shows, and advertising on their vans among other things,” he continued.

The KARTS request may be part of the discussion at the upcoming commissioners’ planning retreat, set for Wednesday, Mar. 8 at the Perry Memorial Library.

The daylong planning retreat will begin at 9 a.m., McMillen noted. Among the agenda items include a board training on establishing a high-performing board, then a finance and budget review, with discussion, from the county finance director.

The day is scheduled to end by 4 p.m., following a goal prioritization session for the upcoming fiscal year.

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TownTalk: The Future of Economic Development in Vance County

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Economic development across Vance County seems to be perking up, and if 2022’s report is any indication, the trend is on an upward trajectory.

County Economic Development Director McKinley Perkinson is scheduled to present a review of 2022 at tonight’s monthly meeting of the county commissioners, and she’s going to paint a rosy picture.

She joined John C. Rose on Monday’s TownTalk and hit some of the highlights from last year, but looked forward to the coming months to talk about what’s on the horizon for Vance County.  (Listen Here)

Between investments and expansion, 2022 brought more than $12 million to the county, Perkinson said. “That’s a very positive number for Vance County,” she noted.

This year will see the completion of the shell building during Phase III at the industrial park, as well as an additional 19,000 square-foot building that will be marketed as flex retail space.

“Steel is actually going up on the walls today,” Perkinson said of the shell building. The additional flex retail space will hopefully be a place that will offer restaurant space for workers to grab during the day as well as provide some retail opportunities for area residents.

The bids are set to go out soon to identify a contractor to complete the additional sewer line project and road paving at the industrial park.

With more than $760,000 in federal grant money, coupled with more from the N.C. Department of Commerce, this project will result in completed water and sewer lines and replacement of the current gravel road into the park, Perkinson said.

There are many signs of economic activity across the county, from expansions at M.R. Williams, Robco and Walmart to new retail shopping and restaurants – Perkinson listed Marshall’s, Petco, Jersey Mike’s and the new construction of Mazatlan on Ruin Creek Road – “there’s a lot of big investments being made in the county.”

Perkinson said Robco is “a huge asset to have as an industry partner in Vance County.” The aluminum dock manufacturer got its start here and now sends its products to be installed in lakes and waterways across the country.

Robco and the industrial park are located very close to U.S. 1, which connects Vance County with points south, including Raleigh.

Perkinson said Vance County is well positioned to land more business and industry from counties like Wake and Durham where land is at a premium.

Those small- to medium-sized companies are “looking north,” she said, for more affordable spots to set up shop. Having a completed shell building will “put us a little bit ahead of the competition.”

The downtown area also is getting a bump in interest, with the addition of several new businesses along Garnett Street. “We have hit the ground running,” said Perkinson, who also serves on the Downtown Development Commission. “It’s truly amazing to see all the businesses that are opening up in Henderson…(people) have access to so many things that weren’t here before.”

The Bridges on Parkview is another such example – it’s an upscale assisted living retirement community, Perkinson said, that’s going up beside the Vance County Regional Farmers Market.

The construction alone will create about 40 jobs, she said, and, once completed, it will offer a nice independent living option for older residents looking to simplify their lifestyle.

 

 

West End Baptist

West End Community Watch Meeting Mar. 21

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Join the West End Community Watch for its upcoming meeting on Tuesday, Mar. 21.

The speakers for the meeting, which begins at 6:30 p.m., will be Paul Ross, executive director of the Henderson Family YMCA, according to an announcement from Claire Catherwood.

Members of law enforcement also will be present to provide a police report.

The meeting will take place in the fellowship hall of West End Baptist Church, 619 Dabney Drive.