American Heart Month: Know Your Heart Numbers

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February is American Heart Month and Maria Parham cardiologist Dr. Mohammad Akhter has a question to ask: “Do you know how healthy your heart is?”

The heart is one of the hardest working parts of the body, Akhter said in an article sent to WIZS as part of American Heart Month.

Knowing some key terms – and understanding what they mean with regard to heart health – are important to keep in mind, he said.

People hear about blood pressure and cholesterol, but knowing your own numbers and taking action to control them is an important step to maintain heart help. Targets for healthy cholesterol levels can vary based on age and gender, but a general rule of thumb for adults is to aim for 125-200 mg/dL. Too much LDL (the “bad” kind)  or not enough HDL (the “good” kind) increases the risk for build-up or blockage in arteries, which could lead to heart attack or stroke.

As for blood pressure, Akhter said that the 120 over 80 is still a good guideline, and readings above those levels would be considered elevated or high. Readings greater than 130/80 are considered hypertensive.

“High blood pressure can be a significant contributor to and sign of serious heart issues,” Akhter said. “Unfortunately, it is an all-too-common condition, affecting nearly half of American adults according to the American Heart Association, and presenting no symptoms the majority of the time,” he said.

Fortunately, high blood pressure can be lowered and managed with the proper care, including diet and medication.

Health professionals usually perform the blood analysis that gives individuals their cholesterol level and blood pressure, but there’s another indicator that Akhter points to that could be a predictor of heart problems – a patient’s waist size.

He cited a study by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute which showed that men with a waist size larger than 40 inches and women with a waist size greater than 35 inches are at higher risk for heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

“The good news is that healthy eating and physical activity can help you lower and maintain a healthy waist size and stay on the road to good heart health,” he said.

Risk factors like high cholesterol and blood pressure can also run in your family, so knowing your family’s heart health history can help you stay alert to your own health risks. And while these aren’t the only markers on the map to good heart health, they are key factors in determining how healthy your heart is and your risk for heart issues now or down the road. Your primary care provider can check these numbers for you – including during your annual check-up – and work with you on a plan to make any changes necessary to get you back on track, whether it’s simple lifestyle changes or medication if necessary.

Call 800.424.DOCS to make an appointment. For more information on heart health, visit heart.org. Take a free heart health assessment at MariaParham.com/heart-care.

Armed Robbery at Speedway on South Garnett

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The Henderson Police Department and Chief Marcus Barrow are looking for a suspect in an armed robbery.

Sunday night January 30 about 9:18, officers responded to the Speedway convenience store at 929 South Garnett Street.

According to a press release on the matter, the male suspect in the armed robbery wore all black clothes and a camouflage face mask. The suspect approached the clerk, brandished a firearm and demanded money.

He fled on foot behind the store.

If you have information related to this case, contact Henderson-Vance Crime Stoppers at 252-492-1925 or via the P3 app or call Henderson Police at 438-4141. You can also contact Henderson police through Facebook or Instagram.

Andrea Harris Task Force

TownTalk: Alice Sallins Reflects on Andrea Harris And Talks Arts Council, Black History Month

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Henderson’s city operations facility has had a few names since it was constructed – but the name it officially got today (Tuesday, Feb. 1) will be a lasting one. From now on, the building, located on Beckford Drive, will be named for Dr. Andrea Harris, who died in May 2020.

Harris grew up in Henderson and was an educator, as well as a civic leader and activist at the local and state level. The City Council voted in 2021 to rename the building in memory of Harris.

Alice Sallins was among those in attendance at the official ribbon-cutting and dedication Tuesday morning. Sallins worked alongside Harris when they both were involved with the NAACP.

“I knew her very well,” Sallins said of Harris. “When she was president of the NAACP, I was vice president.” Being involved in the community in which you live was important to Harris, and Sallins continues to follow Harris’s example.

“If you’re involved, then you represent the rest of the community,” Sallins told John C. Rose in a phone interview Tuesday morning. If you’re sitting at the table, “you’ll make sure you get a slice of the pie,” she said.

Although Sallins said things have gotten better, she said there’s still room for improvement when it comes to have diversity among the various boards and governing bodies and agencies in the community. “We’ve come a long way, but we’ve got a long ways to go,” Sallins said.

“If you’re planning for me and not including me, then you’re not planning for me at all,” she said.

As Sallins waited for the dedication to begin, she reflected on her friend, Andrea Harris. “She would be pleased, really, if she were here today.”

Henderson Mayor Eddie Ellington offered remarks on the occasion of the dedication, saying that city officials gathered “to commemorate an exceptional part of our community’s history and celebrate one of our own.”

“Looking at the City Operations building and the name that is forever etched, helps to tell a brighter, fuller story of who we are,” Ellington said in a written statement to WIZS News on Tuesday. “Many citizens pass through those doors to cast their votes in every election – local, state and federal – with a promise of democracy and it reminds us that we all are created equal. Today we remember one of the brightest lights of our time. A brilliant champion for all people, a fierce friend and truly a phenomenal lady. We cherish the time we were privileged to share with Dr. Andrea Harris.”

Vance County Arts Council Black History Month Virtual Program

The Vance County Arts Council is planning a virtual Black History Month program that will be available beginning Monday, Feb. 7 for viewing.

Alice Sallins, the council’s executive director, shared names of some of the artists who will be featured in the project, which can be viewed via YouTube. Willa Brigham, a Charlotte-based storyteller and daytime Emmy award winner, is one well-known personality who will be a part of the virtual celebration.

Sallins said Brigham will have a 45-minute session that will be recorded and offered to the Vance County Schools, as well as the general public, for viewing.

Stella Jones will share African American poetry and vocalist Evelyn Couch will perform Negro spirituals. Johnny Watkins will recite poetry by Langston Hughes, she said.

The program should be completed this week and will be uploaded by Saturday.
The link will be live from Monday through the end of February. Look for the links on the Vance County Arts Council Facebook page and in other locations, she said.

“Look for a high time,” Sallins said. “We have some very good artists who are working hard” to create a quality program for the community to enjoy.

 

 

The Local Skinny! Around Old Granville: Weldon’s Mill

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It’s been decades since Weldon’s Mill closed, but it remains a local landmark that represents memories of times gone by, when just about every creek or stream had a mill on it.

And although Weldon’s Mill is still standing, it’s not in good condition, but Mark Pace said the foundation of the old mill is probably original. That means it’s been around since the 1700’s, when Granville County included what is now, Vance, Granville, Warren and Franklin counties. Pace joined Bill Harris for the Around Old Granville segment of The Local Skinny! Tuesday and waxed poetic about the legacy of mills in and around the area.

In 1884, there were two dozen mills still in operation in the area. That number dropped to half a dozen by the mid-1950’s. But one of those was Weldon’s Mill, located on Sandy Creek in the southern part of Vance County.

The mill was originally started between 1785 and 1790, Pace estimated, and then had a series of owners before Canadian James Amos bought it in 1874. The Weldon family bought it in the 1930’s and it stayed open until 1964.

There were actually two mills located on opposite sides of the creek, Pace said. The one that still stands today wasn’t the grist mill – that one got washed out in 1917. The mill that stands today had a saw mill on the first floor and a cotton gin on the second floor.

“They took the old mill that was still standing and retrofitted that as a grist mill,” Pace said.

The mills weren’t just a place to get wood sawn, cotton ginned or corn ground, he said. When Vance County was formed in 1881, the Sandy Creek Township was divided into two voting precincts. Depending on which side of the creek you lived on, you voted at one mill or the other.

At least one congressman representing the area would have meetings there, too. “Edward W. Pugh would come there and hold his political rallies there” at the mill.

While the foundation probably dates back to the 1700’s, Pace is skeptical that the rest of the building also is original. “A curious thing about the mill,” he said, is that there is mortise and tenon and peg construction, “the actual boards have been cut with a circular saw,” indicating that the boards may have been salvaged from previous structures.

The Local Skinny! Jobs In Vance

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The H-V Chamber of Commerce and WIZS, Your Community Voice, present Jobs in Vance for February 1, 2022. The Chamber compiles the information, and it is presented here and on the radio. Contact the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce at 438-8414 or email christa@hendersonvance.org to be included.

JOB OPENINGS IN VANCE COUNTY – Week of February 01, 2022

 

Name of the Company:   Boys and Girls Club of NC

Jobs Available: Director of Facilities and Safety – is responsible for the planning organizing, managing and directing various technical responsibilities associated with the maintenance of facilities, vehicles, grounds and equipment

Method of Contact:  For more information call 919-690-0036

 

Name of the Company: Boys and Girls Club of NC

Jobs Available:  Resource Development Coordinator – is responsible for providing administrative support for the generating of fundraising income through campaigns targeting local businesses, churches, civic groups and individual donors within the community

Method of Contact: For more information call 919-690-0036

 

Name of the Company:  Vance County Department of Social Services

Jobs Available:   Child Support Agent II, Income Maintenance Caseworker III, Social Worker II

Method of Contact:  For more information call or go by your local NC Works Office

 

Name of the Company:  Vance County Department Sheriff’s Detention Center

Jobs Available:  Sr. Maintenance Specialist, Kitchen Worker

Method of Contact:  For more information call or go by your local NC Works Office

  

Name of the Company: Eckerd Kids

Jobs Available: JJ Case Manager

Method of Contact: For more information call or go by your local NC Works Office

  

Name of the Company:  Hollander Sleep Products

Jobs Available:  Truck Driver and Lead Distribution

Method of Contact: For more information call or go by your local NC Works Office

  

Name of the Company:   Boys and Girls Club of NC

Jobs Available: Youth Development Professional – Creates an environment that facilitates the achievement of Positive Youth Development Outcomes and provides guidance and role modeling for members while promoting and stimulating daily learning. This is a part time position

Method of Contact:  Interested applicants may send resume to SLAVETT@BGCNCNC.COM

 Some of these businesses are present or past advertisers of WIZS.  Being an ad client is not a condition of being listed or broadcast.  This is not a paid ad.

 

City of Henderson Logo

New Henderson Park Could Be Reality By Summer Of 2022

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The North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources announced that Williams & Montgomery Street Park was awarded $357,497 from the NC Parks and Recreation Trust Fund (PARTF). The funds will go to the construction of a new park in Henderson.

“Thanks to the North Carolina Parks and Recreation Authority, Vance County’s local economy is going to see a positive impact with the construction of Williams & Montgomery Street Park,” said Rep. Terry E. Garrison.

Henderson-Vance Recreation and Parks Director Kendrick Vann said the project is “moving forward” and said the park could be finished by the summer of 2022.

The Authority approved 14 local grants in September 2021, but this year approved funding for 41 local parks and recreation projects for more recreational opportunities across the state. The recipients are required to match funds dollar-for-dollar.

“We’re excited to see what other projects we can get off the ground in Vance and other counties in House District 32 for our future generations,” Garrison said.

The city submitted a request in 2021 to the state Parks and Recreation Trust Fund (PARTF), funded by the N.C. General Assembly, according to Vann.

Henderson did not receive a grant during the initial funding cycle in 2021,  but Vann said at their Jan. 6, 2022 meeting, the N.C. Parks and Recreation Authority announced a second round of funding, and Henderson was among several communities successfully funded.

“Once we receive the allocation contract for the PARTF grant program, we will start putting together bidding packets for the project,” Vann told WIZS News via email. Once the bidding process is complete, local officials will have a better idea about a timeline for a start date and completion.

Vann said he hopes to have this project complete by the beginning of summer 2022, “so the community can enjoy this great accomplishment.”

Some preliminary work has been done at the park site and he said he hoped to have the first phase of the National Fitness Campaign installation in the coming weeks.

“With the City Manager and City Council’s continued support we are at the stage we can see the results of our perseverance,” Vann said. The only hurdles we have now are the traditional ones –  which include potential weather delays, and supply/equipment shortages or back ordered material.

Granville Vance Public Health Logo

Omicron Variant Accounts For 99 Percent Of New COVID-19 Cases In Vance, Granville

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The Omicron variant accounts for 99 percent of all new cases across the Granville Vance Health district, which reported a total of almost 1,400 new cases as of Friday, Jan. 28.Vance County reported 569 new cases and Granville reported 825 in the past seven days which ended Jan. 27, according to GVPH Director Lisa Harrison’s weekly update.

Vance County’s 32.7 percent positive rate and Granville’s 27 percent positivity rate still put both counties in the high transmission for new cases.There have been 13,095 cases of COVID-19 in Granville County and 10,959 cases of COVID-19 in Vance County for a total of 24,054 across the health district.

There were 35 Butner Federal Prison inmates reported as COVID positive to the health department on the Granville County side this week and 16 staff members of the Butner Federal Prison who are currently positive for COVID-19 are residents of the health district.

Each county has documented 110 deaths as a result of COVID-19 for a total of 220, up three from last week’s total of 217. In Vance County, a 47-year-old male died in hospital on Jan. 22 and in Granville County, a 73-year-old male died in hospital Jan. 25.

The update also included the most recent seven-day rolling average of new COVID-19 deaths across the United States, which continues to climb. As of Thursday, Jan. 27, 2,267 deaths had been reported. “Nearly all cases of COVID-19 which are typed across the country right now are Omicron,” Harrison stated in the update. “Just because less severe disease is happening with this variant for many people – and many people may not even show or feel symptoms – that doesn’t mean Omicron isn’t still deadly to some. It’s especially dangerous for the unvaccinated who are more likely to have severe illness and need hospitalization. Given the sheer amount of spread we are experiencing across the country of this variant, we still see high numbers of those hospitalized and those dying from COVID-19.” High numbers of hospitalizations also are being recorded in the state and in the region.

Vaccinations, boosters, mask wearing and maintaining social distancing protocols are still the best protections against COVID-19.

Here are the most recent county numbers:

In Vance County:

·       65 percent of those over the age of 5 have received at least one dose of their COVID-19 vaccine and 59 percent have been vaccinated with at least two doses or one dose of J&J.

·       19 percent of those ages 5-11 years old have received at least one dose of their COVID-19 vaccine and 11 percent are up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccines.

·       48 percent of those ages 12-17 years old have received at least one dose of their COVID-19 vaccine and 42 percent are vaccinated with at least two doses or one dose of J&J.

·       10,000 of those over the age of 12 are vaccinated with at least one booster/additional dose

In Granville County:

·       69 percent of those over the age of 5 have received at least one dose of their COVID-19 vaccine and 64 percent are vaccinated with at least two doses or one dose of J&J.

·       21 percent of those ages 5-11 years old have received at least one dose of their COVID-19 vaccine and 15 percent are up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccines.

·       45 percent of those ages 12-17 years old have received at least one dose of their COVID-19 vaccine and 41 percent are vaccinated with at least two doses or one dose of J&J.

·       15,304 of those over the age of 12 are vaccinated with at least one booster/additional dose.

COVID-19 tests are available in the following locations in the two counties:

·       Rural Health Group at Henderson, 100 Parkview Dr. West, Henderson, Mon-Fri. 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

·       Vance County Schools Central Office, 1724 Graham Ave., Henderson, Mon-Fri, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

·       CVS and Walgreens, by appointment

·       Butner-Stem Middle School, 501 E. D St., Butner, Mon-Wed., 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

·       Mary Potter Center for Innovation, 200 Taylor St., Oxford, Thur.-Sat. 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

·       Spectrum Medical Solutions, 119 Hilltop Village, Mon.-Fri. 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.