Henderson Included Among Stops In 2023 “Mountains To Coast” Bike Ride

/by

Henderson is scheduled to be an overnight stop on the 24th annual “Mountains to Coast” bicycle tide this fall.

More than 900 icyclists from across the country are predicted to begin the trek in Banner Elk, wending their way along a route that will eventually take them to Emerald Isle, according to information from Visit NC’s executive director, Wit Tuttell, unveiled in a videotaped announcement Thursday. Click here to view the clip:

https://youtu.be/nZMkIYSDqGE

Check-in for the ride is Sept. 30; the ride begins on Oct. 1 and concludes on Oct. 7, with cyclists logging about 60 miles each day. There will be plenty of stops along the state’s scenic backroads as the cyclists make their way eastward.

Overnight stays are planned in the towns of Wilkesboro, Winston-Salem, Mebane, Henderson, Tarboro and Kinston.

The Cycle North Carolina “Mountains to Coast” Tour is the state’s only cross-state, fully supported ride created in 1999 with the N.C. Division of Tourism (now Visit NC), Capitol Broadcasting Company, the N.C. Department of Transportation and North Carolina Amateur Sports as founding partners.  Cycle North Carolina was developed to promote North Carolina’s scenic beauty, heritage tourism, visitor attractions, historic sites, state parks, fitness, healthy lifestyles and the benefits of bicycling to individuals and our state.  During the past 23 years, Cycle North Carolina has stopped overnight in more than 100 North Carolina towns and visited over 800 North Carolina communities.

Online registration is open at www.ncsports.org and interested riders are encouraged to register early, to avoid missing out on the highlight of the year for bicycling in North Carolina.

In addition to the “Mountains to Coast” Tour, Cycle North Carolina will host the Coastal Ride in Oriental, NC, April 28-30, 2023.  Cycle North Carolina will also host its ninth annual Mountain Ride in Lake Lure, NC, August 4-6, 2023.  Registration for both rides is open at www.ncsports.org.

Cycle North Carolina is presented by Retire NC. Partner organizations of Cycle North Carolina include: BODYARMOR, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, Truist, Capitol Broadcasting Company, Morningstar Law Group, the N.C. Department of Transportation and Motion Makers Bike Shop.

Local Stakeholders Invited to Join Community Collaborative of Vance County

/by

The Community Collaborative of Vance County’s mission is to be a catalyst for change to create a stronger, healthier and more compassionate community.

The partnership includes Triangle North Foundation, The Salvation Army and the Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce, who formed the group as a way to gather together a diverse group of non-profit organizations, businesses, churches and others to discuss issues and concerns that may affect the community.

A principal tenet of the group states that a community is stronger when everyone works together. “The Community Collaborative of Vance County unites various sectors to address critical needs, promote volunteerism, support networking, encourage partnerships and connect resources,” according to the group’s statement of purpose.

Val Short, executive director of Triangle North Foundation, invites interested individuals to join the next meeting on Jan. 31. Contact Short at 252.430.8532 to register or to learn more about the group.

Seating is limited, so call to reserve a spot soon.

TownTalk: Nobles And Wood Recognized

/by

It’s always nice when your colleagues recognize you for your efforts in the workplace. Frankie Nobles, chief of animal services for Vance County, thinks it’s so important that he belongs to the county’s Employment Engagement Team, a group that thinks of ways to show appreciation to the county’s employees.

One of the ways the county shows its appreciation is by identifying an “employee of the month” and recognizing the award winners at county commissioners’ meetings.

Shelly Wood was recognized as December’s employee of the month. Wood works with the Board of Elections.

January’s employee of the month was a surprise to Nobles, who chairs the employment engagement team.

It was him!

“They pulled one over on me,” Nobles told John C. Rose on Monday’s TownTalk, who said he was honored to accept the award. And he didn’t know ahead of time, he said,  that he would be January’s recipient.

Nobles and the others on the employee engagement team are always looking for ways to make employees feel appreciated and valued.

“You want your staff to want to come to work and be proud to work for Vance County,” Nobles said. Employee retention is a challenge that many employers face these days, he added. He and the other members of the engagement team meet monthly to brainstorm how to improve and, in turn, attract prospective employees to find careers in Vance County.

CLICK PLAY!

 

 

Vance County Logo

County Agrees To City Purchase Of Properties

/by

Vance County Commissioners approved last week the sale of its share of more than 100 properties jointly owned by city and the county. County Manager Jordan McMillen said the Properties Committee reviewed an offer of $181,529 from the City of Henderson.

“Our board did approve the sale of the properties,” McMillen told WIZS News last week. “We are working with our attorney to begin the title work and necessary legal work prior to conveying the properties.”

He estimated this process could take several weeks, considering the number of properties – 114 in all.

The deal has been in the works for a while, and city leaders plan to bundle properties and seek private developers as a part of an overall residental development plan.

The properties total approximately 26.7 acres within the city limits that came into possession of the city and county as a result of tax foreclosures dating back to 2007.

The properties committee also recommended holding off on selling three county-owned parcels totaling 8.16 acres along County Home Road to the city for future residential development.

 

Golden LEAF Scholarship, Internship Opportunities

/by

-information courtesy of the Golden LEAF Foundation

The Golden LEAF Colleges and Universities Scholarship application window is now open for the 2023-2024 academic year. Applications are available at CFNC.org. A total of 215 awards will be offered to first-time recipients from qualifying rural and economically distressed counties. Applications are due March 1, 2023.

The awards are valued at $14,000 ($3,500 per year for up to four years) for North Carolina high school students attending a participating North Carolina college or university. North Carolina community college transfer students can receive $3,500 per year for up to three years.

“The Golden LEAF Scholarship Program is an important component of the Foundation’s workforce preparedness strategy,” said Golden LEAF President, Chief Executive Officer Scott T. Hamilton. “Our goal is for Golden LEAF Scholars to gain the talent, knowledge and skills necessary to help North Carolina’s rural communities thrive by returning home to live, work and raise families.”

To be eligible, students must be a graduating North Carolina high school senior or a currently enrolled North Carolina community college transfer student, enrolling full-time in the fall at a participating North Carolina public or private college or university. Recipients are selected based upon multiple factors including an intent to return to a rural North Carolina county after graduation. Applicants must also fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and demonstrate financial need as determined by the application process; have a cumulative GPA of no less than 2.5; and be a resident of a rural, economically distressed North Carolina county. Click here for the full list of eligible counties.

For more than 20 years, the Golden LEAF Scholarship Program has provided more than 6,000 scholarships to help rural students attend the state’s colleges and universities.

The Golden LEAF Scholarship Program is administered by the North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority and funded by the Golden LEAF Foundation. A complete list of program requirements, participating campuses and qualifying counties can be viewed at CFNC.org. Call 1-800-700-1775 or send an email to information@ncseaa.edu, for more information.

Learn more about the scholarship at https://scholars.goldenleaf.org/.

 

Scholarship recipients may also apply for the Golden LEAF Rural Internship Initiative. The Rural Internship Initiative provides Golden LEAF Scholars with professional work experience related to their career field in a rural North Carolina community. The application window closes Jan. 31.

The Golden LEAF Foundation provides funding to pay interns $15/hour for up to 400 hours of work. Internships take place over 8-10 weeks, between June and August.

Leadership Vance 2023 Class Forming Now – Apply By Jan. 27

/by

The Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce is accepting applications for the 2023 Class of Leadership Vance, a program designed to give emerging leaders an in-depth look at the community where they live and work.

Deadline to submit applications is Jan. 27; an orientation and team building activity will kick off this year’s program on Feb. 22, according to information from Chamber President Sandra Wilkerson.

Participants in Leadership Vance will gather for monthly from February through September for educational and information sessions on a variety of topics in the community, from local government and schools to tours of local businesses and industry.

The cost to participate is $500 for Chamber members and $750 for non-Chamber members and includes all meals, transportation and materials.

Contact Wilkerson at sandra@hendersonvance.org or call 252.438.8414 to learn more or to request an application.

(Note: This story was originally broadcast on WIZS Radio and published on WIZS.com on January 5.)

City of Henderson Logo

The Local Skinny! City Of Henderson Financial Health

/by

The city of Henderson is in pretty good financial shape, according to a recent report presented by the auditor who completed the annual comprehensive study.

Bryon Scott delivered the positive news to City Council members during its November meeting, and he said the only bit of information that concerned him was uncollected taxes.

In the fiscal year ending June 2022, the city’s uncollected taxes were just more than 3 percent, according to minutes from the city council meeting. When that 3 percent threshold is passed, it triggers the state to require a letter stating the reason for going over the 3 percent mark.

Mayor Eddie Ellington thanked Finance Director Joey Fuqua and the finance department staff for all their hard work in helping with the audit process.

Council Member Mike Rainey moved the approval of the report, seconded by Council Member Ola Thorpe-Cooper. The vote to approve was unanimous.

Highlights of the report:

  • The five-year trend for the total fund balance is about $12.3 million. Of that amount, in 2022, the unavailable fund balance was roughly $3.2 million in 2022, up from $2.4 million in 2018.
  • The city’s General Fund available fund balance is about 55 percent of General Fund expenditures.
  • Regional Water System fund has the largest cash balance followed by the General Fund.  Regional Water also had largest fund balance.
  • The city’s tax collection percentage rate is 97.57 percent.  The city’s largest debt type is business debt.  The remaining 16% of debt is governmental.  Ad Valorem taxes is the City’s largest revenue, with the second-largest revenue being intergovernmental (distributions from the state). Tax from sales and services is third.
  • Public Safety is the largest General Fund expenditure, followed by transportation.  The third-largest expenditure is Recreation and Parks.

CLICK PLAY!

 

Fire Chief Steve Cordell Receives Order Of The Guardian For 30 Years’ Service To Fire Dept.

/by

What kind of a birthday gift do you give someone who’s spent more than half his life in service to his community?

City staff and fellow firefighters did things up right Thursday for Henderson Fire Chief Steve Cordell, who celebrated his 51st birthday in the company of city officials and N.C. Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey, who conferred to Cordell the Order of the Guardian award.

And the proverbial icing on the cake was Mayor Eddie Ellington’s official mayoral proclamation to make Jan. 19 “Steve Cordell Day.”

Causey was in town to award a couple of SAVE awards at Vance County Emergency Services Thursday morning, and then presented the award to Cordell during an afternoon ceremony at City Hall, Acting Chief Curtis Tyndall told WIZS News Friday.

Chief Chris Wright and Engineer Tyler Crews were presented with SAVE awards from Causey, who also serves as the state fire marshal, given to first responders and others who go above and beyond the call of duty in their work, according to information from Causey’s office.

The Order of the Guardian is the top award presented by the state insurance commissioner for outstanding service and leadership in the fire industry.

“We were honoring a man (in Cordell) on his birthday for his 30 years of service to the community,” Tyndall explained.

“Causey recognized the chief as being – regardless of the size of the department – one of the premier chiefs in the state of North Carolina,” Tyndall said. During his term as chief, Cordell has garnered the respect of peers across the state and beyond, Tyndall said.