WIZS Radio Local News Audio 12-22-22 Noon
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The Local Skinny! City Council Renames Street For Eddie Hicks
It won’t quite be the same as having him there in person, but Melissa Elliott says she’ll be glad when she can look out her window at Gang Free, Inc. and see the street sign that proclaims the street nearby as “Eddie James Hicks Street.”
The Henderson City Council voted to rename E. Winder Street for the local hero who died in October.
Elliott’s Gang Free, Inc.’s location is in the community known as Flint Hill, where Hicks grew up.
“He had many ties to Winder Street and the surrounding area,” Elliott said on Thursday’s segment of The Local Skinny!
Newly elected council member Lamont Noel presented the request to the council, along with signatures on a neighborhood petition, and the matter easily was approved.
“Eddie’s heartbeat is in Flint Hill,” Elliott said. “It was an honor to be able to put this on the calendar so fast and to get it passed.”
Henderson Mayor Eddie Ellington told WIZS News that the street name change will “honor the memory of one of (our) own who had many ties as a young man to Winder Street and the surrounding area. We remember that legends never die, they live on in our hearts forever
Eddie did so many things in this community, and the word “no” was not in his vocabulary when it came to requests for assistance from others.
“He would always help out,” Elliott said, from taking food to a senior adult to coaching a child, to waiting while Elliott finished up work for the day – which often turned into evening.
“He would not leave me at the building by myself,” she recalled.
Gang Free, Inc. is having a celebration gala Thursday evening, and Hicks’s widow, Jackie, is scheduled to attend.
“I’m excited about honoring Eddie – he will be with us tonight in spirit. He celebrated life and I’m just grateful to have known Eddie…he just wanted to make his community better.”
And while a street sign can’t take his place, Elliott said reading Eddie James Hicks Street will motivate her to keep Hicks’s memory alive by trying to make the community better.
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The Local Skinny! Gang Free Inc. Year In Review
In the nonprofit world, so much emphasis is placed on the good that organizations do throughout the year. And that certainly is the case for Gang Free, Inc.
From the thousands and thousands of pounds of food that have been distributed to more than 34,000 people in need, founder and president Melissa Elliott is not short on praise for what the volunteers and so many community agencies have done to help the community in 2022.
But sometimes, you just need to stop for a second and celebrate successes, large and small.
That’s just what Elliott and others plan to do Thursday evening during the second annual gala event – celebrate accomplishments.
“It has been a very challenging year, trying to find our normalcy,” Elliott told John C. Rose on Thursday’s The Local Skinny! “We never stopped throughout the pandemic, (so) it’s time to wind down and celebrate accomplishments.”
The nonprofit world also is keen on quantifying efforts, and Elliott said she is pleased to see the numbers of those that Gang Free, Inc. has “effectively impacted -it’s quite overwhelming and I’m totally grateful to God,” she said.
Among those expected to attend the gala are elected officials – Elliott herself is a Henderson City Council member – as well as volunteers, community health workers and representatives of various community-based agencies that Gang Free partners with.
“We did things that had never been done before,” she said, referring to various minority-run entities that connected with Gang Free to provide services ranging from COVID-19 vaccine education to establishing a food pantry in collaboration with Vance County Schools.
Then there are the 267 toys given out to children in kindergarten-fifth grade, assistance to 165 families experiencing homelessness and fighting food insecurity throughout the area.
Elliott is quick to point out that Gang Free does not do this in isolation; rather, she praised the community for working together.
“We share and we do this work together – that’s what makes us such a wonderful community,” she said. “There is great connection in our community.” Working together relieves one agency of the whole responsibility to provide for those in need, she added.
Nonprofit leaders like Elliott may take a moment to reflect on the year’s work, but that moment is fleeting and, next thing you know, plans for the new year are taking shape.
There are plans for a new transitional housing and remodeling the homeless shelter, just to name a couple of projects for 2023.
Elliott and her volunteers have plenty of work to do, but tonight, they’re going to revel in what got done in 2022.
“I’ve seen God work miracles this whole year and I look forward to more,” she said.
Want to help? Phone 252.598.0067 or learn more www.gangfreeinc.org.
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TownTalk: Police Chief Barrow Talks Shop With A Cop
It may have been cold – it IS December, after all, but there’s a pretty good chance that area law enforcement officers and 47 youngsters in the community felt nice and warm on the inside during the annual “Shop with a Cop” event this week.
Henderson Police Chief Marcus Barrow said individuals representing the police department, sheriff’s office, fire department, highway patrol, animal control and park rangers got to shop with children at Walmart in Henderson.
“We got to see some kids that we interacted with throughout the year,” Barrow said on Thursday’s TownTalk. One child had a special request to shop with an officer who was working a shift, but Barrow said they were able to make some adjustments in the schedule to grant the child’s request.
“He was able to shop with that kid – it was heartwarming,” Barrow said.
In all, the bill came to about $8,000, and that’s after Walmart generously knocked a little bit off the final tally, Barrow said.
In years past, law enforcement agencies have worked in partnership with the local Chamber of Commerce to raise money for the spending spree, but it just didn’t happen this year. Chalk it up to the residual pandemic restrictions and the strain on law enforcement agencies to provide adequate staffing.
“We look forward to partnering with them next year,” Barrow said.
In the meantime, it was important to keep the event alive, so that’s what they did.
It’s a time to let children be children and roam up and down the toy aisles. But it was sobering for Barrow to see some of the older kids get everyday items like hygiene products.
“We want them to think of themselves,” Barrow said. The adults usually steer the kids to clothing items, including coats, during the shopping spree.
But many of the children also wanted to pick out gifts for their parents or other family members, too.
Sometimes, the gift is in the giving, not in the receiving.
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TownTalk: Protecting Animals In Bitter Cold
Whether you’re keeping up with weather forecasts as you stay warm indoors or whether you have to be out in the elements, here’s the main takeaway: it’s going to be bone-chilling cold for the next few days.
And while we humans can add an extra layer of clothing or stay bundled up by the fire if we’re lucky, Animal Services Chief Frankie Nobles reminds pet owners to be mindful of the needs of our furry friends, too.
If you have a pet outside, bring it inside the house or into a garage – anything you can do to block the wind, Nobles told John C. Rose on Thursday’s TownTalk.
“When that wind gets to blowing, it gets colder and colder” for pets who must remain outside. If possible, move doghouses to a more sheltered spot in the yard or throw an extra blanket on top of the doghouse for an extra layer of protection, leaving just enough of an opening for the dog to get in and out.
Use wood shavings inside dog houses instead of blankets, which can get wet and make matters worse.
If you use heat lamps, make sure they’re not too close to things that can catch fire, he warned.
In addition to these measures, it’s equally important to make sure outside animals have access to fresh water.
“Water’s gonna freeze, that’s a guarantee,” Nobles said. Clearing out water bowls is essential when temps dip below freezing.
And they need to have plenty of food, too. “Feed helps produce energy, which produces heat,”
He said. This goes for outside pets and livestock, too.
Some horse owners put blankets on their horses, which helps them stay warm. Horses can be seen in pastures wearing blankets, Nobles said, “but you’ll also see a bunch of hay. Their body has to break that hay down (and) that’s what keeps them warm,” he said.
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Cast Your Vote Through Dec. 31 For McGregor Hall, Rec Players In BroadwayWorld Raleigh Awards
McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center and the Henderson Rec Players have been nominated for the 2022 BroadwayWorld Raleigh Awards which recognizes regional productions.
Now it’s up to you, the voting public, to cast your vote! It’s simple, free, and takes just a few minutes of your time. One vote can be cast per email address, according to awards guidelines.
Voting continues through Dec. 31, 2022 and winners will be announced in January.
McGregor Hall and the Henderson Rec Players combined for a total of 28 nominations, in categories that range from actors and supporting actors to direction and stage design. Find the link to vote – and a sample ballot – at the McGregor Hall website, https://www.mcgregorhall.org/
WIZS Radio Local News Audio 12-21-22 Noon
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TownTalk: St. Paul’s Lutheran Plans Food Ministry
St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Ridgeway is launching a food ministry to try to help residents in Vance and Warren counties who find themselves struggling with having enough food for themselves and their families.
The food ministry, modeled after the story in the Bible of feeding 5,000 with two fish and five loaves of bread, will have its first event on Saturday, Jan. 28 and will be held on the last Saturday of each month thereafter, said Corey Brooks, pastor at St. Paul’s.
The church fellowship hall will host the first several months, but as the weather warms, Brooks said the hope is to travel into different areas of the county to provide food.
Brooks spoke with John C. Rose on Wednesday’s TownTalk about how the idea for a food ministry got started.
“We still have a few minor details (to work out), but we’re excited to be kicking this off,” Brooks said. “It’s easy to say ‘let someone else take care of them,’” Brooks said, but added that we’re called to love all of God’s children.
Providing a hot meal through the food ministry is a way to show that love for one another.
There also will be a “blessing box” located near the Norlina post office that people can visit, whether it’s to take food or to donate non-perishable items.
The box will have food to nourish the body and plenty of Bibles to nourish the soul.
“Take what you need and leave what you can,” Brooks said.
The blessing box is a place where folks struggling with food insecurity can go in the time between the last Saturdays of the month, he said.
St. Paul’s belongs to the southeastern district of the Lutheran Church’s Missouri Synod, and pastors like Brooks receive mission insight reports that provide information about the area, from income levels to people’s beliefs about God. Through his service as a chaplain for first responders, he said he’s seen the need himself.
But food insecurity rose to the top as a concern in the area, so the church is trying to do something about it.
Brooks invites other churches to help out, too.
“It’s not just our church,” he said. “It’s a time for us all to come together as brothers and sisters in Christ to provide” for others in the community.
He acknowledged that transportation could be a challenge, so help in that area would be most helpful.
But most of all, Brooks said he wants to let folks know that regardless of their struggles, their walk in life that they are children of God. “We want to walk with you and help you carry your burden as best we can.”
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Representative-Elect Sossamon To Be Sworn In On Jan. 10 At McGregor Hall
Frank Sossamon will be sworn in as the newest representative for N.C. House District 32 Tuesday and the public is invited to attend.
The swearing-in ceremony will be held at McGregor Hall on Jan. 10 at 6 p.m.
Superior Court Judge John Dunlow will administer the oath of office.
District 32 includes Vance and Granville counties.
During the run up to the 2022 midterm elections, candidate Sossamon focused on priorities which include generating local jobs, encouraging small business development, improving education and reducing crime throughout the district.
TownTalk: Does Anyone Want To Talk About The Jail?
No matter where you stand on the issue, the Vance County Detention Center is not an ideal facility, neither for staff nor inmates. Sheriff Curtis Brame has been vocal about the physical condition of the jail, which has racked up numerous deficiencies in recent state inspections.
The Vance County commissioners asked a Raleigh firm to conduct a facilities needs assessment, which County Manager Jordan McMillen is still in the early stages. The county is paying Moseley Architects more than $48,000 to complete the needs assessment.
“It is a comprehensive study,” McMillen told WIZS News via email Tuesday. “I would anticipate some results as we get into the spring” of 2023, but said commissioners may hear an update at the regular meeting in January.
Brame acknowledged that a cell phone video – aired Monday on a Raleigh television station – showed an inmate on the floor, surrounded by several other inmates who were hitting him.
In a brief written response to WIZS News Tuesday, Brame said charges had been filed in connection with the assault, but he provided no further details about the incident.
It is the latest challenge for Brame and county leaders, who seem to be at odds at times over what exactly needs to be done at the jail.
“The county has invested a good bit into the jail the past few years as the sheriff has requested items,” McMillen stated.
In fact, over the past five years, capital expenditures for the jail have increased almost $1 million – from $3.47 in 2018 to $4.34 million.
The 2023 budget is $4.86 million, which includes an extra $400,000 that commissioners approved in October that is designated for providing health care for inmates.
Brame has said he would like to see a new jail facility built for Vance County. Running the jail is the sheriff’s responsibility, and he has called for increased salaries for detentions staff.
According to McMillen, the new part of the jail was built in 1990 and comprises 32,355 square feet of space. The older part of the jail is smaller – about 2,400 square feet – and was also renovated in 1990 when the new portion was constructed.
The entire facility was renovated in 2010.
In addition to the needs of the physical plant are needs to have sufficient staff at the jail. Detention staff was included in a salary study the county put into place in July 2022 that raises hiring rates from $33,432 to $36,433.
“We are in a facility that has long outgrown its needs,” Brame told WIZS News back in August 2022. “Our detention center is antiquated and outdated,” he said, and noted safety issues – for staff and detainees alike – as a result of the condition of the physical plant.
Commissioners received the 9-page report at its August meeting, which detailed everything from non-functioning locks on food passage doors to dirty showers, as well as deficiencies in staff trainings and supervision.
But the overall physical condition of the jail, located at 516 Breckenridge St., looms larger for Brame. “Over 31 years ago the county decided to renovate the detention
center,” he said at the time, adding that the renovations do not meet current standards and needs and he maintains that the jail is unsafe for both staff and detainees.
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