Local Businesses Asked To Donate Items For New Teacher Welcome Bags

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The Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce is preparing 130 welcome bags for the new teachers preparing to come to work in the Vance County area.

But the Chamber needs your help! If your business would like to donate an item to help fill these bags, please contact us at 252.438.8414 or bring the items (in quantities of 130, please) to the Chamber office, 414 S. Garnett St., no later than Friday, July 8.

The schools include those in Vance County Public Schools as well as Henderson Collegiate, Crossroads Christian School, Kerr-Vance Academy and Vance Charter School.

Some suggestions for donations include: pens, pencils, pads, hand sanitizer, coupons /discount cards, key chains, etc.

The Chamber staff thanks you in advance for your kind donation.

Register For Chamber’s W.O.V.E.N. Meeting Aug. 3

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The August Lunch and Learn meeting of WOVEN (Women of Vance Empowered Networking) is scheduled for Aug. 3 at the Vance-Granville Community College Civic Center.

The meeting begins at 12 noon. Cost is $20 per person and includes lunch. Staff from Maria Parham Health will discuss the importance of women’s health care in a program titled “Self Care Isn’t Selfish.”

As female business professionals, we all have put our health on the back burner from time to time. This hour-long networking opportunity will give you professional advice on the importance of taking care of yourself.

Registration is required by July 27 and payment is preferred prior to the event.

Register at https://business.hendersonvance.org/events/details/woven-self-care-isn-t-selfish-the-importance-of-women-s-health-care-1997 or email sandra@hendersonvance.org or hailey@hendersonvance.org.

TownTalk: Looking To The Future Of Area Transportation

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Imagine driving to the train station in downtown Henderson to begin your daily commute to your job in the Triangle. You hop on the commuter rail, which whizzes past the stopped traffic along U.S. 1 and Capital Boulevard as you approach your destination.

For regional planner Sam Boswell, that is no longer a pie-in-the-sky notion, but what could be reality in, say, another 10 years or so.

Boswell is a regional planner who concentrates on transportation for the Kerr Tar COG. He told WIZS’s Bill Harris Wednesday that he sees his job as a balancing act to ensure that the COG provides and promotes projects for all parts of the region, not just the ones that are experiencing the burgeoning growth right now.

The Kerr Tar COG, which serves Vance, Granville, Warren, Franklin and Person counties, stays up-to-date on NC DOT projects, such as the S-Line Rail Project slated to run through Henderson and points north, participation in a regional greenway project and an alternative to the gas tax, which helps to fund transportation projects and maintenance.

Individuals have an opportunity to ask questions, voice concerns and hear updates from the NC DOT as it hosts an open house during the week of July 25-29. Folks can drop in to Div. 5 offices, 2612 N. Duke St., in Durham any time between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. during that week, Boswell said.

Part of his job, he said, is to help municipalities and counties with projects and to explore ways to have a regional effect, “a grouping of services to benefit the region.” That sometimes proves difficult, he said, explaining that municipalities may not reap a direct benefit from a project that is not geographically nearby.

Take the S-Line rail project, for example. This project will connect Raleigh and Richmond and completing the Southeast rail corridor that then can feed into the much-used Northeast rail corridor.

“It’s a big deal, for sure,” Boswell said, adding that there’s a great deal of excitement around the project.

In addition to reducing commute times and the number of vehicles on the road, a passenger rail brings with it other benefits. “If you’ve got a train stop, you’ve got people leaving and people coming in,” he explained. That means riders can choose to get off at the Henderson or Norlina stations, “put a break in their trip and visit local businesses,” spending money and adding to the local economies.

There’s another exciting possibility for transportation of a slower nature – bicycle and pedestrian traffic along a greenway. The East Coast Greenway feasibility study is underway now. It’s mostly a biking trail, but there’s a walking route as well, Boswell said. The greenway extends through 400 cities from Florida to Maine, sort of like the Appalachian Trail, and the American Tobacco Trail in Durham makes up 27 or so miles of the greenway trail, he added.

“We’re working with a team of consultants to see how we can make that happen in the Kerr Tar region,” he said. Right now, there’s a section between Butner and Oxford in Granville County, but the COG is waiting to hear from another grant opportunity to continue the study on a bigger scale – building a greenway trail from Oxford north to Virginia and from Oxford to Henderson.

These projects, and others on the horizon, signal change for the area. Boswell said, like it or not, as the Triangle continues to expand, it’s important to keep the transportation system updated – even trying to stay ahead of the growth that is surely coming.

In addition to new projects like the rail line, it’s also critical to keep existing roads in good repair and able to handle the increasing volume of traffic.

“People are going to start moving in here,” Boswell said of the Kerr Tar region. What planners have to try to figure out is how to make adjustments to the infrastructure to accommodate those people.

More people means more vehicles using the roads, but not necessarily producing more revenue through the gas sales tax. More hybrid and electric vehicles means less money spent on gas, he explained. So the DOT is re-examining an idea previously studied that would generate revenue based on the number of miles a driver drives as opposed to how much gas he pumps into his tank.

“Right now, money for construction projects comes from the gas tax,” Boswell explained. As vehicles become more fuel efficient or not dependent at all on gas, drivers “aren’t paying their fair share…and the burden falls on some drivers more than others.”

DOT looked at it a few years ago.

Is it more equitable or sustainable to pay per mile than per gallon of gasoline? That’s one of the questions being considered in the study, he said.

The study has slots for 450 participants throughout the state, which will run from the end of July through October. Participants will get a device of some sort that will connect to the vehicle’s odometer or otherwise track the miles driven.

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United Way of Vance County Now Accepting Grant Applications

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The United Way of Vance County is now accepting 2022 grant applications.  Deadline for submission is close of business on July 31, 2022.  Applicant interviews for those that are eligible for a grant will be held on August 10th with the grants awarded on August 18th.

Eligibility requirements include:

  • The agency shall have an IRS tax exempt status under 501(c)3 or incorporated in North Carolina as a not-for-profit agency
  • The agency shall be licensed in North Carolina under the 1975 solicitation of Charitable Funds Acts unless specifically exempt

Completed applications are to be sent to P.O. Box 1352 or emailed to

unitedwayofvance@gmail.com.   Do not bring the application by the office.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Jane Haithcock, Secretary/Treasurer, at 252-432-3778 or at the email address above.

Applications are available on the United Way website.  Completed applications are due by close of business (5 p.m.) July  31, 2022 either to P.O. Box 1352, Henderson or at unitedwayofvance@gmail.com

TownTalk: Saving Cats And Kittens Is Purr Partners Goal

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There are a couple of important things to consider before becoming a pet owner, if you ask Luwanna Johnson, founder and president of Purr Partners rescue. Johnson and her team of volunteers devote countless hours to the Franklin County-based rescue operation, which takes in as many cats as it can, but it’s not enough.

“The number one thing people can do is spay and neuter their pets,” Johnson said. Without that step, she told WIZS’s Bill Harris on Tuesday’s TownTalk, “nothing is going to change.”

She said her organization gets upwards of 50 or 60 calls each week from people who have found cats or kittens, either abandoned or as strays.

This is not a new phenomenon, she said. “Sadly, it’s happening every year – every year it’s worse,” she said.

Some of the kitten “explosion” can be blamed on the fact that, during the COVID-19 pandemic, many of the spay-neuter clinics closed. Those who were inclined to have their cats fixed couldn’t. Now, she said, those cats have had kittens and the kittens have had kittens.

But it certainly isn’t the only factor in this dilemma, she said.

“As the human population explodes, the cat population does as well,” she said, explaining that folks who move to the “country” and let their cats live outside. And if they’re not spayed or neutered, Mother Nature takes over.

“Cats are just not safe outside,” Johnson said. “Our world is not safe for them,” she continued.

“Never let your cats outside, especially if (they) aren’t fixed,” Johnson stressed. Even if they are fixed, she said too often she sees cats come into rescue that have been hit by cars or attacked by other animals.

“They rarely survive an encounter with a car,” she said, “and they’re prey for coyotes, dogs and even humans.” She said Purr Partners has taken in more than a dozen cats in the past year with gunshot wounds.

These injured animals aren’t feral, she said. “These are the friendly cats – those who are coming up to people asking for help. And they’re being shot.”

And there’s another category of cat that often find themselves in her rescue – Johnson calls them “unsuccessful strays.” She defines this type of cat as one that has either wandered from its home or yard, or was scared or chased away and now finds itself unable to fend for itself.

“They’re not capable of surviving” on their own, and they come to Purr Partners in “horrible condition…they don’t know how to live outside,” she said. One such adult male came in weighing less than 4 pounds, she said.

So, spaying and neutering is the first thing a responsible pet owner should consider. The second important thing to consider is purchasing pet insurance, Johnson said.

It’s not realistic to think that, at some time or another, your pet will never need the services of a veterinarian. Or worse, an emergency veterinary clinic.

Vet care has become extremely expensive, she said, and just like the human members of the family, pets also need regular care to stay healthy.

And pet insurance has come a long way since its inception, Johnson said. For about $20 a month, cat owners can have coverage that will pay for emergencies, injuries and all kinds of illnesses.

Speaking of vet bills, about 99 percent of all Purr Partner donations are used to pay for veterinary services.

“We operate solely on donations and fundraising,” she said. The biggest fundraiser is the “Black Cat Bash” in October, which is a costume party held at the Durant Road Nature Park.

Send an email to purrpartners@yahoo.com to learn more.

Visit https://www.purrpartners.org/ to see the list of adoptable cats, learn how to volunteer, fill out an adoption application or click the big DONATE button!

Checks may be sent to:

Purr Partners

P.O. Box. 905, Youngsville, NC 27596

 

 

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The Local Skinny! Jobs In Vance 07-05-22

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The H-V Chamber of Commerce and WIZS, Your Community Voice, present Jobs in Vance for July 5, 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 Michele@hendersonvance.org to be included.

 

Freight Handler/Order Filler

Walmart Distribution Center – Henderson, NC

$17.55 – $23.55 an hour

Full-time

Day shift

Hiring multiple candidates

Fulfill store orders through pulling merchandise through layer using electronic voice control equipment, stacking onto pallets, placing labels in appropriate…

 

Front Desk Associate/Night Auditor

Divine Hospitality DBA Baymont Inn & Suites

Henderson, NC

$11 – $18 an hour

Full-time

Day shift

Hiring multiple candidates

The ideal candidate will have previous customer service experience and will understand the importance of responding quickly to guests’ needs and complaints.

 

 

Store Team Member –  Evenings/Overnight

Sheetz

Henderson

$14 an hour

Part-time

Overnight shift

Serve as a hospitality ambassador by greeting customers and providing an excellent experience.

Complete customer transactions accurately and efficiently.

 

 

Night Shift Production Technician

Bridgestone Americas

Oxford, NC

$25 an hour

Full-time

8 hour shift

Responsible to communicate to team members, manufacturing team members, department supervisor/manager(s), maintenance, customers, suppliers, etc.

 

 

Library Assistant

Vance County, NC

Henderson, NC

$14.99 an hour

Part-time

Work may include creating library accounts, assisting patrons with their accounts, checking out materials, and assisting in locating print and non-print materials

 

 

Arby’s Team Member

Henderson, NC

Estimated $23K – $29.2K a year

Team Members must listen to guests, coworkers, and supervisors, in person and over loudspeakers and/or a headset.

 

 

Health Care Front Office Assistant

The Optometric Eye Site

Henderson, NC

$12 – $15 an hour

Full-time

Busy Eye Care Practice seeking a new front office assistant and health care technician.

No previous experience and specific education is required, however, some…

 

 

Pick-To-Light Selector (Full-Time & Part-Time)

ADUSA Distribution, LLC

Henderson,

From $16 an hour

Full-time

Day shift

Hiring multiple candidates

Able to use a personal computer for data entry and research purposes.

Work in a warehouse environment with varying conditions (i.e. cool temperatures, concrete…

 

 

Machine Operator – 1st Shift

IDEAL Fastener Corporation

Henderson, NC

Estimated $28.9K – $36.5K a year

Full-time

Day shift

Hiring multiple candidates

IDEAL Fastener Corporation is NOW HIRING *for full-time Machine Operators!.

> Monday-Thursday, 10 hour shift with 3-day weekends!

Hiring ongoing

 

 

Part-Time Store Associate

ALDI

Henderson, NC

$14.50 an hour

Part-time

Meet any state and local requirements for handling and selling alcoholic beverages.

Adheres to cash policies and procedures to minimize losses.

 

 

Retail Stocking Associate $16.00/hr

Harbor Freight Tools USA, Inc.

Henderson, NC 27537

$16 an hour

Full-time

Ability to communicate clearly with customers and associates in person and via e-mail and telephone.

 

 

Deputy Register of Deeds

Vance County, NC

Henderson, NC

$31,926 a year

Full-time

Indexes vital records; issues marriage license; issues copies of birth, marriage, and death certificates, military discharges, legitimization papers;..

 

 

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.

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Mooresville Man In Vance Co. Jail On Burglary, Larceny Charges

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A Mooresville man is in the Vance County Detention Center facing a slew of charges in connection with burglary and the theft of a truck full of landscaping equipment.

Henderson Police arrested Herman Ray Terry, Jr., 35, Thursday night about 10 p.m. in the area of Hillside Ave., according to Chief Marcus Barrow.

In a statement to WIZS News, Barrow said Terry was in possession of a 2003 Isuzu commercial vehicle. The truck, valued at more than $45,000, contained in excess of $20,000 dollars of commercial-grade landscaping equipment.
The commercial vehicle belonged to Matrix Lawn Landscaping based in Mooresville.

Officers were initially unable to reach the company or its owner due to the time, but contact was made with Mooresville Police Department. Mooresville Police Department went to the business and found that the business had been burglarized.
The Mooresville Police Department was then able to make contact with the owner of the business, and he verified the vehicle and equipment were stolen and that Herman Ray Terry Jr. had been recently terminated as an employee.
The vehicle and its equipment were brought back to the Henderson Police Department and kept until the company could come and retrieve it.
Terry was originally charged with possession of a stolen motor vehicle and stolen goods. Magistrate Cowan issued a $26,000 secured bond.
Mooresville Police Department then obtained warrants for larceny of a motor vehicle, felony larceny, breaking and entering, possession of stolen goods, and injury to real property. Magistrate Stewart gave Terry an additional $80,000 bond.

“State of the City” Highlights Positive Progress For Henderson’s Future

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The Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce, partnering with Henderson Vance Rotary, hosted the 2022 “state of the city” address Thursday,  highlighting an array of projects underway and others on the horizon but also asking for a unified community approach to tackle issues that detract from the city’s image.

The dining room at Henderson Country Club was filled with about 100 Chamber members and guests for the program. Greg Etheridge, local Rotary president, welcomed the group, after which Mayor Eddie Ellington and City Manager Terrell Blackmon provided updates on the city’s current situation and prospects for future revitalization.

Ellington said he balances celebrating the city’s recent successes with the need to face “hard truths” that cannot be ignored. The City Council passed a $39 million budget with no increase in taxes or fees, and the city’s fun balance is “sturdy,” he said. New jobs are being added through projects like the M.R. Williams expansion and the addition of the cardiac catheterization lab at Maria Parham Health.

But increased gun violence, lack of affordable housing and a low percentage of home ownership in the city are certainly areas of concern, as are numerous open positions within the city administration.

Blackmon used results from the city council’s recent strategic planning retreat to identify several areas of need in his presentation titled “Reshaping Henderson” – which include improving the perception of the city, effective recruitment and retention of city employees and housing redevelopment.

“We have things to fix,” Blackmon said. Whether it’s an ongoing campaign to reduce litter with the city’s neighborhoods or actively promoting existing and new events that take place in downtown Henderson, he said the whole community needs to become more involved.

The police department is down 9 officers, the fire department has 12 vacancies, according to Blackmon, and the city has been with two key department heads for a year – the city needs a lead engineer and someone to oversee the public works departments.

With expected growth in the number of redevelopment projects as revitalization continues, the work of these two departments is critical.

“We have to have that every day leadership to move forward,” he said. It’s tough to compete with larger cities nearby, especially for law enforcement, he added. One step the city took recently is to give a $1/hr. pay increase to front-line workers as a way to retain employees.

The city has allotted $1.5 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds – ARPA – to fund redevelopment activities and other strategic investments in the city, and Blackmon encouraged and challenged others within the community to “leverage that money to help more residents in Henderson and Vance County.”

A self-described “passionate public servant,” Blackmon mentioned the various community assets that bring visitors to the area, where they spend money and contribute to the local economy. In addition to Kerr Lake, Fox Pond Park and McGregor Hall, he pointed out the new skate park near downtown and a new outdoor pavilion in the Embassy Square area that is ready to proceed with construction.

The city rejoined the Main Street program in 2021 as one way to promote downtown revitalization. Blackmon mentioned several grant programs and projects that have come along since that time, and said there’s more to come.

“I think you’re going to be very pleased with some of the progress that’s coming” to downtown, he said.

Moving forward with the West End and Flint Hill urban redevelopment areas is one way the city is hoping to boost safe, affordable housing for Henderson residents.

The median income in Henderson in 2020 was about $31,000, which Blackmon explained would be enough to purchase a home that cost about $168,000. But with a poverty rate of 29.3 percent, home ownership often is out of reach.

Blackmon said 60 percent of housing in Henderson is rental housing, which creates challenges for tenants, for property owners and for the city. It puts a greater burden on businesses and homeowners to “carry the services we provide to the community,” Blackmon said. The city relies heavily on property tax revenues.

Infill housing – new construction in established neighborhoods close to downtown – is something that the city needs, but he added that it is difficult to make the housing affordable. Blackmon hinted at the possibility of several future projects involving subdivisions and infill development.

The much-talked-about water plant expansion should get off the ground by January 2023 and the S-Line Mobility Hub is a hot topic right now for the area. Blackmon said Assistant City Manager Paylor Spruill was in Raleigh Thursday for the unveiling of the first draft of what the railroad station could look like.

The rail project, though chugging closer to fruition, is still in the early stages of development, one transportation-related issue that has long been on the minds of city officials could face a roadblock.

The Dabney Drive widening project could face getting pushed further down on the to-do list by NC DOT.

“Dabney Drive is a critical artery for the city of Henderson,” Blackmon said. “That widening project needs to happen as soon as possible.” He urged those present to talk to their elected state officials to keep the project from moving down the list.