City Council Adopts Social Media Policy In Special Called Meeting Wednesday

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In a special called meeting Wednesday afternoon, the Henderson City Council unanimously adopted a policy regarding the use of social media.

Henderson City Manager Terrell Blackmon told WIZS News that the city has a social media policy for employees, but it does not apply to the city’s elected officials – the mayor and members of the City Council.

Adoption of the policy was the sole agenda item for the 3 p.m. meeting. The meeting was short, with no discussion or comments on the matter before the vote was taken. Council members Sara Coffey and Sam Seifert were not present.

The policy, just more than two pages in length, spells out best practices and suggestions for elected officials about the use of social media, including personal emails, and “liking” and forwarding posts on social media platforms.

The policy lists eight Professional and Personal Conduct Standards that range from expectations that officials follow the City’s policies and standards to reminding officials “should be honest and accurate when posting information or news, and should quickly correct any mistakes, misstatements and/or factual errors in content upon discovery. Officials should not post or share information to be false about the City, its employees, constituents, other public officials, suppliers, vendors, or contractors.”

Additionally, the policy contains eight additional best practices and guidelines for elected officials that are “strongly recommended to ensure that the personal and professional use of social media by elected and appointed officials is done in a responsible manner.”

“Other municipalities around the state have adopted social media policies specific to Councils, Boards and Commissions,” Blackmon stated in an email response to WIZS Wednesday.

“The policy Council is looking to adopt today is very similar to one that was adopted by the City of Durham which is considered a ‘model’ policy,” he continued, adding that the policy Council will review was developed with the assistance of the Mayor and City Attorney.

Blackmon said, “There is technically no violation by any member at this time,” and went on to say that the adopted policy “is not designed to be punitive, but to provide direction and guidance. However, violation of the policy could result in the code of conduct being invoked.”

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TownTalk: Welcome Chapel Pastor Celebrates Anniversary With Aug. 4 Service

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Welcome Chapel Missionary Baptist Church is hosting a special celebration to mark the first anniversary of its minister, the Rev. Dennis White.

The community is invited to take part in the event, which is scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 4 at 3 p.m.

White was a guest on Wednesday’s TownTalk to discuss details of what will be happening that day. He said any pastoral anniversary is cause for celebration and this one is no exception. “It’s always a drawing card to a church,” he said.

The guest speaker for the occasion will be Rev. Kevin L. Chandler from Trinity Baptist Church in South Boston, VA and the New Sandy Creek Missionary Baptist Church Male Chorus from Keely, VA will perform.

White comes to Henderson from Greensboro, where he founded Faith Walk Baptist Church. The pandemic took its toll on the small congregation, White said, so after 17 years with that church, he accepted the call to Welcome Chapel.

“It was God’s design and God’s plan,” he said. “There’s no better place to be than where God has placed you…I am so excited to be at Welcome Chapel.”

Founding a ministry helped White become a better leader – “I was able to be very involved with every aspect of the ministry…it helped sharpen my leadership skills.”

White describes himself as a humble, faithful, people-oriented pastor. “I love being a pastor and doing it God’s way,” he said.

But he’s also a father – two children and two grandchildren – and a husband – married 32 years – and a counselor by training. Those roles feed into the role of pastor, too.

Having completed a master’s degree in pastoral counseling at Liberty University, White said he considers himself someone who is very approachable to those who seek his guidance. “This day and time, people need counseling in many areas of their lives,” White said.

The church is located at 237 Welcome Ave. in Henderson.

TownTalk: Kerr Tar COG Food Council

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To borrow a phrase from the Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Government’s Food Policy that was released in 2020, “food is big business.”

And even if you don’t happen to grow, harvest, transport, distribute or sell any type of food product, you at least eat. So food, indeed, is important.

This is the time of year that backyard gardens are bountiful – when’s the last time you had a juicy red slicing tomato? Unless you grew it yourself, got it from the local farmers market or farm stand, chances are it came from somewhere far away.

Charlie Robinette, with AmeriCorps North Carolina, has been working since last fall to strengthen what currently is considered at best a loose network to bolster the region’s food system.

The five-county Kerr-Tar region’s food policy lists six priorities to help the region establish a more cohesive and collaborative approach when it comes to creating a network for sharing resources about food. View the document here: https://www.kerrtarcog.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Kerr-Tar-Regional-COG-Food-Policy-Final.pdf

Robinette oversaw five different listening sessions in the spring – one in each of the five counties represented by the KTCOG – and from those listening sessions, a 15-member Regional Food Council was created.

Robinette, a guest on Tuesday’s TownTalk, said more than 75 individuals participated and came up with about 200 examples of successes, 200 examples of challenges and had some ideas about what should come next.

The Regional Food Council has met a couple of times already and is planning to meet again next week, Robinette said.

Robinette said the food council’s focus right now is twofold: Increasing access to healthy local foods and also increasing market and capital for farmers.

Farmers want consumers to be educated about where their food comes from and what it takes to get produce and more from the field or greenhouse to the table.

But it’s important for those who have different roles in the food chain to at least have a working knowledge of the entire system, Robinette said.

One way to achieve that is to have a centralized location where anyone can find resources. There are plenty of resources in the region, but sometimes it’s difficult to find information.

“We shouldn’t be replicating efforts,” Robinette said. Rather, a centralized location can direct individuals to agencies that already provide the services they’re looking for.

The food policy identified five “milestones” along the path of creating a regional food system. The first two have been checked off – adoption of a regional food policy and creation of a regional food council.

The next milestone involves an assessment of all available resources, cataloging them and identifying gaps in service.

Learn more at https://www.kerrtarcog.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/KERR-TAR-COG-FOOD-POLICY-PRESENTATION.pdf

 

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Perry Memorial Library

The Local Skinny! Events At Perry Memorial Library

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Summertime is all about taking a little break from routines and schedules and doing something a little bit out of the ordinary – shake things up a bit.

But not too much.

With that in mind, Perry Memorial Library Youth Services Director Melody Peters has a little something for everyone, which includes regularly scheduled events like Lego Fun Club and Mother Goose Story Time, with a few off-site events thrown in for good measure.

On Wednesday, Aug. 7, Story Time will be held for the first time at the Vance County Regional Farmers Market, Peters said on Tuesday’s segment of The Local Skinny!

The month of August is when activities at the library take a hiatus, giving staff a chance to continue planning for fall.

“We’re using that opportunity so we can go out into the community,” Peters said.

The Story Time coincides with National Farmers Market Week, so naturally the theme is going to be Fruits and Vegetables. Story Time starts at 10 a.m.

But that’s not the only off-site event that library staff have planned. On Thursday, Aug. 1, bring the kids out to Satterwhite Point for a special Story Time, complete with popsicles! Park rangers will be on hand to talk about their jobs and to share details about the park’s wildlife. This event begins at 11 a.m.

“We’re hoping to do it outside like we did last year,” Peters said, but the Glass House will be the Plan B in case of rain. The park is located at 6254 Satterwhite Point Rd.

Visit www.perrylibrary.org to learn about all the programs this summer at Perry Memorial Library.

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Cooperative Extension with Wayne Rowland: Agritourism

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These days, farmers not only need green thumbs to grow their bountiful fruits and vegetables, but they need to think “outside the garden” to find ways to add income to their enterprise, where profit margins are often tight and weather wreaks havoc adversely affecting the bottom line.

Enter agritourism.

The idea has probably been around longer than the term, but the National Agricultural Law Center defines agritourism as a form of commercial enterprise that links agriculture with tourism for entertainment or educational purposes.

Many small-scale farms welcome visitors to their property for a variety of reasons, ranging from pick-your-own patches – think strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, pumpkins and more – to farm stays and wedding venues to hiking and biking trails. Farmers really are only limited by their imagination – and the time they have to commit to the endeavor.

Vance County Cooperative Extension Technician Wayne Rowland offered a few reminders for anyone toying with the idea of branching out into agritourism:

  • Figure out what you want to focus on – it has to be a good fit for the farm and for the people running the farm.
  • Know the time commitment – many farmers have regular “day jobs” and do farm chores after work and on the weekend.

Contact the Vance County Cooperative Extension office to learn more about agritourism at https://vance.ces.ncsu.edu/ or call 252.438.8188.

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The Local Skinny! Chestnut Street Park Revitalization Project

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Charles Turrentine Jr. grew up on Hamilton Street, so it was a short walk down to Chestnut Street Park, where he spent time playing basketball and hanging out with his friends.

The park is due an upgrade, and Turrentine is spearheading an effort to give the park a facelift.

As the old saying goes, all it takes is time and money.

“It’s a collective effort,” he said on Monday’s segment of The Local Skinny!

Turrentine’s church, Davis Chapel Missionary Baptist Church, is located across the street from the park, and he said they’ve sort of adopted it, putting into action a plan to make some much-needed changes so the park can once again be a place for the whole community to enjoy.

“We’re really in action with the revitalization effort,” he said. “We want a modernized park that’s open to everyone.”

Rep. Frank Sossamon has joined the effort, and is one of several folks featured in a 2-minute video about the project, which can be seen on YouTube. Turrentine and Sossamon have known each other for a good while, and Turrentine said the pastor-turned-legislator contacted him asking how he could help.

Once the site of a tobacco warehouse, the park was donated by J.P Taylor in the early 1970’s and the surface for all the courts is the original warehouse floor. The plan includes other amenities like installing a cover over the courts, and adding water and electricity.

The first phase will be resurfacing the courts, which will involve taking down the hoops and the chainlink fencing that surrounds the park.

Turrentine said the resurfacing alone has a $20,000 price tag.

Inflation and the spike in construction materials and costs, has bumped the original estimate of about $100,000 to more like $500,000, he said. The fencing alone could cost upwards of $30,000.

He hopes to make some tweaks to the video and use a slightly longer version to help with fundraising efforts. The idea now is to get started at the beginning of 2025, using the rest of 2024 to promote the project and raise money.

There already are different ways to donate, including a GoFundMe page and making a tax-deductible donation at Davis Chapel Missionary Baptist Church. All donations will go to fund the project, Turrentine said.

“We have to do it in phases, as the money comes in and we get more support,” Turrentine explained. And he is confident about the success of the project and what it will mean for the community.

“We can change the narrative of Henderson,” he said, putting aside differences and raising money to create a modern park for all to enjoy.

Find the “Every Court Has A Story – Chestnut Street Park” video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTW0q-4CXqA&t=21

One Woman Injured, One Man Faces Assault Charges In July 9 Incident

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– Press release from Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame

On Tuesday, July 9, the Vance County Sheriff’s Office responded to 37 Rose Lane about a female who had been assaulted at the caller’s residence.

Upon arrival, deputies located a female victim undressed, with signs of assault on her face, neck, and body. Deputies determined that the incident occurred at 45 Rose Lane.

Upon further investigation, it was discovered that the female was assaulted with a blunt object, as well as a closed fist on her head and face. The female was transported to Maria Parham Hospital for treatment. The suspect in this incident was identified as Daniel Currin, 37, identified as the victim’s boyfriend.

Deputies then went to 45 Rose Lane where they encountered Currin. At the time of the encounter, Currin was armed with a kitchen knife. Deputies deployed a Taser on Currin and were able to take him into custody without further incident.

Currin was charged with assault by strangulation, assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, and inflicting serious injury, assault inflicting serious bodily Injury, and assault on a female. Currin was confined to the Vance County Jail under no bond.

On Wednesday, July 10, Currin appeared in Vance County District Court for his first appearance and was given a $1,850,000 secured bond.

The investigation into this incident is still ongoing and anyone with additional information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact the Vance County Sheriff’s Office at 252.738.2200, or Henderson-Vance Crimestoppers at 252.492.1925 or through the P3 app.