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Vance Commissioner Sean Alston Named To Statewide Commissioners’ Committee

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Vance County Commissioner Sean Alston has been appointed to the 2024-26 N.C. Association of Commissioners Legislative Goals Committee.

Vance County Manager C. Renee Perry said Alston is poised to make significant contributions to the committee’s efforts to promote policies that enhance the well-being of all residents in Vance County and throughout the state.

“I am honored to be appointed to the Legislative Goals Committee,” Alston said. “This is an incredible opportunity to advocate for our community’s needs and ensure our voices are heard in the legislative process. I look forward to working alongside fellow committee members to develop strategies that address critical issues facing our county.”

The Legislative Goals Committee reviews steering committee recommendations as a package — ensuring alignment and checking for conflict across subject areas. The goal of this committee is to reach a consensus on a package of goals and policy statements that will be presented to the NCACC Board of Directors and ultimately placed before the entire membership at the 2024 Legislative Goals Conference in mid-November 2024.

Alston also serves on the following boards and committees:

Appointed by Board of Commissioners 

  • 911 Advisory Board
  • Farmers Market Advisory Committee
  • FVW Opportunity Board
  • Henderson-Vance Industrial Park Board

Appointed by Said Committee or Other Entity 

  • NACo Justice and Public Safety Steering Committee (National Association of Counties)
  • NACo Rural Action Caucus
  • NACo Veteran and Military Service Committee
  • NCACC General Government Committee (NC Association of County Commissioners) • NCACC Justice and Public Safety Committee
  • NCACC Legislative Goals Committee

Troxler: Western NC Livestock Owners Need Fencing Supplies, Feed

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As supplies for people make their way to western North Carolina following last week’s devastation by Hurricane Helene, N.C. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler issued an urgent plea for donations of fencing supplies to assist livestock owners as they attempt to secure cows, horses and other animals in their care.

“We have seen time and time again our agriculture community support one another in times of need, and this is no different,” Troxler said in a press statement released Thursday.

Hay – especially square bales – and other livestock feed are needed, in addition to the fencing supplies. Area extension agents are good sources of information if you have questions about how to help. Granville County Livestock Extension Agent Kim Woods provided information that includes a direct link to the Disaster Hay and Livestock Assistance Portal. Visit https://go.ncsu.edu/livestockdisasterhelp, note whether you need help or want to offer help. To donate, click on the ‘Want to Help’ button, which will ask for a bit of information and items you have to donate.

“We are seeing an outpouring of support with hay, animal feed, fencing and other supplies that are going out to those needing these resources. In the days ahead, we know we are going to need even more fencing supplies, especially solar fence chargers to help livestock producers. If you have resources to donate, please go to our website to let us know.”

Various donation collection sites have been set up in and around Western North Carolina. For a list of these sites that are being continuously updated, go to: https://www.ncagr.gov/emergency-programs/disaster-information/agsupplydonation

At the present time, here is a list of items being accepted at these locations:

Corn Silage
Grain mix or pellets for cattle
Round and square hay bales
Baleage/Haylage
Mineral Supplements
Fence Supplies
Feed tubs/troughs
Water troughs
Basic animal supplies

The Local Skinny! Vacant County Director Roles Now Filled

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Back in February, Vance County Manager C. Renee Perry was just a few months into her new job. On top of gearing up to prepare the county’s annual budget and getting up to speed on some of the unique challenges and opportunities across the county she was now responsible for, Perry also faced having to fill a good handful of county positions, including five directors of departments.

Perry turned a negative into a positive at the time, and said back in February that she chose to see the vacancies as a chance for her to build her own leadership team.

When Vance County announced Tuesday that it had selected a new Social Services Director, that “team” is officially complete.

Sandy Weaver began her new role as DSS director effective Oct. 1, as did Jeremy T. Jones as assistanc county manager.

And Perry won’t celebrate her first anniversary as county manager until Nov. 1.

One by one, the vacancies have been filled:

·       Budget and Finance director – Stephanie Williams;

·       Animal Services manager – William Coker;

·       Planning director – Sherry Moss;

·       Elections director- Haley Rawles;

·       Economic Development director – Ferdinand A. Rouse;

·       DSS director – Sandy Weaver

·       Chief Code Enforcement Officer – Bob Rosch

The code enforcement office is located in the same office as planning, but it will function as a separate department with Rosch as the department head, county staff noted.

Anglers Hit Kerr Lake Thursday For 3-Day Tournament In Hopes Of Landing $60K Grand Prize

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-information courtesy of Vance County Tourism Development Authority

Anglers are taking to Kerr Lake beginning today to take part in the final tournament of the season as the Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine sets sail for a three-day run.

Hosted by the Vance County Tourism Development Authority and presented by T-H Marine’s Buckeye, Northeast, Shenandoah and South Carolina divisions, the tournament features the top 45 boaters and co-anglers – plus tournament winners from all four divisions – who will be battling it out for a top prize of $60,000, according to information from the local tourism office.

Additional prizes include a Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard and $10,000, along with lucrative contingency awards, including up to an additional $7,000 Phoenix MLF Bonus. Strike King co-anglers will compete for a top prize of $50,000, including a Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard. Winners will be determined by the heaviest three-day catch.
The top six finishers in each regional will qualify for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the 42nd annual BFL All-American. The highest finishing boater from each division will also receive a $1,000 bonus and the highest finishing co-angler from each division will receive a $500 bonus.

“This regional tournament is going to be a good one to follow, because I think MLF is hitting at just the right time,” said local pro Derik Hudson of Concord, VA who has eight top-10 finishes on Kerr Lake – including a victory in last year’s 2023 BFL Super-Tournament. “This past weekend the water temperatures was still very high – 77 to 79 degrees. But we’re at that time of the year where the fall transition is coming soon. I think in this one the fish are going to be spread out – shallow and deep – and guys are going to be able to catch them fishing their strengths.”

Hudson said that he expects forward-facing sonar to play a large role in this tournament, but he does think that an angler can compete to win strictly by fishing shallow.

“There is a ton of shad in the lake right now, and out deep those fish are going to be keyed in on the shad,” Hudson said. “The majority of fish seem to still be out offshore, but lately it seems like the bigger fish are moving shallow and being caught on transition banks, stumpy points and on rock. That’s what makes this one so interesting – they’re going to hit it right in the middle of the fall transition and it’s still really anybody’s ballgame.”

When Hudson won the BFL Super Tournament on Kerr Lake last year, he weighed in limits totaling 16- and 15- pounds and his 31-pound total won by nearly a 5-pound margin. He expects weights to be down a little bit in this regional tournament due to the fall transition.

“I feel like if you catch 13 to 14 pounds a day, you’re going to be sitting really good,” Hudson went on to say. “But, like we just saw this last weekend in the Super Tournament, if you get on that right roll offshore or on the bank, the lake has 18 or 19 right around the corner. So, I would say to shoot to stay right in the middle. If you shoot for 15 a day, that’ll be a great day for anybody. But know that 18 to 19 (pounds) is still out there somewhere.”

Anglers will launch at 7 a.m. ET each morning from the Nutbush Bridge Access at the Kerr Lake State Recreation Area, located at 115 Jack Wade Farm Road, in Henderson, North Carolina. Weigh-ins will also be held at the landing and will begin at 3 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend the event or follow the action online through the “MLF Live” weigh-in broadcasts at MajorLeagueFishing.com

The 2024 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying event winners, will advance to one of six BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2025 BFL All-American will take place May 29-31, 2025, at Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and is hosted by hosted by Visit Hot Springs and the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism.

The top boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division also earn priority entry into the Toyota Series, the pathway to the Tackle Warehouse Invitationals and ultimately the Bass Pro Tour. For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Sponsors of the 2024 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, General Tire, GSM Outdoors, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, PowerStop Brakes, REDCON1, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters and YETI.

For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5 on social media.

Local Efforts Support Hurricane Relief

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People from all over the country are responding to pleas for help from western North Carolina as relief efforts continue in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. Crews continue to work to restore power, clear roads of mud, fallen trees and debris and take care of so many whose homes have been rendered uninhabitable.

Residents of Henderson and Vance County are stepping up to the plate to fill trucks and trailers with cleaning supplies, drinking water, food and more, which is being delivered to hard-hit areas to our west.

The Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce has passed along information from state officials that bears repeating as relief efforts continue.

NCDOT has declared all roads in western North Carolina “closed to non-emergency vehicles,” so it’s important to coordinate plans with state agencies like Emergency Management and Business Emergency Operations Center.

“Do not self-deploy resources or supply logistics unless you are attached to an existing NCVOAD organization. Until further notice, roads in Western NC (generally anywhere west of Hickory, NC) are closed to all traffic other than emergency services and pre-approved shipments coordinated through the BEOC,” according to information sent from the Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce.

Get updates at  https://www.ncdps.gov/our-organization/emergency-management.

In the meantime, here’s a list of donation drop-off centers in Henderson and Vance County that the Chamber provided, along with times that donations will be accepted:

  • Rebuilding Hope, Inc. 414 Raleigh Rd. – weekdays 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
  • City of Henderson – City Hall, 134 Rose Ave. weekdays 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
  • Henderson Police Department, corner of Breckenridge and Chestnut streets
  • Henderson Fruit & Produce, 1215 Old Norlina Rd. – during business hours
  • Mast Family Drug Center, 418 Dabney Dr. – during business hours
  • Zeb Vance Elementary, 4800 Raleigh Rd., Kittrell, Oct. 1-4
  • Vance Charter School, 2090 Ross Mill Rd., Oct. 1-4
  • Aycock Elementary, 305 Carey Chapel Rd., Oct. 1-4
  • Fred’s Towing & Transport, 340 Industry Dr., Oct. 1-4
  • Chick-fil-A – go to Chick-fil-A app and donate. Chick-fil-A is partnering with the American Red Cross. Every dollar that’s donated will be matched up to $500,000.

Here’s a list of needed items at this time:

  • non-perishable food
  • bottled water
  • toiletries
  • pillows and blankets
  • paper products/plastic forks and spoons
  • hand sanitizer/personal hygiene products
  • wet wipes/baby wipes
  • diapers – kids and adults
  • Clorox wipes/cleaning supplies
  • large trash bags/zip lock bags
  • work gloves
  • flashlights and batteries
  • first aid supplies
  • travel size shampoo, body wash and deodorant
  • manual can openers
  • baby formula
  • bug spray
  • cat and dog food
  • laundry detergent
Perry Memorial Library

TownTalk: Perry Memorial Library Events Going on in October

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Ask Perry Memorial Library’s Youth Services Librarian Melody Peters what her favorite time of year is, and you’ll get an energetic, enthusiastic “Fall!” every time.

Peters is pulling out all the stops for events and programs for October, from tried-and-true favorites to new activities designed for on-the-go families.

This Friday, the library will begin its “First Fridays STEM Club” geared for preschoolers. The half-hour program runs from 10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. and the theme is Sounds. Participants will make egg shakers using rice, and they’ll make a kazoo with cardboard tubes, wax paper and a rubber band.

She’ll do a repeat of that program later in the day for homeschool groups and families to take part in. That session will begin at 1 p.m., she said. Adding a session for homeschool groups is just another way the library is helping to meet the needs of the community, Peters noted.

Now in her third year as Youth Services Librarian, Peters said she often hears that busy families simply can’t make it to daytime programs at the library.

So, she’s planning an evening Pajama Story Time for Tuesday, Oct. 8 to accommodate those folks. The story time, which lasts about 30 minutes, begins at 6:30 p.m.

“It’s been offered in the past, but this is the first time I’ve offered it,” Peters said.

The library will host a fall festival again this year, and Peters said participation has grown over the course of her time with the library. Families are invited to take part in all the carnival-style games – there will be something for everyone, she said. The festival will be on Tuesday, Oct. 22 from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

And stick around from 5:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., because they’re planning a Trunk or Treat in the parking lot for kids to experience on their way from the festival back to their cars.

Visit https://www.perrylibrary.org/ to learn more.

Click Play! 

TownTalk: Make A Joyful Noise ACTS Benefit Concert

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The fourth annual concert to benefit ACTS will take place Saturday, Oct. 12 at McGregor Hall in Henderson and will feature musical performances by area groups and and churches.

The doors open at 6 p.m. for the “Make a Joyful Noise Unto the Lord” event. The concert begins at 7 p.m. and all proceeds will go to ACTS, Henderson’s food pantry and soup kitchen, said ACTS Board Member Linda Weaver.

A partial list of those performing include God’s Men of Harmony, First Baptist Church of Henderson, Rep. Frank Sossamon, Clearview Worship Team, Evelyn Couch and Tracy Dalton, one of three paid ACTS staff members, Weaver said.

Tickets are $5 and are available now from board members and at the ACTS facility, located at 201 S. William St.

Tickets also will be available at the door; children 12 years and younger get in free. Weaver said empty pots and pans will be circulated through the audience during the concert for a love offering. Pots and pans because, well, ACTS is a soup kitchen and food pantry!

In 2023, Weaver said the soup kitchen served up 46,257 plates at lunchtime from 11 a.m. and 12 noon. The pantry also prepared an additional 552 boxes of food that to help provide food to 1,442 individuals, which represents about 30,000 pounds – 15 tons – of food distributed to people in need.

An additional 11,000 plates of food was delivered to seniors/disabled in the community through their Mobile Meals program. And 25 backpacks were delivered each week to L.B. Yancey Elementary as part of the Backpack Buddies program.

It’s a huge volunteer effort and Weaver said she’s usually there every day during the week, but there’s always a need for more volunteers.

“I try to be there most days,” she said. “We have a lot of good people who come to volunteer – we couldn’t do this without the volunteers.”

In addition to cooking meals and boxing food items for distribution, volunteers also pick up food from all county Food Lions, as well the local Chick fil a and Starbucks and Strong Arm Baking Co. in Oxford.

Thankfully, they don’t have to purchase much food, Weaver said, adding that they do buy ingredients if the kitchen needs them for meal preparation.

What they do need is donations of canned beans like black beans, black eyed peas and pinto beans, and any canned vegetables EXCEPT corn and green beans, which they have in plentiful supply.

Canned meats like chicken and tuna also are needed.

Non-food items like bleach and that Dollar Tree staple Awesome! also are on the wish list.

Visit https://www.facebook.com/ACTSofHenderson/ to learn how you can help, from dropping off donations to becoming a volunteer. Or call 252.492.8231.

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Vance County Names New DSS Director

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Vance County has named a new director of Social Services.

Sandy Weaver assumed the role effective today, Oct. 1.

According to County Manager C. Renee Perry, Weaver has worked in the department as the Interim Social Work Program Administrator since July 30, 2024.

In the coming months, Perry said Weaver will be working with previous interim director Wayne Black to completely transition to her new role.

“We are thrilled to have Sandy join our team,” said Perry. “Her extensive background in social services as well as management will be invaluable as we continue to strengthen our county’s services and ensure the well-being of our citizens.”

She previously served as deputy director for the Johnston County Department of Social Services for four years and as the assistant director for the Cumberland County Department of Social Services for approximately three years. Before that, she was a Social Work Program Administrator and Social Work Supervisor in Scotland County for three years.

She began her Social Services career in Columbus County in 2011 and held the positions of Lead Adult Protective Services worker, Adult Home Specialist and Social Work Supervisor/Child Protective Services Facilitator. She previously served as a Hospital Social Worker and a School Social Worker.

Weaver holds both a Bachelor of Social Work degree and a Master of Social Work degree from the UNC-Pembroke.