The Local Skinny! Vance County Schools New App Student Information System

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Vance County Schools is among a group of public school districts and charter schools across the state in Phase 1 of a new student information system.

NC Student Information System – NC SIS – is coming on line over the next couple of years, and Vance County parents and students are among the first test drive the new system powered by Infinite Campus.

VCS Chief Officer of Communication & Innovative Support Aarika Sandlin and Chief Officer of Technology Marsha Abbott discussed the changeover and what it will entail on Tuesday’s segment of The Local Skinny!

Sandlin said families will no longer use the PowerSchool app, and should upload the Infinite Parent app available through the Apple Store or Google Play. Students, likewise, will download the Infinite Student app.

Abbott said each of the programs contains a wealth of tools for students and parents to use, from accessing attendance, to online assignments and grades, and more.

The new system will allow parents to enroll students online, eliminating the need to  travel to the central office.

“Our goal is to make things as accessible as possible,” Sandlin said, “with no barriers.”

Parents still have the option of enrolling their child in person, but they will no longer be required to do so, if they have the app on their mobile device.

“We are not taking away any form of communication,” she added, “we’re simply adding ways.”

Abbott said the new system also allows for communication with teachers and parents, at any point during the year, can update information such as phone numbers and address to maintain the most updated information.

Visit the school’s Facebook page to find out more or visit https://www.vcs.k12.nc.us/  to learn about upcoming Open Houses for year-round schools and schools on the traditional calendar. Aug. 7 is the first day for year-round students; students in schools on traditional calendars return Aug. 26.

Find all three 2024-25 calendars at https://www.vcs.k12.nc.us/calendar 

 

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One Arrest Made In July 27 Armed Robbery

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PRESS RELEASE —

On July 27, 2024 around 5:40 AM officers responded to an armed robbery that occurred at 800 Dabney Drive.

The incident occurred when a suspect approached the male victim who was parked in a van in the parking lot of Refuel convenience store.

The suspect, who brandished a firearm, made the victim enter the store and withdraw funds from the ATM machine.

The suspect then fled the scene in a vehicle identified as being a white Buick. The victim did not sustain any injuries during the incident.

Within a brief period of time, Henderson Police Department officers encountered Tre’ Shaun Hargrove, 27, of Henderson. Hargrove was identified and charged with Robbery with a Dangerous Weapon and Second-degree Kidnapping.

The firearm used during the incident was also recovered. Hargrove received no bond prior to his initial appearance and was remanded to the Vance County Detention facility.

 — Marcus Barrow, Henderson Police Chief

 

Vance Co. Regional Farmers Market

Program At Farmers Market Matches Funds To Boost Purchasing Power

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The Vance County Regional Farmers Market is filled with fresh local produce on Wednesdays and Saturdays, just waiting to be scooped up and featured on dinner tables across the area.

The market has added a couple of programs that other markets across the state are using to help seniors and others stretch their dollars. The SunBucks and Senior Double Up Food Bucks programs are both ways to encourage eating healthy foods while supporting local farmers and the local economy, said Vance County Cooperative Extension Director Dr. Wykia Macon.

“It seemed like a natural fit because we accept EBT at the Farmers Market and now with Double Bucks, when someone uses their EBT card, we match EBT purchases dollar-for-dollar,” Macon told WIZS News.

Those who use SunBucks and Seniors Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) will have their dollars doubled, too, she said.

“It came about after seeing other markets doing the program and realizing that we should be offering the same to our community,” Macon said.

“Since this is our first time with the program, we will learn as we go. Right now, we are limiting the match to $20 per day, so someone could visit the market on Wednesday and Saturday to receive up to $40 Double Bucks per week while we are open on Wednesdays.”

Triangle North Healthcare Foundation offers a grant that provides the matching funds, which, although not unlimited, will allow for many residents to use the benefits before the end of the market season, Macon explained.

Clearview Church Hosts ‘Night of Gospel Praise’ Aug. 4

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Clearview Church is hosting a “Night of Gospel Praise” Sunday evening, featuring Jimmy and the Sound Barriers among other performers who will present a Gaither-style concert to benefit Anchor of Hope.

The evening begins at Sunday, Aug. 4 at 6 p.m. at Clearview, located at 3485 Hwy. 158 Business. Admission is free, but donations will be accepted.

Barrier and wife Kay are just two of the individuals teaming up to put on the event. Kay leads the church’s Anchor of Hope ministry, which provides support to those near and far. The prayer group involves about 70 women who lay hands on and bless the blankets before they are delivered to those in need. It’s a symbol of God’s love, she said, and that those who have reached out for prayer are not alone.

“We try to reach out to people going through trials and storms in their life,” she said on Monday’s segment of The Local Skinny!

One aspect of the ministry involves praying over blankets that are distributed to those battling illness or other life-altering events.

In addition to the blankets, the ministry provides food gift cards and gas cards to help with essential items when disaster strikes.

“It’s a comfort to know that people are praying for you,” Jimmy Barrier said. The proceeds from the Sunday concert goes directly to the ministry.

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TownTalk: Mary Emma Evans’s Legacy Lives On With Foundation

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The Mary Emma Evans Foundation is hosting a school supply giveaway on Saturday, Aug. 17 and Director Phyllis Evans and her daughter Phylicia are encouraging the community to step up and make some donations between now and then.

Evans is the daughter of the late Henderson City Council member, who died in 2011. She and other family members established the foundation to honor the memory of a woman who gave tirelessly to the city of Henderson as a pastor, advocate and elected city official.

But in order for the giveaway to take place, the community needs to step up and bring donations to the foundation’s office – any basic items such as notebook paper, pencils, pens, binders, composition books will do, she said. Please donate between now and Aug. 10 so there will be time to get the supplies organized in time for the back-to-school event.

The giveaway will take place at the foundation’s office, 901 Dorsey Ave. (just behind the post office on Garnett Street) from 12 noon to 4 p.m. Stop by to pick up some basic school supplies and stay for a “meet and greet” with hometown celebrities Varonica “VV” Mitchell and her sister, Danielle.

Varonica is the star of “The VV Show” and Danielle has her own tutoring enterprise and is known for her involvement with the I Dance Praise Academy. The Mitchell’s office is conveniently located right beside the foundation’s office, Evans said.

She said she’s happy to partner with the two Mitchell sisters “before they go off and do great things,” she said. “Come on out on the day and meet these celebrity guests.”

Visit https://www.maryemmaevansfoundation.org/ to learn more or follow the foundation on FaceBook to learn about the various community projects, from the Cook’s Chapel food pantry to the monthly prayer sessions and Bible study.

Each Monday, Cook’s Chapel welcomes the community to choose items from its food pantry, Evans said. On Tuesdays, the foundation office is open from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. for residents to pick up emergency food boxes, clothing and more.

The foundation recently was approved to provide weekend meals to Vance County high school students.

No doubt, Mary Emma would be pleased with the way family members and others are uniting to make their community a better place.

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TownTalk: Rebuilding Hope’s Kids’ Construction Camp

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There’s still time to sign youngsters up for next week’s Kids’ Construction Camp at Rebuilding Hope. The three-day camp is free, and Rebuilding Hope’s Director Randolph Wilson says the camp is a fun way to introduce young people to the trades as well as to community service.

The camp runs from Monday, Aug. 5 through Wednesday Aug. 7 from 9 a.m. to 12 noon at the Raleigh Road headquarters.

Children in grades 3-6 will learn how to use hand tools, but also will be introduced to new-fangled equipment like nail guns and screw guns, Wilson said.

They’ll also learn some basics about electricity and plumbing, as well as hanging Sheetrock and laying shingles.

There is a Bible study component, too, which Wilson said is just as important as learning about trades.

“We need to get back to teaching people about trades,” he said on Monday’s TownTalk. Who knows? Maybe this construction camp will be the place where a young boy or girl develops a passion for a particular trade, he said.

“We’re excited – and we have fun. The kids enjoy it,” Wilson said.

Wilson and co-director Tom Wille oversee the various projects and programs at Rebuilding Hope, from next week’s camp to the recent Servants on Site and ramp construction across the area.

The SOS was a huge success, with 85 young people coming together to put six roofs on in just four days’ time.

“We had a great week,” he said. The youth worked all day – with a daily lunchtime devotional with the residents they were helping – and then had a worship service each night.

“It’s a great time of helping people, also a time of sharing the love of Christ in the community they were working in,” Wilson said.

And when the Kids’ Construction campers and SOS participants get a little older, Wilson said he would welcome them to help out with ramp construction – so far this year, teams have built 90 ramps, on a pace to beat last year’s 116 total.

“We can’t keep up with the ramps,” Wilson said, noting that they’ve got a wait list of close to 25 now. “We need volunteers – people who have a passion to get out and help their community.”

Visit https://rebuildinghopeinc.org/ to learn more about how you can help.

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Man Shot Dead in His Own Car, Found in Road on West Andrews

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Press Release —

On July 25, 2024, around 7:47 PM, a patrol officer with the Henderson Police Department located a vehicle in the roadway between Beck Avenue and Ford Street on W. Andrews Avenue. When the Officer approached, they found that the driver had been shot.

Vance County EMS responded, and the victim was transported to an area hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

The victim was identified as Christopher Joyner, 26, of Henderson. Further investigation into the incident revealed that Mr. Joyner had been shot by an individual or individuals that were in the vehicle with him at the time of the incident.

At this time, Jah-meer Spann, 19, of Henderson has been arrested and charged with murder. He received no bond and was remanded to the Vance County Jail.

Members of the Henderson Police Department Criminal Investigations Division continue to work diligently to fully uncover what occurred, and we urge anyone who may have information related to this incident to contact the Henderson Police Department at 252-438-4141, Crime Stoppers at 252-492-1925, or use the P3 app on a smartphone or tablet device. Callers may remain anonymous. Crime Stoppers offers rewards for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of suspects involved in criminal acts.

As always, we are greatly appreciative of our citizens for their willingness to help us solve such heinous crimes.

Authority: Chief M.W. Barrow

(On 7-30-24 this story was corrected from its original version by WIZS staff so that it indicates West Andrews Avenue rather than East Andrews Avenue.)