Duke Energy

TownTalk: Avoid Utility Scammers With ‘Slow Down, Verify, Report’ Approach

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The phone rings and, when you answer it, you hear a recorded voice that says your power is going to be disconnected. All you have to do is make an easy, online payment to avoid a disruption in service.

Many consumers recognize this for what it is – a SCAM!

And as utility companies like Duke Energy and Piedmont Natural Gas know all too well, their customers often must navigate choppy internet waters to avoid becoming victims of online schemes and scams.

Duke Energy’s Beth Townsend offers some tips to stay safe as the utility recognizes Wednesday, Nov. 19 as the 10th annual Utility Scam Awareness Day—a decade-long commitment to helping communities slow down, verify and stop utility scams.

Townsend said Duke Energy and Piedmont Natural Gas will never:

  • Specify how you must pay
  • Threaten immediate service interruption
  • Ask for personal info or payment details by phone, email or in person

“If you’re targeted, hang up, shut the door, or delete the message,” she said. Contact your utility using the info on your bill or the utility’s official website. And if you ever feel unsafe, call 911.

Townsend, Duke’s East Region director for Government and Community Relations, said the utility received more than 5,600 scam reports in 2025, with 2,338 coming from North Carolina.

“Scammers often demand immediate payment, threaten service cut-off or request payment via prepaid cards or cryptocurrency. Utilities will never do this,” Townsend said.

The most common types of scams, she said, include disconnection threats, links to fake webpages, a promise to mail refund checks and utility worker imposters, she noted.

Customers can protect themselves in several different ways:

 

  • Slow Down: If a payment request feels urgent or suspicious, pause and protect yourself.
  • Verify: Always use the official phone number or website from your bill.
  • Stop the Scam: Report any suspicious contact to your utility and law enforcement.

 

Townsend included the following resources to report scams or to learn more:

 

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TownTalk: Vance County Sheriff’s Office Hosting Harvest Festival Saturday, Nov. 22

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The Vance County Sheriff’s Office is hosting a Harvest Festival on Saturday, Nov. 22 and Sheriff Curtis Brame invites the community out to enjoy an afternoon of fun, food, music, vendors and more.

The event is free, Brame says, so come on out between 12 noon and 4 p.m. to the courthouse parking lot. There will be games, face painting, and more for the kids, along with complimentary hotdogs, chips and drinks for all.

Having an event like the Harvest Festival is a way to bring people together, Brame said – “to let people know the Vance County Sheriff’s Office is here to serve them.”

He said he encourages his deputies to stop by schools to meet young people on a positive note and let them know that “we’re here to serve and protect.”

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TownTalk: Henderson Police Department Update

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Henderson Police Chief Marcus Barrow calls himself an “old-school” police officer, but that doesn’t transfer to the officers in his department – he wants the younger officers to bring their technological skills with them – from flying drones to using AI to streamline inter-office guidelines.

“I think we’re probably a step ahead of everybody in the region,” Barrow said on Tuesday’s TownTalk. Besides using facial recognition software to help solve crimes, the city of Henderson also has more FLOC cameras in use than nearby municipalities.

“We’re the smallest agency in the United States to have a NIVEN entry site,” Barrow continued. NIVEN analyzes shell casings to aid in police investigations.

And there are the drones, a tool that he said will most likely continue to grow, based on what he hears at conferences and reads in professional publications.

Mixing in the use of the latest technology means that the department is constantly learning and adapting to new concepts and equipment while maintaining high expectations for police performance.

Each year, the police department must be reaccredited through CALEA, the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies. There’s a site visit every four years now, and March 2025 marks the eighth time the police department has received its reaccreditation certificate.

“We’ve been working on accreditation since I got here in 1998,” Barrow said. There are 461 standards to meet.

The CALEA standards include every facet of police work, from swearing in of officers to how arrestees are processed to how documents and other material is stored electronically.

Barrow said Capt. Chris Ball informed him recently that there soon will be two more added to the list – one involving how the department uses AI in its daily duties.

AI can be a very useful tool, but Barrow said he, like others in law enforcement, want to see how the courts system accepts the use of AI.

He said one of the first questions a judge may ask an officer providing testimony is whether his report is in his own words. Of course, an AI-generated report may not satisfy that question, so Barrow said he’d like to see AI used to make something better, not as a replacement for an officer-generated report.

Take policy manuals, for example, he said. A policy manual could be cranked into an AI program and it could quickly spot inconsistencies and redundancies.

That’s using technology in a way that makes things better.

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Perry Memorial Library

The Local Skinny! Winter Activities at Perry Memorial Library

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Even as regular programming slows just a bit at Perry Memorial Library as the holidays inch ever closer, the library staff is still providing a variety of opportunities to encourage people to read.

Take the Holiday Book Sale, for example. Youth Services Librarian Melody Peters said the sale takes place on Saturday, Dec. 6 from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Nothing’s more than $1, Peters told WIZS’s Scout Hughes on Tuesday’s segment of The Local Skinny!

Stick around downtown and stake a spot along the parade route to view the Henderson Christmas parade, which begins at 3 p.m.

The fun continues on Tuesday, Dec. 9 with Family Fun Night at the library. Come in your pj’s and enjoy some hot cocoa and cookies as you snuggle in to watch the ever-popular Polar Express, a beloved holiday classic.

“I like to bring back traditions that bring people joy,” Peters said.

She and library staff are trying out something new this year that perhaps will become a tradition – caroling downtown.

It’s taking the place of the December Community Read-In, she said. “It’s a new thing we’re trying,” she explained. The group will head out from the library at 4:30 p.m. and visit area downtown businesses to sing some familiar holiday tunes and then end up back at the library by about 5:30 p.m.

It’s all part of the library’s efforts to reach more people in the community to demonstrate the power of literacy and the importance of reading, she said.

And when you visit the library, whether to check out some reading materials of your own or to participate in some of the programming, Peters welcomes donations of warm hats, gloves and mittens that will decorate the annual Hat and Mitten Tree at the library. Drop off items at any Service Desk, she said, and help make someone else’s winter a bit warmer.

Visit www.perrylibrary.org to learn more.

 

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Cooperative Extension with Michael Ellington: Deer Damage

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Michael Ellington, on the Vance County Cooperative Extension Report:

This week’s segment is about identifying deer damage and the only surefire way to stop it.

Listen live at 100.1 FM / 1450 AM / or on the live stream at WIZS.com at 11:50 a.m. Mon, Tues & Thurs.

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TownTalk: Festive Events Coming To Vance County

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The Henderson Christmas Parade is set for Saturday, Dec. 6 and Dr. Alice Sallins with the Vance County Arts Council reminds those still who still need to turn in their registrations to participate do so by this Saturday, Nov. 22.

The registration document, along with parade rules, can be found at

https://vanceartscouncil.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Christmas-Parade-2025-Rules-and-Regulations-2.pdf

“We’re looking for a good turnout,” Sallins said on TownTalk. So far, there are more than 100 entries, and she said there are a half dozen or more new businesses and schools that are planning to join the parade this year.

The parade begins at 2:30 p.m., so spectators should grab a good vantage point along the parade route. All entries in the parade should be lined up by 1:30 p.m. or so – no later than 2:15 p.m., she said.

If you’re looking for a little holiday cheer before the Christmas parade, look no further than Nov. 29 – a mere two days after Thanksgiving – for the 10th annual Tidings of Comfort and Joy performance at McGregor Hall.

The doors open at 3:30 p.m. for the 4 p.m. performance, and Sallins said there will be a good mix of returning groups and newcomers to help folks get into the holiday spirit.

“We want to get you in the mood to celebrate” the season, she said.  The arts council wanted to bring a free event to the community “that would bring a bit of joy” to those who were sad during the Christmas season.

In addition to Clearview’s Dr. Abidan Shah sharing the Christmas Story from the Gospel of Luke, there will be music from Evelyn Couch, Tia “Catillia” Cheek, Jimmy & the Sound Barriers and Eugene Taylor & Jimmy Williamson, among others.

Get more information at https://vanceartscouncil.com/.

 

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TownTalk: G.R.A.C.E. Ministries Getting Ready for Pre-Thanksgiving Community Feeding

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As G.R.A.C.E. Ministries prepares for its 8th annual pre-Thanksgiving community feeding this Saturday, Nov. 22, organizers say that folks can show up at the church or any of several locations throughout the city and county to get plates for themselves or to share with others.

Bobby West said this year’s goal is to serve up and distribute 2,000 plates of food, which will be lovingly served with a side of caring and prayers.

And what Thanksgiving meal would be complete without a slice of cake? When planning to serve 2,000, that’s a lot of cakes. They’ve gotten commitments for 85 so far, and West predicts that they could use another 15 or so.

“Sometimes, just a little meal means a lot,” West said on Monday’s TownTalk.

That food doesn’t plate itself, however, and West said volunteers are welcome to join the small army of volunteers who will gather at the church, located at 215 Crozier St., to start work by 8:30 a.m. on Saturday.

More than half the plates – about 1,400 – will be delivered to the following locations:

  • Raleigh Road Baptist Church
  • West End Baptist Church on Dabney Drive
  • Auto Brite Car Wash across from Belk and Walmart
  • 506 E. Andrews Ave. near the standpipe
  • Delight in Manson
  • Little Hotel in Norlina

Individuals who come to G.R.A.C.E. Ministries for a meal can choose to dine in or take it to-go.

The meal preparation and distribution is a way for people “to reach out and love on their neighbors,” West said. “We need a whole lot more of that right now.”

To learn more, contact West at 252.432.7124.

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The Local Skinny! MPH Gets C.O. For Phase Two Of Emergency Dept. Renovation

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– Courtesy of Maria Parham Health 

Maria Parham Health has received a Certificate of Occupancy for Phase Two of its Emergency Department renovation on the Henderson campus, marking a significant milestone in the hospital’s ongoing efforts to expand access to high-quality care—particularly for patients facing behavioral health challenges in Henderson and Vance County.

Construction on Phase Two began in September 2025 and was designed to better serve vulnerable populations across the region. The project focuses on creating dedicated spaces within the Emergency Department to meet the growing need for behavioral and mental health services, while also improving patient safety, privacy, and dignity.

“This milestone represents more than just the completion of a construction phase—it reflects our deep commitment to caring for every patient who comes through our doors,” said Bert Beard, CEO of Maria Parham Health. “By expanding and modernizing our Emergency Department, we’re ensuring that our community has access to compassionate, comprehensive care, especially for those in crisis who need it most.”

Key improvements include purpose-built behavioral health treatment areas designed with safety and comfort in mind, as well as operational enhancements that will streamline patient flow and support staff well-being.

The renovation was made possible through funding secured in October 2023 as part of a collaborative initiative involving the Vance County District Attorney’s Office, Granville Vance Public Health, the Vance County Board of Commissioners, and the North Carolina General Assembly. This investment underscores a shared regional commitment to strengthening mental health care infrastructure and improving outcomes for patients across the area.

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