Police Charge Pedestrian For Hitting Cars With Broom

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Tuesday evening around 7 p.m., Henderson police responded to a call on Oxford Road after several drivers had reported seeing a pedestrian in the roadway trying to strike cars with a broom.

At least one car sustained enough damage to file a property damage claim and one driver reported having to swerve to avoid hitting the person.

Police arrested Sierra Everett, 21, of 2223 Oxford Rd., charging her with assault on a government official, malicious conduct and injury to personal property.

One driver reported that the same individual had been sitting in the road earlier in the day at a different location nearby.

Everett appeared before a magistrate and was given a $5,000 secured bond and was taken to the Vance County jail.

Early Voting Underway Through Mar. 2 For March 5 Primary Election

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One-stop early voting is now underwat and will continue through Saturday, Mar. 2.

Vance County Board of Elections Director Jennifer Cocklin reminds voters they have two locations where they can cast their votes in advance of the Mar. 5 primary:

  • The county’s Youth Services building (Eaton-Johnson gymnasium) at 500 N. Beckford Dr.
  • Aycock Recreational Center, 307 Carey Chapel Rd.

Weekday hours are from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; the polls will be open Saturday, Mar. 2 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Voters will be asked to show a photo ID.

Visit https://www.vancecounty.org/departments/board-of-elections/ to learn more.

 

NCDOT

$57M Dabney Drive Upgrade Chugging Along

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Anyone who dropped in during Tuesday’s NCDOT meeting at E.M. Rollins School got a chance to view project maps and speak with transportation officials about just what the $57 million Dabney Drive upgrade is going to look like.

From initial conceptual drawings, what it’s going to look like is very different.

The proposed upgrades include a peanut-shaped roundabout at Dorsey Avenue and upgrading existing Dabney Drive for eastbound traffic and Corbitt Road and a former rail corridor for westbound traffic. But it also makes accommodations for pedestrians and bicyclists who use the roadway.

Dabney Drive is a major transportation artery for the city that gives motorists access to residential, commercial, industrial, churches and institutional facilities located within the project area. There aren’t many times during the day that traffic isn’t congested, and NCDOT has been working on getting plans together for the upgrade since 2019.

Right now, projected costs to complete the Dabney Drive upgrade include $7.3 million for relocating utilities, $25 million for right-of-way acquisition, $24.4 million to complete an environmental document. Construction is set to begin in Fall 2027.

and utility companies to make sure the work “will minimize impacts to the greatest extent possible,” documents state.

No doubt NCDOT will have to acquire property, and once the design phase is complete, affected property owners will be contacted.. For more information about the right-of-way process, visit https://www.ncdot.gov/projects/Documents/right-of-way-residential-english.pdf#search=right%20of%20way.

In addition to fielding questions from the public, NCDOT representatives received comments, which will be reviewed and discussed as plans continue.

The project – U-5890 – has its own webpage https://publicinput.com/dabney-drive-henderson

NCDOT also invites public comment by email or phone. To send an email, visit dabney-drive-henderson@publicinput.com.

Phone 984.205.6615 and enter Code 4600 to leave a voice message.

Public comments can also be mailed to:

Zahid Baloch

NCDOT Division Project Team

1573 Mail Service Center

Raleigh, N.C. 27699-1573

 

Comments should be submitted by Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024.

 

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Vance County Logo

Bigelow Out As County’s Chief Finance Officer

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Vance County Deputy County Manager/Chief Finance Officer Katherine Bigelow was relieved of her duties last week, according to County Manager Renee Perry, for fraud and falsification of records for personal profit.

“Katherine was terminated as of Feb. 9 – last Friday,” Perry told WIZS News.

Perry said Bigelow, who had said she was a licensed certified public accountant, used a license number that does not belong to her. “Katherine is not licensed as a CPA,” Perry said.

“The county has to go through an audit every year,” Perry explained, adding that “if a person identifies as a CPA, then auditors request copies of your certification.”

She said Bigelow, who has been the finance director since 2019, submitted “a certification for a CPA licensure that did not belong to her…she misrepresented herself with someone else’s licensure as a CPA.”

Just last month, Perry announced that county commissioners had agreed to a $25,000 bump in pay for Bigelow, bringing her salary to $136,503. That’s when her title was updated to Deputy County Manager/Chief Finance Officer.

Perry said the job posting was put on the county’s website after Bigelow was terminated.

“I wasn’t playing,” Perry said. “I couldn’t wait.”

Chuck Murray, who served as interim finance director before Bigelow came on board, will again serve as interim, beginning Monday, Perry said. He will help out two or three days a week.

A CPA licensure is not a requirement for the position of county finance director.

Perry cited the section in the county personnel policy that refers to “detrimental personal conduct for fraud and falsification of records for personal profit, to gain special privileges or to obtain employment” as the basis for the termination.

TownTalk: Linda Cobb, Board of Education Candidate

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Vance County Board of Education member Linda Cobb, seeking re-election to the District 5 seat, said the school district faces challenges common in many districts, and applauds leaders for their innovative efforts to provide a quality education experience for students and teachers.

Cobb was first appointed in 2019 to fill an unexpired term on the board of education, then was elected in 2020.

The county’s schools aren’t immune to challenges like bus drivers and attracting and retaining certified teachers, but Cobb said she celebrates successes like the creation of the SPARK lab to help students discover future career paths through hands-on experiences.

Her vision for the school system is “to lead and guide our students to success once they finish high school,” she said.

A couple of priorities she has on her radar include building community relationships and making sure students are “catching up” from COVID. “We can’t blame everything on COVID, but we need to make sure we have enough tutors in schools and teachers to teach the kids…what they need to know to progress to the next level,” she said.

Having been an instructor at Vance-Granville Community College for 20 years, she said she’s worked with students who are products of Vance County Schools. In close to 30 years in her role with the Department of Social Services, she’s worked with a variety of people, including children.

She continues that work in her role as a school board member, which includes strategizing “very carefully how we spend the money.”

“Our needs are growing,” she said, “but the amount of money coming to the district is not growing with the need.”

Money that comes from federal and state streams is usually already designated for particular budget items, and Cobb said she believes the district is managing those funds very well. “We just had a clean audit report,” she added.

Some of the stimulus money from the federal government was used for bonuses to employees and to other sustainable things, she said – not on one-off funding for seed money.”

“We always have to put the students first…(making sure) that they’re getting the very best education they can.”

Early voting is underway for the Mar. 5 primary elections.

 

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TownTalk: William Purvis, Board Of Education Candidate

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William Earl Purvis said he is promoting a “vision for transformation” in his bid for a seat on the Vance County Board of Education. Purvis faces incumbent and fellow Democrat Linda Cobb for the District 5 seat.

Henderson voters may remember his name from his unsuccessful bid for City Council in 2022; Purvis said his experience as an educator in a neighboring county, his background as a pastor and his training as a licensed clinician all serve to make him the right person for the job.

“I’ve talked to many parents, students and teachers,” he told WIZS News on a segment of TownTalk that aired Wednesday. “They want a voice,” and he said he would work to collaborate with the community to shape the board’s decisions.

Purvis said he’d like to have quarterly “town hall type” meetings to share with the community what’s going on in the school system.

The school system does a good job collaborating with the community now, he said. “It’s my job (to) take that even further and enhance it with all our students.”

He said his work as a clinician, pastor and educator all serve to make him an advocate for children and for school system employees.

“We’re all in this together to build a successful school system,” he said, adding that he would work to improve low-performing schools and would support all staff – teachers, administrators, custodians – to effect change.

He said he would work to promote school safety, mental health services, programs for parents and appropriate and fair building codes if he’s elected to the school board.

He’d also like to find ways to recognize students for successes that aren’t limited to academics or athletics.

“We need to recognize our kids with disabilities,” he said. “I have a spirit to advocate for the children.”

His platform is not focused on one district; rather, he is interested in what’s going on in all schools.

“I plan to lift up the school system,” he said. “If I’m elected, you will not be disappointed.”

 

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TownTalk: County Shell Building Deal Falls Through

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An optimistic person may look at the completed – and unoccupied – shell building at the Henderson-Vance Industrial Park and say “if you build it, they will come.”

The pessimist may say “don’t count your chickens before they hatch.”

Well, the shell building was built and a buyer in hand, until the 11th hour when the deal fell through.

That’s when Henderson-Vance Industrial Park, Inc. President Dan Brummitt summed up the process like a realist: “That’s real estate.”

Brummitt told WIZS News Tuesday that the deal that had seemed sewn up had, in fact, died.

The unnamed buyer had requested a 7-day extension right before the deal was to close, and then another 30-day extension after that. On the last day of the last extension, and right before the due diligence period was set to expire, the buyer backed out.

County Attorney Jonathan Care told WIZS News in an email that both sides had been in negotiations during the extension periods, but “the buyer’s agent told us in the final hour of the last day of the extension period for due diligence that the buyer would not be
proceeding forward, and (is) terminating the contract.”

The building is owned by the Henderson-Vance Industrial Park, Inc. – not by the city or the county, Care said.

“This is what we did not want to happen, as the building has been off the market now for several months, interest has continued to accrue on the construction loan, and the Industrial Park is back at square one with getting the building sold.”

Brummitt said that interest in the building is good and so it’s on to the next purchaser.

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TownTalk: City Council Addresses Trash Issue; New Fire Truck

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The Henderson City Council gave the green light Monday to fire department officials to apply for a $2.5 million FEMA grant to purchase a new ladder truck.

The department’s ladder truck has been out of commission since April 2023 and isn’t expected to come back into service for several more months.

The Council voted unanimously to provide the 5 percent match – roughly $119,000 – required by FEMA grant.

The fire department’s ISO rating could be in jeopardy if there’s no ladder truck available to answer calls or provide mutual aid when needed.

Direct quote from agenda:

“This grant will enable the fire department to purfhase a new aerial apparatus to provide adequate fire protection coverage for areas within the municipality and mutual aid districts when necessary.

Council members also voted to amend the Sanitation Ordinance in an effort to cut down on excess garbage and litter.

Customers are supposed to put all their refuse inside the rolling container provided through GFL – they’re not supposed to pile up extra bags beside the container for pickup.

Following Monday’s action, customers will be warned when they are out of compliance. After the third warning, the city will “provide” them with a second container – at the resident’s expense, which they’ll see in their monthly bill.

This had been discussed at the November 2023 Public Works Committee meeting, and it was brought back to Council Monday for review.

Listen back to Tuesday’s TownTalk to learn about other topics of discussion at the Feb. 12 City Council meeting.

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