Vance County Schools Recognitions

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(Vance County Schools Press Release)

Vance County Schools is proud to announce that Marion Perry, an outstanding volunteer in our school system and particularly for Carver Elementary School, was named the Citizen of the Year for 2015 at the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce Annual Banquet on February 4, 2016.

Our school system also is proud to announce that Flat Rock United Methodist Church in Vance County has been named the recipient of the school system’s Shining Moment in Education Award for 2015-2016 as the most outstanding business partner for our schools. Flat Rock United Methodist has a phenomenal partnership with E.O. Young Jr. Elementary School in Middleburg. Principal Marylaura McKoon and Karen Reece, E.O. Young’s social worker, presented the crystal vase and engraved base for the Shining Moment award to the Rev. Cathy Hoyle, pastor of Flat Rock United Methodist Church.ShiningMomentAward2015

Mrs. Perry and Flat Rock church are true champions of public education and their support results in great things in our local schools.

Mrs. Perry leads Carver Elementary’s One Step Above Reading Club weekly for students who need extra help in improving their reading skills. She promotes the joys and importance of reading to the children. She sponsors several special events each school year at the school, including a “Welcome Back” event for school staff members at the beginning of the year and the Black History Month Celebration in February. Mrs. Perry also seeks support for the school system throughout our community and serves on several boards and committees in our area, most notably the Vance County Public School Foundation and the Friends of Perry Memorial Library Board.

Flat Rock United Methodist Church has sponsored a summer reading program for the last two years for identified students at E.O. Young Jr. Elementary who need help during the summer to enhance their reading skills. MarionPerry(2015 Citizen of Year)The program, which includes several church members as volunteers who tutor students, has proven to help students successfully prepare for the oncoming school year. Flat Rock members also donate nonperishable food items for identified students in the Backpack Buddies program through the year and assist needy students and families during the holidays.

Finally, Vance County Schools wants to announce that staff members in our Maintenance and Transportation departments are the first to be honored through our new Vanceformation Award Program. They were given their Vanceformation lapel pins at the February 8, 2016, meeting of the Vance County Board of Education and recognized for their outstanding efforts in preparing school system vehicles, facilities and campuses for the return of students and employees after a snowstorm in late January. Those recognized included from the Maintenance Department, Wayne Cozart, Jimmy Faulkner, Shon Jones, Jay Kearney, Guy McFaddin, Joe Norwood, Chris Pulley, Ricky Railey and Robert Watson; and from the Transportation Department, R.C. Creech, Ryan Smiley and Jimmy Waverly.

Thank you all for your outstanding efforts to help us rethink, reform, reimagine and renew our educational mission.VanceformationHonors(Feb2015)

News 02/12/16

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Commissioner Hester Chairs NC Rural Infrastructure Authority

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Governor Pat McCrory recently announced in a press release that Vance County Commissioner Tommy Hester had been reappointed to the Rural Infrastructure Authority. Hester has served the authority since its inception in 2013, and next week he will be running to chair the authority for a third-straight 12-month term.

In an interview with WIZS News, Hester said he hopes to continue to serve as the chairman. As he described it, the authority is charged with distributing funds across North Carolina for rural counties as it pertains to job investment grants for infrastructure.

“We try to help Tier 1 and Tier 2 counties, like Vance County,” Hester said. He said, “Take the Handcrafted Homes building for example. It became vacant and stayed so for more than six months. Someone says their going to buy it and employ 25 folks. So the Rural Infrastructure Authority will help up fit it, giving $100,000.00.” The more jobs created the more potential funds are available.

Hester went on about the Henderson-Vance Industrial Park, which consists of 45 acres south of Henderson near Iams. “Henderson applied for a grant to supply water to the site so it would ground ready when someone wanted to locate there,” Hester said.

Also, he said, “The Henderson-Vance Industrial Park is full,” except for one site. “We might need to buy more land to have site ready,” he said of the Henderson-Vance partnership.

Hester also serves on the Golden Leaf Foundation board, likewise appointed to the board by Gov. McCrory. It provides continuity according to Hester, who meets every other month with both Golden Leaf and Rural Infrastructure. Since both boards give money, Hester being on both boards helps coordinate supplemental giving and it also helps know what to do when someone applies for a grant but does not fall under the guidelines of one organization or the other.

Hester is the first from Vance County to serve on either board.

As a Vance County Commissioner, he said, “I am trying to better lives in Vance County by increasing tax revenue without raising the tax rate. Day by day, month by month. This week, I’m meeting with three different companies, just to talk to them.”

More companies not only equals more jobs but also the additional tax revenue to the County to which Hester refers. More jobs means more money of the citizens of this area, and the companies that create those jobs add to the County tax base, which keeps more money in the pockets of the individual citizens. This is part of the ongoing economic development discussions in Vance County.

Another Raccoon Rabies Case

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Another case of a raccoon with rabies has occurred in Vance County. Frankie Nobles, Chief of Vance County Animal Control, informed WIZS News today. He said it has occurred “in the 1900 block of Newton Dairy Rd.”

Nobles said, “Anyone in this area is asked to please get your pet vaccinated for rabies. It can be done at the Vance County Animal Shelter for only $5.00 and the vaccine is good for a year. Times and dates are Monday 12:30pm until 4:30pm, Tuesday through Thursday from 10:00am until 2:00pm and Saturday 8:00am until 12:00pm. This vaccine is the only state required vaccine.”

If you have any further questions please contact the Vance County Animal Shelter at 252-492-3136.

Town Talk 02/11/16

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Public Health Serving You 02/10/16

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Underage Drinking Affects Brain Development

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Press Release

Governor McCrory’s Task Force Gets Report on the Effects of Underage Drinking

Duke Researcher: “It becomes the job of responsible adults in kids’ lives to help provide the restraint that their own brains often can’t.”

Raleigh, N.C. – Researchers from Duke University and UNC-Chapel Hill presented their report on the effects of alcohol on the brains of young people to the Governor’s Substance Abuse and Underage Drinking Prevention and Treatment Task Force today.  Governor Pat McCrory requested the report in December.

The report, “Alcohol & The Adolescent Brain: Immediate Impairment, Long-Term Consequences,” details the unique characteristics of the developing adolescent brain, and how alcohol affects the adolescent brain differently from the brain of an adult.

“We need to help parents understand the effects of alcohol on their child’s greatest asset, their developing brain, and how they can help protect it by having conversations with their children about the dangers of underage drinking,” said Governor McCrory.   

According to the report, adolescents are less sensitive to the sedative effects of alcohol than adults; making them more likely to binge drink, which can lead to risky behavior, violence, unsafe sex and blackouts. Scientific evidence shows that underage drinking can damage the parts of the brain responsible for judgment, reasoning, impulse control, learning and memory.

“Adolescent brains are not the same as adult brains. Their brains aren’t broken—they’re a work in progress,” said Dr. Wilkie Wilson, Research Professor of Prevention Science, Social Science Research Institute, Duke University. “It becomes the job of responsible adults in kids’ lives to help provide the restraint that their own brains often can’t.”

“You have one brain. It controls everything you’ll do for all your life—protect it and treat it with respect,” added Dr. Wilson.

This report will be used in ongoing statewide efforts to reduce underage drinking, and educate and empower parents to talk with their children. Studies consistently show that parental communication can delay the initiation of alcohol consumption, and help kids make positive decisions across the board.

“On behalf of the Task Force and the North Carolina ABC Commission, I want to thank Governor McCrory for his dedication to tackling the underage drinking problem in our state,” said N.C. ABC Commission Chairman Jim Gardner. “There’s still much work to be done to shift this culture. And this report will be a valuable resource as we continue our efforts through the Talk It Out campaign to educate parents on this important issue.”

Members of the research team include:
  • Dr. Cindy Kuhn—Professor of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Psychology and Psychiatry, Duke University Medical Center
  • Dr. Donita L. Robinson—Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  • Dr. Wilkie (Bill) Wilson—Research Professor of Prevention Science, Social Science Research Institute, Duke University
  • Dr. Fulton Crews— John Andrews Distinguished Professor of Pharmacology and Psychiatry, Director of the Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
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News 02/11/16

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Town Talk 02/10/16

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Home and Garden Show 02/09/16

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