Small Business Summit and Expo to be held October 20 at Warren County Armory

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via Andrew Beal

The Vance-Granville Community College Small Business Center has announced the complete lineup of presenters for the fourth annual Small Business Summit and Expo, which will be held Tuesday, Oct. 20, from 11:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. at the Warren County Armory Civic Center in Warrenton.

The Chamber of Commerce of Warren County, the Warren County Economic Development Commission, the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Warren County Center, and the Lake Gaston Regional Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Center are partnering with the college to organize the event, which has the theme, “Weaving the Fabric of a Thriving Economy.” CenturyLink is the presenting sponsor. Other co-sponsors are Halifax Electric Membership Corporation, The Warren Record, Hundley’s Greenhouses, Inc., The Lake Gaston Gazette-Observer, 1450 AM WIZS, the Roanoke Rapids Daily Herald, The Daily Dispatch and WARR.

The summit kicks off with a keynote address during lunch by Susan E. Harris, owner of Quilt Lizzy in Warrenton. Her discussion is entitled “Why Your Small Town is a Great Place to Do Business.”

For the rest of the afternoon, attendees can choose from among several breakout sessions being held simultaneously.

During Session 1, from 1:15 until 2:15 p.m., the choices are: “Creative Opportunities for Arts and Crafts Businesses in the Community” with professional artist and educator Theresa Brown; “Making Your Business Model Work in a Small Town” with Warrenton town manager Robert Davie; and “Turning Your Passion Into a Business” with Adam Fields, owner of AF Wake & Wakeboard World Champion.

Session 2, from 2:30 until 3:30 p.m., offers these options: “Farm to Fork Enterprise” with Crystal Smith and Paul McKenzie of N.C. Cooperative Extension and Gabe Cummings of Warren FoodWorks; “Emerging Consumer Markets for Agriculture” with Debbie Hamrick, Director of Specialty Crops for the North Carolina Farm Bureau Federation; and “Social Media: The Black Hole” with Dave Blodgett of Buggs Media.

For the third and final session (3:45 until 4:45 p.m.), attendees will select either “Financing Opportunities for Small Businesses” with Barry Ryan of the North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center and Lou Grillo of the Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments; “USDA Loans & Grants Program” with Rhonda Pope, USDA Farm Service Agency’s Strike Force Coordinator and County Executive Director at large, Michelle Winslow, Dock Jones and Rob Satterfield, all of USDA/Farm Service Agency, and Lyn Millhiser of USDA/Rural Development; or “Social Media: The Black Hole” with Dave Blodgett of Buggs Media.

Between breakout sessions, attendees can browse through booths set up by representatives of various resources for small businesses. These include CenturyLink, Carter Bank & Trust, Ag Carolina Farm Credit, N.C. Rural Center, North Carolina Cooperative Extension – Warren County, Warren County Economic Development Commission, USDA, Kerr Tar Regional Council of Governments, Roanoke Rapids Daily Herald, Lake Gaston Regional Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Center, Vance-Granville Community College, Vance-Granville Community College Small Business Center, Halifax Electric Membership Corporation, North Carolina Farm Bureau, North Carolina Institute of Minority Economic Development, The Daily Dispatch, WARR, and The Warren County Chamber of Commerce.

The purpose of the Small Business Summit and Expo is to engage, empower and enrich participants to help make their small businesses more successful. “We welcome all aspiring entrepreneurs, small business owners, and non-profit leaders to participate in this inspirational, educational and motivational experience with us,” said Tanya Weary, director of the VGCC Small Business Center.

Lunch is provided free of charge by CenturyLink to the first 50 registered participants. After that point, lunch is $10.

For more information, call Tanya Weary at (252) 738-3240 or e-mail her at smallbusiness@vgcc.edu.

Ellington Wins; Other Races Not Over

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Eddie Ellington is the mayor-elect for the City of Henderson.  While the canvass still takes place on Tuesday, Ellington can now be safely declared the winner of the Mayoral election.

Audio from the 5 P.M. Local News – WIZS Lead Story

Ellington said, “I am honored to become the next mayor for the City of Henderson. It’s been a long process, and I want to thank the citizens of Henderson for standing behind me, and I look forward to going to work for all the people of the City. Thank you and may God bless you.”

The question since Tuesday night had been about the 10 provisional ballots.  Those ballots determined the Mayoral race, but the Ward 1 race between Marion Brodie Williams and Clarence J. Dale is far from over.  The Ward 3 At Large race between Mellissa Elliott and Brenda Peace will still go to a runoff if Peace requests the runoff.

Chairman of the Vance County Board of Elections, Kevin Kilgore, said, “Out of the 10 provisional ballots, four were counted in full, two were partially counted, and there were four that were not counted at all.”

Kilgore said, “Ellington’s margin went up by two votes and his percentage went to 50.20 percent.”

That is enough for Ellington to avoid a runoff with Jim Kearney.

As for Ward 3 At Large, “Elliott and Peace each got three more votes, so the margin stays the same,” Kilgore said.

Now to the really fine print, Ward 1 Ward seat.  Dale and Williams each have 234 votes now.  They are tied.  So, what’s next?

“We have three mailed absentee ballots that have not be returned.  As long as they are here by 5 P.M. tomorrow (Friday) and postmarked by election day, they can be counted,” Kilgore said.  Also, he said, “We have four mailed absentee ballots that have not be counted because we are waiting for more information.  Those are due by the canvass on Tuesday.”

In most elections, there is not a tie, nor is it this close.  Kilgore said, “In most elections this would not make a hill of beans of difference.”

Instead, Kilgore, Faye Gill and all of the board and volunteers are still hard at work.

Seven more votes, not enough to affect the Mayoral result or the anticipated runoff between Peace and Elliott, but seven votes is plenty of votes to break a tie.  To that end, the State Board of Elections has required the Vance County Board of Elections to perform a hand recount on the Ward 1 race, which will be started tomorrow (Friday) at 10 A.M.

Stay tuned to WIZS 1450 AM and wizs.com.

Alzheimer’s Caregivers

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If you are:

  • A family or professional caregiver of a dementia patient
  • A member of the clergy, a student, or a volunteer desiring dementia education
  • A professional in need of 5 Continuing Education Units
  • A person with a desire to learn more about Alzheimer’s Disease and other types of dementia

Alzheimer’s Conference Schedule

Sign up for the 8th Annual Alzheimer’s Caregiver Education Conference to be held at Vance-Granville Community College in the Civic Center on Thursday, October 15, 2015 from 8am-4pm.  Lunch will be served.

For more information, please contact Melissa Catlett at Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments at 252-436-2040, or Lisa Levine at Alzheimer’s North Carolina, Inc. at 800-228-8738.

 

First Of Its Kind – DWI Court

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Oxford, NC – The District Attorney’s office held a week-long session of District Court from September 28, 2015 through October 2, 2015. This week-long session was the first of its kind in Granville County and was scheduled for the disposition of Driving While Impaired (DWI) cases only. The week-long DWI session was a collaborative effort between the offices of District Attorney Michael D. Waters and Granville County Clerk of Superior Court J. Yancey Washington. District Court Judge John W. Davis presided over the week-long session. Further assistance was provided by the North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys (Conference). Rashad A. Hauter, a DWI Resource Prosecutor with the Conference, assisted the District Attorney’s staff in the prosecution of these cases. Mr. Hauter is a native of Vance County and a graduate of Southern Vance High School.

Fifty-three cases were set for trial during the week-long session, and forty-one of those cases were resolved. Of those forty-one cases, twenty-eight cases were resolved by guilty plea or a guilty verdict by Judge Davis. Two defendants were found not guilty. Eleven cases were dismissed for insufficient evidence. Ten cases were continued to another court date and three defendants failed to appear and an order for their arrest was issued.

Many factors contribute to the successful prosecution of a DWI, including the presence of the arresting officer for his or her testimony and the return of any toxicology results from the SBI laboratory. The District Attorney’s office made every effort to coordinate all factors in an effort to begin to reduce the backlog of pending DWI cases in Granville County.

EVERY VOTE MATTERS

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UPDATE:  THE VANCE COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS ADVISES THAT IT PLANS TO REVIEW THE 10 PROVISIONAL BALLOTS THIS AFTERNOON (THURSDAY) AROUND OR SHORTLY AFTER 4:00 P.M.  AS SOON AS THE REVIEW RESULTS ARE AVAILABLE, WIZS NEWS WILL PROVIDE ANOTHER UPDATE.

(Unofficial Results, subject to provisional ballots and canvass by The Vance County Board of Elections)

The Henderson Nonpartisan City Elections were close.  In fact, three of the four contested races are too close to call.  One recount and one run off are certain, and a second run off for the Mayoral position is a possibility.

Ten provisional ballots, which will now be subject to scrutiny by The Vance County Board of Elections, are enough ballots to reverse the projected winner for the Alderman 1st Ward Ward Seat contest between Marion Brodie Williams and Clarence J. Dale as well as enough votes to force a run-off election for mayor.

Eddie Ellington is the projected winner for mayor.  He received 1,152 votes or 50.13% of the votes cast.  Jim Kearney received 740 votes or 32.20% of the votes.  Juanita Somerville earned 406 votes or 17.67 percent.  Ellington received more than 50 percent plus one vote, so a runoff is not an option for Kearney at this time.  But, the 10 provisional ballots may change those percentages, which could then result in a runoff.

For the Alderman 1st Ward Ward Seat, there was just one vote of difference in the final tally.  Williams received 233 votes or exactly 50% of the votes cast.  Dale earned 232 votes, or 49.79%.  There was one write-in vote.  It is clear to see that the 10 provisional ballots could easily change the projected winner.  If that one write-in vote were to happen to be for Dale, then each candidate will have received exactly the same number of votes.  No matter what, in a two-person race where there is less than one percent of separation, the second-place candidate can ask for a recount.  That request for a recount must be received by The Vance County Board of Elections, in writing from the candidate, no later than November 14th at 5:00 P.M.

For the Alderman 3rd Ward At Large Seat, there will be a run off between Melissa Elliott and Brenda Peace.  Peace told WIZS News as a part of our live election coverage that she was 99.99 percent sure she would ask for a run off.  Elliott received 1,034 votes or 47.37%, while Peace earned 1,025 votes or 46.95%.  Elliott did not get 50 percent of the votes plus one vote, therefore a runoff is in the making.  With a separation of nine votes, it is unlikely that the 10 provisional ballots would have an impact.  If Peace does in fact ask for a runoff, she must do so in writing to the Vance County Board of Elections by November 15th at 12:00 P.M.

All the numbers are in the chart below, which clearly shows that incumbent George M. Daye defeated Blakely Bates for Alderman 4th Ward At Large Seat.  Daye’s 1,333 votes or 66.82% are clearly enough to declare him the victor when compared to the 645 votes, or 32.33%, attained by Bates.

Mike Rainey ran unopposed for Alderman 2nd Ward Ward seat.  He earned 777 votes, while there were seven names written in for the position.

Voter turn out was 23.13 percent.  Of the 9,978 registered voters, 2,308 ballots were cast.

Our WIZS live election coverage on 1450AM and on wizs.com included live comments from Ellington, Somerville, Peace, Bates, Dale and Rainey.  Kearney spoke with WIZS reported Kevin Bullock but chose to hold his public comments until later.

Our thanks to The Vance County Board of Elections for allowing us to broadcast from their location and to all their staff and volunteers.  Special thanks to Faye Gill and Kevin Kilgore.

LIVE ELECTION COVERAGE

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Live election-night coverage begins on WIZS at 7:00 P.M.  Listen live on 1450 AM or on wizs.com.

The polls close at 7:30 P.M., but our broadcast will begin from The Vance County Board of Elections at 7 o’clock.  We will report the results accurately to you as the precinct information arrives after 7:30 at The Board of Elections.  Our coverage will also include our mix of top-hit Country, Beach music, Oldies from the 50s to the 80s as well as Jazz and Big Band.

Print out this sheet and fill in the blanks with us at home.

A quick word with officials at The Board of Elections reveals that there is nothing unusual to report at this time, and it sounded as if everything was running smoothly so far today.

If a runoff is necessary, it will be held November 3.  The second place candidate may choose to call for a runoff if the candidate receiving the most votes does not get 50 percent of the votes plus one vote.

A total of 911 voters cast an early ballot.

Mayoral candidates are: Jim Kearney, Juanita Somerville and Eddie Ellington.

First Ward Ward Seat candidates are: Clarence J. Dale and Marion Brodie Williams.  Kearney presently holds this seat but is giving it up to run for mayor.

Second Ward Ward Seat is unopposed.  Incumbent Mike Rainey does not have a challenger in this election.

Third Ward At Large candidates are:  Brenda Peace, the incumbent, and challengers Mellissa Elliott and Jason Spriggs.

Fourth Ward At Large candidates are: George Day, the incumbent, and challenger Blakely Lee Bates.

City Fire Chief

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The process of selecting a fire chief for the Henderson Fire Department is underway, with applications in hand and interviews being set up, according to City Manager Frank Frazier.

August 31 is the date that former Fire Chief Danny Wilkerson retired after 40 years of service to the department and 16 years as chief.  Assistant Fire Chief Steve Cordell is serving as Interim Fire Chief during the application and selection process.

Frazier said, “I have received 11 applications from human resources that I am reviewing and should be setting up interviews over the next two weeks or so.  There are several internal applicants.  Besides the internal applicants, most of the other applicants are not local.”

One of those 11 applications is that of Interim Fire Chief Cordell.  Cordell expressed his excitement about being selected as the interim chief.  He said, “I would love to be the next fire chief and to provide the leadership needed to move the department forward.”

Frazier said, “The City of Henderson Fire Department has maintained a very good record and has been actively involved in the community for many years, so we certainly want that to continue.  Our department has experienced a good amount of retirement of seasoned firefighters, so it will be important for the new chief to provide leadership to insure that training and other aspects of running the fire department are passed on to the newer firefighters.”

Cordell said, if selected as chief, he would love to continue the good things going on in the department and the opportunity to carry the department successfully into the future.

A little more than a month ago, former Chief Wilkerson said, “We restructured the department some after he (Ranger) retired, and they may do that again when I leave, but the mission is still the same.”  He agreed that it was to protect and serve.

Danny Wilkerson started as a firefighter on July 24, 1975.  On April 1, 1999, Chief Danny Wilkerson became chief as former Chief Ranger Wilkerson retired.  Ranger served 40 total years and 32 years as chief.  All together, their time protecting and serving spanned 55 consecutive years.

Wilkerson reflected to a time in 2009 when deadly fires occurred in Henderson almost back to back.  Several young people had perished.  He said, “I felt like we were doing something wrong.  That’s when we started our fire inspection program, and we haven’t had a fire death since then.  We try to get into every home in the city limits and do inspections, get the person a smoke detector and install it.”

The interviews for the new chief are being conducted by Frazier as well as the human resources director.  Applications are still being accepted as of the time of this publication.



 


OBESITY A SOUTHERN TRADITION
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A SOUTHERN TRADITION & A MAJOR HEATH PROBLEM


As a group, southern states tend to lead the pack when it comes to being significantly overweight or, in technical terms, obese.


Arkansas is by far the leader in adult obesity with a trend line that is only rivaled by Mississippi.  Arkansas’ obesity rate is 35.9% with Mississippi at 35.5%, based on 2014 data.


North Carolina is in the middle of the pack, with an obesity rate of 29.7% in 2014.


Obesity in North Carolina:


    

  •    Year       % of Population       US Ranking
    • 

  •    1990                 12.3                            9th
    • 

  •    1995                 16.3                          12th
    • 

  •    2000                 20.9                           11th
    • 

  •    2005                 24.7                           17th
    • 

  •    2010                 29.4                           14th
    • 

  •    2014                 29.7                           24th
    • 



Cost of Obesity in North Carolina


Heart Disease, Arthritis and Obesity related Cancer are the major diseases that relate to both Medical Claims & Hospital Charges, not counting Lost Productivity on the job.


The chart below details the total cost of Unhealthy Lifestyles in NC.  Note that excess weight is the largest contributor to the overall cost; add in Diabetes, Hypertension and High Cholesterol and you can see the total cost of Obesity.


Obesity Chart


 


Vance-Granville Basketball Ready for 2015-2016 Season
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by Kevin Bullock


The Vance-Granville Community College Vanguard Basketball Team kicked off the season on October 1st with media day at Western Vance High School. Coach Michael Woody introduced the 2015-2016 version of the Vanguards to the media, and allowed questions after a 15 minute scrimmage in the Western Vance Gym. Below is the active roster for VGCC Basketball.


Aaron Robinson, Freshman, Shooting Guard, Southern Alamance High School


Alcyone Moore, Sophomore, Shooting Guard, Myers Park High School


Chris Pernell, Freshman, Shooting Guard, East Wake School of Arts


Darius Williams, Freshman, Small Forward, Carvers Bay High School (SC)


Phillip Williams, Freshman, Power Forward, Hemingway High School (SC)


Donal Gooch, Jr, Freshman, Power Forward, East Wake School of Arts


Dy’Quan Marrow, Freshman, Point Guard, Northern Vance High School


Joseph Avery, Freshman, Off-Guard, Westover High School


Raekwon Hall, Sophomore, Point Guard, Wakefield High School


TyQuon Reid, Freshman, Point Guard, Hillside High School


Tyrek Beverly, Sophomore, Off-Guard, J.F. Webb High School


Antonio Adams, Freshman, Small Forward, J.F. Webb High School


Anthony Mims, Freshman, Small Forward, Northern Vance High School


Stefan Cates, Sophomore, Off-Guard, J.F. Webb High School


Coach Woody is excited about the opener against Wake Tech, but acknowledges that they may not be Vance-Granville’s primary rival this year. Woody said, “Everybody thinks that Wake Tech is our big rival, but we’ve got Pitt circled on the calendar.” Vance-Granville will play their home games this year at Aycock Recreation Center. See their full schedule below.


 


Oct 24              Juco Jamboree (Scrimmage)                  Myrtle Beach SC                                  TBD


Oct 27              Saint Andrews University (Scrimmage)  Laurinburg SC                                       TBD


Nov. 6                      Wake Tech                 Aycock Recreation Center                7:00pm


Nov. 10           Brayant Stratton         Aycock Recreation Center                6:00pm


Nov. 14                       Davidson Co. CC        Aycock Recreation Center                3:00pm


Nov. 16                        Saint Andrews              Saint Andrews                                      6:00pm


Nov. 18                      Patrick Henry CC       Aycock Recreation Center                6:00pm


Nov. 20                       Univ. of VA at Lynchburg Aycock Recreation Center                      7:00pm                                    


Nov. 24                        Richard Bland College   Richard Bland College                           7:00pm


Dec. 2              Louisburg College      Aycock Recreation Center                7:00pm


Dec. 4              Pitt CC Tournament      TBD                                                     TBD


Dec. 8              Central Carolina CC      Central Carolina CC                              7:00pm


Jan. 5              USC-Salkehatchie       Aycock Recreation Center                7:00pm


Jan. 7              Lenoir CC                   Aycock Recreation Center                7:00pm


Jan. 11              Methodist Univ.             Methodist University                              8:00pm


Jan. 13              Patrick Henry CC         Patrick Henry CC                                 6:00pm


Jan. 18              Louisburg College          Louisburg College                                  3:00pm


Jan. 19              Lenoir CC                     Lenoir CC                                             7:00pm


Jan. 23              Guildford Tech CC        Guildford Tech CC                                3:00pm


Jan. 25              Pitt CC                         Pitt CC                                                 7:00pm


Jan. 27                        Catawba Valley CC     Aycock Recreation Center                6:30pm


Feb. 3              Richard Bland College           Aycock Recreation Center                7:00pm


Feb. 5               Mid-Atlantic Christian    Mid-Atlantic Christian                            6:00pm


Feb. 8               Wake Tech CC             Wake Tech CC                                     7:00pm


Feb. 11                        Pitt CC                                    Aycock Recreation Center                7:00pm


Feb. 13             Bryant/Stratton College  Bryant/Stratton College                          3:00pm


Feb. 15             Sandhills CC                 Sandhills CC                                         6:00pm


Feb. 16             Catawba Valley CC      Catawba Valley CC                              6:30pm


Feb. 23                        Guildford Tech CC     Aycock Recreation Center                7:00pm


 


Home Games are Bold


VGCC defeats Central Carolina in women’s volleyball match
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via Andrew Beal


The Vance-Granville Community College women’s volleyball team notched another Region X conference victory on Sept. 29, with a 3-0 win (25-16, 25-18 and 25-18) at home over the Cougars from Central Carolina Community College. That brought the Vanguards’ record to 7-5 (3-2 in conference play).


Kara Reese of Henderson led VGCC in kills (12) and in blocks (six). Reese and Rachel Thomas of Louisburg also contributed ten digs apiece. Caitlyn Robins of Creedmoor was dominant in digs (15) and aces (six) while also posting five kills. As in VGCC’s previous conference wins, Melissa Elliott of Townsville was the team leader in assists, with 26 this time.


“After starting out slowly in our first two sets, we settled down and played good defense,” said VGCC Coach Christopher Young. “We had strong performances from Rachel Thomas, Caitlyn Robins and Morgan Carter, great blocking from Jesse Edwards and Kara Reese, and Melissa Elliott did a great job setting up hitters. Jesse left the third set early with an injury, but we stayed the course with strong defense and pulled away with the 3-0 victory.”


VGCC was coming off a pair of non-conference losses on the road at nearby Louisburg College. In the first match of the Sept. 22 doubleheader, the Hurricanes won in three sets (25-21, 25-14 and 25-18). In the second match, VGCC lost the first two sets to Louisburg, 25-22 and 25-17, came back to win the third set, 25-17, but lost the fourth, 25-10.


Over the course of both Louisburg matches, Reese and Robins each had 19 digs, while Edwards and Thomas each had 18. Edwards recorded the most kills (12) and blocks (15). Elliott led the Vanguards in assists, with a total of 32.


The next home match for the Vanguards is set for Wednesday, Oct. 7, at 6 p.m. at Aycock Recreation Center in Henderson. The visiting opponent is the squad from Davidson County Community College. Doubleheaders at Aycock versus Rockingham Community College on Oct. 9 at 5 p.m. and Laurel University on Oct. 10 at noon will wrap up VGCC’s home schedule for 2015.