Ruth Hartness – Vance County Board of Education District 7 Candidate

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Name: Ruth Hartness (incumbent)

Candidate For: Vance County Board of Education – District 7

Age: 78

Town of Residence: Henderson

Previous position(s) held: Board of Education – a total of 18 years of service

Degrees/Certifications Earned: Certification of Distinction for more than 400 hours of training offered by NC School Boards Association, Master Board Certification

 

What motivates you to want to continue as a Vance County Board of Education member?

What motivates me to want to continue my service on the Board? Wow, that is an easy question! The super, super teachers we have in our classrooms. They work so hard every day. They buy supplies with their own money. They are HEROS! The children they teach are our hope for tomorrow. We have a duty to provide them with the latest technology so they will be prepared to enter the real world.

Another reason I’m excited about the possibility of re-election is due to Dr. Anthony Jackson, our Superintendent!  He is the most exciting leader I have worked with in a long time.  He has a great vision for Vance County Schools and I want to follow him down that road.  All of this and more provides dynamic motivation and energizes me to work hard to continue in office.

 

What do you see as the Board’s primary roles and responsibilities?

The Board’s primary responsibility is to set policy and see that the Superintendent follows it – pure and simple.

 

What is your vision for the future of education in this community?

I envision a middle school offering students more possibilities and a comprehensive high school offering more courses and stronger athletic teams. Athletics can keep some students in school and they have to keep their grades up to play.

I would also like to see more CTE classes offered (career and technology). All of our students are not going to college and these classes prepare them for the workforce. We will continue to educate our students with knowledgeable and dedicated teachers and we won’t leave one of them behind!

 

What do you believe is the biggest challenge facing the Vance County Board of Education?

The biggest challenge facing the Board of Education is our declining student population. We have no control over where these students are going. Vance County is also experiencing a declining birth rate.

We have taken a big step in consolidating the middle and high schools, vacating two buildings which were draining us of much-needed funds. We will continue to monitor this trend and make other adjustments if necessary.

 

How would you handle the request of individuals and special interest groups?

Board members should not handle any individual request or that of special interest groups. I would refer those folks to the Superintendent. He is in charge.

 

(WIZS News will be publishing a series of candidate question-and-answer articles in the days leading up to the May 8th primary here on WIZS.com.  Significant portions will be broadcast on WIZS Radio with equal time allotted for each candidate.)

3-21-18 Weather and Closings/Delays

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For this weather event, WIZS is using Facebook to provide updates about weather and closings/delays.

Please go to https://www.facebook.com/wizsradio/ and like and share the WIZS Facebook Page.

A post will be pinned to the top of our Facebook page with needed information.

SBI Requesting Help To Find This Car (Warren Home Invasion)

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(Be sure to share on Facebook and re-tweet on Twitter)

— press release from the SBI, click here to view it on SBI web page

SBI Requests Public Help in Finding Stolen Mercedes Following Warren County Home Invasion and Deadly Fire

The Warren County Sheriff’s Office and the State Bureau of Investigation are asking for the public’s help in locating a 4-door 2011 sliver Mercedes C-300, license plate BDH-7568. The car belonged to Nancy and John Alford, the victims of a home invasion, kidnapping and deadly fire in the Lake Gaston area of Warren County on Friday, March 9. If you have any information please call the Warren County Sheriff’s Office at 252-257-3456 or the State Bureau of Investigation at 919-779-8188 (M-F, 8 a.m.- 5 p.m.) or 1-800-334-3000 (after hours and weekends).

3-13-18 Closings/Delays (Refresh and Check Back for More)

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Closings/Delays for 3-13-18

  • Granville County Schools staff have been out checking the status of roads this morning, and unfortunately, there are too many side roads and back streets that are still covered in sheets and patches of ice and slush, especially in the northern part of the county. These areas are simply too risky for our buses to navigate this morning. Therefore, Granville Counyt Public School is cancelled for all students today, Tuesday, March 13. We will have an optional workday for staff with a delayed opening. Staff members should check their email for additional instructions. We apologize for this inconvenience and hope everyone has a safe day.

 

  • Vance County Schools will operate on a two-hour delay for all students and staff 3-13-18
  • Vance-Granville Community College (all campuses) will open at 10 a.m. 3-13-18
  • Victory Christian School and Daycare will operate on a two hour delay 3-13-18

Refresh the page or check back later for additional information.

Vance County Schools Closing Early 3-12-18 Due To Weather

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— submitted by Terri Hedrick, Public Information Officer, Vance County Schools

Vance County Schools are closing early today due to inclement weather. Elementary and high schools are dismissing students at 12:30 p.m. and middle schools are dismissing students at 12:45 p.m. today. All after school activities are cancelled for today. The Vance County Board of Education meeting scheduled for tonight has been postponed.

All VGCC Campuses Closing at 1 p.m. on 3-12-18

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— submitted by Andrew Beal, Public Information Officer, VGCC

Due to projected inclement weather, all campuses of Vance-Granville Community College will close at 1 p.m. today, Monday, March 12, 2018.

Thank you for helping us to spread the word.

Granville County Schools Closing Early 3-12-18 Due To Weather

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— submitted by Dr. Stan Winborne, Public Information Officer, Granville County Public Schools

All GCPS schools will be closing 3 hours early today.

ACC Tournament Basketball on WIZS

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Tonight’s ACC Tournament championship game between UNC and Virginia will be broadcast live on WIZS 1450 AM and online at wizs.com, click on listen live!

Complete coverage begins at 7:30 p.m.

National Weather Service

High Wind Warning Today (March 2) until 10pm

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Vance, Granville, Franklin and Warren Counties are under a high wind warning until 10 p.m.

Click here for the latest briefing from the National Weather Service in Raleigh.

Speaking specifically for Vance County, the Henderson-Vance County director of emergency operations, Brian Short said, “Attached (above) is today’s brief from the National Weather Service. As you can see, we are in a high wind warning until 10:00 PM with wind gusts in excess of 50 mph expected in our area.”

Also, here is information directly from the National Weather Service:

…HIGH WIND WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM EST THIS EVENING…

The National Weather Service in Raleigh has issued a High Wind Warning, which is in effect until 10 PM EST this evening.

* WINDS…Northwest 15 to 25 mph with frequent gusts 35 to 45 mph. Isolated wind gusts 50 to 60 mph are possible.

* TIMING…The strongest wind gusts are expected from mid morning through late afternoon across the northern Piedmont, and through early evening across the northern coastal plain.

* IMPACTS…Strong winds of this magnitude will blow down large tree limbs, shallow rooted or diseased trees, and power lines.
Numerous power outages are expected.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A high wind warning means a hazardous high wind event is expected or occurring. Sustained wind speeds of at least 40 mph or gusts of 58 mph or more can lead to property damage. Expect numerous power outages due to downed trees and power lines. Operators of high profile vehicles will encounter periods of driving difficulty.

Programming Note 2-28-18 — Beach Music Blast 11a to Noon

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This is a special programming note for today.  TownTalk will be replaced today only with a special edition of the “WIZS Beach Music Blast” from 11 a.m. until 11:55 a.m. with Trey Snide.

Hope you can tune in at 1450 AM or online at wizs.com, click on listen live.

Feedback welcome on Facebook, Twitter, or at johncharles@wizs.com.  Our mailing address is WIZS Radio, PO Box 1299, Henderson, NC, 27536.  Our business phone is 252-492-3001.