Home and Garden Show
The Home and Garden Show for Wednesday, August 23, 2023.
Click play below for the audio, brought to you by Satterwhite Point Marina.
The Home and Garden Show airs each week on WIZS on Wednesday at 11:30 a.m.
Dr. Marion Lark Funeral Viewing Options
The First Baptist Church of Henderson, NC issued a viewing link and options for Dr. Marion Lark’s funeral service.
“The funeral for Dr. Lark will be Wednesday, August 23 at 3 p.m. at First Baptist Church. For those who are unable to attend, the funeral will be livestreamed via Vimeo and on the First Baptist Church Henderson Facebook page. (Click Here). The link to watch via Vimeo is below. Access should be available beginning at 2:50 pm.”
The Local Skinny! Daeke On City Opportunities, New Faces On Council
Garry Daeke isn’t up for re-election this year. But the Ward 3 representative on the Henderson City Council said the upcoming municipal election is shaping up to put some new people in leadership roles. And there will be plenty of issues for him and his fellow council members to consider, from housing to downtown revitalization, just for starters.
“Every (election) cycle, we get some new folks in,” Daeke said on Tuesday’s segment of The Local Skinny! “I appreciate all the new folks and their ideas and the camaraderie,” he added.
As he sees it, council members would be well served to focus on helping to create a path for the city that considers for its residents safety, affordability and living happily together.
Sometimes, he admitted, that takes a little effort.
One project that seems to be gaining momentum is the mixed-use development that is planned for Dabney Road, just behind Aldi and Lowe’s Home Improvement. Originally referred to as Berry Village, recent documents have called it Dabney Village.
Whatever the name, the 123-acre project has cleared all the hurdles necessary to get going in earnest, Daeke said.
“All the city permits are done and it’s ready to begin,” he said. Next up is water and sewer, as well as working with DOT for road configuration and entrances to the community, which will include apartments, townhomes and single-family homes as well as retail and other amenities.
It offers a housing opportunity and a community opportunity that people haven’t had in Henderson, Daeke said.
This is something creative, new and exciting for Henderson, he said. It’ll take some city money up front to get things right, he added, but there should be a good return on that investment, but good planning is key. “This is a very well-planned development,” he said. Developers hope to begin in the spring.
This also is the general area where the city was looking at constructing a new fire station.
“Our fire department is excellent, our (insurance) rating is excellent, our response times are excellent and we want to keep it that way.”
Between new construction and revitalization, there are plenty of reasons to get behind development in the city.
Sometimes, the wheels of progress turn slowly, especially when it comes to waking up a downtown area. But Daeke is watching and waiting – and hopeful.
“We’re going see it go crazy when we get this S Line lined up,” he said, referring to the proposed passenger and commuter rail service that includes a stop in Henderson. When that happens, “you’re going to see downtown as a destination to live, work and play again.”
It takes time to bring projects to full term, and it takes collaboration. But Daeke said it’s worth it.
“Working as a team, with others, to accomplish things for your community – it’s a wonderful thing to do.”
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Fire at Former J.P. Taylor Company Location on J.P. Taylor Road
Revised and posted at 2:15 p.m. Friday
About 10:30 this morning, a fire broke out on J.P. Taylor Rd. at the location that was once J.P. Taylor Company.
The vicinity of 800 J.P. Taylor Road is now a scrap or salvage yard.
The Rev. Ricky Easter of Victory Baptist Church was across the street, and he told WIZS, “It didn’t appear to be all that much to it,” in reference to the amount of smoke. He said no flames were visible that he saw from his vantage point.
After clearing the scene, Vance County Fire Chief Chris Wright told WIZS, “It was several scrap cars burning, and with assistance from Bearpond and Ladder 18, Cokesbury and Watkins and Vance County Rescue, we were able to mitigate the fire quickly.”
Also, Easter said firefighters arrived quickly, and the overall timeline suggests that the fire did not burn all that long.
It’s been nearly 14 years since the building at that same location, that still read J.P. Taylor across the top but was then being used as a storage facility for a different company, was totally destroyed by fire.
Interim County Manager Explains Details Of Fire Study Process
Vance County Interim County Manager Scott Elliott has a unique vantage point as plans for the county’s fire services study makes their way from start to finish.
In his role as county manager, he’s responsible for providing guidance and support to county commissioners – the board voted to conduct the study – while making sure that the paid fire personnel are doing their job – he’s their boss, after all.
Elliott spoke to WIZS News Wednesday afternoon and acknowledged the fire services study has been the topic of some discussion in the community.
“It’s an issue that people are passionate about and have feelings about,” Elliott said.
Commissioners had discussion – rather heated at times – during their meeting last week, about whether the public safety committee should have oversight of the fire study.
Elliott recommended that this should be a matter for the full board, but most commissioners did not see it that way – the vote was 4-3 to have the public safety committee, the fire commission oversee the project, with Elliott’s input.
“They’re the decision makers at the end of the day,” he said, “We have to respect that.”
He said, however, that he and county staff have the responsibility of guiding the commission and leading them along the right path.
The path to a completed fire study is expected to take consultants AP Triton about four months to complete.
Elliott said he asked Vance County Fire Chief Chris Wright to direct any questions from the media to the county manager’s office instead of fielding the inquiries himself. That way, Elliott said, Wright can “focus on providing fire services he currently has on his plate.”
“Until we have results of fire study, we thought it’d be better … to not have county staff taking positions on things when we don’t know what the outcome of the study will be,” Elliott noted. Even once the recommendations are submitted to the full board, Elliott said there’s no way to know now if commissioners will implement them.
There are a lot of questions swirling around about what the fire services study will bring forth, but Elliott said he’s confident that it will be a comprehensive study of the existing system – including the Golden Belt Fire District and all the volunteer districts across the county.
“It shouldn’t be a complicated study or analysis,” he said. “They’re to give us their professional analysis of our system…and how to make it better.”
Home and Garden Show
The Home and Garden Show for Wednesday, August 16, 2023.
Click play below for the audio, brought to you by Satterwhite Point Marina.
The Home and Garden Show airs each week on WIZS on Wednesday at 11:30 a.m.
Alan Gill Steps In As Interim Director Of Vance County Board Of Elections
Alan Gill has been named to serve as interim Vance County Board of Elections director following the recent announcement that Melody Vaughan is stepping down from that position.
Gill told WIZS News Monday that he began today and he and Vaughan will have a couple of weeks to have some overlap before she leaves on Aug. 25.
“There’s a lot of things that need to go on,” Gill said, with city elections looming in early October and then elections in Kittrell and Middleburg a month later.
Gill has experience with elections that take place in the county and he has been a chief judge – mostly in the West Henderson polling location – since the early 2000’s. He also has worked the early vote sites since he retired from his job as director of the Vance County Recreation and Parks Department in 2014.
“If I can help, I’m glad to,” Gill said of his interim director role. “I’m actually quite happy just doing the chief judge duties, but didn’t want to see the Vance County Board of Elections left in a hard spot,” he added.
He also served a stint as deputy director a few years ago, so he has experience in much of the office operations, including processing registrations, cross-checking databases and updating addresses and voter information.
The position has been advertised, so Gill said he didn’t know how long this interim position will last. It could last through November, however, meaning that Gill will be the person leading the county’s election workers through the early-voting period and then carry out the Oct. 3 Henderson municipal elections.
“I know almost all of the election workers and most of the people that are at the sites that we use for voting,” Gill said, “so if I can help out and we get through this election in good shape, then I’ll be happy.”
Click Play – Broadcast Audio from 8-15-23
The Local Skinny! Granville Humane Society To Hold Fund Raising Event
The Granville County Humane Society is sponsoring Paws for Granville next month as a fun way for the community to help dogs and cats in the area.
Paws for Granville is a free event that will be held on Saturday, Sept. 30 at the Granville County Expo Center on US Hwy 15 just south of Oxford, according to Angela Gooch, a Humane Society volunteer helping to spread the word about the upcoming fundraiser.
Gooch talked with WIZS’s Bill Harris on Monday’s segment of The Local Skinny! and said it’s been a tough year for shelters all over the state.
“It’s been a very difficult year with all the surrenders and sick animals that have come in,” Gooch said.
Paws for Granville is one of two fundraisers sponsored by the local humane society each year to help pay for local spay/neuter programs.
Although the event is free, there will be a truck on site to accept donations of dog and cat food to stock the pet pantry, which is used to help low-income clients provide food for their pets.
More than 80 vendors are scheduled to bring an array of handcrafted items, from jewelry to fishing lures, Gooch said. Participants can enjoy browsing among the vendor booths from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
A variety of food trucks are driving in as well, she said. And Next Level Kennels, one of the main sponsors for the event, will have its mobile grooming van on site.
All across the area, animal shelters report being at capacity, and Gooch said rescue groups and foster agencies are working hard to get adoptable animals into homes.
In Granville County alone, the shelter has spent $15,000 to spay and neuter dogs and cats.
Gooch said that, typically, there are more cats that get turned in to shelters, but that has not been the case in Granville County lately.
“Dogs have been coming in great, great numbers,” she said, adding that “rescues are full and (they) have no place to go.”
The group needs volunteers to help with the event, and are always looking for foster families for the animals.
There are about 30 animals available now through the humane society. “It is a labor of love and it takes a lot of time and patience,” Gooch said of her work and the work of other rescuers and fosters.
To learn more, call 919.691.9114, follow the group on Facebook, email hsgcncinfo@gmail.com or visit www.hsgc.nc.org.
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The Local Skinny! Pop The Hood: Air Filters
— For our sponsor, Advance Auto Parts, as part of a paid radio sponsorship on WIZS.
Air filters play a vital role in preventing dirt, grit and other impurities from fouling vehicle engines. In the old days, the air filter casing was pretty easy to spot: it was round like a donut and sat right up there on top in a housing that resembles a frying pan.
At least that’s how WIZS co-host John Stevenson said he describes it. These days, however, an air filter is likely found in a rectangular housing near the inside of one of the fenders.Stevenson and colleague Bill Harris discussed the finer points of air filters on the Pop the Hood segment of The Local Skinny!
Let the folks at Advance Auto Parts help you figure out the right type for your make and model.
With just a few bits of information – make, model, year and/or the VIN – the staff at Advance Auto can help you determine the exact type of filter you need.
The air filter should be changed annually – more often, though, if you drive along dusty areas like gravel roads or other places that kicks up dirt.
A clogged air filter can affect your vehicle’s overall performance, Stevenson said.
“It can affect your gas mileage and could throw a check engine light,” he said.
And if your vehicle rolled off the assembly line earlier than 1989, don’t go looking for its cabin air filter – they were first introduced in 1989.
The information contained in this post is not advice from Advance Auto Parts or WIZS. Safety First! Always seek proper help. This is presented for its informational value on and is part of a paid advertising sponsorship.
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Local Elections Office Ready To Provide Voter ID Cards For Those Who Need One
UPDATED Aug. 10 – 12:30 p.m.
Registered voters who do not have an acceptable identification for voting in NC can now go to their county board of elections office to get a free photo ID.
Vance County Board of Elections Director Melody Vaughan said Wednesday afternoon that her office is ready to help voters who find they need one of the cards. There is an application that voters must complete before they will be issued an ID, Vaughan stated.
“We can provide this service Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 1 noon and 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.,” Vaughan said in an email to WIZS News, with the exception of Friday, Aug. 11 and Aug. 14 and Aug. 15. Staff will be attending a conference out of town and no ID cards will be processed on those days.
Most voters have a driver’s license, which is an acceptable form of photo ID to present to poll workers in order to cast their votes.
If you have a driver’s license – or other acceptable form of photo ID – you don’t need to get one from the board of elections office.
If however, you need a photo ID, you can come to your county’s board of elections office during business hours to request one. In most cases, the cards can be printed and issued right then and there, according to information from the North Carolina State Board of Elections office. Some counties, however, may need to mail the cards or let voters know when the card is available for pickup.
Find a list of acceptable forms of photo ID here: https://www.ncsbe.gov/voting/voter-id
A voter need only provide his or her name, date of birth and last four digits of their Social Security number to get the ID. With that information, they’ll have a photograph taken and the process is complete.
In addition to the photo, the card will have the voter’s name and registration number. It will expire 10 years from the date of issuance.
County boards of elections can issue cards during regular business hours, except for the period following the last day of early voting through Election Day.