On “The Local Skinny!” today, with the podcast audio below:
“The Local Skinny!” will always take your calls at 492-5594. Call with items to buy or sell. Call with a gripe or praise or question or comment. Let us know about something in the news you’d like to know more about.
“The Local Skinny!” will always take your calls at 492-5594. Call with items to buy or sell. Call with a gripe or praise or question or comment. Let us know about something in the news you’d like to know more about.
Below is our rundown for the Tuesday, Feb. 23 show as well as the audio podcast.
11:30 a.m. – Your Calls and Items
11:40 a.m. – Follow Up on Call from Yesterday about Andrea Harris
11:45 a.m. – Sports Flash about High School Playoff Basketball Tonight and High School Football Thursday on WIZS
11:50 a.m. – Vance County Cooperative Extension Report with Paul McKenzie on spring gardening
(Editor’s note – Just prior to today’s “The Local Skinny!” our “TownTalk” program covered “Covid and Your Heart” with an interventional cardiologist. The fight against covid for two local families was mentioned on air as well. Avoiding all fanfare and promotion, we tell you today’s guest is Heather Johnson Montgomery. You will hear her voice after a pair of callers phone in to the show. Also, there is a script below written from Heather speaking about her husband Brent.)
Heather Johnson Montgomery reads every single comment, post and email that comes her way. That she cannot possibly respond to all of them is an indication of the sheer volume of prayers, well wishes and support she and her family continue to receive as her husband, Brent Montgomery, battles COVID-19 at UNC Medical Center.
Montgomery, a NC Highway Patrol trooper, was diagnosed with COVID-19 in early February. He has been in ICU for 11 days and his wife updated his condition Monday on WIZS’s The Local Skinny.
Brent had been on 80 percent oxygen, she noted, and a chest X-ray looked a little worse, “so they started taking some fluid off of him and he’s responded well,” Heather told John C. Rose. The hope today is to continue to wean him from some of the medicines and from ECMO, a treatment that basically performs the job of the lungs and/or heart. ECMO stands for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation; the heart-lung machine gives the organs a chance to rest and heal when patients are extremely ill.
“I really believe that he is going to make it home to us,” Heather said, adding that the support the family has received from the community has been, well, a Godsend.
“All you hear is bad things about Henderson,” Heather continued. “But this community has really stood up for my husband and my family. I just can’t express the thanks that we feel and the love we feel and the support we’ve had from our community,” she said.
Prayers continue to pour in “from all over the world,” Heather said, from “people I don’t even know.” She said that, before he was intubated in the hospital, Brent told her to pray for the others sick in the ICU who couldn’t have their loved ones near.
“I have to know that God is in control, and he is going to find a way when I feel like there’s no way” she said. “Somehow, God has given me the strength to push through,” she said. “I don’t want people’s faith to waver.”
The Vance County Democratic Party is sponsoring a drive-through “Hope for the Homeless” on Saturday, Feb. 20 to collect much-needed items for local shelters as part of its mission to serve the community.
“We’re asking the community to support us on Saturday and donate any of these items so that we can, especially during this cold season, be able to help out people who are less fortunate than we are,” said Marcia Allen, chair of the local party. Allen was on “The Local Skinny” Thursday and told John C. Rose that the event will be from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. outside the Perry Memorial Library. The shelters need toiletry items like deodorant and shampoo and household items such as paper towels and trash bags, she said, and everything in between.
The ARC House for Men needs socks, shirts, pants and deodorant. Rising Hope men’s shelter is also in need of men’s shirts and socks, washing powder and soap. Lifeline Ministries shelter for women and children need socks and washing powder, too, she said, as well as dish detergent. The local democratic party is providing masks to both shelters, she added.
One goal of the local party is to be of service to the community as a whole, Allen said, regardless of party affiliation, and to “be a blessing and be of service to the community we live in.”
In addition to participating in events within the community, the Vance County Democratic Party will send three delegates to the upcoming virtual statewide meeting on Feb. 27, and Allen added that anyone interested in participating in a virtual meeting Monday, Feb. 22 to meet the candidates for statewide office should call 252.762.1963 to learn how to access the event.
In addition, the county convention is scheduled for April 10, she said, and she encouraged everyone to get involved at the precinct level. She said the local party is working to get people motivated to volunteer within their voting district. Vance County has 12 precincts, she said. “We want to keep people motivated and interested so that they will come out and vote…in 2022,” she said.
“We’re really excited about extending the invitation to the public,” Allen said, adding that there are many opportunities for the public to participate in party politics.
There are different caucus groups for everyone, she noted, according to age and gender, as well as for college students, people with disabilities and a caucus for people who live in rural areas. There’s a way for everyone to participate, she said.
The Vance County Democratic Party meets the fourth Monday of each month, Allen said. Although the meetings are virtual at this time, Allen said there is a call-in number to use for those who do not have internet access.
Call 252.762.1963 to learn more.
Each broadcast of “The Local Skinny!” invites you to call 492-5594. You can call with an item you’d like to sell or something you are looking for. Also, you can call about anything on your mind…a grip, a praise, a news item of interest, a question you’d like to know more about.
And, we’re always ready with local news and information, guests, business spotlights and the latest from Vance County Cooperative Extension.
Run down for Wednesday:
11:30 a.m. – Items to Buy or Sell and your calls
11:40 a.m. – Discussion of impending ice storm
Later this week on the program, guest Marcia Allen, Vance County Democratic Party Chair, on Thursday … plus your calls and items.
Stay tuned and tell a friend!
Each broadcast of “The Local Skinny!” invites you to call 492-5594. You can call with an item you’d like to sell or something you are looking for. Also, you can call about anything on your mind…a grip, a praise, a news item of interest, a question you’d like to know more about.
And, we’re always ready with local news and information, guests, business spotlights and the latest from Vance County Cooperative Extension.
Run down for Tuesday:
11:30 a.m. – Items to Buy or Sell and your calls
11:40 a.m. – Michelle Burgess, President of Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce (more info below)
11:50 a.m. – Paul McKenzie with Vance County Cooperative Extension about what works in the garden.
Later this week on the program, guests Britt Sams with Sam’s Furniture and Mattress Center Wednesday and Marcia Allen, Vance County Democratic Party Chair, on Thursday … plus your calls and items.
Stay tuned and tell a friend!
In years past the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce would have held the annual chamber banquet in January, but Michelle Burgess, president of the Chamber, said that due to Covid-19 the Chamber realized that holding the banquet last month would be an impossibility. She said, “We don’t see that changing,” in regards to moving the banquet to later in the year. Burgess said that the banquet will go forward at some point either on Facebook or videotaped and shared with chamber members. “It will take place in some form,” Burgess said. Additionally, the Citizen of the Year award will also continue. The award has been given out since 1970 and Burgess says they will be looking for the community to submit nominations.
When asked how Covid 19 has impacted local business, Burgess said, in regards to local consumers, “They’ve really shopped local, and supported local.” Burgess said businesses such as karate and dance studios, and gyms were impacted the hardest and that the chamber is working with these businesses to help them get back on track. Once Covid-19 finally passes Burgess said, “We are just not going back to normal” and that consumers “will enjoy shopping a lot more than they ever have,” but owners will need to keep areas very clean and continue to use social media and websites more than ever. Burgess also said that the chamber will work with businesses by sponsoring classes to help owners with E-commerce and on-line sales. For more information the Chamber of Commerce can be reached at 252-438-8414.
Each broadcast of “The Local Skinny!” invites you to call 492-5594. You can call with an item you’d like to sell or something you are looking for. Also, you can call about anything on your mind…a grip, a praise, a news item of interest, a question you’d like to know more about.
And, we’re always ready with local news and information, guests, business spotlights and the latest from Vance County Cooperative Extension.
Run down for Monday:
11:30 a.m. – Items to Buy or Sell and your calls
11:40 a.m. – Henderson Police Chief Marcus Barrow about the SAFE initiative (more info below)
11:50 a.m. – Wayne Rowland with Vance County Cooperative Extension about Plant Propagation
And, the show podcast is always available at wizs.com/thelocalskinny and by clicking on the show logo atop wizs.com.
Later this week on the program, guests include H-V Chamber President Michelle Burgess Tuesday, Britt Sams with Sam’s Furniture and Mattress Center Wednesday and Marcia Allen, Vance County Democratic Party Chair, on Thursday … plus your calls and items.
Stay tuned and tell a friend!
Henderson Police Chief Marcus Barrow said Monday that he is hopeful his department’s grant application will get funded to beef up his officers’ ability to target alcohol-related traffic offenses in the city.
Barrow was on the WIZS program The Local Skinny and talked with John C. Rose about the SAFE initiative, which, if funded, would allow police officers to target traffic issues like driving while impaired and speeding. SAFE stands for Speed and Alcohol Field Enforcement initiative. The grant request can be up to $49,201, according to information presented to the city council during its February meeting.
The city council gave the go-ahead for Barrow and his department to apply for the grant, offered by the NC Governor’s Highway Safety Program. The department applied last year, but did not receive the grant. This year, Barrow said, department officials consulted with folks at the state level to understand better what a successful grant would look like. “I think we’ve got a better shot this year,” Barrow said. “I’m hoping that we get it.”
If the police department is awarded the grant, the funds would be used to pay for overtime and equipment for a SAFE unit, whose mission would be to focus on reducing traffic accidents and fatalities, Barrow said.
He said he and his department are very lucky to receive a good bit of funding from grants. “If we see something that is attainable,” we go for it.”
Each broadcast of “The Local Skinny!” invites you to call 492-5594. You can call with an item you’d like to sell or something you are looking for. Also, you can call about anything on your mind…a grip, a praise, a news item of interest, a question you’d like to know more about.
And, we’re always ready with local news and information, guests, business spotlights and the latest from Vance County Cooperative Extension.
Run down for Thursday:
11:30 a.m. – Items to Buy or Sell and your calls
11:40 a.m. – Brandon Boyd, president of Ruin Creek Animal Protection Society
11:50 a.m. – Jamon Glover, Parenting Task Force with Vance County Cooperative Extension
And, The show podcast is always available at wizs.com/thelocalskinny and by clicking on the show logo atop wizs.com.
Next week on the program, guests include Henderson Police Chief Marcus Barrow Monday, H-V Chamber President Michelle Burgess Tuesday, Britt Sams with Sam’s Furniture and Mattress Center Wednesday and Marcia Allen, Vance County Democratic Party Chair, on Thursday … plus your calls and items.
Stay tuned and tell a friend!
The Friday night “Freedom Runs” that leave the Vance County Animal Shelter ferry animals from the confines of a kennel to foster or adoptive homes. For Brandon Boyd, president of the Ruin Creek Animal Protection Society that sponsors the event, it’s a dream come true.
Boyd spoke with John C. Rose on Thursday during a new program called “The Local Skinny.” He started the RCAPS in 2011 and, a decade later, the rescue effort continues. “We’ve had a great start to the year,” he said, “rescue has just been fantastic.”
He is especially pleased to be working with the folks at the shelter in Granville County, and said his plan is to continue growing partnerships with other counties. “We’ve just got a lot of things going on for this new year that is very exciting,” Boyd said. The Granville shelter recently reported a record-low euthanasia rate of 6 percent, which Boyd called “fantastic news.” Incorporating the RCAPS model in Granville could push that percent rate even lower.
In the last month, the group has purchased two new vans to add to the “Freedom Run” fleet. They’re outfitted with kennels to transport the animals. “All of this is about saving lives and getting animals out” of the shelters and to adoption and rescue partners so the animals can find loving homes, Boyd said.
Of course, RCAPS relies on donations and volunteers to make the mission a reality. “There have been so many great things that have been done and so many great things that we are going to continue to do, thanks to the help and support of our wonderful donors,” Boyd said. “We’re only as strong as our network and the people that support this cause,” he said. There’s still a lot of great work to be done. And we plan to do it.”
Among the newer partnerships is Rescue Ranch, which operates in Statesville, NC. Consider volunteering to walk a dog at the animal shelter, he said, or check out RCAPS on FaceBook for a livestream of the Friday evening Freedom Runs.
“We’re doing everything we can to get these dogs out of here and placed in their forever home,” he said. “The work is amazing, the results are just astonishing,” Boyd said. “In my wildest dreams, I never would have believed that (RCAPS) could become what it has become and it makes me so happy and so proud to know that we’re making a difference and we’re saving lives.”
Visit rcaps.org to learn more.
“The Local Skinny,” a new program that WIZS launched on Feb. 8, is a way for the community to stay connected to a variety of local opportunities – it’s Tradio, public service forum and call-in show all rolled into one.
The Henderson-based station has long devoted air time to keep the listening community informed, and this new program is a fresh way to present information over the air waves. John C. Rose hatched the idea as a way to deliver in shorter bursts different forms of information. “The Local Skinny” bundles a few services under a new name as a way to keep things fresh.
Monday’s show included some callers who had items for sale, as well as some other items for sale that had come in earlier to the Tradio program.
“It’s gonna be a hodgepodge of things,” Rose commented during the initial program.
You just never know where the show may go, and that’s what may appeal to the listening audience.
Henderson Mayor Eddie Ellington was the first official guest on the show Tuesday, and christened the program’s official launch with a proclamation of sorts. “I hereby officially proclaim this inaugural show,” Ellington said. Rose reminded listeners that the governor of North Carolina sent a message to the radio station when it signed on for the first time – May 1, 1955. So he felt it was appropriate to have another government official operate in a similar capacity.
On Tuesday’s show, for example, Ellington and Rose discussed what had happened at Monday night’s City Council meeting. The police department and fire department got the green light to pursue a few grant opportunities. “It’s a no-brainer when you have grants coming your way,” Ellington said.
“The Local Skinny!” is a format that the community can participate in and benefit from. “The Local Skinny!” will be live at 11:30 a.m. Mon-Thurs right after “TownTalk,” which has the 11 a.m. time slot M-F.
Each broadcast of “The Local Skinny!” on WIZS will feature your phone calls at 492-5594. The calls can be about anything on your mind as well as items you have for sale, or items you are looking for.
Plus, there’ll be local news and information, guests, business spotlights and the latest from Vance County Cooperative Extension.
Run down for Wednesday:
11:30 a.m. – Items to Buy or Sell;
11:45 a.m. – Business Spotlight with RCE Theaters Marketplace; How fortunate we still have a local movie theater!
The show podcast is always available at wizs.com/thelocalskinny and by clicking on the show logo atop wizs.com.
Tomorrow (2-11-21) on the program, local calls, items to buy and sell, plus Brandon Boyd, president of Ruin Creek Animal Protection Society and Jamon Glover with COOP with a weekly parenting tip.
Next week on the program, guests include Henderson Police Chief Marcus Barrow, H-V Chamber President Michelle Burgess and Britt Sams with Sam’s Furniture and Mattress Center … plus your calls and items.
Stay tuned and tell a friend!
RCE Theaters-Marketplace is open for business, and owners Blaine and Janelle Given hope families in the area will fall in love with the movie-going experience all over again. They bought the former Henderson Marketplace last year and, since then, have worked to make sure patrons can enjoy a movie in a place where cleanliness is key.
Opening a movie theater in the middle of a pandemic may not have been ideal timing, but Blaine Given told Trey Snide during Wednesday’s show on WIZS “The Local Skinny” that interior updates, lower ticket prices and a strict attention to wiping down surfaces between seatings all contribute to an enjoyable, safe place to visit.
Blaine and Janelle Given breathed new life into the area’s only multi-screen movie complex, which opened in 1991. RCE Marketplace joins their other two theaters in Roanoke Rapids and Elizabeth City, which faced closure before they took ownership.
They bought the Roanoke Rapids theater in 2013, the Elizabeth City theater two years later, then learned that the Marketplace was for sale last year – just as the nation began to reel from the COVID-19 pandemic. They met with then-owner Dr. Mike Smith and his wife and everybody agreed to make it a win-win for buyers and sellers, as well as for the community. “Our big focus was the people of Henderson and the surrounding area. How we could make sure we kept that facility open and available for families to have a place to come and make memories and spend time together,” Blaine Given said.
Among the upgrades, he noted, is a renovation of, including new seating, in one of the auditoriums. If his prediction holds true, all auditoriums could be equally renovated by the end of 2021.
Just like other businesses when they re-opened during the pandemic, the theater had to build in extra cleaning steps to comply with COVID-19 restrictions. That, Blaine Given said, is one thing they can do to contribute to the effort to combat the virus.
“We have the opportunity in the movie theater to do it on a bigger level,” he said. All high-touch surfaces, including seats, get wiped down between every show. In addition, the seats get an extra solution sprayed on them at the end of each evening. The air systems are monitored to make sure everything’s running properly and Given said they installed hand-sanitizing stations “all over the theater” for patrons’ use. “We are just trying to make sure that people are not concerned about the cleanliness (of the theater) or the risk of coming to the movie theater is any greater than it would be anywhere else, he added.
He and wife Janelle, president of RCE Theaters, want other families to have the same love of going to the movies as they have, “where families come to make memories,” Blaine said. So, they have lowered ticket prices to make the experience more affordable. “We want families to walk through the door and be entertained together,” he said.
“The Local Skinny,” a new program that WIZS launched on Feb. 8, is a way for the community to stay connected to a variety of local opportunities – it’s Tradio, public service forum and call-in show all rolled into one.
The Henderson-based station has long devoted air time to keep the listening community informed, and this new program is a fresh way to present information over the air waves. John C. Rose hatched the idea as a way to deliver in shorter bursts different forms of information. “The Local Skinny” bundles a few services under a new name as a way to keep things fresh.
Monday’s show included some callers who had items for sale, as well as some other items for sale that had come in earlier to the Tradio program.
“It’s gonna be a hodgepodge of things,” Rose commented during the initial program.
You just never know where the show may go, and that’s what may appeal to the listening audience.
Henderson Mayor Eddie Ellington was the first official guest on the show Tuesday, and christened the program’s official launch with a proclamation of sorts. “I hereby officially proclaim this inaugural show,” Ellington said. Rose reminded listeners that the governor of North Carolina sent a message to the radio station when it signed on for the first time – May 1, 1955. So he felt it was appropriate to have another government official operate in a similar capacity.
On Tuesday’s show, for example, Ellington and Rose discussed what had happened at Monday night’s City Council meeting. The police department and fire department got the green light to pursue a few grant opportunities. “It’s a no-brainer when you have grants coming your way,” Ellington said.
“The Local Skinny!” is a format that the community can participate in and benefit from. “The Local Skinny!” will be live at 11:30 a.m. Mon-Thurs right after “TownTalk,” which has the 11 a.m. time slot M-F.
Tune in to 1450 AM or 100.1 FM to listen live. Find recorded shows
Each broadcast of “The Local Skinny!” on WIZS will feature your phone calls, local news and information, guests, business spotlights and items you have for sale, or that you’re looking for, called in and emailed as well as the latest from Vance County Cooperative Extension.
Run down for Tuesday:
Tomorrow (2-10-21) on the program, local calls, items to buy and sell, plus a local business spotlight with RCE Theaters Marketplace. Then Thursday, more items, news and “Things to Know” plus Brandon Boyd, president of Ruin Creek Animal Protection Society.
