The Local Skinny March 31; Home And Garden Show
Wayne Rowland and Paul McKenzie of the Vance County Agricultural Extension Service provide gardening tips.
For complete details and full audio click play.
The Local Skinny! March 30; Speed A Little, Lose A Lot
— information from NCDOT press release
Education Leaders Drive Home Safe Driving Message
‘Speed A Little. Lose A Lot’ Enforcement Underway Across North Carolina
State education leaders are teaming up with the N.C. Governor’s Highway Safety Program (NCGHSP) to help sound the alarm about speeding, one of the leading causes of death in children and a major cause of death for young adults.
“Speeding repeatedly tops the list of the central causes of preventable roadway deaths, especially among young adults,” said Mark Ezzell, NCGHSP Director.
Until April 4th, the ‘Speed A Little. Lose A Lot.’ campaign will feature increased law enforcement patrols from agencies across the state working to prevent speeding.
From January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2020, Granville County saw 23 speed-related crash fatalities. The number in Franklin County was 22. Warren County had six. Vance County suffered four.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), on average more than 9,000 lives are lost across America in speeding-related traffic crashes every year.
Sadly in North Carolina those numbers have been increasing.
By the numbers:
(NORTH CAROLINA)
- A report released today by NCDOT data analysts (full report attached) indicate that from 2019 to 2020 there was an 11 percent increase in speed related crash fatalities.
- Young people ages 20-29 are most at risk.
- From 2016 to 2020, males made up 75 percent of these fatalities.
- In 2020 alone there were 416 speed-related deaths and 18,332 speed-related crashes.
- Speeding was a contributing factor in 25 percent of all fatal crashes.
- 91 percent of speed-related fatalities occurred on non-interstate roads; the remainder were on interstates.
- From 2016 to 2020, the majority, 27 percent, of speed related crash fatalities occurred in these counties:
- Mecklenburg,
- Wake,
- Guilford,
- Cumberland and
- Robeson.
(FAQ’s)
- A crash on a road with a speed limit of 65 miles per hour or greater is more than twice as likely to result in a fatality than a crash on a road with a speed limit of 45 or 50 mph, and nearly five times as likely as a crash on a road with a speed limit of 40 mph or below.
- Between midnight and 3 a.m., 68 percent of speeding drivers involved in fatal crashes had been drinking.
NCGHSP is sharing a series of online videos: (elementary) (middle) (high school) (young adult) with educational institutions to use inside and outside of the classroom, as a tool to bring awareness to this issue and ultimately save lives.
“We’re teaching young people to seek higher education opportunities that will offer them job stability, career satisfaction and financial gain, but collectively we as a society need to help guide the behaviors that will help them live a healthy and safe life,” said North Carolina Community College President Thomas Stith III.
“Drivers must remember that our cars carry our most precious cargo – our children and our family members. Slowing down saves lives. We all must do better by paying attention to the speed limits,” said NC Parent Teacher Association President Harold C. Dixon.
“These numbers reveal that so many are in danger on a daily basis, especially our young people,” said UNC System President Peter Hans. “As educators, we want to spread this safety message to university students, so that they may thrive and live productive lives.”
“We truly hope sharing these safe driving messages with parents, teachers and students alike will help curb the violent roadway trends that are claiming thousands of lives,” said Catherine Truitt, State Superintendent of Public Instruction.
“Even one life lost to speeding is one too many. That’s why this series of videos, partnerships with education leaders and increased law enforcement presence is so important,” said Ezzell.
AAA Carolina’s shares these tips for encountering speeders on the roadway.
Transportation officials ask that you too share safe driving messages on social media using the hashtags #SpeedALittleLoseALot and follow @NCGHSP on Facebook and @NC_GHSP on Twitter and Instagram to help shift the culture of speeding.
The Local Skinny March 29; Tracy Madigan New HVDDC Dir
Tracy Madigan, presently the manager of the Vance County Regional Farmers Market, has accepted a new position effective April 1. She will be the new director of the Henderson-Vance County Downtown Development Commission (DDC). Madigan confirmed the move in a text late last week saying, “I accepted the position as DDD. I have agreed to continue running the market through May — it’s only open on Saturdays — or until they hire a replacement, whichever comes first. Very hard decision; I love our farmers market!”
City Manager Terrell Blackmon confirmed the hire last week while discussing the passing of Dr. Stephen Pearson, who died Thursday at the age of 57. Pearson was at the time of his death the chairman of the DDC board of directors. Blackmon said, “She will be a City employee beginning April 1, 2021. She will be the City’s Downtown Development Director. … She will manage the City’s Main Street Program. She is replacing our previous Director Kathy Walters.”
Blackmon said one of Pearson’s “last acts as DDC Chair in recent weeks was serving on the interview panel for the hiring of the City’s new Downtown Director Tracy Madigan. His passion for Downtown Henderson was unmatched and he will truly be missed by the Henderson community.”
Paul McKenzie, agricultural area agent with Vance County Cooperative extension and immediate supervisor to Madigan, said, “We are incredibly grateful for everything Tracy has done for the market. She is a big part of the reason that the market is as successful as it’s been. Her dedication, her disposition, her demeanor, her professionalism, her creativity, I mean the list goes on and on and on. I mean, she’s the face of the market. We’re very very thrilled that she’s got this new position that she’s clearly very excited about and where she’ll be able to continue making a great contribution that uses her talents to the community.”
According to what Blackmon said, it’s the private industry experience, managing the farmers market and knowledge of the Henderson community that make Madigan a great fit for downtown. He said those are big pluses. “Farmers are also entrepreneurs/small business owners, therefore Tracy already has considerable knowledge in the marketing, retention and expansion of small businesses,” Blackmon said.
McKenzie said, “In a way, we haven’t even lost her because she’s still going to be a champion of the community and a champion of the farmers market.”
He said he was confident of finding a new manager to build on the past and present successes of the market. McKenzie felt like a smooth transition would be forthcoming.
Others are ready to help with a smooth transition for Madigan as well. “The NC Main Street program staff are eagerly awaiting the opportunity to assist with any additional training and technical assistance that Tracy will need to perform her job to the best of her ability,” Blackmon said.
He said, “When recruiting for the position, I certainly leaned on the Chamber Commerce along with other groups and individuals in the community to assist the City with identifying viable candidates to fill the position. There was some interest outside of Henderson, but most of our candidates were local, as well as, our finalists.”
The Local Skinny March 25; Jamie Elliott, Grace Ministries – Easter Eggs and BBQ!
Grace Ministries invites the community to an Easter egg hunt and a free barbecue lunch on Saturday, April 3.
Jamie Elliott said he expects to serve up 500 pounds of barbecue during this free event, which will be from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Elliott spoke with John C. Rose on The Local Skinny Thursday to discuss the event, as well as other services that Grace Ministries offers.
Elliott said the egg hunt will follow the lunch, and there will be other games and activities for children. Anyone interested in donating either colorful, plastic eggs or candies to put in them are encouraged to do so. He needs the eggs and candy by April 1; desserts are also needed for the lunch, he said. These items can be dropped off at Grace Ministries, located at 961 Burr St., Henderson.
Grace Ministries is offering an after-school program for students, he said. Grace Kids operates on Mondays from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Tuesdays from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. he said. Students from 6-18 years are welcome. In addition to homework help, the program provides participants with meals, Bible Study, crafts and outdoor activities.
Elliott said a Tuesday evening program for adults facing addiction problems is another service Grace Ministries provides to the community. The program is from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
The vision of Grace Ministries, according to the website, is “to have a positive impact on lives in Vance, Franklin, Granville and Warren counties, with the gospel of Jesus Christ…to reach as many who are willing to change their lives and turn away from addictions of any kind and the destructive lifestyles that come from addictions.”
Contact Elliott at 252.204.3617 for more information. Visit graceofhenderson.org to learn more.
The Local Skinny! Broadcast 3-25-21 with Jamie Elliott
The Local Skinny! March 24 Home And Garden Show
Thank you for listening to WIZS Radio, Your Community Voice!
The Local Skinny! March 23; H-V First Responders Doing Benefit
Past and present individuals who serve various local fire, law enforcement, EMS and volunteer agencies, who form what’s commonly called Henderson Vance First Responders, are planning a 3,000 plate BBQ chicken sale for the local families of Ret. Capt. Mike Davis (HPD) and Master Trooper Brent Montgomery (SHP).
Both served in their respective areas of law enforcement, and both died as a result of covid complications. For a $10 donation, community members at large can enjoy the food, which will be available April 30th from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. The event will take place at 210 Industry Drive in Henderson. That’s the physical location the Tri-County Shrine Club uses, nearby to Mako, Servpro and Fred’s Towing.
The fundraising project is the brainchild of a number of current and past first responders according to Henderson Police Chief Marcus Barrow. He and Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame are helping too along with the Tri-County Shrine Club, formerly known as the Henderson Shrine Club.
Sheriff Brame told WIZS News last week, “All the proceeds will go to the families of Captain Mike Davis and Trooper Brent Montgomery. Follow social media where you can make a donation. Henderson Police Department and Vance County Sheriff’s Office have tickets on hand, so please stop by and make your donation.”
Subsequently, Brame has posted on his Facebook page, “The following persons and businesses have tickets; Vance County Sheriff’s Office, Henderson Police Department, Eastside Barber Shoppe, Ray Fields, James Lilley, Sheriff Brame, Chief Barrow, Billy Currin. If you would like to join us in helping get these tickets out please call 432-4307, and I will get you a stack of tickets. God Bless and thank all of you.”
The Local Skinny! Podcast
The Local Skinny! March 22; Covid Update
Thank you for listening to WIZS — Your Community Voice.
“The Local Skinny!” also features Tradio — click here — and the Vance County Cooperative Extension Report — click here.
The latest local data update on Covid-19, as of March 21, indicates right at 13 percent of the population of Vance County and Granville County are fully vaccinated.
In email correspondence that Lisa Harrison, health director at Granville Vance Public Health, sends out at least once per week, she wrote “Vance County — Total Doses Administered: 15,299; First Doses Administered: 9,614; Second Doses Administered: 5,685. Granville County — Total Doses Administered: 21,036; First Doses Administered: 12,929; Second Doses Administered: 8,107.
“Vance County — Percentage of population at least partially vaccinated: 21.6%. Percentage of population fully vaccinated: 12.8%.
“Granville County — Percentage of population at least partially vaccinated: 21.4%. Percentage of population fully vaccinated: 13.4%.”
Additional links you are encouraged to use are “the NCDHHS COVID-19 Dashboard. Relevant graphs from these dashboards are available on our website at https://gvph.org/covid-19_dashboard/,” Harrison wrote.
For a seventh time overall and for the fifth straight NCAA tournament, seven ACC teams made the field (two remain at of 3-22-21 at 2 p.m.), and Harrison says the NCAA has a good model of safety for players, staff and fans — https://www.ncaa.org/themes-topics/health-and-safety.
Harrison says the NCAA model is good, and it’s clear. And Harrison and others around the country say we are at a turning point in the fight against the virus, a fork in the road if you will.
To continue the original basketball/model theme of Harrison’s email to WIZS News, the other type of models, like the ones you would use for forecasting the weather for example, these models being run on covid make one thing clear. “Get your vaccine when it’s your turn and keep practicing the 3 Ws if we want to get out of this as fast as we can! We need to keep making an effort to flatten any future curves that could happen if we let our guard down too quickly or if we allow these variants to take off unchecked. We’re in this until we’re over the hump – and we don’t want any more upward trends,” Harrison wrote.
She wrote, “GVPH had the opportunity to participate in a pilot project recently to understand better how researchers at UNC, NC State University, and Georgia Tech (all good basketball schools I might add) are able to use systems engineering and simulations to model future scenarios related to the pandemic and our response. Very cool! Even more cool is they want to help us in public health with decision-making and communicating where it’s helpful.”
Presently in North Carolina, the daily percent positive is 4.9 percent.
“The Local Skinny!” March 18; Eddie Ferguson VGCC Foundation and more
It may seem like a small detail, but Vance-Granville Community College officials have decided to change its fundraising arm from an endowment to a foundation.
Eddie Ferguson, executive director of the VGCC Foundation, said that changing one little word could make a big difference in fundraising opportunities.
Ferguson spoke with John C. Rose Thursday on The Local Skinny and said the move to become a foundation opens up additional opportunities for funding. The community college awards more than $250,000 each year to more than 350 students on the four campuses, he said.
“We’re very excited about becoming a foundation,” Ferguson said, as a way “to broaden our appeal to many more businesses and particularly other foundations that may want to support community colleges.”
Ferguson cited a recent example: VGCC secured a grant from the Cannon Foundation to repurpose some space at Main Campus and also to purchase equipment and truck driving simulators at the Warren Campus. Some foundations, he said, do not give to endowments, but by becoming a foundation, VGCC could receive additional grants like this one.
“The name change allows us to offer not only the ability to raise money for scholarships but also to help the college raise additional funds for the different types of initiatives and program that we need to create and enjoy,” he said.
Another advantage of a foundation is to raise funds for the college itself, the same way a capital campaign works, he said. “We have many programs that we’d like to expand upon and start and repurpose,” Ferguson said.
There are several ways to give to VGCC, including individuals writing checks and donating appreciated stock to churches and businesses establishing scholarships in memory or in honor of others. VGCC is still a 501c3 entity, which means that contributions may be tax deductible. Over the last 30 years or so, he said, the community has created hundreds of scholarships for VGCC students. That support has not wavered during the pandemic, he added.
“It’s an indication of support the community has provided to Vance-Granville,” he said. “They see the value of Vance-Granville in the community,” and Ferguson said the foundation name will enhance the giving opportunities for individuals, churches and other community businesses.
He estimated that between 15 percent and 20 percent of students receive scholarships. “In a rural community like ours, money is important, so we try to help students as best we can,” tuition, books and other fees can be costly, so “the more we can reduce the cost of education, the more a student can take advantage of education and improve their lot in life with economic mobility.”
To learn more, email Ferguson at fergusone@vgcc.edu or phone him at 252.738.3264.
Visit www.vgcc.edu and click on “Giving” to make a contribution online.
(THE LOCAL SKINNY! ON WIZS AT 11:30 A.M. MON-THURS ALSO TYPICALLY FEATURES CALLS FROM LISTENERS, ITEMS FOR SALE AND THE VANCE COUNTY COOPERATIVE EXTENSION REPORT. CLICK HERE FOR THOSE “TRADIO-LIKE” ITEMS AND CLICK HERE COOPERATIVE EXTENSION REPORTS.)
“The Local Skinny!” March 17 Home and Garden Show
Each Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. on WIZS 1450 AM / 100.1 FM Your Community Voice, “The Local Skinny!” will feature the Home and Garden Show.
Vance County Cooperative Extension agents Paul McKenzie and Wayne Rowland announce the show each week live and take phone calls at 492-5594 with home, lawn and garden questions.
During the week, you can also call them directly in their office downtown at 438-8188.
Home and Garden Show Podcast of March 17, 2021.
For God, For Peace, For Brent, For Family, For Friends, For Community
If you will, please allow us to remember Brent Montgomery with the words in this attached broadcast.