TownTalk 2-1-21: Vance Granville’s Month-long Celebration of Black History

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Vance-Granville Community College has a bevy of activities scheduled for its celebration of Black History in the month of February. A team from VGCC has created the monthlong event – from book discussions to highlighting Black trailblazers – in a webpage VGCC calls “Against All Odds – Honoring Black Trailblazers.” Visit www.vgcc.edu/blackhistorymonth/ to learn more about how to participate in these events.

Dawn Michelle Tucker, dean of Continuing Education & College + Career Readiness at VGCC, was on Town Talk Monday to kick off the monthlong celebration. Tucker spoke to host John C. Rose about famous Blacks in history, as well as the struggles that still challenge African Americans today.

Tucker, along with co-chair Angela Thomas, dean of Health Sciences and other VGCC faculty and staff, put together a “celebration of all the accomplishments and the different opportunities that we’ve been able to take full advantage of,” she said. Webinars, lunch and learn sessions, in addition to the two book discussions are all activities that the community can take part in.

The first of two book discussions will take place on Feb. 23 at 6 p.m. The book that will be discussed is titled “Who Owns the Icehouse? Eight Life Lessons from an Unlikely Entrepreneur,” based on a true story written by the nephew of a man who owned an icehouse in 1950’s in the Mississippi Delta.

In conjunction with this event, VGCC President Dr. Rachel Demarais will sign the Presidents for Entrepreneurship Pledge to kick off the book discussion. This pledge has been, or will be, signed by community college presidents across the nation to show support for expanding entrepreneurship in the communities they serve and creating a positive culture on their campuses to foster entrepreneurism. VGCC has training and counseling services available for new business owners through its Small Business Center, Tucker said.

Promoting entrepreneurship, especially among African Americans, Tucker said, is one component of that pledge. “It’s our commitment to making sure that our community has the support system in place for new entrepreneurship opportunities,” she said. VGCC strives to provide a consistent message of support for those individuals who want to venture out on their own to create a new business. “The consistency will have an impact on what we’re doing,” she added. All this is to provide for the community the necessary resources to advance entrepreneurship.

Click Play to Listen to TownTalk with VGCC’s Dawn Michelle Tucker…

“We have to continue to push out the idea of entrepreneurship. If as a college we are pushing the idea and being consistent about our messaging about entrepreneurship, then we are hopeful that the consistency of what we’re doing will have an impact on our communities, Tucker said. College officials want to continue to pour in the idea of entrepreneurship, and the book “Who Owns the Icehouse?” provides insight into the mindset of not just being an entrepreneur, she said, but being a successful entrepreneur.

Challenges surrounding racism and inequality are barriers that Black people still face today, Tucker said. “It’s the challenge of being seen as a person of color first and not being seen by your character, your integrity and what you actually bring to the table outside of the color of your skin,” she said, adding that Blacks often are “not able to fully reach (their) potential because we are held up by skin color.” How Blacks move forward, in the face of these challenges, is part of the ongoing conversations that must take place, Tucker said.

The community college continues to look for new programs and opportunities, Tucker said, adding that newly minted entrepreneurs most likely will need a skilled work force to be successful in their endeavors. Vance-Granville Community College has long provided programs that allows workers to re-tool or learn new skills to make them more marketable employees.

As dean of Continuing Education and Career Readiness, Tucker takes seriously her responsibility to share her experience with young people entering the workforce. “That’s how I get to live in the younger person’s world, by sharing information and building relationships with them so that they have the benefit of older, more experienced people to share ideas and to gain momentum for moving forward,” she said.

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Your Thyroid Is So Important; January Is National Thyroid Awareness Month

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If you’re feeling generally well today, you probably have your thyroid to thank. Dr. Gary Smith, family physician Maria Parham Primary Care, discussed the multiple jobs that this small, butterfly-shaped gland has to keep our bodies functioning normally.

January is National Thyroid Awareness month, and Smith was a guest on Town Talk Wednesday to discuss the thyroid’s role in good health.

The thyroid is part of the endocrine system, and it produces several hormones that help to regulate metabolism and body temperature, among other functions. It is located in the front of the neck, near the middle and below the Adam’s apple. “It has profound effects on the mind and the body,” Smith said. “The thyroid has many functions – it regulates hormones of the body, temperature regulations, stability of organ systems,” he said.

A simple blood test can show whether the thyroid is producing too much hormone or too little, he said. In either case, Smith said, medication is most often the answer. Hypothyroidism, when the thyroid isn’t producing enough hormone, can cause slower heart rate or brittle, dry nails and hair loss, he said. Symptoms of hyperthyroidism, when the thyroid over-produces hormone, could include nervousness, increased heart rate or anxiety, he added. Medication is needed to either stimulate or slow the thyroid. “We like a nice, normal level to be in sync with other parts of the body,” Smith noted.

Click Play to Listen to the TownTalk Interview…

In addition to helping regulate your heartbeat, a healthy thyroid also “helps blood flow to the brain so you can think clearly,” Smith said. It affects the lungs and how we breathe, our intestines and how we process and digest food as well. “We are definitely dependent on the thyroid gland for (healthy) function of our body,” Smith said.

A healthy diet, with lots of fruits and vegetables, as well as exercise, serve to support the body’s immune system and increases blood flow throughout the body, including to the thyroid.

The thyroid may be a small gland, but its role in overall health is significant. “We don’t take this gland for granted,” Smith said. “If a patient feels their neck and something doesn’t feel right, a mass or something hard, call your primary care physician. Don’t wait,” he advised.

In cases that diseased or cancerous thyroids are removed, patients would benefit from supplementing with a synthetic hormone to replace what the body no longer naturally produces.

Smith’s advice for anyone with questions or concerns? Consult with their primary care physician. “That’s the best thing to do, to follow up with your primary care physician and let them assist the patient in whatever their concerns are,” he said. We’ll explore it, and we’ll find the cause or the reason for the concern.”

(Maria Parham Health is an advertising client of WIZS.  This is not a paid ad.)

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TownTalk 1-26-21 Shooting Incident Results In Death Of Horse

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Host John C. Rose discusses a shooting incident that occurred in Henderson resulting in the death of a horse.

For complete details and audio click play.

 

ACTS of Henderson Fish Fry Fundraiser February 1st

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When was the last chance you got to help a local food pantry by, well, eating?

Area residents will get that exact opportunity at the Feb. 1 fundraiser at 220 Restaurant to benefit Area Christians Together in Service (ACTS).

Lee Anne Peoples, executive director of ACTS, said tickets are $8 each and are available now. Advance sales are preferred, Peoples said, but not required. The fundraiser plates include trout, French fries and cole slaw. “We’d love for people to come and join us,” she said. The fundraiser is from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

ACTS, located at 201 S. William St., has been a beehive of activity, she told host John C. Rose during Monday’s Town Talk.  “We’ve seen about double the amount of people in the last few months than we saw prior to COVID.” The fundraiser will help the organization continue to provide hot lunches on weekdays as well as hep to keep the pantry stocked.

Click play to listen to TownTalk…

“We’ve been serving between 120 and 160 or 170 (people) Monday through Friday,” Peoples said of the hot lunch program. She and cook Thomas Blackwell are the only paid staff, she added. “We’re almost completely volunteer-driven,” Peoples said. “We would not be able to do what we do without volunteers.”

More lunches are headed out the door each day because people are taking food to family, friends and neighbors who need the assistance. “COVID  has increased the numbers of people we’ve been serviing, but it has decreased the number of volunteers,” she said.

Peoples said tickets are available at ACTS from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. – and ACTS will happily take donations to help fill the pantry, too. In short supply are items like canned fruits and vegetables, 1-pound or 2-pound bags of rice or beans, boxes of crackers packaged in plastic sleeves such as saltines. Also needed are gallon-size cans of food that can be used for lunches, she said.

Of course, monetary donations are always acceptable, Peoples said. Mail checks to ACTS, P.O. Box 25, Henderson, NC 27536.

The last 220 fundraiser to benefit ACTS sold between 800 and 1,000 tickets, People said. ACTS board members have tickets for sale. Board members, in addition to Peoples, are: Hope Breedlove, Gwenn Bridges, Ulice Hill Evans, Pam Jackson, Candy Moore, Connie L. Markham, Jack Richardson, Abidan Paul Shah, CeCe Tucker, Linda Weaver, Argatha White-Vass and Rev. Johnny Yount.

ACTS is very fortunate to have such a dedicated board, she said. “They really care about their community,” said Peoples. “It’s so important to have people like that in a leadership role,” she added.

To learn more, call ACTS at 252.492.8231 or email Peoples lapeoples@actsofhenderson.org.

Tar River Land Conservancy Intern and Tree Planting Opportunities

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The Tar River Land Conservancy office takes up just a small parcel of land in downtown Louisburg, but Executive Director Derek Halberg isn’t confined to the four walls of a building – his job takes him outside to make sure that land in and around the Tar River is protected.

On Thursday’s Town Talk, Halberg shared some upcoming events with Town Talk host Bill Harris that the public can participate in to further develop a tract in Stem, in southern Granville County.

Tomorrow, as well as next Friday and Saturday, the land conservancy will sponsor a tree-planting event, he said. Saplings will be planted along some small streams that feed into Lake Holt, which provides drinking water to southern Granville County. The group is spear-heading this effort to plant hardwoods like oak and hickory along the stream, Halberg said. Please contact Tar River Land Conservancy if you would like to come out and help plant trees. Participants will receive instructions on where and when the event will take place.

“Trees play a vital role in being able to filter out water that may run off an agricultural field, and capture soil, sedimentation or runoff as well as nitrogen and other fertilizer components.” Halberg explained. The saplings also provide benefits to wildlife, he added.

“We make it as easy as possible for folks” Halberg explained. “We dig the holes ahead of time, we provide all the tools, and really try to make it an experience that people enjoy and feel like they’re getting involved in the conservation work that we do,” he said.

Another opportunity for area college students is a summer internship with the land trust, Halberg said. Each summer, the staff of 3 full-time and 2 part-time employees grows by two young people who complete a 12-week paid internship. Visit the website at www.tarriver.org to find a full description of the program. The application deadline is Feb. 1.

College students pursuing degrees in natural resources, agriculture or forestry  disciplines , as well as recent graduates, are encouraged to submit an application; the internships provide an opportunity to “get involved in the nuts and bolts of the operation – they get out in the field (and help) with management and monitoring of various properties,” Halberg said. “They actively get involved and see the inner workings of a professional organization like ours and then take their experience and move on to other things,” he noted.

The Tar River Land Conservancy, established in 2000, works in eight different N.C. counties through which the Tar River flows. The Tar River begins in Person County and winds its way east toward Pamlico Sound.

“Our mission is pretty straightforward,” Halberg said. “We try to preserve land in undeveloped states for perpetuity.” This includes land that may be in farmland or timberland production, which he said would continue in that state for a long time. “It also involves preserving land that is important for wildlife, for water quality, for drinking water that supplies local communities, he said. “And, increasingly for our organization, finding ways to acquire and get properties preserved and open them up to the public with trails and other ways for people to actually get out and enjoy nature,” Halberg said.

To Listen to TownTalk Click Play…

Not all the 22,000 acres of land now held in conservancy are located along the Tar River. The Stem tract, for example, where the saplings are being planted, feeds into the Neuse River Basin, or Falls Lake watershed area. The bulk of the acreage is in Granville County, Halberg noted, adding that his group has been able to work with partners to plan public access areas such as nature trails in several areas in southern Granville. He hopes one will be open in the spring, and several others in May or June of 2022.

One of the completed areas is Wilton Slopes, which has walking trails at that portion of the Tar River along Highway 96 between Oxford and Wilton, Halberg said. That tract, he added, “has given us a glimpse of portions of the river that would be quite stunning to provide access to if we can do it.”

Halberg said Tar River Land Conservancy plans for the long-term. Whether landowners come to them for information or whether the conservancy reaches out to landowners, the value in sitting and talking about how their property can be preserved is important.

There are two ways that the land can enter into conservancy: Tar River Land Conservancy buys the property from the willing owner;  the landowner signs a written conservation agreement. In the latter case, the land conservancy holds the easement and can control development, but the landowner retains ownership of the property.

“We try to be strategic,” Halberg said. “We look to try to preserve land in the right places (to protect) rare wildlife and fish species. His group works with other organizations like the N.C. Natural Heritage Program and the N.C. Wildlife Commission to locate areas that may need protection and stewardship that the Tar River Land Conservancy can provide.

For some people, he explained, “land is an important part of their heritage and they want to see if it might be possible to work with us and preserve it.

Visit www.tarriver.org to learn more.

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Presidential Inauguration Day TownTalk 1-20-21

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Click to Listen to WIZS TownTalk Audio.

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TownTalk 1-19-21: MLK Virtual Celebration VGCC Jan 26

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The public is invited to join a virtual panel discussion next week that will focus on the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The event will be hosted by the Vance-Granville Community College Men’s Achievement Academy, with the support of Rho Beta Lambda of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., according to Dr. Jeffrey Allen, VGCC Dean of Student Retention and Success.

Allen appeared on Tuesday’s Town Talk with John C. Rose and gave details about the upcoming event, scheduled for 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 26. Visit www.vgcc.edu to find a link to register for the Zoom panel discussion.

“We feel like we have assembled a great wealth of knowledge to discuss the life and legacy of Dr. King,” he said during an interview recorded earlier Tuesday morning.

Panelists include Dr. Jim Harper, Chair of the History Department at North Carolina Central University; Dr. Doris T. Williams, retired professor and VGCC Board of Trustees member; Rev. Dr. William T. Ramey, retired educator, pastor and VGCC Board of Trustees member; Judge Adam Keith, Vance County District Court judge; and Sara Bell, instructor of Humanities at VGCC. N.C. Rep. G.K. Butterfield also will give remarks, Allen said.

Although honoring the legacy of the slain Civil Rights leader is a large part of what the panel will discuss, he expects that the panelists also will challenge the attendees, “really pushing them to live the legacy of Dr. King,” he said. “The whole goal is we want to be informative, we want to empower people; and the other piece is we want to inspire people to continue to bring change,” he added.

Click play for Dr. Jeffrey Allen on TownTalk.  Story continues below…

Empowering people to unite and to be a force for change are ideals King strived for, Allen said. “It’s our job now as citizens to carry his legacy, moving forward, so we can continue to fight the fight for civil rights for all,” he added.

Servant leadership is another of King’s ideals that Allen wants to emphasize.

“This is a great opportunity for us just to remind ourselves of his legacy of social justice and service to others and civil rights for all…(to) refresh our memory to go out and be empowered and inspired to do great things in our community,” Allen said.

This graphic and the cover graphic courtesy of VGCC.

Students in the Men’s Achievement Academy at VGCC experience servant leadership, Allen noted. The mentoring program is in its second year and, although it targets first-year students and minority males, it is open to any male who wants to be a part of the program.

The feedback so far has been positive, he said. “They love the program, they love participating, even in this virtual environment, they really appreciate the support that their mentors have given them during this pandemic,” Allen said.

Allen and his team plan and support a variety of initiatives, all designed to support students be successful in college. They oversee tutoring, academic advising and academic support, as well as counseling, student activities and athletics. “The college has done an excellent job…to support students and we’re continuously working and looking at thing that support student achievement.,” he said.

Register for the event at:

https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_aaujgLAHTHOqt07ZAcIKeg

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

For more information, contact Dr. Jeffrey Allen at allenjl@vgcc.edu.

(This is not a paid advertisement.)

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TownTalk 1-18-21: MLK Day of Service, Marcia Allen and Vance Dem Party

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Members of the Vance County Democratic Party and other local officials braved cool, breezy conditions Monday to demonstrate servant leadership by collecting non-perishable food items for two agencies.

Marcia Allen, chair of the Vance County Democratic Party, said the group sponsored the event in conjunction with the National Day of Service as part of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. All donated items will be given to Area Christians Together in Service (ACTS) and The Help Center of Vance County, Allen said during Monday’s Town Talk with John C. Rose.

“That’s our goal –   to let our community know that we care,” she said. “We have to care about each other. It doesn’t matter what your affiliation is… as a party, we care about each other, and we want to help as much as we can,” she explained.

These two agencies were chosen, Allen said, because they are receiving a lot of clients at this time. She recently toured the ACTS storage center and noted that “their cupboards are getting a little bare.” ACTS also serves lunch daily. Their efforts to fight food insecurity, as well as those of The Help Center, are worthy recipients of the food drive. “We want to make sure they at least have something on the shelves to share with the community,” Allen said.

Click play to hear TownTalk.  Story continues below…

Didn’t make it to drop off a donation of food during the Monday drive? No problem. Allen said donations can be dropped off at Shear Magic, 1224 Dabney Drive and Angela Thornton, first vice-chair of the Vance County Democratic Party, will accept them any day except Monday, when the salon is closed.

Vance Sheriff Curtis Brame participated in the event, held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. outside the Perry Memorial Library. “It’s a great day,” he said, “and truly an honor to see different organizations, different denominations, people gathering peacefully, as Dr. Martin Luther King wanted us to,” Brame said. The food drive is a great cause, he added, as a way to honor the King legacy.

Henry L. Gupton, Vance County Clerk of Superior Court, agreed. “We don’t mind being in the cold for what we’re doing today,” he said. “Any day is a good day to serve,” Gupton said.

Recalling Dr. King’s message that everyone can be great because everyone can serve, Allen said that the work done to help in the community transcends political parties and other differences.  “If we look at each other as family, then we’re going to be kind, and cordial and helpful toward each other.”

The King holiday has been celebrated on the third Monday in January since its inception in 1986. The slain civil rights leader’s philosophy of peaceful protest and servant leadership remains relevant today, Allen said. “We should have that at the forefront of our being. We are here to serve – to serve each other.” And, she added, she will “still have this servant mentality tomorrow,” even though the holiday has passed.

Allen encouraged other Democrats to become active in the local party, noting that there are openings at the local precinct level. Contact Allen at vancedemocrat@gmail.com. The local party is planning to host monthly community projects as one way to increase service at the community level, she said.

TownTalk 1-14-21 History/DNA/Genealogy with Mark Pace and Shannon Christmas

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For some people, just hearing or reading the term “mitochondrial DNA” conjures up fond (or not-so-fond ) memories of high school biology class; for genealogy enthusiasts, however, mitochondrial DNA and other genetic tools can provide crucial information to help fill in a family tree.

Take the family tree of Shannon Christmas, for example. Christmas used genetic testing to find a common ancestor that goes back to his seven-times great grandparents. And he ought to know – Christmas is a nationally known genetic genealogy influencer. He appeared on Town Talk Thursday with host Bill Harris and guest host Mark Pace, genealogy specialist in the North Carolina Room at Richard Thornton Library in Oxford.

Christmas, who phoned in from Maryland, has local ties to Warren County. He discussed Thursday different types of genetic testing and the importance of understanding what each can provide when researching family history.

Christmas specializes in genetic, colonial American, and African-American genealogy in Virginia and the Carolinas, according to information on the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society website. He uses autosomal DNA to verify and extend pedigrees, assess the veracity of oral history, and reconstruct ancestral genomes. His Through The Trees blog is for genealogy enthusiasts interested in learning about new technologies to aid in research genealogy.

Before purchasing a DNA test, Christmas said, people should know a little bit about the different types of DNA. “Think about what it is they want to learn because that will determine which test is appropriate…think about what questions you want to answer and then match your question to the right DNA test,” he said. For example, only women pass mitochondrial DNA on to their children; both men and women have x-DNA, he continued, but it has a “unique inheritance pattern. Women pass down x-DNA to all of their children…men only pass x-DNA down to their daughters.”

Continued below. For audio click play…

Something called autosomal DNA, however, reflects all of one’s ancestry. “That is the type of DNA that we tend to find to be most powerful for many of our genealogical questions because it covers so much information,” Christmas said. Children get one set of autosomal DNA from their mother and one set from their father, he explained. Typically covering the previous five generations, autosomal DNA can be used to trace back further. It was what he used to tie back to his seven-times great-grandparents.

Documents such as wills, deeds, Bibles and other historical records are very useful in tracking down ancestors, Pace and Christmas agree, but genetic information adds another dimension that can confirm or disprove what may be written in a family Bible or otherwise recorded on paper.

Another question to ask yourself before submitting a DNA test is “Do you want to know the whole truth?”  he said. “DNA tests can reveal family secrets and secret families,” which can create a whole new line of inquiry and, Christmas noted, “not everyone reacts the same way to the truth.”

Christmas agreed that the genetic testing offered through genealogy websites and other companies are pretty consistent and reliable with providing information about which continent you’re from, but less so when drilling down to region or country within a continent. “One has  to take that particular part of the test with a grain of salt,” he said. Genetic testing is “extremely accurate at predicting relationships, and matching individuals as relatives. And that is the part of the test which is most useful in genealogy,” he said.

Choose a genealogical DNA test to build out a family tree, he advised. “Go straight for the full mitochondrial sequence,” he said, which will show your mother’s mother’s mother’s side. Because it mutates very slowly, the mitochondrial DNA can find a perfect match, but a common ancestor may be beyond the typical five-generation scope. An autosomal DNA test will match you up with relatives to confirm things you already know.

Something that genetic testing cannot discern, however is cultural identity. There are individuals who have documents which connect them to native Americans, for example, Christmas said. Although the cultural connection exists, that doesn’t mean that genetic testing can prove a connection. “Genetics is one thing, but cultural traditions and kinship go beyond the scope of genetics.”

The North Carolina and genealogy room at Thornton Library is open weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon and 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Call the library at 919.693.1121 to make an appointment to visit. Contact Pace at mark.pace@granvillecounty.org.