TownTalk: Joint Public Safety And Fire Commission Meeting

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Plans should be in place by summer 2025 to send an additional fire department to structure fires in the county, a move that has the potential to save lives and property, not to mention having a possible positive effect on the county’s insurance rating and property owners’ insurance premiums.

Brandon Link, president of the Vance County Firefighters Association and chief of the Watkins Volunteer Fire Department, said the idea of sending a fourth department on calls was solidified at a recent joint meeting of the county’s public safety committee and the fire commission.

Although a work conflict prevented him from attending the Nov. 20 meeting, Link said he was briefed by others in attendance.

The county commissioners had earlier given the green light, but the plan “had been in a holding pattern for a while,” Link said, partly because the county was conducting a fire study to consider restructuring the county’s fire departments, all but one of which are volunteer departments.

Link said he believes the Vance County Fire Department will remain the lone fully staffed station to provide support to departments when they get dispatched to fire calls.

When that additional department is dispatched, it means there will be more trucks, more water and more personnel on scene to more quickly extinguish fires and get control of the situation.

Those are the three main criteria that are factored in to determine a county’s insurance – ISO – rating. A better ISO rating translates into lower premium bills for property owners.

“It’s something we’ve all been asking for, close to five years now,” Link said.

Unfortunately, those premiums won’t be going down for this five-year cycle, he said, adding that the decision was “bittersweet – we knew it was going to make a difference… we missed the boat (this time) but hope to get it next time.”

Making the necessary changes to get that fourth department included on calls takes a little doing. The 911 dispatchers use a response matrix to determine the order that departments are called to fires, Link said.

“It is exciting, (but) it’s a long process,” he noted, adding that a good bit of the groundwork has been laid – now it’s just a matter of getting that information put into the system.

Link said there’s a good mix of seasoned and new, or newish, chiefs of the various departments who are “walking in lockstep together, which to me is a good sign.” Everyone wants what is best for the county, and his colleagues are willing to do whatever they can to provide the best service possible.

County Manager C. Renee Perry and the commissioners have heard their needs, requests and options for providing fire service, he said. “They understand our love and passion and desire to do our job.”

As for the fate of the Vance County Fire Department, Link said local fire officials have expressed their desire for it to stay in place and that the county would be “taking a step backwards” if changes are made to the way it operates. “They are vital to us in what we do,” he said of the paid firefighters at that station.

And while appreciative of all the part-timers and volunteers that are the backbone of the other departments across the county, Link said that’s not enough coverage. Part-timers and volunteers have jobs or other commitments. “They’re not obligated to respond,” he said, but “they’re committed to respond – when they’re available.”

The state requires a minimum of four firefighters to respond from the primary fire department dispatched to a call, but Link said there could be as many as eight or nine who show up.

Add four that come from VCFD – plus the chief if it’s a daytime call – and another three or four from the secondary department and now from that fourth department, and there could be upwards of a couple of dozen people on the ground to combat the fire.

But that number could just as easily be halved, he added, depending on the number of volunteers and part-timer firefighters who are available.

Having more people and equipment responding to a fire call could help when it comes to ISO ratings, Link noted.

Drewry maintained its ISO rating of 5. Epsom improved to a class 4. The Watkins department improved its rating to 5 this year. Several other departments have been evaluated but haven’t gotten their score yet, and the last three departments should be completed in the next few months. The results are a report card of sorts to reflect performance.

 

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TownTalk: Youth Mental Health First Aid

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An upcoming workshop at Henderson City Hall is designed to help participants recognize signs that a young person may be experiencing a mental health crisis, as well as offer ways to step in to connect them to agencies and resources that can help.

The all-day mental health first aid workshop will be held Saturday, Dec. 7 and is a partnership between the city of Henderson and Vaya Health, according to information from Enriqueta Arroyo, Vaya’s youth mental health first aid instructor and community training specialist,

There are still some open slots, Arroyo said. Please contact her via email at Enriqueta.arroyo@vayahealth.com or by phone at 919.633.8769 to get registered no later than Friday, Dec. 6.

Early intervention is key, and Arroyo said the workshop will share strategies about how to reach out to someone who may be in crisis, how to listen in a non-judgmental way and how to refer to an agency for assistance.

The class is an 8-hour session, running from 8 a.m.  to 5 p.m. and participants must attend the entire class to receive their certification. The training is free of charge. Registration will be on a first-come, first-served basis.

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Vance County Logo

TownTalk: Vance County Board Of Commissioners Reorganization Meeting

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The Vance County Board of Commissioners elected Sean Alston to chair the 7-member board and Carolyn Faines was elected as vice-chair at the regular monthly meeting Monday night.

In other action, the commissioners added June 19 – Juneteenth – to the list of county-observed holidays and approved dates for its regular monthly meetings, which will remain the first Monday of each month, the exception being Mar. 10, 2025.

The chair and vice-chair elections took place just after the newly elected and re-elected commissioners were sworn in for their four-year terms.

Faines bested challenger William Heitman in the only contested race in the Nov. 5 election to retain her District 1 seat. Commissioners Yolanda Feimster and Leo Kelly ran unopposed for their seats in Districts 6 and 5, respectively.

And newcomer Valencia Perry, who beat Archie Taylor in the March 2024 primary, was sworn in to the District 2 seat.

In an interview back in February as part of WIZS’s election coverage, Perry said her focus is on education, school funding, mental health services and the county jail. A Vance County native, Perry has a background in accounting and is an ordained minister.

As a commissioner, she said she will be “a fresh set of eyes” to help make “long-needed change in Vance County.”

Her work on the Vance County Housing Authority Board helped her realize just how critical financial responsibility is, she said at the time. “I had a chance to help people move forward and not stay stuck,” she said. “We’ve done a lot of great things and I feel good about it,” she said of her work with the housing authority.

Another need she sees in the county is a diversion center for those in crisis because of mental health or substance abuse issues. “It is so important,” Perry said, that people have “somewhere they can be safely cared for by professionals who know what to do.”

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TownTalk: December Events In Granville County

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Santa may need to trade in those clunky black boots for some sensible sneakers if he’s going to keep up with all the activities that are going on in Granville County this holiday season.

From breakfasts to afternoon and evening parades, Jolly Old St. Nicholas is going to be the man of the hour, and Granville Tourism Director Angela Allen said things are just gearing up.

This marks the fourth year that Grey Blackwell has transformed the popular Granville Haunt Farm into Granville Christmas Farm, taking it from “scary to merry” for a drive-through event that’s sure to dazzle young and old alike.

“It’s definitely an awesome time to spend with your family,” Allen told WIZS’s Bill Harris on Monday’s TownTalk. The light display is open now, Allen said. Check https://www.granvillechristmasfarm.com/ to see the complete schedule and to purchase tickets.

Downtown Oxford is the place to be on Friday afternoon for a pre-parade event and lighting of the greens that will include live music, performances and more from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. The parade begins at 7 p.m.

Highrock Farm on Enon Road outside Oxford is hosting “Breakfast with Santa on Dec. 7 and Dec. 8. It’s a fun way for the little ones to spend some quality time with Santa, Allen said.

The morning may be for the children, but the afternoon will feature an “Art Walk” from 12 noon to 4 p.m. to take care of some holiday shopping with gifts handcrafted by local artists. Visit https://www.highrock-events.com/ for the particulars.

Make reservations at Thorndale Oaks for their sumptuous Christmas dinner on Dec. 7 or Dec. 8, Arrive at 5:30 p.m. to enjoy everything from appetizers to a buffet-style meal. Call 919.603.3701 to reserve your spot.

In this season of giving, you’ve got a chance to support Granville little Theatre by attending the Broadway and Beyond gala, which will take place on Saturday, Dec. 7 at Verdi Gris, the restaurant located at Oxford Oaks Distillery.

It’s a “great excuse to get dressed up and give back” to a community group,” she said. During the gala, patrons will enjoy pop-up performances from members of the theatre group – sure to be a fun time.

Grab some friends and head out to Central Children’s Home on Saturday, Dec. 7 for a cornhole tournament. Enter teams for $50 and participate in some friendly competition, all for a good cause.

Carlee Farms is hosting its annual Holiday Marketplace from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 14. Allen said the venue, located in Stem, will feature a variety of vendors with all types of handcrafted items to give at Christmas.

And just in case you want to remember the true meaning of Christmas, visit Delrayno Baptist Church for the annual “Back to Bethlehem” drive-thru event Dec. 14, 15 and 16 between 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.

Take a trip back in time, thanks to the volunteers at Delrayno who transform the church property to recreate Bethlehem, from the marketplace to the stable where the baby Jesus lay in a manger.

“You take the same journey that Mary and Joseph took through Bethlehem,” Allen explained.

“It really does make you appreciate that particular story and its significance.”

Stay up-to-date with all the happenings at the Visit Granville website https://visitgranvillenc.com/whats-happening/.

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TownTalk: Alert Christmas Parade Is Coming

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Looking for some good old-fashioned entertainment to help get you in a festive holiday mood? Check out the Alert Christmas Parade, set to kick off at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 14.

That’s right, A-lert, the community that’s just over the Franklin/Vance County line beyond Epsom.

Larry Ayscue is one of this year’s parade organizers, but he also is credited with being the original organizer of that first parade 34 years ago.

“I would love to get the word out, just come and see it – check it out and see what you think of it,” he said on WIZS TownTalk. He wants to promote participation in the parade, as well as inviting spectators to come out and enjoy the eclectic variety of entries.

Unlike Christmas parades that are held inside town or city limits, Alert’s parade isn’t fettered by rules and regulations.

“Alert is not a town,” Ayscue said. “I always tell people, don’t come expecting a town – it’s just a little community.”

No forms to fill out, no official lineup to follow translates into good, old-fashioned fun, with “a lot of hollering, wavin’ and carrying on,” he said.

“We’ve had people to tell us that they’d rather be in that parade than any other one they’ve ever been in,” he added. “It’s just a lot of fun.”

Melanie Bobbitt helps Ayscue and his wife, Nancy, out and maintains a Facebook page complete with photos from previous parades and other information to promote the event, which had a pretty humble beginning.

“It started out as a kind of a joke,” Ayscue said, when he and others were putting in tobacco. It was summertime hot, and Ayscue said he made a comment that Alert ought to have a Christmas parade, any reason to think about cooler weather. Later on in the year came the questions: Well, are we going to have a parade? Are we? Ayscue checked with the Franklin County Sheriff’s office and “everybody gave me the ok.”

And what was supposed to be a one-shot deal has become a tradition like no other. Ayscue explained that a lot of older folks simply weren’t able to get out and go to town to watch parades, so the parade came to them.

Over the years, there have been some pretty interesting entries in addition to the usual firetrucks, church floats and children dressed up in Christmas costumes.

Ayscue has fond memories of one particular entry in the parade a few years ago. “It was the prettiest little thing,” he said, describing a goat hooked to a cart, both decorated up for the occasion.

“Anyone who has anything they’d love to put in the parade,” he said, should just show up by 1 p.m. at the intersection of Alert and Jordan School roads. The parade route is about 1.5 miles, ending at G.F. Ball Road.

For more information, contact Bobbitt at 919-497-6081, Nancy Ayscue at 252.458.1600 or Larry Ayscue at 252.343.9275.

“I believe you would thoroughly enjoy it if you come out,” Ayscue said.

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TownTalk: Around Old Granville – First Families Part Two

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Ready to hear how the area now known as Kittrell is connected to the first Thanksgiving?

THE first Thanksgiving.

The one that happened in 1618, a full four years before the Pilgrims and Native Americans celebrated the first successful harvest in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621.

Leave it to WIZS’s Bill Harris and local historian Mark Pace to make the local connection in their tri-weekly TownTalk segment called Around Old Granville. Monday’s discussion was a continuation of “First Families” of the area that now includes the four counties of Vance, Granville, Warren and Franklin.

According to Pace, a man by the name of John Woodlief gets the credit for the very first Thanksgiving that took place at Berkeley Plantation on the banks of the James River southeast of Richmond. It is Woodlief’s grandson, Thomas Woodlief, who leaves Charles City, VA and settles in the vicinity of what is now Kittrell way back in 1754, when the Colonies were still under British rule.

Woodlief is just one of numerous notable surnames that pop up in research of local history, but sometimes genealogists and historians have to do a bit of detective work to find useful tidbits about people who lived and worked in the area almost three centuries ago.

Kittrell is another family name that predates the birth of the United States. The earliest Kittrells came pretty early, Pace said, back in 1727. Then Jonathan Kittrell purchased 300 acres or so in the area along Tabbs Creek around 1760.

Another well-known family was the Eaton family. “The Eatons would definitely qualify as one of the first founding families of this area,” Pace said.

William Eaton first settled up in the northeast corner of the old Granville County along the Roanoke River – a ferry bearing the family name operated from the 1800’s to the early 1960’s near Littleton in Warren County.

Eaton also built the first courthouse and the first jail – with his own money – in Granville County

and he built Locust Hill on Old County Home Road in Vance County.

“It was actually THE county home” at one time, Pace noted. Eaton died in 1759 and his children were influential in the area for the next hundred years or more, up until the Civil War.

Locust Hill burned in 1976. Pace remembers the year vividly because it was the year he got his driver license. He and his younger brother tootled out to Locust Hill and the brother snapped a pic of the old home with his Polaroid.

“About two weeks later, it burned down…my brother took the last picture of it,” Pace said. He said the back portion of the home could easily date back to the 1740’s – “It wouldn’t surprise me,” Pace said.

One son, Thomas Eaton, was a general in the American Revolution. He was captured during the Battle of Brier Creek in Georgia, and legend has it that when he was captured, the British sympathizers confiscated his prized boots, made specially to fit his quite narrow foot. Fast forward to a post-war “sit down” Eaton was summoned, along with one of his captors, who returned the long-lost boots to Eaton.

And although Pace said he can’t confirm what happened, the story goes that Eaton proceeded to whack the captor over the head with said boots. So much for letting bygones be bygones.

There’s a stately home in Warrenton – the William Eaton home – that still stands today that belonged to a son of Thomas Eaton.

William Eaton, an attorney and prominent politician, wrote a book called “How to be a Good Lawyer” which Pace said was a bestseller in the 1830’s and 1840’s.

The Eatons have a connection with Osborne Jeffreys, who was born in Williamsburg, VA in 1716.

Jeffreys was a captain in the North Carolina Colonial militia for Granville County, said Harris, and owned several plantations in the area, which included grist mills, a tannery, a shoe-making business and taverns. Jeffreys also was active in the politics of the area. Like many early settlers, Pace said Jeffreys “owns land all over the place…he comes here (early) and gets the best land” for himself. He built Portridge on some of his land holdings, which was located between what is now Louisburg and Franklinton. It was at Portridge that the first church of England was built in the area. The building is long gone, but the cemetery remains. It contains many unmarked graves, but the names on some stones are legible.

Jeffreys and his wife, Patience, had a daughter named Elizabeth. She married Charles Rust Eaton, another descendant of the original William Eaton.

A dozen or so families in Colonial North Carolina, he said, intermarry and create what Pace calls an oligarchy – “they’re the ones who run things,” he explained.

Listen to the entire discussion at wizs.com.

 

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TownTalk: Arts Council Getting In The Christmas Spirit

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Anyone who may need a jumpstart into feeling that holiday spirit need only chat for a moment with Dr. Alice Sallins with the Vance County Arts Council. Whether she’s promoting the upcoming Tidings of Comfort and Joy concert at McGregor Hall or talking up the Henderson Christmas parade, Sallins exudes that excitement and anticipation that comes along with the holiday season.

The concert takes place on Saturday, Nov. 30 at 4 p.m., Sallins said on Thursday’s TownTalk. The show is free to attend, and Sallins said the audience is in for a real treat.

Clearview Church pastor Dr. Abidan Shah will emcee the he first portion of the show which will feature sacred music and then he’ll pass the mic to Mixmaster James Williams who’ll emcee the second portion of the show that features secular music.

The concert features recording artists Lynn Cooper,  Spencer Alston and Tia “Catillia” Cheek, and Sallins said there will be other local musicians and groups lined up to perform as well.

“We give you the best that we can offer,” Sallins said. “We look forward to packing the house.”

Other musical and dance performers include Clearview Church Praise Team, vocalist Evelyn C. Couch, Davida Lewis, Sequoia Epps Hargrove, St. Mary’s Praise Dancers, Work In Progress, Holy Temple Praise Dancers,  Brotherhood  and Jimmy & the Sound Barriers.

Sallins said she wants the show to be something that makes people feel good. People feel sad during the holidays, especially if they’ve lost loved ones. “We want to do something to help cheer people up,” she said.

Spreading that holiday cheer continues on Saturday, Dec. 7 when the Christmas Parade makes its way up Raleigh Road toward Garnett Street to the delight of onlookers along the parade route.

Over the years, Sallins and her Arts Council team have promoted the parade “to build it up to something great, ‘cause I love, love, love Christmas,” she exclaimed. “The highlight of my holiday is standing at the beginning of that parade line, flagging that first car down the road.”

This year’s parade features seven professional floats, but there are plenty of locally made floats that are sure to delight the crowds as well.

“Maria Parham goes all out of the way to build these phenomenal floats,” Sallins said, calling out the hospital team for its creativity in years past. And although throwing candy from floats is strictly a no-no, she said it’s perfectly fine for folks to walk alongside the floats to distribute sweet treats to folks along the parade route.

“Everyone has stepped up their game,” Sallins said of the local parade entries. “Each year the parade gets bigger and better…more elaborate scenery.”

Time is tight to get your parade entry form in, however. Technically, today is the deadline, but Sallins said as long as she gets the completed form by next Saturday, it should be ok.

One piece of information is non-negotiable, however. All vehicle drivers must provide a copy of his or her insurance, Sallins said.

And please just put the forms and entry fees – checks made out to the Vance County Arts Council – in the mail. Last Thanksgiving, she said folks were calling her all day and late into the night to ask how to get their entry forms to her.

Visit https://vanceartscouncil.com/ and click on Henderson, NC Christmas Parade to read rules and download the entry form.

Mail entries to:

Vance County Arts Council

P.O. Box 34

Henderson, NC 27536

 

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TownTalk: NC House 32 Contest Update

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Vance and Granville counties are in the middle of a recount in the too-close-to-call contest for House District 32, which has Democratic challenger Bryan Cohn leading incumbent Republican Frank Sossamon by 233 votes.

Cohn led by 185 votes on Nov. 5, but that number grew to 233 following the Nov. 15 canvass to include provisional and absentee ballots.

Vance County Board of Elections Director Haley Rawles said Tuesday her team would begin the recount process at 8:30 this morning (Wednesday); information from the N.C. Board of Elections indicated that the Granville County recount would commence at 12 noon today, with an estimated time of 1-2 days for completion.

In a telephone interview Tuesday, Cohn said he was pleased with the overall process and said he has been pleased with the way both counties’ boards of elections have handled things.

“Given all the changes this year, staffing issues, all the normal hurdles…I could be more pleased with the effort they’ve put into this election cycle,” he said.

“You find out who you are as a person,” Cohn notes, “going through a highly competitive and highly scrutinized campaign like Frank and I went through.”

Cohn commended his campaign staff for knowing exactly what needed to be done, a heavy focus on the city of Oxford – where Cohn is a city commissioner – as well as Creedmoor, Butner and all of Vance County that sits within the boundaries of District 32.

Through outreach, engagement and “good old-fashioned door knocking,” Cohn said he was able to get his message to constituents.

The Republican majority in the House hangs in the balance, pending the outcome of this contest, but Cohn said he is focused on “governing from the middle.”

“The (Democratic) Party has to tack back toward the center because that’s where the bulk of the American people and North Carolinians are at – they’re more centrist than partisan on one side or the other,” he said.

“We have to co-govern with our GOP colleagues and find common ground,” he said, adding that if he goes to Raleigh to represent District 32, he’ll focus on “governing from a place of mutual understanding and try to work together, as opposed to throwing roadblocks.”

In his role as a city commissioner, Cohn said he has a new-found understanding of “how much we can’t do at the local level.” Municipalities have less and less control over things like zoning and planning, he said. Those changes have to come at the state level, he said. “In order to advance the things that we need in Vance County and in Granville County with infrastructure upgrades, we need to have more representation at the state level in order to get some of those initiatives passed if we want to continue to grow in both counties.”

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TownTalk: Sossamon Calls For Recount

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Vance and Granville counties will conduct a recount in the too-close-to-call contest for House District 32, which has Democratic challenger Bryan Cohn leading Republican incumbent Frank Sossamon by 233 votes.

Because that margin is less than 1 percent of the voting totals – .53 percent, to be precise – the challenger (in this case, Sossamon) was entitled to ask for a recount by 12 noon today. Vance County Board of Elections Director Haley Rawles told WIZS News Tuesday that she received a notification of the recount from Raleigh shortly before 11:30 a.m.

Sossamon spoke with WIZS News this morning as he was waiting for the General Assembly to convene and confirmed that he would be seeking a recount.

“It hasn’t been filed, but it will be filed before 12,” Sossamon said by phone shortly before 11 a.m. He said he’d waited until now to let the process play out, which included the Nov. 15 canvass and certifying and counting provisional and absentee ballots.

“A lot of elections are cut-and-dry,” he said. “Close elections are different…and there are options that candidates have,” including filing protests if there are “anomalies,” and filing a lawsuit.

Rawles said Vance County elections officials will begin the recount at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 20 for two races – the District 32 contest and a statewide recount for a seat on the N.C. Supreme Court between sitting Justice Allison Riggs and Republican challenger Jefferson Griffin.

Rawles expects the recounts to take the majority of the day to complete, if not longer.

WIZS News reached out to Granville County Board of Elections Director Tonya Burnette Tuesday afternoon to find out when the recount would begin in that county and we will update the story if that information becomes available.

In a concise letter sent via email to N.C. State Board of Elections Director Karen Brinson Bell, Sossamon requested the recount.

It reads:

Executive Director Brinson Bell,

As a candidate for North Carolina House District 32 in the 2024 General Election, I her3eby submit my written demand for a mandatory recount pursuant to the N.C. Gen. Stat. 163-182.7(c) and 163-182.4(b)(3). Please confirm receipt of this timely written demand at your earliest convenience.

Sincerely,

Frank Sossamon

Sossamon expressed frustration when it came to finding out what his options were regarding a recount and said he felt voters weren’t adequately inform about redrawn district lines that removed a portion of Vance County from District 32.

Nobody said “Mr. Sossamon, you can call for a recount,” Sossamon said. “I had to find that out for myself – I find that quite alarming.”

Sossamon also said he was concerned to learn that voters in Vance County showed up to vote and noticed that the District 32 race wasn’t on their ballot.

“They were thinking they could vote for me, but I wasn’t on their ballot,” he said, adding that “people who are already skeptical of the voting system are getting even more skeptical.”

In a telephone interview Tuesday, Cohn said he was pleased with the overall process but acknowledged that the campaign was “long and expensive, and, at times, a rather dirty campaign. I don’t think anybody is happy about any of that.”

(This text and story developed more after the embedded audio below.)

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Salvation Army

TownTalk: Annual Salvation Army Red Kettle Season Kicks Off

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As if on cue, November 15 provided a crisp backdrop to the morning’s Red Kettle Season Kickoff, and dozens from the community showed up outside Belk to take the opportunity to drop in the first donations of the Christmas season.

The Vance County High School chorus provided several seasonal and inspirational selections for the Salvation Army kickoff event to add an air of excitement and joy to the chilly morning’s festivities.

Whether you’re someone who hauls out the holly and puts up the tree before Thanksgiving or you’re one of those die-hards who prefers to wait until December to think about Christmas plans, you’re likely to run across a few Red Kettles and bell ringers during the next 40 days.

Alongside the iconic Salvation Army symbol of giving, the bell ringers invite shoppers to donate during the holiday season to help provide food and gifts to seniors and children across Vance County and the surrounding counties it serves.

Kettle donations “help us provide clothing and toys for children at Christmas time,” said Maj. Beth Mallard. But more than 200 senior adults also have signed up to receive food baskets, Mallard said Friday, and the funds are used to feed more than 500 people each month, all year long.

“When you walk by, make sure you drop something in the bucket,” she said.

The kettles ignite a spirit of generosity in our community, said Margier White, chair of the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce board. “Each bell that rings this season (is) not just signalling a donation,” White said, “it’s a connection that we make with people who are in need.

Placing any donation – coins or bills – represents love, kindness and community support, she said.

The Salvation Army kettle is “more than just a container – it represents hope for families facing hardships.”

Call Mallard at 252.438.7107 if you’d like information about volunteering to be a bell ringer during the holiday season. You, your church or civic group can also sponsor a kettle, or participate in the Angel Tree project at https://www.tsamm.org/angeltree.

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