TownTalk: Vance Commissioners Meeting Includes Public Comment On Possible Data Center Moratorium

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The Vance County Board of Commissioners has scheduled a legislative hearing for Monday, Sept. 14 at 6 p.m. to receive public comments about two topics surrounding data centers – including the possible adoption of a 60-day moratorium and the proposed zoning ordinance amendment that deals with data center development.

The meeting will be held in the commissioners’ meeting room, located on the second floor of the county administrative office building, 122 Young St.

According to published legal ads notifying the public about the hearings, the moratorium ordinance being considered would address “the acceptance, processing, and approval of development applications for data centers submitted after the adoption of the moratorium within Vance County.

Questions can be directed to Vance County Planning Department at 252.738.2080. For more information, visit

https://www.vancecounty.org/departments/planning-and-development/planning-board

or

Public Records Request Repository

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TownTalk: Seeking Help Without Feeling Shame Is An Important Aspect Of Addiction Treatment, Recovery

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Asking for help comes easily for some and not so easily for others. When it comes to asking for help with mental health challenges or addiction issues, Katie Lee often sees reluctance wrapped in shame.

Lee, a registered nurse and program director at Vance Recovery, helps raise awareness about programs that are available in the community to encourage people to seek help and get on a path to recovery.

“I don’t think recovery should be shameful,” she said on Wednesday’s TownTalk.

Addiction and mental health struggles affect individuals differently, and treatment plans are not a one-size-fits-all, either.

MOUD – which stands for Medications for Opioid Use Disorder – is one course of treatment. In a nutshell, people addicted to opioids are given a substitute medication that reduces withdrawal symptoms and cravings.

Methadone is commonly used – Lee calls it “the gold standard” for that type of medication that controls cravings and withdrawal symptoms.

“The point is for it to stop withdrawals,” she said. Patients start slowly and gradually increase dosage amounts until they attain the desired results.

“It takes a lot of patience and a lot of time,” Lee said.

At Vance Recovery, a team of health professionals work to provide wraparound services for the clients they serve. From counseling services to education and awareness, Lee said it’s important to understand what clients need to be successful.

Sometimes, it’s simply a matter of sharing results of a positive drug screen to share exactly what kind of substance they used.

“They buy a bag of whatever it is they’re going to consume, thinking it’s fentanyl,” Lee explained, “and come to find out, it’s a mixture of a bunch of other things.

Xylazine  and medetomidine –  are two medications that are showing up in street drugs these days. They’re both veterinary medications, and they are being substituted for fentanyl. Lee said they can create deep wounds that are slow to heal. Those wounds lead to infection, which can lead to sepsis, which can lead to death.

One of the withdrawal symptoms of medetomidine is heart attack, “so we’re dealing with a really, really nasty beast,” she added.

These drugs aren’t just showing up in big cities or in other parts of the country – medetomidine  is in Henderson, too.

Lee said she’s had patients who have tested positive for the drug.

And while prevention takes up a big chunk of energy surrounding the drug use and abuse issue, Lee said her experience as a nurse leads her to focus on the “now,” the people struggling right now.

Unfortunately, the situation is becoming one of generational drug use. Parents use in front of their children, then the children use and the cycle continues.

“These kids are growing up around it,” Lee said.

“Our kids are getting off the bus not knowing if they’re going to have to Narcan their parents,” explained. “That is a real problem here, but people don’t talk about it…you would be surprised at how many children know how to use Narcan.”

And while Narcan is effective with fentanyl overdoses, these veterinary medications are proving trickier. Awareness and prevention through educating and informing young people is one approach, but removing the stigma around recovery and getting help for people caught up in the web of addiction must be another approach.

The numbers speak for themselves. Lee shared some data at a recent Chamber-sponsored Women in Business event that show treatment effectiveness over time.

Measuring the percent of local patients in the Vance Recovery program and the percent of negative fentanyl results (that is, no fentanyl in drug screenings) were promising:

People in treatment for less than 30 days: 47 percent negative

31-90 days – 36 percent negative

91-180 days – 41 percent negative

181-270 days – 49 percent negative

271 days -1 year – 56 percent negative

1-2 yrs – 55 percent negative

2-5 yrs -64 percent negative

5+ yrs – 72 percent negative

September is National Recovery Month and Vance Recovery is partnering with the City of Henderson and Freedom Bridge to host an event on Breckenridge Street to celebrate those in recovery and to share educational resources and more for the community.

It takes place Saturday, Sept. 26 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and features activities for the kids, guest speakers, food trucks, vendors and more.

Vance Recovery is located at 932 W Andrews Ave. Visit https://www.morseclinics.com/our-locations/vance-recovery or contact Katie Lee at

klee@morrisclinics.com

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(Vance Recovery is an advertising client of WIZS. The text and audio above are not a paid ad.)

TownTalk: Faith In Mental Health Program Coming Sept. 21

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The Faith in Mental Health initiative is taking its project to the next level when it kicks off a free year-long program on Monday, Sept. 21 that is open to churches in Vance and Granville counties.

Karl Johnson, program coordinator with Granville Vance Public Health, said there’s still time to register to participate. The meeting will take place at the Salvation Army, 2292 Ross Mill Rd. in Henderson.

Find a registration link at www.gvph.org.

In the couple of years since its inception, the Faith in Mental Health program has held community forums, formed an advisory board and has provided trainings for more than 100 people.

The Sept. 21 event puts in motion another layer of the initiative designed for churches and the role they play in the community.

The term “cohort” may sound a bit formal and structured, but Johnson said there will be plenty of room for flexibility as the program moves forward.

Having conversations about substance abuse disorders and other mental health issues isn’t always easy, Johnson said on Tuesday’s TownTalk.

Being part of the Faith in Mental Health cohort provides a nice mix of structure with open-ended flexibility depending on a particular church’s wants and needs – a way to have conversations in the context of a faith community.

The hope is that churches will pursue different activities, whether it’s forming a support group at church, creating a mental health library or having a special bible study on relevant topics.

The project aims to lessen the stigma that surrounds mental health, substance abuse and addiction.

“Stigma is a huge barrier that’s come up again and again in the different community health assessments that we’ve conducted at the health department,” Johnson said. The Faith in Mental Health initiative seeks to view an individual’s struggles through the lens of faith, whether it’s through particular spiritual practices, spiritual passages of scripture or theological voices to better understand how to care for someone caught in the web of mental health or addiction challenges.

“For all the topics that we’ll address in the next year,” Johnson said, “we’re trying to center them with people’s concrete lived experiences.”

Hearing from people who speak openly about their struggles with mental health and addiction is a helpful way to learn how they sought and received the care they needed.

“Hopefully it humanizes this topic can be so hard,” Johnson said. It also demonstrates to those who are currently struggling that there are people in our own communities who have faced the same challenges and have overcome them.

“That’s life,” Johnson said. “And we are called to come around people who are struggling to support them where they’re at.”

Visit https://gvph.org/ to learn more, email Karl Johnson at kjohnson@gvph.org or call him at 616-298-5626.

Learn more about the program at https://gvph.org/faith-in-mental-health

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18 Graduate From Leadership Vance 2026

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Leadership Vance just graduated its 35th class, and participants and organizers reflected recently on the impact the program has for people who live or work in Vance County.

Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce President Sandra Wilkerson said the 18 participants formed a bond that will transfer into their work and daily lives.

Wilkerson told WIZS that she enjoyed seeing how the class meshed and worked together.

“If you can take 18 people from different jobs, different backgrounds, and bring them together for a certain period of time to get them to work as a complete group, I feel like that’s what the accomplishment was all about it,” she said.

Granville-Vance Public Health’s Robert Bowen, one of the newest graduates, said one of his key takeaways from participating in Leadership Vance was understanding connections in the community.

The program helped him have a deeper understanding how his workplace fits into the community, “realizing how health care impacts education, and education impacts the work force,” he said.

Whitney Davis is technical coordinator for Vance County Schools. As a native of Vance County, Davis said Leadership Vance gave her the opportunity to see her community from a completely different perspective.

Davis said she learned about local businesses, organizations and the people “working every day to make Vance County better.”

This year’s class project involved collecting donations and preparing “care bags” that were distributed to area agencies, including Maria Parham Health, Vance Recovery and S.A.M. Child Advocacy Center.

Davis said participating in the class reminded her of the importance of being involved, “to give back and be a part of the growth happening right here at home.”

Larry West, II was another class participant and said Leadership Vance helped him grow personally and professionally. West is Vance County’s resource conservation manager, and he said he highly recommends Leadership Vance to anyone who wants to learn, grow and make a positive difference in Vance County.

Leadership Vance is a program for people who may not consider themselves leaders in their workplace or community. The program structure creates ways for people to connect with others and with their community.

“You’re definitely going to make connections,” Bowen said.

Wilkerson said the leadership program is all about building and growing leaders, and it’s also about strengthening connections across the community.

This is the eighth group that she’s been a part of, and she said the process can be challenging at times, but so very rewarding.

“It’s about moving forward and continuing to do the work in the community,” she said. “It’s fun to watch and see how participants continue to grow.”

Several 2026 Leadership Vance graduates have already asked to become Chamber ambassadors, which Wilkerson said has been a nice bonus.

Look for applications for the 2027 Leadership Vance class in early 2027.

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TownTalk: Business Spotlight – Deal By Me Podcast

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Dr. James W. Smith retired from his 32-year role as a pastor a few years ago, but what he decided to do in his post-retirement “next chapter” was formed by a desire to help others the way others had helped him so many years ago – before he was even a pastor.

These days, the former pastor of Mt. Calvary Missionary Baptist Church in Bahama is busy with a different type of ministry – one that involves being a church consultant, author and podcaster.

It was more than just finding something to do with his free time – he wanted to be encouraging, inspiring and transforming, he said during Wednesday’s Business Spotlight on WIZS.

He investigated the world of podcasting and has interviewed people from all over the world to share their stories that, you guessed it, encourage, inspire and transform.

With more than 330 Deal By Me podcasts under his belt now, he’s pivoted to shine a light on individuals in local communities who provide encouragement and inspiration in a transformational way.

The first local recognition took place in Franklin County, where he was born and raised. Five honorees were recognized at that event.

The second one takes place on Oct. 3, right here in Henderson, where Smith practiced law in the office with now-Judge Henry Banks.

The following individuals were nominated and then selected to be recognized at the event, which will be held at Crossroads Event Center:

  • Dorothy ‘Joy’ Bowser
  • Jessica Rice Hawkins
  • Karen Rice Christmas
  • Fran Cawthorne
  • Shelton Anderson
  • Dr. Thelma McClean
  • June Lewis
  • Annette Myers

 

Smith said he makes the selections from among the nominations he receives, and he simply wants to show appreciation to this “very deserving” group of people, who were nominated by others in the community because of the way they show encouragement to others.

Tickets are $40 each and can be purchased at https://www.dealbymepodcast.com/event-list.

There was a time in Smith’s life when he needed encouragement, he said.

“I remember what people did for me,” Smith said, recalling the kindnesses he received.

“You don’t know what your encouragement can do for somebody,” he said. “That’s what happened to me.”

Visit https://www.dealbymepodcast.com/ to learn more.

 

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TownTalk: VGCC Trustees To Consider The Possibility Of Hosting An Educational Forum About Data Centers

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The Vance-Granville Community College Board of Trustees will convene Thursday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. at a special called meeting to consider the possibility of hosting an educational forum about data centers.

With lots of uncertainty across the community surrounding this polarizing issue, VGCC leaders have been approached about having an information session that could present relevant information in an objective format.

With uncertainty comes speculation, and although the county has not gotten any applications for any data center project, there is plenty of speculation floating around about a particular tract of properties along U.S. Hwy. 158 Business that recently was rezoned to Light Industrial.

County commissioners approved the rezoning in April, which made a final tract and the roughly 500 or so adjoining acres, and tracts, to conform with one another.

Names on the rezoning request included Natelli Investments, a Maryland-based developer associated with data centers.

In early July, Thomas Natelli responded to an email from a Vance County resident regarding the rezoning approval.

In the email, Natelli included an update on the project.

“Since the rezoning was completed in April, we have been conducting extensive due diligence on a range of matters and developing a program for a data center campus on the site. We expect to begin community engagement later this summer in conjunction with the site plan process. That will include community meetings where we will share project information, answer questions, and listen to community feedback,” the email stated.

He referred to pending legislation in the General Assembly that could have implications for the project. Senate Bill 730 is one of the pieces of legislation that focuses on water and electricity use that data centers require, among other issues.

“We recognize that the limited information available during the rezoning process has created the perception of a lack of transparency. I want to assure you and the community that we are committed to engaging openly with the community as our program for the site comes together. In the meantime, we are happy to continue the dialogue,” the email continued.

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TownTalk: Rebuilding Hope Celebrates 20 Years

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In the Bible, Jacob labored for 20 years for Laban. And that’s how long the Israelites were oppressed before Samson came on the scene to be their deliverer. And it’s how long it took Solomon to build his temple.

Tom Wille, co-director of Rebuilding Hope, shared those biblical references with those gathered Thursday to celebrate 20 years of the local non-profit.

“Twenty years is a significant number in scripture in terms of what God wrote down for us in his book,” Wille said.

And so the question is, he said, What now?

“What’s the continued call of this ministry? We’re going to keep on…is there more there? I don’t know,” he continued.

The first 20 years of the ministry began in a little office in Warrenton, where Randolph and Gail Wilson and a few other volunteers started out.

They worked the first 10 years operating out of donated space in Henderson before purchasing their current home – the former Coca-Cola Bottling Co.

And now, looking back at the first 20 years, Wille looks ahead to the future, and said the volunteers – brothers and sisters in Christ – will continue the mission of faith through acts.T

“Twenty years have flown by in the Rebuilding Hope land,” Wille said. In the 13 or so years he’s been involved, the building has changed and the circumstances have changed and the equipment has changed, he said. People have come and gone, but the mission has remained the same and the organization’s name says it all: Rebuilding Hope.

The audience gave a round of applause when Wille thanked the Wilsons for the work they’ve done and continue to do. “They took a huge leap (of faith) when they were called to do so,” he said.

Before the ribbon-cutting ceremony began, Wilson told WIZS that he is thankful for everyone who has been a part of this ministry. Starting Rebuilding Hope was simply something “I couldn’t not do,” he said. “I had to.”

Henderson-Vance Chamber President Sandra Wilkerson said Rebuilding Hope defines perfectly the term non-profit.

“We are so grateful to help you celebrate 20 years,” Wilkerson said in remarks before the ribbon-cutting – you really show what a non-profit is all about and we thank you. Rebuilding Hope does exactly what its name says, said Chamber Board member Kevin Wade. “You give encouragement to people, you give love – that’s what we need more of today.”

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TownTalk: Around Old Granville – Major Events Since 1960 Part 1

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Local historians Mark Pace and WIZS’s Bill Harris are “of an age” now that things they remember when they were youngsters are now being considered as parts of local history that, with the benefit of hindsight, are proving to be noteworthy and important to the area.

The two history buffs usually discuss people, places and events from the very beginnings of the formation of what they refer to as Old Granville County, but this week they talked about several events that have found their way into the headlines since 1960.

Depending on your perspective, some of these events functioned much like the proverbial double-edged sword.

Henderson was where Paul H. Rose founded Rose’s, which at its peak, had something like 175 stores across the region. But Henderson had the first one, and it was located on Garnett Street, right in the heart of downtown.

That was back in 1915, when downtowns were where shopping happened. Needed shoes? Downtown. Wanted a piece of jewelry for a special gift? Downtown. Groceries? A&P on one end of Garnett, Colonial on the other. Clothing, sporting goods and more all were found downtown.

Rose’s stood its ground when Kmart and Mammoth Mart came to town, Pace said. But it had difficulty competing with Walmart, and Rose’s emerged from two years of bankruptcy in 1995 and then sold to Variety Wholesalers in 1997.

But Rose’s took a chance back in the late 1960’s when developers constructed the Henderson Mall.

The mall, all 185,000 square feet of it, opened in July 1969. Pace remembers that he and his brother pestered their mother until she took them there for the first time.

Harris said the mall drew patrons from nearby counties, too. People could park their cars, go inside the mall and get all their shopping done.

“It was a big deal,” Harris said, adding that the mall had “a huge impact on the entire region.”

With those benefits, however, came consequences – especially for the downtown area. The mall “changed the focus of the entire community,” Pace said.

Of course, what happened in Henderson was happening all over the place with malls and suburban retail spaces luring business away from downtowns

People still went downtown for staples like the post office, the library and the courthouse, but the mall was where folks went to shop, eat and where young people could hang out with friends.

Just as malls shaped people’s shopping habits, so did the nation’s growing interstate system shape how people got from one place to another way back in the 20th century.

It was in 1960 that the first stretch of I-85 in the area was completed – 18 miles from Henderson to about Wise in Warren County.

And finally, in 1972, the final bit – dubbed “the Missing Link” connected Oxford and Butner. Pace said John K. Nelms was instrumental in completion of the Granville County section.

The original plans had the interstate going around Henderson to the east, hitting Gillburg and Kittrell before heading to Wilson and ultimately linking with Durham.

“The powers that be lobbied long and hard (and it was) with quite a great deal of effort that Oxford got included in the 85 path,” Pace said.

In close proximity to I-85 in Warren County was where Floyd McKissick planted the seed for Soul City, a planned city that, had it taken hold, was supposed to have 55,000 inhabitants by the year 2000.

The idea never really took off, but McKissick is someone locals point to as the person who helped bring a regional water system to the area.

McKissick, a Republican, was very influential in the political arena and he knew Richard Nixon.

After Nixon was elected president, Pace said McKissick “called in a marker” with his pal and said he wanted a regional water system.

Those efforts resulted in the creation of the Kerr Lake Regional Water System in 1976.

Listen back to the complete story at wizs.com to learn about other events that helped shape local history around Old Granville.

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TownTalk: JCPC Hosts Sept. 25 Symposium On Ways To Promote Youth Safety

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The Vance County Juvenile Crime Prevention Council is hosting a one-day community driven symposium on Friday, Sept. 25 to talk about the safety of youth and to create a community action plan to support efforts to curb gun violence.

The Youth Violence & Emerging Gangs Symposium will be held in the fellowship hall of the First United Methodist Church, 114 Church St. in downtown Henderson.

Debbie Scott with the Vance County Sheriff’s Office said more than a half dozen youth-oriented organizations and agencies are partnering to put on the event in light of a shooting incident in June that took the life of a local 15-year-old and injured a second young child.

“It was a call to action…because we care,” Scott said of the tragic loss of the teenager’s life. “We needed to come together as a united front…to focus on a summit that will engage us in looking at real challenges impacting our young people in Vance County and surrounding counties,” she said.

The symposium is free to attend, but registration is required. Scott said she and the other partners invite members from all parts of the community to attend the symposium and brainstorm strategies to put into action.

“We agreed that youth safety is a community-wide responsibility. Real solutions require all of us working together,” she said. Parents, educators and law enforcement representatives are encouraged to take part in the symposium, as well as faith leaders and members of youth-related agencies.

Whether you work directly with youth or just care about the safety of your own neighborhood, it’s important to share your observations and perspectives about youth violence and crime, she said.

Planning for the event continues, but Scott said the afternoon session will center around gun violence, developing goals and solutions that will feed into creation of a community action plan.

“The key is partnership, the key is collaboration,” said Scott, who works with juvenile outreach for the sheriff’s office. She said she spends a lot of time talking with young people about healthy ways to stay away from guns, violence and crime.

Scott’s job includes outreach to schools to talk with students about the dangers of guns and gangs, but she also spends time fielding calls from family members who say they’re worried about children and grandchildren headed down the wrong path and getting involved with the wrong people.

She spends time sharing resources that are available in the area, from youth-centered programs to family counseling.

“We have so many smart, brilliant children in Vance County,” Scott said. “They have a bright future, and they deserve the best we can give them.”

Register by emailing Scott at Dscott@vancecounty.org or phone 252.738.2235.

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TownTalk: The Manhattans Taking the Stage at McGregor Hall Sept. 13th

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The Manhattans are coming to McGregor Hall on Sept. 13, and it’ll be another homecoming for Henderson’s Gerald Alston. It’s not the first time he’s performed in Henderson – not even the first time he’s performed at McGregor Hall.

This concert, however, is coming at the end of a Henderson Institute reunion weekend.

And Henderson Institute is where Alston got his start, after all, at a talent show when he was a teenager.

Alston reminisced with WIZS’s Steve Lewis on Tuesday’s TownTalk, and he said he remembers vividly that day when he was called to the principal’s office.

“Mr. Sanford Williams was the principal,” Alston said. “He was no-nonsense.”

But that trip to the office wasn’t for anything bad. In fact, it turned out to be something good. Very good.

He got permission to leave school an hour early to he could practice for the upcoming talent show that was going to be held at Henderson Institute.

Alston said he sang Sam Cooke’s “Tennessee Waltz” in that talent show, which got him a standing ovation and the audience calling out, “We want more!”

And that’s just what Alston’s been doing with the Manhattans since 1970 – giving audiences more.

“My career started right there in Henderson,” Alston said, referring to that talent show, which led to the formation of Gerald Alston and the New Imperials. The band toured across the Carolinas while Alston was still in high school.

When he was a student at Kittrell College, the Manhattans came to play and Alston agreed to let the group use some of his band’s equipment.

Long story short, Alston said they asked him to open the show for them. The Manhattans liked what they heard and after the show, they took Alston’s name and address and said they’d be in touch.

“That was a Thursday, and Monday I was flying to Dallas, Texas.”

He joined the group in 1970 and since then, there have been hit songs and albums, Grammys and fame. Well-loved songs like “Shining Star” and “Kiss and Say Goodbye,” just to name a couple.

Alston and the Manhattans first came to Henderson’s McGregor Hall shortly after his 2015 induction into the N.C. Music Hall of Fame. Then-Mayor Eddie Ellington proclaimed “Gerald Alston Day” and presented Alston with a key to the city on stage in June 2016.

With roughly six decades in the music business, Alston said one of the most noticeable changes he’s observed is the use of live musicians in album production.

“Nobody is recording much with live musicians,” he said, adding that records are being produced with the use of auto tunes, and now, AI.

“Some of the songs I’ve heard on AI are great songs, they sound nice,” he said. “But they’re not real ‘cause you don’t hear the feeling. They can mimic your voice … but the feeling is missing,” Alston said.

It’s the same with instruments. Sure, a keyboard can produce the sound of drums, bass guitars and rhythm sections, but it’s the individual musician who provides the feeling to the music.

The Manhattans featuring Gerald Alston are bringing their signature sound – including live musicians and a trio of talented vocalists – to McGregor Hall. Alston is hoping for a sold-out show.

Get tickets for the 3 p.m. show at https://www.mcgregorhall.org/ and learn more about the legendary musical group at

https://letsjustkissandsaygoodbye.com/

Listen to the whole interview at www.wizs.com.

 

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(This post and the audio are not a paid ad. However, McGregor Hall is an advertising partner of WIZS and presently there is a paid ad airing on WIZS about purchasing tickets to this same event.)