Kerr Tar Workforce and NCWorks

TownTalk: CyberHIRE 2023 Makes It Easy To Find A New Job

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Job seekers and employers will get a unique opportunity to “meet” later this week during a Cyber Hire event sponsored by the Kerr-Tar COG.

Employers from across the five-county region – Vance, Granville, Warren, Franklin and Person – will make presentations that will be livestreamed to a site in each of the counties, where prospective employees will be gathered, explained Desiree Brooks, business services manager of KTCOG’s workforce development board.

This hybrid hiring event is just another way that KTCOG connects employers who are looking for workers and individuals who are looking for employment, Brooks told John C. Rose on Tuesday’s TownTalk.

She and co-worker Adam Perkins said the CyberHire 2023 event creates a convenient way for employers to participate without having to leave their offices. Participants will be checked in and all settled in their spots beginning at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 24. The presentations will begin promptly at 10 a.m. and will conclude about 12 noon.

Each county has its own site where the CyberHire 2023 can be viewed:

  • Vance County – NC Works Career Center, 826 S. Garnett St., Henderson
  • Granville County – VGCC South Campus in Creedmoor
  • Warren County – Warren Memorial Library
  • Franklin County – VGCC Franklin Campus, Louisburg on Hwy. 56
  • Person County – Business Development Entrepreneurship Center, 105 N. Main St., uptown Roxboro

Brooks said they wanted to bring back the in-person events after things got shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic. The KTCOG has held outdoor events in the area, and she said the hybrid event will be convenient for everyone involved and has been strategically planned for effectiveness.

“They all need employees,” she said of the companies and manufacturers that will be represented Friday. “This is an opportunity for these employers to be in the comfort of their offices” while making a pitch to prospective workers.

The presentations will be viewed live, but in “listen-only” mode. Brooks said she expects follow-up interviews to be scheduled quickly so hires can be made.

Among the employers taking part in Friday’s session are: Versatrim, Maria Parham Health, International Paper, CertainTeed, Altec and Warren Correctional Institute. The positions range from machine operators and manufacturers to administrative positions, Perkins said.

“We have an array of employers from all of our counties,” he added.

Brooks agreed, adding that “every single employer will be promoting positions that pay a minimum of $16 an hour. They’re going to be learning about some great opportunities,” she said.

To learn more about this and other KTCOG programs, call 252.598.5200 or visit

www.kerrtarworks.com

 

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TownTalk: American Legion Post 60 Celebrates 100 Years

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Henderson’s American Legion Post 60 is celebrating 100 years of service to the area with a special program Saturday evening to mark the occasion.

Post 60 Commander Ted Grissom reminds members of the program that is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 25, beginning at 6 p.m.

Post 60 Vice-Commander Hartwell Wright spoke with John C. Rose on Tuesday’s TownTalk and he said the local post provides support to military veterans in the area.

One goal on the horizon for Post 60 is establishing a veterans memorial in downtown Henderson. Although the idea is in the early stages, Wright said he hopes to have details soon about a tangible way to honor the military veterans of Vance County.

Wright recalled the early days of the American Legion in the U.S., when Congress decided that the newly established group would be the voice for veterans. The American Legion was instrumental in the formation of the Veterans Administration, he noted.

One of the group’s goals, Wright said, is “to keep the membership strong so we can be relevant in the future.” One way the local post supports veterans is with financial help. “When there is a significant need brought to our attention, we do our best to help that veteran,” Wright explained.

Membership is strong at this time, he said, adding that more veterans from the Vietnam and Iraq conflicts are choosing to participate in legion activities.

“It’s imperative on us to continue to recruit…so the future will be bright for the American Legion and the veterans we serve,” Wright said.

Among the activities planned for the program Saturday is a presentation of the post’s history by Ret. Col. Ed Blue.

“It will be the highlight of the event,” Wright said.

The event will be held at the Post 60 building, located at the corner of Garnett and Spring streets and will include a covered dish supper.

In addition to local post leaders, American Legion division commanders, vice-commanders and other district, state and local dignitaries are expected to be present. And although this particular event is by invitation only, American Legion leaders want to make sure that all local veterans know about ongoing activities that Post 60 participates and to raise awareness about services and membership in the organization.

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Lillian Brooks, Oxford Prep Senior, Chosen For UNC-CH Morehead-Cain Scholarship

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Lillian Brooks, a senior at Oxford Preparatory School, has been selected for the Morehead-Cain Scholarship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is the daughter of Angela and Chris Brooks of Oxford.

Brooks, set to graduate summa cum laude, also serves as senior class president and participates in numerous groups at Oxford Prep, including the school’s chapter of the Student Government Association, which she helped establish, according to information from OPS Executive Director Andrew Swanner.

She is a student board member of the school’s board of directors, and a member of the Beta Club and the Tri-M honor society.

Brooks has played soccer and volleyball, and she enjoys her involvement in various musical groups, including the school’s concert choir, jazz band and concert band.

She plays piano and enjoys singing in the Oxford Baptist Church’s youth choir.

And if all that is not enough, she works as a lifeguard at Forest Hills Pool in Oxford, as well as in the Oxford Prep Griffins Nest after-school program.

The Morehead-Cain scholarship provides a four-year, fully funded educational experience for incoming students at UNC-CH, selecting recipients on qualities including leadership, character, scholarship and physical vigor.

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Henderson Man Jailed On Drug, Federal Detention Order

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A Henderson man is in jail on a couple of charges, one of which is possession of cocaine, according to Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame.

Members of the sheriff’s office narcotics unit assisted U.S. marshals locate Terrance Hargrove on Friday, Feb. 17, Brame stated in a press release Monday.

Hargrove, 45, was found in the area of North Henderson and placed into custody on a federal detention order.

He also was charged with possession of 8.6 grams of cocaine, for which he received a $60,000 secure bond.

Hargrove is being held without privilege of bond on the federal detention, awaiting a court date of Mar. 17, 2023.

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TownTalk: Katie Haynes: 2022 Miss U.S. Agriculture People’s Choice

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Growing up in 4-H, Katie Haynes said, she got interested in showing rabbits, something she’s been doing now for 11 years now and still enjoys it.

“4-H really helped boost my public speaking skills and confidence levels,” Haynes said.  She’s likely going to continue using those skills and more as she travels to Alabama this summer for a pageant competition.

But this isn’t just any pageant – Haynes is the 2022 Miss U.S. Agriculture People’s Choice winner. And she’s not done yet. She and others will be vying for division titles and ambassadorships for the agriculture group, which means making appearances near and far to be speak up for agriculture.

In fact, Haynes is in California this week for the World Ag Expo. She was on her way to an orange farm when John C. Rose caught up with her by phone to talk about the road to Enterprise, AL and a pageant that she and other young women will be competing in this summer.

The contestants achieve different levels through attendance at events and through raising money. Haynes represented Granville County in the 2021 Miss U.S. Agriculture pageant and took home the people’s choice award in 2022.

And although she lives in southern Granville County, she seems to do a fair amount of traveling within the state and outside the state to lend support to causes like AgrAbility, a federal program that operates through N.C. Cooperative Extension.

AgrAbility helps provide support to veterans, the elderly and disabled persons that allow them to get back into agriculture, despite physical challenges or limitation – “get people back to what they love.”

Haynes herself uses a wheelchair, having been diagnosed with chronic illness when she was a teenager. She’s glad to be a role model for others, she said, offering them a true picture of inclusion.

“My platform is to educate people to make sure everybody has a place in agriculture,” Haynes explained.

Whether she’s exploring orange farms in California or photographing livestock (another favorite pastime), Haynes said it’s been wonderful to meet such a diverse group of people who share a love of agriculture.

“I’ve been able to connect with a lot of different types of people in agriculture,” she said. “And it feels like one big family.”

What else is in store for this dynamic young lady?

She said she’d love to become a motivational speaker.

Watch out, world. Here comes Katie Haynes.

Find Haynes’s nonprofit organization, “Smiling While Sending Hope” on Facebook and Instagram.

Sponsorships for Katie’s upcoming competition help defray costs for hotels, gas and for the dresses that are being created for the pageant.

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TownTalk: Corbitt Preservation Reissues Book In Digital Form

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By all accounts, Richard Johnson Corbitt was an excellent businessman and a person of high character, but he probably wouldn’t have believed that anyone who said that someone in the future would be able to put an entire book inside a piece of plastic smaller than a pack of chewing gum.

Corbitt’s company operated right here in Henderson between 1899 and 1954, manufacturing countless buggies before retooling to make the iconic Army truck that would become the workhorse of World War II.

Dick Callaway and two others wrote “Star of the South,” a book about the Corbitt Truck Company published more than a decade ago.

Ken Stegall and others who work with the Corbitt Preservation Association are making the book available again.

Stegall spoke with John C. Rose on Wednesday’s TownTalk about the project. He said the book sold out relatively quickly – “quicker than we thought” and for the last couple of years, members of the association’s board have been investigating the possibility of reprinting the book.

That proved to be quite costly, so they decided to take a page from old Mr. Corbitt himself and come up with a Plan B: Just like Corbitt pivoted from horseless buggies to go into full-time truck production, Stegall said the board decided to digitize the book and put it on a thumb drive.

“It’s the easiest way to get the story out there again,” he said, adding that the association has a high-definition scanner that was used to recreate the 122-page book in a digital format.

The first three copies were mailed out today, he said.

The cost is $20, which includes shipping. Want to place an order? Contact Stegall at 252.432.6476 or via email at gjammer35@aol.com, or visit www.corbitttrucks.com and find the information on the bulletin page.

The interest in Corbitt trucks and other vehicles that were manufactured here is high, Stegall said, and he said it is surprising to find specimens of the trucks in France, tractors in Brazil and even a car right up the road in Greensboro.

A woman called to say she had a Corbitt automobile in her garage, which Stegall said he found almost unbelievable. He said he remembered thinking, “Surely, you don’t…it’s not possible.” But she sent a photo and, “sure enough, there’s a wooden touring car setting on a set of sawhorses, with Corbitt right there on the dash,” Stegall recalled.

Visitors are welcome to the annual “Spring Fling” at the museum, an all-day event planned for Saturday, Apr. 22, Stegall said. There will be plenty of vehicles and other memorabilia on display then, as well as for the truck show and reunion, which will take place during Henderson’s signature weekend festival “Show, Shine, Shag and Dine” on Oct. 21.

 

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TownTalk: Vance County Receives Positive Audit Of Finances

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Vance County Manager Jordan McMillen said the county’s audit for FY 21-22 was a good one, overall.

And while the results of the audit may not have been a surprise, it’s always a relief to get the official word from those outside auditors that things are going along smoothly.

“In terms of financials, we had a year where operating revenues exceeded expenditures and we were able to maintain our fund balance with transferring out $4.5 million from the general fund to the capital fund in the spring of 2022,” McMillen explained in a written statement to WIZS News, as a follow-up to the February commissioners’ meeting.

That $4.5 million transfer was made to help with future capital needs such as physical improvements to the jail and a potential EMS station, he said.

But county leaders can’t spend what they don’t have.

“On the revenue side, we saw a second year in a row of sales tax and property taxes coming in more than budgeted,” McMillen said. Those higher-than-budgeted figures, along with continued efforts to keep other expenditures below budget teamed up to make for a positive financial report.

He added that although the previous tax collection rate was quite high at 97.6 percent, it ticked up to its highest level last year at 97.73 percent.

One bright spot comes with the increased revenues from the water system. “We are continuing to see improvement,” McMillen said, adding that the county “brought in $43,399 more in revenue than expenditures even though there was a net loss of $155,136.” That net loss is figured in when accounting for depreciation for system components which are approaching 10 years of use.

There were no transfers from the general fund to the water fund in the 21-22 budget, which shows that it continues to be “self-sufficient” in terms of generating enough cash to support itself.

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TownTalk: Foundation Continues The Work Of Mary Emma Evans

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If her mother were still alive, Phyllis Evans said she would not be giving high marks to the city – or to its residents – for its level of cleanliness.

But a foundation named for the late Mary Emma Evans is trying to do its part to make things better and cleaner in Henderson, one litter sweep at the time.

Mary Emma Evans served the South Henderson area as a Ward 1 representative on the Henderson City Council. She died in 2011, and the same year family members formed a foundation to keep her memory alive.

Daughter Phyllis and granddaughter Phylicia spoke with John C. Rose on Monday’s TownTalk to provide an update on what the foundation has been doing and continues to do in her name.

“I know Mama is shaking her head,” Phyllis said, on the condition of many city roadsides that she sees strewn with litter.

Although she and a cousin routinely venture out along roadsides in South Henderson to clean up, the foundation sponsored a cleanup day in late January to come out in force to make a difference. Couldn’t make it to the January cleanup date? Not to worry – they plan quarterly cleanups along the portion of Dabney Road by Aldi’s, extending toward Hicksboro Road near St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church. That is the stretch of road that will be designated by NC DOT for the Mary Emma Evans Foundation’s Adopt-A-Highway sign.

Evans’s mother championed, among other things, the efforts of the Clean Up Henderson Committee, during her time on the City Council. “I know my mom would be happy to see our city clean,” Phyllis said.

But the foundation also extends its work to caring for the people that live in the community, too, and it has partnered with other community agencies on various outreach projects over the years.

Now, however, they’ve got their own community basketball team that practices a couple of times a week.

Phylicia said there are probably 50 or more youth that live in the South Henderson area who can walk to the outdoor courts at the former Salvation Army facility.

“They walk to the courts, Phyllis said, “or they’ll meet us at the foundation site on Alexander Avenue and we’ll transport them.” They practice on Wednesdays now at the Henderson Family Y and on Sundays at Aycock Recreation Center.

There may be a dozen or more who show up for practice, but Phyllis said even if there were more, the foundation would find a way to transport them all.

Partnerships strengthen a community, and Phyllis said her mother would be proud of what is being done in her name.

“We’re coming together with love,” she said, adding that Henderson is a beautiful place to live.

She just wants to keep it beautiful – to honor her mother’s memory and for others to have a sense of pride about where they live, work and play.

“We know that’s what mom would want us to do,” she said.

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TownTalk: The Reconstruction Era In Vance, Granville And Warren Counties

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Driving past historical markers that dot the roadsides in the area give motorists a brief glimpse into some of the well-known people that have lived, worked and died nearby.

But anyone who wants to take a deeper dive into those people memorialized on the historical markers need only ask Mark Pace, North Carolina Room specialist at Thornton Library in Oxford.

Pace joined WIZS’s Bill Harris Thursday for the tri-weekly history program on TownTalk and they discussed some prominent African Americans who influenced the political scene after the end of the Civil War.

Henry Plummer Cheatham, for example, has a historical marker along NC 96 in Oxford, which reads: “Born into slavery. U.S. Congressman 1889-1893. Superintendent of Colored Orphanage of N.C. 1907-1935. Grave 8/10 mi. N.E.”

But a marker cannot include all the accomplishments of someone like Cheatham, and of others who played a role in the politics of North Carolina during Reconstruction, which Pace said was basically between 1865 and 1900.

Vance County was formed during this period – 1881 – and until 1900 “every single representative in the state legislature from Vance County was African American,” Pace said.

This area had the highest number of free blacks in North Carolina at one point, somewhat of an anomaly that wasn’t seen in other parts of the state or in Southside Virginia.

Pace posited that this could be due to the fact that a Virginia law requiring anyone who bought their freedom had to leave the state within 90 days.

This core of free Blacks in the area opened up opportunities – educational opportunities, economic opportunities and political opportunities.

Cheatham, for example, was born in 1857 on the Cheatham plantation located off Highway 158 west of Henderson, went to Shaw University and by the age of 29, was elected to Congress. His sister-in-law was married to George White, another influential politician of the day.

White defeated Cheatham and went on to serve the “Black Second” district in the U.S. House from 1897 to 1901. He was the last black Southerner in Congress for 72 years.

That is what White’s historical marker says. It was erected in New Bern in 1976.

 

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TownTalk: Tax Revaluation Currently Underway

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Vance County is in the middle of a tax revaluation process – something that state law requires happen at least once every eight years.

Vincent Valuations is the company contracted to complete the work of assessing the 26,000 parcels of property and the buildings that are on them.

According to County Manager Jordan McMillen, about 20,000 parcels have been completed, leaving about 6,000 to go. The company is finishing up their work in the city limits now, and then will come the task of estimating the values of the parcels.

Tax values went down after the last revaluation in 2016, but McMillen said he anticipates values will increase in the current revaluation, based on an improved economy.

The bottom line is this: will the tax bill you get in the summer of 2024 be more than you currently pay?

Just because values of parcels go up, it doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll pay more in taxes, especially if the tax rate goes down. The idea is to evenly distribute the tax burden across all property owners.

About a year from now, those tax bills will be generated and property owners will have the chance to appeal the valuation next April or May.

County leaders are already working on the 2023-24 budget, and the revaluation plays a role in creating that budget.

To make a long story short, the impact to your wallet is about 15 months away.

 

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