TownTalk 1-19-21: MLK Virtual Celebration VGCC Jan 26
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.)
TownTalk 1-18-21: MLK Day of Service, Marcia Allen and Vance Dem Party
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
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.
TownTalk 1-13-21 “Which Set of Fools”
Which set of fools do you believe in?
Politics. Social Media. Censorship. Division. Unity.
Click Play Below…
Hungry Heroes is at it Again
Amanda Riggan is at it again – the founder of Hungry Heroes BBQ returns to Henderson Thursday, this time to stock refrigerators at the sheriff’s office, fire department and EMS agencies.
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Riggan has had to make some adjustments in the way she shows her appreciation for law enforcement personnel. Since 2018, she has been firing up her Traeger grill and cooking up meals for law enforcement officers and firefighters.
One new program is called “Stock the Fridge,” and that’s what she’ll be doing in Henderson later this week.
Armed with everything from bottled water, Gatorade, chips and other snack items, Riggan will visit the Vance County agencies. “I always buy what I like…I think I like the good stuff,” she remarked during Tuesday’s Town Talk with John C. Rose. “They never complain,” she said, of those whose fridges get stocked.
(To Listen to Riggan and Owen on TownTalk, Click Play…)
“I wish we could actually serve and shake hands and give hugs, but we can still bless people,” she said. Her Hungry Heroes program came to Henderson in September 2020, partnering with local restaurant Skipper Forsyth’s Bar-B-Q to provide meals to the Henderson Police Department and the Henderson Fire Department. This time, she said, she will deliver the snack items as a way to show her appreciation for the tireless service they provide in their community.
Randy Owen, a friend of Riggan’s and fire technology coordinator at Vance-Granville Community College, agreed. Owen also appeared on Town Talk Tuesday and said when the two were discussing a return visit, they agreed that serving a meal may not work as well this time, given the spike in COVID-19 cases being experienced in Vance County and statewide. “Maybe this will put a smile on their faces,” he said, referring to the delivery of the beverages and snacks.
Although she misses the face-to-face meetings that Hungry Heroes created before the pandemic, Riggan said she hopes the Stock the Fridge project will serve the purpose until she can get back to doing what she loves – interacting with all those who serve their communities on the front lines, whether in a police uniform or firefighter gear. “I’ll be back as soon as this COVID is over and we’ll serve real food — we’ll serve barbecue and not just snacks” she promised.
Until then, the grab-and-go snacks hopefully will be a welcome addition to the fridge or pantry that firefighters and deputies can get on their way back from a call or take with them when they leave.
In addition to the local agencies, Riggan’s Hungry Heroes serves active military and veterans. She went to Fort Scott in Kansas back in November and was responsible for three meals a day for a weeklong event that entertained a group of combat veterans on a hunting expedition.
Owen, who coordinates training for 58 agencies in the Franklin, Granville, Vance and Warren counties, noted that the firefighters don’t just put out a fire and then head back to the station. “They are dealing with people if they have to bet people out of the house,” he said. “Their job is also to console…to get the Red Cross involved…It goes a lot deeper than just going and putting the fire out,” he explained.
“These agencies step up to the plate every time,” Owen said. “It’s not just to fight fires, but it’s to serve the community and I appreciate them so much. They are my heroes. And Amanda thinks the same way I do.
Visit www.hungryheroesbbq.com to learn more.
Tribute to Coach Wilton Baskett; Friend, Mentor, Father Figure
Long-time high school basketball coach and Vance County native Wilton Baskett died Saturday. He was 62.
Baskett retired in March 2020 after 37 years of coaching and teaching, much of that time with Vance County Schools. Baskett was head basketball coach at Northern Vance High School and won his 400th game with the Vance County Vipers last season.
A graveside service will be held at 1 p.m. on Jan. 14, 2021 at Jones Chapel Baptist Church in Norlina. A viewing will be from noon to 4 p.m. on Jan. 13, 2021 in the chapel of Davis-Royster Funeral Home in Henderson. He was born in Vance County to Almorine Brandon and the late Nathaniel Baskett. Survivors, in addition to his mother, are children Wilton E. Baskett II and Amy L. Baskett and their mother, Linda R. Perry.
Friends and colleagues remembered Baskett during Monday’s Town Talk. He was a friend and mentor to many throughout his 30-plus years of coaching, including Joseph Sharrow and Chad Wilson, current athletic director and men’s basketball coach, respectively, of Vance County High School. Baskett’s son, Wilton E. Baskett II, joined the program and said his father loved the game of basketball. Just as importantly, he loved that the game could expose young people to much more beyond high school, from playing college ball to being a successful adult.
L-R Wil, Amy, Coach. Family, a father’s day meal at a nearby restaurant. Selfie photo by Amy Baskett
Wilson told Baskett’s son that he would work to carry on Coach Baskett’s legacy on and off the court. “Your dad was way more than just a coach to me,” Wilson said to the younger Baskett. Wilson was a player for Coach Baskett at Northern Vance High School, and said that he was a positive male figure in his life when he needed one. “It’s just been a wonderful blessing on my life,” Wilson said, to have worked with Coach Baskett. “More than anything,” Wilson continued, “for putting faith in me. Wilson graduated from Northern Vance and went on to play at Louisburg College and Livingstone College. Wilson credits Coach Baskett for giving him the confidence to go beyond high school and then to come back to become a coach himself.
Wilson took over as head coach of the Vipers following Baskett’s retirement. He coached at Vance-Granville Community College for three years before returning to his high school alma mater to be a varsity assistant and coach of the JV team.
Now athletic director for Vance County High School, Joseph Sharrow was athletic director for Baskett’s cross-town rival Southern Vance. “I have nothing but respect…for Wilton Baskett and his wonderful family,” Sharrow said. To be able to remember him “as a friend and former colleague is an honor.”
Sharrow recalled when the two high schools played each other in the 2018 conference final. “He must have gotten them in the gym over Christmas because “they went on a tear in January,” Sharrow said of that Northern Vance team. “Little did we know it would be the last time the two schools would play” each other, he said. The following year the two schools were consolidated to create Vance County High School. Sharrow became athletic director and Baskett the men’s basketball coach, a relationship they shared for two years before Baskett retired.
Baskett’s 400th win came as coach of the Vance County Vipers. When he retired in March, he had accumulated 402 wins. Win 400 came in a matchup with East Chapel Hill High School on Feb. 4, 2020.
More story below. Click Play for TownTalk Tribute to Coach Baskett.
Sharrow last spoke with Baskett in November and said his friend and colleague seemed to be enjoying retirement. “It was great to be able to talk with him,” he added. The somewhat unusual relationship between Baskett and Sharrow – first as opponents of inter-county rivals, then as colleagues working together to bring the two schools’ programs together under a single county high school – made for a winning combination. The Vipers won a conference championship in their first year, Sharrow said. Add to that the 400-victory milestone also was great, but Sharrow was quick to add that Baskett wasn’t looking for individual attention. “He (coached) because he loved the kids. He knew he had a gift for making a difference in people’s lives and I think that just says a lot about Coach Baskett.” For everybody else, achieving that 400th win was an enormous milestone, Sharrow continued. “For him, it was just another day at the job. That was the kind of guy he was.”
David Hicks was athletic director at Northern Vance during the time that Baskett was head coach. Wilton had a system for basketball,” Hicks recalled during an interview on Monday. “He had a knack for being able to get guys to buy in to what he wanted to do,” he added. “He was demanding of his players and students in a good way.”
Greg Ackles coached the Southern Vance team that faced Baskett’s squad in that conference final in 2018. Now the coach at Wake Forest High School, Ackles spoke with Trey Snide on Monday’s Sports Talk. Asked about a favorite memory of Coach Baskett, Ackles said: “The best thing was also the most frustrating thing, and that was coaching against him.” As a coach, you have to believe what you do is going to work, he added, saying that Coach Baskett stuck to his philosophy of running a few plays but running them well. To this day, Ackles said that Northern-Southern matchup to claim the conference title is still the best game he’s been a part of as a coach.
More story below. Click Play for SportsTalk Tribute to Coach Baskett.
Was his father tough? “He could see more in you than sometimes you saw in yourself,” Baskett said of his father. “His goal was to bring the best out in you because he saw the best in people. He saw your potential and I think tough meant that you still had work to do…tough was if he expected something out of you or if he expects you to be able to do something. He was tough on you because he knew you were capable…he wanted you to believe in yourself.”
But for all his toughness, Coach Baskett did a lot off the court to help his players continue to play after high school. He helped prepare highlight reels and more, Hicks said.
One “extra” that Baskett did was take a group of young men to Catawba College every summer for basketball camp, Hicks said. “He had kids falling out of the ceiling wanting to go to camp…He would have open gym for try outs and you couldn’t get in. There would be 75 guys in there on all six courts.”
The “Wilton System” paid off over the years. Baskett’s teams won five regular season conference titles, six conference tournament championships. He received conference Coach of the Year honors three times, the most recent being 2018, the year his Northern Vance High Vikings topped rival Southern Vance.
TownTalk 1-7-21 Washington DC Riot
Host John C. Rose talks about the events that occurred in Washington DC on Wednesday, Jan. 6th.
For full details and audio click play.
TownTalk: Vaccine Deployment; Lisa Harrison, GVPH Director
The Granville-Vance Health District is establishing a Hotline for county residents to call to register for the COVID-19 vaccine, according to GVHD Health Director Lisa Harrison.
Harrison appeared on Town Talk Wednesday and told host John C. Rose that residents who fall into the 1B phase of people eligible for the vaccine can call the number as early as tomorrow (Thursday). The number will be posted on gvph.org and on WIZS home page when it is available.
“The plan is for us to get as many shots in people’s arms as quickly as possible,” Harrison said, but asked for patience from residents as the health department staff makes adjustments to roll out the vaccine.
Click Play to Listen to Lisa Harrison on TownTalk…
The state is in Phase 1A of the process, which prioritizes vaccinations for front-line health care workers and those who work and who live in long-term care facilities. Harrison predicted that vaccinations for this group would take all of the month of January to complete, at which time the area would move to Phase 1B. Phase 1B includes any resident age 75 or older and front-line essential workers aged 50 or older, according to Harrison. “That is a huge group – we will be (vaccinating) that group for quite a while,’ she said.
Harrison predicted that it may be March before the third group prioritized to get the shot. This group includes health-care workers and front-line workers of any age, as well as other groups including educators and city and county government officials.
The health department staff continues to monitor current COVID-19 cases and do contact tracing, and now, Harrison said, she has 20 people who can give the vaccine. “We want to do the best job we can as fast as we can,” she said. “I know a lot of people are really eager to come to the health dept or the hospital and get their shot, and I am grateful,” Harrison continued, and asked for public’s patience as those at higher risk to contract COVID-19 are vaccinated first.
“We will get to everyone. We just can’t get to everyone today and tomorrow. And so we will continue to let you know what comes up next, following the rules but being as fast as possible.”
Right now, the health department has sufficient vaccine to get through the next two weeks. She estimated that the vaccine on hand can vaccinate 100 people a day for 10 days. “We’re both excited and daunted by the work ahead,” Harrison said.
The health department is a “small but mighty group” putting in long hours to work on contact tracing, entering data into the state-mandated COVID monitoring system and now giving vaccines. Harrison said, “I will be very appreciative when other primary care offices and pharmacies have the vaccine available.” At this time, however, health departments and hospitals are the only outlets for the vaccine. Hospitals will spend most of the month of January vaccinating ER and ICU personnel, she said. Other front-line or essential workers will get vaccinated as soon as possible. “We look forward to getting to them in the coming weeks,” Harrison said.
For more information, contact the Vance office at 252.492.7915. The Granville office number is 919.693.2141.
TownTalk for Snow Lovers, Weather Buffs and Scientists
There really IS a chance of snow on Friday, according to a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. While there could be some accumulation in our area, the term Jonathan Blaes used to describe what we could see probably isn’t used much at his office in Raleigh – it’s going to be wet and gloppy.
Blaes is the meteorologist in charge for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Weather Service in Raleigh. “The rumor, the conjecture, the excitement is already out there,” Blaes told Town Talk host Bill Harris on Tuesday. He said there may be just enough cold temps associated with the system to create some wet snow, “and some of that will likely accumulate in some spots.”
But he doesn’t predict icy conditions and freezing rain or sleet, more a period of rain that mixes with wet snow, falling heavily, at times. And snow lovers, stay tuned: weather patterns and the jet stream flow the NWS is watching now could make you “optimistic” during the second and third weeks of January.
In addition to getting snow lovers’ hopes up, Blaes discussed weather topics and trends and how they affect North Carolina, from hurricanes and El Niño to why Person County seems to get more snow than its neighbors to the east. And why it’s been so awfully wet here lately.
Click play for TownTalk with guest Jonathan Blaes…
Blaes returned to Raleigh in 1998 (after stints in Sterling, VA and Albany, NY with the National Weather Service) and most recently as science operations officer at NWS in Raleigh, working to promote science and training while facilitating collaborating research activities with the University and other partners. He is a 1995 graduate of NC State, where he received a degree in meteorology from the Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Department.
“It has been rainy… in the northern Piedmont,” said Blaes, confirming the excessive rainfalls lately. This past year was one of the top 5 – 3rd or 4th wettest year on record,” and that’s without major impact from hurricanes. What began last winter and continued through spring is likely to remain in place this coming spring, he said.
Every 10 years, NOAA releases a 10-year trend for weather. He said the next update likely will present a set of data that shows slightly warmer temperatures on average. That doesn’t necessarily mean that temperatures are rising, he said, but that nighttime temperatures aren’t quite as low, which would push the overall average a bit higher.
All this may contribute to fewer big winter ice storms in the area, but climate outlooks overall can be a little tricky, Blaes said. Precipitation forecasts are more straightforward –check “how much rain is in the gauge every day and add it up,” he said. “All it takes is one big storm” to skew the overall weather trend and to make it memorable.
This past year was a memorable hurricane season, Blaes said. The hurricane “season” traditionally runs June through November, but weather experts now are looking at storms forming in May. Reluctant to tie it all to climate change, Blaes said the systems that we in North America see as hurricanes form in sub-Saharan Africa, travel over the warm waters of the Atlantic and gain strength before doing damage as a hurricane in the Caribbean and the U.S. In general, climate change could mean not more storms, but storms that bring more rain. Higher rainfall in Africa can affect the storms we see here.
“Keep in mind, while we didn’t get clobbered by a hurricane this year, we didn’t have a landfall of a strong tropical storm or a hurricane that devastated the coast, we actually had the remnants or the fringes of anywhere between six and eight tropical storms or hurricanes impact our state,” Blaes said. And while we didn’t have a direct hit, the “glancing blows” from fringes of storms had an impact. Some of the worst conditions, he recalled, were recorded in practically the middle of the state – Greensboro – as the remnants of a hurricane made its way from Louisiana across the NC mountains. Nearly half of the rainfall from late July through September is the result of a tropical storm or its remnants.
Stronger, wetter storms that track farther inland, as well as sea level rise, Blaes said are warning signs that people should be aware of. Because North Carolina is situated in the middle latitudes, we get systems from the tropics as well as Arctic air from the Poles. The mountains to the west between the mountains and the ocean, our state experiences strange weather from time to time. The mountains to the West and the warm waters of the Atlantic Ocean both affect weather systems and patterns. “We’re in this mixing bowl,” Blaes noted. Mother Nature is always looking for balance. If there’s too many of one thing or if it’s too hot or too cold, Nature wants to find a way to get things even. But it never succeeds. That imbalance, that effort to achieve balance is what causes the weather,” he said.