Granville County Sheriff

Granville County Shooting Suspect

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UPDATE 09/06/24:

The GCSO has confirmed that the suspect (Andre Stephon Jones) was taken into custody without incident on September 6.

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The Granville County Sheriff’s Office is still searching for a man wanted in connection with a shooting Tuesday evening.

The suspect, 45-year-old Andre Stephon Jones, is assumed to be armed and dangerous, according to a press release from the Granville County Sheriff’s Office.

Jones lives at 3508 Windwood Circle, and the shooting occurred at 3501 Windwood Circle just after 7:30 p.m.

Sheriff’s deputies and Granville EMS responded to the scene following a report of a woman being shot.

The suspect is alleged to have entered the residence and then shot a 35-year-old black female and a 42- year-old black male. The 42-year-old black male left the scene of the shooting prior to the arrival of deputies and was later located a short distance awat at Danny’s Country Store, 1983 US Highway 15. The suspect fled the scene. He is wanted on multiple counts of assault with a deadly weapon, inflicting serious injury, with intent to kill.

The condition of the victim was not provided.

Anyone with information or surveillance footage from the area is asked to call GCSO at 919.693.3213.

To provide information anonymously concerning this investigation contact Granville County Crime Stoppers at 919.693.3100.

EnTech Mobile Lab Brings Technology To VCS Students

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Vance County Schools and community leaders were on hand Wednesday, Sept. 4 to officially roll out the EnTech Mobile Lab, a lab on wheels that will give students hands-on experiences with various forms of technology.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at Vance County High School to launch the lab, during which time Superintendent Dr. Cindy Bennett thanked partner Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce, the Vance County Public School Foundation and the team at the Center for Innovation for making the mobile lab a reality.

Dr. Destiney Ross-Putney, VCS chief officer of Instruction and Innovation, along with Henderson Mayor Melissa Elliott, HV Chamber President Sandra Wilkerson and Chamber Board Chair Margier White shared the impact this initiative will have on students in the district.

“The EnTech Mobile Lab exemplifies the district’s commitment to igniting interest in diverse career fields and ensuring that VCS students have access to innovative, experiential learning opportunities,” said Dr. Ross-Putney. “We are excited to see our students engage with these career-aligned stations, developing the skills and knowledge essential for the workforce of the future.”

The mobile classroom can offer cutting-edge learning opportunities to students throughout the district, providing students with hands-on exposure to STEM careers in real-world contexts.

The mobile lab travels to schools, delivering interactive experiences such as drone piloting, robotics, and virtual reality, all designed to foster critical skills like problem-solving, collaboration, and innovation. Each station provides students with valuable resources on the skills, coursework and education required for future careers, ensuring equitable access to career-focused learning experiences for all students.

The EnTech Mobile Lab provides tailored learning experiences that align with classroom needs, ensuring that the curriculum is enriched through experiential, hands-on activities. Through strong collaboration between the CFI team, school administrators, and teachers, the mobile lab will continue to deliver transformative educational experiences across the district.

The EnTech lab was established at the Center for Innovation in fall 2023 and Director Kristin Jeffreys, alongside Learning Specialists Stephen Jones and Patricia Burroughs, develop programs to enrich student learning.

Among the lab’s features are the Lu Interactive Playground, equipped with a laser projector, motion-sensing cameras and a robust sound system to foster immersive educational environments. Additional highlights include a dedicated drone cage, eSports capabilities and advanced robotics.

Following the ribbon-cutting, guests got a chance to explore the mobile lab’s interactive stations and see demonstrations that included the zSpace lab, a drone zone, a robotic dog and an emergency simulation.

Rebuilding Hope, Inc. Chicken Plate Fundraiser Sept. 27

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It’s not too soon to be thinking about the fall barbecued chicken fundraiser at Rebuilding Hope, Inc. – circle Friday, Sept. 27 on the calendar and make plans to head over to eat in or pick up to-go plates.

The $10-a-plate dinners will be cooked and served from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. at 414 Raleigh Rd., the location of RHI’s offices and warehouse.
The familiar menu will include green beans, potatoes and dessert.
Volunteers will deliver orders for five or more plates. Call and place your order. Dinners may be picked up in the drive-through area or enjoyed in the RHI dining room.
Volunteers are needed both the day before and the day of the fundraiser.
The day before, bread and desserts are bagged; cups are filled with barbecue sauce.

On fundraiser day, helping hands are needed to fill plates and keep the serving line supplied.

Visit https://rebuildinghopeinc.org/ to learn more about upcoming events and ways to help. For more information, call 252.438.5132 or email  info@rebuildinghopeinc.org

TownTalk: Around Old Granville: A Visit To Cokesbury And Vicksboro

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The North Carolina Room at Thornton Library in Oxford is full of all kinds of books, maps and bound volumes of all sorts and conditions.

And cookbooks.

“I must say, God bless people who do cookbooks,” said Mark Pace, North Carolina Room specialist and local historian.

Located among all those historical tomes are more than 100 local cookbooks, and Pace said they are helpful to him in his research.

These cookbooks, often published as a fundraising effort for churches, civic groups and volunteer fire departments, surely contain lots of favorite recipes but also some nuggets about the history of the organization.

And that’s exactly where Pace got some of the information about Cokesbury for Thursday’s Around Old Granville segment of TownTalk.

As he was doing a little research, he came across a cookbook from Cokesbury Methodist Church and “sure enough, there’s a nice page in there about the founding of the church.”

And when he fielded a question about when the fire department was started there, he got his hands on a cookbook that the ladies auxiliary group had published and found out all about it.

Pace and WIZS’s Bill Harris talked about the communities of Vicksboro and Cokesbury, both located in the area of the county known as Sandy Creek Township.

Vicksboro was originally known as Coley’s Crossroads, Pace said, and there was a post office located there called Steedsville that operated from 1884 to 1894. Pace said it’s unclear how the name change came about, but one theory is that a Steedsville postmaster had an affinity for Vicksburg, MS and changed the name to VicksBORO to avoid confusion with the post office in the Mississippi town.

The little communities like Cokesbury and Vicksboro that dot the countryside often had their own little businesses that it was known for.

If you grew up in the 1960’s and ‘70’s in Vance County, there’s a chance your parents took you to the shoe store in Cokesbury. There was a shoe store and a small textile store in Justice, Pace said, and a dry cleaners in Manson. In the 1950’s and ‘60s, Egypt Mountain had a sewing shop where folks could buy sewing notions and cloth, Pace said.

Perhaps the heart and soul of the community out in Sandy Creek Township, however, was Aycock School, he said.

It was built as a consolidated school in 1925 and named for the former governor, Charles B. Aycock, known as “the education governor,” Pace said.

“It was really state of the art for its day,” he added. There was a gym and a teacherage located on the site of the original school on Vicksboro Road.

Listen to the show in its entirety at wizs.com.

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The Local Skinny! Brick Power Team Hosts Weight Lifting Event

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The Brick Power Team is hosting a “Beast On The Bench” power lifting meet next month, and it’s power lifting with a purpose – raising money to help two local women who have helped so many in the community.

Harry Orr, executive director of the Brick Power Team, said every penny raised at the Oct. 26 meet will be given to Sara Coffey and Marsha Ranes, both of whom are facing health challenges.

The meet will be held at the Brick, located beside Freedom Life Church of God, 1001 Martin Creek Rd., Henderson.

“They’re real dear to me and to a whole lot (of others) in the community,” Orr said on Thursday’s segment of The Local Skinny!

Both Coffey and Ranes have helped him with everything he’s ever done, Orr said, so it’s only fitting that he and his organization offer help in return.

In fact, Coffey herself was among the 2022 class inducted into the North Carolina State Strength Sports Hall of Fame for the support she’s provided over the years to the sport.

At one time, he said, power lifting was a big sport, and there’s a renewed interest lately among participants and those who just enjoy watching.

Entry fees are $50 for adults and $40 for teens. Spectators pay $5, and children 12 and under get in free.

Contact Orr at 252.432.4196 or by email at horr2553@yahoo.com to get registered and to learn details about the different classes and age brackets for the meet.

Weigh-ins will be held Friday, Oct. 25 from 6 p.m. – 7 p.m. and on Saturday, Oct. 26 from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. Rules will be reviewed at 9:15 a.m. and the meet will begin at 10 a.m.

Trophies will be awarded for first and second place.

 

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Vance County High School

SportsTalk: Vipers Prepare For Orange

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Vance County High School Football Coach Aaron Elliott discusses preparations for this week’s game against Orange.

The Coaches Corner continues with Vance County Football Head Coach Aaron Elliott on SportsTalk with Scout Hughes and George Hoyle on WIZS.

The Vipers pulled out a close one against Rocky Mount last Friday night defeating Rocky Mount on the road, 23-22. Vance County Head Man Aaron Elliott believes that his team did alright. “We were able to squeak out with a win. Wins are hard to come by. You know it’s easy to lose, hard to win. Being able to win and finishing the game was a plus, but overall we still made some mistakes that we have been working on all week as far as basic fundamentals. We are getting those things cleaned up, hopefully, it’ll show on Friday.”

Even early on in the season, Vance County and Coach Elliott knew that Rocky Mount would give Vance County a tougher matchup but that didn’t change the team’s mindset. Coach said that they knew Rocky Mount being a 3A school would make it a tougher game than Warren County was and that Rocky Mount took advantage of Vance and their mistakes early on last Friday night but he’s glad Vance County pulled out the win.

Looking ahead to Orange, Coach says, “We have cleaned some things up.” And even though Vance County beat Orange last year, Coach Elliott says that they are still treating this game just like it’s any other game. Coach also gives an insight as to what Orange might do as far as their offensive scheme, “Going into this game we are expecting them to throw the ball. But based on film, what we’ve been able to see the past two weeks is that they have been really successful running the ball. They have a running back that rushed for almost 140 yards against Chapel Hill last week so we’ve got to be able to have an answer for him…we’ve got to have an answer for whatever they give us.” 

Scout and George also asked for an update about if Vance County had rescheduled a game to take the place of Granville Central, who last month had announced that they were canceling their Varsity and Junior Varsity football seasons for 2024. “We had a conference meeting about it and if we can’t find a team to play then we can use that game as a win by forfeit. But we are still trying to find a team. We are still looking. We’ve reached out to Virginia a little bit. It’s gonna be hard to find another game.” 

As the Vipers move to Friday’s game against Orange, Coach’s message to the fans is clear. “Just make that drive to Hillsborough and support us if they can. I know we’ve been on the road, but we had a good showing at Rocky Mount last Friday, hopefully we can do it again this Friday.” 

Sounds good to us Coach! Go Vipers!

Vance County travels to Orange for Week 3 of the 2024 season Friday, September 6th and you can hear all the action on WIZS 1450AM, 100.1FM, and online at wizs.com with pregame starting at 6:50 p.m. and kickoff thereafter at 7:00 p.m.

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Cooperative Extension With Jamon Glover: A New Direction

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Listen live at 100.1 FM / 1450 AM / or on the live stream at WIZS.com at 11:50 a.m. Mon, Tues & Thurs.

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September Is Emergency Preparedness Month

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September is National Preparedness Month and Gov. Roy Cooper along with state emergency management officials are urging North Carolinians to review and update their emergency plans and supply kits.

“Recent events like Tropical Storm Debby that caused damage in our state highlight the importance of being prepared,” said Cooper. “It’s not a matter of if, but when North Carolina will face a significant storm or other disruptive events. We must be proactive and prepared.”

National Preparedness Month, sponsored by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, encourages all Americans to prepare for various types of emergencies. For resources on family disaster preparedness, visit ReadyNC.gov, which offers information on traffic, power outages, and shelters.

North Carolina Emergency Management Director Will Ray highlighted the state’s comprehensive approach to preparedness: “In this all-hazards threat environment, we plan and train for a range of emergencies, including tropical and winter weather, critical infrastructure failure, cybersecurity incidents,and more. It’s crucial for North Carolinians to have an emergency plan and practice it, communicate it to family or friends, and maintain a well-stocked emergency supply kit with provisions for at least three to seven days.”

North Carolinians can check with their local emergency management offices to find out what local alerting resources are available in their community. Residents should enable emergency alerts on their mobile device to stay informed. Additionally, North Carolina’s Know Your Zone initiative helps eastern North Carolina residents and visitors understand evacuation procedures in coastal areas vulnerable to hurricanes and other hazards. Learn more about your evacuation zone and how to prepare by visiting KnowYourZone.nc.gov.

CERT programs play a crucial role in community resilience, providing support in disaster aftermath and contributing to preparedness and response efforts.

Stay informed and prepared by following @NCEmergency on Twitter and Facebook throughout September for daily preparedness tips.

 

Warren County Economic Development, VGCC To Hold Soft Skills Training Course Sept. 25

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Warren County Community and Economic Development, in partnership with Vance-Granville Community College, is hosting a Soft Skills training course on Wednesday, Sept. 25.

The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Warren County EMS Emergency Operations Center, located at 890 US-158 BYP in Warrenton.

Dr. Laurica Yancey, a Warren County native and instructor from the Vance-Granville Community College (VGCC) Corporate Learning and Professional Development department, will lead the training.

This training is designed for local business and non-profit organization owners, human resource and hiring managers, as well as work supervisors focusing on two crucial topics: “Generational Differences in the Workplace” and “Recruiting Strategies for Today’s Market.” Participants will gain valuable insights into managing a multigenerational workforce and refining recruitment strategies to meet the demands of the current job market.

The course is sponsored by Warren County Community and Economic Development.

Registration is now open and can be completed online at https://www.vgcc.edu/coned/clpd/.

For more information, contact Megan Williams, economic development specialist, at 252.257.3115.