UPDATE: 7:15 p.m.
Firefighters battled a blaze in downtown Oxford Monday morning which destroyed a historic building that housed two businesses.
The call came in at 8:28 a.m., and Oxford Fire Department, with help from several area volunteer fire departments, had the fire under control by 10:40 a.m., according to information from city officials late Monday afternoon.
“The fire was extinguished at approximately 10:40 and controlled through the coordinated efforts of the Oxford Fire Department, the Antioch Fire Department, the Providence Fire Department, the Corinth Fire Department, and the Granville Rural Fire Department. Granville EMS was also present at the scene,” according to information sent from Oxford city officials.
Businesses near the 100 block of Williamsboro Street were evacuated and law enforcement agencies from the police department, sheriff’s office and N.C. Highway Patrol blocked off the area at Williamsboro and Main streets.
Alyssa Blair, Downtown Development Director, stated, “The fire from this morning has touched the heart of everyone in the business community as well as the community as a whole and the rallying behind them has already begun. The City of Oxford and Downtown Oxford Economic Development Corporation have begun searching for temporary locations for our affected businesses and will do everything possible to find additional resources to aid during this difficult time.”
ORIGINAL STORY
Oxford firefighters spent the morning battling a blaze downtown that has destroyed two businesses and was posing a threat to businesses on either side.
The fire broke out on the 100 block of Williamsboro Street between First National Bank and Milano’s restaurant near the heart of downtown Oxford. The two businesses are The Healing Haven and Farrar’s Jewelers, located at 121 ½ and 123 Williamsboro St., according to Granville County Chamber of Commerce Director Cynthia Ratliff.
Oxford Mayor Jackie Sergent said no one was inside, so, as yet, people are safe. “We are grieving for the tremendous loss – for the building which has so much meaning and history for the community and the owner and for the businesses within who were counting on the holiday shopping season to keep them strong,” Sergent said in a text message to WIZS News Monday morning.
According to Sergent, the building occupied by Healing Haven Massage is owned by Gaynelle Finch, and previously housed Finch Insurance Agency. “The fire is raging between ceilings…so (it’s) unreachable,” Sergent said about 10:15 a.m. “Our guys and multiple other agencies are keeping the water going in an attempt to save the buildings on either side.”
Those buildings on either side include an attorney’s office, a consulting firm, a health care agency and a bail bond agency.
By 11 a.m., firefighters were able to enter the second floor of the structure, according to Sergent, who was on the scene.
Oxford Downtown Development Director Alyssa Blair provided a brief statement to WIZS News Tuesday afternoon, saying that other several businesses had been affected by this morning’s fire.
“We do not have information on what started the fire and will inform the public as soon as the investigation has concluded,” Blair noted.
“We are grateful for our FD staff – that they are well trained and well equipped, and for the mutual aid responders who have come when needed, and we are praying for their safety, those affected, and that the damage may be minimized. I have faith that the community of Oxford will come together and support all those needing it in the days ahead that they might prevail and feel cared for.”
Ratliff drove down Williamsboro Street shortly before 8:30 this morning on her way to work. She told WIZS News in a telephone interview from the fire scene Monday morning that she smelled a faint smell of smoke when she arrived at her office, and thought briefly that it was coming from under her car’s hood.
Just a few minutes later, she was walking to the Hub for a meeting and she saw a ladder truck along Williamsboro Street.
“It’s heartbreaking,” Ratliff said, as she watched firefighters battle the fire. All surrounding businesses were evacuated, and the road is blocked. Services at the courthouse seem to be unaffected.
“It’s a horrible sight,” Ratliff said of the building in the aftermath of the fire.
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Firefighters Battle Morning Blaze That Destroyed Two Downtown Oxford Businesses
/by Laura GabelUPDATE: 7:15 p.m.
Firefighters battled a blaze in downtown Oxford Monday morning which destroyed a historic building that housed two businesses.
The call came in at 8:28 a.m., and Oxford Fire Department, with help from several area volunteer fire departments, had the fire under control by 10:40 a.m., according to information from city officials late Monday afternoon.
“The fire was extinguished at approximately 10:40 and controlled through the coordinated efforts of the Oxford Fire Department, the Antioch Fire Department, the Providence Fire Department, the Corinth Fire Department, and the Granville Rural Fire Department. Granville EMS was also present at the scene,” according to information sent from Oxford city officials.
Businesses near the 100 block of Williamsboro Street were evacuated and law enforcement agencies from the police department, sheriff’s office and N.C. Highway Patrol blocked off the area at Williamsboro and Main streets.
Alyssa Blair, Downtown Development Director, stated, “The fire from this morning has touched the heart of everyone in the business community as well as the community as a whole and the rallying behind them has already begun. The City of Oxford and Downtown Oxford Economic Development Corporation have begun searching for temporary locations for our affected businesses and will do everything possible to find additional resources to aid during this difficult time.”
ORIGINAL STORY
Oxford firefighters spent the morning battling a blaze downtown that has destroyed two businesses and was posing a threat to businesses on either side.
The fire broke out on the 100 block of Williamsboro Street between First National Bank and Milano’s restaurant near the heart of downtown Oxford. The two businesses are The Healing Haven and Farrar’s Jewelers, located at 121 ½ and 123 Williamsboro St., according to Granville County Chamber of Commerce Director Cynthia Ratliff.
Oxford Mayor Jackie Sergent said no one was inside, so, as yet, people are safe. “We are grieving for the tremendous loss – for the building which has so much meaning and history for the community and the owner and for the businesses within who were counting on the holiday shopping season to keep them strong,” Sergent said in a text message to WIZS News Monday morning.
According to Sergent, the building occupied by Healing Haven Massage is owned by Gaynelle Finch, and previously housed Finch Insurance Agency. “The fire is raging between ceilings…so (it’s) unreachable,” Sergent said about 10:15 a.m. “Our guys and multiple other agencies are keeping the water going in an attempt to save the buildings on either side.”
Those buildings on either side include an attorney’s office, a consulting firm, a health care agency and a bail bond agency.
By 11 a.m., firefighters were able to enter the second floor of the structure, according to Sergent, who was on the scene.
Oxford Downtown Development Director Alyssa Blair provided a brief statement to WIZS News Tuesday afternoon, saying that other several businesses had been affected by this morning’s fire.
“We do not have information on what started the fire and will inform the public as soon as the investigation has concluded,” Blair noted.
“We are grateful for our FD staff – that they are well trained and well equipped, and for the mutual aid responders who have come when needed, and we are praying for their safety, those affected, and that the damage may be minimized. I have faith that the community of Oxford will come together and support all those needing it in the days ahead that they might prevail and feel cared for.”
Ratliff drove down Williamsboro Street shortly before 8:30 this morning on her way to work. She told WIZS News in a telephone interview from the fire scene Monday morning that she smelled a faint smell of smoke when she arrived at her office, and thought briefly that it was coming from under her car’s hood.
Just a few minutes later, she was walking to the Hub for a meeting and she saw a ladder truck along Williamsboro Street.
“It’s heartbreaking,” Ratliff said, as she watched firefighters battle the fire. All surrounding businesses were evacuated, and the road is blocked. Services at the courthouse seem to be unaffected.
“It’s a horrible sight,” Ratliff said of the building in the aftermath of the fire.
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WIZS Radio Local News Audio 11-06-23 Noon
/by Bill HarrisClick Play to Listen. On Air at 8am, 12pm, 5pm M-F
WIZS Radio ~ 100.1FM/1450AM
The Local Skinny! Henderson Christmas Parade Is Coming
/by WIZS StaffIt may be hard to believe, but the Henderson Christmas parade is less than one month away.
The parade will be held on Saturday, Dec. 2 beginning at 2 p.m., according to parade organizers. And groups that want to be in the parade have until Nov. 24 – the day after Thanksgiving – to submit an entry form.
The entry form can be found at www.hendersonncdowntown.org.
Entries will line up on Raleigh Road near the light at Burger King, and then will proceed down Raleigh Road before turning right onto Garnett Street. The parade route continues down Garnett Street and concludes at Rose Avenue, near First United Methodist Church and Sunrise Biscuit.
The parade is sponsored by the Henderson-Vance Downtown Development Commission and the Vance County Arts Council.
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The Local Skinny! Grace Ministries Plans 7th Annual Thanksgiving Meal
/by WIZS StaffThe 7th annual Grace Ministries Thanksgiving meal giveaway is taking shape and organizer Bobby West said the plan is to provide 3,000 meals to folks in the community on Saturday, Nov. 18.
In addition to the Grace Ministries location at 215 Crozier St., West said there are a number of locations where individuals across Vance, Granville and Warren counties can go to pick up to-go plates, filled with pork loin, vegetables, stuffing and a dessert.
The event gets underway at 11 a.m., but there’s a lot of preparation that goes in to making that happen, West said on Monday’s The Local Skinny!
He said he expects to feed 1,000 at the Crozier Street location – folks can dine there or pick up a takeout plate.
All the other locations are takeout only, and West said they could use some volunteers to help, beginning at 8:30 on the morning of Nov. 18. “We’re going to need 2,000 plates ready to go by 11 o’clock,” he said.
It’ll probably take 100 or so volunteers that morning, West said, adding that there will be six or seven lines set up to pack all the plates. “We’ll pack them up fast, get them out the door and to the locations,” he said.
It’s their biggest outreach effort of the year, and West said he’s grateful to the churches in the area that help out each year. “We couldn’t without support of the community and other churches,” he said. “God has been so good to us…we just do it as an act of kindness – the world can use some more kindness.”
And cakes. They need cakes – 160, truth be told, West said, for each of those 3,000 plates. If you can help out, give him a call at 252.432.7124.
Monetary donations may be sent to Grace Ministries, P.O. Box 316, Henderson, NC 27536.
Following is the list of satellite locations that will have plates ready for distribution:
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TownTalk: Davis Chapel Feeding The Hungry And More
/by WIZS StaffDavis Chapel Baptist Church is hoping to help provide a hot meal as well as clothing items to anyone in the community in need. Organizers call the program “Food for the Soul, Clothes for the Cold” and Charles Turrentine Jr. was a guest on Monday’s TownTalk to provide some details.
On the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month, the church is the spot where individuals can stop in between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. for a respite at the soup kitchen fellowship, Turrentine said.
“We want to impact people walking down the street…to be a light to them and help them any way we can,” he said.
And beginning in the new year, he said there are plans underway to partner with local schools and churches to provide meals to children when they’re out of school for teacher workdays.
The event organizers invite individuals to help them by making donations of clothing and toiletry items for distribution during the times the soup kitchen is open.
Donations are accepted at Aycock Rec Center, Exquisite Kutz Barber Shop (beside Southern Charm on Garnett Street) and East Side Barber Shop on Vicksboro Road.
“Think about being a blessing to somebody,” Turrentine said.
Davis Chapel Baptist Church is located at 742 N. Chestnut St.
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UNC Football Demolished Campbell in Bounce-Back Win, 59-7
/by WIZS Staff— text and picture by Patrick Magoon freelance writer for WIZS
After disappointing back-to-back losses, the North Carolina Tar Heels found their footing, scoring 52 unanswered points against the visiting Campbell Fighting Camels.
“Our guys did what you’re supposed to do,” said UNC head coach Mack Brown. “They took the team that they were better than and dominated them.”
Sophomore running back Omarion Hampton ran rampant, rushing 15 times for 144 yards and two touchdowns. After one half, Hampton became the latest Tar Heel to amass 1,000 rushing yards in a season. Through the air, UNC quarterback Drake Maye completed passes for 244 yards and four touchdowns.
“The offensive line did their thing all day,” said Hampton. “They opened up the holes and allowed me to reach 1,000 yards.”
UNC took an early lead in the first quarter after Devontez Walker caught a 10-yard touchdown pass. However, the lead was short-lived after Campbell responded with a seven-play, 62-yard scoring drive to the game at 7-7 towards the end of the first quarter.
At the start of the second quarter, Hampton demonstrated his explosive running abilities with a 54-yard rushing touchdown, and UNC reclaimed its lead. UNC scored 21 unanswered points in the second quarter as Campbell struggled to build momentum.
Entering the third quarter, UNC, holding onto a comfortable 14-point lead, wasted no time scoring for the fifth time. Maye completed three passes for 75 yards in 37 seconds. At this point, Campbell couldn’t match UNC’s intensity and continued to fall further behind.
Throughout the remainder of the game, UNC’s strong defensive unit forced three turnovers (two fumbles and an interception) and allowed just 98 yards of total offense. The unit, led by linebackers Cedric Gray and Power Echols, accumulated 79 total tackles, including five sacks and 10 TFLs. UNC’s defense also batted down four passes.
Cooperative Extension with Wayne Rowland: Thinning Pine Stands
/by Bill HarrisListen 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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U.S. DHHS Secretary Xavier Becerra Makes Stop In Henderson To Talk About Health Care In Rural Communities
/by Laura GabelThe secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Xavier Becerra, made a stop at Medical Arts Pharmacy this afternoon on behalf of his boss – President Joe Biden. Becerra was joined by, among others, Dr. Mandy Cohen, whose reminder during the COVID-19 pandemic to “Wear, Wash, Wait” became second nature for many North Carolinians. Cohen, who during COVID was secretary of the state DHHS, became the new director of the Centers for Disease Control earlier this year.
Chocky White’s pharmacy on Ruin Creek Road provided the backdrop for Becerra and others to talk about access to health care in rural communities and how Medicaid expansion in North Carolina will help to close a gap for those who need access to health care.
In brief remarks to the gathering, Becerra said independent pharmacies like Medical Arts do so much more than dispense medicine. “You’re dispensing love and care and family” to patrons who come in seeking advice and consultation, he said.
Medical Arts is among other pharmacies that participates in the billion-dollar Bridge Access Program that provides COVID-19 vaccines at no cost to people on Medicare, which falls in line with Biden’s pledge to lower prescription drug costs including a $35 cap on monthly insulin for diabetics.
Today’s stop is part of an effort to share with the American public “what we’re trying to do to let rural communities…know that they’re included,” Becerra said. He said the President wants to make sure that, in rural America, you do have access to health care.
And he praised Gov. Roy Cooper’s efforts to get Medicaid expansion in North Carolina, which Becerra said would mean an additional 600,000 on the health care rolls. He said rural communities in states that don’t have Medicaid expansion are 50 percent more likely to lose their rural hospitals.
But it’s not just access to health care, he said. In independent pharmacies like Medical Arts, pharmacists and staff treat clients with respect and dignity.
When White opened Medical Arts in 1971, he was the sole employee in a 600-square-foot space just a short distance from the present location. Now he has five full-time pharmacists, one part-time pharmacist and 27 other employees that work every day to meet the needs of clients across a six-county area.
There are two immunization areas within the pharmacy, and White said folks are welcome to just drop in and get immunized, which surely got Cohen’s attention.
Her persistence in suggesting that North Carolinians stay up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccinations has been elevated to the national level as CDC director. And now she wants to make sure that everyone get the updated COVID-19 vaccine, influenza and RSV.
“Right now is the right time,” Cohen said. With Thanksgiving just three weeks away, she encourages everyone to be immunized to protect yourself and others.
SportsTalk: Vipers Prepare For Terry Sanford In First Round Of Playoffs
/by Bill HarrisThe Vance County Vipers open the playoffs Friday night at home against Terry Sanford High School. The Bulldogs are 6-4 this season while the Vipers are a perfect 10-0 but Vipers Head Coach Aaron Elliott knows that the Bulldogs will be a challenge. “We don’t look at them as a 26 seed. They play in a strong conference,” Elliott said on Thursday’s SportsTalk. The Vipers will have to play strong on defense as the Bulldogs’ quarterback Jaylen Wright has thrown for over 1900 yard and 26 touchdowns this year. The Bulldogs have scored 387 points this year so they know how to get in the end zone.
The Vipers have relied on great running all season long as well as a potent passing attack of their own but Elliott knows where his team’s bread is buttered. “Defense will be the key. I always hear defense wins championships,” Elliot said. His defense has been stellar all season and the Vipers are coming off a 61-6 victory over rival J.F. Webb. Terry Sanford is on a three game winning streak and should prove to be the toughest opponent the Vipers have faced since Southern Durham.
Join WIZS for Vance County Friday Night Football starting with the pregame at 6:50, immediately following the Joy Christian Center broadcast with kickoff at 7pm.
TownTalk: Men’s Shelter To Have Sign-Raising Event On Saturday
/by WIZS StaffJoin Community Partners of Hope Saturday morning to be a part of a “Raise Our Sign” event at the future home of the emergency men’s shelter at the former City Road Methodist Church.
Delthine Watson said this is a way to celebrate the next steps for the new men’s shelter.
“We’re going to raise the sign because God has brought us to a building, and we are grateful and thankful,” Watson said on Thursday’s TownTalk. The event will begin at 10 a.m. at the site, located at 905 N. Garnett St., Henderson.
“We’ve worked through all of the steps and now we’re finally able to say ‘We’re here! We’re coming!’
The men’s shelter, currently operating out of the basement of the Presbyterian Church, opened on Oct. 1 to provide a place for unhoused men to seek refuge during the winter months, but Watson, CPOH’s community network specialist, said the goal is to have the new shelter open year ‘round.
“Regardless of whether you’re hot or cold,” (being homeless) is still the problem,” Watson said.
Individuals will be able to tour the building that will house the new shelter. With good luck, Watson said, work should begin in a few weeks to transform the fellowship building.
“We encourage you to join us …and to hear the changes that we want to make as we serve the community,” Watson said.
The current shelter can hold 12 men, and the new space will at least double that capacity.
“At some point, maybe we could serve families,” Watson mused. “The doors are wide open for what we can do…when your belief is strong and the community is supporting you.”
Call 919.339.1462 to learn more or visit www.cp-hope.org to learn how to donate.
The shelter currently needs donations of 30-gallon garbage bags, individual snacks for the men, and clothing such as pajama bottoms, thermal underwear, shower shoes and toiletry items.
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