The Vance County Board of Commissioners is expected to adopt the FY 2025-26 budget at a meeting to be held at 4 p.m. on June 23. At a budget work session on Monday, June 16, commissioners discussed increasing teacher supplements, skyrocketing insurance costs and cost-of-living adjustments – all of which contributed to $3.1 million in new expenses that caused the budget to be about 10 percent more than last year’s approved budget.
County Manager C. Renee Perry said the 2025-26 budget stands at $66,383,251, which is $1.4 million more than the budget that she presented to commissioners in May.
Perry said $4,068,875 will come from the general fund to balance the budget.
With $1.2 million for health insurance, $1.2 million in additional funds to the school system and $750,000 in cost-of-living adjustments for county employees, the budget had no way to go but up.
Vance County Schools will use the extra $1.2 million to cover a supplement increase to $1,000 for certified teachers and a 2 percent adjustment for classified staff. “This will be recurring annually and it’s three pennies of the tax increase from last year,” Perry told WIZS News Tuesday morning.
During the budget work session, Commission Chair Carolyn Faines vocalized support for teachers. Despite decreasing enrollment, school consolidation and fewer teachers working in the district, Faines said, “Teachers are still teaching…it’s not about how many students or how many teachers.”
Commissioner Leo Kelly advocated for the supplement increase to show “we support you and we’re doing everything we can to keep you,” Kelly said. “I support giving them as much as we can.”
Property and liability insurance rates also climbed by $85,000, Perry said, because of the situation with the Department of Social Services child welfare liabilities takeover by the state and the ongoing issues at the detention center. And Perry Memorial Library Director Patti McNally asked for an additional $63,000 for library employees’ health insurance.
The rates had not been released when the library budget request was submitted, Perry said, so that’s why it was not included in the original request. Library employees are included among those who get health insurance from the county.
“At some point, we have to have discussions on how to possibly reduce our budget,” Perry stated to commissioners, “but also increase our tax base with economic development – we have to.”
About 20 minutes into the work session, Commissioner Tommy Hester asked where the county could look to decrease the budget.
“I’m going to bring up a touchy subject and I might as well bring it up now while we’re looking at a decrease,” Hester said.
He continued by stating that the Vance County Rescue Squad has received more than $785,000 in the past 35 months – that’s about $25,000 a month, he figured.
How much money would the county save if the rescue squad functions were placed under the umbrella of the Vance County Fire Department?
Addressing commissioners, Fire Chief Marvin Harrison said it would be a matter of millions, over 15 or 20 years’ time.
The current contract with the rescue squad ends on June 30, 2025, and commissioners agreed that a 90-day extension would allow for adequate discussion. Faines said she would like to have rescue squad representatives come to the July meeting.
Perry told WIZS News Tuesday that “the rescue squad would be funded for 90 days while Vance County Fire Department purchases equipment and apparatus needed to provide the same service that the rescue squad offers. “A lot of people in this community think that because it’s in Vance County that that’s part of the county. It is not,” Hester emphasized.
Harrison told commissioners that the county has sufficient staff trained for rescue to be successful if a consolidation occurs. Perry confirmed that statement Tuesday. “The county fire department has staff trained currently as well as other volunteer fire agencies trained to assist if needed.”
What the county lacks is the equipment necessary to do the job properly.
Harrison said the rescue squad is supposed to provide the services of heavy rescue, water rescue and another service that he didn’t specify.
Brummitt said the rescue squad assists firefighters on calls. “They…provide air bottles when they’re on scene, they refill air bottles when they’re fighting fires.”
Harrison said it would cost roughly $150,000 – a one-time cost – to purchase the equipment needed to perform the rescue services.
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Tar River Land Conservancy: Picture Branch Nature Preserve Adds 2.6 Miles Of Hiking Trails In Southern Granville County
/by WIZS Staff— Information courtesy of Tar River Land Conservancy
Tar River Land Conservancy and the Granville County Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday, June 13 to open the newest nature preserve in Granville County. The Picture Branch Nature Preserve offers visitors 2.6 miles of hiking trails to explore near Stem and Butner.
Local officials participating in the ribbon cutting event included Stem Mayor Casey Dover, Butner Mayor Dr. Linda Jordon, Granville County Commissioners Mark Griffin and Tim Karan, Stem Commissioner Dave Pavlus and Stovall Commissioner Doug Lunsford.
The Picture Branch Nature Preserve is located at 89 Richmond Run in Stem. Trails are open to visitors year-round during daylight hours. Maps are available at the trailhead parking area. The trails wind through pine and hardwood woodland along scenic Picture Branch, across several streams and past an old cemetery.
“The opening of the Picture Branch Nature Preserve marks another milestone for land conservation in Granville County,” said TRLC Executive Director Derek Halberg. “Thanks to hundreds of hours of volunteer service and generous financial support from donors, we can open these new trails for the whole community to enjoy. We encourage folks to explore the new trails, and to reap the many benefits of walking in the woods!”
In addition to offering hiking trails, the 95-acre nature preserve helps protect streams for water quality and safeguards habitat for North Carolina’s wildlife. TRLC acquired the preserve in two transactions. Funding from the N.C. Attorney General’s Environmental Enhancement Grant program and City of Raleigh’s Watershed Protection Program allowed TRLC to purchase 94.6 acres in December 2019. The Environmental Enhancement Grant program began after an agreement between the Attorney General’s Office and Smithfield Foods in 2000. Under that agreement, Smithfield provides $2 million to the state every year to be distributed among environmental projects across North Carolina.
Stem Mayor Casey Dover said the new trails are the result of positive partnerships, calling them “a wonderful new addition…that highlights what’s possible when great partnerships come together. Thanks to the Tar River Land Conservancy and everyone involved, Stem now has an incredible outdoor space for families, hikers and nature lovers to enjoy. This is a big win for our community, and just the beginning of what we can accomplish together.”
Forestar USA Real Estate Group, a division of national homebuilder D.R. Horton, transferred an additional 0.35 acres to TRLC in May 2025. The Picture Branch Nature Preserve adjoins the Mangum Farms subdivision, located off Old NC 75 in Stem, where D.R. Horton will begin constructing and selling new homes this summer. Neighborhood residents will have walkable access to the Picture Branch Nature Preserve trails.
The trails, footbridges and benches were constructed by 90 volunteers who contributed more than 950 hours of service at the nature preserve. TRLC received generous grants and in-kind donations for the trail project from Town of Stem, Town of Butner, Granville County, City of Creedmoor, the Jandy Ammons Foundation, Universal Leaf North America and Sunrock.
With the opening of the Picture Branch Nature Preserve, TRLC offers 14.8 miles of hiking trails on five nature preserves near Butner, Creedmoor and Stem.
WIZS Radio Henderson Local News 06-19-25 Noon
/by WIZS StaffClick Play to Listen. On Air at 8am, 12pm, 5pm M-F
WIZS Radio ~ 100.1FM/1450AM
Vance County Schools’ Certified, Classified Staff Could Benefit In FY 2025-26 County Budget
/by Laura GabelWhen the Vance County Board of Commissioners convenes next week to adopt the FY 2025-26 budget, teachers and classified staff in Vance County Schools will be among those listening closely to learn whether they will be getting a bigger supplement or – in the case of classified staff, a bump in pay.
The commissioners discussed increasing the amount the school district gets from the county for this purpose at a budget work session on Monday, June 16.
It will add about $1.2 million to the total county budget, which stands now at more than $66 million.
VCS Superintendent Dr. Cindy Bennett said local funding provides vital support for areas not covered by federal or state sources. Teacher supplements is one such area.
Bennett told WIZS News that certified teaching staff currently get a supplement of $2,500 – that amount hasn’t gone up since at least 1999 – that’s 25 years.
In its funding request to commissioners, the Vance County Board of Education had asked that the supplement be doubled, and that classified staff get a 10 percent salary supplement.
Commissioners discussed providing $1,000 for certified staff and a 2 percent increase for classified staff.
“This supplement is funded through local appropriations and is included in the annual budget approved by the Vance County Board of Commissioners,” Bennett said. “Though the amount of teachers has decreased with fewer students in the district, expenses have increased in many areas, most notably insurance rates, state-mandated pay raises for locally funded positions, and increased payments to charter schools,” she stated.
Bennett acknowledged the collaboration between the school district and county leaders with regard to educator compensation, calling it “an encouraging step in the right direction.”
She said she and school leaders “remain hopeful that additional support will be appropriated, inclusive of our classified staff.”
Local supplements help attract and retain teacher talent, Bennett said. School districts in larger counties can offer larger supplements, making it difficult for smaller districts to keep teachers.
Bennett said that once the county has approved its budget, 30 percent of the money appropriated to Vance County Schools is distributed to charter schools. “Currently, there are 21 charter schools who receive funding from these appropriations for 2,113 students,” Bennett said.
Data from 2023-24 shows Vance County ranks 101st among the state’s 115 Local Education Agencies In North Carolina for local per-pupil expenditure, with $1,748.12 per pupil.
Granville County ranks 33rd at $2,918.94 per pupil, Warren County ranks 21st at $3,405.61 per pupil and Franklin County is 52nd at $2,531.59 per pupil.
This information comes from the N.C. Public Schools Statistical Profile, found in the following link: http://apps.schools.nc.gov/ords/f?p=145:34:::NO:::
TownTalk: Keeping Teen Drivers Safe
/by Laura GabelTeens are four times as likely to be in a car crash and three times as likely to die in a crash, according to information from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a nonprofit organization that conducts research on crash testing and safety tests on vehicles, and rates them according to those results. The IIHS is fully funded by the automobile insurance industry and provides information to policy makers and departments of transportation about how to make roadways safer.
Joe Young, IIHS director of Media Relations, cited four main – and familiar – factors that contribute to car crashes: distracted driving, impaired driving, speeding and failure to use seatbelts.
Now that most schools are out for the summer, there’s a greater likelihood that more teen drivers are on the road, and they’ve got friends or family as passengers.
“Looking nationwide, we see about 30 extra teens dying each month in crashes” during the summer, Young said.
“In North Carolina, we do see crash deaths are a little bit above (the national) average,” he said.
They may be driving to places they’re less familiar with – like the beach or other vacation spot, Young said on Wednesday’s TownTalk.
The time between Memorial Day and Labor Day has become known as the 100 deadliest days of the year, Young said, for the simple fact that more cars are on the road, and some of those cars are being driven by inexperienced drivers. Throw in one or more of those four factors and it all adds up to be a more dangerous driving environment, Young said.
And while awareness plays a role in reducing car crashes, Young recommends several additional tangible steps for parents and teens to take. Here are a few things to consider:
“Our reminder to parents is to get to know the laws in your state, but feel free to make your own rules,” Young said.
“And set a good example” for teen drivers. “They’re always watching.”
Visit www.iihs.org to find a list of cars for drivers of all ages based on safety considerations. Download a teen driver contract template as well.
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Vance County Sheriff: Two Arrested On Drugs Charges
/by WIZS Staff– Press release from Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame
On Thursday, June 12, 2025 members of the Vance County Sheriff’s Office VICE/Narcotics Unit and the HPD Narcotics Unit executed a search warrant at 2006 Julia Ave., Henderson, NC 27537 following a month’s long investigation into crack cocaine sales from the residence.
Investigators located and seized Crack Cocaine, Marijuana, a stolen ATV and other items of drug manufacturing equipment from the residence. Reuben Cooper was arrested and charged with Possession with intent to manufacture, sell and deliver SCH II, Felony Possession of Cocaine, Maintaining a Dwelling for Selling Controlled Substance, Possession of stolen property and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.
Ruby Cooper was charged with Possession of stolen property and Maintaining a Dwelling for Selling Controlled Substances.
Reuben Cooper was given a $120,000 secured bond and Ruby Cooper was given a bond of $60,000.
Both were placed in the Vance County Jail.
Vance County Man Arrested On Drug, Weapon Charges
/by WIZS Staff— Press release from Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame
On or about the 16th day of June, 2025, the Vance County Sheriff’s Office, along with the Henderson Police Department Narcotics and Vice Unit and the NCSBI, executed a Search Warrant for illegal drugs in the Williamsboro community at 141 Cardinal Lane, Henderson N.C. 27537.
The execution was the result of a multi-agency investigation regarding illegal drug sales from suspects located within the above residence.
At the time of service of the search warrant, investigators found the home to be occupied by Obryant Keith Clark, age 49 of that address.
During the search, investigators located certain quantities of cocaine, crack cocaine, and marijuana. Additionally, one firearm and various items of drug paraphernalia was located.
Clark faces the following charges made as a result of the investigation:
A secured bond of $50,000 was set by a magistrate.
TownTalk: 9th Annual Bee Jubilee Buzzes Into Granville County Expo Center Saturday, June 28
/by Laura GabelThe 9th annual Bee Jubilee and Food Truck Rodeo will take place on Saturday, June 28 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Granville County Convention & Expo Center.
Christy Henthorn, one of the event organizers, said the daylong celebration of all things “bee” has something for everyone, from educational workshops to live entertainment and a live auction – not to mention all the honey and beeswax products that will be available for purchase.
The event is free to the public and has evolved from a small event with a couple of hundred visitors to one that attracts thousands of folks from near and far.
There are additional children’s activities planned for this year, Henthorn said. “It will be very well rounded…there will be something for everyone.”
Anticipating hot temperatures, there will be a misting tent to help visitors keep cool, but there’s another activity that’s going to make an even bigger splash – a dunk tank.
Sign up to spend 15 minutes in the dunk tank and help raise money that will be sent to beekeepers in western North Carolina who lost hives in last fall’s flooding.
The event, hosted by the Granville County Beekeepers, celebrates all types of pollinators, Henthorn said, from honeybees to native bees, and other animals that pollinate, from insects to birds and other animals.
Workshops will be held throughout the morning on a variety of topics including Beekeeping 101, apitherapy (bee venom therapy) and planting for pollinators.
The live auction will begin at 1:30 p.m. and there will be a competition that judges local honey and products made with local honey and beeswax.
Find out all the details, including rules and categories for the judging competition at https://granvillecobeekeepers.wildapricot.org/BEE-JUBILEE
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Home and Garden Show
/by WIZS StaffHome and Garden Show with Vance Co. Cooperative Ext.
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WIZS Radio Henderson Local News 06-18-25 Noon
/by WIZS StaffClick Play to Listen. On Air at 8am, 12pm, 5pm M-F
WIZS Radio ~ 100.1FM/1450AM
TownTalk: Commissioners Expected To Adopt $66M Budget Monday, June 23
/by Laura GabelThe Vance County Board of Commissioners is expected to adopt the FY 2025-26 budget at a meeting to be held at 4 p.m. on June 23. At a budget work session on Monday, June 16, commissioners discussed increasing teacher supplements, skyrocketing insurance costs and cost-of-living adjustments – all of which contributed to $3.1 million in new expenses that caused the budget to be about 10 percent more than last year’s approved budget.
County Manager C. Renee Perry said the 2025-26 budget stands at $66,383,251, which is $1.4 million more than the budget that she presented to commissioners in May.
Perry said $4,068,875 will come from the general fund to balance the budget.
With $1.2 million for health insurance, $1.2 million in additional funds to the school system and $750,000 in cost-of-living adjustments for county employees, the budget had no way to go but up.
Vance County Schools will use the extra $1.2 million to cover a supplement increase to $1,000 for certified teachers and a 2 percent adjustment for classified staff. “This will be recurring annually and it’s three pennies of the tax increase from last year,” Perry told WIZS News Tuesday morning.
During the budget work session, Commission Chair Carolyn Faines vocalized support for teachers. Despite decreasing enrollment, school consolidation and fewer teachers working in the district, Faines said, “Teachers are still teaching…it’s not about how many students or how many teachers.”
Commissioner Leo Kelly advocated for the supplement increase to show “we support you and we’re doing everything we can to keep you,” Kelly said. “I support giving them as much as we can.”
Property and liability insurance rates also climbed by $85,000, Perry said, because of the situation with the Department of Social Services child welfare liabilities takeover by the state and the ongoing issues at the detention center. And Perry Memorial Library Director Patti McNally asked for an additional $63,000 for library employees’ health insurance.
The rates had not been released when the library budget request was submitted, Perry said, so that’s why it was not included in the original request. Library employees are included among those who get health insurance from the county.
“At some point, we have to have discussions on how to possibly reduce our budget,” Perry stated to commissioners, “but also increase our tax base with economic development – we have to.”
About 20 minutes into the work session, Commissioner Tommy Hester asked where the county could look to decrease the budget.
“I’m going to bring up a touchy subject and I might as well bring it up now while we’re looking at a decrease,” Hester said.
He continued by stating that the Vance County Rescue Squad has received more than $785,000 in the past 35 months – that’s about $25,000 a month, he figured.
How much money would the county save if the rescue squad functions were placed under the umbrella of the Vance County Fire Department?
Addressing commissioners, Fire Chief Marvin Harrison said it would be a matter of millions, over 15 or 20 years’ time.
The current contract with the rescue squad ends on June 30, 2025, and commissioners agreed that a 90-day extension would allow for adequate discussion. Faines said she would like to have rescue squad representatives come to the July meeting.
Perry told WIZS News Tuesday that “the rescue squad would be funded for 90 days while Vance County Fire Department purchases equipment and apparatus needed to provide the same service that the rescue squad offers. “A lot of people in this community think that because it’s in Vance County that that’s part of the county. It is not,” Hester emphasized.
Harrison told commissioners that the county has sufficient staff trained for rescue to be successful if a consolidation occurs. Perry confirmed that statement Tuesday. “The county fire department has staff trained currently as well as other volunteer fire agencies trained to assist if needed.”
What the county lacks is the equipment necessary to do the job properly.
Harrison said the rescue squad is supposed to provide the services of heavy rescue, water rescue and another service that he didn’t specify.
Brummitt said the rescue squad assists firefighters on calls. “They…provide air bottles when they’re on scene, they refill air bottles when they’re fighting fires.”
Harrison said it would cost roughly $150,000 – a one-time cost – to purchase the equipment needed to perform the rescue services.
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