Warren County Native Serves In U.S. Navy

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  • Information courtesy of Navy Office of Community Outreach

A Warren County native serves as master-at-arms for the U.S. Navy in Pearl Harbor and has stated that the lessons he learned growing up in rural North Carolina have helped him throughout his 20-year career.

Chief Petty Officer Michael Atkins, of Littleton, is assigned to Commander Naval Surface Group Middle Pacific operating out of Pearl Harbor.

“I joined the Navy because of a family tradition of service,” Atkins said in a press statement from the Navy’s office of Community Outreach.

Atkins, a 1997 graduate of Warren County High School, said he is proud to help others succeed in their careers and in life. “Being a part of an organization like the Navy is not about an individual, it is a team effort.”

“I come from a small town and we had a lot of respect for others and treating others how you want to be treated,” he said.

“Each of our sailors is an ambassador for the United States,” Atkins said, “whether they are the most junior seaman or an admiral.”

Atkins and the sailors he serves with have many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during their military service.

As Atkins and other sailors continue to train and perform missions, they take pride in serving their country in the U.S. Navy.

“To me, serving in the Navy means carrying on a tradition of our nation’s history that goes back hundreds of years and I am now part of that history,” said Atkinss.

Atkins is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.

“I would like to thank my parents, Charles and Linda, my wife, Maria, daughter, Natasha, and countless mentors and service members I have served with for supporting me and giving me guidance along my career,” added Atkins.

With 90 percent of global commerce traveling by sea and access to the Internet relying on the security of undersea fiber optic cables, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity of the United States is directly linked to trained sailors and a strong Navy.

“Our mission remains timeless – to provide our fellow citizens with nothing less than the very best Navy: fully combat-ready at all times, focused on warfighting excellence, and committed to superior leadership at every single level,” said Adm. Mike Gilday, chief of Naval Operations. “This is our calling. And I cannot imagine a calling more worthy.”

SportsTalk: Hunt Prepares Eagles For Football

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The Warren County High School Eagles’ progress as a football team can be easily traced by looking at the number of wins over the last three years. Two, four and, last season, seven. Those seven wins last year put the Eagles in the state high school playoffs.  Victor Hunt, Head Football Coach and Athletic Director at Warren County, points out that those seven wins came with a struggle: overcoming an injury bug. “We were down to a fourth string running back,” Hunt said on Thursday’s SportsTalk.  The injuries caused Warren County to get off to a slow start last year and put players who were not ready to play on the field. Hunt hopes that experience along with many returning players from last year will mean that the Eagles can improve on last year’s playoff team.

Warren County kicks off their season on Friday, August 18th against Vance County in Henderson.  “It’s a rivalry game. The loss last year haunts us.  It really hurt and it really stung, ” Hunt said of the last minute Vance County win.

He has 47 players on the roster this season and is pleased with the number of kids who have turned out. “Winning helps but it has a lot to do with what is going on culturally at the school,” Hunt said about athletic participation.

As athletic director, Hunt has also kept things moving along for volleyball and cross country.  The Eagles’ volleyball team has back to back conference championships and Hunt is looking for a threepeat in that sport.  Last year also saw the cross country team bring their first conference championship back to Warren County High School as well.

You can hear the matchup between Warren County and Vance County here on WIZS beginning at 6:50pm Friday, August 18th.

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The Local Skinny! Pop The Hood: Air Filters

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— For our sponsor, Advance Auto Parts, as part of a paid radio sponsorship on WIZS.

Air filters play a vital role in preventing dirt, grit and other impurities from fouling vehicle engines. In the old days, the air filter casing was pretty easy to spot: it was round like a donut and sat right up there on top in a housing that resembles a frying pan.

At least that’s how WIZS co-host John Stevenson said he describes it. These days, however, an air filter is likely found in a rectangular housing near the inside of one of the fenders.Stevenson and colleague Bill Harris discussed the finer points of air filters on the Pop the Hood segment of The Local Skinny!

Let the folks at Advance Auto Parts help you figure out the right type for your make and model.

With just a few bits of information – make, model, year and/or the VIN – the staff at Advance Auto can help you determine the exact type of filter you need.

The air filter should be changed annually – more often, though, if you drive along dusty areas like gravel roads or other places that kicks up dirt.

A clogged air filter can affect your vehicle’s overall performance, Stevenson said.

“It can affect your gas mileage and could throw a check engine light,” he said.

And if your vehicle rolled off the assembly line earlier than 1989, don’t go looking for its cabin air filter – they were first introduced in 1989.

 

The information contained in this post is not advice from Advance Auto Parts or WIZS.  Safety First!  Always seek proper help.  This is presented for its informational value on and is part of a paid advertising sponsorship.

 

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TownTalk: Way To Grow Festival Is This Saturday

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The Way to GROW festival unfolds this weekend in downtown Henderson, putting the crowning touch on a week of activities to promote entrepreneurship in the community.

Heather Joi Kenney, president of Gateway CDC, is expecting more than 50 vendors to set up shop along Garnett Street, as well as along Breckenridge Street, as part of the celebration.

There will be plenty of vendors on site, serving up food and beverages and more. Two DJs are providing music throughout the day and several groups will perform live during the afternoon. Real Entertainment, based in Henderson, takes the stage first, followed by Jim Quick & Coastline and The Queen’s Court of Charlotte, who will entertain the crowd through the afternoon.

Hosting the festival is Vance County native Chanel Scott, herself an entrepreneur who is an author and FOX Soul talk show host.

The event is a way to showcase local businesses, but Kenney said it’s also a way to show off downtown Henderson.

“It draws people in and shines a light on downtown,” she said. The downtown district has plenty of room for future entrepreneurs to open up their business ventures. “Henderson can become an entrepreneurship hub,” Kenney mused.

“At first, it was just going to be a stand-alone festival,” Kenney said on Thursday’s TownTalk. But she took an idea from a local bank representative and created a weeklong series of workshops for new business owners and for others who are interested in learning starting their own business.

About 30 entrepreneurs have attended the workshops over the course of the week, representing a wide range of businesses – from restaurants and boutique clothing to women farmers and medical billing.

Just as with entrepreneurship, planning a street festival requires lots of planning, creativity and support. Kenney said city officials have been helpful during the planning process since the idea for the festival first germinated.

With a grant from NC IDEA to support businesses in underserved, low-income communities, Kenney and fellow organizer Tracy Mosley from Helping All People Succeed, the festival has moved from the planning stage to the moment everyone’s been waiting for: Festival Day.

Kenney emphasizes that Way to GROW is for the entire community.

“This festival is for all members of the community,” she said. “Henderson needs this,” she continued. “We plan to continue it into the future.”

 

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Local Businesses Invited To Show Up, Cheer On VCS Educators At Aug. 22 Convocation

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The Vance County Chamber of Commerce invites local businesses to turn out for the back-to-school Convocation planned for Tuesday, Aug. 22 for Vance County Schools educators.

Chamber President Sandra Wilkerson said it’s a fun celebration and an opportunity to show support for teachers as they come together in advance of the first day of class for traditional-calendar students on Monday, Aug. 28.

According to school officials, teachers will arrive by bus between 7:45 a.m. and 8:30 a.m., and all community “cheerleaders” can line the entrance to McGregor Hall to provide well wishes for a successful school year.

It’d be cool to see some of those familiar business mascots, too – yep, we’re talking to you, Pete the Cat, Chick-fil-A cow, Sparky the Dog and Mikey the Shark…are there others?

 

 

 

Cooperative Extension With Jamon Glover: Discipline Theories

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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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Local Elections Office Ready To Provide Voter ID Cards For Those Who Need One

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UPDATED Aug. 10 – 12:30 p.m.

Registered voters who do not have an acceptable identification for voting in NC can now go to their county board of elections office to get a free photo ID.

Vance County Board of Elections Director Melody Vaughan said Wednesday afternoon that her office is ready to help voters who find they need one of the cards. There is an application that voters must complete before they will be issued an ID, Vaughan stated.

“We can provide this service Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 1 noon and 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.,” Vaughan said in an email to WIZS News, with the exception of Friday, Aug. 11 and Aug. 14 and Aug. 15. Staff will be attending a conference out of town and no ID cards will be processed on those days.

Most voters have a driver’s license, which is an acceptable form of photo ID to present to poll workers in order to cast their votes.

If you have a driver’s license – or other acceptable form of photo ID – you don’t need to get one from the board of elections office.

If however, you need a photo ID, you can come to your county’s board of elections office during business hours to request one. In most cases, the cards can be printed and issued right then and there, according to information from the North Carolina State Board of Elections office. Some counties, however, may need to mail the cards or let voters know when the card is available for pickup.

Find a list of acceptable forms of photo ID here: https://www.ncsbe.gov/voting/voter-id

A voter need only provide his or her name, date of birth and last four digits of their Social Security number to get the ID. With that information, they’ll have a photograph taken and the process is complete.

In addition to the photo, the card will have the voter’s name and registration number. It will expire 10 years from the date of issuance.

County boards of elections can issue cards during regular business hours, except for the period following the last day of early voting through Election Day.

 

Crossroads Christian School

SportsTalk: Volleyball And Soccer Gets Underway At Crossroads Christian

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The beginning of the school year is a busy time not only for students and teachers but for athletic departments as well.  Just ask Crossroads Christian Athletic Director Scottie Richardson.  “We are wide open. We have open house on Monday and school starts on Wednesday,” said Richardson.

Teams are already practicing and preparing for season openers.  The school’s three volleyball teams open at home on Thursday, August 17th against Thales-Apex and soccer will start on Friday, August 18th with a home game against Franklinton.

Holden Coghill, soccer coach at Crossroads, took the team to the final four last year and were ranked #1 all season. “The team got caught up in the hype,” Richardson said but he sees a different mentality this year and with most of the team returning he thinks they will be better prepared to handle the success.  He said the numbers of students that have turned out this year for athletics has been great.

 

SportsTalk: Lassiter Preps Louisburg High For Football

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A quick look at the Vance County Vipers football schedule will reveal a new conference opponent this year.  The Louisburg High School Warriors have been added to the 2A/3A Northern Lakes Conference. “We had no place to go,” Louisburg Head Coach Dante Lassiter said on SportsTalk Wednesday.

The Warriors were 7-3 last year but failed to make the playoffs due to a technicality.  The team did not play a full conference schedule last year and found that they did not have a conference this season so they were placed in the Northern Lakes Conference this season.

Lassiter, in his ninth year as head coach at Louisburg, says the Warriors will be young this year but looks at that as a good thing.  The team will get some experience with scrimmages before the kick off of their season on August 25th against Southeast Halifax.  “We will scrimmage against Warren County this weekend,” Lassiter said.  Warren County is coming off a playoff year last season and will take on Vance County in the opening game of the season for both teams on August 18th.

Lassiter says his coaching experience is an advantage to his young team.  “They know what to expect,” Lassister said.  “I may have coached or played with an older brother or a parent,” Lassiter continued.

The Warriors will play the Vipers in Henderson on Sept. 22nd.