Home And Garden Show

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On the Home and Garden Show with Vance Co. Cooperative Ext.

  • Check house plants if they have become root bound and replant them in larger containers.
  • If you haven’t checked the oil on your mower lately, do it before the next use.
  • Take out vegetables that have slowed production use the space for fall vegetables
  • Pull, spray or trim microstegium before it sets seed.
  • Prepare for your fall garden.
  • Collect seed from coneflower, rudbeckia, marigold, zinnia, sunflowers and other flowers to reduce seed costs next year. Avoid collecting from hybrid varieties and store seed in a cool, dry location.

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TownTalk: Upcoming Events For Louisburg Historic District

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Unless you’re a history buff, you may be surprised to learn that cemeteries once were considered like parks are today, where people could come and visit the graves of their dearly departed and then stay and enjoy the outdoor space.

Dorothy Cooper, and her fellow board members on the Louisburg Historic District, have embraced this concept and have planned some events that will take place in Oakwood Cemetery in Louisburg.

Local historian Joe Pearce will present a “Graveside Chat” on Saturday, Sept. 9 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. This is a free event, but participants are asked to register. Pearce will be discussing the Davis / Allen family. Bring a lawn chair, a blanket to spread on the ground and even a cooler to enjoy the afternoon’s program.

“I’ve always had a love and fascination for cemeteries,” Cooper told WIZS co-host Bill Harris on Wednesday’s TownTalk. When she and her family bought an old home on Main Street 17 years ago, she visited Oakwood to learn about the family that had built the home.

“We wanted to know more about the home before we did anything,” she said. Not only did she locate the family plot, but also located descendants of the original owners.

Cemeteries can provide valuable information about the people whose births and deaths are recorded on headstones, which range from simple, flat markers to elaborate works of art carved from marble.

Over time, however, headstones require maintenance and sometimes repair. And the Louisburg Historic District helps to raise funds for that work.

The city-owned cemetery is in better shape now than in the recent past, Cooper said, adding that an arborist has been called in to assess the health of the trees that dot the cemetery.

Taking care of the landscape is as important as taking care of the grounds, she added.

The group will sponsor a headstone cleaning and monument preservation workshop on Saturday, Sept. 30 from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

This workshop costs $50 and will be limited to 20 participants, but all supplies and materials will be provided.

“You come away with hands-on experience” in cleaning gravestones. “It’s amazing what water and a soft brush can do,” Cooper said.

The cemetery also will be the site for the second “Sip and Stroll with Souls” on Oct. 29 from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Docents will be on site, some in period dress, to discuss various noteworthy individuals buried in Oakwood. This event is a fundraiser for the group; proceeds go toward cemetery upkeep.

Visit www.louisburghistoricdistrict.com to learn more or find the group on Facebook.

 

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One Woman Faces Drug Charges, Outstanding Warrants

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One woman faces drug charges and a slew of outstanding warrants from surrounding counties after members of the Narcotics Unit of the Vance County Sheriff’s Office  conducted a vehicle search.

According to a press statement issued Monday by Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame, Jessica Edwards was arrested on or about Aug. 4 at 1650 N. Garnett St.

Edwards was the driver of a vehicle that subsequently was searched by members of the narcotics unit.

Edwards faces charges of heroin possession, felony possession of cocaine and possession of drug paraphernalia.

She also was served warrants on eight outstanding charges from Wake, Orange and Vance counties ranging from misdemeanor larceny to possession of counterfeit instrument/currency/check, possession of heroin and aiding and abetting impaired driving.

Edwards was placed under a $71,000 secured bond.

Vance County Logo

Fire Service Study Clears Hurdle

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It took about a half hour of discussion – some of it contentious at times –  as well as various motions and amendments to motions, but the Vance County Board of Commissioners formally approved on Monday the selection of a consulting agency to conduct a fire services study.

And although the board did ultimately accept giving the job to AP Triton as had been recommended by county staff, the board voted 4-3 that the public safety committee and the fire services commission, along with input from Acting County Manager Scott Elliott, would oversee the project.

That decision went against Elliott’s recommendation to the board, however.

The study is expected to take four months to complete and is going to cost more than $48,000. He said he would recommend that the study results come back to the full board for consideration.

Commissioner Dan Brummitt made the original motion that included awarding AP Triton the project “subject to project oversight” by the two groups.

During the ensuing discussion, several board members voiced objections.

Commissioner Tommy Hester said the full board called for the study and it should be the full board making decisions regarding the study.

Commissioner Archie Taylor said the study should provide “a neutral, honest look” at the fire service in the county.

Brummitt maintained that “significant misinformation” surrounding the county fire services had been bandied about in recent months and wants to ensure that the process of the study remain neutral.

Commissioner Leo Kelly said he would prefer to follow Elliott’s recommendation that the full board use its regular work sessions to monitor the study as it is being conducted.

As the discussion among the board members escalated over the course of 15 minutes, Chairwoman Yolanda Feimster declared a five-minute break and then left the commissioners’ conference room. Upon her return, she declared the meeting back in session, with a motion on the floor.

The board then voted to amend Brummitt’s original motion to simply approve awarding the study to AP Triton.

When that motion passed without opposition, Brummitt made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Carolyn Faines, that the public safety committee, fire services commission and the county manager provide project oversight of the study.

During discussion, Taylor again questioned the rationale, and Elliott interjected that in speaking with the AP Triton representatives, he was assured that they would “be making an independent analysis” of county services, and that the study would not be driven by a subgroup of the full board.

The motion passed 4-3.

 

TownTalk: Introducing Philip Weil, Athletic Director At Vance Co. High

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The Vance County High School’s new athletic director has been on the job just over a week, but in that short time, Philip Weil has learned a good deal about its coaches, its student athletes and their desire and determination.

Right now, it’s all about football, but Weil has his eyes and ears on volleyball and soccer, cross country and baseball.

If it has to do with sports and Vance County High School, Weil is ready.

Coming from an urban setting like Las Vegas to a rural area may take some getting used to, but Weil has already found one advantage: Vance County has history.

He switched on the lights at the football field on a recent evening and was wowed by what he saw. “It was gorgeous.”

As he gets to know the process of being an AD, understand the school atmosphere and the sports conference, Weil said he wants to get the community more involved.

One thing he’d like to do is have some high school basketball games held in the gym at the middle school campus. After all, it used to be the home of the Northern Vance Vikings.

But right now, it’s football.

“From what I’ve seen so far from Coach Elliott’s team, they are determined and strong,” Weil said. He called their first tackling practice last week “phenomenal,” in fact.

“I think they are determined to get that state championship.”

As a middle-school baseball and football coach from 2013-22, Weil said he was able to develop student athletes’ skills by getting them involved in a strength and conditioning program.

“Scholarships are made in the weight room,” he said. It wasn’t always easy to get those middle schoolers interested in weight training, but he said the student athletes here at VCHS are motivated.

“They just want to get better and stronger and faster,” he said.

 

 

Perry Memorial Library

The Local Skinny! Summer Success And Fall Events At Perry Memorial Library

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Libraries are usually associated with books – words on pages. But if you’re Melody Peters, you also gotta look at the numbers.

The number 8 – that’s how many weeks of summer programming is in the books (no pun intended) at Perry Memorial Library. The number 38 – that’s how many programs were held. And 1,500-plus? That’s how many participants took part.

“We were busy,” Peters, Youth Services Director at the library, told WIZS co-host Bill Harris during Tuesday’s segment of The Local Skinny! “It was a GREAT summer!” she proclaimed.

In addition to all the different programs held at the library, Peters said a lot of new patrons got library cards, and there were other families who returned after a long hiatus, thanks largely to the COVID-19 pandemic.

There were groups of day campers who got to visit the library, too, which Peters said was good for the library AND for the youngsters whose parents work and didn’t have the time to bring them to check out books or enjoy the programming.

There’s a lot of planning that goes in to creating a successful summer program, but as the saying goes, it isn’t work if you love what you do.

And that is true for Peters. “I love what I do,” she said. “I love talking to people and working with kids of all ages.”

When she can help a young person find a book that brings a smile to their face, it’s a gift.

“I think it’s the best gift in the world,” she said.

But she’s not resting on her laurels, just taking a slight breather during August before fall programming cranks back up.

Thanks to input from the community, there will be a few adjustments to the fall schedule, along with some additional programs for young people to enjoy.

The Maker Space is opening up for a gaming and robotics club on Thursdays, she noted.

And the popular Lego Club, Life Hacks, Survival Skills and Kids Connect will continue.

“It’s kind of the same model…then things will expand a little bit,” she said.

One add-on comes from a suggestion Peters got on a sticky note, on which a young person wrote “electricity.”

She contacted Vance Granville Community College, got some ideas and then got a grant for all the materials needed to teach the nuts and bolts of electricity to youngsters.

“That’s what I love,” Peters said, of the responsive collaboration to create new programs.

It’s planned for Oct. 10, which coincidentally is a teacher workday.

She’s got the equipment, the contact and the space, she said, to present the program.

Considering the interest from the summer program, getting the kids to participate shouldn’t be too difficult.

Find out about all the services and programs offered at Perry Memorial Library at https://www.perrylibrary.org/.

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Vance County High School

Vance Co. Vipers Kick off Season August 18th

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It’s not far off. August 18th will see the return of high school football as the Vance County Vipers open their season at home against long time rival Warren County. Head Coach Aaron Elliott made impressive strides last season in his first year at the helm of the Viper’s program taking Vance Co. into the playoffs and he’s preparing for an even bigger year this season. The team has emphasized weight training in the off season and brought in a new defensive coordinator. All is looking good on paper for the Vipers but the real test is when they hit the field against some strong competition this season.

After facing Warren County, the Vipers have several games against some very strong opponents including Louisburg, Northern Durham and perennial conference favorite Southern Durham.
You can follow the Vipers all season long here on WIZS on Vance County Friday Night Football as John Rose, David “Doc” Ayscue and Bill Harris bring you all of the action of every game all season long live. Join us on Friday, August 18th at 6:50 for the season opener from Vance Co. Stadium as the Vipers take on those Eagles from Warren County.

Cooperative Extension With Paul McKenzie: What Works in the Garden

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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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