TownTalk: Vance Elections Board Merges 5 Precincts To Create Newly Named Central Henderson, South Henderson Precincts

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With the proposal to consolidate five voting precincts into two approved by the N.C. State Board of Elections, County Elections Director Haley Rawles presented the plan to county commissioners at their meeting on Monday.

North Henderson 1 and East Henderson 1 precincts are going to become Central Henderson voting precinct, and voters will go to the campus of the former Eaton Johnson Middle School to cast their ballots.

The Hilltop, South Henderson 1 and South Henderson 2 precincts will merge to become South Henderson precinct. Perry Memorial Library will be the voting place for that precinct.

Rawles told commissioners that no candidate seats will be affected; the consolidation will not change the ward or district.

Rawles said information about the changes in precinct locations will be mailed to residents in August and the information also will be published on the board of elections webpage and shared with local news outlets.

The Vance County Board of Elections voted in February 2024 to set the process in motion, and it got notice of approval from then-state director Karen Brinson Bell.

The county elections board had been talking about consolidating precincts for some time, she said. “This has been something that they’ve wanted for years,” Rawles said. This plan reduces from 12 to 9 the number of voting precincts in the county.

More voters are choosing to cast ballots during the early voting period, which has reduced the number of voters who come to the polls on election day. She provided numbers from recent elections to commissioners – one precinct had zero voters come in on election day.

She said the consolidation could reduce by 21 the number of poll workers needed on election day.

In addition to reducing the number of workers, Rawles said the move will reduce confusion for voters about their polling place and will increase the safety and accessibility for voters – and staff. It also will simplify delivery and pickup of elections equipment by county employees.

“The Board of Elections is trying to save the county some money,” said Elections Board Chair James Baines.

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Cotton Memorial Presbyterian Seeks Candidates For Director Of Music And Choral Arts

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Cotton Memorial Presbyterian Church is looking for that special person with a background in music to fill a part-time position of director of Music and Choral Arts.

The church, located at 511 N. Chestnut St., Henderson, seeks a person with at least a few years of experience in leading musical ensembles and knows how to play piano, organ or other musical instruments to accompany choir performances.

It will be very helpful to have a background with children’s music, too, as well as experience with both online and in-person worship technology, according to information from the church.

The part-time role involves leading weekly rehearsal in addition to Sunday worship service. The director of Music and Choral Arts will be responsible for collaborating with the pastor and the Worship Committee to develop and lead the church’s worship music ministry in alignment with its missions, beliefs, culture and bylaws.

The director will have a designated music budget to purchase additional music for church use.

“CMPC embraces a diverse worship music tradition, allowing the director flexibility in choosing Christian music – including hymns, gospel, patriotic and contemporary gospel – as long as it aligns with Scripture,” the job posting states.

To learn more, call the church at 252.492.3478 or email cottonmem@earthlink.net

Perry Memorial Library

The Local Skinny! Vance County Reads with Perry Memorial Library

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Have you seen those baskets with books when you pop in the local coffee shop or the farmers market? Those books are for you! It’s part of a new program called ‘Vance County Reads’ sponsored by Perry Memorial Library.

There are 10 locations throughout the county where copies of three different books can be found, each one targeting a specific age range.

And Youth Services Librarian Melody Peters said everyone’s invited to a big celebration at the end of July to meet the two local authors whose books are among the selections in the baskets.

Lots of communities have group reads, Peters told WIZS’s Scout Hughes on Tuesday’s segment of The Local Skinny! She and library staff developed this program as a way to reach people who may not have occasion to visit the library itself.

“We tried to do what is a nice fit for the community,” she said.

The books are free to take, and you can bring them back after you’ve finished reading them so others can enjoy them, but it’s not required.

The goal is to get people excited about reading, she said.

Local author Curtis Harvey, Jr.’s book titled “The Perfect Pair” is geared for younger children through elementary school-aged youth.

“Super Pancake” is a graphic novel geared toward the middle school and older group, and local author Angie Ellington’s “Autumn at Apple Hill” is the book selected for adults.

Of course, anyone may choose to read any of the books, Peters noted.

Harvey and Ellington are scheduled to be at the July 29 celebration, which will be held at the library from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Find the book baskets at Perry Memorial Library and at the following locations:

  • Aycock Recreation Center, 307 Carey Chapel Rd., Henderson
  • Carolina Peanut Factory, 394 Zeb Robinson Rd., Henderson
  • Duke Primary Care Henderson, 480 Ruin Creek Rd., Henderson
  • Henderson Family YMCA, 380 Ruin Creek Rd., Henderson
  • Oasis of Hope Ministries, 2565 US 1/158 Hwy., Henderson
  • Sadie’s Coffee Corner, 324 S. Garnett St., Henderson
  • Starbucks, 1522 Dabney Dr., Henderson
  • Vance County Regional Farmers Market, 210 Southpark Dr., Henderson
  • Vanco Outdoor Equipment, 296 US 158, Henderson

Visit www.perrylibrary.org to learn about all the programs and services the library offers.

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NC DOT

NCDOT Awards $2.9 M Contract For Roadwork In Vance, Granville, Warren Counties

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— information from the N.C. Department of Transportation

The N.C. Department of Transportation has awarded a $2.9 million contract to Sunrock Industries LLC to improve more than 16 miles of roads in Granville, Vance and Warren counties.

The roads to be upgraded include:

  • US 1 / 158 / Norlina Road from just north of Satterwhite Point Road to the U.S. 1 Bypass
  • U.S. 158 (North Garnett Street/Norlina Road) from near Satterwhite Point Road to U.S. 1 Bypass in Vance County
  • U.S. 1/U.S. 158 from U.S. 1 Bypass to the Vance-Warren County line
  • U.S. 1 Business/U.S. 158 from the Vance-Warren County line to Terrell Street in Norlina
  • NC. 56 (East C Street/Butner Creedmoor Road/West Lake Road) from Central Avenue to South Durham Avenue (U.S. 15) in Granville County

The project will include milling, resurfacing, shoulder reconstruction and curb replacement. Work is set to begin this spring and should be finished by late fall 2026.

“Very Conservative” KTCOG Budget Reflects Federal Funding Uncertainty

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It’s budget season, a time when cities and counties look at that tricky balance between revenues – money coming in – and expenditures – paying for services that residents need.

The Kerr-Tar Council of Government budget, however, relies mostly on federal money to fund its programs.

And KTCOG Executive Director Diane Cox said recent uncertainty with federal agencies reducing workforce and closing whole programs, this year’s budget process was different than in years past.

“I’ve always taken the conservative approach when it came to our budget,” Cox said in an interview with WIZS.

The 2025-26 budget represents a decrease of more than $2 million from the current year budget and does not include any salary or cost of living increases. Cox is proposing a roughly $5.8 million budget and is hopeful that additional federal funding will be available. The 2024-25 amended budget was just more than $8.3 million.

“Over 90 percent of our funding at COG comes through the state but they’re federal funds,” Cox explained.

“No one’s saying anything yet,” she said. “The state folks haven’t heard from that federal folks what those funds are going to look like.” So until then, Cox and the KTCOG staff wait.

“It’s sort of a wait and see position that we’re in,” she said. “We’re preparing for the worst but hoping for the best.”

One area that she’s particularly concerned about is the Area Agency on Aging, which relies on mostly federal funds. As of Friday, there had been no notice that the grant funding will be coming.

“This is the first year in the 14 or 15 years that I’ve been here that we’ve gone into the budget season without some initial numbers,” she said. For that reason, she said the budget is “very conservative” and included an across-the-board decrease.

The Area Agency on Aging programs provide services for the senior centers in all five counties, as well as their in-home aide programs, among others.

Since the pandemic, the KTCOG has provided assistance to many local governments in the region in some form or another.

Cox said while she and her staff wait for word on grant funding, KTCOG will continue to provide services and programs for the region – there’s a disaster recovery and relief expo on Thursday, June 12 at the VGCC Civic Center, which will provide information to community groups and individuals about how to cope in the event of a disaster.

“We have always had a much larger budget at the end of the year than we do at the beginning of the year” because the COG receives grant funding throughout the year.

So, while our budget may look much lower than what our current budget is, the hope (is) – and I pray – that there will be several budget amendments,” Cox said, allowing for the provision of more service.

Cooperative Extension with Michael Ellington: Too Much Rain

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On the Vance County Cooperative Extension Report from Michael Ellington:

We explain how too much rain may cause problems in plants even after the water is gone. Also included are reminders for the farmers market’s new Wednesday hours and an upcoming continuing education credits for commercial pesticide applicators.

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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SportsTalk: Minor League Baseball Update and NCAA Baseball Tournament Update

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SportsTalk 12:30 p.m. M-Th

Scout Hughes and Doc Ayscue give an update on Minor League Baseball in the state of North Carolina. The guys also give an update on the ACC Teams still participating in the NCAA Baseball Tournament!

Friday MiLB Scores:

  • Memphis 12 Durham Bulls 2
  • Charlotte 5 Buffalo 3
  • Double Header
    • Bowling Green 2 Greensboro 1
    • Greensboro 4 Bowling Green 1
  • Rome 4 Asheville 3
  • Hub City 12 Winston-Salem 2
  • Carolina Mudcats 8 Salem 7
  • Kannapolis 2 Charleston 1
  • Hickory 10 Delmarva 2
  • Fayetteville 2 Columbia 1

Saturday MiLB Scores:

  • Memphis 9 Durham Bulls 8
  • Buffalo 5 Charlotte 4
  • Winston-Salem 4 Hub City 1
  • Bowling Green 9 Greensboro 6
  • Asheville 2 Rome 1
  • Double Header
    • Charleston 5 Kannapolis 1
    • Charleston 5 Kannapolis 3
  • Double Header
    • Hickory 10 Delmarva 2
    • Delmarva 3 Hickory 2
  • Double Header
    • Columbia 5 Fayetteville 2
    • Fayetteville 5 Columbia 4

Sunday MiLB Scores:

  • Durham Bulls 10 Memphis 5
  • Charlotte 8 Buffalo 4
  • Rome 3 Asheville 0
  • Greensboro 2 Bowling Green 1
  • Hub City 3 Winston-Salem 1
  • Carolina Mudcats 4 Salem 2
  • Hickory 13 Delmarva 5
  • Charleston 5 Kannapolis 4
  • Fayetteville 12 Columbia 6

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Pete Burgess

TownTalk: Remembering Talmadge R. “Pete” Burgess

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Talmadge R. “Pete” Burgess passed away at his home in Durham on Sunday, June 1. He was 92.

Burgess was a native of Vance County and proudly gave back to his community for decades, farming in the Epsom community and making the Vance County Regional Farmers Market a reality.

In a 2020 interview with WIZS, Burgess said “If you’re living in the community, you need to be a part of it. You need to be involved in what’s going on and have your input…help in any way that you can.”

Whether it was with the Epsom Fire Department, his church or other community organizations, Burgess lived into those words.

Largely through his efforts, Vance County was able to open its farmers market in 2014.

He was a founding member of the Vance County Regional Farmers Market and was acknowledged for his visionary leadership in leading the charge for funding and organizing the building of the current Farmers Market facility. A plaque hangs in the market today acknowledging Burgess for his role in getting the market up and running.

“It was not an easy project,” Burgess told WIZS back in 2020. It took several years before he pieces finally fell into place. But when they did, Vance County had something to be proud of.

The market, as it exists today, may have looked a little different had it not been for Burgess. Those roll-up garage style doors – with a $1,500 price tag in 2014 – were somewhat of an add-on.

“It was the easiest money I had to raise,” Burgess said, noting that he approached businesses to help pay for the cost of the doors that visitors and vendors see today at the market.

Burgess attended N.C. State University and studied agricultural engineering on an ROTC scholarship.  After graduation, he served in the U.S. Army and was stationed in Germany.  He worked as a safety engineer for the Liberty Mutual Insurance industry for 10 years, with various locations in North Carolina, South Carolina and Louisiana.  In 1968 he came home to Vance County to operate a farm, where he grew tobacco, grain, hay, and sweet corn, among other crops.

He was well known for his knowledge of planting, harvesting, curing tobacco and growing quality crops.  He took pride in his farming, always strived to nurture and enhance the land he farmed.

Burgess was a respected member of the Epsom Community, willing to lend a hand to his neighbors and share his expertise with other farmers.  An active community volunteer, he served as a board member and president to the Vance County Farm Bureau organization from 1978-1996.  He also was a member of the North Carolina Farm Bureau Board of Directors, the Farm Bureau State Executive Board, and the NC Farm Bureau Scholarship Committee.

Burgess had a long history of service to his community and to Vance County.  He received the Vance County Community Hero award in 2012.  He was a past president and board member of the Epsom Lions Club; past board member of the Epsom Volunteer Fire Department; worked with the Perry Memorial Library Building Committee to secure funding for the Farm Bureau Community meeting room; past board member of the Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce; and past member of the Vance County Planning Board.

He was a member of the First United Methodist Church in Henderson and served as a president of his Sunday School class and volunteered with the Methodist Men’s group.

He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Sylvia Smith Burgess; son Daryl and wife Darline; daughter Susan Hughes and husband Lyn; daughter-in-law Michele Burgess; grandsons Justin Burgess and wife Mehegan, Bryan Hughes and wife Kaylee, and Nolan Hughes and special friend Allison Wise; great granddaughters Virginia Parks Burgess and Lawson Burgess; and sister Lorraine Watkins and husband Eugene.  He was preceded in death by his parents, sister Juanita Burgess Robinson, and his son Talmadge Burgess, Jr.

Visitation with the family will be held on Tuesday, June 3, from 2 p.m. – 5 p.m. at the home of Michele Burgess, 6876 NC Highway 39 South, Henderson, NC.  A graveside burial service will be held on Wednesday, June 4 at 2 p.m. at Liberty Christian Church, 7818 NC Highway 39 South, Henderson NC.  A service of celebration will be held following the burial at 3 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church, 114 Church St. in Henderson.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions be made to the Vance-Granville Community College Foundation – T.R. Burgess Sr. Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 917, Henderson, NC 27536.  Or to the First United Methodist Church Memorial Fund in memory of T.R. Burgess, Sr., 114 Church St., Henderson, NC. 27536. J.M. White Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

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KARTS Flex Ride Program Begins On-Demand Service

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The KARTS flex ride service officially begins today, providing on-demand transportation anywhere within the city limits of Henderson.

During the ribbon-cutting Friday, KARTS Executive Director Randy Cantor said the service “brings KARTS into the 21st century” with its Uber-style setup.

“My hope is that with the success in Henderson…maybe we can expand to other cities in the four-county KARTS service area,” Cantor said.

Riders can request a ride with a few simple clicks and swipes on the KARTS website or with an app on a smart phone. Customers can load money on an electronic pass using a credit or debit card, Cantor said.

The service will be in operation Monday-Friday, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

City and county officials on hand for the ribbon cutting were supportive and positive the new service would work well for residents.

“We welcome this program and congratulate you all at KARTS for taking on this program,” said Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame.

Downtown Development Director Tracy Madigan said, “This is so exciting…this is really going to help our downtown…we are thrilled (and) we really appreciate all that KARTS is doing.”

Henderson is one of 11 sites across the state to get funded for this type of micro-transit offering.

“Hopefully, we’ll see this program be popular and create demand,” said Grady McCollum, senior project manager for NCDOT’s Integrated Mobility Division.

Being able to have this kind of convenient ability to get around town, be able to offer more flexible rides…this is going to be huge,” McCollum told WIZS News after the ribbon-cutting.

North Carolina is a leader in micro-transit programs like the one that KARTS is launching. Whether it’s a trip to a doctor’s appointment, shopping or a visit downtown, the Flex Ride is available to help get people where they want – and need – to go.

“It’s really exciting to be on that cutting edge” and be a resource for other states across the nation.

“It is a big deal, we’re very excited about it,” said Kai Monast, a transportation program expert who works with the Institute for Transportation and Research and Education at N.C. State University.

It was during COVID that the call went out to find out which entities may be interested in participating in the pilot project.

“KARTS found the capacity to raise their hand and say, ‘yes, we’re interested, even though we’re busy doing other stuff,’” Monast told WIZS News.

“They knew this was the future and they raised their hand and got included in the grant application,” he said.