Mike Waters

Statewide DWI Report Reveals High Marks for Eleventh Prosecutorial District

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— press release — 

The 11th Prosecutorial District (Vance, Granville, Franklin, Warren and Person Counties) successfully  prosecuted more Driving While Impaired (DWI) cases per capita than all districts but one in the past year according to a recent report.

On July 28, 2022, the North Carolina Sentencing and Policy Advisory Commission released a report analyzing Driving While Impaired (DWI) convictions and sentencing across the state during fiscal year 2021 (July 1, 2020, through June 30, 2021). The report found the 11th Prosecutorial District secured the greatest number of DWI convictions by population, 6 per every 1,000 adults, and the second highest total number of convictions, with 1,143, of any district in North Carolina.

“Prosecuting those who drive while impaired is one of our most important jobs in the 11th Prosecutorial District because it keeps everyone in our community safer,” said District Attorney Mike Waters. “That is why we continued prosecuting DWIs throughout the pandemic. I am proud of the work my team, together with the Clerks and Judges, has done to remove intoxicated drivers from our roads. This is the second year in a row that our district has been tied with another district at the top of the list for prosecuting DWIs.”

The complete Sentencing and Policy Advisory Commission Driving While Impaired Convictions Statistical Report for Fiscal Year 2021 and for previous fiscal years can be found at https://www.nccourts.gov/documents/publications/dwi-convictions-statistical-reports.

Henderson Vance Recreation & Parks

TownTalk: Henderson Rec P.U.L.L. Event To Bring Community Together

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Events like the upcoming P.U.L.L. event are just part of the reason why the local parks and recreation department were honored at a national conference that focuses on ways to curb gang activity and gang violence.

Shantel Hargrove, youth services outreach coordinator for the Henderson Vance Recreation and Parks Department, said she and director Kendrick Vann were in Chicago for the national gang specialist training conference that concluded last week and were surprised to hear their names called as recipients of the Spirit Award, for “significant public service and issues of gang prevention, intervention and counseling.”

Hargrove spoke with John C. Rose on Thursday’s Town Talk. “We didn’t know we were getting the award,” she said, expressing surprise for being honored in front of a national audience.

The P.U.L.L. – an acronym for Peace, Unity, Love, Live – event takes place Aug. 25-28 and is designed to bring the community together with such activities as a two-day basketball tournament, bookbag and school supply giveaway, street festival and free haircuts for youngsters headed back to school.

This is the 7th year for P.U.L.L., Hargrove said, who added that the event seems to get bigger and better each year.

“It all started off with (us) going to local barbers,” she said, to ask them to donate their time to KUTZ 4 KIDS to give basic haircuts and hairstyles for children returning to the classroom. For families with children, the price of getting school supplies, clothes – and haircuts – can get expensive quickly.

“It’s a tremendous gift for the parents,” Hargrove said, referring to the free cuts and styles.

On Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Hair In Motion at 211 Orange St.  will be offering free cuts. Then, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Ice Cold Cuts and Exquisite Cuts 2.0 will be offering their services.

The activities kick off with a two-day basketball tournament, Hargrove said. Michael Bullock is instrumental in organizing the Battle of the Brands tournament, she said, calling Bullock a “great community activist…(who) is all about bringing the community together” to help youth.

“The community loves basketball,” Hargrove said. “And basketball brings out the community.” What used to be a single-elimination tournament has grown over time. “Now it’s a two-day tournament because so many teams wanted to be a part of the event,” she said.

The tournament will be held on Thursday, Aug. 25 and Friday Aug. 26 in the HVRPD gymnasium (former Eaton Johnson gymnasium). Tickets are $5 for adults 18 and older; tickets for youth 17 and younger are $2.

The street festival and community cookout on Saturday will be held in conjunction with the annual Night Out Against Crime, and Hargrove said she appreciates the collaboration of the Henderson Police Department and Lt. Jessica West.

“We’re going to combine and make it one event this year,” Hargrove said. The event will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Chestnut Street Park. There will be vendors, a DJ playing music, a dance performance and other activities including cornhole for participants to enjoy. Free hotdogs, drinks and chips will be available as well.

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Aug. 13 Franklin Freedom Fest Features Dave Bray USA

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Franklin Freedom Fest, a fundraiser for Congressional candidate Sandy Smith, is scheduled for Saturday and participants can take part in a full range of activities through the afternoon and into the evening – from a pig pickin’ to cannon shooting and an open gun range.

The event begins at 3 p.m. at 1770 Seven Paths Rd., Louisburg. Music by Dave Bray USA will begin at 7 p.m.

“We’re hoping to pump up the audience in Louisburg,” Bray told John C. Rose on Thursday’s The Local Skinny!

Smith, a Republican, is running for the seat being vacated by retiring U.S. Rep. G.K. Butterfield. She faces Donald Davis in the November election. Tickets for the Aug. 13 Freedom Fest are $25.

Bray is a military veteran, having served in the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. He said he’d love to see “some uniforms out there,” referring to the concert audience.

His love for singing and music began early, with church choirs as a child and then garage bands in high school. Even when he was active duty, he said he continued to write music.

He said music can help veterans struggling with emotional scars like post-traumatic stress through creative expression. He said he considers his music career, through which he pays tribute to those who are or were in the military, to be a continuation of his own service to his country.

“Bring your flags, bring your guns…let’s have a good time,” Bray said.

Visit https://www.davebrayusa.com/ to learn more.

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New Jersey Woman Sentenced to More than Seven Years in Prison for Role in Drug Organization

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— press release — 

A New Jersey woman who was caught transporting more than a kilogram of a heroin-fentanyl mixture was sentenced today to 90 months in prison for her role in a drug conspiracy. On April 7, 2022, Bridgett Renettier Burrows, 53, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute 1 kilogram or more of heroin and 400 grams or more of a mixture containing a detectable amount of fentanyl.

According to court documents, the investigation identified Burrows as a drug courier routinely used by a source of supply from New Jersey. Burrows transported heroin from New Jersey to Wilmington, NC and Henderson, NC on multiple occasions between 2019 and 2020. On September 26, 2020, investigators learned that Burrows was traveling south from New Jersey on I-95 and I-85. Surveillance was established and Burrows was observed committing a traffic violation. During the traffic stop in Warren County, NC, Burrows, who was accompanied by a minor child, acted nervously, and a K-9 sniff of the vehicle indicated positive for narcotics. The resulting search of the vehicle recovered 1.02 kilograms of a mixture of heroin and fentanyl.

This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launders, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Warren County Sheriff’s Office, the Nash County Sheriff’s Office, and the Henderson Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Newby and Bryan Stephany prosecuted the case.

Granville County Public Schools

GCPS Safety Summit

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As the first day of a new school year approaches, Granville County Public Schools is hosting a “Safety Summit” on Thursday, Aug. 18 for parents and a host of community partners to discuss all the ways that the district has focused on health and safety of students and staff.

The meeting will be from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Northern Granville Middle School, according to information from GCPS Public Information Officer Dr. Stan Winborne.

Following a brief presentation from Superintendent Dr. Alisa McLean, a panel of community leaders and experts will discuss various safety measures and upgrades within the school district, and also will answer questions from a survey that currently is open for families and others in the community to complete.

The survey link, available HERE , will remain open until Friday, Aug. 12.

The panel will include school board representatives and district administrative staff, as well as the Granville County Emergency Management Services division and Vance-Granville Community College.

The summit will be recorded and live streamed, with links posted on the district website. The event is open for in-person attendance, too, Winborne said.

“In GCPS, we continuously plan, practice and evaluate our safety processes and procedures,” Winborne said in a press statement. “Over the past several years, significant upgrades have been made to the physical security of our buildings and facilities. In addition, we are very proud of the close working relationships we have with our partners in local law enforcement, including our Sheriff’s department and municipal police forces.  We also consult closely with the Granville County Emergency Management division and continue to strengthen our student services support resources for our students.”

Chamber’s Business After Hours Tomorrow At VCS Center For Innovation

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Check out the Chamber’s Business After Hours event Thursday, Aug. 11 from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Vance County Schools’ Center for Innovation.

Chamber members are invited to the site of the former Henderson High School and Henderson Middle School campus to enjoy some networking and refreshments. Parking is available just off N. William Street, behind the main building.

It’s a great time to talk with school leaders about how your business can support education and how schools can help to ensure they’re preparing students for the workforce.

Participants can tour the zSpace lab, SLICE lab, MakerSpace room and video production studio on campus and can learn how their business can utilize the resources available at the Center for Innovation.

There will be giveaways and door prizes.

To learn more, contact Sandra Wilkerson, the Chamber’s director of programs at Sandra@hendersonvance.org or 252.438.8414.

Kerr Tar Regional Council of Governments

TownTalk: Classes Offered To Support Family Caregivers

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A six-week online class designed to help family caregivers do the very best they can for their loved ones – and for themselves – is set to get underway in early September and Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments staffer Susan Tucker wants folks to know how helpful the program is. Tucker speaks from first-hand experience: not only did she complete the class, but she went on to become an instructor.

“I know that it works because it worked for me,” Tucker told John C. Rose on Wednesday’s Town Talk. The class is called “Powerful Tools for Caregivers,” and she said the impact it has had in her own life has been transformative. She has been a caregiver to her mother for the past six years and the tools that she learned from the class have proved invaluable.

The class runs on Tuesday mornings from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. beginning Sept. 6 and continuing through Oct. 11. It is free and designed for any non-paid caregiver; all participants will receive a workbook as part of the class.

Michael Patterson, a family caregiver specialist with Kerr-Tar COG, said participants learn how to take care of themselves as they provide care for their loved ones, which at times can be a delicate balancing act. The class provides information about community resources, as well as techniques and skills necessary to handle and manage stress.

“That’s the wonderful thing about the class – that’s the whole point,” she said, of finding ways to manage the stress of caring for a loved one. It can be incredibly overwhelming, she added, and rarely is the caregiver prepared for or aware of what they’re getting into.

The class is different from other programs that may be focused squarely on the person who requires the care, which may provide a checklist of all the things that should be done for that person to receive proper care.

“(This) class really gives the caregiver the tools to handle their role as a caregiver,” Tucker said. “It puts tools in your hand to perform those tasks so that you can thrive while you’re caring for your loved one.”

The biggest takeaway for Tucker, she said was a feeling of confidence. “II actually felt – all of a sudden – that I could do it. I didn’t feel alone.”

Call 252.436.2040 to register for the Powerful Tools for Caregivers class.

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Home And Garden Show

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

Paul McKenzie of the Vance County Extension Service and guest Johnny Coley of Warren County Extension Service discuss paw paws.

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