It’s a sound many longtime Henderson residents recall fondly – the familiar sound of the train whistle. From the way some local officials are talking, the trains could be running through Henderson once again, bringing with them the chance for some economic development in and around the downtown area.
“I’m excited about the prospect for Henderson and for the railroad,” said Henderson Assistant City Manager Paylor Spruill. “There’s a resurgence and interest in the railroad and what it can do, not just for Henderson, but throughout North Carolina,” Spruill said on Tuesday’s Town Talk.
He and City Councilman Garry Daeke spoke with John C. Rose about some exciting possibilities for a future high-speed rail and freight line, in addition to commuter rail service.
The N.C. Department of Transportation is using some federal grant funding to study the feasibility of having a commuter, or S-Line, rail service. Both Spruill and Daeke said it’s pretty much a done deal that Henderson will be a regional stop on this line.
“We will have a stop in Henderson,” Daeke said.
The next step is to identify a spot for a station that can handle both the high-speed and the commuter service. One possibility is the old bank building located just about in the center of town, Daeke said. It’s been vacant for some time, and the building is squeezed in among other buildings on Garnett Street, but it’s a possibility.
“There are some other sites up and down the line,” he said, but added that it’s exciting to think that Henderson will be a stop on the line. It’s also exciting, from a city perspective, to think “big” in terms of economic development in and around the train station. From business and industry, to restaurants, social and recreational activities, the sky’s the limit.
Additional housing for those who commute to, say, the Raleigh area is another possibility for development.
“We’ve got some time, but we need to go ahead and start looking” for a site where the station could be located, Daeke said.
“There’s a whole lot of infrastructure that will have to go in to support the train station,” Spruill said, from elevator towers and a parking deck to several overpasses and underpasses to
accommodate the flow of rail, street and pedestrian traffic.
The project has some distance to go, but, Spruill said, “they’re still making some giant strides.”
Hicks named Public Information Officer/Grants Admin for Franklin Co.
/by Bill HarrisAccording to a press release from Franklin County: James Franklin Hicks, III will begin serving Franklin County Government as Public Information Officer/Grants Administrator on January 24. Among his duties he will conduct professional public relations work including maintaining relationships with media entities, preparing press releases, facilitating website updates and supporting the administration of grants.
“I’m excited to join Franklin County and work with the county manager on developing new ways of delivering quality content and information to the citizens of the county,” Hicks said. “I believe Franklin County is in a position to do great things and I am excited to get started.”
Hicks comes to the county from the City of Creedmoor where he served as city clerk and public information officer. Hicks, a native of Greenville, S.C., earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from the University of South Carolina Upstate in 2009 and a Master of Science degree in Media Management from Arkansas State University in 2019.
Prior to working in Creedmoor, Hicks spent a year and a half as a local government reporter for the (Greenwood) Index-Journal, a daily newspaper in Greenwood, S.C., where he garnered a statewide first place award in enterprise reporting from the S.C. Press Association for his coverage of economic development.
Prior to his work as a reporter, Hicks served for nearly a decade as a magistrate judge for Greenville County, S.C. He is an active member of the N.C. Association of Government Information Officers and is the outgoing chair of the Mass Communication division of the Southern States Communication Association. Hicks moved to North Carolina with his wife, Marie — who is a registered nurse at Duke University Hospital — and their two-and a-half-year-old St. Berdoodle, Riversong. For additional information, please contact Kim Denton, Franklin County Manager, at (919) 496-5994
WIZS Radio Local News Audio 01-12-22 Noon
/by Bill HarrisClick Play to Listen. On Air at 8am, 12pm, 5pm M-F
WIZS Radio ~ 100.1FM/1450AM
Home And Garden Show
/by Bill HarrisOn the Home and Garden Show with Vance Co. Cooperative Ext.:
Cooperative Extension With Paul McKenzie: What Works in the Garden
/by Bill HarrisListen live at 100.1 FM / 1450 AM / or on the live stream at WIZS.com at 11:50 a.m. Mon, Tues & Thurs.
TownTalk: The Future Of Trains In Henderson
/by Laura GabelIt’s a sound many longtime Henderson residents recall fondly – the familiar sound of the train whistle. From the way some local officials are talking, the trains could be running through Henderson once again, bringing with them the chance for some economic development in and around the downtown area.
“I’m excited about the prospect for Henderson and for the railroad,” said Henderson Assistant City Manager Paylor Spruill. “There’s a resurgence and interest in the railroad and what it can do, not just for Henderson, but throughout North Carolina,” Spruill said on Tuesday’s Town Talk.
He and City Councilman Garry Daeke spoke with John C. Rose about some exciting possibilities for a future high-speed rail and freight line, in addition to commuter rail service.
The N.C. Department of Transportation is using some federal grant funding to study the feasibility of having a commuter, or S-Line, rail service. Both Spruill and Daeke said it’s pretty much a done deal that Henderson will be a regional stop on this line.
“We will have a stop in Henderson,” Daeke said.
The next step is to identify a spot for a station that can handle both the high-speed and the commuter service. One possibility is the old bank building located just about in the center of town, Daeke said. It’s been vacant for some time, and the building is squeezed in among other buildings on Garnett Street, but it’s a possibility.
“There are some other sites up and down the line,” he said, but added that it’s exciting to think that Henderson will be a stop on the line. It’s also exciting, from a city perspective, to think “big” in terms of economic development in and around the train station. From business and industry, to restaurants, social and recreational activities, the sky’s the limit.
Additional housing for those who commute to, say, the Raleigh area is another possibility for development.
“We’ve got some time, but we need to go ahead and start looking” for a site where the station could be located, Daeke said.
“There’s a whole lot of infrastructure that will have to go in to support the train station,” Spruill said, from elevator towers and a parking deck to several overpasses and underpasses to
accommodate the flow of rail, street and pedestrian traffic.
The project has some distance to go, but, Spruill said, “they’re still making some giant strides.”
Vance Charter School Education Lottery Applications
/by John C. RoseWIZS has been asked to announce:
John Sossamon, member of the board of directors of Vance Charter School says, “Vance Charter School Education Lottery applications will be accepted 1/24/2022 – 2/28/2022. Applications can be accessed at www.vancecharter.org. The lottery will be held on 3/5/2022. Parent information sessions will be held on 1/25/2022 and 2/17/2022 at 6:00 p.m. at Vance Charter School.”
Cook’s Chapel Food Distribution Friday, January 14
/by John C. RoseFrom Rev. Dr. Omega T. Perry, Pastor:
Cook’s Chapel AME Zion Church, 200 Center St. in Henderson, will hold a food distribution this Friday, January 14th at 11 a.m. First come, first served. Dr. Perry told WIZS, “We are a partnering agency with the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina. Also, if anyone would like to send a monetary donation, make checks or money orders payable to Cook’s Chapel AME Zion Church and send to PO Box 1056, Henderson NC 27536.”
Damaged Transmission Structure Results in Over 13k Without Power
/by John C. RoseThe widespread power outage in Vance and Warren Counties is over now with all customers restored.
District Manager Tanya Evans with Duke Energy told WIZS News, “Around 2 a.m., a tree fell and damaged a transmission structure in Warren County. As a result, the Warrenton and Henderson North Substations locked out.”
She said the outage affected about 13,780 customers in and around Henderson and Warrenton.
Duke Energy Progress performed “some initial switching and back feeding to restore about half of the customers affected” sooner than the remaining customers’ power could be restored, Evans said.
By 10 a.m., the power company had been able to make repairs to the transmission line and was in the process of energizing the remaining feeders and substations.
As it was explained by Evans, “This process requires testing and load balancing,” but any intermittent and momentary outages were expected to be over by noon or shortly thereafter.
That goal of noon was met as the Duke Energy Progress outage map showed just two customers without power at 12 o’clock.
(Duke Energy Progress is an advertising client of WIZS Radio. This is not a paid ad.)
WIZS Radio Local News Audio 01-11-22 Noon
/by Bill HarrisClick Play to Listen. On Air at 8am, 12pm, 5pm M-F
WIZS Radio ~ 100.1FM/1450AM
Around Old Granville: Dr. Helen Chavis Othow
/by Laura GabelDr. Helen Chavis Othow was an educator, a genealogist, an author and a longtime leader in civic affairs in her native Granville County. She also was a wife, a sister and a mother.
Othow died on Jan. 1, 2022 at the age of 89.
Mark Pace and Bill Harris remembered the life and work of Othow to kick off a new segment of The Local Skinny! called Around Old Granville.
The Chavis family has ties to Granville County dating back to the 1700’s, Pace said, when Granville County encompassed most of what is present-day Vance, Granville, Franklin and Warren counties.
The founder of the John Chavis Society, Othow wrote a biography of Chavis, who Pace said was Othow’s 5-times great-grandfather. Chavis was a free Black man who was born in 1763. He became a Presbyterian minister and taught many children of prominent white families in the area. Othow produced in 1990 a genealogy of Chavis and his family, Pace said, and made several subsequent updates in the years since that original publication.
Although Othow moved away from the area to attend university and then continued in her marriage and career, “she always had a connection back to the county,” Pace said. It was important for her to contribute and to give back to Oxford, he added.
She taught at numerous universities through her career, including her alma mater, St. Augustine’s in Raleigh from 1984-1996.
Othow is survived by her daughter, Ojulo Othow Norman, a grandson, Collis Norman and her brother, Dr. Benjamin Chavis, former president of the NAACP.
She is buried in the Chavis family cemetery outside Oxford.
Have an idea for a story for an Around Old Granville segment? Contact Bill Harris at WIZS 252.492.5594 or Mark Pace at Thornton Public Library at 919.693. 1121, extension 204.
Click Play