TownTalk: From An Owner’s Perspective – WIZS Radio

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Editor’s note: WIZS part-timer Jayden Watkins took some time to sit and chat with John Charles Rose for Thursday’s segment of TownTalk. In what amounts to a role-reversal of sorts, Watkins was the interviewer who posed questions to John Charles to learn more about his life’s work and his vision of the radio station’s role in the community.

There are so many different ways to define “family” these days: there’s family that we’re related to, by birth or by marriage; then there’s “work” family – the people we spend so much time with as we go about our jobs; and there’s also the community of people who live near us, in the same town or even in the same neighborhood.

And since WIZS Radio is a family-owned business serving a local market, Rose finds himself keeping an eye out for them all as he goes about a normal workday.

“I care a lot about what I do,” he said on Thursday’s TownTalk, reflecting back on his career that includes owner/operator/reporter/writer/interviewer/engineer/ad seller.

“I’m still in it, rollin’ hard, rockin’ and rollin’, going just as hard as I can,” even though it may not have been exactly the career path his father would have chosen for his only child.

John D. Rose III would have been 81 this year. Since his dad’s death in 2007, John Charles has stepped in and stepped up to be the guiding force of the radio station.

Gathering news has evolved from the days when he followed his dad around the Henderson Daily Dispatch newsroom and later around the radio station, which members of the Rose family bought in June 1989.

“My daddy just loved radio,” Rose said. “I love radio and I loved my dad,” so it wasn’t a surprise that when it came time for college, John Charles headed off to UNC-Chapel Hill to study broadcast journalism.

By that time, however, he’d already learned the workings of the local station inside and out. He started out mowing the grass, but soon found himself inside the station behind the mic and running the board.

“I grew up around him doing his job,” Rose recalled of his childhood years with his dad. “We listened to scanners and went to car wrecks and fires and things that were going on that were news items. You didn’t gather the news electronically like you do now. You had to go…you had to be there and talk to the people there on the scene and find out what was going on.”

He graduated from UNC in 1998 and “I’ve been rollin’ ever since.”

But it’s not always easy, he readily admits. There are fewer and fewer locally owned and operated radio stations in the U.S. “It can be a difficult push at times.”

He said he’s proud of the staff that keeps things (mostly) humming as the radio station keeps its focus local.

“We’re a mainstream radio station,” Rose said. “We don’t have a niche, but if we did have a niche, our niche is local…local is what people want to hear.”

But when you’re a small station with a small group of employees, it’s tough to be at every city and county meeting, every ribbon-cutting and sports event important in the life of a community.

“My family now – the wife and children that I have – they suffer at times for want of more attention and time from me. Because I work too much,” he said.

Of all the good parts of the job that he can name, that’s one of the parts that isn’t good because of the effects it has on his family.

And of the things he’s proud of – getting a college degree, having a local radio station that provides a valuable service to the community – he is proudest, hands down, of his family.

“I’m so thankful that God wanted me to be in union with another…and blessed to have children,” he said.

He finds himself giving a lot more thought these days to succession planning. “I want the radio station to be present for Henderson and Vance County long after I am dead and gone. I still don’t have a clear picture of what that looks like, and maybe we never discern that.”

What he is sure about, however, is that if the local paper doesn’t print the local news, or if WIZS doesn’t publish the local news, who’s going to do it?

“Part of my passion is for the radio station to be there and present for its community” long into the future, he said.

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The Local Skinny! Vance County Schools District Leaders Recognized

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Two Vance County Schools administrators have completed the North Carolina School Superintendents’ Association Aspiring Superintendents Program.

Dr. Destiney Ross-Putney and Dr. Nealie Whitt III were among a cohort of 39 school and district leaders from across the state to graduate from the leadership program, designed to support school leaders in their current roles while honing their skill sets in roles as future superintendents.

The North Carolina Aspiring Superintendents Program is a highly specialized leadership development initiative tailored for select district leaders who have demonstrated exceptional success in their administrative roles and aspire to the superintendency. Offered through the NCSSA and the North Carolina Alliance for School Leadership Development, the program equips future superintendents with technical expertise, leadership strategies for navigating the complexities of the role and contemporary skills essential for 21st-century educational leadership. Participants engage in multiple face-to-face leadership development sessions and benefit from an embedded Executive Coaching component with proven leaders in the field. To date, 52 alumni from the program’s first eight cohorts have been appointed to superintendencies across North Carolina.

Ross-Putney, VCS chief officer of Instruction and Innovation, said the program offered invaluable insights that apply to leadership at every level.

“The professional learning sessions were highly engaging, and connecting with fellow Cohort IX members has already proven beneficial to my work,” she stated. “I look forward to leveraging these new strategies and expanded professional relationships to further support the students, staff, and community in Vance County.”

Whitt, principal at Vance County High School, said, “Leadership isn’t about titles—it’s about impact. Through the NCSSA Aspiring Superintendents Program, I’ve learned that true leadership is built on vision, resilience, and the courage to make decisions that shape the future. Every challenge is an opportunity to grow, and every student is a reason to lead with purpose.”

Superintendent Dr. Cindy Bennett said she is proud that the two VCS leaders had completed the Aspiring Superintendents Program. “Completing the North Carolina Aspiring Superintendents Program is a significant milestone that reflects not only Ross-Putney and Whitt’s dedication to educational leadership but also their commitment to continuous growth and excellence,” Bennett said. “Their participation in this program will strengthen their impact on our district and inspire those they lead.”

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Cooperative Extension with Jamon Glover: Balancing Work and Fatherhood

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Vance County Cooperative Extension Report with Jamon Glover

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: Keeping Our Coaches Act Filed

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SportsTalk 12:30 p.m. M-Th

Scout Hughes and George Hoyle talk about Senate Bill 657, a proposed bill that would provide funds to pay athletic coaches at public schools in North Carolina using revenue from sports gambling.

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Local Airport Authority Role Is To Manage, Protect Land, Flight Patterns

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Although Henderson gets top billing in the name, the Henderson-Oxford Airport is actually located in Granville County, and the Airport Authority that oversees its operation is owned by both Vance and Granville counties and by both cities.

David Thomas of Henderson is the current chair of the Airport Authority and Jon Carver of Oxford is vice chair.

Carver and District 2 Granville County Commissioner Rob Williford explained the authority’s role and the value of having a regional, public airport as counties and municipalities compete for industry, manufacturing and other types of economic development.

Anyone interested in developing property within a 5-mile radius of the airport is supposed to file a form with the Federal Aviation Administration – Form 7460 – which allows the FAA to provide feedback about the proposals as well as point out any effects that development could have on the airport.

There are height restrictions for structures that may be in a plane’s flight path or gliding pattern near the airport, for example, Williford pointed out.

“All the owners of the airport have to be good stewards of the airport,” Carver said, adding that if the form isn’t submitted, the airport authority could be found in violation of grant assurances. And worse still, the FAA could ask for money back. In the case of the local airport, that would be about $9.5 million.

Carver said he explained this procedure to Oxford city commissioners at a recent meeting during which there was discussion of a rezoning request for 527 acres of land located within that 5-mile radius of the airport.

The FAA is not going to stop the development, Carver said, but without that Form 7460, the FAA could come back to the airport authority and say it isn’t being a good steward.

“They don’t have the jurisdiction to stop the development,” he continued, but added that the authority could incur a penalty and face further consequences.

The airport is in Williford’s district, and he said he has learned a great deal about the airport since he’s been on the county board of commissioners. He said the authority is doing all the proper things for the airport, which relies on FAA funding. “We can’t afford to have that cut out,” he said.

He said he is confident that the city and the county “will come together and work things out and we will be fine.”

Williford said the airport is an asset to both Granville and Vance counties and said as the counties continue to grow and attract business and industry, the airport will play a vital role.

“When we can (say that) we have an airport that can handle corporate jets, that’s a plus,” Williford said.

People coming to check out the area for locating their business or industry are going to fly in, he said. They want something even closer than RDU – and the Henderson-Oxford Airport fits that bill.

But others use the airport for recreational purposes – a lot of people now enjoy flying in for hunting, he said, and even keep a vehicle on the airport grounds for their comings and goings.

In fact, the wait list for hangar space is 49-people long. The airport authority is in a holding pattern waiting for the water lines to extend to the airport that will accommodate the required sprinkler system for fire suppression.

And then the Henderson-Oxford Airport will be ready for takeoff.

House Bill 87 Proposes Cell Phone-Free Education Policy For All Public Schools

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A bill to regulate students’ use of cell phones in public schools sailed through the N.C. House Tuesday.

At present, there is no statewide statute regarding cell phone use by students in public schools, but House Bill 87 would require governing bodies of public school units to adopt a policy on use of cell phones by students during instructional time.

If the bill becomes law, it will be effective for the 2025-26 school year.

According to information from the N.C. School Boards Association, 77 of the state’s 100 counties have policies on cell phone use by students in schools.

Vance County is one of those counties; while there are limitations to using phones or other wireless communication devices, the policy states that students may use such devices for instructional purposes, when the teacher authorizes – and supervises – such use.

Vance County Schools policy states the following:

“Administrators may authorize individual students to use wireless communication devices for personal purposes when there is a reasonable need for such communication. Teachers and administrators may authorize individual students to use the devices for instructional purposes, provided that they supervise the students during such use.

Although use may be permitted, before, during and after school, use of cellular phones and other wireless communication devices may be prohibited on school buses when noise from such devices interferes with the safe operation of the buses. In addition, elementary and middle school students who participate in after-school programs are prohibited from using wireless communication devices during such programs.”

House Bill 87 would require school districts to adopt a cell phone-free education policy which would eliminate or severely restrict student access to cell phones during instructional time. Parents would have to be notified at the beginning of each school of the cell phone-free education policy adopted by the governing board. Likely exempt from the requirements would be remote charter academies, remote academies and virtual charter schools participating in the virtual charter school pilot program.

Home and Garden Show

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The Vance County Cooperative Extension is hosting a community event on the eve of Opening Day of the Vance County Regional Farmers Market – perfect timing to learn more about how what we eat and how we move affects our overall health and wellness.

The Food Farmacy, as it’s called, will take place at the farmers market on Friday, May 2 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

It’s a time for the community to come together to learn how food choices and physical activity can have a positive impact on health while addressing some health-related challenges facing the community.

Event organize and community developer Tyler Chisholm joined County Extension Director Dr. Wykia Macon and Extension Agent Michael Ellington on Wednesday’s edition of The Home and Garden Show.

Chisholm said a similar event held in downtown Henderson in 2022 was well received and he’s looking to build on that success at the upcoming event.

Vance County has higher rates of heart disease, diabetes and obesity, Chisholm said, and a goal of The Food Farmacy is to promote broad access to food and also to spotlight exercise and physical activity as important components to overall wellness.

Chisholm said there will be many opportunities for education from a variety of vendors who plan to attend the event, but he also is confident participants will enjoy themselves, too.

Macon agrees. “It’s a time to hang out at the farmers market – time to talk to people about health and wellness,” she said.

Extension staff and others are working to reimagine the farmers market campus as a way to bring more foot traffic to the facility, now in its 10th year of operation.

It can be a gathering spot for the community, she said, whether it’s visiting the memorial garden filled with native pollinator plants to health and wellness fairs, the farmers market can be “that” place in the community for a variety of events.

And just like gardening, the idea is to start small and grow over time, Ellington said. Sustainability is key, Macon said, so sponsorships are being accepted for the new community garden being installed now.

The garden is taking shape, said Macon. With funds from Triangle North Healthcare Foundation, plans are underway to construct a couple of garden plots that individuals or groups can rent for the year to plant, cultivate and harvest their own vegetables. There are a couple of volunteer work days coming up, too, if you’d like to help.

Visit https://go.ncsu.edu/vcrfmgarden to learn more and sign up.

But the community garden is the first step, she said.

There’s room to grow, she said – literally. The future could bring a walking trail or a food forest, hydroponics or aquaponics, and more.

Supporters want the farmers market to be “a place that people want to come to,” Macon said, “definitely for the market, but not just for the market.

Visions for the farmers market will help to create a brighter future for a healthier Vance County.

 

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TownTalk: Causey Talks Insurance Rates, Hurricane Helene Cleanup and More

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N.C. Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey and his team at the Department of Insurance are advocates for consumers when it comes to claims disputes or proposed rate hikes for automobile or home insurance.

But it was when Causey was trying to call attention to the health of first responders that he got his own wake-up call, and it probably saved him from a heart attack.

At the request of a fire association in the western part of the state a couple of years ago, Causey agreed to have one of those body scans – a sort of ultrasound – to kick off a health program that was going to be offered to local first responders in the area.

Too many firefighters come back from a fire call or from training and subsequently suffer heart attacks, he said, and he said he was happy to promote health and wellness among those first responders who provide a vital service in their communities.

The body scans “check to see if you’ve got any problems,” he said on Wednesday’s TownTalk and when they got to his heart, “they noticed that something was not quite right with one of the valves.”

Most likely, he’d had it since birth and had been living symptom-free. He has since recovered from a surgery last month to correct the problem and Causey said he’s good as new with heart health restored.

He also pronounced healthy the state’s insurance market, noting that North Carolina enjoys lower rates than many other states.

“We’re probably the healthiest and most stable insurance market in the country,” Causey said, adding that our auto insurance rates are some of the lowest in the nation.

That doesn’t change the fact, however, that some people in the state are paying high rates for automobile insurance, he said, as a result of individual driving records or other factors.

“There’s a lot of upward pressure in every state to raise car insurance premiums,” Causey said. He cited four main factors that drive up rates: distracted driving, speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and not wearing seatbelts.

Number one is distracted driving, he said. There are too many people texting and driving, causing accidents that sometimes are deadly.

“If we could get people to put down their cell phones, keep both hands on the wheel and pay attention, we’d be better off,” he said.

More people are speeding these days, and whether they’re zipping along the interstate or two-lane roads, it’s a problem. More people are driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, too. And he said it’s hard to believe, but too many people in vehicles just aren’t buckling up.

All those factors can contribute to drivers and passengers being injured in car crashes, but higher vehicle prices also plays a role in increased premiums.

A tap on someone’s bumper could turn into a $2,000 or $3,000 repair, he said.

“The bottom line is people’s driving habits,” Causey said. “As long as people are driving recklessly and speeding and having accidents, it’s going to keep driving up the cost of insurance.”

Western N.C. Hurricane Relief

Causey said the Department of Insurance has had a presence in western N.C. since Helene’s devastating flooding, and he said there’s been “tremendous improvement” especially with road and highway repairs.  With the current threat of wildfires, that part of the state continues to face challenges.

“We go from floods to wildfires,” Causey said. “Whether you lose your home to a wildfire or a flood, it’s still a loss.” Very few of the homeowners had flood insurance, which means “they got zero unless there was some other damage to the house.”

He said he participated in a roundtable discussion back in the fall that took place in Washington, D.C. convened by FEMA and the Treasury Department to hear about the federal response to Helene.

“The big problem is the flood insurance,” Causey said, adding that there needs to be some way to have policies include damage from floods.

The Department of Insurance offers help to consumers – visit www.ncdoi.gov or call 855.408.1212 toll-free to learn more.

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