More than 80 acres of land has been donated to Tar River Land Conservancy (TRLC) in recognition of Earth Day, which was April 22, the preservation group announced.
The new tract – 83 acres along Smith Creek in southern Granville County – adjoins a 158-acre tract purchased by TRLC in 2018, according to Derek Halberg, TRLC Executive Director. The property, now 241 acres in size, will be managed by TRLC as the Horseshoe Road Nature Preserve.
“It is very timely,” Halberg said of the donation. “This land plus a significant financial contribution were gifted by Mark and Tara Rein of Raleigh.” The plan is to start building hiking trails on TRLC’s Horseshoe Road property in the fall of 2021.
“This gift will ensure that the land remains permanently undeveloped,” Hallberg said in a press release to WIZS News. He described the property as a combination of hardwood and pine forest and marshy wetlands, which offers refuge for waterfowl and water birds.
In addition to wildlife benefits, the land donation will protect drinking water for downstream communities.
The property has 0.6 miles of frontage on Smith Creek, one of several large Granville County streams that flows into the Falls Lake Reservoir. Falls Lake supplies drinking water to the City of Raleigh and six nearby communities.
The newly donated tract allows the conservancy to expand the trail network currently planned for public use. Trail construction at the Horseshoe Road Nature Preserve is expected to begin in October 2021 and to be completed in time to open two miles of trails to the public in June 2022.
TRLC will begin publicizing opportunities for the community to get involved with the project this summer. To receive notices about volunteer opportunities, individuals are encouraged to contact TRLC at volunteer@tarriver.org or 919-496-5902.
Tar River Land Conservancy is a nationally-accredited land trust that preserves natural resources across an eight-county region of North Carolina – Edgecombe, Franklin, Granville, Halifax, Nash, Person, Vance, and Warren counties.
Since 2000, TRLC has protected 22,267 acres of land and 190 miles of streams. To learn more, please visit www.tarriver.org.
ALE Operation Nets 28 Misdemeanor Charges in Henderson
/by John C. RoseOn Tuesday, April 20th, agents with NC Alcohol Law Enforcement issued 28 misdemeanor charges in Henderson. A total of 15 people were charged.
Clay Joyner, special agent in charge for ALE in District 4 – Raleigh told WIZS News, “Our main focus of what we went that day for was to focus on any criminal activity in and around ABC permitted establishments, with a focus on underage possession, consumption and sale to underage.”
Several areas in the district were targeted during the week last week, and one of those areas was Henderson.
Statewide, in recognition of Alcohol Awareness Month, ALE special agents concluded the statewide enforcement operation on Friday resulting in over 200 people charged, according to a press release from ALE. There were also seizures of alcoholic beverages, drugs, firearms and cash across the state.
ALE special agents will submit violation reports to the North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission documenting the criminal and regulatory violations which could result in fines, suspensions, or revocations of ABC permits.
Vance County was one of 18 counties statewide involved in last week’s efforts.
The Local Skinny! April 26, VCS Budget, Classified Staff
/by WIZS StaffVance County Schools Superintendent Dr. Anthony Jackson says the VCS budget will consider an increase in classified staff compensation.
Q: Middle and high schools were consolidated a few years back and it seems like there was about a $2 million per year savings that was talked about at that time. As we head into the 21-22 budget year, what’s affecting your upcoming budget the most right now and what does your budget look like in terms of savings that you’re realizing from past consolidation?
A: As you can see, we’ve been able to expand programs. Our goal was the savings would be poured back into programming and so since that time, we’ve been able to launch our center for innovation, we’ve been able to launch our V3 Academy, we’ve been able to expand our athletic programs, we’ve been able to expand our fine arts programs, we’ve been able to lower some class sizes at our secondary schools and things like that…the things we promised, we’ve been able to refresh our technology devices and add Z Space labs, so we’ve been able to do the things we said we were going to do while not asking for one additional dime from our county.
Our challenges this year are different. COVID has presented a huge challenge, and we’ve talked about it before, and it’s around the ‘people’ part of this work. The workforce has become far more competitive than it has been and that means that salaries are shifting and so our local…we’re challenged right now to keep up with salaries for our classified employees, particularly in our maintenance area. We’re in the middle of doing a salary study and we’ve found that our employees are significantly behind those in the region. We’ve always known that with our teachers and our professional staff. But our classified staff are equally challenged. So that’s our biggest budget challenge. You’ve got to find recurring dollars for that – you can’t just take savings from one place and move it over there for one year or you can’t just use COVID dollars to backfill. We’ve got to make an investment in our people and that’s our biggest challenge. And so we’ve made a modest request in our budget this year to help us at least begin that process. We can’t do it in one swoop, but that’s our goal to try to do that. Every single metric that we set with consolidation, in terms of reducing our footprint, in terms of expanding programs, in terms of increasing enrollment at our middle and high schools, and as well as offering more innovative programs to our students in our community.
We feel good about that and now we’ve got to go to the next steps of balancing all of that out and making sure we keep the right people in the right seats on the bus so we can keep moving forward.
Vance DSS Info Events to Help with NC Medicaid Deadline May 14
/by Laura GabelVance County residents enrolled in Medicaid have until May 14 to choose from one of six managed health plans that best suit their needs, and the local Department of Social Services is sponsoring a couple of drive-thru informational events to help in the decision-making.
The first event is scheduled for Friday, April 30, with a second on Friday, May 7, according to DSS Director Denita DeVega.
She and Goldie Davis, income maintenance administrator with DSS, spoke with John C. Rose on Town Talk April 13, 2021. Both events will be held at the DSS offices, located at 350 Ruin Creek Road, Henderson. Times for each day are 10 a.m. to noon and 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
DeVega said that, so far, only about 400 of the county’s more than 13,000 Medicaid recipients have chosen a managed care plan. “I’m afraid that people may not be taking it seriously this time.” The process was started last year but ultimately wasn’t approved at the state level. Davis said those who haven’t chosen a health plan by the mid-May deadline will have a plan chosen for them. The new plan goes into effect on July 1, she said.
“One of the advantages of enrolling yourself,” Davis said, “is that you’ll be able to choose the plan that best suits you.” For example, beneficiaries may decide to choose a plan based on which plan their current primary care physician (PCP) is included in, Davis added.
DeVega said the benefits of Medicaid will not change, rather it will be managed more like traditional health care. Medicaid is currently managed by the state, but Medicaid recipients will choose from six managed health care plans to administer their health coverage.
There will be printed information about each of the plans at the drive-thru events so people can read more about what each plan offers before making a decision. DSS is not involved in choosing the health plan for recipients, but the department is providing information and having plan representatives available to answer questions. Each county DSS has a liaison assigned to help people choose the plan that is best for them. Call the toll-free number 833.870.5500 or learn more online at ncmedicaidplans.gov.
DeVega and Davis invite the community to come to the drive-thru event if they have questions. “If they’re not sure what to do,” Davis said, “we can assist them in getting the information they need to enroll in the health plan.”
For complete details and audio click play.
WIZS Local News Audio 04-26-21 Noon
/by Bill HarrisThank you for listening to WIZS Radio, Your Community Voice!
Open Broadband Opening Up to Vance
/by John C. RoseThree years ago surveys about local broadband service went out. Almost two years ago area local governments in Vance, Granville and Franklin Counties began approving contracts. Now, more and more potential from the process is being realized.
Specifically in Vance County, the latest on Open Broadband was revealed earlier this month at the monthly meeting of the Vance County Commissioners.
Open Broadband is a North Carolina company serving 19 counties by offering broadband to underserved communities.
Vance County Manager Jordan McMillen told WIZS News, “Open Broadband has installed equipment and is offering service to customers within sight of our Warrenton Road Water tank and our New Hope Elementary School water tank. They are in the process of testing the equipment and intend to open up LTE service within the next month or so from these tanks.”
LTE service is scheduled to be fully up and running by the end of May.
McMillen confirmed in an email to WIZS, “This will allow our citizens within approximately 5 miles of each tank to sign on for monthly wireless broadband service with Open Broadband at lower rates than the currently available options.”
The company acknowledged that the timeframe for rolling this out is behind schedule approximately a year and a half.
“Over the next 3-4 years Open Broadband intends to spread coverage out to cover larger portions of the county,” McMillen said.
Details, monthly emails and signing up to be on a waitlist for service are available options at the company’s web page — openbb.net.
Learn How To Fly a Drone With 4-H Project
/by Laura GabelIs your child interested in drones and learning how to fly them? Registration is free and open now for young people between 12-18 years to participate in the 4-H Drone Pilot Program.
Over the course of the two-week program, participants will receive a kit that includes the Parrot Mambo mini-drone, 2 drone batteries, battery charging cord and a tracphone, according to Stephen Misenheimer, Warren County 4-H agent.
Families will use the curriculum login instructions in the kits to access the course and will have regular access to a flight instructor should questions arise. Contact Misenheimer 252.257.3640 or scmisenh@ncsu.edu by April 30, 2021.
Read more about the drone program at https://warren.ces.ncsu.edu/2021/04/4-h-drone-program/
TRLC Adds 83 Acres To Create Horseshoe Road Nature Preserve
/by Laura GabelMore than 80 acres of land has been donated to Tar River Land Conservancy (TRLC) in recognition of Earth Day, which was April 22, the preservation group announced.
The new tract – 83 acres along Smith Creek in southern Granville County – adjoins a 158-acre tract purchased by TRLC in 2018, according to Derek Halberg, TRLC Executive Director. The property, now 241 acres in size, will be managed by TRLC as the Horseshoe Road Nature Preserve.
“It is very timely,” Halberg said of the donation. “This land plus a significant financial contribution were gifted by Mark and Tara Rein of Raleigh.” The plan is to start building hiking trails on TRLC’s Horseshoe Road property in the fall of 2021.
“This gift will ensure that the land remains permanently undeveloped,” Hallberg said in a press release to WIZS News. He described the property as a combination of hardwood and pine forest and marshy wetlands, which offers refuge for waterfowl and water birds.
In addition to wildlife benefits, the land donation will protect drinking water for downstream communities.
The property has 0.6 miles of frontage on Smith Creek, one of several large Granville County streams that flows into the Falls Lake Reservoir. Falls Lake supplies drinking water to the City of Raleigh and six nearby communities.
The newly donated tract allows the conservancy to expand the trail network currently planned for public use. Trail construction at the Horseshoe Road Nature Preserve is expected to begin in October 2021 and to be completed in time to open two miles of trails to the public in June 2022.
TRLC will begin publicizing opportunities for the community to get involved with the project this summer. To receive notices about volunteer opportunities, individuals are encouraged to contact TRLC at volunteer@tarriver.org or 919-496-5902.
Tar River Land Conservancy is a nationally-accredited land trust that preserves natural resources across an eight-county region of North Carolina – Edgecombe, Franklin, Granville, Halifax, Nash, Person, Vance, and Warren counties.
Since 2000, TRLC has protected 22,267 acres of land and 190 miles of streams. To learn more, please visit www.tarriver.org.
Vance Board of Education Recognizes Athletes at April Meeting
/by WIZS Staff— courtesy of Vance County Schools and the latest Board Briefs Publication
The Board of Education recognized student athletes. Rosie Kanouff, senior at Early College High School, was recognized as an all-conference selection in Volleyball. Tra’On Lyons, a senior at Vance County High School, was recognized as an all-conference selection in Boys Basketball. Yumyah Hargrove, a senior at Early College High School was recognized as an all-conference selection in Girls Basketball. Blake Vick, a freshman at Early College High School, pitched a complete game no hitter in her first career varsity softball game on 3/17 in a 13-1 victory over Chapel Hill High School. She finished the game with 11 strikeouts in 5 innings pitched. We are extremely proud of our student’s athletic accomplishments.
WIZS Local News Audio for 04-23-21 Noon
/by Bill HarrisThank you for listening to WIZS Radio, Your Community Voice!
Nominate Someone for Citizen of the Year 2020
/by John C. RoseFrom the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce —
The Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce is now accepting nominations for the 2020 Citizen of the Year! This award is presented each year by the Chamber to recognize an individual for their volunteer work to make our community a better place to live. The Annual Banquet and Meeting is the setting for the award presentation. Due to the pandemic the Annual Banquet will be held virtually at a later date that will be announced in the near future.
Please send in those nominations by using the attached form. The deadline is May 21st.
Nomination Form for Citizen of the Year – 2020
The Citizen of the Year award is presented each year by the Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce to recognize an individual for their volunteer work to make our community a better place to live.
The criteria used in making the selection includes:
———————————————–
To nominate an individual for this award, fill out the information below and attach a letter describing the things you think make this individual eligible for this award. If possible, please attach other letters of support for this individual.
Name:
Address:
Place of Employment:
Your contact information:
Name:
Email Address:
Phone Number:
Submit nomination form and letter(s) to the Henderson-Vance County Chamber of
Commerce, P.O. Box 1302, Henderson, NC 27536 or by email to
michele@hendersonvance.org by Friday, May 21, 2021