100.1 FM ~ 1450 AM ~ WIZS, Your Community Voice ~ Click to LISTEN LOCAL
Monica Satterwhite, center manager for the NCWorks Career Center, and Lou Grillo, interim workforce development director with Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments, appeared on WIZS’ Town Talk Monday at 11 a.m.
Satterwhite discussed the recent relocation of Warren County’s NCWorks Center to Vance-Granville Community College’s Warren County Campus. The new office, which held a ribbon-cutting last week, is located in Building One, Room 1106. The phone number remains (252) 257-3230.
NCWorks Career Centers offer residents job opportunities by matching marketable skills with available employment opportunities.
While in-person services are available, especially for those in need of access to a computer, Satterwhite said the majority of services can be done virtually at this time. Online services include resume building, career assessments, workshops, hiring events and more.
“We are really happy that Vance-Granville was willing to host us, and we’re looking forward to working with the community to help everyone find the jobs that they need,” said Satterwhite.
Satterwhite recommends participants complete a skills assessment to gauge their strengths and determine how they match up with available job opportunities.
Current in-demand jobs include those in the field of manufacturing, health and life sciences, IT and construction.
Grillo, whose agency works to initiate contact between partners such as NCWorks and VGCC, said one particular service – on-the-job training – can be especially beneficial to employee and employer alike.
“Every employer wants to hire the 10-out-of-10 worker, but sometimes you have a person that has the right education but doesn’t have the work experience yet,” said Grillo. “The on-the-job training program allows the person to have an opportunity they wouldn’t have been given before. The company actually gets the incentive of having that person’s wages subsidized up to a six-month period where we can sometimes pay from 50-75 percent of that person’s wages while they learn the job.”
Satterwhite explained that NCWorks can match participants with jobs from a wide range of areas and is not limited to the county of its physical office location. In addition to its new Warren County location, NCWorks offers in-person services locally in Vance and Granville County.
The Vance County office is located at 857 S. Beckford Drive in Henderson and is available by appointment by calling (252) 438-6129.
The Granville County office is located at 111 Hilltop Village in Oxford and is available by appointment by calling (919) 693-2686.
For more information, please visit www.ncworks.gov or the NCWorks Career Center-Kerr Tar Facebook page.
To hear the interview in its entirety, go to WIZS.com and click on Town Talk.
Ola Thorpe-Cooper Appointed to Henderson City Council’s Vacant Ward 4 Seat
/by WIZS Staff100.1 FM ~ 1450 AM ~ WIZS, Your Community Voice ~ Click to LISTEN LOCAL
At Monday evening’s Henderson City Council meeting, Council members voted to appoint Ms. Ola Thorpe-Cooper to fill the unexpired term of Fearldine Simmons. Simmons passed away at the age of 73 on August 9, 2020. Her term was active through 2021.
Thorpe-Cooper was approved by a 5-2 ballot vote and will serve as the representative for the Council’s Ward 4 seat.
Henderson Mayor Eddie Ellington said, “Ms. Ola Thorpe-Cooper is a fine lady that will serve our City well. If you look back on her impressive, noteworthy achievements through the years, that’s what she has done her whole life, help others. We welcome her aboard and look forward to her encouraging personality and many talents.”
Thorpe-Cooper will be sworn in during the October 12, 2020, regularly scheduled Henderson City Council meeting.
Granville Commissioners to Conduct Hearing for Proposed Wireless Tower
/by WIZS Staff100.1 FM ~ 1450 AM ~ WIZS, Your Community Voice ~ Click to LISTEN LOCAL
-Press Release, County of Granville
Please take notice that the Granville County Board of Commissioners will hold a special meeting on Thursday, September 24, 2020, beginning at 7 p.m. at the Granville County Expo and Convention Center located at 4185 US Highway 15 South, Oxford.
The purpose of the meeting is to conduct a special use permit hearing for a proposed Wireless Telecommunication Tower near the Town of Stem off of Tump Wilkins Road.
The Board anticipates going into closed session pursuant to G.S. §143-318.11(a)(3), (4) and (6).
McGregor Hall: ‘The Drifters in Concert’ Rescheduled for Next Fall
/by WIZS Staff100.1 FM ~ 1450 AM ~ WIZS, Your Community Voice ~ Click to LISTEN LOCAL
-Information and featured image courtesy McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center
In light of the coronavirus pandemic, McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center has rescheduled “The Drifters in Concert” to Sunday, October 3, 2021, at 3 p.m.
The Drifters linked Fifties rhythm and blues with sweet Sixties soul music. They have enjoyed a string of honey-voiced lead singers, including Henderson native Ben E. King. Hit after hit followed, including “There Goes My Baby,” “Save the Last Dance for Me,” “This Magic Moment,” “Up on the Roof,” “On Broadway,” and many, many others.
All tickets purchased for the original 2020 concert date will be honored. Additionally, reserved seating will remain the same from the original ticketing orders. If you have purchased tickets for this event, a McGregor Hall representative will be in touch with you via email or phone.
If you have further questions regarding this concert, please contact McGregor Hall:
Email: info@mcgregorhall.org
Facebook Messenger: https://www.
OR
Leave a voicemail on the McGregor Hall Box Office phone line at (252) 598-0662
PURCHASE TICKETS: https://www.etix.com/ticket/v/11557/mcgregor-hall-performing-arts-center
Thank you for your patience as McGregor Hall endeavors to navigate this unprecedented, challenging time in the arts industry, and ultimately, in world history.
SportsTalk Audio: 9-14-20 UNC & Panther
/by John C. RoseWIZS is your local home for UNC Tar Heel games and The Carolina Panthers!
SportsTalk Audio: 9-14-20 highlighted the UNC Tar Heels win over Syracuse and the Carolina Panthers game against LV Raiders.
SportsTalk; M-F at 1:00 p.m. on WIZS 1450 AM / 100.1 FM / Listen Live Online
Click Play for Monday’s SportsTalk broadcast
Town Talk 09/14/20: NCWorks Opens New Location at VGCC’s Warren Co. Campus
/by Kelly Bondurant100.1 FM ~ 1450 AM ~ WIZS, Your Community Voice ~ Click to LISTEN LOCAL
Monica Satterwhite, center manager for the NCWorks Career Center, and Lou Grillo, interim workforce development director with Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments, appeared on WIZS’ Town Talk Monday at 11 a.m.
Satterwhite discussed the recent relocation of Warren County’s NCWorks Center to Vance-Granville Community College’s Warren County Campus. The new office, which held a ribbon-cutting last week, is located in Building One, Room 1106. The phone number remains (252) 257-3230.
NCWorks Career Centers offer residents job opportunities by matching marketable skills with available employment opportunities.
While in-person services are available, especially for those in need of access to a computer, Satterwhite said the majority of services can be done virtually at this time. Online services include resume building, career assessments, workshops, hiring events and more.
“We are really happy that Vance-Granville was willing to host us, and we’re looking forward to working with the community to help everyone find the jobs that they need,” said Satterwhite.
Satterwhite recommends participants complete a skills assessment to gauge their strengths and determine how they match up with available job opportunities.
Current in-demand jobs include those in the field of manufacturing, health and life sciences, IT and construction.
Grillo, whose agency works to initiate contact between partners such as NCWorks and VGCC, said one particular service – on-the-job training – can be especially beneficial to employee and employer alike.
“Every employer wants to hire the 10-out-of-10 worker, but sometimes you have a person that has the right education but doesn’t have the work experience yet,” said Grillo. “The on-the-job training program allows the person to have an opportunity they wouldn’t have been given before. The company actually gets the incentive of having that person’s wages subsidized up to a six-month period where we can sometimes pay from 50-75 percent of that person’s wages while they learn the job.”
Satterwhite explained that NCWorks can match participants with jobs from a wide range of areas and is not limited to the county of its physical office location. In addition to its new Warren County location, NCWorks offers in-person services locally in Vance and Granville County.
The Vance County office is located at 857 S. Beckford Drive in Henderson and is available by appointment by calling (252) 438-6129.
The Granville County office is located at 111 Hilltop Village in Oxford and is available by appointment by calling (919) 693-2686.
For more information, please visit www.ncworks.gov or the NCWorks Career Center-Kerr Tar Facebook page.
To hear the interview in its entirety, go to WIZS.com and click on Town Talk.
Vance County Allocates $50,000 to McGregor Hall; City Considers Funding Request
/by WIZS Staff100.1 FM ~ 1450 AM ~ WIZS, Your Community Voice ~ Click to LISTEN LOCAL
The Vance County Intergovernmental Committee (Taylor[C], Feimster & Kelly) met on Wednesday, August 26, 2020, to review a request from McGregor Hall for funding assistance as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the County’s write-up of the meeting, the committee discussed the impact of COVID-19 on McGregor which includes a $100,000 overall decrease in revenue compared to last year (from March 16 – July 10) and recognized the County could not provide the requested funding level of $250,000.
The committee recognized the local economic impact of McGregor ($2.34 million according to a 2019 economic impact study) and discussed the importance of McGregor to the continued growth and success of downtown Henderson and Vance County.
The committee discussed a recommendation from Vance County Manager Jordan McMillen to allocate $50,000 in one-time funding to McGregor from the County’s Coronavirus Relief Funds (CRF). Two of the three committee members were in agreement and recommended supporting McGregor with $50,000 in CRF funds. The third committee member mentioned a concern with allocating all of the remaining CRF funds and suggested providing $30,000 to McGregor.
According to McMillen, following the committee report, the Vance County Board of Commissioners approved the County’s updated plan for allocating the remaining CRF that came from the Federal Government through the state. The vote was 4-2 with Commissioners Dan Brummitt and Carolyn Faines voting against the final allocation of CRF. (Commissioner Yolanda Feimster was absent.)
McMillen said the $50,000 to McGregor Hall was one of the final allocations approved and funds will be distributed to the performing arts center over the next few months.
Henderson City Manager E. Terrell Blackmon said McGregor Hall reached out to the City to request a financial contribution at the same time they contacted Vance County, which was shortly after the City’s FY 2020-2021 budget had been adopted.
“Council does have an opportunity to consider making a contribution to McGregor Hall utilizing CARES Act funding similar to what Vance County Government has recently done,” Blackmon stated in correspondence with WIZS News. “The City’s pot of funds is much smaller than that of Vance County since we are only a sub-recipient of a portion of the County’s funds. Our first priority with the funding is to up-fit our facilities to make them more COVID-friendly, improve technology for virtual meetings/teleworking and purchase additional PPE. Up-fitting our facilities will take up the lion’s share of the $459,733 we received from Vance County. However, in my proposed budget activities, I have recommended that the Council consider a contribution to McGregor Hall.”
Blackmon stated that he could not provide a specific funding amount at this time, citing the need to await quotes and finalized numbers, but anticipates a final decision could be made at October’s City Council meeting after the presentation of the final CARES Act budget. Ultimately, he explained, the final decision of the City’s contributions to McGregor Hall’s funding request will be up to the Henderson City Council.
Flags Lowered in Honor of Granville Commissioner Edgar Smoak
/by WIZS Staff100.1 FM ~ 1450 AM ~ WIZS, Your Community Voice ~ Click to LISTEN LOCAL
-Press Release, Granville County Government
Granville County Government will lower flags to half-staff until September 15 at all facilities in honor of Commissioner Edgar Smoak, who passed away on September 11, 2020.
Smoak, who represented Granville County’s District 7, was sworn into office in 2010 and was re-elected in 2014 and 2018. He had served in several key positions, which included the Area Mental Health Board, the Audit Review Committee and the Board of Equalization and Review.
He also represented the County on Granville Health System’s Board of Trustees, as well as serving as Liaison for Public Safety, the Soil and Water Board, South Granville Water and Sewer Authority (SGWASA) and for Water/Sewer Matters. In addition, he was instrumental in forming Granville County’s Opioid Advisory Committee, for which he served as Chair.
Smoak was retired from the U.S. Military (National Guard). His most recent term of office would have expired in 2022.
Granville County Commissioner Edgar Smoak passed away on September 11, 2020. Smoak, who represented Granville County’s District 7, was sworn into office in 2010 and was re-elected in 2014 and 2018. (Photo courtesy Granville County Govt.)
Most Parks & Playgrounds Open; Aycock Rec. Center to Reopen Next Week
/by WIZS StaffTHIS STORY IS PRESENTED IN PART BY DRAKE DENTISTRY
-Press Release, Henderson-Vance Recreation and Parks Department
With North Carolina moving into Safer at Home Phase 2.5, the Henderson-Vance Recreation and Parks Department’s parks and playgrounds opened on Friday, September 11, 2020, with the exception of Fox Pond Park (may still access trails through Aycock Recreation Center) and Jackson Street Park.
Aycock Recreation Center will be opening on Monday, September 21, 2020, with the following operating hours:
Chestnut Street Basketball Court will be operating daily between the hours of 4 p.m. – dusk.
All patrons must adhere to the following guidelines at indoor and outdoor facilities:
Henderson-Vance Recreation & Parks will closely monitor and follow guidelines set by the City of Henderson, State of North Carolina and the Center for Disease Control (CDC). Any changes or updates about facilities, classes/programs and events will be available on our social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter) and website at http://ci.henderson.nc.us/departments/recreation_and_parks/.
Local News Audio 9-14-20 Noon
/by John C. Rose– Henderson City Council to Hold Rezoning Hearing, Fill Vacant Ward 4 Seat
– State Board Launches Absentee Ballot Tracking Service for Voters
– VGCC Names 255 Students to President’s and Dean’s Lists
Click on Play for Local News Audio and Full Details…
Gusler Named Franklin Co. Emergency Medical Services Director
/by WIZS Staff100.1 FM ~ 1450 AM ~ WIZS, Your Community Voice ~ Click to LISTEN LOCAL
-Press Release, Franklin County Government
Franklin County Manager Angela L. Harris has named James R. (Jim) Gusler, Jr Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Director. Mr. Gusler will assume the position on October 5, 2020.
James R. (Jim) Gusler, Jr. has been named Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Director for Franklin County. Gusler will assume the position on October 5, 2020.
Mr. Gusler has served in various roles in the EMS field, most recently as EMS Training Officer for Orange County since 2016. In that role, he was the training liaison for the County. Mr. Gusler‘s previous experience includes over five years as a Planner/Trainer at the UNC Burn Center and six years as the Emergency Services Director in Caswell County. He holds an EMS Management Program and Community Preparedness Certificate and is currently a member of the NC EMS Advisory Board.
Mr. Gusler also holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Health from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and an Associate’s Degree in Emergency Medical Science from Guilford Technical Community College. Mr. Gusler is a dedicated public servant and community volunteer. He has been a volunteer for Boy Scouts for many years and has two sons who have both achieved the rank of Eagle Scout.
“Franklin County Administration is delighted to welcome Mr. Gusler to the Emergency Services Department,” Harris said. “Emergency Medical Services are essential services for our citizens, and ensuring the ongoing delivery of high-quality services will continue to be our goal.”
For additional information, please contact Angela L. Harris, Franklin County Manager, at (919) 496-5994.