100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm
-Press Release, Warren County Government
The Warren County Tax Administrator encourages all eligible Warren County residents to apply for appropriate tax assistance programs.
Disabled Veterans Homestead Exclusion Program
The Disabled Veterans Homestead Exclusion program excludes the first $45,000 of assessed value for specific real property or a manufactured home from property taxes; this program is for permanent residents that own their property (name must be on deed).
A disabled veteran is defined as a veteran whose character of service at separation was honorable or under honorable conditions and who has a total and permanent service-connected disability or who received benefits for specially adapted housing under 38 U.S.C. 2101.
There are no age or income requirements for the Disabled Veterans Homestead Exclusion program. Applicants for this exclusion must meet the following requirements:
• be an honorably discharged veteran who has a 100% total and permanent disability that is service-connected or be the unmarried surviving spouse of a qualifying veteran;
• be certified by the U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs of the permanent total disability that is service-connected;
• be a qualifying veteran with specially adapted housing per 38 U.S.C. 101.
This benefit is also available to a surviving spouse (who has not remarried) of either:
• a disabled veteran as defined above;
• a veteran who died as a result of a service-connected condition whose character of service at separation was honorable or under honorable conditions, or
• a service member who died from a service-connected condition in the line of duty and not as a result of willful misconduct.
Elderly or Disabled Exclusion Program
This program is available to permanent residents of Warren County age 65 or older, or permanent residents that are totally and permanently disabled individuals. Residents 65 or older or that are permanently disabled must also meet the Annual Income Eligibility Limit. The Annual Income Eligibility Limit is set every year by the NC Department of Revenue. The limit for this year is $31,000 for income received from all sources during the prior calendar year.
Qualifying owners must apply with the Warren County Tax Assessor’s Office between January 1 and June 1. If you qualify, you can receive an exclusion of the taxable value of your residence of either $25,000 or 50% (whichever is greater).
As of January 1 of the year for which the exclusion is claimed, applicants will need to meet the following requirements:
• The applicant’s name must be on the deed or title to the residence.
• The residence must be the applicant’s primary residence.
• The applicant must be a North Carolina resident.
• The applicant must be at least 65 years of age or totally and permanently disabled. Total and permanent disability is a disability that substantially hinders a person from obtaining gainful employment.
• If claiming disability, the applicant must provide proof of the disability in the form of a certificate from a physician licensed to practice medicine in North Carolina or a governmental agency authorized to determine qualification for disability benefits.
• Meet the combined spousal income eligibility limit, *whether or not both spouses are on the title. The income determination is described below.
Documentation that shows the applicant’s income is required. For married applicants living with their spouse, the income from both spouses must be included on the application even though the property is not in both names. Income from all sources must be listed on the application, with the exception of gifts or inheritances received from a spouse, lineal (direct) ancestor or lineal descendant. Examples of income include disability payments, IRA distributions, pensions and annuities, social security benefits, capital gains, and veteran benefits. This example does not include all sources of income.
More information on reporting income is included in the cover letter sent with the Tax Relief Application Packets. The packets will be made available after January 1, 2020, for the 2020 tax year.
For more information, contact the Warren County Tax Administrator at 252-257-4158.
H-V Chamber of Commerce Announces 2020 Sponsorship Opportunities
/by WIZS Staff-Information courtesy The Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce
The Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce announces its 2020 sponsorship opportunities. This is a chance to support the Chamber’s membership events and to promote your business. If interested in a sponsorship or with any questions, please contact Michele Burgess or Sandra Wilkerson at (252) 438-8414.
Shop With A Cop
Presenting Sponsor (only 1) Maria Parham Health – $3000
Gold Sponsor (unlimited) – $1000
Silver Sponsor (unlimited) – $750
Bronze Sponsor (unlimited) – $500
Golf Tournament
Presenting Sponsor (only 1) Truist Bank – $3000
Gold Sponsor (unlimited) – $1000
Silver Sponsor (unlimited) – $750
Bronze Sponsor (unlimited) – $600
Leadership-Vance Graduation Ceremony
Gold Sponsor (limited to 1) – $1,500
Silver Sponsor (unlimited) – $750
Bronze (unlimited) – $400
Leadership-Vance Lunch Sponsor $300 (unlimited)
Business After Hours $200 (limited to 6 separate businesses)
Chamber provides: logo and email blast for the invitation, social media recognition and radio minute recognition.
Business provides: location of choice, food, beverage, area to display promotional items and brief comments about your business.
WOVEN (Women of Vance Empowered Networking)
Program Sponsor for one quarterly meeting – $100 (unlimited)
Media/Marketing Sponsor
Gold (unlimited) – $1000
Silver (unlimited) – $750
Bronze (unlimited) – $500
Granville Board of Education to Meet March 2
/by WIZS Staff100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm
-Information courtesy Granville County Public Schools
NOTICE TO PUBLIC AND PRESS
The Granville County Board of Education will meet for a regular board meeting on Monday, March 2, 2020, at 6 p.m. at the Central Services Building, 101 Delacroix Street, Oxford, North Carolina.
The Board will also meet in a Closed Session with the Board’s attorney in accordance with N.C. General Statute pursuant to G.S. 143-318.11(a) on this evening.
To view the agenda for this meeting, please click here.
Deported Alien, Found in Warren Co., Indicted on Illegal Reentry Charges
/by WIZS Staff100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm
-Press Release, U.S. Department of Justice
Robert J. Higdon, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, announces that a federal grand jury in Wilmington has returned indictments charging OMAR LABRA-TREJO, age 50, of Mexico, and JOSE GUILLERMO LEIVA-GALVAN, age 34, of Honduras, with Illegal Reentry of a Deported Alien.
If convicted of illegal reentry, LABRA-TREJO, previously deported twice and found in Warren County, would face maximum penalties of two years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and a term of supervised release following any term of imprisonment.
LEIVA-GALVAN, previously deported and found in New Hanover County, is alleged to have been previously removed subsequent to an aggravated felony conviction (felony larceny). Therefore, if convicted, he would face a maximum imprisonment term of 20 years, a $250,000 fine, and a term of supervised release following any term of imprisonment.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictments are merely accusations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
The cases are being investigated by ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations and Homeland Security Investigations.
Coach’s Corner 02/28/20
/by Larry100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm
News 02/28/20
/by Larry100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm
Town Talk 02/27/20: Planning Underway for Kerr Lake Fireworks, Henderson Car Show
/by Kelly BondurantTHIS STORY IS PRESENTED IN PART BY DRAKE DENTISTRY
Vance County Tourism Development Authority’s Pam Hester and Norman Dickerson appeared on WIZS Town Talk Thursday at 11 a.m.
While seemingly a bit early in the year to discuss the Fourth of July Fireworks at Kerr Lake and the fall car show, Hester explained that the planning of these events is a “year-long process.”
The 19th Annual Show, Shine, Shag & Dine Classic Car Show will be held in downtown Henderson on Friday, October 16 and Saturday, October 17.
“We are up to our eyeballs with car show and fireworks,” said Hester. “We are hoping to make the car show even bigger and better than it was last year if that is at all possible.”
New for 2020, Southern Classic Cars will hold an additional cruise-in event on Sunday, October 18, giving car show enthusiasts another day of entertainment and providing local businesses such as hotels and restaurants another day of visitor revenue.
Located at 117 Horner Street in Henderson, Founder and CEO Charles Bowman and staff plan to hold a cruise-in the third Sunday of every month beginning in March, according to Hester.
“This will get people used to coming to car shows in Henderson and give our annual car show visitors a reason to stay one more night,” Hester said.
For the fireworks show scheduled for Saturday, July 4, with activities planned from 3 until 10 p.m., Hester and Dickerson said it takes multiple agencies and volunteers working together to make everyone’s Independence Day fun, and more importantly, safe.
“Between 14-16 agencies are involved in the fireworks show – governmental, state, other regulatory and volunteers” explained Dickerson. “It takes a good coordination of all these organizations to make the 20 minutes of kaboom happen.”
Events such as the car show and fireworks display aren’t possible without collaboration between organizations and between counties, Hester said. “Everybody in the five-county area has a unique, individual thing to offer and each of the five counties can benefit from the uniqueness of the other four counties if we all work together.”
Giving an example, Hester said Henderson does not have enough hotel rooms to accommodate all of the visitors to the annual car show. As a result, guests spill over into neighboring counties that enjoy the economic boost from hotel room rentals, restaurant meals consumed, gas purchased, etc.
“Norman and I can’t do what we do on our own,” Hester said. “We have to have collaboration, and I feel like we have formed some very valuable partnerships with other agencies and people in this county. That’s what makes us successful.”
For more information on Vance County Tourism events, please visit www.kerrlake-nc.com.
To hear the interview with Hester and Dickerson in its entirety, go to WIZS.com and click on Town Talk.
Local Granville-Vance Health Director Attends White House Coronavirus Briefing
/by WIZS Staff100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm
-Information courtesy Granville County Government and Lisa Harrison
The local, Granville-Vance Public Health Director, Lisa Harrison, attended a White House Briefing this week about the Coronavirus.
On Tuesday, February 25, 2020, Harrison joined representatives from more than 30 states and territories for a federal/state/local discussion about Coronavirus. The point was for communities to be prepared.
Pictured (left to right) are Pramod Dwivedi, MS, MSW, MA, BSc, Linn County Public Health in Iowa; Jennifer Kertanis, MPH, President-elect of NACCHO and the Farmington Valley Health District, Connecticut; Lisa Macon Harrison, MPH, Granville Vance Public Health Director, North Carolina; and George Roberts, Jr., MHA, FACHE, President of NACCHO Northeast, Texas Public Health District, Texas. (Photo courtesy Granville Co. Govt.)
Harrison told WIZS News her biggest takeaway from the briefing is that all levels of government are working together to update, communicate and respond. She said, “Local, state and federal levels are committed to ensuring the public health and safety is the best it can be. We have an important job of communicating clearly and well during this time in a way that’s appropriate to this new virus and its risk, but that doesn’t land with people in a way that makes them panic anymore.”
Of course, it is flu season too, and Harrison said, “The flu virus is much more deadly and common in the U.S., and I find it interesting to balance people’s perception of risk with this new virus versus how people continue to shrug their shoulders and deny the flu vaccine.”
The NC Division of Public Health has a helpful web site (https://epi.dph.ncdhhs.gov/cd/diseases/COVID19.html) and a phone number people can call if they have questions.
Harrison added, “I need to stress that there are currently, as of today, no cases of novel coronavirus cases in NC. Nobody needs to get a mask or worry unnecessarily at this point. We do suspect we will have a case in the future and are hopeful that like every other place in the US, the virus will be mild and people will recover fully.”
A 24-hour, main phone number for the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is (919) 733-3419.
A Granville County Government press release said that in her role as regional representative/Board member for the National Association of County and City Health Officials, Harrison was one of approximately 40 state, county and city health officials invited to attend and participate in this briefing, which also acknowledged the leadership roles of state and local health officials in meeting community needs.
VGCC Succeeds By Going ‘All-In’ for CDL
/by WIZS Staff100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm
-Press Release, Vance-Granville Community College
The new Truck Driver Training class that began at Vance-Granville Community College in early February 2020 is full to capacity, with demand even greater than the college could accommodate. That is due not only to the growing need for qualified commercial truck drivers with a Class A commercial driver’s license (CDL) but also to a highly successful enrollment marketing campaign.
Above: Students listen during the classroom instruction portion of VGCC’s CDL/Truck Driver Training program. (VGCC photo)
A team of VGCC staff from numerous departments collaborated in creative ways to design, coordinate and implement several strategies, ranging from the traditional — signs placed in the ground around the community, a press release and print advertising — to the more high-tech social media and video advertising.
“This success demonstrates the power of partnership – including not only our own VGCC professionals but also employers in the community and workforce development partners,” said VGCC President Dr. Rachel Desmarais. “We went ‘all-in.’ Our students and our community will benefit from this new program, along with all the other valuable education and training programs that we continue to provide.”
Students started the process of completing the CDL credential by attending an orientation session on Jan. 23. Lead instructor Roger Chester gave the students information on the requirements of the nine-week program. Meanwhile, to connect the training to careers, seven local employers set up information tables. “They took the time to speak with students about employment prospects in CDL and trucking at their respective locations,” said VGCC Director of Occupational Extension Kyle Burwell.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the demand for qualified commercial truck drivers is expected to grow by 21 percent through 2020, and trucking companies actively seek quality student drivers right out of programs like this one. “The logistics experts estimate a national shortage of over 50,000 drivers,” added Ronald Bennett, Director of Transportation for Variety Wholesalers, Inc., located in VGCC’s service area. “Variety Wholesalers, as well as other area businesses, will certainly benefit from this program.”
Upon successful completion of the program, graduates will have the opportunity to be employed by commercial trucking companies, become an owner-operator, or take advantage of local jobs. This Truck Driver Training program is certified by the Professional Truck Driver Institute (PTDI). VGCC offers the program in collaboration with Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute, a sister institution of the N.C. Community College System.
“Our Truck Driver Training program is an excellent example of how North Carolina community colleges connect students to fulfilling careers and provide a pipeline of qualified talent to employers,” said Jerry Edmonds, VGCC’s vice president of workforce and community engagement. “We’re responding to the region’s economic needs and providing easy access to low-cost, high-quality job training.”
The college plans to offer a second class starting in August.
For more information about enrolling in the Truck Driver Training program in the future, contact Kyle Burwell at burwellk@vgcc.edu or 252-738-3276, or Gina Brewer at brewerg@vgcc.edu or 252-738-3324.
Tax Assistance Available for Veterans, Elderly/Disabled Warren Residents
/by WIZS Staff100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm
-Press Release, Warren County Government
The Warren County Tax Administrator encourages all eligible Warren County residents to apply for appropriate tax assistance programs.
Disabled Veterans Homestead Exclusion Program
The Disabled Veterans Homestead Exclusion program excludes the first $45,000 of assessed value for specific real property or a manufactured home from property taxes; this program is for permanent residents that own their property (name must be on deed).
A disabled veteran is defined as a veteran whose character of service at separation was honorable or under honorable conditions and who has a total and permanent service-connected disability or who received benefits for specially adapted housing under 38 U.S.C. 2101.
There are no age or income requirements for the Disabled Veterans Homestead Exclusion program. Applicants for this exclusion must meet the following requirements:
• be an honorably discharged veteran who has a 100% total and permanent disability that is service-connected or be the unmarried surviving spouse of a qualifying veteran;
• be certified by the U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs of the permanent total disability that is service-connected;
• be a qualifying veteran with specially adapted housing per 38 U.S.C. 101.
This benefit is also available to a surviving spouse (who has not remarried) of either:
• a disabled veteran as defined above;
• a veteran who died as a result of a service-connected condition whose character of service at separation was honorable or under honorable conditions, or
• a service member who died from a service-connected condition in the line of duty and not as a result of willful misconduct.
Elderly or Disabled Exclusion Program
This program is available to permanent residents of Warren County age 65 or older, or permanent residents that are totally and permanently disabled individuals. Residents 65 or older or that are permanently disabled must also meet the Annual Income Eligibility Limit. The Annual Income Eligibility Limit is set every year by the NC Department of Revenue. The limit for this year is $31,000 for income received from all sources during the prior calendar year.
Qualifying owners must apply with the Warren County Tax Assessor’s Office between January 1 and June 1. If you qualify, you can receive an exclusion of the taxable value of your residence of either $25,000 or 50% (whichever is greater).
As of January 1 of the year for which the exclusion is claimed, applicants will need to meet the following requirements:
• The applicant’s name must be on the deed or title to the residence.
• The residence must be the applicant’s primary residence.
• The applicant must be a North Carolina resident.
• The applicant must be at least 65 years of age or totally and permanently disabled. Total and permanent disability is a disability that substantially hinders a person from obtaining gainful employment.
• If claiming disability, the applicant must provide proof of the disability in the form of a certificate from a physician licensed to practice medicine in North Carolina or a governmental agency authorized to determine qualification for disability benefits.
• Meet the combined spousal income eligibility limit, *whether or not both spouses are on the title. The income determination is described below.
Documentation that shows the applicant’s income is required. For married applicants living with their spouse, the income from both spouses must be included on the application even though the property is not in both names. Income from all sources must be listed on the application, with the exception of gifts or inheritances received from a spouse, lineal (direct) ancestor or lineal descendant. Examples of income include disability payments, IRA distributions, pensions and annuities, social security benefits, capital gains, and veteran benefits. This example does not include all sources of income.
More information on reporting income is included in the cover letter sent with the Tax Relief Application Packets. The packets will be made available after January 1, 2020, for the 2020 tax year.
For more information, contact the Warren County Tax Administrator at 252-257-4158.
Rebuilding Hope’s Servants on Site Summer Youth Program Already Filling Up
/by WIZS Staff100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm
-Information courtesy Rebuilding Hope, Inc.
While the deadline for registering for Rebuilding Hope Inc.’s 2020 Servants on Site (SOS) is not until May 1, well over half of the 200 openings for participants have already been filled.
RHI coordinator Randolph Wilson reports that 176 early bird registrations have been received for the June 20 – 27 event and that a theme for the Servants on Site week has been chosen, “You Are Here.” The theme comes from the Bible verse Isaiah 41:10.
Encourage your youths to take part in this mission endeavor. If you know of any churches or youths you feel would be interested, call our office with contact information.
The cost is $150 per participant. Youths must have completed sixth grade. Keep in mind that for every five youths, we require one adult of the same sex.
Churches provide financial support to purchase materials that a crew will need for the work project at their worksite, and they provide lunches to the crew and homeowners during the week.
Crew partners could number as many as 15 participants from as many as eight of our different registered groups. The crew, and often the homeowner, worship with their sponsoring church on Sunday morning and have lunch with them afterward. This is the first time the crew members meet together as a crew. It is a great time for all the partners to begin knowing each other.
We expect the partnership of a sponsoring church, an SOS crew, and a homeowner to provide a rewarding experience for everyone. We have seen that the relationships that are built last beyond the week of SOS.
SOS will have worship services at Central Baptist Church at 7:30 p.m. Sunday through Friday, June 21 – June 26, with the exception of Wednesday. We hope many will join us as often as possible.