100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm
-Press Release, Vance-Granville Community College
“I was 16, and I was done.” That is how Samantha Huffman recalls thinking back in 2004. She was “done” with education, in her mind. Feeling depressed and awkward at her high school, Huffman dropped out. “I had nothing to look forward to when it came to school, so what was the point?” she said. “It’s not like I was going to go to college. I couldn’t afford it. No one in my family had made it through high school, much less gone further.”
Samantha Huffman poses in her cap and gown at Meredith College. (Photo courtesy VGCC)
Sixteen years later, Huffman actually has gone further, with a pair of college degrees to her name, thanks to her experience at Vance-Granville Community College.
The story of how she went from high school dropout to college graduate essentially starts with a tragedy, Huffman said. “In 2011, my world was turned upside down,” she reflected. “I lost my best friend, who was also my cousin and my confidant, in a car accident where she was hit head-on and killed instantly. She believed in me and pushed me to do better. At that moment, I made a promise in her memory to change.”
The sort of change she intended to make required education in order to obtain more than what she called “dead-end” jobs. One day in 2012, Huffman heard that Vance-Granville Community College offered night and online class options to prepare for the GED High School Equivalency diploma. “I went, signed up, and took the pre-test,” she said. “I passed the pre-test, and the teacher looked me dead in my eyes and asked me what in the world I was doing there. I did not test like a person with only a 10th-grade education.”
With a level of natural ability that surprised her, Huffman quickly completed her studies and obtained her high school diploma by passing the required test. “My first thought was, ‘Well, that was easy,’” she recalled. “I almost immediately signed up for college classes at VGCC.”
She took her time because she was working two jobs and raising a child while going to school. Finally, in 2016, she graduated from VGCC with an Associate in Arts degree, as a member of the Phi Theta Kappa honor society and a senator in the Student Government Association.
Soon, Huffman transferred her community college credits into Meredith College, with approximately half her tuition covered by scholarships. In December of 2018, she graduated from the four-year college with a bachelor’s degree in English. Now, she works full-time in a job in which she uses her communication skills to create marketing and promotional materials to increase her company’s client base.
“For anyone who thinks school is too hard or takes too much of a commitment, I urge you to walk into any VGCC campus and talk to an advisor,” Huffman said. “They will coach you, mentor you, comfort you, and guide you through schooling that anyone can do and help you achieve any goal you set your mind to completing.”
Duke Energy Crews Working to Restore Power to Local Area
/by WIZS Staff100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm
-Information courtesy Tanya Evans, District Manager, Duke Energy
After yesterday’s tornados and torrential rain, we had a one-two punch today with early morning wind gusts causing additional damage. The saturated ground and heavy winds have resulted in hundreds of downed power lines, broken poles and snapped trees.
At this time, we have more than 4,000 Duke Energy crews working to restore power throughout the region with additional teams from the Midwest (300) and off system resources (180) from North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Delaware and Virginia to bolster our restoration efforts.
While we are focused on restoring as many customers as quickly as possible, it’s important to note that, for employee safety, Duke Energy line technicians cannot perform elevated work in bucket trucks when winds (sustained or gusts) are above 30 miles per hour. Rest assured, however, we will work until every customer is restored.
As of 2 p.m. on Friday, February 7, there are approximately 60,000 customers without power across the state. In our region, the following counties have significant outages:
Franklin – 5,715
Nash – 2,417
Granville – 1,873
Person – 726
Until the winds completely subside, we expect these numbers to continue to fluctuate. For the most current update and further detail, please visit our outage map.
We understand our customers are anxious to have their power restored. Please encourage anyone who is experiencing an outage to report it. We have several options to do so:
Finally, please be cautious if you venture out:
Coach’s Corner 02/07/20
/by Larry100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm
Town Talk 02/07/20
/by Larry100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm
News 02/07/20
/by Larry100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm
Henderson-Vance County Is……
/by John C. RoseCheck out the series of videos, and see how you feel…
Thank you for watching. This IS Henderson-Vance County!
Town Talk 02/06/20: Linda Cobb, District 5 School Board Incumbent, On-Air
/by Kelly BondurantTHIS STORY IS PRESENTED IN PART BY DRAKE DENTISTRY
Linda Cobb, the District 5 incumbent candidate for Vance County Schools Board of Education, appeared on WIZS Town Talk Thursday at 11 a.m.
Cobb faces challenger Clementine Hunter in the March 3, 2020 primary. The only other school board position that faces opposition is the District 3 seat, where incumbent Dorothy Gooche faces challenger Sean A. Alston, Sr.
Cobb was appointed to the Board in September after Hunter, who was elected to the school board in 2016, resigned from the District 5 position. Cobb was also unanimously voted in as Vice-Chair of the Board for the 2020 year.
In discussing the unique situation, Cobb said she was unaware of the circumstances surrounding Hunter’s resignation and decision to run in the 2020 election. “She has every right to file and run, as do I,” Cobb said. “Both of us just have to do our best and let the citizens of Vance County make the appointment.”
An educator at both the community and four-year college level for 20 years, and currently the business officer with the Vance County Department of Social Services, Cobb said the first five months in her appointed position have been a “humbling learning experience.”
Cobb said she is excited to see positive growth, pointing to the students that have been recognized in the monthly Student Spotlight program and higher VCS graduation rates as examples of the school system’s achievements.
Discussing the way the Board works together as a team, a sentiment echoed by other recently interviewed school board candidates, Cobb said her time serving as the District 5 representative has left her eager to continue in her role.
“If I’m fortunate enough to be elected for the next term, my main goal is to work along with the Board because we are a team and we have to continue to work together as a team for the better of Vance County’s schools.”
Cobb also had high praise for VCS Superintendent Dr. Anthony Jackson. “He is a great leader that’s leading the school system to a different level. The Board works very well with Dr. Jackson.”
With her years in education, the assistance she provides children and families at DSS and her time on the Board, Cobb said she brings much experience and perspective to her role. “I’m here for the students and I will do what I can with my one vote to make Vance County a better place for our kids.”
The deadline to register to vote in the primary election is Friday, February 7. Early voting begins Thursday, February 13.
To hear the interview with Cobb in its entirety, go to WIZS.com and click on Town Talk. Cobb’s segment begins at the 17:40 mark.
(This is not a paid political advertisement. Challenger Clementine Hunter will be offered an interview of equal time with WIZS.)
McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center Requests City, County Funding
/by WIZS Staff100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm
Mark Hopper, chair of the Embassy Cultural Center Foundation, provided WIZS News with additional information regarding Wednesday’s story on McGregor Hall’s funding request to local government:
McGregor Hall did not list a monetary amount in its funding request. We are hoping to have help with our debt service on the building, of which $18 million has already been paid privately ($12 million for construction of Perry Library and $6 million for construction of McGregor Hall). $2.9 million in debt remains and is financed through a low-interest USDA loan.
Letters and information packets were sent to both Jordan McMillen, County Manager, and Frank Frazier, City Manager in the first days of this year. Each letter was accompanied by the results of the study of McGregor Hall’s economic impact on Henderson and Vance County as prepared by the Municipal Research Lab at NC State University for the 12-month period preceding April 2019.
Important items:
There are many other examples, but these are representative of the norms.
There is no comparable model for what we are accomplishing with this facility through the sacrificial work of passionate volunteers and donors. We are defying the odds, writing a new playbook, and making Henderson way more than a punchline for the jokes of people in the Triangle. We are making life better for citizens in Vance County and helping to create and sustain businesses and their accompanying jobs.
What other current economic revitalization project in our town and county can prove that it’s making this kind of difference? What would happen if 5.5% of our economic growth in Vance County suddenly disappeared?
At the end of the day, we are a group of citizens trying to make where we live a better place, and asking nothing in return for it except help in achieving our goal.
Duke Life Flight to Open On-Site Station at Maria Parham Health
/by WIZS Staff100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm
-Press Release and photos, Maria Parham Health
Duke Life Flight will open a station at Maria Parham Health in Henderson, NC. The new on-site station will provide residents in Vance County and surrounding areas with direct access to trauma personnel, enhanced response in trauma situations, and improved transfer times for critical patients to a higher level of care.
Maria Parham Health’s emergency room is staffed 24/7 with emergency physicians, nurses, and staff who specialize in responding to the emergency care needs of our community. This new Life Flight station will enhance the team’s ability to respond to emergency calls and provide critical transfers. The station will include two ground units and one helicopter which will be on-site on January 20, 2020. Crew quarters will also be located at the hospital, and crews will be readily available to respond 24/7.
The station will provide direct access to trauma personnel in the event of an emergency. The opening of the station will also improve access to local emergency assistance. By providing critical transfers for patients in the surrounding areas, the station will free up local EMS to respond to more regular calls and have a positive direct impact on the care in our community.
From High School Dropout to First-Generation College Graduate, Through VGCC
/by WIZS Staff100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm
-Press Release, Vance-Granville Community College
“I was 16, and I was done.” That is how Samantha Huffman recalls thinking back in 2004. She was “done” with education, in her mind. Feeling depressed and awkward at her high school, Huffman dropped out. “I had nothing to look forward to when it came to school, so what was the point?” she said. “It’s not like I was going to go to college. I couldn’t afford it. No one in my family had made it through high school, much less gone further.”
Samantha Huffman poses in her cap and gown at Meredith College. (Photo courtesy VGCC)
Sixteen years later, Huffman actually has gone further, with a pair of college degrees to her name, thanks to her experience at Vance-Granville Community College.
The story of how she went from high school dropout to college graduate essentially starts with a tragedy, Huffman said. “In 2011, my world was turned upside down,” she reflected. “I lost my best friend, who was also my cousin and my confidant, in a car accident where she was hit head-on and killed instantly. She believed in me and pushed me to do better. At that moment, I made a promise in her memory to change.”
The sort of change she intended to make required education in order to obtain more than what she called “dead-end” jobs. One day in 2012, Huffman heard that Vance-Granville Community College offered night and online class options to prepare for the GED High School Equivalency diploma. “I went, signed up, and took the pre-test,” she said. “I passed the pre-test, and the teacher looked me dead in my eyes and asked me what in the world I was doing there. I did not test like a person with only a 10th-grade education.”
With a level of natural ability that surprised her, Huffman quickly completed her studies and obtained her high school diploma by passing the required test. “My first thought was, ‘Well, that was easy,’” she recalled. “I almost immediately signed up for college classes at VGCC.”
She took her time because she was working two jobs and raising a child while going to school. Finally, in 2016, she graduated from VGCC with an Associate in Arts degree, as a member of the Phi Theta Kappa honor society and a senator in the Student Government Association.
Soon, Huffman transferred her community college credits into Meredith College, with approximately half her tuition covered by scholarships. In December of 2018, she graduated from the four-year college with a bachelor’s degree in English. Now, she works full-time in a job in which she uses her communication skills to create marketing and promotional materials to increase her company’s client base.
“For anyone who thinks school is too hard or takes too much of a commitment, I urge you to walk into any VGCC campus and talk to an advisor,” Huffman said. “They will coach you, mentor you, comfort you, and guide you through schooling that anyone can do and help you achieve any goal you set your mind to completing.”
West End Community Watch to Hear From Mayor, Law Enforcement
/by WIZS Staff100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm
-Information courtesy Claire Catherwood, West End Community Watch
West End Community Watch will meet on Tuesday, February 18, 2020, at 6:30 p.m., in the Fellowship Hall of West End Baptist Church on Dabney Drive. All are welcome to attend, whether you live in the West End area or not.
Mayor Eddie Ellington will be the speaker for the evening. As always, law enforcement will be present to report recent police activity and hear concerns from those at the meeting.
Mark your calendar and join us, if you can!