100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm
-Press Release, U.S. Department of Justice
United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr. announced that today in federal court, United States District Judge James C. Dever III sentenced KIMJUAN DWANE ELLIS, JR., 25, of Warrenton to 235 months imprisonment, followed by 5 years of supervised release. He was found to be an Armed Career Criminal thereby subjecting him to a minimum term of imprisonment of 15 years.
ELLIS was named in an Indictment filed on January 9, 2019, charging him with being a felon in possession of ammunition. On August 20, 2019, ELLIS pled guilty to that charge.
According to the investigation, on October 19, 2018, officers with the Norlina Police Department responded to a shooting in the parking lot of the Blue Waves convenience store in Norlina, North Carolina. The store’s ip camera
captured ELLIS shooting another man in the chest after an apparent argument. ELLIS fled the scene after the shooting.
The victim was transported to Duke University Medical Center where he was treated for his wounds and survived. Officers recovered a spent shell casing in the area where the video captured the shooting. The gun used by ELLIS was never recovered. ELLIS was later arrested in a vehicle with two other occupants, along with additional firearms and ammunition, one of which had been stolen. None of those firearms, however, was used in the shooting.
This case is part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities.
For more information about Project Guardian, please see https://www.justice.gov/projectguardian.
This case is also part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina implements the PSN Program through its Take Back North Carolina Initiative. This initiative emphasizes the regional assignment of federal prosecutors to work with law enforcement and District Attorney’s Offices on a sustained basis in those communities to reduce the violent crime rate, drug trafficking, and crimes against law enforcement.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Warren County Sheriff’s Office, and the Norlina Police Department conducted the investigation of this matter jointly. Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. Dodson prosecuted the case for the government.
News 01/10/20
/by Larry100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm
Henderson Fire Study Recommends Building Third Station
/by Kelly BondurantTHIS STORY IS PRESENTED IN PART BY DRAKE DENTISTRY
In a follow-up on the Henderson City Council’s Public Safety Committee meeting held Wednesday afternoon, City Manager Frank Frazier and Henderson Fire Chief Steve Cordell provided WIZS News with more details on the City’s recently completed fire study.
Henderson is currently served by two fire stations located approximately one mile apart: Station #1 at 211 Dabney Drive and the over 100-year-old historic Station #2 at 205 N. Garnett Street in downtown Henderson.
“After a fair amount of annexations over the last few years, we felt like it was time to review our station distribution and coverage areas,” Frazier said. “Years ago, we looked at a third station, but we felt like a study was needed to see what the data shows.”
The study, conducted by Management Solutions for Emergency Services based out of Greenville, SC, began in August 2019 with the pulling of station files dating back to 2010 – almost a decade’s worth of data.
According to Cordell, the study indicated that a third fire station was recommended for city coverage, with a suggested location around the Dabney Drive, 158 Bypass area.
“According to the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA), engines are supposed to be able to respond within a mile and a half; that’s what they look at when they do ISO ratings. It is two and a half miles for ladder truck companies,” said Cordell. “A new station in that vicinity would give us 92% for a mile and a half engine coverage in the city.”
The ISO (Insurance Services Office) sets ratings for fire departments on a scale of 1 to 10 based on a number of factors that impact response time and safety, Cordell explained. The lower the department’s ISO number, the less risky your house seems to insurance companies. This can equate to paying less for your homeowners insurance in the long-run.
The City’s current ISO rating is a 2, a feat that Frazier said is owed to the hard work and dedication of the fire department.
“Eventually, building another fire station could help us get to a 1; that’s a goal,” Frazier said.
Getting a third fire station built would be quite the process as Cordell estimated a $2 million price tag for the land and building, with an additional $600,000 annual operations cost for the study’s 12 recommend department staff and equipment.
Frazier said it is a large expense and the City would need to look at additional ways to fund the project, including any available USDA or FEMA assistance.
“It’s a lot of information to be absorbed and you’ve got to look at all the parameters,” said Frazier. “Everyone involved needs to review this study in-depth and decide how to proceed moving forward.”
With Frazier set to retire from the City at the end of January, he said this will be a major task moving forward for newly hired manager Edward Terrell Blackmon.
Town Talk 01/09/20: District 3 School Board Challenger Sean A. Alston, Sr. On-Air
/by Kelly Bondurant100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm
Sean A. Alston, Sr., candidate for the Vance County School Board, and Jason Spriggs, Alston’s campaign manager and recently elected Henderson City Councilmember, appeared on WIZS Town Talk Thursday at 11 a.m.
Alston is running against incumbent Dorothy Gooche for the District 3 School Board seat in the March 3, 2020, primary.
Sean A. Alston, Sr. (pictured above) is running against incumbent Dorothy Gooche for the District 3 Vance County School Board seat in the March 3, 2020, primary. (WIZS photo)
“I’m running for the school board because I would like to be a bridge between the schools, the families and the teachers,” Alston said. “I want to be a part of a system that is already great.”
As the owner of Atwoz Bail Bonds and a bondsman for 20 years, a full-time student at NC Central University and a volunteer with the school system, Alston said he stays very busy.
“I go to school full-time, work full-time, am a husband full-time and father full-time,” Alston said. “I stay active.”
Alston received his associate degree in Criminal Justice from Vance-Granville Community College, an accounting degree during his time as a Material Control Accounting Specialist while in the military and is currently working towards a bachelor’s degree through Central.
Spriggs, who met Alston while campaigning for City Council, said Alston has what it takes and is making the right moves in his own campaign approach. “Sean is already in the school system. He’s been at the games and sponsoring different events in the school system for years now. He’s already doing the work of someone who cares about the children. Now, he’s trying to take it to a different level.”
Emphasizing his desire to be a bridge between Vance County youth and the board that enacts policy, Alston said, “I want to take my mishaps in life and let the kids know there is more to life than the streets, there is more to life than being a part; you have to make your own path.”
To hear the interview with Alston and Spriggs in its entirety, including discussion on recent events involving the school system, go to WIZS.com and click on Town Talk.
(This is not a paid political advertisement. Incumbent Dorothy Gooche is invited to participate in an interview of equal time with WIZS.)
Warren County Man Sentenced as Armed Career Criminal
/by WIZS Staff100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm
-Press Release, U.S. Department of Justice
United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr. announced that today in federal court, United States District Judge James C. Dever III sentenced KIMJUAN DWANE ELLIS, JR., 25, of Warrenton to 235 months imprisonment, followed by 5 years of supervised release. He was found to be an Armed Career Criminal thereby subjecting him to a minimum term of imprisonment of 15 years.
ELLIS was named in an Indictment filed on January 9, 2019, charging him with being a felon in possession of ammunition. On August 20, 2019, ELLIS pled guilty to that charge.
According to the investigation, on October 19, 2018, officers with the Norlina Police Department responded to a shooting in the parking lot of the Blue Waves convenience store in Norlina, North Carolina. The store’s ip camera
captured ELLIS shooting another man in the chest after an apparent argument. ELLIS fled the scene after the shooting.
The victim was transported to Duke University Medical Center where he was treated for his wounds and survived. Officers recovered a spent shell casing in the area where the video captured the shooting. The gun used by ELLIS was never recovered. ELLIS was later arrested in a vehicle with two other occupants, along with additional firearms and ammunition, one of which had been stolen. None of those firearms, however, was used in the shooting.
This case is part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities.
For more information about Project Guardian, please see https://www.justice.gov/projectguardian.
This case is also part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina implements the PSN Program through its Take Back North Carolina Initiative. This initiative emphasizes the regional assignment of federal prosecutors to work with law enforcement and District Attorney’s Offices on a sustained basis in those communities to reduce the violent crime rate, drug trafficking, and crimes against law enforcement.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Warren County Sheriff’s Office, and the Norlina Police Department conducted the investigation of this matter jointly. Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. Dodson prosecuted the case for the government.
VCS to Hold District-Wide Parent & Family Night at LB Yancey
/by WIZS Staff100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm
-Information courtesy Vance County Schools
Save the Date! Tuesday, January 14, 2020, Vance County Schools will host District-Wide Parent and Family Night at LB Yancey Elementary School from 5:30 – 7 p.m. There will be snacks for all and childcare for those under 12.
Students will be performing, and two sessions will be offered. VCS is very excited about the sessions and hopes to see you there.
LB Yancey is located at 311 Hawkins Drive in Henderson.
Cardinal Innovations, Baskerville Funeral Home to Offer Conflict Resolution Training
/by WIZS Staff100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm
-Information courtesy Cardinal Innovations Healthcare
Join Cardinal Innovations Healthcare on Tuesday, January 21, 2020, for a Conflict Resolution session to include discussion of the conflict and crisis cycle, positive communication strategies and ways to deescalate a conflict.
The session will be held at Baskerville Funeral Home, 104 S. Chestnut St. in Henderson, from 6 – 7 p.m.
For more information, please contact:
Baskerville Funeral Home, LLC – Charlie Baskerville, Jr. (252) 430-6824 or cbaskervillefuneralhome@gmail.com.
Monae Davis, Member Engagement Specialist, Cardinal Innovations Healthcare –Monae.Davis@cardinalinnovations.org.
Vance Co. Water, Properties Committee to Meet Jan. 27
/by WIZS Staff100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm
-Information courtesy Kelly H. Grissom, Executive Assistant/Clerk to Board, Vance County Board of Commissioners
Please be informed of the following Vance County committee meetings. Both meetings will be held in the Administrative Conference Room of the Vance County Administration Building located at 122 Young Street in Henderson.
Water Committee (Brummitt, Taylor, Wilder)
Monday, January 27, 2020, at 3 p.m.
– Phase 1C refunds (Kittrell)
Properties Committee (Brummitt, Taylor, Wilder)
Monday, January 27, 2020, at 3:30 p.m. or immediately following the water committee meeting
– Update from architects on Eaton Johnson building
– Replacement of boiler in gym
Granville Co. School Board Member Honored at Surprise Reception
/by WIZS Staff100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm
-Information courtesy Granville County Government
A proclamation has been issued by the Granville County Board of Commissioners in recognition of the life and service of Mr. Leonard E. Peace, Sr. who has served on the Granville County Board of Education for the past 30 years.
On behalf of the Board, Dr. Tony Cozart presented the proclamation during a surprise reception in Peace’s honor, held on Monday afternoon. Also in attendance to offer their support were Board Chair David Smith and Comm. Zelodis Jay.
Among his many accomplishments, Peace is a past president of the North Carolina School Boards Association and a member of the North Carolina School Boards Association Board of Directors. He was also the recipient of the Raleigh Dingman Award in 2003, the highest honor bestowed on a North Carolina School Board member.
A proclamation has been issued by the Granville County Board of Commissioners in recognition of the life and service of Mr. Leonard E. Peace, Sr. who has served on the Granville County Board of Education for the past 30 years. On behalf of the Board, Dr. Tony Cozart presented the proclamation during a surprise reception in Peace’s honor, held on Monday afternoon. Also in attendance to offer their support were Board Chair David Smith and Comm. Zelodis Jay. (Photo courtesy Granville Co. Govt.)
Artist Spotlight 01/03/20
/by Charlene100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm
Cooperative Extension with Jamon Glover 01/09/20
/by Charlene100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm