Tag Archive for: #hendersonews

TownTalk: Diamond Unique’s Domestic Violence Story

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Victims of domestic violence suffer at the hands of people who supposedly care for them – whether it’s physical or emotional abuse, or both, the suffering is real. But victims who make a plan to get out of a dangerous situation and then do so triumphantly call themselves survivors.

Once they choose survivor over victim, the tide turns and healing begins.

Just listen to Diamond Unique’s story, and you’ll hear what a survivor sounds like. She’s put the past behind her and she’s ready to share her story with others, in hopes of inspiring others who find themselves in similar circumstances.

The name Diamond Unique is not the name she was given at birth, but it is the name she goes by as she pursues a career as an actor, podcaster and author.

She reached out to WIZS to tell her story, “to let everyone know that I am a living testimony.” By sharing her story on various social media platforms, this single mother said she wants others to know they aren’t alone in their struggles.

Diamond said she thanks God for delivering her from her abuser. “Without the Lord, I would be nothing,” she said on Tuesday’s TownTalk. As she lay in a hospital bed, with a concussion from that last attack, she said God sent her a message: “You have a message, get your voice out. Let people know the real meaning of domestic violence.”

And now she’s using Facebook, Youtube, Instagram and Tik Tok to do just that. She said she’s got 20.8K Tik Tok followers, which she describes as “amazing…incredibly empowering.”

Domestic violence robs people of their self-love, their determination, Diamond said. “It makes you feel less than who you are,” she said. She felt like a nobody.

After she had gotten away from her abuser, she said “I could finally lift my head up and know that I was a person who made it through.”

She wants to send a message of empowerment to others through her acting and her video posts; she wants others who are suffering at the hands of abusers to know that there is more to life than their current situation.

Diamond is working on a book that chronicles her life and her experiences. The title is “Woman Behind the Bruises.” She doesn’t have a publication date yet, but she anticipates it will be out soon.

Find Diamond Unique on Facebook and Youtube; you’ll find her on Tik Tok and Instagram as Miss Pretty Ambitious.

Listen to the entire interview here.

SportsTalk: Biedenbach Reflects On David Thompson

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Eddie Biedenbach knows basketball and he knows NC State basketball.  He also knows David Thompson.  Thompson was a key player in for the Wolfpack in 1974 when they defeated Marquette for the national championship.

NC State University recently unveiled a statue of Thompson placed at Reynolds Coliseum. Biedenbach, who played for Everett Case and Norm Sloan at NC State in the mid to late 1960’s, was an assistant coach when Thompson was leading NC State to that national championship.

“No one knew much about him,” Biedenbach said of Thompson when he first started to recruit him for the Wolfpack.  He had seen film but seeing him in person was a different matter.  “I called Coach Sloan at halftime,” Biedenbach said of the first time he was Thompson play.  He was, needless to say, very impressed.

“He had no weaknesses.  He was a team player,” Bidenbach added on SportsTalk Wednesday. “He had everything it took to be a good player,” he said.  “He played the game like it was supposed to be played,” Biedenbach continued.

Biedenbach said today’s game is different from what it was 50 years ago when Thompson was leading the Wolfpack. Dunking was not allowed and there was no three point shot or a 30 second shot  clock. “He could play today’s game,” Biedenbach said of Thompson.

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Cooperative Extension with Wayne Rowland: Clothes Moths

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Listen live at 100.1 FM / 1450 AM / or on the live stream at WIZS.com at 11:50 a.m. Mon, Tues & Thurs.

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TownTalk: The Story Of Drewry

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ACC basketball fans may know it as the hometown of the 1980’s Duke player David Henderson.  History buffs may know it by its earlier name of Enterprise. But anyone who remembers Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! may be able to recall that it is the teeny community of Drewry that, in the 1940’s had an old-fashioned well. Right in the middle of town.

“There was a town well in the middle of the crossroads,” Pace said, which caught Mr. Ripley’s attention. The well remained there until about 1947. “When the state paved the road, they took it up,” he said.

Leave it to local historians Mark Pace and Bill Harris to discuss in detail a community that straddles the present-day Vance/Warren county line.

“Before Kerr Lake came along, you could drive from Townsville to Drewry in seven minutes,” Pace said. Its first name was Cedar Fork, according to Pace, North Carolina Room specialist at Oxford’s Richard Thornton Library. In the 1840’s and 50’s, it was known as Enterprise. But when the Roanoke Valley Railroad came through, it was renamed because it was Drewry Marrow who took care of the railroad there.

By 1881, Drewry held the distinction for being the smallest township in Vance County in terms of size and population, Pace said. It later melded with the Middleburg township.

“There was a time when Drewry was actually a thriving little community,” he noted. “It wasn’t a bustling metropolis,” but there was a café, two barber shops – one for Blacks and one for Whites – a school, butcher shop, school, dry cleaners, fire department and railroad station. It was the halfway point for the railroad, which went back and forth between Manson and Townsville.

In 1940, Drewry was the very first precinct to report results in the Nov. 6 Presidential election. All votes were cast and counted by 8:53. In the morning. The 24 registered voters “all got together and agreed to cast their votes at the same time,” Pace said. “FDR won 100 percent of the votes” cast at Walston’s store in the Drewry precinct.

But folks in and around the Drewry community were interested in politics well before 1940.

A schoolteacher from Virginia named George Sims moved to the area in the 1750’s. He wrote the Nutbush Address, a treatise that pointed out how politicians of the day were abusing their rank and privilege at the expense of the common man. Later, when Samuel Benton (a founding father of Oxford) wrote the Halifax Resolves, there were echoes of Sims’s address. “And the Halifax Resolves was one of the documents that Thomas Jefferson used for a template for the Declaration of Independence,” Pace explained.

“For such a small place, it has an interesting history,” he mused.

Hear the full Around Old Granville segment at wizs.com.

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Henderson Tobacco Warehouse

TownTalk: Juneteenth Is This Sunday

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The second annual Juneteenth celebration at the Henderson Tobacco Warehouse will take place Sunday, June 19 and organizers are planning for a triple play that day to honor churches, fathers and the day when the last enslaved people got news of their freedom in 1865.

Alex Green, vice president and director of operations at Acquest Group, said several area churches and other nonprofit agencies have teamed up for a joint outdoor worship service they’re calling “Worship in the Streets.”

There will be live gospel music, praise dancers and choral performances as well as children’s activities such as a bounce house and face painting for the community to enjoy between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., Green told John C. Rose on Wednesday’s TownTalk.

Acquest Group is developing the tobacco warehouse project, located at 203 Zene St. and Green said she’s excited to bring back the Juneteenth celebration to the area.

“We’ve got a lot of local partners that we’re working with…celebrating Black fatherhood and families,” she said of the Sunday event. ReBuild Communities Inc. will be hosting their annual fashion show as part of the celebration, and the non-profit Manhood is helping with the giveaways and prizes. “Manhood is focused on trying to provide services to young men in the community, especially in the areas of counseling and mental health.

“We’re really excited to showcase them and partner with them,” Green said.

In addition to celebrating families and Black fatherhood, Green said Sunday’s celebration also will include a focus on the church. Among the churches partnering for the event are A Place of Deliverance, Holy Temple Church, Greater Zion United Church and Kesler Temple AME Zion Church.

Green also said the work of the Flint Hill Kittrell Vance Community Development Corp. has been instrumental in the work at the Zene Street project, which is designed for mixed-use retail and office space.

“We still have a lot of work to do,” Green said, “but we’re really close to starting construction soon.”

Acquest Group, a commercial and residential development company, set its sights on Henderson in 2014 with plans to transform the former tobacco warehouse at 203 Zene St. into a hub of community activity.

“We see so much potential… and so many good people trying to work for the community and dedicating their lives to the betterment of this community,”

Green added.

“It’s always community first. It’s always people first,” she said.

 

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The Local Skinny! Home and Garden Show 7-28-21

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Thank you for listening to WIZS Radio.  Your Community Voice!!

Farmers market and beekeepers update on the show today.  Also, electric fencing around gardens, mosquito mitigation, fall turnips and collards as well as yellowjacket nests.

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I Voted Sticker

Mayor Ellington Re-elected; Spriggs Unseats Daye on Council

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Incumbent Mayor Eddie Ellington won re-election in Tuesday’s non-partisan City of Henderson municipal election.  He earned 652 total votes to 568 votes from challenger Sharon Owens.

Just 12.60% of voters turned out.

Jason Spriggs defeated incumbent George Daye for City of Henderson Alderman At-Large 4th Ward by a final, unofficial count of 637 to 509.

Ellington told WIZS News that he plans to continue to work on the positive growth he’s seen in Henderson over the last 12 to 18 months and indicated the biggest thing now for the City is to find the next City Manager, of which the manager is the one who deals with the day-to-day running of the City.  Ellington said he wanted to work towards positive growth for all of the City and its citizens.

Of the four larger precincts in Henderson, Owens carried the north, south and east, while Ellington won re-election behind a large margin of victory in west Henderson.

Owens thanked her supporters, said it would not be the last she was heard from, and said she would have more time for civics in Henderson just as soon as she retired.  She spoke of getting more involved and holding those in office more accountable.

Spriggs spoke to WIZS News and talked about seeing positive economic growth in additional areas in the City, whereas a lot of growth has already occurred along Dabney Drive and to the west.  He spoke in an excited and enthusiastic voice and expressed appreciation toward George Daye, who has worked with Spriggs in the past and encouraged him about running for the City Council.

Daye could not be reached for comment on election night but previously said on WIZS “TownTalk” that he hoped Spriggs would win to see some younger blood on the council.

Our State Magazine Announces Third Annual Made in NC Awards

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— courtesy The Chamber of Commerce of Warren County | Craig Hahn, Executive Director ~ 252-257-2657 ~ info@warren-chamber.org ~ Facebook

“Show us what you’re made of, North Carolina.” Prouder words were never spoken. Our State magazine, now in its 85th year, and presenting sponsor Mast General Store are celebrating the astounding talent of the people who make North Carolina so special with its third annual Made in NC Awards. In the Our State tradition of spotlighting the best creators, makers, designers, and chefs across this amazing state of ours, the Made in NC Awards supports local businesses, highlights artisans and entrepreneurs, and celebrates North Carolina-made products. For the full details on the Made in NC Awards, visit madeinncawards.com.

Our State and Mast General Store will honor unique makers and business owners in four categories: Home & Garden, Style, Food & Drink, and Art. All products must be able to be reproduced for sale. Submissions will be judged upon quality (50%), innovation and creativity (25%), and the tie to North Carolina (25%).

Representing the 2018 panel of judges are: Lisa Cooper, president of Mast General Store; Nicole Bogas, Our State Store manager; Bradley Rhyne, cofounder of Ole Mason Jar; Bob Page, founder and owner of Replacements, Ltd.; artist Patrick Doughtery; and Van Eure, owner of The Angus Barn. Judges from the Our State Store and Mast General Store will consider all submissions for merchandising opportunities.

This distinguished panel of judges will select one winner and two honorable mentions for each of the four categories, and an overall winner will be selected from among the four category winners. Each category winner will receive email and social media promotion; a short feature on madeinncawards.com and ourstate.com; and a quarter-page ad, valued at $2,000, in the December 2018 issue of Our State magazine.

The overall winner will receive an additional $500 prize. Category winners will also be featured at the Made in NC Awards Celebration Event on October 13, 2018, at Mast General Store’s location in downtown Winston-Salem. Winners will be announced on August 23, 2018.

“We are very excited to announce the third annual Made in NC Awards as an extension of the Our State brand,” said Bernie Mann, the publisher of the magazine. “There are so many amazing business owners and entrepreneurs in North Carolina, and we’re thrilled to have the opportunity to showcase them and our great state.”

Entries will be accepted through 11:59 p.m. EST on July 18, 2018. To submit your entry or to find answers to any of your questions about the Made in NC Awards, visit madeinncawards.com.

About Our State

Each month, Our State celebrates the very best of North Carolina from the mountains to the coast through lively storytelling and stunning photography. Published by Mann Media, Inc., the award-winning magazine reaches more than one million readers each month with subscribers in every state and 15 foreign countries.

About Mast General Store

The Original Mast General Store opened in 1883 in the rural community of Valle Crucis, North Carolina. Downtowns in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee offer the same friendly and knowledgeable service that welcomed neighbors in Valle Crucis more than 100 years ago.

Exciting Changes Ahead for E.O. Young Elementary School

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-Press Release, Vance County Schools

Exciting changes are coming to E.O. Young, Jr. Elementary School for the 2018-2019 school year.

Principal Marylaura McKoon and her colleagues on the school’s design team for the Opportunity Culture initiative are completing plans to implement the innovative program to benefit students and staff members in the school.

E.O. Young will be one of three local elementary schools launching the Opportunity Culture initiative next school year. After a year of planning, McKoon and her staff are ready to implement the initiative.

Opportunity Culture is designed to extend excellent teaching throughout the school, pre-kindergarten through fifth grade, to touch all students. The initiative will require the hiring of a multi-classroom leader, who will coach teachers in the school and will create and facilitate Professional Learning Communities (PLCs).

Opportunity Culture also will include the employment of an Extended Instructional Teacher (EIT) at the second-grade level who will have a classroom of students and also will pull in a small number of students from other second-grade and first-grade classrooms to work with them during a 90-minute English/language arts block each day.

A third new position, Reach Associate (RA), will be filled by a teacher assistant who also will work with students in the EIT’s classroom.

McKoon added that the person in the MCL position will model lessons and teaching for teachers in the school, particularly in grades 3-5. She said this will be especially helpful to any new or novice teachers in the school.

Another key role for the MCL will be to assist classroom teachers to evaluate available data on students’ academic progress to see where he or she can most effectively help the teachers to enable their students to be more successful and to master skills.

Educators who are hired in these three new positions will receive higher pay for their responsibilities.

The hiring process for these three positions at E.O. Young will begin this spring.

McKoon notes that for the 2018-2019 school year, the Opportunity Culture initiative at her school will focus on instruction and support in English/language arts, with plans to expand the focus to mathematics the following school year. Since the MCL will be supporting classroom teachers, he or she will be a reading coach for teachers in grades 3-5 and assist them with classroom management and personal skills, McKoon said.

The work being done as part of the Opportunity Culture initiative in the school will be driven by data available for student achievement. The data will show where students at all grade levels need the most help and the MCL will lead efforts with the teachers to assist the students.

Principal Marylaura McKoon, right, talks with Assistant Principal Cassandra Evans in front of the charts for the school’s Opportunity Culture initiative that is being planned for implementation next school year at E.O. Young, Jr. Elementary School.

“This is a really good program and I am excited for what it will do for our school,” McKoon said. “It will provide us with the opportunity to expose excellence in teaching to all of our children and will be great support for our teachers. It really is a win-win situation. It will do good things for our school.”

McKoon also said that for the educators selected for the three new, key positions it will be essential that they be committed, good leaders, work well with others and have the ability to develop good relationships with students and colleagues. The MCL, EIT and RA also will have time during each school day to complete their “homework” to help colleagues and students and to have important planning time.

“Each of our schools now involved in Opportunity Culture, has its own design team to plan a program that best fits their school, students and staff,” McKoon added. “Our team also has developed our program budget, which includes funds for the higher pay for the three new positions.”

L.B. Yancey and Pinkston Street elementary schools also will implement their Opportunity Culture initiatives in 2018-2019. Those schools join E.O. Young as the second cohort for the innovative program. The first cohort includes Aycock, Dabney and Zeb Vance elementary schools which began their Opportunity Culture programs this year.

The new positions as part of the schools’ Opportunity Culture initiatives are now open for applications from current teachers (for MCL and EIT) and teacher assistants (for the Reach Associate).

Interested persons may apply online at www.vcs.k12.nc.us or seek answers to questions from staff members in the Vance County Schools’ Human Resources Department at 252-492-2127 or by email at amiles@vcs.k12.nc.us.