Tag Archive for: #hendersonnews

Maria Parham Cancer Center Welcomes Radiation Oncologist Dr. Ryan Fecteau

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   — information courtesy of Maria Parham Health

Maria Parham Health announces the addition of Dr. Ryan Fecteau, MD, PhD, as the newest Radiation Oncologist at the Maria Parham Cancer Center. Fecteau brings extensive clinical training and a patient-centered philosophy to the Cancer Center, where he will specialize in the treatment of genitourinary cancers, including prostate and bladder cancer.

Fecteau earned both his MD (2017) and PhD (2015) from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Ohio. He completed his residency training in Radiation Oncology at two of the nation’s most prestigious institutions: New York Presbyterian (2018–2021) and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (2021–2022) in New York City.

With a deep clinical interest in research and innovation, Fecteau has been actively involved in national clinical trials to treat prostate cancer and renal cell carcinoma.

Fecteau says his motivation for pursuing radiation oncology stems from the opportunity to use cutting-edge technology to both cure cancer and improve patients’ quality of life.

“When I meet someone for a consult, I like to gain an understanding of who they are and where they are coming from so that we can come up with a management plan that aligns with their values,” he said. “I believe one of the most important aspects of my job is education — ensuring that every patient fully understands the treatment options available so they can feel confident about their decisions.”

Outside of his clinical practice, Fecteau enjoys spending time with his family, cooking, traveling, watching Clemson football and exploring the Durham food scene.

“Dr. Fecteau’s exceptional training, compassionate approach, and commitment to innovation make him an outstanding addition to our team,” said Bert Beard, CEO of Maria Parham Health.  “His arrival enhances our ability to provide advanced, patient-centered cancer care right here in Henderson, and we are excited to welcome him to our community.”

Patients can schedule consultations with Dr. Fecteau by contacting the Maria Parham Cancer Center directly at 252.436.1148.

Dabney Drive

Dabney Drive & Potholes

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TownTalk: DMV Commissioner Offers Insight, Updates To Increase Customer Satisfaction

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When Paul Tine stepped into his new role as the state’s DMV commissioner back in May, he knew his role was largely to steer the department through some upgrades and challenges that presented lots of roadblocks to customer service. Hours of waiting in line just to get in the door and impossible-to-get appointments were common complaints, and Tine said he and his team continue to work to make things better.

“Demand is certainly high,” Tine said on Wednesday’s TownTalk, “based on population and the Real ID initiative.”

He acknowledges the need for greater efficiency with internal processes, including upgrading and replacing the record-keeping technology that DMV uses. Customers expect a strong platform, he said, and he hopes to deliver before too long. He said he hopes to award by year’s end a contract to modernize the DMV technology. Until then, Tine and the DMV staff are constantly looking for ways to improve customer satisfaction.

The COVID-19 era requirement that customers make appointments is over, and walk-ins are welcome any time. Tine said 87 percent of clients are walk-ins these days, with the other 13 percent making appointments to conduct their business at DMV.

Moving toward more online transactions is helping ease the crunch at brick-and-mortar DMV offices, and there’s a new queueing system in place that allows customers to wait in their vehicles or other locations nearby instead of braving adverse weather conditions while they wait to get inside the DMV office.

“You can wait wherever you like,” Tine said, and a quick text message from DMV will let customers know when it’s their turn for assistance.

Thanks to more funding from the state legislature, Tine said more examiners have been hired – “the majority of those people in 30 days,” he said. The department is clearing a backlog of employee training by shifting to “in the field” training, which allows employees to serve while they are learning, he said.

Having third-party contractors step in to provide services is proving to be beneficial, too. There are self-serve kiosks in selected areas of the state, and a recent announcement that teen drivers can take their driving tests with a driver education group are just two examples of this partnership.

“We’re hoping to have that first certificate coming in the office any day,” Tine said.

The vast majority of North Carolinians will have to conduct business with the DMV at some time or another, and Tine said he’s sure about one thing:

“Our customers do not care about me…they care about that person they talk to in the office, on the phone, and how good our website is.”

Visit www.ncdmv.gov to learn more.

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Home and Garden Show

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On the Home and Garden Show with Vance Co. Cooperative Ext.

  • The Vance County Regional Farmers Market is open on Saturdays from 8am to 1pm.
  • Collect soil samples now. Don’t guess, take a soil test!
  • If you plan to plant pansies, plant them in a different location to prevent disease problems.
  • Check collards for aphids, cabbage worms, harlequin bugs.
  • Get ready to compost! Leaves will be falling soon. Do you have a compost bin for the leaves?
  • Check nurseries for trees and shrubs you would like to plant this fall.
  • If you have white grubs in your lawn now is the time to control them.
  • Check vegetables that have been in storage. Ex: Irish potatoes.
  • Avoid pruning right now.
  • We are in Hurricane season. Have your Storm plan ready.
  • Start ordering your fall planting bulbs now.
  • Check houseplants dust weekly with a soft cloth.
  • Check storage areas for mice.

The Vance County Cooperative Extension is located at 305 Young St, Henderson, NC 27536

The Vance County Regional Farmers Market is located at 210 Southpark Dr., Henderson, NC 27536

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TownTalk: FVW Opportunity Focused On Supporting Individuals, Communities To Be Their Best

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Franklin Vance Warren Opportunity provides a multitude of programs throughout its service area that gets right to the heart of its mission of supporting people and helping them make their lives better.

For Dr. Abdul Rasheed, CEO and senior advisor to the FVWOpp board of directors, that’s what it’s all about. Rasheed said a community must leverage its assets in order to excel. “The first thing that we have to do is invest in our assets,” he said on Tuesday’s TownTalk. “Our Number 1 asset is people.”

Rasheed and Roy Brown, FVWOpp’s Media and Communications coordinator, talked about an upcoming podcast and live conversation called “Where Our DOGs At?” whose target audience includes males in the community.

DOG stands for “Dads on Guard,” Rasheed explained, and he said FVW is launching the live conversation and podcast to help men of all ages identify positive norms and principles, creating a “moral compass” to help guide men in their own lives and then translating that to their own families and the larger community.

Several local leaders are scheduled to take part in the program, including Eric Sanchez, founder of Henderson Collegiate, Jamon Glover, Incredible Years Program Coordinator at Vance County Cooperative Extension and Anthony Ragland, owner of Southern Charm event venue in downtown Henderson.

“All of these young men are excellent role models that even an old dog like myself can learn from,” Rasheed said. He and Brown will also participate in the conversations, rounding out the complement of young fathers and community leaders.

FVWOpp will be making announcements on its social media platforms soon about how to participate in the program.

With a $10,000 grant from Triangle North Healthcare Foundation, Rasheed said FVWOpp is going to be able to strengthen its capacity to reach into the community by building positive pathways that allow individuals to survive and thrive.

The theme of the first podcast is safety and gun violence. “We do have a problem here in our area,” Rasheed said. “I think our police are doing the best job they can with the resources they have available to them. We have to rally and support law enforcement in our community,” he said.

Offering young people ways to access workforce development, certificate programs, paths to graduation and mental health resources help young men look to something other than criminal activity, guns and violence.

When Brown was in the Navy, he got to travel extensively and lived in U.S. cities where he saw Black professionals – doctors, lawyers, business people – being successful in places that supported them.

“When I came back home, I thought, ‘why can’t we do that here?’” Brown said. Programs like the Community Services Block Grant that helps individuals pursue certificate programs that help them get better jobs is just one program that FVWOpp works with.

The Section 8 program is another way to support renters secure housing with private property owners by providing a rental subsidy.

A weatherization program helps mostly senior adults and people with disabilities better insulate their homes to keep them warmer in winter and cooler in summer.

These programs, among others offered by FVWOpp help people in the community establish a better quality of life. Helping individuals helps neighborhoods, too, which ripples out into the larger community, Rasheed said.

Partnerships with city and county reap benefits, too. The area’s largest Headstart location is at the former Eaton Johnson campus, with upwards of 100 children getting high-quality instruction in 5-star state certified classrooms.

This Thursday, Oct. 2, at 11 a.m., FVWOpp will welcome Assistant Secretary for Rural Economic Development at the N.C. Dept. of Commerce Reginald Speight to Henderson. This arm of the state government is focused on strengthening rural communities across the state.

Rasheed invites the community to attend this event as a way to establish relationships for positive growth and development for the area.

Visit www.fvwopp.com to learn about all the programs the center offers.

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VGCC Foundation’s ‘Fill The Pantry’ Craft Fair Set For Friday, Oct. 10 At Civic Center

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— Information courtesy of Vance-Granville Community College Foundation

The Vance-Granville Community College Foundation is planning its third annual Fill the Pantry Craft Fair on Friday, Oct. 10 from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the College’s Civic Center in Henderson.   The event supports the VGCC food pantry, which provides essential resources to students in need.  This indoor craft fair is open to the public.

Cost of admission will be three (3) canned goods, nonperishable food items, or paper goods at the door.

Join in for a day of shopping, community, food, raffles and giving back. Local vendors will offer a variety of handmade goods—perfect for early holiday shopping—while helping to stock the pantry shelves.  In addition, grab a bite to eat from Bun on the Run or enjoy a coffee and/or treat from The Double Shot.

“With the holiday season quickly approaching, this show is a fantastic way to celebrate our local crafters while also supporting the community,” said Angela Douglas, VGCC Food Pantry Assistant. “We are excited to host this family-friendly event and help our students at the same time.”

Sheri Jones, VGCC Foundation associate director, said, “We are supported by donations from The Food Bank of North Central NC as well as one of the local Food Lion stores.  We also do a weekly donation pick-up from Strong Arm Baking Company in Oxford and have employees who make monetary donations and product donations.  Since we are able to do our event indoors, we have moved it to Friday afternoon and early evening this year so that it doesn’t compete with numerous other events – most outdoors – that take place on Saturdays in October.”

The VGCC Foundation is still accepting craft vendors to participate in this indoor community event, but spaces are limited. Craft vendors who would like to participate should complete the online Craft Show Interest Form. Vendor fees will be $25 for a 10 x 10 space plus a donated item to be used for raffles. For more information, please contact the Vance-Granville Community College Food Pantry at 252-738-3323 or douglasa@vgcc.edu.

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4-H Logo

Cooperative Extension with Micah Sharpe: All Things 4-H – Makayla Macon Spotlight

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Micah Sharpe, on the Vance County Cooperative Extension Report:

Makayla Macon, a student at Vance County Middle School, talks with 4-H Agent Micah Sharpe to speak about her experiences and the activities that she has done at 4-H.

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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The Local Skinny! County Contract Extension With Rescue Squad Ends Sept. 30

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The 90-day contract extension between the county and the Vance County Lifesaving and Rescue Squad Inc. officially ends tomorrow – Sept. 30.

According to Rescue Squad Chief Doyle Carpunky, the rescue squad’s offer to continue responding to calls at no cost to the county has been declined, but it is unclear whether the rescue squad will continue to be dispatched.

So what’s going to happen if the rescue squad gets dispatched on Oct. 1? Carpunky said he hasn’t had clarification from the county but told WIZS this morning that “we’re going to respond to the citizens of our community like we’ve always done.”

Requests from the rescue squad board president and the county fire association to meet with county staff and the county’s Public Safety Committee have been declined.

In an email to Rescue Squad Board President Bill Rainey, Vance County Manager C. Renee Perry stated that the rescue squad would be dispatched upon requests from volunteer fire departments or other partnering agencies. “We appreciate the Rescue Squad’s continuing operations in the County and the County’s 911 center has no problem dispatching upon request,” Perry stated in the email.

Perry told WIZS earlier Monday that the county commissioners will consider an updated operations plan at its November meeting and that the rescue squad will be dispatched upon request only, “not automatically since we don’t have a contract in place.”

Carpunky said the county is rewriting the mutual plan with no input from fire departments or from the rescue squad.

In response to an email from Rescue Squad President Bill Rainey requesting that the rescue squad continue to be dispatched to calls at no cost to the county, Perry listed several reasons why the county is not willing to accept that offer. The email, which Carpunky shared with WIZS, reads as follows:

I have received your request for a contract with no funding and automatic dispatch and I have the below concerns and these are reasons why we will not move forward with the request.

  • The County provides no funding, so it has lost the significant tool for oversight. Financial contributions has historically given the County leverage to require financial reporting, audits, and performance measures. Without that, the County has less authority to ensure consistent and reliable service.
  • Even if no money changes hands, the County would still be a party to the contract. If the Rescue Squad fails to meet service standards or if lawsuits arise from operations, the County could still be drawn into legal disputes without having had the ability to ensure adequate funding for insurance, staffing, or training.
  • Automatic dispatch assumes the Rescue Squad always has available personnel and equipment. If they fail to respond or are understaffed, it creates service gaps and delays for citizens in need.
  • Other agencies (fire departments, EMS, etc.) may already be dispatched and capable of handling the same types of calls. Sending the Rescue Squad automatically could cause overcrowding on scenes, inefficient use of resources, and confusion in command structure.
  • If the Rescue Squad is automatically dispatched under the County’s authority, the County may share responsibility for any failures in response, training deficiencies, or accidents on scene — even though the County isn’t funding or controlling their operations.
  • Automatic dispatch implies reliance and the County cannot ensure the Rescue Squad has proper staffing, equipment, insurance, or compliance with state standards.

Staff will move forward with reviewing the current mutual aid agreement as well as ensuring that the Rescue Squad is dispatched upon request from other VFD or other partnering agencies. We appreciate the Rescue Squad’s continuing operations in the County and the County’s 911 center has no problem dispatching upon request.”

Perry said she had advised commissioners on the information contained in the email and said concerns should be shared with Assistant County Manager Jeremy Jones.

According to minutes from a Sept. 18 special called meeting of the Vance Fire Association, “Assistant Chief Rainey stated Vance Rescue was willing to contract directly with each department, and they had a contract which was distributed to all departments present to look over and would be mailed to the departments not present. As of 10/01/2025 Vance Rescue will be a volunteer department.

“It was stated the County would not be sending a contract and 911 will not be automatically dispatching Rescue after 09/30/2025. Concerns were expressed about filling this void by individual departments.”

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