Tag Archive for: #hendersonnews

Andrea Harris Task Force

TownTalk: Alice Sallins Reflects on Andrea Harris And Talks Arts Council, Black History Month

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Henderson’s city operations facility has had a few names since it was constructed – but the name it officially got today (Tuesday, Feb. 1) will be a lasting one. From now on, the building, located on Beckford Drive, will be named for Dr. Andrea Harris, who died in May 2020.

Harris grew up in Henderson and was an educator, as well as a civic leader and activist at the local and state level. The City Council voted in 2021 to rename the building in memory of Harris.

Alice Sallins was among those in attendance at the official ribbon-cutting and dedication Tuesday morning. Sallins worked alongside Harris when they both were involved with the NAACP.

“I knew her very well,” Sallins said of Harris. “When she was president of the NAACP, I was vice president.” Being involved in the community in which you live was important to Harris, and Sallins continues to follow Harris’s example.

“If you’re involved, then you represent the rest of the community,” Sallins told John C. Rose in a phone interview Tuesday morning. If you’re sitting at the table, “you’ll make sure you get a slice of the pie,” she said.

Although Sallins said things have gotten better, she said there’s still room for improvement when it comes to have diversity among the various boards and governing bodies and agencies in the community. “We’ve come a long way, but we’ve got a long ways to go,” Sallins said.

“If you’re planning for me and not including me, then you’re not planning for me at all,” she said.

As Sallins waited for the dedication to begin, she reflected on her friend, Andrea Harris. “She would be pleased, really, if she were here today.”

Henderson Mayor Eddie Ellington offered remarks on the occasion of the dedication, saying that city officials gathered “to commemorate an exceptional part of our community’s history and celebrate one of our own.”

“Looking at the City Operations building and the name that is forever etched, helps to tell a brighter, fuller story of who we are,” Ellington said in a written statement to WIZS News on Tuesday. “Many citizens pass through those doors to cast their votes in every election – local, state and federal – with a promise of democracy and it reminds us that we all are created equal. Today we remember one of the brightest lights of our time. A brilliant champion for all people, a fierce friend and truly a phenomenal lady. We cherish the time we were privileged to share with Dr. Andrea Harris.”

Vance County Arts Council Black History Month Virtual Program

The Vance County Arts Council is planning a virtual Black History Month program that will be available beginning Monday, Feb. 7 for viewing.

Alice Sallins, the council’s executive director, shared names of some of the artists who will be featured in the project, which can be viewed via YouTube. Willa Brigham, a Charlotte-based storyteller and daytime Emmy award winner, is one well-known personality who will be a part of the virtual celebration.

Sallins said Brigham will have a 45-minute session that will be recorded and offered to the Vance County Schools, as well as the general public, for viewing.

Stella Jones will share African American poetry and vocalist Evelyn Couch will perform Negro spirituals. Johnny Watkins will recite poetry by Langston Hughes, she said.

The program should be completed this week and will be uploaded by Saturday.
The link will be live from Monday through the end of February. Look for the links on the Vance County Arts Council Facebook page and in other locations, she said.

“Look for a high time,” Sallins said. “We have some very good artists who are working hard” to create a quality program for the community to enjoy.

 

 

The Local Skinny! Around Old Granville: Weldon’s Mill

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It’s been decades since Weldon’s Mill closed, but it remains a local landmark that represents memories of times gone by, when just about every creek or stream had a mill on it.

And although Weldon’s Mill is still standing, it’s not in good condition, but Mark Pace said the foundation of the old mill is probably original. That means it’s been around since the 1700’s, when Granville County included what is now, Vance, Granville, Warren and Franklin counties. Pace joined Bill Harris for the Around Old Granville segment of The Local Skinny! Tuesday and waxed poetic about the legacy of mills in and around the area.

In 1884, there were two dozen mills still in operation in the area. That number dropped to half a dozen by the mid-1950’s. But one of those was Weldon’s Mill, located on Sandy Creek in the southern part of Vance County.

The mill was originally started between 1785 and 1790, Pace estimated, and then had a series of owners before Canadian James Amos bought it in 1874. The Weldon family bought it in the 1930’s and it stayed open until 1964.

There were actually two mills located on opposite sides of the creek, Pace said. The one that still stands today wasn’t the grist mill – that one got washed out in 1917. The mill that stands today had a saw mill on the first floor and a cotton gin on the second floor.

“They took the old mill that was still standing and retrofitted that as a grist mill,” Pace said.

The mills weren’t just a place to get wood sawn, cotton ginned or corn ground, he said. When Vance County was formed in 1881, the Sandy Creek Township was divided into two voting precincts. Depending on which side of the creek you lived on, you voted at one mill or the other.

At least one congressman representing the area would have meetings there, too. “Edward W. Pugh would come there and hold his political rallies there” at the mill.

While the foundation probably dates back to the 1700’s, Pace is skeptical that the rest of the building also is original. “A curious thing about the mill,” he said, is that there is mortise and tenon and peg construction, “the actual boards have been cut with a circular saw,” indicating that the boards may have been salvaged from previous structures.

The Local Skinny! Jobs In Vance

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The H-V Chamber of Commerce and WIZS, Your Community Voice, present Jobs in Vance for February 1, 2022. The Chamber compiles the information, and it is presented here and on the radio. Contact the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce at 438-8414 or email christa@hendersonvance.org to be included.

JOB OPENINGS IN VANCE COUNTY – Week of February 01, 2022

 

Name of the Company:   Boys and Girls Club of NC

Jobs Available: Director of Facilities and Safety – is responsible for the planning organizing, managing and directing various technical responsibilities associated with the maintenance of facilities, vehicles, grounds and equipment

Method of Contact:  For more information call 919-690-0036

 

Name of the Company: Boys and Girls Club of NC

Jobs Available:  Resource Development Coordinator – is responsible for providing administrative support for the generating of fundraising income through campaigns targeting local businesses, churches, civic groups and individual donors within the community

Method of Contact: For more information call 919-690-0036

 

Name of the Company:  Vance County Department of Social Services

Jobs Available:   Child Support Agent II, Income Maintenance Caseworker III, Social Worker II

Method of Contact:  For more information call or go by your local NC Works Office

 

Name of the Company:  Vance County Department Sheriff’s Detention Center

Jobs Available:  Sr. Maintenance Specialist, Kitchen Worker

Method of Contact:  For more information call or go by your local NC Works Office

  

Name of the Company: Eckerd Kids

Jobs Available: JJ Case Manager

Method of Contact: For more information call or go by your local NC Works Office

  

Name of the Company:  Hollander Sleep Products

Jobs Available:  Truck Driver and Lead Distribution

Method of Contact: For more information call or go by your local NC Works Office

  

Name of the Company:   Boys and Girls Club of NC

Jobs Available: Youth Development Professional – Creates an environment that facilitates the achievement of Positive Youth Development Outcomes and provides guidance and role modeling for members while promoting and stimulating daily learning. This is a part time position

Method of Contact:  Interested applicants may send resume to SLAVETT@BGCNCNC.COM

 Some of these businesses are present or past advertisers of WIZS.  Being an ad client is not a condition of being listed or broadcast.  This is not a paid ad.

 

City of Henderson Logo

New Henderson Park Could Be Reality By Summer Of 2022

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The North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources announced that Williams & Montgomery Street Park was awarded $357,497 from the NC Parks and Recreation Trust Fund (PARTF). The funds will go to the construction of a new park in Henderson.

“Thanks to the North Carolina Parks and Recreation Authority, Vance County’s local economy is going to see a positive impact with the construction of Williams & Montgomery Street Park,” said Rep. Terry E. Garrison.

Henderson-Vance Recreation and Parks Director Kendrick Vann said the project is “moving forward” and said the park could be finished by the summer of 2022.

The Authority approved 14 local grants in September 2021, but this year approved funding for 41 local parks and recreation projects for more recreational opportunities across the state. The recipients are required to match funds dollar-for-dollar.

“We’re excited to see what other projects we can get off the ground in Vance and other counties in House District 32 for our future generations,” Garrison said.

The city submitted a request in 2021 to the state Parks and Recreation Trust Fund (PARTF), funded by the N.C. General Assembly, according to Vann.

Henderson did not receive a grant during the initial funding cycle in 2021,  but Vann said at their Jan. 6, 2022 meeting, the N.C. Parks and Recreation Authority announced a second round of funding, and Henderson was among several communities successfully funded.

“Once we receive the allocation contract for the PARTF grant program, we will start putting together bidding packets for the project,” Vann told WIZS News via email. Once the bidding process is complete, local officials will have a better idea about a timeline for a start date and completion.

Vann said he hopes to have this project complete by the beginning of summer 2022, “so the community can enjoy this great accomplishment.”

Some preliminary work has been done at the park site and he said he hoped to have the first phase of the National Fitness Campaign installation in the coming weeks.

“With the City Manager and City Council’s continued support we are at the stage we can see the results of our perseverance,” Vann said. The only hurdles we have now are the traditional ones –  which include potential weather delays, and supply/equipment shortages or back ordered material.

Cooperative Extension with Wayne Rowland: Pine Thinning

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If you have a stand of pine trees on your property and plan to harvest them you may want to consider thinning out the stand to increase growth and profit.  Wayne Rowland, of the Vance County Extension Service, explained the reasons for this on Monday’s Local Skinny. “Cutting and removal of trees is used to accomplish management objectives,” Rowland said. While thinning obviously reduces the number of trees it does help in the distribution of quality trees. Sometimes, depending on the trees that are thinned, they can be marketable enabling the property owner to sell the trees.

According to Rowland, the number of trees per acre can affect yield and growth. Size and vigor of trees can be increased by thinning your stand. Trees will go poorly if there are too many or too few trees per acre. Rowland says there are a number of benefits to thinning a stand of pine trees. Trees will be able to grow quicker meaning they can be harvested and sent to market in a shorter period of time.  It also allows trees to grow larger and larger trees bring higher prices. Thinning trees also increases health of the forest. For more information on thinning pine tree stands contact Rowland at 252-438-8188. The Vance Co. Extension Report can be heard Monday, Tuesday and Thursday at 11:50am as part of the Local Skinny on WIZS 1450am, 100.1fm and at wizs.com.

 

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

 

The Local Skinny! Register Now To Attend Feb. 1 Expungement Clinics In Henderson, Oxford

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Learn how to get your criminal records expunged tomorrow (Tuesday, Feb. 1) at two free informational clinics – one in Henderson and one in Oxford.

The Kerr-Tar Reentry Roundtable is partnering with Legal Aid of North Carolina to host the events, during which Legal Aid staff will walk participants through the process of getting previous records expunged, or cleared, which could have a positive impact when applying for jobs or housing.

The clinics will be held from 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Perry Memorial Library, 205 Breckenridge St., Henderson and at the Oxford Housing Authority, 101 Hillside Dr., Oxford, according to KTCOG strategic initiatives coordinator Kisha High.

High told John C. Rose on Monday’s The Local Skinny! that the clinics are informational only; those who attend and qualify for record expungement will be notified to attend an April 12 clinic at Hix Gym in Oxford to complete the expungement process.

“This is our very first expungement event,” High said. Monthly information sessions are planned and she said most likely the expungement clinics would be held quarterly.

The Second Chance Law that went into effect in June 2020 provides information about which offenses can be expunged from a criminal record, and changes that took effect on Dec. 1, 2021 give more hope to those who wish to have records cleared.

Legal Aid staff will be ready Tuesday to clarify which charges and what type of offenses can be removed, she said.

Maybe it was a DWI or some other activity that happened earlier in a person’s life that is affecting their adult life now, High said. Even if a person’s criminal record is not able to be expunged, High said a “certificate of release” can be issued by a judge that indicates the prior record should not be held against the person.

Interested in participating? Contact Kisha High at 252. 436.2040, ext. 2008 no later than noon on Tuesday, Feb. 1.

Wayne Adcock

Adcock’s Family Humbled, Honored During Dedication Of Wayne Adcock Auditorium

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“It’s not work if you love what you do.” There is no more fitting statement to describe the way Wayne Adcock felt about his job as an educator, and members of the community and Vance County Schools school had a chance to remember the lifelong educator, former superintendent, mentor and friend at a special ceremony Monday at the Center for Innovation.

Vance County Schools named the auditorium for Adcock, who died in November 2020. His wife, Susan, and son John were in attendance at the ribbon-cutting and dedication. She reflected on the morning’s celebration in a telephone interview with John C. Rose.

“It was wonderful,” she said. “It was a very emotional day, but we were so humbled by the school board wanting to do that,” she said of the naming ceremony.

Adcock was so complimentary of the work that Superintendent Dr. Cindy Bennett and the school staff undertook to make the day a reality.

“We enjoyed hearing people remembering Wayne,” she said. A recurring theme throughout the remarks made on Monday included how much her husband loved working for Vance County Schools and with students. And, my, how he loved that building that now houses the Center for Innovation. He served as principal at the Charles Street campus when it was Henderson Middle School. “He was principal there 10 years,” she said. “He loved that building – he would always say it was the prettiest building in Vance County.”

But whether it was at Henderson Middle School or Northern Vance High School, Adcock said her husband genuinely loved what he did.

“He felt like he was the lucky one that got to (work) with the students,” she recalled. “He thought he was the fortunate one to get to do it.”

Several speakers gave remarks at the ribbon-cutting, and then the microphone was opened up for others to share their memories. Her son, John, offered remarks on behalf of the family.

Her husband made lifelong friends working for Vance County Schools, but it was the students that he dearly loved hearing from after they’d graduated and become successful in life.

He enjoyed his time interacting with the older high school students because he could hopefully give them advice that would “guide them in the right direction.”

David Cooper and David Westbrook are former students who now work in the field of education. Westbrook talked about advice that Adcock had given him when he was in high school “when he wasn’t always doing what he was supposed to do,” Mrs. Adcock recalled. “(Wayne) was always tickled when he’d call and seek advice,” she said.

Cooper talked about the encouragement Adcock offered him through the years.

School board chair Ruth Hartness shared the strong relationships that Adcock established with students and the guidance that he was so good at providing.

“Wayne valued education so much,” she said. He felt that it was one thing that could lift people out of poverty. He was awarded a scholarship to attend UNC-Chapel Hill, and he realized how fortunate he was to be able to continue his education.

When he’d bump in to former students or get updates on what they were doing, “he would be so happy that they’d gotten an education and were doing so well.”