WIZS Local News 1-25-21 Noon
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Versatrim, NC Works, Kerr Tar COG Team Up for Virtual Hiring Event Tuesday
A local manufacturing company is teaming up with NCWorks for a virtual hiring event scheduled for tomorrow, Tuesday, Jan. 26.
Desiree Brooks, business services manager for the local workforce development board of Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments, said Henderson manufacturer Versatrim is hiring for about 30 positions. Anyone interested in learning more about the available job opportunities should register for the event via a link on the Kerr-Tar Works Facebook page, Brooks said Monday during Town Talk. Find the link to the event at facebook.com/NCWorksKT. Participants can register up until 11 a.m., when the event begins.
Although this is a virtual event via Zoom, people without access to a computer may register to listen via telephone, Brooks said.
“It’s just like a job fair, but you’re sitting in the comfort of your home or wherever you are,” Brooks said. Some of the job openings include machine operators, packagers and customer services representatives, among others, she said. Versatrim, makers of laminate flooring and moldings, among other products, is located at 101 Eastern Minerals Road in Henderson.
Brooks and Jamie Cunningham shared details of the virtual event with Town Talk host John C. Rose. Previously known as the Employment Security Commission, Cunningham described NCWorks as “a one-stop shop for North Carolina’s work force system.” Job-hunters can search for jobs, create résumés and find education and training, but it’s also a resource for employers to search for candidates and post job openings as well. Check it out online at www.NCWorks.gov.
Cunningham is operations manager for the Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act, a federally funded program that helps people who need to go back to school to upgrade their skills, or help them with find employment. “We have a lot of training opportunities that help people upgrade their skills,” she noted.
A Versatrim representative will inform the participants about what the company does, the jobs that are available, and the pay associated with those jobs. Participants also will have the chance to ask questions.
“This is the perfect opportunity for people to learn and hopefully be able to start their career with Versatrim,” Brooks said. Cunningham said a business service representative with NCWorks will also be taking part in the event and can answer questions about what NCWorks does. She said the possibility to partner with businesses allows NCWorks to help fund any additional training needed for an employee “to become that great employee.”
Each NCWorks career center is under the direction of a local workforce board, Cunningham said, and Kerr-Tar (Council of Governments) serves Franklin, Granville, Person, Vance and Warren counties. The NCWorks Career Center offers job search support and assistance, including a computer resource center with copier, printer and faxing capabilities; career counseling and coaching; virtual job search workshops and scholarships for short-term training.
Contact the NCWorks career at 919-693-2686 for more information or to get help registering for the event.
If you would like to listen to the interview on TownTalk, click here.
WIZS Local News Audio 1-22-21 Noon
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Kerr Lake Regional Water System Immediate Need and Planned Upgrades
The Henderson City Council at its Jan. 11 meeting approved a request from the Kerr Lake Regional Water System to accept a revised project cost of $57 million for regional water system upgrades. This action, along with approval to purchase a new pump, is the latest in a years-long effort to supply water to the 15 municipalities in the region.
Construction costs have risen significantly from earlier estimates, and KLWRS advisory board chair Garry Daeke said Thursday that the council’s approval will allow for the project to continue, but if grants or other types of funding can’t be found to pay for the shortfall, customers could see a rise in water rates.
“If we can’t find anything (in grants or loans), we’d be talking rate increases,” Daeke said in an interview on Thursday. “We could see some rate increases, but we’re trying to stay away from that,” he said. “We’re all on board with it,” he said, referring to the other partners in the regional water system. “We’re just trying to figure out how to pay for it.”
The new pump will cost about $3 million, Daeke said, and it can still be used in the new construction project. The money will come from the KLWRS fund balance, he said.
Originally, the project cost came in close to $40 million, but in the fall of 2020, the company undertaking the project reported that costs had risen and it would cost significantly more to complete the project.
After reviewing several options to lower the price tag, the KLWRS advisory board chose to reduce the amount of water the new system will be able to process, for the time being. “The 15 (million gallons a day) should be fine because we don’t have that demand yet,” Daeke said, adding that the regional water system needs to make sure it can meet increased demands in the future.
Henderson is the majority partner in the regional water system at 60 percent, with the cities of Oxford and Warren County rounding out the balance with 20 percent each. Oxford recently requested, and received approval for, a $6 million grant, which would reduce the overall shortfall to just more than $11 million.
All three partners are still in favor of the project, Daeke noted. “We want to do it, obviously,” he said of the construction upgrades, “but the longer we wait, the more it’s going to cost, I think.”
Preparing for future needs with infrastructure upgrades now can be challenging, he said.
“We don’t know what our customer base will be in the future, so it’s kind of unpredictable as to how much we want to go to,” Daeke said, of the water system’s capacity. We can draw 20 million (gallons a day), so we want to be able to process that much if we can,” he added.
The project will rehabilitate aging facilities, replace old equipment and expand facilities to bring the treatment capacity to, ultimately, a reliable 20 million gallons a day. The City Council must approve any additional requests for funding, in the event that loans or grants are not secured to cover the shortfall.
WIZS Local News Audio 1-21-21 Noon
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WIZS Local News Audio 1-20-21 Noon
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Noon News 1-19-21 Food Insecurities; Food Drive; ACTS Fundraiser; Leaf Collection
Stories include
– Food insecurities in the area
– local food drives
– Area Christians Together in Service (ACTS) fish fry fundraiser
– City of Henderson leaf collection
For complete details and audio click play.
TownTalk 1-19-21: MLK Virtual Celebration VGCC Jan 26
The public is invited to join a virtual panel discussion next week that will focus on the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The event will be hosted by the Vance-Granville Community College Men’s Achievement Academy, with the support of Rho Beta Lambda of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., according to Dr. Jeffrey Allen, VGCC Dean of Student Retention and Success.
Allen appeared on Tuesday’s Town Talk with John C. Rose and gave details about the upcoming event, scheduled for 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 26. Visit www.vgcc.edu to find a link to register for the Zoom panel discussion.
“We feel like we have assembled a great wealth of knowledge to discuss the life and legacy of Dr. King,” he said during an interview recorded earlier Tuesday morning.
Panelists include Dr. Jim Harper, Chair of the History Department at North Carolina Central University; Dr. Doris T. Williams, retired professor and VGCC Board of Trustees member; Rev. Dr. William T. Ramey, retired educator, pastor and VGCC Board of Trustees member; Judge Adam Keith, Vance County District Court judge; and Sara Bell, instructor of Humanities at VGCC. N.C. Rep. G.K. Butterfield also will give remarks, Allen said.
Although honoring the legacy of the slain Civil Rights leader is a large part of what the panel will discuss, he expects that the panelists also will challenge the attendees, “really pushing them to live the legacy of Dr. King,” he said. “The whole goal is we want to be informative, we want to empower people; and the other piece is we want to inspire people to continue to bring change,” he added.
Click play for Dr. Jeffrey Allen on TownTalk. Story continues below…
Empowering people to unite and to be a force for change are ideals King strived for, Allen said. “It’s our job now as citizens to carry his legacy, moving forward, so we can continue to fight the fight for civil rights for all,” he added.
Servant leadership is another of King’s ideals that Allen wants to emphasize.
“This is a great opportunity for us just to remind ourselves of his legacy of social justice and service to others and civil rights for all…(to) refresh our memory to go out and be empowered and inspired to do great things in our community,” Allen said.
This graphic and the cover graphic courtesy of VGCC.
Students in the Men’s Achievement Academy at VGCC experience servant leadership, Allen noted. The mentoring program is in its second year and, although it targets first-year students and minority males, it is open to any male who wants to be a part of the program.
The feedback so far has been positive, he said. “They love the program, they love participating, even in this virtual environment, they really appreciate the support that their mentors have given them during this pandemic,” Allen said.
Allen and his team plan and support a variety of initiatives, all designed to support students be successful in college. They oversee tutoring, academic advising and academic support, as well as counseling, student activities and athletics. “The college has done an excellent job…to support students and we’re continuously working and looking at thing that support student achievement.,” he said.
Register for the event at:
https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_aaujgLAHTHOqt07ZAcIKeg
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
For more information, contact Dr. Jeffrey Allen at allenjl@vgcc.edu.
(This is not a paid advertisement.)
City of Henderson Loose Leaf Collection Extended to Jan 29
— from the City of Henderson
The City of Henderson has extended the Loose Leaf Collection season through January 29, 2021. As a reminder, please note that rows or piles of loose leaves or pine straw shall:
- Be placed behind the curb not to interfere with vehicular or pedestrian traffic
- Not to be placed in an open ditch, gutter or street area as this can interfere with the City’s storm drainage system
- Be free of trash and debris such as glass, cans, rocks, limb cuttings, etc. as they may damage collection equipment
- Not be placed on top of your water meter
If you have any questions, please contact the Public Works Department at 252-431-6115 or 252-431-6030.