On the Vance Cooperative Extension Report from Wayne Rowland:
Fire ants can be controlled in the landscape by using fire ant baits.
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Local churches and interested individuals are invited to come out on Thursday, May 1 to take part in Vance County’s observance of the National Day of Prayer.
The event will take place on the football field of Vance County Middle School beginning at 6 p.m., and organizer Delilah Marrow welcomes all.
It’s not just one church participating, “we want all of the churches,” Marrow, an ordained minister, said on Monday’s TownTalk.
“Everyone is really glad that we are getting together and having a National Day of Prayer” observance, she said. It’s a time for everyone to come together to pray for the community.
“We are the body of Christ, one church – the church of Jesus Christ,” she said.
“When we pray, something happens…when we, in a city, come together we see the hand of God move. When you pray and believe God, something happens,” she said.
Marrow said the idea came to her during her daily prayers before Easter. A prayer partner provided encouragement to act on her vision, and her pastor mentioned the upcoming National Day of Prayer, observed each May 1.
“That ignited me to move forward,” she recalled. “God just laid out every piece of the puzzle (and) everything began to fall in place.”
To learn more, call Marrow at 252.422.1202.
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The Vance County Cooperative Extension is hosting a community event on the eve of Opening Day of the Vance County Regional Farmers Market – perfect timing to learn more about how what we eat and how we move affect our overall health and wellness.
The Food Farmacy, as it’s called, will take place at the farmers market this Friday, May 2 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. The farmers market is located at 210 Southpark Dr., Henderson.
It’s a time for the community to come together to learn how food choices and physical activity can have a positive impact on health while addressing some health-related challenges facing the community.
Tyler Chisholm is one of those working to organize this year’s event and he told WIZS recently that in addition to the educational component of the Food Farmacy, participants will enjoy themselves, too.
Vance County has higher rates of heart disease, diabetes and obesity, Chisholm said, and a goal of The Food Farmacy is to promote broad access to food and also to spotlight exercise and physical activity as important components to overall wellness.
Despite its title, the Kerr-Tar COG’s 4th annual Young Adult Hiring Event scheduled for Tuesday, Apr. 29 at the Raleigh Road Outdoor Theatre is rated for All Audiences.
Job seekers of any age are welcome said NC Works Business Services Representative Stacey Williams, one of the job fair’s organizers.
The job fair will run from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Williams said. So far, upwards of 40 employers will be on hand to chat with prospective job seekers about careers and positions available at their companies.
The job fair geared for students began during the time of COVID-19 restrictions, Williams explained, as a way to connect high school juniors and seniors not necessarily interested in attending college with local businesses and manufacturers and other employers – in an outdoor setting.
The location proved to be popular, and this is the fourth one planned in the outdoor setting.
“It’s easy to get excited about this event,” Williams said, adding that the students bring an energy that he finds contagious.
Not everyone is looking to go to college, and this hiring event is one way the Kerr-Tar COG can assist future employees learn more about prospective employers. “We’re trying to provide alternatives to those that are not interested in college,” he said.
His #1 piece of advice to job seekers? A positive attitude.
“Your attitude will take you far,” he said. Paired with determination and drive create an employee profile that employers are looking for. “You have to show up, you have to be ready, you have to be prepared and you have to be positive,” he said.
Job seekers need to do a little interviewing of their own, Williams said, when considering a particular field of work that employers should keep in mind.
“They’re looking for something that’s going to be a solid position for them,” he said. An entry-level job that can turn into something bigger and better is desirable. Companies with strong foundations, stability and a solid pay scale also are what employees are looking for.
Williams, a Henderson native, said he is happy to be back home where he is able to serve the community he grew up in. “It’s an awesome feeling to be able to support someone find a career.
Schools from all five counties in the Kerr-Tar region are planning to bring groups of students to the hiring event; other individuals from the area are welcome to just come out to the Raleigh Road Outdoor Theatre, 336 Raleigh Rd., Henderson between 11 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. No prior registration is needed.
To learn more, visit https://www.kerrtarcog.org/
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City of Henderson employees will receive a survey in a few weeks to give feedback about working conditions.
As City Manager/City Attorney Hassan T. Kingsberry explained to Council members at the April 14 meeting, the survey will be anonymous – employees will not be asked to give their names. Kingsberry told Council members that some employees and some directors had shared some concerns with him, so he suggested a survey would be in order.
Kingsberry told WIZS News Wednesday that a working conditions survey is standard practice in other places where he has worked. “I want to make sure staff is comfortable and thriving as we work together for the betterment of the City.”
He said the specific statements or questions that will make up the survey are still being worked on, but he expects that department heads will receive their surveys next week and the rest of the staff will be receive theirs around the mid-May mark.
As for what actions may result, Kingsberry said, “We will see how staff responds and address the issues that need to be addressed to ensure a healthy climate and work culture.”
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The historical marker that bears his name doesn’t have room for it, but James Turner is the North Carolinian who came the closest to being President of the United States.
He only made it as far as Speaker of the House, said Mark Pace, local historian and North Carolina Room specialist at Thornton Library in Oxford. But Speaker of the U.S. House is second in line – behind the vice president – to assume the role of President if circumstances call for it.
As governor, U.S. Senator and state legislator, Turner has his own historical marker, one of 20 that can be seen along major roads throughout Warren County.
Pace and WIZS’s Bill Harris continued their discussion of historical markers in the four-county area in their tri-weekly history segment called Around Old Granville; Thursday’s segment focused on Warren County, which Pace described as one of the most important and influential areas in the state between the Revolution and the Civil War.
The first marker that went up in Warren County remembers Annie Carter Lee – the daughter of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. She and other family members had left their Virginia home because of the war and were staying at Jones Springs, a health resort. She died after contracting typhoid fever in 1862 and was buried in the Jones cemetery in Warrenton. Her remains were moved in the mid-1990’s and placed in the Lee family cemetery.
Her marker was placed in 1936, just one year after the state created the program.
Jacob Holt didn’t get a marker until 1976, Pace said.
“He was one of two really big architects in the boom era” between 1845 and 1861, Pace said.
He designed and built homes – many of which still stand. His interest lay in Greek Revival and Italianate styles, but his own home in Warrenton, Pace said is quite modest and doesn’t resemble the other examples of his work.
Find a complete list of historical markers located across the state at https://www.dncr.nc.gov/
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On the Home and Garden Show with Vance Co. Cooperative Ext.
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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If you’ve driven down Garnett Street lately, you may have noticed a tree in the yard of 704 S. Garnett St. decorated with blue ribbons.
Those ribbons, tied to branches and limbs of that tree, have created a ‘Tree of Hope’ this year to observe National Child Abuse Prevention Month, said Cara Gill, executive director of Strength and Mending Child Advocacy Center.
There also are pinwheels planted in the ground and a big inflatable blue ribbon adorning the S.a.M Child Advocacy Center, along with the ‘Tree of Hope,’ a new addition this year, Gill said.
It’s a small way to show support for and honor families and children who have been victims of child abuse.
For Gill and her team at the nonprofit, this is a year-round effort – not just one month out of the year. “We try to go above and beyond any way we can this month,” she said.
Overall statistics surrounding child abuse and neglect are grim, Gill noted. For every report of child abuse, she said, there are two that are unreported.
Vance County is not immune, and, in fact, as a Tier 1 county, there simply aren’t many resources for families and children.
Abuse is a multi-faceted issue that doesn’t always look the same or follow a familiar pattern. From family dynamics to generational abuse or neglect, Gill said part of S.a.M.’s approach is to provide wraparound services to support individuals and families in crisis.
Part of S.a.M.’s role is to connect families with resources to get the help they need.
Another part is the monthly meeting of a multi-disciplinary team that gathers and discusses each family that is seeking help to make sure the particular needs are being met.
“We can’t be a stand-alone center,” Gill said. “The whole point is that every family is getting exactly what they need…for the best outcome.”
One question on the S.a.M. intake form asks whether anyone else in the family has been a victim of abuse or neglect. Seventy-five percent of the time, the answer is yes. Generational abuse or neglect adds another layer to the degree of trauma felt by families.
Since it started in 2016, Gill said S.a.M. has played a role in helping families and individuals get the healing they need and that they deserve.
“We have had kids that are now in college,” she said. “They are doing wonderful things.”
Ninety percent of the victims of abuse or neglect know the alleged abuser, Gill said. It’s so important for parents or guardians to have conversations with their children to help them understand what appropriate contact is and what is inappropriate.
“Have these conversations with your kids,” Gill said, even if it feels awkward.
“You are your child’s first line of defense,” she said. “We’re always here to help out in any way.”
Parents may get an eye roll from their children, but it’s important to know who their child’s friends are. Getting involved in their lives, showing interest in their activities opens up doors to more important conversations in the future, she added.
Visit https://www.samchildadvocacycenter.com/ to find resources. Call 252.572.4112 to learn more or email Gill at cara@samcac.com.
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