Tag Archive for: #hendersonnews

Terry Garrison

Terry Garrison, NC House Rep. & Local Business Owner, Talks MLK Legacy

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District 32 NC House representative and local businessman Terry Garrison was on Monday’s edition of WIZS’ Town Talk program to discuss the day’s remembrance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Observed the third Monday of January each year since 1986, the federal holiday honors King near his actual birthday of January 15. Many churches and community organizations in the local area held celebrations and events in remembrance both today and over the weekend.

Garrison, who attended both the Granville County Human Relations Annual Fellowship at Oxford Baptist Church and an MLK remembrance celebration at Spring St. Missionary Baptist Church in Henderson early Monday morning said the messages were very similar – keeping the dream alive.

“The message focused on the efforts we need to put forward to help fulfill the dream,” said Garrison.

Garrison said he personally became aware of King around 1955 during the events of the Montgomery Bus Boycott in Alabama. “King was an icon, a prophet, a Moses of the 20th century,” explained Garrison. “He is, what I consider, to be the father of the civil rights movement.”

In addition to being perhaps the most famous figure in the movement, Garrison reminded listeners that King was also a minister who preached a message of “justice, equality, peace and love.”

“King was a minister of the gospel and preached about loving God and loving your fellow man. There’s only one supreme being. There’s no man who is a supreme being, only God. Mankind was made from one clay; we all have the same blood. Once we embrace and begin to love and respect each other, we can get a lot of things done and put favoritism aside,” stated Garrison.

To do his part to help fulfill King’s dream, Garrison said he serves in leadership roles with several organizations that assist the African-American community, including the Henderson-Vance Black Leadership Caucus, where he serves as president.

“The Black Leadership Caucus focuses on helping blacks and persons of color get elected to office who are focused on helping improve the quality of life for all citizens, particularly the African-American community,” said Garrison “I take a lot of pride in working with that organization.”

Garrison also works with the NAACP and other community organizations to “to help people register to vote, feed the hungry and help those with housing issues.”

For more information on these organizations, Garrison invites you to contact him by phone at (252) 432-3577 or (252) 438-6363.

To hear the interview with Terry Garrison in its entirety, please click here. Garrison’s portion of the Town Talk segment begins at the 11:05 mark.

Dabney Drive

Dabney Dr. Surveying Project to Last Several Months, Help Solve Traffic Woes

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-Information and photo courtesy the Citizens Aligned to Take Back Henderson, NC’s Facebook page

We are all too familiar with the traffic problems on Dabney Drive in Henderson. Thankfully, the North Carolina Department of Transportation has started the process of addressing this problem.

Have you noticed the surveying that has taken place in recent weeks? This is just the beginning of the process. Representatives from the NCDOT, including engineers, surveyors, and geologists as well as representatives from other state and federal agencies will be working in the area for the next several months. They will be collecting preliminary data for an environmental study for the project on SR 1162 (Dabney Drive) from Coble Blvd. to US 158 Business.

Can traffic problems be solved? Of course they can, and this is done every day. Like Dabney Drive, Ruin Creek Road also handles a large amount of traffic but without the problems.

The traffic on I-85 is expected to increase drastically over the next decade and so will the traffic on Dabney Drive. This can be viewed as a negative or as an opportunity. With the right long term plan and investment, it can undoubtedly be a great opportunity for Henderson.

Naysayers will say “this can’t work and it’s a waste of money” but that’s just what naysayers do. In reality, millions of tax dollars are going to be spent on infrastructure in the City of Henderson that will promote investment and make life in our city better.

Citizens Aligned to Take Back Henderson, NC sees this as a positive.

(This is not a paid advertisement)

 

News 01/21/19

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Vance Co. Schools: ‘We Promise to Do What is Necessary’ to Provide Lunch/Breakfast

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Per Terri Hedrick, Public Information Officer for Vance County Schools:

Right now, Vance County Schools has one-and-a-half months of funding reserves to support our School Nutrition Program if there is no funding available through the USDA.

At least 75 to 80 percent of our students throughout the Vance County school district eat lunch each day. The number can fluctuate, because some students bring their lunch some days and students are absent, etc. For our breakfasts, approximately 60 percent of students district-wide eat each day. Again, this number can fluctuate some from day to day.

We can promise our community that we will do what is necessary to provide breakfast and lunch each day in school to all students. We’re continually assessing our situation to stay on top of the funding limitations during the shutdown. We know we are okay with food reserves and available funding through March. Beyond that, no one, including other counties, knows what might happen. We’re in uncharted territory with this shutdown. No previous shutdown has ever lasted this long.

Currently, we have no issues with breakfast or lunch for students in our schools. Things are progressing smoothly. The only change being made starting Tuesday, January 22, 2019, is that students won’t have a choice of two entrees (meats) for their lunches. There will be no ice cream as this is considered an extra menu item.

Please understand the steps we are taking are precautionary to ensure we stretch our food supplies and funding as much as possible.

– Terri Hedrick, Public Information Officer
Vance County Schools

Young St. in Henderson to Become One-Way; Court St. Traffic Flow to Reverse

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-Information courtesy Esther J. McCrackin, City Clerk, City of Henderson

CITY OF HENDERSON – TRAFFIC FLOW CHANGES

On Tuesday, January 22, 2019, Young Street will become a ONE-WAY street. Traffic will flow from Garnett Street to Chestnut Street. DO NOT enter Young Street from Chestnut Street.

Court Street will continue to be a ONE-WAY Street but the traffic flow will be reversed. Traffic will now flow from Young Street to Montgomery Street.

 

Vance Co. Schools Announces Pre-Kindergarten Site Selection Process Now Open

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-Press Release, Vance County Schools

The N.C. Pre-Kindergarten Site Selection process is now open.

N.C. Pre-Kindergarten Site Selection applications are due on April 11, 2019, at 4:30 p.m. from local child care centers, preschools and day care centers.

The applications should be sent to the Vance County Schools, Federal Programs Office at 1724 Graham Avenue in Henderson. The mailing address is P.O. Box 7001, Henderson, N.C. 27536.

The contact person with Vance County Schools is Claudette Scales, pre-kindergarten coordinator. She may be reached by phone at 252-492-2127 and by e-mail at cscales@vcs.k12.nc.us.

The site application is available online at www.vcs.k12.nc.us and www.ncchildcare.nc.gov.

Site selection approval does not guarantee selection as an N.C. pre-kindergarten site.

Local Youth Encouraged to Register for 5th Annual African-American Quiz Bowl

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-Information and flyer courtesy Tara Goolsby, Henderson-Vance Recreation and Parks Facilities Supervisor, Aycock Recreation Center

Come enjoy friendly and educational fun as the Henderson-Vance Recreation & Parks Department hosts the 5th Annual African-American Quiz Bowl from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. on Saturday, February 23, 2019.

The competition is open to 6th – 12th graders and will be held at the City Council Chambers located at 134 Rose Avenue in Henderson.

Questions will be based on African-American history in America, in North Carolina and locally in Henderson and Vance County.

Teams will consist of 3-4 participants. Registration deadline is Friday, February 15, 2019; a study guide is provided.

For more information, or to register, please contact Shantel Hargrove at shhargrove@ci.henderson.nc.us or 252-430-0382 or Gregory Kelly at gkelly@ci.henderson.nc.us or 252-431-6099.

News 01/18/19

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Sheriff Curtis Brame

Major Drug Bust, Rapport Building Define Brame’s First Weeks in Office

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Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame was on Thursday’s edition of WIZS’ Town Talk program to discuss his first six weeks in office.

Brame’s first order of business was assessing the current staffing structure and making a plan to strengthen areas of potential weakness. “I’m learning a lot,” he said. “Right now I’m doing an assessment. We have a good administrative staff and several have been promoted to a higher rank.”

Staying true to his campaign platform, Brame said he is also focusing on tackling the local drug problem and building rapport among the community.

“Right now, I’m working on reorganizing the division to get more deputies out on the street, and making sure we are more proactive in all areas,” Brame said.

Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame discusses his first few weeks in office with WIZS News. (WIZS Photo)

Brame is pleased with one recent victory that saw the Narcotics Unit arrest suspects involved in a “drug house” on Yancey Lane in Henderson. That case will be tried in federal court, according to Brame.

The process of helping to bust drug operations is helped along tremendously by information from the community, Brame said. “The rapport building that I talked about during my campaign has really paid off. People are sharing information on potential drug houses and activities.”

While Brame would like to expand the Narcotics Unit, he said the Sheriff’s Office as a whole is understaffed by at least nine people and has been understaffed for quite some time.

“I am addressing this issue with Vance County Commissioners for discussion when they plan the budget. They know we need the additional manpower; we can’t sufficiently provide adequate services to our citizens with the current manpower.”

Brame admitted recruiting officers to the area is harder than ever in a time when interest in a law enforcement career is down country-wide and surrounding counties are offering bigger paychecks.

“We have a retention problem,” Brame said. “Many see us as a training ground and then they go to work for surrounding counties that pay more. First responders and EMS have this same issue.”

“We spend a lot of money on training, they get here, we pay to train them and then they leave after 18 months or so. Then we have to start the whole process all over again.”

Brame admits he doesn’t have a quick-fix for long-standing recruitment issues, “Do I have all of the answers? No, I don’t, but we have to find a way to retain good officers and get them to stay right here in Vance County.”

In addition to focusing on the drug problem and retention issues, Brame said engaging in trust building activities and improving communication with the community is on his daily to-do list.

Up and out the door by 6:30 a.m. most mornings, Brame said he visits local restaurants, businesses and schools to talk with the citizens of Vance County and encourage them to share their concerns.

“We do not have enough eyes and ears [in the Sheriff’s Office] to combat the situation going on with crime and drugs. Get involved and share information. Reclaim your neighborhood and community,” Brame urged.

Brame said his phone number is open to the public and stated it on-air as (919) 691-6748.

“We are a public office and have an open-door policy. If you have an issue with the Sheriff’s Office, don’t just talk about me; come and see me or give me a call so we can address your situation.”

*To hear the interview in its entirety, please click here.

Vance Co. Schools Addresses Meal Changes During Govt. Shutdown

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-Press Release, Vance County Schools

Vance County Schools was first notified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on January 4 that the federal government shutdown would affect funds for our school system’s School Nutrition Program.

School system officials subsequently were notified on January 7 by the N.C. State Department of Agriculture that food shipments were only guaranteed to our schools through March. On January 12, the USDA notified school districts that federal funds are only available through March.

Understanding our limited resources (cash reserves), we began planning for the long-term impact on our food service program should the federal shutdown continue. We made the decision to alter our food options to conserve funds as long as possible.

The Vance County Schools child nutrition program is funded through reimbursement by the Federal Government. A total of 95 percent of our program’s budget is provided through these federal monies. Federal reimbursements for student meals are usually received in our district 30 days after the meals are served.

Our school system has one-and-a-half months of funding reserves on hand to support our child nutrition program once funding is no longer available through the USDA. We recognize that we must plan to make the most of our resources and that we have a responsibility to meet the needs of our children. Our priority is ensuring our students receive breakfast and lunch every day and that continues to be the priority of our school system.

We are committed to providing breakfasts and lunches each day to all of our students.

We will continue to assess our school nutrition services on a regular basis as the shutdown continues.