Tag Archive for: #hendersonnews
Vance Co. Commissioners Brummitt & Wilder Talk Fire Restructuring Vote
On Thursday’s edition of WIZS Town Talk program, Vance County Commissioners Gordon Wilder and Dan Brummitt discussed the Board’s recent 4-3 vote to move ahead with funding paid part-time positions in the County’s volunteer fire departments.
Commissioners Tommy Hester, Leo Kelly, Archie Taylor and Wilder were in favor of the vote, with Dan Brummitt, Carolyn Faines and Yolanda Feimster in opposition.
The question of what changes will be made to the Vance County Fire Department that serves the Golden Belt District is still under discussion. Wilder said nothing is off the table when it comes to reorganization options.
“I’m listening to [County Manager] Jordan McMillen and Finance Manager David Beck for some recommendations. I want us to look at every possibility. It may require some shifting around of funds and some creative measures.”
The original fire restructuring proposal, which went before the Board at their January meeting, included, in part, converting the Vance County Fire Department into a volunteer operation with some paid personnel while repositioning other paid personnel into volunteer departments throughout the county.
The Board voted at that meeting to hold a work session on January 23 to further discuss details and options before proceeding.
Wilder said his vote at Monday’s Board meeting in favor of adding paid part-time positions to volunteer departments while leaving the Vance Co. Fire Department as is for the time being was influenced by his conversations with people in the community and his understanding of the general consensus of the commissioners at the recent work session.
“There seemed to be in our work session a consensus that we need to put part-timers in the volunteer departments. I’m not saying in the future that we don’t reduce the paid staff in the Golden Belt and distribute them out [to volunteer departments], but budget-wise, I don’t think it’s wise right now.”
Brummitt, who has been working on fire restructuring measures since 2006, serves on the County’s Fire Commission and has been a strong proponent of the plan as proposed at the January Board meeting.
According to Brummitt, moving forward with funding new part-time positions in the volunteer departments is not what he considers to be the most fiscally responsible decision nor the one that will bring more equality between the various fire districts.
“Based on the motion made at the meeting, the Vance County Fire Department – the Golden Belt District – will be the only area with 24-7 coverage. The others will have part-time coverage Monday through Friday on an 11-12 hour basis. There’s no equity in any of that,” said Brummitt.
Citing previous conversations centering around improving response time and providing equal coverage to the various fire districts, Brummitt said he feels Monday’s decision was a step back. “I feel the decision made the other night was a step backwards to where we had already gotten. I think we’ve come too far to go backwards now.”
Wilder said he felt the decision to increase staffing at volunteer departments was helping to reach that initial goal.
“One of the goals at the outset of all this was the fact that you may live in Watkins, Townsville or Drewry, and being an outlying fire district, you may not be getting the same response time as someone a little closer. So the goal was to give equal response times, or the best we could, as efficiently as possible.”
Moving forward, Wilder said the Board’s work will turn to the process of putting part-time positions in the volunteer departments, filling those positions and resuming talks of a possible restructuring of the Vance County Fire Department.
To hear the WIZS Town Talk interviews with Wilder and Brummitt in their entirety, please click here.
First Baptist Church of Henderson to Hold ‘Lenten Lunches & Lessons’
-Information courtesy First Baptist Church
The First Baptist Church of Henderson is pleased to announce upcoming Lenten Lunches and Lessons. They will be held on Mondays from March 11 through April 8 at noon in the Fellowship Hall at First Baptist.
A light lunch will be served in addition to the brief time of worship. Worship will focus on the themes of Lent and will be guided by First Baptist Church ministers as well as special guests from the area. Lunch will be open from 11:45 a.m. until 12:15 p.m.
There is no charge for lunch, but donations will be welcomed. Reservations are not required but will be helpful.
To sign up, please contact the First Baptist Church office at (252) 438-3172.
Granville Vance Health Announces Opening of Dental Clinic in Oxford
Sandra Micou and Wendy Smith, representatives of the Granville Vance District Health Department, were on Wednesday’s edition of WIZS’ Town Talk program to discuss the recent opening of the health department’s Carolina Fellows Family Dentistry Clinic along with February’s designation as “National Children’s Dental Health Month.”
Located at 115 Hilltop Village in Oxford, the non-profit dentistry clinic serves Granville and Vance County residents of all ages, both the insured – through Medicaid or private insurance – and the uninsured.
A sliding fee scale for services is available for uninsured residents depending on income status and household size.
Dental services are offered to the entire family and include cleanings, x-rays, fluoride treatments, sealants, restorative and emergency services.
With two dentists, two dental assistants, a dental hygienist and a bi-lingual front desk assistant, all from the local area, Smith said a visit here feels like time spent with good friends. “All are from this community; it’s like coming home when you go there. They are friendly and want you to feel comfortable and educated about your oral health.”
This friendly atmosphere is sure to make children, notoriously skittish about visiting the dentist, feel more relaxed.
In honor of “National Children’s Dental Health Month,” Micou reminded listeners that children should have their first dental visit by the time their first tooth emerges, or no later than their first birthday.
First appointments include a check on emerging teeth and their condition as well as an application of “teeth vitamins” otherwise known as fluoride.
Micou said children should be brushing at least twice a day for two minutes each time, or 30 seconds per quadrant. Dental visits are recommended at least once every six months.
Tips to avoid cavities include limiting children’s intake of sweets, such as candy or juice, and wiping teeth with gauze or a wet rag if the child drinks a bottle before going to sleep for the evening.
While many children get their first baby tooth before their first birthday, Micou said children begin losing their baby teeth around the age of six. This is also the age that children develop their permanent molars.
“As those permanent molars come in, because they are going to be with them the rest of their lives, we suggest getting them into the dentist to have sealants done,” said Micou.
Sealants are a thin coating that sits on top of molars to prevent bacteria and sugar from creating cavities in the grooves. Initial sealant applications last approximately 10 years.
Recognizing the difficulties parents have getting children to dental appointments during the work week, Smith said the health department is looking into setting up a mobile unit that would travel to Granville and Vance County schools to provide dental care. Smith clarified that implementation of such a program is still a year or two away.
In the meantime, the Carolina Fellows Family Dentistry Clinic is conveniently located in Oxford and available to help local children with their dental needs. Clinic hours are Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m.; appointments can be made by calling (919) 693-8797.
For more information or to stay updated, please visit the clinic’s newly created Facebook page by clicking here.
To hear the interview with Micou and Smith in its entirety, please click here.
Maria Parham Health Invites Community to Youth Art Showcase & Silent Auction
-Information courtesy Maria Parham Health’s Facebook page
Maria Parham Health invites the community to the first Annual Youth Art Showcase and Silent Auction, Thurs., February 7, 2019, from 2 to 8 p.m. in Maria Parham Health’s Main Lobby in Henderson. Refreshments will be served from 6 to 8 p.m.
Join us in viewing artwork created by various youth artists in our communities. Each piece of artwork will be auctioned to the highest bidder in our silent auction. Artists may be present for a meet and greet.
All proceeds will benefit United Way.
Public Invited to West End Community Watch Meeting – Feb. 19
-Information courtesy Claire Catherwood, West End Community Watch
West End Community Watch will meet on Tuesday, February 19, 2019, at 6:30 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall of West End Baptist Church in Henderson.
The speaker will be Cara Gill of the Child Advocacy Council. Police officers will be present to hear your concerns and to provide updates on police activities. We hope you can join us; we invite everyone to attend.
We also want everyone in Henderson and Vance County to know that, if you have a computer, you can go to Nextdoor.com and find out if your area is covered by a Nextdoor website. Most of Vance County is on Nextdoor.com.
On the website, you can find out what’s going on in your area, report lost and found pets, ask for recommendations for tradesmen, etc.
Superintendent Dr. Anthony Jackson Talks School System, First Year of Consolidation
Dr. Anthony Jackson, superintendent of Vance County Schools, was on Tuesday’s edition of WIZS’ Town Talk program to discuss what is currently happening in the local school system, including an update on the middle and high school consolidation process.
According to Jackson, the school system is now in the beginning stages of rewriting the district’s strategic plan for the next five academic years. The plan will have input from community stakeholders including parents, teachers, students, the Vance County Board of Education and local leaders.
The new plan is sure to include strategies for increasing student access to the latest technology, a goal that is currently being met with the recently opened “Vance Virtual Labs” or “V2” laboratories housed at Vance County Middle School and Vance County High School.
The laboratories, located in the schools’ media centers, feature approximately 24 digital learning stations for students to engage in interactive three-dimensional instruction using special computer software applications in subject areas including science, health and geography.
Jackson said teachers are participating in on-going lab training sessions; full implementation is expected in the next few months.
The current 2018-2019 school year marks the first year of a consolidation process that saw Eaton Johnson and Henderson middle schools combine to form Vance County Middle School and Northern Vance and Southern Vance high schools combine to form Vance County High School.
“We told the community that it was going to be a three-year process; the hardest phase is year one,” said Jackson. “Now that we are in the buildings, we are trying to figure out all the little quirks and small things that we need to do to make our programs work fully.”
While the first year of the process has presented some challenges, Jackson said he has been pleasantly surprised at just how smoothly things have progressed.
“We’ve had very few bumps in the road as we’ve pulled these things together. Our students deserve a good, supportive school in their community and I believe we’ve created two.”
Students winning a video competition, athletic teams performing well and outstanding teacher recognition – all at the state level – are tangible outcomes that point to the success of the consolidation, according to Jackson.
Areas that will play prominently into the second and third year of the consolidation process include maintaining facilities, focusing on additional safety measures, increasing student access to programming and addressing capital needs such as parking lot maintenance.
In addressing the talk of the “savings” created by the consolidation, Jackson clarified that money formerly used for heating, cooling and providing energy to areas not in use will now be better spent in programming and learning opportunities for students.
Jackson reported that the school system has already seen an estimated $40,000 – $50,000 savings in utility costs from the former Eaton Johnson and Henderson middle schools, and expects to see even more savings when the school system completely vacates those premises.
When asked about the future use of the buildings, including reports of the County’s interest in purchasing the Eaton Johnson building to house the Department of Social Services, Jackson said he was not currently at liberty to discuss such plans.
“I will say there is tremendous support to make sure the facilities are used to benefit the community.”
While a declining number of students attending Vance County public schools led, in part, to the consolidation decision, Jackson said enrollment numbers are now leveling out.
Explaining that the school system receives federal, state and local funding based on the number of pupils each year, Jackson said that a portion of that per-pupil amount goes with students when they attend a charter school.
“It’s always a moving target. If we gain kids, we get money; if we lose kids, we lose money.”
In this regard, Jackson said it is in the school system’s benefit to find ways to attract parents and families to select Vance County Schools as their educational partner.
“We are working to develop programs that parents want and a school system that we can be proud of. When parents make that choice, we want to be considered in the conversation.”
To hear the interview with Dr. Jackson in its entirety, please click here.
HPD: Pedestrian Struck & Killed on I-85; Case Deemed a Suicide
-Information courtesy the Henderson Police Department’s Facebook page
On Saturday, February 2, 2019, around 5 a.m., Henderson Police Department officers responded to a call at I-85, mile marker 213 (Dabney Dr) in reference to a pedestrian being struck.
When they arrived, Carl Maurice Matthews III, age 25 of Oxford, NC, was found unresponsive. Matthews had been struck by a motor vehicle in the southbound lane of I-85.
After an in-depth investigation and speaking with family, friends, and acquaintances, the case has been deemed a suicide. Out of respect for the family, no further information will be provided.