Tag Archive for: #hendersonnews

H-V Chamber Of Commerce Gathering Business Swag For Teacher Welcome Bags

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While area students and teachers are enjoying summer vacation, the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce is getting a game plan together to provide welcome bags to 100 or so new teachers to various schools across the city and county.

Area businesses are invited to fill the bags with donations – useful supplies with your business logo would be a great addition, and Chamber’s director of Programs Vanessa Jones said donations can be dropped off through Friday, July 10.

The schools which will receive bags include Crossroads Christian School, Henderson Collegiate, Kerr Vance Academy, Oxford Preparatory School, Vance Charter and Vance County Schools.

Please drop your items off at the Chamber Office, located at 414 S Garnett St. Call Jones at the Chamber 252.438.8414 for more information.

Cooperative Extension with Nitasha Kearney: Kitchen to Market

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Nitasha Kearney, on the Vance County Cooperative Extension Report:

This segment talks about a few things and events happening with Cooperative Extension’s Go For Health Programs during the summer. We also talk about the learning habits of eating healthy foods to keep you healthy physically.

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

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TownTalk: Henderson Music & Arts Festival Recap

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Bridger Stewardson is one cool dude.

The 19-year-old just pulled off the first Henderson Music & Arts Festival in his hometown, which, from all accounts, was a great success. Hundreds of people came out to check out the lineup, which included local bands as well as other musicians and vocalists from Durham and Boston, MA.

Stewardson, who just completed his freshman at the renown Berklee School of Music in Boston, is an accomplished jazz pianist. The 2025 Vance Charter School graduate told WIZS in an earlier interview that the festival is a way for him to give back to his hometown.

He mentioned a couple of takeaways from having the first year under his belt.

One, “That I’m going to do it again next year, for sure, and every year after, hopefully,” Stewardson said on Monday’s TownTalk.

Second takeaway – he’s going to hire some more help.

He got to the site about 8:30 in the morning on Sunday, June 14 and was still there finishing up at 10 that night. In addition to setting up and making sure everything was ready for the performances, Stewardson was a great festival greeter and ambassador. And that was all before he took the stage.

“It was just great to see so many people show up,” he said. “Five, six hundred people, in and out all day…everybody smiling the whole time, dancing. It was a good day.”

People from all different ethnicities, backgrounds and ages made up the crowd, which Stewardson attributes to the music.

“It was the music that worked all that other stuff in,” he said.

Listening to live music creates a special feeling among concertgoers. “You feel like you’re almost part of it, of the moving organism that the event is based around,” he noted.

Jimmy and the Sound Barriers kicked things off, and the Westbrooks provided the intro to Bridger & Friends, which was the final group to take the stage.

“All of the groups were stellar. I couldn’t have asked for a better turnout for the music,” he said.

As he thinks about next year’s festival, Stewardson said he may consider moving the date up just a bit to avoid the heat – it was in the upper 80’s on festival day before a quick shower cooled things off a bit.

There were tents and misting fans which helped, and the breeze was “super nice” under the tents to help keep folks comfortable.

“Everybody I talked to had a great time,” Stewardson said. It was just a happy time, he said, adding that he loved seeing folks out dancing in front of the stage, smiling and talking to old friends and meeting new ones.

Bridger & Friends will be playing from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday, June 25 at Tobacco Wood Brewing Co. in Oxford for the final installment of Quittin’ Time.

Then he’ll be headed off to NYC to hang out with the Parliament Funkadelic guys and the bassist for the Allman Brothers Band and Dead & Company.

All this before beginning his sophomore year.

Yep, Bridger Stewardson is one cool dude.

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Cooperative Extension with Wayne Rowland: Yellowjackets

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Wayne Rowland, on the Vance County Cooperative Extension Report:

Yellowjackets can be controlled  by using Wasp Spray after the nest has been located. The time to spray the nest is dusk to dark in the evening.

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

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Vance County Veterans Memorial Installation

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Plans to install the Vance County Veterans Memorial are right on track, with the hard work beginning on Wednesday in advance of the official unveiling and dedication at 10 a.m. on Saturday, July 4.

As American Legion Post 60 Commander Hartwell Wright said recently, it’s going to be pretty difficult to keep the 9-foot memorial a secret for the week or so between the time it’s put in its permanent location until the morning of July 4.

But it’ll give folks time to get things tidied up and pretty up the landscaping that will be a part of the monument site, located at 200 Breckenridge St. just outside the Henderson Police Department.

The community is invited to bring lawn chairs and be a part of this momentous occasion, which will include a presentation on the history of Vance County from its beginnings to the present day by local historians Tem Blackburn and Mark Pace.

Fundraising for the monument is going well, with about $18,000 left of the overall $150,000 goal, Wright said. The monument includes a memorial headstone with the names of the 126 names of Vance County military members killed in action.

Wright said, “Folks have been good to us. It’s been a blessing.”

In the event of rain, the ceremony will move to nearby McGregor Hall.

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TownTalk: Mental Health Resources Available To Farmers/Public

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Even under optimal conditions, farmers face daily challenges – mending fences, managing livestock, keeping gardens picked, maintaining tractors and equipment – and that’s just for starters.

But factor in extreme circumstances like persistent drought and higher-than-normal temps, and the additional stress can compound an already stressful lifestyle that can have serious implications on their mental health.

Vance County Cooperative Extension Agent Michael Ellington and Granville Vance Public Health clinical social worker Mary Constantino shared some sobering information about national suicide rates among farmers and what family members can do if they see concerning behaviors in their loved ones.

Ellington said it’s important to be aware of how stress impacts us – farmers and others, alike. It’s all about knowing what we can do and focusing on what we can control, he said on a recent TownTalk.

Constantino, GVPH Human Services Clinical Counselor Specialist, said the national data around suicide is about 14.4 deaths per 100,000. In North Carolina, that average is 14.1. But farmers, she said, have a higher rate per 100,000 than the average population – as much as 2 to 4 times the national average.

Ellington said he’s heard different people expressing feelings of desperation, that they can see no way forward, no way out.

“This is a problem happening right now,” Ellington said, “your family, your neighbors. It’s here.”

He wants to send the message that provides a lifeline to those in distress. “Whatever problems you’re facing,” there is a way out, a way forward.

“It’s really hard to talk about feelings and things that are stressful,” Constantino said.

When things aren’t going well, it’s human nature to blame ourselves, and she said it’s also natural to think that we should be able to handle the stressful situations without help.

It may be useful to change perspective from “I should be able to handle these feelings myself” to “gosh, maybe I do need some help trying to process through some of this,” she said.

Ellington said often, a farmer’s support system includes the very ones who are dependent on him or her.

“They probably are the folks they’re worried about letting down the most,” he said.

Constantino suggests having a daily “process check” when stress levels are high. The stress is acknowledged – now what to do about it?

Sometimes, it’s helpful to just ‘vent’ to someone. That can be enough, but not always. And it’s important to know what steps to take when venting hasn’t helped.

Ellington says there’s a difference between venting and problem-solving.

“Farmers are natural problem solvers,” he said.

“Venting is when we just need to put something out there, knowing that we can’t fix it.”

The weather. The drought. That tractor part that won’t be in stock for two weeks.

Sleeping more, drinking alcohol to excess, not wanting to socialize or even get out of the bed may be signs that there’s more going on than just reacting to normal stress.

GVPH has a variety of programs that address mental health and positive outcomes, Constantino said. Crisis lines in Vance and Granville counties can provide referrals to callers who reach out about services.

Of course, if you are fearful for the safety of your loved one, you can always call the national 988 suicide hotline.

“The best place to start is to say ‘Hey, we care about you,’” Constantino said.

GVPH can help manage medications and oversee people who need mental health support. In Granville County, there are therapists who go into schools; in Vance County, it’s mostly group-focused programs.

Clinicians all operate a little bit differently, Constantino explained, but clients often find relief when what they need is support and encouragement and strategic questions about how to move forward.

Call GVPH at 919.693.2141 or visit https://gvph.org/ webs to learn more.

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Henderson City Budget Doesn’t Pass Wednesday 06-17-26

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The City of Henderson remains without a fiscal year 27 budget after the city council did not pass a budget at its special called meeting June 17. Mayor Pro Tem Tami Walker made a motion to pass the budget after Finance Director Joey Fuqua presented total adjustments that were being suggested of some $1.34 million. This comes after more than a week of consideration and talks with Interim City Manager Kendrick Vann and other departments, but the motion failed for lack of a second.

As the council continues to consider money-saving options before approving the FY 2026-27 operating budget, less than two weeks remain in the current fiscal year, and the FY27 budget needs to be adopted before July 1.

Another meeting will be scheduled and officially announced, and the council tentatively set that for Wednesday, June 24.

All eight members were present to hear Fuqua explain that he, his team and the various city departments had been able to find roughly $677,000 in additional savings while factoring in forecast sales tax revenues of $300,000 and “other incremental revenues” for a total of $1.34 million.

If it had been adopted or something similar is adopted, then that total reduces what the City will have to take from undesignated fund balance, and Fuqua said the total $3.6 million now needed from fund balance represents the lowest that figure has been in three years.

As it stands for now, it’s the Henderson Police Department and public safety overall that takes the biggest hit.

Approximately 63 percent of the “saved” or “found” money or about $450k comes in the form of two frozen police department sworn office positions and a retirement benefit calculation.

Another bit comes from a fire department position. And there are a few H-V Rec Department positions involved as well.

The City of Henderson experienced no homicides in January, February, March or April, but the Henderson Police Department has investigated and made multiple arrests in two homicides that occurred in the 45 days follwing May 1.

As mentioned, in addition to the two sworn officer positions being frozen, the finance department recalculated retired police personnel figures using a projected percentage rate more than seven points lower, giving back $300k to the budget.

Council Member Geraldine Champion inquired about changing some positions from full-time to part-time and also wondered whether the highest-paid city employees or any city employees could be required to pay for their own insurance.

Champion also said she was not including emergency personnel in her efforts to save this budget.

Council Member Michael Venable asked about one of the city positions, one that was being moved laterally from one department to another.

Vann said for the last few years, city employees received lifetime benefits upon retirement. Reversing this could lower morale among employees, Vann said.

In response to a question from Council Member Sam Seifert, Fuqua explained that, with reductions in place, use of fund balance and the bump in sales tax revenues, the gap between the revenues and expenses equates to two police positions, one fire position, three from the rec department, with one moving laterally into another department, and Fuqua mentioned the value of the police retirement projection percentage change.

Mayor Melissa Elliott said this trend is not sustainable, with Fuqua echoing previous comments about finding ways to add revenue.

Vann asked the council for additional direction, and he was provided none in open session.

Following the budget discussion, the Council went into closed session. When they returned to open session, Walker made a motion, seconded by Venable, to adjust the interim city manager’s pay up $7,500 to a total compensation of $150,000. The motion passed unanimously.

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