Tag Archive for: #hendersonnews
Thomas Jefferson makes first visit to VGCC
/by WIZS StaffVance-Granville Community College students, faculty, staff and members of the community recently felt that they were in the presence of one of our nation’s Founding Fathers, when Bill Barker, in character as President Thomas Jefferson, presented the first in a series of three lectures. Barker has a local connection, as his father was an Oxford native and he has many relatives in Granville County.
The college’s Arts and Sciences division is offering a spring lecture series featuring Barker, the critically acclaimed resident “Mr. Jefferson” at Colonial Williamsburg, Va. The public is invited to attend the Jefferson presentations.
On Feb. 18, the series kicked off with “Mr. Jefferson and the Pursuit of Science.” Barker will return to present “Mr. Jefferson and the U.S. Constitution,” on Thursday, March 17, at 11 a.m. The final presentation will be “Mr. Jefferson and Slavery,” on Thursday, April 21, at 11 a.m. Each of these hour-long lectures are being held in the small auditorium in Building 2 on VGCC’s Main Campus in Henderson.
At his first engagement, the special guest was introduced by VGCC English department chair David Wyche, who noted that Barker is the same height, weight and general appearance as Mr. Jefferson. He has portrayed Thomas Jefferson in a variety of venues since his first appearance at Independence Hall in Philadelphia in 1984 and has conducted extensive research on Jefferson and his world. “Short of time travel, this is as close as we can come to meeting the man himself,” Wyche said.
“Jefferson” expressed his pleasure at visiting an educational institution like VGCC, noting that when he was growing up, education was only available to male children of families with means. “I hope for the day when everyone will have the opportunity to go to school, poor as well as wealthy, female as well as male, so that all will have a better opportunity to pursue ‘natural philosophy,’ what you now call ‘science,’” he said. Science, he added, is “founded upon open and free conversation, an open mind to pursue everything, to question everything, and thereby through objective reasoning to arrive at the discovery of facts.”
Barker, never breaking character, discussed the wide variety of scientific and technological advances that fascinated Jefferson. “What will happen in the next century, or two centuries?” he wondered. “Imagine! The greatest product this nation has to offer the world is imagination.” The president said that he still lived in a “four-mile-per hour world,” with both transportation and communication tied to the speed of horses, ships and “your own two feet.”
Jefferson said that he was frequently asked to name the greatest invention of this modern world, and his answer was “the printing press,” for its power to disseminate information and encourage literacy. “When you read for yourself, you begin to think for yourself,” he said. “You are no longer beholden to hearsay; you have the opportunity to read the facts distinctly for yourself, to put your mind to work, to ponder and to question, to objectively look at things.” He also touched upon fields like astronomy, agriculture, medicine, paleontology and even the science of government.
“What a bright future we have,” Barker said, from Jefferson’s perspective. “I enjoy much more the dreams of our future than I do the history of our past.”
For more information on the lecture series, call David Wyche at (252) 738-3364 or Deanna Stegall at (252) 738-3311.
Local Pastors Visit Local Schools
/by John C. RoseHenderson Man Arrested on Federal Drug Charges
/by WIZS StaffHenderson Police Department Press Release
On Thursday, on February 25, 2016, members of the Henderson Police Department Special Operations Unit, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Raleigh Police Department arrested a Henderson man on federal drug charges.
Keith Antoine Thorpe, 39, 3263 Hwy 158 Business, Henderson was charged with one count of distribution and possession with the intent to distribute a quantity of heroin and distribution and possession with the intent to distribute a quantity of cocaine base(crack).
Thorpe was transferred into the custody of the United States Marshall Service pending a hearing in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina. This case was investigated by the Henderson Police Department Special Operations Unit and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The investigation into weapon violations and drug trafficking currently is ongoing.
Authority: Chief Marcus Barrow
Granville Vance Tornado Path
/by John C. RoseDirector of Emergency Operations for Henderson and Vance County Brian Short provided the picture below to WIZS News by email.
In his email, he wrote, “(Wednesday’s) tornadoes caused significant damage in the northern portion of Vance County. While we believe at this time that we had three separate tornadoes in total, I have attached some locational data showing four points that we feel strongly are tornado touchdowns in Vance County. This helps to define the path of the tornado that caused the damage in the northern part of the County.”
According to what Short is saying, there were apparently three separate tornadoes believed to have been in Vance County on Wednesday, while the picture shows the path of a single tornado which it is believed caused the damage in northern Vance County. The path pictured is of the tornado which caused so much damage in the Huntsboro community in Granville County before moving into Vance County and touching down as many as four more times.
Marcus Fields Disappearance Leads To Indictments
/by John C. RoseHenderson, NC – Over the past six weeks, investigators from the Henderson Police Department and the Vance County Sheriff’s Office, together with agents from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation have investigated the disappearance of Marcus Lamont Fields of Henderson, North Carolina. The District Attorney’s Office has been working closely with these agencies during this investigation.
Today, the District Attorney’s Office presented indictments to a Vance County Grand Jury. True bills were returned on all counts and the Hon. James E. Hardin, Jr. has issued warrants for the arrests of Chelsea Joanne Collier, Daniel Blake Grissom, Jessica Lauren Lewis, and Chase M. Wiesner for the Conspiracy to Commit and the First Degree Murder of Marcus Lamont Fields. Additionally, Shannon Tingen Collier was indicted for Accessory After the Fact to First Degree Murder.
The investigation into the murder of Marcus Lamont Fields remains ongoing and further arrests are anticipated in connection with the case. All defendants indicted or charged are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Anyone with additional information is encouraged to contact the following:
Crimestoppers: (252) 492-1925
Vance County Sheriffs Office: (252) 738-2200
Fatal Shooting in Henderson
/by John C. RoseHenderson Police Press Release
Monday, February 08, 2016
On Monday, February 08, 2016 at 11:24 A.M., members of the Henderson Police Department responded to Gate City Foods, 601 W. Andrews Avenue, Henderson in response to someone being shot. Arriving officers found Tre’shon Cheek, 18, 315 Davis Street, Henderson suffering from a gunshot wound. Cheek died as a result of his injuries.
The investigation of this matter is being handled by the Henderson Police Department Criminal Investigation Division. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Henderson Police Department at 252-438-4141 or Henderson Vance Crime Stoppers at 252-492-1925. Crime Stoppers will pay rewards of up to 2,000.00 for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of individuals engaged in criminal activity.
Authority: Chief Marcus Barrow
VGCC Vanguards to play JV Tar Heels at Dean Dome
/by WIZS StaffFor the first time, the Vance-Granville Community College Vanguards men’s basketball team will soon travel to the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill to face the University of North Carolina Tar Heels junior varsity team.
Playing against the prestigious program in one of college basketball’s most well-known arenas has been a longtime goal for VGCC head coach Michael Woody, now in his third season. The JV game is set for Saturday, Jan. 16, at 9 a.m. Later that day, the varsity Tar Heels will take on the N.C. State Wolfpack.
Henderson-based radio station WIZS 1450 AM will provide live coverage of the game starting at 8:45 a.m. Even for those outside the range of the radio station, the broadcast can be streamed online at wizs.com/listennow/ or on a smart phone with the free “TuneIn Radio” app.
The Vanguards compete in Region X of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II, which includes ten two-year colleges in North Carolina and Virginia.
The UNC JV squad has several community college teams on its schedule this year, including one of VGCC’s Region X conference rivals, Wake Tech Community College. The Tar Heels defeated the Wake Tech Eagles on Dec. 6 by a score of 83-73. Likewise, the Vanguards beat the Eagles by the same margin, 67-57, in VGCC’s season opener on Nov. 6.
VGCC is 1-1 versus the junior varsity squads from four-year schools so far this season. The Vanguards beat the University of Mount Olive JV team on Nov. 8, but lost to the St. Andrews University JV squad on Nov. 16.
Coincidentally, one of the stars of the UNC varsity team, junior Isaiah Hicks, is a former teammate of VGCC sophomore Tyrek Beverly from their days at J.F. Webb High School in Oxford.
Admission is free to the UNC JV game. Attendees must present a valid North Carolina driver’s license at Entry Gate “B” to enter. For more information, call the Smith Center at (919) 962-2296.
Beverly returns to leading role with Vanguards
/by WIZS StaffVance-Granville Community College sophomore Tyrek Beverly of Oxford scored 23 points Jan. 5 as the Vanguards men’s basketball team faced the University of South Carolina-Salkehatchie. He and his teammates fought hard, but the visiting squad eked out a narrow win, 74-71, at Aycock Recreation Center in Henderson.
As a freshman in 2014-15, Beverly was often the team’s leading scorer, but at the beginning of this season, he was sidelined by an injury and only started to get back on the court in late November. His strong performance versus the USC Salkehatchie Indians marked a return to form for the J.F. Webb High School alumnus. Beverly had three rebounds and two steals, as well. Also scoring in double figures were Raekwon Hall of Raleigh, with 15 points, and Ty’Quon Reid of Durham, with 11. Donal Gooch of Raleigh had the most rebounds (8) for the Vanguards.
VGCC’s last three games of 2015 were also losses. On Nov. 24, the Vanguards fell to the reigning national champions, the Statesmen of Richard Bland College, by a score of 102-81 in Petersburg, Va. Hall and Reid led their team in scoring, with 27 and 25 points, respectively. Reid posted 6 rebounds to lead the Vanguards in that statistic.
On Dec. 2, VGCC returned home and played area rival Louisburg College in the second annual “Vanguard Night” game. Festivities included a DJ, prize drawings and performances by the Vanguard Spirit Pep Squad and a step team from a Granville County youth organization, “Un-Rappin’ the Gift.” After a close first half, the Hurricanes pulled away in the second, winning 89-77. Reid’s 30 points made him the Vanguards’ top scorer. Hall contributed 18 points. Gooch recorded 6 rebounds.
The calendar year ended with a 117-111 double-overtime loss to Central Carolina Community College in Sanford on Dec. 8. Hall put up 35 points, while Beverly showed improvement by scoring 22, just one more point than Reid. Gooch again led in rebounding, with 9.
Upcoming VGCC home games at Aycock Recreation Center are scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 7, at 7 p.m., versus Lenoir Community College, and Wednesday, Jan. 27, at 6:30 p.m., versus Catawba Valley Community College. Admission is free.