Tag Archive for: #hendersonnews

Home And Garden Show

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On the Home and Garden Show with Vance Co. Cooperative Ext.

  • If you have plants in a greenhouse or cold frame, always check the projected high temperature for the day 70F or higher. You will need to ventilate your greenhouse or cold frame.  Also have a good thermometer in these structures.
  • Begin pruning fruit trees, grapevines and blueberry bushes.
  • Organize your seed in the order you need to plant
  • Begin pruning trees and shrubs, but only if they need it.
  • Cooperative Extension has publications on most vegetables free of charge.
  • In most cases it’s best to avoid shearing cuts.
  • Conduct a germination test on old seed
  • Look for a date on all seed you purchase. Seed from last season or earlier will likely have a lower germination rate. .

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TownTalk: Vance County Government Vacancies

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Vance County Manager C. Renee Perry has wasted no time in posting job descriptions for several county positions that are either currently vacant or will be vacant in the next few weeks.

Perry is responsible for hiring a new budget and finance director – the previous director was terminated on Feb. 9 – and a new economic development director after outgoing director McKinley Perkinson leaves on Mar. 19.

It puts Perry in an unenviable spot of having to find new people to take important leadership roles, but she maintains a positive outlook.

“The only thing I can do is continue to recruit and look for the best candidate for each position and just hope and pray that when they come in the door they see me as a manager that wants to support them and take Vance County in a different direction,” Perry said in a recent interview with WIZS News.

The salary range for the job of economic development director is $80,076 to $104,099, according to the job posting on https://www.vancecounty.org/.

Benny Finch held that job for 25 years, but since his retirement in 2009, there have been a number of directors, each short-lived in their time with the county.

Perry said before Perkinson, “There were two or three people that didn’t stay long, so I guess my plan is just to try to get someone that wants to come here and make this home.” “It might be a little difficult…the only thing I can do is just take a chance and see how it goes – it’s definitely a revolving door.”

The salary range is a pretty healthy one, but candidates for the job should take a deep breath before taking a peek at the job description posted online: There are 14 bullet points under the heading of “Essential Job Functions” and 18 bullet points under the “Knowledge, Skills and Abilities” heading.

The ideal candidate has a four-year college degree and experience in the area of economic development.

In addition to those nuts-and-bolts skills that an effective employee needs, the economic development director also must possess those “soft skills” – think interpersonal skills, being a liaison among different groups exercising good judgment and meeting deadlines – that are so important when cultivating relationships and attracting new business.

The job description states that the economic development director works under the “general direction” of the county manager and economic development board.

Perry said as she seeks to fill the vacancies, she’ll be building a strong team to move the county forward.

“I’m hopeful that, with my leadership, things will be different…I just know that I’m looking at the end goal with making Vance County great. It’s already good – we’re just going to make it better.”

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Perry Memorial Library

Events At Perry Library; Mayor To Read To Youngsters

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Henderson Mayor Melissa Elliott will take a break from her duties with the city for a bit next week when she visits Perry Memorial Library to read a storybook to youngsters and then hang around to answer questions about what it’s like to be mayor.

Youth Services Director Melody Peters said the Tuesday, Feb. 27 gathering is for all ages, and everyone’s invited. Peters said on Tuesday’s The Local Skinny! that the program will last 30-45 minutes. “We have a craft planned, so it’ll be fun!” she exclaimed.

Ongoing programs are gearing up after a holiday pause, and Peters said the Monday Community Read program is gathering a bit of steam.

“One of my dreams for this program,” Peters said, “is to have all ages reading.” Whether it’s younger children reading to teens, teens reading with other teens or classes for adults who struggle with literacy, Peters said the library wants to meet people “where they’re at” with literacy.

The Community Read program is on Monday afternoons from 5:30 p.m. to 6:15 p.m.

Visit www.perrymemorial.org to find out about all the events and programs the library offers.

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Cooperative Extension with Paul McKenzie: What Works in the Garden

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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: County Commissioner Candidate Archie Taylor

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Vance County Commissioner Archie B. Taylor, Jr. is seeking re-election to his District 2 seat and said he’s interested in helping the county continue to attract economic development, work on public transportation, reduce crime, support education and get a new jail built.

An interview with Taylor aired on Monday’s TownTalk segment as part of WIZS’s ongoing coverage of local contests in the Mar. 5 primary elections. Taylor faces challenger Valencia Perry. Early voting continues through Saturday, Mar. 2.

Taylor, a highly decorated and retired Colonel in the U.S. Army, has been a commissioner for more than a decade and said that he wants to continue to help attract businesses to the county that will provide jobs for high school graduates as well as for college graduates so people who grow up here don’t “run off to Raleigh or Charlotte” for higher paying jobs.

It’s economic development that will bring jobs to the community, he said.

“I’m interested in helping the sheriff build a new jail,” Taylor said, adding that commissioners are looking for “north of $30 million” to make that a reality.

Public transportation is an issue that Taylor also supports. As a member of the KARTS board, he said he hopes to continue to increase public transportation throughout the county.

He, along with others, are awaiting the release of the county fire study. “I certainly am interested in seeing what the fire study will say about our fire station,” he said. “We are blessed in this county to have something that many in this state envy – we have a county-owned, fully paid fire department,” he said. “It’s extremely important for us to maintain a fully paid station that is reporting to the county and is on the county payroll. I think our study is going to support that.”

He applauded the efforts of McGregor Hall and its contributions of not only culture, but revenue to the city and county. He said he would like to see the city and county return the favor by providing some form of financial support to the entertainment venue.

The current project to create a men’s shelter in the former City Road Methodist Church building is something that Taylor is watching with interest, too. He thanked N.C. Sen. Lisa Barnes and N.C. Rep. Frank Sossamon for their help in getting $150,000 toward the transformation.

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TownTalk: County Commissioner Candidate Valencia Perry

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Valencia Perry grew up in Vance County and said she is running for county commissioner so she can be a part of a “powerful team” that uses money wisely to help people.

“Spending money takes research and takes knowledge,” Perry said during a recorded interview on Monday’s TownTalk. “I want to be a part of that team.”

Perry is challenging incumbent Archie Taylor, Jr. for the District 2 seat on the Vance County Board of Commissioners.

She’s gained perspective over the years and said she will be an asset as a commissioner. “I will be a fresh set of eyes,” she said, to help make “long-needed change in Vance County.”

Perry has a background in accounting and she also is an ordained minister. She is a mother and a grandmother who said her personal and professional experiences have shaped her ideas and sharpened her focus.

She said her focus is on education, funding for schools, pursuing services for those with mental health issues and the county jail situation. “My goodness, that’s a sticking point,” she said, adding that it’s important to have a detention center that keeps inmates – and staff – safe.

For Perry, education is the key issue. Without a proper education, she said, people have a tendency to get off track, or make bad decisions that fuel the crime rate, those in detention and in mental health crisis.

Her three-word mantra is “resilience, transparency and reliability” and she said she would work hard for the people of Vance County.

Her work on the Vance County Housing Authority Board helped her realize just how critical financial responsibility is. “I had a chance to help people move forward and not stay stuck,” she said. “We’ve done a lot of great things and I feel good about it,” she said of her work with the housing authority.

Another need she sees in the county is a diversion center for those in crisis because of mental health or substance abuse issues. “It is so important,” Perry said, that people have “somewhere they can be safely cared for by professionals who know what to do.”

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