Tag Archive for: #hendersonnews

Crossroads Christian School

SportsTalk: Crossroads Gets Ready For Tournament

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Scottie Richardson has reason to be happy, back-to-back regular season championships for the Crossroads Christian boys basketball team.  Richardson, the school’s athletic director, was a guest on Wednesday’s Sportstalk, and he said, “The boys will get a bye in the first round and we will play at home at 2 p.m. Saturday.”  The opponent will be the winner of the New Garden/Halifax matchup.

Richardson is very proud of the accomplishments of his team.  “This is the third year in a row the boys team has been a top 4 seed.  “We’ve played New Garden three times this year and I think we will play them a fourth time Saturday,” Richardson added.

His girls team is also in the state tournament and plays at 6 p.m. Friday against Albemarle.  “If they win, they will play again Saturday against Ridgecroft,” Richardson said.

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TownTalk: Linda Cobb, Board of Education Candidate

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Vance County Board of Education member Linda Cobb, seeking re-election to the District 5 seat, said the school district faces challenges common in many districts, and applauds leaders for their innovative efforts to provide a quality education experience for students and teachers.

Cobb was first appointed in 2019 to fill an unexpired term on the board of education, then was elected in 2020.

The county’s schools aren’t immune to challenges like bus drivers and attracting and retaining certified teachers, but Cobb said she celebrates successes like the creation of the SPARK lab to help students discover future career paths through hands-on experiences.

Her vision for the school system is “to lead and guide our students to success once they finish high school,” she said.

A couple of priorities she has on her radar include building community relationships and making sure students are “catching up” from COVID. “We can’t blame everything on COVID, but we need to make sure we have enough tutors in schools and teachers to teach the kids…what they need to know to progress to the next level,” she said.

Having been an instructor at Vance-Granville Community College for 20 years, she said she’s worked with students who are products of Vance County Schools. In close to 30 years in her role with the Department of Social Services, she’s worked with a variety of people, including children.

She continues that work in her role as a school board member, which includes strategizing “very carefully how we spend the money.”

“Our needs are growing,” she said, “but the amount of money coming to the district is not growing with the need.”

Money that comes from federal and state streams is usually already designated for particular budget items, and Cobb said she believes the district is managing those funds very well. “We just had a clean audit report,” she added.

Some of the stimulus money from the federal government was used for bonuses to employees and to other sustainable things, she said – not on one-off funding for seed money.”

“We always have to put the students first…(making sure) that they’re getting the very best education they can.”

Early voting is underway for the Mar. 5 primary elections.

 

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TownTalk: William Purvis, Board Of Education Candidate

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William Earl Purvis said he is promoting a “vision for transformation” in his bid for a seat on the Vance County Board of Education. Purvis faces incumbent and fellow Democrat Linda Cobb for the District 5 seat.

Henderson voters may remember his name from his unsuccessful bid for City Council in 2022; Purvis said his experience as an educator in a neighboring county, his background as a pastor and his training as a licensed clinician all serve to make him the right person for the job.

“I’ve talked to many parents, students and teachers,” he told WIZS News on a segment of TownTalk that aired Wednesday. “They want a voice,” and he said he would work to collaborate with the community to shape the board’s decisions.

Purvis said he’d like to have quarterly “town hall type” meetings to share with the community what’s going on in the school system.

The school system does a good job collaborating with the community now, he said. “It’s my job (to) take that even further and enhance it with all our students.”

He said his work as a clinician, pastor and educator all serve to make him an advocate for children and for school system employees.

“We’re all in this together to build a successful school system,” he said, adding that he would work to improve low-performing schools and would support all staff – teachers, administrators, custodians – to effect change.

He said he would work to promote school safety, mental health services, programs for parents and appropriate and fair building codes if he’s elected to the school board.

He’d also like to find ways to recognize students for successes that aren’t limited to academics or athletics.

“We need to recognize our kids with disabilities,” he said. “I have a spirit to advocate for the children.”

His platform is not focused on one district; rather, he is interested in what’s going on in all schools.

“I plan to lift up the school system,” he said. “If I’m elected, you will not be disappointed.”

 

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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.
  • Do not over water seedlings in greenhouse or cold frame
  • When pruning, always wear safety glasses and gloves.
  • Cut back ornamental grasses and liriope, but be careful not to cut into emerging growth.
  • Get your Piedmont Planting guide from Cooperative Extension
  • Do a germination test on old seed.
  • Have all your lawn mowers serviced before the rush

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TownTalk: County Shell Building Deal Falls Through

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An optimistic person may look at the completed – and unoccupied – shell building at the Henderson-Vance Industrial Park and say “if you build it, they will come.”

The pessimist may say “don’t count your chickens before they hatch.”

Well, the shell building was built and a buyer in hand, until the 11th hour when the deal fell through.

That’s when Henderson-Vance Industrial Park, Inc. President Dan Brummitt summed up the process like a realist: “That’s real estate.”

Brummitt told WIZS News Tuesday that the deal that had seemed sewn up had, in fact, died.

The unnamed buyer had requested a 7-day extension right before the deal was to close, and then another 30-day extension after that. On the last day of the last extension, and right before the due diligence period was set to expire, the buyer backed out.

County Attorney Jonathan Care told WIZS News in an email that both sides had been in negotiations during the extension periods, but “the buyer’s agent told us in the final hour of the last day of the extension period for due diligence that the buyer would not be
proceeding forward, and (is) terminating the contract.”

The building is owned by the Henderson-Vance Industrial Park, Inc. – not by the city or the county, Care said.

“This is what we did not want to happen, as the building has been off the market now for several months, interest has continued to accrue on the construction loan, and the Industrial Park is back at square one with getting the building sold.”

Brummitt said that interest in the building is good and so it’s on to the next purchaser.

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TownTalk: City Council Addresses Trash Issue; New Fire Truck

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The Henderson City Council gave the green light Monday to fire department officials to apply for a $2.5 million FEMA grant to purchase a new ladder truck.

The department’s ladder truck has been out of commission since April 2023 and isn’t expected to come back into service for several more months.

The Council voted unanimously to provide the 5 percent match – roughly $119,000 – required by FEMA grant.

The fire department’s ISO rating could be in jeopardy if there’s no ladder truck available to answer calls or provide mutual aid when needed.

Direct quote from agenda:

“This grant will enable the fire department to purfhase a new aerial apparatus to provide adequate fire protection coverage for areas within the municipality and mutual aid districts when necessary.

Council members also voted to amend the Sanitation Ordinance in an effort to cut down on excess garbage and litter.

Customers are supposed to put all their refuse inside the rolling container provided through GFL – they’re not supposed to pile up extra bags beside the container for pickup.

Following Monday’s action, customers will be warned when they are out of compliance. After the third warning, the city will “provide” them with a second container – at the resident’s expense, which they’ll see in their monthly bill.

This had been discussed at the November 2023 Public Works Committee meeting, and it was brought back to Council Monday for review.

Listen back to Tuesday’s TownTalk to learn about other topics of discussion at the Feb. 12 City Council meeting.

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The Local Skinny! Vance County Schools Receive Blue Ribbon Awards

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For the fourth year in a row, Vance County Schools has been recognized by a statewide organization for excellence in communications. The district took four Blue Ribbon awards at a recent ceremony of the North Carolina School Public Relations Association, according to information from VCS Chief Communication Officer Aarika Sandlin.

Of the 344 awards given out during the ceremony, Vance County received two Gold level awards, one Silver and one Bronze level award.

The BlueRibbon Awards are the highest honor presented by t6he NCSPRA to school districts. The awards are given for outstanding communication in eight categories: marketing, digital media engagement, electronic media, excellence in writing, publications, image/graphic design, photography and special events/programs.

“This recognition is an honor for our entire district, as well as a testament to the hard work of our team,” Sandlin said in the press statement. “We are grateful for the ongoing collaboration between the Communications department and the Center For Innovation staff as we work together to provide opportunities and experience for our students and showcase our district’s story.”

Here’s a breakdown of the award-winning programs and projects:

VCS earned Gold level recognition in the Special Events and Programs category for its Engage, Inspire, Empower conference, held in April 2023 for young women in grades 7-12 and in the Digital Media Engagement category for its Alumni Roll Call 2023 social media campaign.

The district took Silver and Bronze in the category of Image/Graphic Design for its use of AI technology that turned each principal into a superhero during Principal Appreciation Month.

The Bronze award was given for a billboard campaign called Sharing Our Story at New Heights. The billboard is on Norlina Road across from the Food Lion Shopping Center.

The NCSPRA identified a “Best of the Best” for each category, and VCS was honored in the Special Events/Programs category.

Other school district winners were:

  • Digital Media Engagement: Guilford County Schools
  • Electronic Media: Guilford County Schools
  • Excellence in Writing: New Hanover County Schools
  • Image/Graphic Design: Chatham County Schools
  • Marketing: Rutherford County Schools
  • Photography: Durham Public Schools
  • Publications (Electronic & Print): Durham Public Schools

Visit www.ncspra.org to learn more about the organization.

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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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