Tag Archive for: #hendersonnews

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TownTalk: Commissioners Will Combine Committee Meetings, Work Sessions – On A Trial Basis

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The Vance County commissioners will begin holding committee meetings in conjunction with scheduled work sessions – in the commissioners’ meeting room – with an eye on more efficient scheduling and as a way to be available to the public.

Based on a recommendation from the county’s IT staff, holding the committee meetings in the main meeting space will allow the meetings to be livestreamed on the county’s YouTube channel.

Merging the committee meetings with the scheduled work sessions will be done on a trial basis, but it’s unclear just how long the trial period will last. The change takes place as a result of the March 17 work session.

Commissioner Leo Kelly said, “I think it’s a good way to handle it right now,” but Commissioner Dan Brummitt said the commissioners’ meeting room may not suit the format of the less formal committee meetings.

Commissioners take no action during committee meetings; rather, committees bring discussion and recommendations to the full board to make decisions. Board Chair Carolyn Faines reminded fellow commissioners that the decision to include committee meetings in the work sessions allows citizens to see this process – either in person, via livestream or by viewing the archived recording.

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Chamber Honors Jim Johnson, Vance Recovery At Annual Banquet

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Each year the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting and Banquet serves the dual roles of bringing the membership base together as well as recognizing the outstanding contributions of a local citizen and a local business.

At Thursday evening’s event, attended by about 300 people in the Vance-Granville Community College Civic Center, Jim Johnson was honored as the 2024 Citizen of the Year.

As outgoing Chamber Board President Margier White shared details about the as-yet-unnamed recipient, several generations of Johnson’s family – children, grandchildren and great-grands – filed into the Civic Center and gathered along one side.

White called Johnson a “true pillar in our community,” adding that he came to Henderson in 1977 and began a 30-year career in the manufactured housing industry. In the 1990’s, Henderson was home to one of only three manufactured housing operations in the state.

Johnson was a member of the U.S. Air Force and is a decorated Vietnam veteran.

He is a graduate of East Carolina University.

Johnson has filled many roles in Hermon Methodist Church over the years and is a long-time member of the local Kiwanis club. He was Kiwanian of the Year in 2005 and has participated in all their fundraisers over the years – golf tournaments and azalea sales, among others.

He served on the board of Maria Parham Health from 1996 to 2004 and then from 2005 to 2022. He was chairman from 2011 to 2022.

His is a life “that embodies the very spirit of engagement,” White said.

His focus on family, faith and community are the key components that make Johnson such a standout.

In brief remarks following the presentation, Johnson apologized for being a little teary-eyed as he thanked the Chamber for honoring him.

“I’ve got every citizen in Vance County to thank for this award,” he said.

Duke Energy was the event’s presenting sponsor. Beth Townsend, Duke Energy’s Local Government and Community Relations Manager, announced the 2024 Small Business of the Year.

In her presentation, Townsend said this year’s Small Business of the Year – Vance Recovery – provides a crucial service to the community. Vance Recovery is a Morse Clinic in Henderson, which recently expanded and moved to West Andrews Avenue to offer opioid treatment programs in Vance County. Their methadone clinic offers Medication Assisted Therapy and counseling to help people overcome addiction to heroin and other opiates.

Henderson’s clinic is the largest of the nine Morse clinics across the state. The goal is to treat the whole person with a suite of medical and counseling services for patients with substance abuse disorders.

Program Director John Mattocks accepted the award on behalf of the clinic staff and the clinic founder, Dr. Eric Morse. Mattocks said the clinic helps roughly 400 people who are struggle with opioid use disorder.

“Our patients come to us every day and expect us to care for them,” he said, adding that the staff prides itself on providing not just medical care, but compassionate treatment as they reclaim their lives. “Anyone who walks through our door is a courageous individual,” he continued.

This year’s banquet theme,“All Aboard the Chamber Express,” embraces the idea of City and County ties to the railroad – past, present and future.

“We know that Vance County really started with the train coming through,” Chamber President Sandra Wilkerson told WIZS back in January “We’re looking forward to the train coming back,” she said, referring to the proposed S-Line passenger rail project that will ultimately connect rail service between Raleigh and Richmond. Henderson and Norlina are both proposed stops on the S-Line.

With recent federal cuts, the NCDOT this week told WIZS News, “…all USDOT discretionary grants are paused per the Feb. 26 Executive Order, and we do not know when those grants will be able to move forward. …we are moving ahead with our work as planned until we are told otherwise.”

(Original Article was post by WIZS on April 3rd, 2025)

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Commissioners Give Nod To “Design/Build” Process For Jail Repairs, Renovations

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The Vance County Board of Commissioners have approved a pathway for county staff to proceed with a “design/build” process to make necessary repairs to the jail as it weighs further options for construction of a new detention center.

County Attorney Jonathan Care explained to commissioners at their Monday meeting why he recommends this “new” approach be used for the repairs and expressed the need to move quickly, based on a letter from the state citing, among other things, the poor physical condition of the jail.

Care spelled out options for the short-term repairs needed at the existing jail while pursuing design and construction options for a brand-new jail; the consensus at Monday’s meeting was to use the design/build process for the repairs. Care told commissioners staff could have everything in place by the next meeting, if not sooner, to put that plan in motion.

One of the main components of the design/build approach, he explained, has both the construction side and the design side collaborating on the project instead of hiring an architect to design and then a construction team to build.

“I think that is the absolute best way to move forward,” Care said, “and that is my recommendation to move forward with repairs to our current facility.”

The design/build approach begins with a request for qualification – an RFQ – instead of a request for proposals – an RFP, which often results in awarding projects to the company who submits the lowest bid.

He said the design/build process won’t be the cheapest way, but it should result in fewer change orders during construction and fewer issues that inevitably pop up.

With the repairs, however, “time is as much of a factor as cost is.”

A jail is not something that should be pieced out and parceled, Care said.

“We need to know, down the road, that we’re going to have a facility that isn’t such a unicorn that we’re reliant on one person” to come in and make needed repairs, he said, referencing the problem with broken doors at the jail.

“I can tell you, unfortunately, we’ve experienced some of that in our current facility with updating, remodeling and building…that isn’t working for us, and it’s costing us dearly now.”

Home and Garden Show

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

  • The Vance-Warren Beekeepers Association meeting will be on Monday April 14, 2025 at 7pm at the Vance County Regional Farmers Market.
  • Soil samples are now free as of April 1st.
  • Start spraying fruit trees as soon as blossoms fall.
  • Refrain from tilling garden soil if it’s wet.
  • Purchase a good soil thermometer.
  • Use Personal Protective Equipment when doing garden chores.
  • You can plant spinach, irish potatoes, mustard, beets, kale, lettuce, carrots, peas, onions, and radish. Get your copy of the central piedmont planting guide.
  • Keep your garden journal updated each day.
  • Purchase healthy transplants.
  • If you are purchasing transplants directly from the greenhouse, keep plants outside for a few days before planting.
  • Check areas for mice. Greenhouse, storage, and shed.
  • Check houseplants dust weekly with a soft cloth.
  • Check storage areas for mice.      

The Vance County Cooperative Extension is located at 305 Young St, Henderson, NC 27536

The Vance County Regional Farmers Market is located at 210 Southpark Dr., Henderson, NC 27536

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Cooperative Extension with Micah Sharpe: 4-H Events Coming Up

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On the Vance County Cooperative Extension Report from Micah Sharpe:

Earth Day is Approaching! On April 22nd at 4pm, we will be celebrating Earth Day at the Perry Memorial Library. Come out and join us as we honor the planet and discuss ways we all can contribute to a greener more sustainable future!

Our Summer Camps are still in the works. Micah Sharpe will be posting further details by the Spring.

District Activity Day is coming up soon. This is a chance for students to showcase their presentation skills. Sign-ups will be opening up very soon!

The Vance County Game of Drones Team is looking more promising than ever! They have strong hopes in taking first place at the upcoming competition this month in April! Best of luck to our team!

The Vance County Cooperative Extension is located at 305 Young St, Henderson, NC 27536

The Vance County Regional Farmers Market is located at 210 Southpark Dr., Henderson, NC 27536

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: The Kyle Harris Story

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Kyle Harris is going to graduate from Vance-Granville Community College’s automotive systems technology program next month. But it will be the second time in as many months that he will be recognized for his efforts.

Harris accepted the Dallas Herring Student Achievement Award last week, given to one student or former student from across the state that best fits the philosophy of the community college visionary of “taking people where they are and carrying them as far as they can go,” according to a press release from VGCC Public Information Officer Courtney Cissel.

Each of the state’s 58 community college systems submits a nominee for the achievement award named for a person whose work set in motion what would become the N.C. Community College System.

The awards dinner was held on Thursday, Apr. 3 at the Umstead Hotel and Spa in Cary, Harris said on Monday’s TownTalk.

There were a lot of powerful people – politicians, donors to the Community College foundation, and others at that dinner. “They were all very interested in my story, and they gave me a round of applause that just really blew me away,” he said.

Things hadn’t been easy for Harris, a military veteran who found himself at the Veterans Life Center in Butner, unsure of what his next steps might be. He got sober and then he got to work on changing his life.

“I had lost a lot of hope in the fact that I would recover,” he said, recalling that period of his life that may seem in stark contrast to the life he leads today. “I’m so grateful I was given the opportunity to reinvent myself,” Harris said. “it’s changed my life. It’s changed the life of my family.”

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Once he was at the Veterans Life Center, he said representatives from the community college came to help him figure out some next steps.

He’d been in the Signal Corps and Communication Corps when he was in the military, and “a lot of the skills I had didn’t transfer over into the civilian world.”

But he did know about mobile communication network maintenance and operations, along with troubleshooting wiring problems using wiring diagrams. With that information, Harris decided to try the automotive systems technology program, trading out communication wiring application for automotive wiring

“In the end, they’re all wires,” he said.

He’s already working at Southeastern Specialty Vehicles in Henderson, which builds ambulances and other emergency vehicles. It’s a challenging job, but it’s one he really enjoys.

With employment comes a level of financial stability Harris truly appreciates, and he said it has given him the self-confidence to assure that he “will never have to go back to a homeless situation.”

“We work on ambulances that service the community all across North Carolina, and places where I have friends and family,” he said, adding that he now feels like he’s paying back a community who supported him. “Now I’m able to help my community through my work, by producing the best ambulances to service our state.”

“Enrolling in the Automotive [Systems] Technology associates’ program is where my redemption story really began,” he noted. “I hope that my story reaches as many people as possible struggling in addiction, to not only choose sobriety but to enroll in a community college.”

It was a fellow veteran who made that first phone call on Harris’s behalf that got him to the Veterans Life Center and that person’s concern for another’s welfare is what got Harris to where he is today. Remembering the idea behind the Dallas Herring award – to take people where they are and carry them as far as they can go – is what he plans to do for others.

“I want to be that person for another veteran in this community one day,” Harris said. “There is a path forward…that if you choose a life of sobriety, the community is here to help you and that you can turn it all around.”

Cooperative Extension with Wayne Rowland: Carpenter Bees

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On the Vance County Cooperative Extension Report from Wayne Rowland:

Carpenter Bees can be difficult to control if you have unpainted wood around the exterior of your home.

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 Co. Regional Farmers Market

Attend May 2 ‘Food Farmacy’ To Learn How Wellness, Food Choices Affect Health

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We’ve all heard the saying, “you are what you eat,” and we know we should make healthy food choices — at least most of the time – to be our healthiest selves. But did you know that our food choices could play a role in helping us combat chronic illnesses and reduce health disparities within the community?

Learn more about choosing healthy food options that don’t bust the budget at the upcoming 2025 Food Farmacy Market on May 2 at the Vance County Regional Farmers Market.

With a focus on health and wellness, the Food Farmacy will take place from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the day before Opening Day of the farmers market.

Organizers are building on the success of a previous event, and they’re taking things to the next level to promote nutritious diets and physical fitness and address health-related challenges facing the community.

The Food Farmacy will provide access to nutritious, affordable food options while also hosting educational opportunities on making healthier food choices and lifestyle choices. Come learn about the local food system and how to come together as a community to reduce chronic illnesses and health disparities.

There’s a brief interest form in the link below for anyone who wants to be a vendor, an educator or a volunteer for this community event.

Find the form here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc4dGKOiAOxk3nHgWsKGGTRu1NlE-GtyrMKEG1XXujRfM9qcg/viewform