WIZS Your Community Voice — 100.1 FM / 1450 AM
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PRESENTED IN PART BY OUR SPONSOR DRAKE DENTISTRY
Local News Airs on WIZS M-F at 8 a.m., 12 Noon and 5 p.m.
“TownTalk” Airs on WIZS M-F at 11 a.m.
“The Local Skinny!” Airs on WIZS Mon-Thurs at 11:30 a.m.
Each Wednesday “The Local Skinny!” is the Home and Garden Show, which features co-hosts Wayne Rowland and Paul McKenzie of the Vance County Cooperative Extension service.
Vance County COOP agents and staff can be reached throughout the week locally at 438-8188.
As you will hear in today’s podcast below, listener calls at 492-5594 with questions or comments pertaining to your home and garden are more than welcome.
Listen each Wednesday throughout the year at 11:30 a.m.
Brent Montgomery is in a fight with Covid 19. The Henderson resident and North Carolina State Trooper has been hospitalized with the virus since Feb. 1st. 1st Sgt. Jeff Rowan, who works with Montgomery at the Highway Patrol, spoke with Trey Snide about Brent and a chicken plate fund raiser that will take place Thursday starting at 11:30 a.m.
“He is a pivotal part of our team,” Rowan said of Montgomery. Montgomery is a field training officer, taser instructor and heads up the school safety program with the highway patrol. Rowan also said that Montgomery has “done a lot for the community both on and off duty.” “As you can tell by the outreach from the community, he is well known and well liked here.” Rowan said the support of the community has been overwhelming.
With the help of local businesses who have covered the costs of Thursday’s fund raiser, 100% of the proceeds will go to the Montgomery family. According to Rowan, tomorrow’s goal is to sell 2000 plates at $10 each. The location of the fund raiser is the old Charles Boyd Cadillac building located at 284 158 Bypass here in Henderson.
“All we can ask from anybody is to keep praying,” Rowan said.
The recent stretch of warmer, sunny days is a welcome sign that spring is just around the corner. For Granville-Vance Public Health Director Lisa Harrison, the break in the weather is another way to combat COVID-19 as well.
“The biggest help is that people spend more time outside,” Harrison said on Tuesday’s Town Talk. She spoke with John C. Rose and Bill Harris about how things are going with vaccinations in the area and what’s in store in the upcoming months.
“Making sure that we’re breathing fresh air,” she said, adding that the natural ventilation that being outdoors affords is very beneficial.
At this time, 17 percent of residents in Vance and Granville counties have gotten at least one COVID-19 vaccine and 10 percent are fully vaccinated. “That’s just excellent progress,” she said.
“We’re doing an excellent job,” Harrison said, and said the collaboration with community partners like schools, hospitals and local pharmacies has been a key component to getting vaccines in arms.
The very good news that Harrison shared Tuesday comes from a CDC update, as well as from Gov. Roy Cooper and DHHS Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen. People who have been fully vaccinated and have waited two weeks for full immunity to occur can gather in small groups – sans masks. “It’s absolutely fine for us to congregate in small groups,” she said, as long as everyone has waited two weeks after being fully vaccinated.
It is still important to wear masks in big public spaces, she said, or in spaces where you’re not sure that everyone has been fully vaccinated, she added.
More than 15,000 shots have been given in the two counties, she said, but she also acknowledged that some residents may choose not to be vaccinated. Being vaccinated, however, is “the best way to protect our entire population and each other.” Some people who have been exposed to the virus may have developed their own antibodies, which she said is a positive step toward overall community resistance or immunity to COVID-19.
For complete details and audio click play. Story continues below including links.
Harrison reiterated that the three vaccines currently available in North Carolina – Phizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson – are all safe and effective. All three prevent severe illness and hospitalization. “There is not a bad choice,” she stated. “Dr. (Anthony) Fauci is right – get the vaccine that is available to you first.”
Because the Phizer vaccine is the most fragile, it usually goes to hospitals because they can keep it in super-cold storage. The Phizer vaccine is shipped in lots of 975 doses and is used for large-scale clinics. The Moderna vaccine doesn’t have to be kept as cold, she said. She estimated that each county gets between 500 and 700 Moderna doses each week. Harrison said the health department probably would be ordering the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine at the end of March. It could be used for more vulnerable populations, such as those people who may have a difficult time coming back for a second dose, which is required of both the Phizer and Moderna vaccines.
Side effects such as achiness, soreness or fatigue after the second shot, Harrison said , simply mean “your immune system is working well.” You cannot catch COVID-19 from the vaccine, she stressed. The vaccine “trains” your immune system to recognize and combat the virus. “It trains your immune system and then it disappears,” she said.
After the show, Harrison forwarded some links of interest to WIZS.
https://covid19.ncdhhs.gov/media/1469/open
https://covid19.ncdhhs.gov/media/905/download
WIZS Your Community Voice — 100.1 FM / 1450 AM
Click Play for today’s Local News Audio.
PRESENTED IN PART BY OUR SPONSOR DRAKE DENTISTRY
Local News Airs on WIZS M-F at 8 a.m., 12 Noon and 5 p.m.
“TownTalk” Airs on WIZS M-F at 11 a.m.
“The Local Skinny!” Airs on WIZS Mon-Thurs at 11:30 a.m.
According to Brian Short, director of Henderson-Vance County Emergency Operations, now is the time to be prepared for Spring storms. This is the season that the threat of severe thunderstorms with the potential for lightning, tornadoes and flash flooding can occur. These conditions can develop rapidly with little advance warning. Short says that a great way to be prepared for severe weather is to update family emergency plans and supply kits before the severe weather season gets underway.
This week is Severe Weather Preparedness Week in North Carolina and serves as a reminder to all, the importance of planning for unexpected thunderstorms and tornadoes that could impact our area.
A tornado drill will be conducted on Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. and all government agencies, businesses and schools are encouraged to participate. During the exercise, participants are encouraged to practice severe weather safety plans and seek shelter on the lowest floor of your building, keeping away from windows while continuing to practice social distancing and wearing masks.
Preparation for severe weather is critical. The North Carolina Department of Public Safety and the National Weather Service have combined forces to encourage residents to plan and prepare. Emergency officials recommend the following safety tips:
Develop a family emergency plan so each member knows what to do, where to go and who to call during an emergency.
Know where the nearest safe room is, such as a basement or interior room away from windows.
Know the terms: WATCH means severe weather is possible. WARNING means severe weather is occurring; take shelter immediately.
Assemble an emergency supply kit for use at home or in your vehicle. Make sure to include a 3-day supply of non-perishable food and bottled water.
If driving, leave your vehicle immediately to seek shelter in a safe structure. Do not try to outrun a tornado in your vehicle and do not stop under an overpass or bridge.
If there is no shelter available, take cover in a low-lying flat area.
If a severe weather warning is issued it’s also important to knew where to go. If you are at home it is suggested that you should go to a basement, under stairs or in a bathroom or closet.
If you are at work, the basement, if available, should be your first choice if not, then stairwells, bathrooms or closets are also options.
For school buildings it is suggested to seek shelter in inside hallways, small closets and bathrooms. Mobile classrooms, gymnasiums and auditoriums are not good places to shelter due to expansive roofs.
If you get caught outside in a storm you should try to find a sturdy building and if that is not an option, a ditch or other low-lying area can be used but remember to cover your head and watch for flying debris.
If you are in a car, pull over and seek shelter in a building, don’t try to outrun a tornado.
For more information visit www.readync.org.
Henderson-Vance Economic Development Commission Director Christian Lockamy has been on the job for less than two months, but he said in that short period of time he sees “a strong economic development program…with a tremendous amount of potential” for good things to come.
Since his Jan. 19, 2021 start date, Lockamy said he’s been “very impressed” with people he’s met and things he’s seen, adding that the focus is on the right areas to support economic development.” He spoke with John C. Rose on Monday’s Town Talk and said he looks forward to what the future holds for the area.
He noted that industries looking for areas to establish or relocate often are attracted by what’s already in place. “Industry reps are not pioneers,” he said. They don’t want to go and be, in a lot of cases, the first person in an industrial park,” he said. “They like to locate where other industrial companies” are already located.
With the addition of such businesses like Raleigh-based Mako Medical Laboratories, Lockamy said the Henderson area is poised to continue to attract more industry. “They’re looking for a place to go and conduct their business” and educational institutions nearby to fill out their workforce. “If we do what we’re supposed to be doing, for economic development and really go after sites and buildings…we’ll be able to land more companies,” he explained.
Lockamy worked for 2 ½ years in the Elizabeth City/Pasquotank Economic Development Commission before coming to Henderson, and he said he is proud of the work there to develop the Tanglewood industrial site project by building upon proximity to rail and interstate infrastructure, as well as creating a public-private partnership to further the project.
“Shovel-ready” sites and buildings are the key to attracting new business and industry to an area, he said. “Those are the types of things that change a community forever.”
During his time in Elizabeth City, he helped create a strategic plan, led efforts to launch a new economic development website and was instrumental in securing a large industrial site and certifying two industrial parks, according to information released when his hiring in Vance County was announced.
Experience using GIS (geographic information systems) comes in handy, too, Lockamy explained, when it comes to helping counties land new businesses and industry. The GIS provides data that can help identify sites for future economic development.
For complete details and audio click play.
His time working with GIS for the city of Greenville gave him the chance to help city planners and decision makers, understand and make necessary changes to ordinances – all based on objective data from GIS. “It became instrumental when I got into economic development,” he said of GIS, and he began using GIS and research skills to understand the economic development climate, he added. GIS data can be used to analyze the demographics within a certain radius of a prospective site where a business may be looking to locate.
Besides attracting new industry, Lockamy said he looks forward to working with a new downtown director – once that person is in place. “I believe we have a lot of potential downtown,” he said, adding that Garnett Street has many old buildings that can be brought back to life. He said his experience working in Greenville with various mixed-use development projects as an asset he can use to provide support for the downtown development director. “I can work with them and provide support for them, not only with expertise but also in-kind services as well,” Lockamy said. “It’s great working together with those types of relationships,” he said. “Anything I can do to help I certainly will.”
March is Women’s History Month and Vance-Granville Community College has put together a series of programs and resources that are just a click of the mouse away for anyone who would like to participate and learn more.
Natasha Thompson, a history instructor at VGCC, spoke with John C. Rose Monday – International Women’s Day – on The Local Skinny about the various virtual events that will take place in March to celebrate the achievements and accomplishments of women.
The theme “No Limits, No Obstacles, No Ceilings: Fighting for a Future of Limitless Potential” is adapted from a speech delivered by then-President Barack Obama in honor of Women’s History Month, Thompson said.
The virtual sessions begin at noon on Mar. 11, Mar. 18 and Mar. 24 and are open to the public; it is not necessary to be a VGCC student, she added. The programs promote women’s history, as well as current conditions and how women can move into the future, she noted.
The Mar. 11 topic is how to stay healthy while maintaining a busy lifestyle. An agent with Warren County Cooperative Extension will lead this program. A panel discussion is scheduled for Mar. 18 and will include VGCC faculty, staff and other community leaders. The panel will discuss historical factors that have limited women in the past, as well as “big-picture” changes and ways current and future VGCC students can work to continue to overcome barriers, Thompson said.
The final topic on Mar. 24 is titled “Minority Women’s Guide to Financial Confidence.” Faith Bynum, a certified public accountant in Raleigh, will lead this workshop on overcoming financial stigmas for minority women.
Visit vgcc.edu to find the links to register for the virtual workshops. Also on the website is a LibGuide, a compilation of additional online events, books and other resources to learn more about Women’s History Month.
(Audio with Natasha Thompson begins at the 8:30 mark of the file)
WIZS Your Community Voice — 100.1 FM / 1450 AM
Click Play for today’s Local News Audio.
PRESENTED IN PART BY OUR SPONSOR DRAKE DENTISTRY
Local News Airs on WIZS M-F at 8 a.m., 12 Noon and 5 p.m.
“TownTalk” Airs on WIZS M-F at 11 a.m.
“The Local Skinny!” Airs on WIZS Mon-Thurs at 11:30 a.m.
“He’s really been the heart and soul of the team,” Crossroads Christian Athletic Director and Head Basketball Coach Scotty Richardson said of Andreas Prince when both appeared on Sports Talk on Friday. Prince is the first player from the school to be named to receive 1A All State honors. The school, which has only had a basketball program for four years, has made it to the Elite Eight the last two seasons. Prince was part of the reason for the team’s success. In addition to the All State honors, Prince was named to the All Tournament and All Conference teams. He averaged 21 points over the season. “It’s definitely a great honor. It means a lot to me and my family,” Prince said. Prince singled out Coach Richardson as making an impact on him both on and off the court.
Richardson said at the end of last season graduating players cost his team 65 points, the average of what the graduation players scored per game last season. And despite the season being interrupted by Covid 19 and having only three weeks of practice, the team was still strong this season. This year Crossroads Christian will lose three seniors to graduation. Richardson said, “The cupboard is not bare,” since the team will return four starters next season.
In the second half of SportsTalk, two county athletes received Player of the Week Honors. Alyssa Bullock, a 7th Grade basketball player at Vance Charter School, is averaging 20 points per game. Additionally, Bullock is averaging four steals, four rebounds and 5 assists per game and put up 27 points in this week’s contest with East Wake.
The second player of the week is Tyron Lyons of the Vance Co. Vipers. In last week’s 42-6 loss to Chapel Hill, Lyons contributed one solo tackle and three assists.
Player of the Week honors are announced every Friday on the Coach’s Corner segment of SportsTalk with Trey Snide.
For full details and complete audio click play.
