Tag Archive for: #thelocalskinny

The Local Skinny! Edmonds Tennis & Education Foundation’s ‘Tennis and Dentist’ Event Saturday, 10 AM – 2 PM

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The Edmonds Tennis & Education Foundation is hosting a “Tennis and Dentist” event on Saturday, May 31 to combine learning about the sport of tennis and the importance of good oral hygiene.

Things will get underway at 10 a.m. at Fox Pond Park, 375 Vicksboro Rd. and will continue until 2 p.m., according to Dr. Jerry Edmonds, who founded the organization with his wife Dorcel in 2018.

In case of rain, the event will move to Aycock Rec Center, Edmonds said.

The tennis clinic is free and is open to youth between the ages of 5 and 18.

Participants will learn tennis fundamentals, learn about dental health and get lunch, too.

Racquets and tennis balls will be provided.

Tennis is a relatively inexpensive sport, and there are public courts all around just waiting to be used. All tennis players need is a racquet, a can of balls and a good pair of tennis shoes and they’ll be all set.

The Edmonds Tennis & Education Foundation is a nonprofit that combines tennis, academics and nutrition to strengthen young people for success.

Visit https://www.edmondstennis.org/ to learn more about the organization.

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Home and Garden Show

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

  • The Vance County Regional Farmers Market is now open on Saturdays from 8am to 1pm.
  • Monitor rows in garden open ends of rows that have water pooled up in them.
  • Check tomatoes for leaf spot diseases. You can prune all leaves below the first fruit set.
  • Monitor tall fescue for brown patch disease, especially if you fertilized later than March 15th.
  • Treat fire ants now. Use fire ant bait.
  • Keep lawn mower blades sharp.
  • If you have young children or grandchildren, teach them how to work in the garden. They are our future gardeners.
  • Consider drip irrigation in your garden.
  • Use row covers to protect your garden from wildlife.
  • Continue your fruit tree spray program according to the label directions of the product that you are using.
  • Keep your garden journal up to date.
  • 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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Maria Parham Oncology Director Kimberly Smith Honored With Mercy Award From LifePoint Health

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— courtesy of Maria Parham Health

Maria Parham Health is proud to announce that Kimberly Smith, RN, BSN, Director of Oncology, has been named the hospital’s recipient of the 2025 Mercy Award, the highest honor given to a LifePoint Health employee.

The Mercy Award, named in memory of LifePoint Health’s founding chairman Scott Mercy, recognizes one individual at each LifePoint facility who exemplifies the company’s commitment to making communities healthier through extraordinary compassion, dedication and service.

With nearly 20 years of service at Maria Parham Health, Smith has dedicated her career to caring for others, serving in multiple departments including Med/Surg, Labor &  Delivery, Inpatient Rehabilitation, and most notably, Oncology—where her light shines brightest.

“Kimberly is the kind of person who makes an immediate impact wherever she goes,” said Bert Beard, CEO of Maria Parham Health. “Her unwavering dedication to our patients, her team, and  our entire community is truly inspiring. Kim doesn’t just show up to do her job—she lives out our mission every day. We are incredibly proud to recognize her as our 2025 Mercy Award  winner.”

Kimberly is known for going above and beyond, making herself available to support not only patients but also their families and fellow employees. Outside the hospital, she is deeply involved  in community outreach efforts, regularly organizing initiatives to provide food, clothing and resources to those in need.

She plays a key role in organizing the hospital’s annual Cancer Survivor’s Dinner, hosts awareness events focused on cancer education, and partners with organizations like the Henderson Fire Department’s Boot Drive and the Angel Fund to ensure patients receive both financial and emotional support during their treatment journey.

Those who work with Kimberly consistently describe her with words like “compassionate,”  “committed,” “selfless,” and “kind” —qualities that reflect the very spirit of the Mercy Award.

Maria Parham Health congratulates Kimberly Smith on this well-deserved recognition and thanks her for being a beacon of hope, healing and humanity within the hospital and beyond.

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Home and Garden Show

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

  • The Vance County Regional Farmers Market is now open on Saturdays from 8am to 1pm.
  • Cooperative Extension has publications on most vegetables and fruits that can be grown in  the central piedmont of  North Carolina call 252-438-8188 or come by the Cooperative Extension Offices during 8:30am til 5pm M-F.
  • Harvest herbs frequently. Young foliage is more tender and flavorful Clipping promotes new growth.
  • Sharpen Garden hand tools with a file, makes chopping weeds much easier.
  • Treat fire ants now. Use fire ant bait.
  • Try electric fencing to keep wildlife out of your garden.
  • Identify your insects on plants before buying a control chemical.
  • Consider drip irrigation in your garden.
  • Use row covers to protect your garden from wildlife.
  • Continue your fruit tree spray program according to the label directions of the product that you are using.
  • Monitor strawberries closely. They ripen quicker than you know.
  • Check houseplants dust weekly with a soft cloth.
  • Check storage areas for mice.      

Thank you to our caller for calling in and leaving a question!

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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Perry Memorial Library

The Local Skinny! Events To Kick Off Summer at Perry Memorial Library

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With summertime approaching, Perry Memorial Library’s Youth Services librarian Melody Peters has planned some programs to help get families and children in the mood for warm-weather activities.

The Mother Goose Story Time returns at 11 a.m. on Thursday, June 5 and the theme of the morning is The Beach. Subsequent themes include Summer,  Art, Camping, Colors, Crayons and Boats.

When the Summer Reading program “Color Our World” kicks off on Tuesday, June 17, Peters and library staff have planned an afternoon of outdoor activities sure to please the whole family. She said it’ll be “super fun and different,” with close to 20 nonprofit partners scattered throughout the parking lot to interact with families and children – complete with prizes and giveaways.

“We wanted families to move through and interact with groups they may not normally interact with,” Peters said, mentioning N.C. Cooperative Extension and a local beekeepers’ group as just a couple of the groups on hand for the afternoon event, which takes place between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Participants can complete one reading log each week over the course of the seven-week program for the chance to choose prizes that are mostly consumable – think ice cream cones, milkshakes, movie passes and snow cones.

Teens in grades 6-12 will have an extra chance to gather at the library for Summer Thrilling Thursdays, Peters said. She tried a similar program over spring break, and she wants to keep the momentum going over the summer.

The teens will gather in the library’s Makerspace from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. and enjoy gaming, crafts and snacks.

Visit https://www.perrylibrary.org/home to learn about all the programs and services at the library.

 

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The Local Skinny! N.C. Rep. Bryan Cohn Says $10M For Water Plant Expansion Is Spent

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N.C. Rep. Bryan Cohn said House Bill 74, signed into law last week by Gov. Josh Stein, is not anticipated to have any impact on the $10 million that had been reappropriated away from the City of Oxford as part of the Kerr Lake Regional Water expansion.

“That money has been distributed and contractors have been paid,” Cohn told WIZS News Monday morning. “That money no longer exists.”

Cohn learned in early March that the bill contained language that would “claw back” money that had been appropriated to the City of Oxford in 2023 to expand the water plant. The project is underway, and once complete, will increase capacity to up to 20 million gallons a day.

“The facts are that the city of Oxford, through the water authority, applied for reimbursement to DEQ. DEQ evaluated that reimbursement request, just like they would any other reimbursement request, and they issued the final payment,” Cohn explained. “So that money has been distributed and the contractors working at Kerr Lake Regional Water plant have been paid – at least they’ve been paid using the funds allocated by the General Assembly.”

You can’t spend money twice, and Cohn said he is unsure what will happen next, but he added “the law is on our side.” The money was originally allocated in 2023 by the N.C. General Assembly for the regional water expansion project.

“That project is underway and they followed all the proper protocols and procedures for executing the work and getting reimbursement as required,” he said.

Cohn said when he learned that there was an attempt to reallocate the funding, he said he recommended that they needed to request reimbursement and follow the process given.

“At no point did I ask DEQ or anyone to circumvent or expedite anything,” Cohn explained, adding that he “simply asked the regional water authority and the city of oxford to go ahead and put in for reimbursement before this became law.”

In House Bill 74, South Granville Water and Sewer Authority was appropriated $3 million for an expansion project of its own, and Cohn said he fully supports those efforts. The other $7 million was to have been used in Franklin County and a couple of other counties, for similar projects.

“We have the opportunity to do something right now with this budget,” he said, referring to the fact that legislators are in the middle of creating the state’s budget. But he said he didn’t want to be in a situation of robbing Peter to pay Paul.

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The Local Skinny! County Manager Releases Revised Budget

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Vance County Manager C. Renee Perry said that her $64.3 million proposed budget presented to commissioners last week had some missing information, which prompted a line-by-line review of the numbers to create a revised budget.

The revised budget seems to be about $600,000 more than the original budget, coming in at $64,933,833.

“I know errors happen, but I hated for this to happen,” Perry told WIZS News. ”There was an issue with the data transfer from one spreadsheet to the next, and some of the expenditures and some of the requests did not make it in my budget,” she explained.

Perry said she and her team used a different process with the spreadsheets used to create the budget and “when we merged the data, we didn’t catch that some of the departments’ recommendations were missing, so it threw my numbers off.”

Perry said “something was on my mind” after the Monday, May 5th presentation to commissioners, and when she started looking through the spreadsheets, she realized something was missing.

She emailed commissioners first thing the next day, Tuesday morning May 6, to inform them of the issue.

“As soon as I was aware, I made them aware,” she said.

Perry said she and her team reviewed the budget over the last week, “making sure that we budgeted properly and that what I’m presenting to the commissioners are the things that they need to consider. I don’t want to go after July 1 and realize, ‘Oh, my God!’ we don’t have money for that,” she said.

“I need to present what we need for fiscal year 25-26 in its entirety, and I did not do that (at the Monday meeting). I’m taking full accountability, being transparent…to be able to present what I need to present to my commissioners.”

The revised budget was posted on the county’s website this Wednesday, May 14, giving commissioners a week to review before the scheduled May 20 budget work session.

The public hearing on the budget remains scheduled on June 2 at the regular monthly commissioners’ meeting.

If you happened to notice the first scheduled budget work session for this past Monday, May 12th, was cancelled.  This is the reason why.

In Perry’s cover letter to the budget presented to commissioners, she wrote:

“With all funds balanced and revenues and expenditures noted, this budget will not only meet statutory requirements but primarily seek to move Vance County forward in the next fiscal year by continuing to address needs within our infrastructure, services, and targeting opportunities of growth to capitalize on the inherent strengths of the communities across the County. The following message will outline points of emphasis and funding within the budget and highlight characteristics of the County that point toward continued strength and growth.”

The manager’s proposed budget does not include an increase nor a decrease in the general fund property tax rate of .7129 per $100 in value. The budget does not include an increase nor a decrease to 5.94 cents fire tax rate.

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‘Stomp The Stigma 5K Run/Walk May 31 At Maria Parham Franklin

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Step out and step up to support National Mental Health Awareness Month at Maria Parham Franklin’s “Stomp the Stigma” 5K run and walk on Saturday, May 31 in Louisburg.

Check-in begins at 8 a.m. at the Maria Parham Franklin campus, 100 Hospital Dr. in Louisburg. There are three events for participants:  the 5K run/walk begins at 9 a.m.; the 1-mile family fun run/walk begins at 9:30 a.m. and the Kids’ Dash is at 10 a.m.

Maria Parham Franklin and the MPF Behavioral Health team are hosting the run/walk to raise awareness around mental health, reduce stigma and foster support for the needs of the local community.

Emilee Johnson, Maria Parham’s vice president of Operations, said this inaugural event is a great way to combine a fun activity with raising awareness to reduce the stigma that often surrounds mental health issues.

“Exercise helps a great deal with mental well-being,” Johnson said, so blending education and awareness with an event that provides physical activity just makes sense.

Vendors who provide education and treatment services will be on hand to share information about different types of mental illness and available resources for individuals.

The proceeds for the run/walk will be used to provide help to those in the four-county area, said Ashley Jarema, MPF coordinator for Marketing & Communications.

All dollars raised will go to First In Families, a local nonprofit that offers services and more to clients in Vance, Granville, Franklin and Warren counties. Whether the money is used for actual care or to help individuals get access to the care they need, the funds are meant to stay in the local area.

 

“We want to normalize seeking help when needed,” Jarema said, adding that oftentimes, people struggle silently. “We want to make everyone aware that it’s OK to seek help.”

If you want to make sure you get a t-shirt and a swag bag, you should register no later than Friday, May 16. It’s fine to register later – or even the morning of, too.

Register here: https://runsignup.com/Race/NC/Louisburg/StompTheStigmaK 

 

The top three male finishers and the top three female finishers will receive prizes, and the first 100 finishers will get medals.

There are surely folks who will want to get to the finish line first, but Jarema said “You don’t have to be a runner, you don’t even have to be a walker” to come out and help. There’s a spot to sign up to be a volunteer on the registration page.

 

Johnson said the message to the community is simple: “You are not alone. We are here with you. We all fight the battle together.”

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Sheriff Curtis Brame: Two Injured In Friday Shooting

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On Friday, May 9, Vance County deputies responded to the Variety Wholesalers warehouse, located at 1000 Facet Rd. in Henderson, after receiving a report of shots fired in the parking lot.

While deputies were at the scene for further investigation, it was determined that two subjects had walked into Maria Parham Health with gunshot wounds from the incident. Both subjects were transported to Duke Hospital for further treatment for their injuries.

Brame told WIZS Friday afternoon, “I understand it started somewhere else and ended up there,” on the parking lot.

A spokesperson for Variety Wholesalers told WIZS News Friday afternoon that they were aware of the incident and were cooperating with law enforcement officers to determine what happened.

“We are aware of an incident that occurred on Friday afternoon on our Henderson Distribution Center campus where two people
were allegedly shot. We understand that the incident involved a Variety Wholesalers employee and non-Variety Wholesalers employee. We are currently gathering facts and cooperating with authorities to find out more information. We will provide more information as the investigation continues and as we are able to communicate further.”

Neither the identities of the individuals involved in the incident nor their condition has been released.

This matter is an ongoing investigation. Anyone with any information is asked to please contact the Vance County Sheriff’s Office at 252.738.2200.

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H-V Industrial Park Board Votes Unanimously To Sell Shell Building For $3M

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The Henderson-Vance Industrial Park Board approved Wednesday afternoon to sell the shell building and 10 acres of property in the park to Linde Gas & Equipment, Inc., a leading global industrial gases and engineering company.

County Attorney Jonathan Care said this deal is better by about $300,000 than previous deals to purchase the building. Two other companies had expressed interest in the building, but both deals fell through.

Board President Tommy Hester called the meeting for 4 p.m. Wednesday, after getting the go-ahead from commissioners to sell for $135,000 three acres of land in the park to Linde in addition to the building and the seven acres it sits on. The industrial park board owns the building and the seven acres, located at 39 Commerce Dr. inside the Henderson-Vance Industrial Park near the U.S. 1 Bypass.

It took less than 10 minutes for the board to reach a unanimous vote in favor of the sale, which will total $3,135,000. Henderson Mayor Melissa Elliott made the motion, seconded by Vance County Commissioner Leo Kelly and the motion passed unanimously. Hester and Henderson Mayor Pro Tem Michael Venable, along with Elliott and Kelly, comprise the board.

Hester called it “one of the best deals ever for this community.” The company has said the plan is to finish out the building with a $25 million investment and initially hire about 30 employees before ramping up to 50 or 60 soon thereafter.

Hester told WIZS News that he had gotten endorsements from N.C. Sen. Lisa Barnes and N.C. Rep. Matthew Winslow, who fully support the project.

“We don’t need to miss this,” Hester said. And with endorsements from local legislators, Hester said it helps attract more projects to the county in the future.

The sale of the shell building and adjacent property is a win all the way around, Hester said – for the county, the city and for economic development.

One of the drawing cards to Vance County for Linde, Hester said, is the area’s commitment to invest in the community. “If you build it, they’ll come,” Hester said at the outset of the Wednesday meeting.

Linde is willing to put down $60,000 in earnest money, complete a 90-day due diligence process, with the possibility of an extra 30 days if needed. After the due diligence is completed, they’ll be able to close within 15 days.

The company did ask the county and the industrial park board to consider future zoning to ensure that any future “neighbors” would not be inconsistent with itsoperation.

The county will provide any environmental studies that are available, and the park board will pay 3 percent to the buying agent at closing.

As Hester explained, Linde will buy the building and seven acres for $3 million, then invest $25 million to finish it out. The average worker’s salary is about $60,000, so it will help Vance County’s status as a Tier 1 county. He said company officials have already stated they want to eventually expand the building from the current 57,000 square feet to 97,000 square feet.

Expanding the tax base, hiring workers and putting the shell building back on the tax books all spell progress and growth, Hester said.

And although city leaders at the time chose not to share the costs for constructing the shell building, the city will get the benefit of having the new occupant pay for water and sewer, which the city furnishes.

According to Hester, Linde’s home office is in New Jersey. This facility will be used to create a high-pressure and liquid filling facility for industrial, specialty and medical gases to serve the Research Triangle Park, as well as other markets in North Carolina and Virginia.

“They don’t have anything else on the East Coast for manufacturing,” he said.

They’re going to pay cash, and there are no incentives offered to locate here, Hester said.

Care said Linde is looking to expand and grow. “This was the property that they concentrated on,” he said, adding that the prospective buyer has done everything that they said they were going to do during the process.

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