Tag Archive for: #thelocalskinny

The Local Skinny! Friday Car Chase

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Friday, Dec. 13 proved unlucky for one teenaged motorist who led law enforcement officers on a 30-plus mile chase through Vance and Franklin counties, ending in a crash in Henderson near Chavasse Avenue and Raleigh Road.

The driver, 19-year-old Eli-Javron Williams of Roberts Avenue in Vance County, faces a slew of charges, including two felony charges for fleeing to elude and hit-and-run, according to Henderson Police Chief Marcus Barrow.

Barrow said officers from the Henderson Police Department observed a silver 2013 Honda Accord driving erratically on Harriett Street about 3:15 p.m.

In a statement to WIZS, Barrow said, “When the officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop, the driver accelerated and refused to pull over.
The vehicle fled the area, prompting the officers to initiate a pursuit. The chase covered nearly 35 miles, extending to the city limits of
Franklinton, NC, before returning to Henderson.”
During the pursuit, the fleeing vehicle collided with a 2005 Toyota Scion while trying to turn onto Chavasse Avenue from Raleigh Road. The
occupants of the Toyota Scion were assessed by EMS at the scene. After the collision, the occupants of the pursued vehicle exited their disabled car and attempted to escape on foot. Officers quickly apprehended the driver and a 17-year-old passenger after a brief foot chase. A third individual, who remains unidentified, was not
apprehended, and no information about that person is available at this time.
The unnamed passenger who was apprehended was charged with resisting, delaying, and obstructing an officer. He was released to his mother at the police
department.

In addition to the two felony charges, Williams faces charged of careless and reckless driving, injury to personal property and multiple traffic violations.  He was given a $40,000 secured bond.

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Cooperative Extension With Wayne Rowland: Incentives For Forest Management

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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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Home And Garden Show

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

  • Vance County Regional Farmers Market’s last open day for 2024 will be this Saturday, December 14th, from 8am-1pm.
  • We encourage you to buy a North Carolina Christmas Tree this year for the Holidays.
  • If you have a cut live Christmas tree, check that live reservoir. Make sure it has an ample water supply. You do not want that tree to dry out. Do not put your tree next to a heating source or a fireplace.
  • Take a visit to our local plant nursery. Check out our other Christmas plants for the Holidays.
  • Remember to use personal protective equipment when doing landscaping. Eye and ear protection. Even sunscreen. Use a good pair of gloves.
  • Leaf collection season is upon us. Compost your leaves. Don’t burn them.
  • Now is a good time to take inventory of your seeds. That way you will know what vegetable seeds to order, try ordering a new variety of seeds for the 2025 growing season.

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Cooperative Extension with Michael Ellington: Chase Away the Winter Blues

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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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The Local Skinny! Council Approves UDO To Update Zoning, Development Ordinances

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UPDATED: Dec. 9, 2024 – 11 PM

The Henderson City Council adopted a unified development ordinance – UDO – which updates a number of zoning and subdivision ordinances, many of which have been in place since the 1970’s.

City staff and planners have spent the last year working with Insight Planning Consultants to develop the UDO. The price tag for the contract with the consultants is $99,000, which included the UDO the comprehensive plan adopted in July 2022.

The UDO is designed to be a comprehensive document that brings together the full complement of, in this case, city regulations regarding zoning and subdivisions as one way to bring consistency to regulations with regard to property development, design guidelines, sign regulations among others.

In a 4-3 vote, Council members decided to end a decades-long agreement with the county to provide building code services. City Manager Terrell Blackmon explained that the termination should take place Dec. 31, 2024, meaning the services would end in June 2025.

Blackmon said currently, the county collects the fees, and the next six months would be used to determine whether the city can undertake code enforcement on its own, or whether it could contract the services of another provider.

Blackmon also said the city could choose to renegotiate with the county to provide services.

Fees would generate revenue to help offset the costs of having city personnel do the work that now is being done by the county.

Council members Garry Daeke, Lamont Noel and Sam Seifert voted against the move.

During the discussion before the vote was taken, Mayor Melissa Elliott called the current situation “antiquated” and said the city “shouldn’t stay in a chokehold with the county.”

In other business before the Council:

  • Finance Director Joey Fuqua and auditor Alan Thompson shared information about the annual audit, which included no findings – good news for the city’s accounting of funds. In fact, Blackmon remarked that in addition to having no findings, the city managed to put about $4.7 million in fund balance.
  • A recommendation passed to place 2 all-way stops on West Young Avenue, following a traffic study to look into safety and visibility concerns. The signs will go up at the High Street and McBorne Street intersections.

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Original Update Dec. 9, 2024 – 12 Noon

The Henderson City Council will meet at 6 p.m. tonight for its regular monthly meeting. There will be a public hearing to receive comments about the unified development ordinance – UDO – before the Council considers whether to adopt a plan that updates to a number of zoning and subdivision ordinances, many of which have been in place since the 1970’s.

City staff and planners have spent the last year working with Insight Planning Consultants to develop the UDO. The price tag for the contract with the consultants is $99,000, and included the UDO the comprehensive plan which was adopted in July 2022.

The UDO is designed to be a comprehensive document that brings together the full complement of, in this case, city regulations regarding zoning and subdivisions as one way to bring consistency to regulations with regard to property development, design guidelines, sign regulations among others.

Attend the meeting in person or view via livestream at https://henderson.nc.gov/. Click on City Council Meeting on the right side of the page to find the link.

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Vance County Logo

The Local Skinny! Vance County Commissioners Give Bonuses To All County Employees

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All Vance County employees will get a one-time bonus in next week’s pay period – $500 for all part-time staff and $1,000 for full-time staff. The approximately $280,000 will come from the fund balance.

The Vance County Board of Commissioners approved a recommendation from the Human Resources Committee presented by Assistant County Manager Jeremy Jones at their regular monthly meeting on Monday.

County Manager C. Renee Perry recommended that the board cease paying exempt employees overtime pay when they volunteer to take extra shifts because of staffing shortages; rather, they will get comp time for the additional hours worked.

Perry told the board that is what is spelled out in the county’s personnel policy, but that policy hasn’t been followed for several years.

This comes amidst a countywide salary study, the results of which are not yet available. “I believe that when the study is done, it will fix itself,” she said of the overtime issue and the pay scale for employees.

As part of internal control procedures, Perry said she reviews employee timesheets and can see the hours that staff turn in. “Now that we’re catching it, we need to go with the personnel policy,” she told commissioners. My recommendation is to stop the straight time pay,” she said. “Consistency is key.”

Money to fund the overtime had been available from lapsed salaries and from funds allocated for positions that have not been filled, but Perry said not all departments have those extra funds.

“It’s not fair to pay one group and not another,” she said.

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Home And Garden Show

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

  • Vance County Regional Farmers Market is open on Saturdays 8am-1pm.

  • “So You Want to be a Beekeeper” Workshop, will take place on December 9th, at 6pm at the Vance County Regional Farmers Market.

  • The Vance and Warren County Beekeepers Association will meet on December 9th, at 7pm at the Vance County Regional Farmers Market.

  • Leaf collection season is upon us. Compost your leaves. Don’t burn them.

  • Now is a good time to start ordering your vegetable seeds, especially a new variety for the 2025 growing season.

  • Remember to use personal protective equipment when doing chores in the fall. Eye and ear protection. Even sunscreen. Use a good pair of gloves.

  • We encourage you to buy a North Carolina Christmas Tree this year for the Holidays.

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Perry Memorial Library

The Local Skinny! Perry Memorial Library Gears Up For Christmas

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If you see kids filing in to Perry Memorial Library Wednesday evening in their pj’s and slippers, don’t be alarmed. They’re just following instructions from Youth Services Librarian Melody Peters – it’s Pajama Storytime at the library!

With temperatures more in line with what it’s supposed to feel like in early December, the kiddos may want to choose footie pajamas to keep their toes toasty warm for the half-hour program, which begins at 6:30 p.m.

Can’t make it to the Wednesday Story Time? Then head out to the Vance County Regional Farmers Market Saturday morning for a cookie-themed story time and program.

The library is pulling out all the stops for Saturday afternoon’s Christmas Parade in downtown Henderson, Peters said.

‘We have a float this year!” she exclaimed, to extend the library’s centennial celebration into the holiday season. It’s a professional float called “The Peppermint Princess,” she said.

“I thought we should celebrate (the 100th anniversary)  a little bit more,” Peters said, and a professional float is sure to be a hit along the parade route.

A part of the library will be transformed into a movie theater at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 10, in response to demands to bring back a favorite Christmas flick, The Polar Express.

“People love to watch the big movie on the big screen,” she said. Pajamas optional, and there will be hot chocolate and cookies for refreshments.

The final make-and-take workshop of 2024 will take place on Saturday, Dec. 21 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. There will be something for all ages to create, Peters said. Teen volunteers will be stationed beside a festive holiday backdrop to snap photos of the whole family.

Find time to make some holiday reading selections before the library closes Dec. 24-26 for the Christmas holiday.

Visit https://www.perrylibrary.org/ to see a complete schedule of events and programs.

 

 

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The Local Skinny! Holiday Fest Dec. 7 After Parade

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The first “Very Merry Henderson Holiday Fest” is set for Saturday, Dec. 7 following the Christmas parade that begins at 3 p.m.

The event will be held in the Breckenridge Street area from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., and will include activities for all ages, including horse-drawn carriage rides, a hot cocoa station, a S’mores booth and free photos with the Jolly Old Elf himself.

Trish Burroughs is one of the organizers, and she said it’s a way to bring the community together “to embrace the joy of the season.”

Mayor Melissa Elliott will kick things off at 4 p.m. with the lighting of the greens outside McGregor Hall, Burroughs said on Monday’s The Local Skinny!

With evening temps expected to be dipping into the 30’s by sunset Saturday, folks can enjoy the parade and then come to the Breckenridge area to enjoy the annual Festival of Trees in the McGregor Gallery, as well as a bouncy house, food trucks and music.

“It’s just going to be a great event,” Burroughs said.

The idea grew from suggestions about how to make the Christmas tree lighting more robust, said Gateway CDC Founder and President Heather Joi Kenney, another member of the planning committee.

Tracy Mosley, executive director of Helping All People Excel, said once the mayor got on board, she “called others to the table and it has become a beautiful collaboration of the city and citizens.”

Burroughs said anyone interested in being a volunteer, a vendor or a sponsor can contact her at 252.430.9057 and she will be happy to provide more information.

Visit the event’s website at https://sites.google.com/view/verymerryhenderson/home to learn more.

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