Tag Archive for: #towntalk

TownTalk: Pathways 2 Peace Workshop Takes Aim At Root Causes Of Violence, Violent Crime

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In its very title, the Data-To-Action workshop that took place earlier this month clearly states the mission: We have a lot of data – now, what do we do about it?

Over the course of a day and a half, close to 20 participants from a cross-section of the community shared stories, analyzed data and listened to different perspectives, all in an effort to do something about the rising rates of violence in Henderson and Vance County.

Several of the participants came to the WIZS studios Thursday to share some takeaways from that workshop and to talk about what the future holds as the newly formed nonprofit Pathways 2 Peace continues to gather momentum.

Charles Turrentine, Jr., P2P’s founder, along with Dispatch editor Gary Band and local business owners Tasha Fritz and Roy Brown, Jr., said the workshop was a way to hear from a variety of people and to try to get to the root of problems that lead to violence and violent crimes.

The workshop took place at Vance-Granville Community College on June 6 and 7 and was led by facilitators who guided participants through activities that ultimately produced three root causes that contribute to violence and violent crime in the area, Turrentine said: poverty, broken homes and absenteeism.

“Poverty and broken-down families intertwine with substance abuse, feeding the cycle,” he said.

These factors may be easily identifiable, but what actions to take to reverse the trends is what P2P is focusing on now.

As part of the workshop, the group produced an action plan – concrete ways to address the problems.

As far as a timeframe goes, Turrentine was quick to respond. “The timeframe is now,” he said, mentioning an upcoming Community Read-In, a collaboration with Perry Memorial Library that will take place on June 25.

But P2P has plans to do more, from providing mentorship opportunities and peer support for people struggling to hosting other listening sessions to hear what people want and need.

“That’s where Pathways 2 Peace can help,” Turrentine said. “We’re changing the narrative,” he said, connecting agencies and resources with the people who need them. “We’re not in silos, we’re inviting people to come out,” he said.

“We want to change the mindset,” Turrentine said. A feeling of embarrassment may have a hand in people not asking for help, he said. “It’s ok to need help if you want to do better.”

Ultimately, P2P hopes to have a physical location where people can just walk in and ask for help in finding resources, Fritz said.

Fritz is a creative professional and leads The Savvy Sisters, LLC, a local faith-led company that specializes in branding, marketing and design.

For the past 14 years, she has been working with small businesses to build websites, create logos and more.

She said she had intended to attend the workshop for a few hours, mainly because she had committed to being there.

“I went, I showed up with the attitude of ‘Let’s see what this is all about,’” Fritz said. “Once I got there…it became that much more interesting to me. The facilitators brought everything together, she said. “It turned out to be an extremely powerful session.”

From her perspective, Fritz said it’s a matter of pushing people to believe in themselves. “If we want better, we have to do better…uplift instead of tearing each other down.”

As owner of 2 Kings One City Media Co., Brown said he attended the workshop not just as a member of the business community, but as someone who has seen firsthand some of the struggles people face. Through his work offering peer support, Brown said he believes some of the problems “can be nipped in the bud” if people’s needs can be identified and addressed so they can get their lives back on track.

Connecting people to existing resources is a critical component to addressing those needs, everything from finding clothing or household items when money is tight to accessing mental health agencies or substance abuse treatment programs.

Turrentine said he wants people to be able to access resources when they need them to help them get to their destinations – it’s a temporary support that isn’t designed for long-term dependence.

“The system is not designed to be an enabler,” he said, rather, it’s “designed to help you get off the system.”

Band said he witnessed “energy, enthusiasm and engagement” during the workshop, and participants seemed to be laser-focused on the issues that are negatively affecting the city and county.

The community doesn’t necessarily need more programs, he said, but more connections.

“If we can recognize where those resources exist,” Band said, and be able to approach and engage people, the work will pay dividends.

There’s a new website that is offering just such a listing of resources called Connect to Henderson. Agencies and organizations can submit information about the services and programs they provide. The website is https://www.connect-to-henderson.com/

Turrentine said P2P is developing a board now that will create a solid foundation of like-minded people willing to work to improve those three key root causes that were identified: poverty, broken families and absenteeism.

It’s going to take strong leadership – and funding – to make sure P2P is sustainable.

“We want to sustain ourselves,” he said. “While we’re doing the business, we’re doing the work. We’re going to still continue to do the work.”

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TownTalk: Keeping Teen Drivers Safe

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Teens are four times as likely to be in a car crash and three times as likely to die in a crash, according to information from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a nonprofit organization that conducts research on crash testing and safety tests on vehicles, and rates them according to those results. The IIHS is fully funded by the automobile insurance industry and provides information to policy makers and departments of transportation about how to make roadways safer.

Joe Young, IIHS director of Media Relations, cited four main – and familiar – factors that contribute to car crashes: distracted driving, impaired driving, speeding and failure to use seatbelts.

Now that most schools are out for the summer, there’s a greater likelihood that more teen drivers are on the road, and they’ve got friends or family as passengers.

“Looking nationwide, we see about 30 extra teens dying each month in crashes” during the summer, Young said.

“In North Carolina, we do see crash deaths are a little bit above (the national) average,” he said.

They may be driving to places they’re less familiar with – like the beach or other vacation spot, Young said on Wednesday’s TownTalk.

The time between Memorial Day and Labor Day has become known as the 100 deadliest days of the year, Young said, for the simple fact that more cars are on the road, and some of those cars are being driven by inexperienced drivers. Throw in one or more of those four factors and it all adds up to be a more dangerous driving environment, Young said.

And while awareness plays a role in reducing car crashes, Young recommends several additional tangible steps for parents and teens to take. Here are a few things to consider:

  • Choose a safe vehicle for your teen to drive. Keep them out of the smallest vehicle that may not offer great protection, and out of the largest vehicles that may prove more difficult to handle out on the road. A mid-size “boring” car that provides good crash protection is ideal, Young said.
  • Vehicles get safer every year. Don’t put teens in an older vehicle, he said, acknowledging the fact that parents may think that an older model may be a good option for the pocketbook.
  • Keep a teen driver out of a vehicle that has a lot of power, like a “muscle” car or even a new EV choice.
  • Parents are in charge and can set rules above and beyond what state laws require. North Carolina has a graduated driver license that places limits on when a new driver can drive, among other things.

“Our reminder to parents is to get to know the laws in your state, but feel free to make your own rules,” Young said.

“And set a good example” for teen drivers. “They’re always watching.”

Visit www.iihs.org to find a list of cars for drivers of all ages based on safety considerations. Download a teen driver contract template as well.

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TownTalk: 9th Annual Bee Jubilee Buzzes Into Granville County Expo Center Saturday, June 28

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The 9th annual Bee Jubilee and Food Truck Rodeo will take place on Saturday, June 28 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Granville County Convention & Expo Center.

Christy Henthorn, one of the event organizers, said the daylong celebration of all things “bee” has something for everyone, from educational workshops to live entertainment and a live auction – not to mention all the honey and beeswax products that will be available for purchase.

The event is free to the public and has evolved from a small event with a couple of hundred visitors to one that attracts thousands of folks from near and far.

There are additional children’s activities planned for this year, Henthorn said. “It will be very well rounded…there will be something for everyone.”

Anticipating hot temperatures, there will be a misting tent to help visitors keep cool, but there’s another activity that’s going to make an even bigger splash – a dunk tank.

Sign up to spend 15 minutes in the dunk tank and help raise money that will be sent to beekeepers in western North Carolina who lost hives in last fall’s flooding.

The event, hosted by the Granville County Beekeepers, celebrates all types of pollinators, Henthorn said, from honeybees to native bees, and other animals that pollinate, from insects to birds and other animals.

Workshops will be held throughout the morning on a variety of topics including Beekeeping 101, apitherapy (bee venom therapy) and planting for pollinators.

The live auction will begin at 1:30 p.m. and there will be a competition that judges local honey and products made with local honey and beeswax.

Find out all the details, including rules and categories for the judging competition at https://granvillecobeekeepers.wildapricot.org/BEE-JUBILEE

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TownTalk: Commissioners Expected To Adopt $66M Budget Monday, June 23

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The Vance County Board of Commissioners is expected to adopt the FY 2025-26 budget at a meeting to be held at 4 p.m. on June 23. At a budget work session on Monday, June 16, commissioners discussed increasing teacher supplements, skyrocketing insurance costs and cost-of-living adjustments – all of which contributed to $3.1 million in new expenses that caused the budget to be about 10 percent more than last year’s approved budget.

County Manager C. Renee Perry said the 2025-26 budget stands at $66,383,251, which is $1.4 million more than the budget that she presented to commissioners in May.

Perry said $4,068,875 will come from the general fund to balance the budget.

With $1.2 million for health insurance, $1.2 million in additional funds to the school system and $750,000 in cost-of-living adjustments for county employees, the budget had no way to go but up.

Vance County Schools will use the extra $1.2 million to cover a supplement increase to $1,000 for certified teachers and a 2 percent adjustment for classified staff. “This will be recurring annually and it’s three pennies of the tax increase from last year,” Perry told WIZS News Tuesday morning.

During the budget work session, Commission Chair Carolyn Faines vocalized support for teachers. Despite decreasing enrollment, school consolidation and fewer teachers working in the district, Faines said, “Teachers are still teaching…it’s not about how many students or how many teachers.”

Commissioner Leo Kelly advocated for the supplement increase to show “we support you and we’re doing everything we can to keep you,” Kelly said. “I support giving them as much as we can.”

Property and liability insurance rates also climbed by $85,000, Perry said, because of the situation with the Department of Social Services child welfare liabilities takeover by the state and the ongoing issues at the detention center. And Perry Memorial Library Director Patti McNally asked for an additional $63,000 for library employees’ health insurance.

The rates had not been released when the library budget request was submitted, Perry said, so that’s why it was not included in the original request. Library employees are included among those who get health insurance from the county.

“At some point, we have to have discussions on how to possibly reduce our budget,” Perry stated to commissioners, “but also increase our tax base with economic development – we have to.”

About 20 minutes into the work session, Commissioner Tommy Hester asked where the county could look to decrease the budget.

“I’m going to bring up a touchy subject and I might as well bring it up now while we’re looking at a decrease,” Hester said.

He continued by stating that the Vance County Rescue Squad has received more than $785,000 in the past 35 months – that’s about $25,000 a month, he figured.

How much money would the county save if the rescue squad functions were placed under the umbrella of the Vance County Fire Department?

Addressing commissioners, Fire Chief Marvin Harrison said it would be a matter of millions, over 15 or 20 years’ time.

The current contract with the rescue squad ends on June 30, 2025, and commissioners agreed that a 90-day extension would allow for adequate discussion. Faines said she would like to have rescue squad representatives come to the July meeting.

Perry told WIZS News Tuesday that “the rescue squad would be funded for 90 days while Vance County Fire Department purchases equipment and apparatus needed to provide the same service that the rescue squad offers. “A lot of people in this community think that because it’s in Vance County that that’s part of the county. It is not,” Hester emphasized.

Harrison told commissioners that the county has sufficient staff trained for rescue to be successful if a consolidation occurs. Perry confirmed that statement Tuesday. “The county fire department has staff trained currently as well as other volunteer fire agencies trained to assist if needed.”

What the county lacks is the equipment necessary to do the job properly.

Harrison said the rescue squad is supposed to provide the services of heavy rescue, water rescue and another service that he didn’t specify.

Brummitt said the rescue squad assists firefighters on calls. “They…provide air bottles when they’re on scene, they refill air bottles when they’re fighting fires.”

Harrison said it would cost roughly $150,000 – a one-time cost – to purchase the equipment needed to perform the rescue services.

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TownTalk: 06/11/25

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TownTalk from 06/11/25. Thank you for listening.

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TownTalk: Faith in Mental Health

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When he was serving in the N.C. House as District 32 representative, Frank Sossamon introduced a bill to create a faith-based initiative on substance abuse and mental health.

He served one term in the House, and his bill didn’t get through the Senate to become law, but Sossamon was undeterred.

In partnership with Granville Vance Public Health, Vaya Health and N.C. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Sossamon’s “Faith in Mental Health” initiative is gathering steam to involve churches in Vance and Granville counties to combat issues surrounding substance abuse and mental health.

Two orientation sessions are scheduled – Monday, June 23 at West End Baptist Church in Henderson and Monday, June 30 at the Granville County Convention and Expo Center in Oxford – to kick off a three-part program to give churches information about resources available to them and to the community. Each session will last from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Sossamon said in speaking with various church leaders about developing the initiative, he said more often than not, they didn’t know what services and resources are available when it comes to mental health and substance abuse issues.

“That’s the sad thing, not only they don’t know,” he said of those church representatives, “the average person doesn’t know.”

This is where the orientation sessions can help, he said. During these initial meetings, participants will complete the first of three levels of involvement.

“Level 1 is the most basic level, but maybe one of the most effective,” Sossamon said. Participants will learn about the different agencies in their county and hear from some representatives about the services they provide and how to access them.

Churches participating at this level also will agree to highlight a different topic each month in the Sunday service bulletin or newsletter, for example.

Pastors will be encouraged to preach a sermon on that topic or discuss it during a weekly Sunday School session.

Hearing about mental health or substance abuse from the pulpit or in a Sunday School class help to demystify the issues, he said. “That in itself brings healing,” he said.

Level 2 participating churches will agree to have quarterly forums on mental health issues, and Sossamon said he would encourage several churches to join forces and have one forum. There are speakers who are willing to take part in the forums and plenty of resources available to share with churches, he noted.

“It just has such great promise,” Sossamon said.

Level 2 churches also would establish a library to offer reading material related to mental health.

Those churches that wish to meet Level 3 criteria would be willing to complete more clinical training sessions to get certified. From suicide prevention training to mental health first aid, Sossamon said these trainings are “a little more intense.”

Contact Sossamon at pastorfrank1954@gmail.com to learn more.

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TownTalk: Elder Abuse Awareness Conference Coming June 13th

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The Kerr-Tar Council of Governments is hosting the 11th annual elder abuse awareness and prevention day on Friday, June 13 at the Warren County Armory Civic Center.

This event is free and open to the public, and Kim Hawkins, KTCOG’s regional ombudsman, said it’s the perfect time to come out and learn more about what elder abuse is, how to spot it and report it to keep vulnerable senior adults safe from being physically, emotionally and financially exploited.

In North Carolina, the time between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day is usually when organizations and agencies focus on providing educational programs like the one that will happen Friday, Hawkins said.

“It’s going to be a fun day,” she said. The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will feature dozens of vendors, t-shirts, entertainment from the Vance and Warren senior centers, a commemorative walk, lunch – and ice cream! The colors for the day are purple and silver, representing abuse awareness and elders, respectively.

“We hope everybody will come out and gain some information,” Hawkins said, adding that it’s events like this that help remind us how important senior adults are to their communities.

The vendors represent agencies and other organizations that provide information and resources; they’ll be on hand to help people become more aware of what’s in their community and how to report to the Department of Social Services if you suspect a senior is at risk.

One in 10 individuals over the age of 65 will experience some form of abuse, Hawkins said. The signs of abuse can be subtle, and sometimes people don’t report for fear of retaliation, isolation or just plain old embarrassment.

Anyone who suspects abuse is obligated to report to DSS, Hawkins noted. The reports are anonymous, but the elder person’s name and his/her location is necessary.

Signs could range from outward changes or changes in personality – think about the person who once could chat on and on who now won’t pick up the phone when it rings, she said.

It could be a change in a person’s tone of voice or facial expressions, or it could be something like self-neglect that could be a sign of cognitive decline.

Hawkins monitors long-term care facilities; call her at 252.436.2050 to learn more. Or call the main KTCOG number at 252.436.2040 if you’d like information about other topics.

Visit www.kerrtarcog.org for more details.

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TownTalk: Around Old Granville – Natural Disasters

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If you’re a Baby Boomer, chances are you grew up hearing stories from parents or grandparents about Hazel. That’d be Hurricane Hazel, the October 1954 storm that tore through this part of North Carolina on a path that went all the way to Canada.

It’s just one example of a natural disaster that people use as a yardstick of sorts by which to measure other storms. Hazel made landfall in Calabash as a Category 4 storm as it headed straight up the middle of the state on its way north.

Millenials, Gen Xers and Gen Zers will be able to tell stories about Florence, Fran and Floyd, but hurricanes are just one category of natural disaster that has struck this area. WIZS’s Bill Harris chatted with local historian Mark Pace to remember a number of historic events that affected the four-county area in Thursday’s TownTalk segment Around Old Granville.

“What made Hazel so remarkable,” Pace said, was that it was very short-lived. After making landfall on the coast, it reached this area by about 2 p.m. “By 3:45, it was gone from Vance County,” he said. “It came through like a freight train.”

Forty-two years later, Hurricane Fran took more or less the same route as it rolled through North Carolina, killing 36 people and causing extensive damage in September 1996.

Hazel’s fierce winds snapped off a lot of the trees halfway up, Pace said, and it brought great destruction in a short period of time.

This area was also subjected to what is called “the Great Storm of 1893,”

“People didn’t have to worry about the electricity going out,” Pace said, because there weren’t many places that had it. “In a lot of ways, they were able to deal with the effects of the storm a lot better” than we do today.

Over the years, information from climatologists and weather forecasters help prepare for weather events like hurricanes, but people don’t always have a lot of advance warning about tornadoes.

And this area has had its share of tornadoes. Just last year, Epsom experienced a rash of tornadoes, spawned in the remnants of Tropical Storm Debbie. They were relatively weak – F-0 and F-1 – but that’s strong enough to cause damage.

In the Oak Hill community in northern Granville County, a tornado flattened Oak Hill School in November 1952, Pace said. Luckily, it was after school had let out, so there were no injuries. But the yearbook in subsequent years was renamed ‘The Tornado.’

Other tornadoes have demolished warehouses and killed more than a dozen people in Warrenton in 1936, homes in Huntsboro in 2016 and tore roofs off the Medical Arts building on Ruin Creek Road in 1988.

And while nobody welcomes hurricanes and tornadoes, there are plenty of people who wish for a good snowfall every winter – none more than schoolchildren. And probably a teacher or two.

But even the biggest snow fans may balk at the possibility of having 2 feet of snow on the ground. That’s what Warren County got during a massive storm in 1856.

Henderson got close to that – 22.5 inches – in 1922, which collapsed a couple of tobacco warehouse roofs and part of the Corbitt Factory, Pace said.

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TownTalk: N.C. Strength Sports Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony June 21

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The Brick Power Team will host an induction ceremony for the N.C. State Strength Sports Hall of Fame on June 21 at 220 Seafood Restaurant in Henderson.

Harry Orr said Randy Perry and Will Lynch are this year’s honorees.

Orr, executive director of the statewide group, also is part of the Brick Power Team, said the honorees will receive plaques to recognize their accomplishments and contributions to the sport of powerlifting and weight lifting.

The Brick Power Team is an outreach ministry of Freedom Life Church of God and raises money for worthy causes with weightlifting competitions.

He said the group is accepting donations to help defray costs associated with the event.

All donations are tax-deductible.

“Any donations will be appreciated, whatever size,” Orr said.

The Brick Power Team will have a fish plate fundraiser on Monday, July 28 at 220 Seafood Restaurant, with most of the proceeds going to Freedom Life Church of God, which Orr said is instrumental in the work of the Brick Power Team.

“The Brick Power Team is putting it on,” he said. “Whatever we get out of that, we give most back to the church.”

Tickets are $10 and plates are take-out only.

Contact Orr to find out more about sponsoring the induction ceremony or to learn more about the hall of fame or the Brick Power Team at 252.432.4196 or email horr2553@yahoo.com

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TownTalk: Progress Being Made In Repairs To Vance County Jail

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The Vance County Board of Commissioners offered thanks Monday – and a round of applause – to show their appreciation for the work that Special Projects Coordinator Frankie Nobles has done so far to tackle a long “to-do” list at the county detention center.

In providing an update on the progress made since he was given the lengthy list of repairs and maintenance projects, Nobles told commissioners he reckons about half of the items have been addressed so far.

“We’re going to work until we can get them (done),” he told commissioners during the regular monthly meeting.

Commissioner Tommy Hester said, “I want to say thank you, because this guy is doing a great job.” With that comment, the board offered a round of applause.

The state of the jail has been an ongoing topic of discussion for commissioners, and it’s just one of the five corrective action items that were included in a letter from the state dated April 1. In the letter, the state outlined required steps county leaders must take to get the facility back in compliance.

Commissioners took steps to put the repairs and maintenance under the supervision of the county rather than the sheriff’s office, and that’s when Nobles took over.

County Manager C. Renee Perry said, “We’ve been getting things done under Frankie’s leadership.”

Nobles added that the state is “very happy” with the progress that’s been made thus far.

In response to a question from Commissioner Tommy Hester about whether he’s had difficulty getting the work done, Nobles said, “Everybody that I’ve talked to has been caught up and paid except one,” who still has four invoices that haven’t been paid for. Commissioners had received reports that work wasn’t being completed either because workers weren’t being paid or because of safety concerns. For now, that challenge seems to be less of a problem than before.

The list of completed tasks is impressive, from power washing interior walls, ceilings and floors to replacing expired fire extinguishers and generator batteries. Broken glass has been removed and replaced, as well as air filters on the two-year-old units that apparently hadn’t been replaced since October 2023.

“Those units were completely stopped up,” Nobles said, adding that he didn’t know how they were still operational.

So after the paint, toilet and shower repairs and replacements, holes in walls patched and bunks bolted anew to walls…what’s left?

“The big stuff,” Nobles said. Things like locks on doors, the camera system, among others.

But for now, the county is happy – happier – because the state is happy as Nobles leads the effort to put more repairs in the “completed” column on his “to-do” list.

Assistant County Manager Jeremy Jones told commissioners on Monday that the RFQ – request for qualifications – process closed just a couple of hours before the meeting began. There was one reply to the RFQ, which sets in motion the design/build process county leaders are considering for a new facility. The RFQ is scheduled to come before the commissioners on July 7 for possible approval. Commissioners will receive for review a copy of the RFQ before the July meeting, she said.

 

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