Town Talk 10/02/19: Chief Frankie Nobles Talks Vance Co. Animal Services
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Town Talk 10/01/19: Vance Co. DSS Announces Domestic Violence Awareness Events
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In recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, WIZS’ Town Talk will feature local organizations that deal with various aspects of this prevalent type of abuse each Tuesday in October.
Cassandra Hart, Program Integrity/Child Care Supervisor with the Vance County Department of Social Services, appeared on today’s edition of Town Talk as the first guest in the series.
Other guests and scheduled dates include:
Tuesday, October 8 – Vance County Sheriff’s Office
Tuesday, October 15 – Henderson-Vance Recreation & Parks
Tuesday, October 22 – Vance County Schools
Tuesday, October 29 – Domestic Violence Advocate/Therapist
“Every October, DSS collaborates with Infinite Possibilities, Inc., Henderson Police Department, Vance County Sheriff’s Office, Henderson-Vance Recreation and Parks Department and Vance County Schools, to bring awareness to domestic violence,” explained Hart. “We have been offering domestic violence awareness activities for 11 years now – since 2008.”
According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, the definition of domestic violence is “willful intimidation, physical assault, battery, sexual assault, and/or other abusive behavior as part of a systematic pattern of power and control perpetrated by one intimate partner against another.” This includes physical violence, sexual violence, psychological and emotional abuse.
NCADV statistics indicate that nearly 10 million women and men, or 20 people per minute, are physically abused by an intimate partner every year in the United States.
To assist those in the community who may be experiencing domestic violence or would like to better understand how to help those suffering from abuse, Vance County DSS, in partnership with local organizations, has several events scheduled, including:
Lunch and Learn Events hosted by Infinite Possibilities, Inc. on Oct. 7, Lincoln Height Apartments at 12 p.m.; Oct. 10, North Henderson Heights Apartments at 2 p.m.; Oct. 14 Cedarhurst Apartments at 2 p.m.; Oct. 16 Highland Green Apartments at 2 p.m.
The 9th Annual Domestic Violence Walk & Candlelight Vigil will be held on the Vance County Courthouse steps at 5:30 p.m. on Thurs., Oct. 24. Walk and presentation, including candlelight vigil for domestic violence victims, last approximately one hour.
A charity basketball tournament will be held Fri., Oct. 25 and Sat., Oct. 26 from 6 until 9 p.m. each evening at the Aycock Rec. Center. All proceeds go to Infinite Possibilities, Inc. to assist victims of domestic violence.
Domestic violence training will be held in the auditorium at Maria Parham Health in Henderson on Fri. Oct. 25. Those interested in learning how to properly help domestic violence victims can choose between the 9-11 a.m. session or the 2-4 p.m. session.
Resources and assistance are also available at the Vance County DSS, located at 350 Ruin Creek Road in Henderson, or by calling the main office line at (252) 492-5001.
Infinite Possibilities is also available by calling (252) 431-1926 or the 24-hour local crisis line at (252) 425-2492. A National Hotline is also available by calling 1-800-799-7233.
To hear Hart’s Town Talk interview in its entirety, please click the play button below. Listen live to WIZS’ Town Talk Monday-Friday at 11 a.m. on 1450AM, 100.1 FM or online at www.wizs.com.
Town Talk 09/30/19: Code Enforcement, Public Safety on Incumbent Mayor’s Agenda
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Henderson Mayor Eddie Ellington was the guest of honor on Monday’s edition of WIZS’ Town Talk.
Ellington is running as the incumbent mayoral candidate against Sharon Owens in the October 8, 2019, City of Henderson non-partisan, municipal election.
Noting that continued improvements to public safety are of the utmost importance to many in the community, Ellington said it has been his goal since taking office in 2015 to increase pay “across the board” for law enforcement officers.
“There has been a 31% increase in officer pay and a 51% increase in sergeant’s pay,” Ellington said of his time as mayor. “We are not quite there [goal pay], but we are well on our way and are mindful that we need a top-notch police department.”
Emphasizing the importance of economic development in the area, Ellington also said that it is essential that local leaders have the appropriate contacts in Raleigh to attract businesses and make decisions quickly.
“Economic development is driven by Raleigh and you’ve got to have the contacts,” Ellington said. “When you have the contacts and you say ‘we’re ready and we’re open for business,’ then if they get someone on the hook, they’re going to bring them right our way.”
A testament to the current relationship City leaders have with Raleigh, according to Ellington, is Mako Medical Laboratories which is now “well on its way to exceeding the 150 jobs they initially promised us.” Mako opened their Henderson location in late 2017.
Ellington said he also wants to continue to focus on code enforcement, especially as it relates to dilapidated housing, and praised local groups that assist with either the removal of or the recovery of these properties.
“We don’t need to pass any more laws or ordinances until we can enforce what we already have on the books,” stated Ellington.
With the removal of over 400 dilapidated structures since 2010, Ellington said the City of Henderson and County of Vance work well together to get through the “red tape, letters and ordinances that have to be enforced to be able to bring down these houses.”
The City’s recent hiring of an additional full-time code enforcer is a move that Ellington said he believes will help with the backlog of structures in need of repair or demolition.
The process of removing potential safety hazards such as these does not happen overnight or with minimal effort, and Ellington thanked local volunteer group Citizens Aligned to Take Back Henderson, NC for the work they do “simply because they care about their city.”
Ellington said Citizens Aligned founders Tommy Haithcock, Hope Hoyle Howard and Heidi Owen “are wonderful people and we need more residents like them.”
A new program for the City, Urban Homesteading, was also mentioned by Ellington as a means of properly updating non-compliant structures that meet certain criteria.
In addition to volunteers and programs, Ellington said it takes the cooperation of local government leaders to make positive changes happen.
“I’ll echo what Chief Marcus Barrow and Sheriff Curtis Brame have said on Town Talk recently about the collaboration they have – local leadership is getting along,” Ellington said. “The City of Henderson and the County have a team that gets together right now and can get together in a day’s notice if industry is looking to come to Henderson. I have a great working relationship with the county commissioners; the relationship is there.”
Ellington said his tenure as mayor has reaffirmed his belief that Henderson is a great place to call home. “It’s easy to criticize, condemn and complain; we are all guilty of that. We have so many great things that are moving in Henderson. We are in the best place that we’ve ever been – all systems go – unless we let the naysayers talk us into thinking otherwise.”
Early voting for the City of Henderson Municipal Election will be held at the Vance County Board of Elections Office located at 300 S. Garnett Street through Friday, October 4.
The submission of absentee ballots by mail ends tomorrow, Tuesday, October 1. Anyone that would like to request a ballot can call the BOE office at (252) 492-3730.
(This is not a paid political advertisement. Sharon Owens participated in a similar Town Talk interview with equal on-air and online coverage.)
To hear Ellington’s Town Talk interview in its entirety, please click the play button below. Listen live to WIZS’ Town Talk Monday-Friday at 11 a.m. on 1450AM, 100.1 FM or online at www.wizs.com.
Town Talk 09/27/19
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Town Talk 09/26/19: Henderson Police Chief Marcus Barrow On-Air
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Town Talk 09/25/19: Police, Jobs Key to City’s Future Says Mayoral Candidate Owens
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Sharon Owens, candidate for the position of Henderson Mayor, was the guest of honor on Wednesday’s edition of WIZS’ Town Talk.
Owens is running against incumbent Eddie Ellington in the October 8, 2019, City of Henderson non-partisan, municipal election.
Owens, a budget analyst with Durham Public Schools and an evangelist with Greater Refuge Church, said it was prayer and her concern for the City of Henderson that led her to file.
A Henderson native, the Montgomery Street resident said she has spent much of the past year speaking to locals from “all backgrounds” regarding their concerns for the community. “We have a diverse community, but I’ve found that everyone has the same concerns: jobs, economic growth and safety,” Owens said.
Noting the concern about crime in the city, along with reports of the difficulty local law enforcement has in recruiting and retaining officers, Owens said it is past time to find a way to adequately fund the police force.
“We’ve got to find a way to get some money so we can hire more police officers,” said Owens. “We’ve got to be competitive with salaries so they want to stay here. We can’t afford for them to come in, receive training here and then go someplace else.”
She continued, “One of my priorities is to find some money so we can keep our police, especially the good ones that don’t mind working and whose agenda is just the safety of the people.”
Owens said a combination of grants and “money that the City may have tucked away somewhere” could be the answer to both increasing the police force and increasing police pay.
Stating that her research has shown the average salary in Henderson is $26,000, Owens said boosting paychecks is essential for the economic health of the area. “People are concerned about wages and the lack of job opportunities. We have to make our city safer and more presentable so jobs will want to come here.”
Owens also said the community needs to reach out to its youth. “We’ve got to inspire our young people. There’s got to be a reason for them to want to finish school and stay rooted in Henderson. We don’t want to see our young people leaving and to see Henderson become a ghost town.”
(This is not a paid political advertisement. To offer equal coverage to political opponents, Incumbent Mayor Eddie Ellington is scheduled to participate in a Town Talk interview with WIZS on Monday, Sept. 30.)
To hear Owens’ Town Talk interview in its entirety, please click the play button below. Listen live to WIZS’ Town Talk Monday-Friday at 11 a.m. on 1450AM, 100.1 FM or online at www.wizs.com.
Town Talk 09/24/19: Vance County Fair Opens Tomorrow With New Rides, Shows
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With only one day to go until the Vance County Fair brings lights, food and entertainment to Henderson’s Fairgrounds, fair managers Ron and Mary Weber joined WIZS’ Town Talk to discuss new attractions and ways to make your visit more affordable.
An annual event for the community for nearly 100 years, Ron said the Webers “really want to revitalize the fair and the fairgrounds.”
“We’ve brought in a lot of great entertainment, running a bunch of great specials, setting up new rides and offering a variety of food stands; the fair is going to be as big and as full as it has been in a long, long time,” Weber said.
The fair will be open from 5 until 11 p.m. Wed., Sept. 25 through Fri. Sept 27 and 12 until 11 p.m. on Sat. Sept. 28.
General admission is $6 and visitors may purchase an unlimited rides wristband for $25. General parking is available for free, with a $5 charge for premium parking.
Additional savings are available on opening night, or what the Webers refer to as “$2 night.” Admission for anyone entering the fair on Sept. 25 is $2, with all rides also available at $2 each.
The savings continue on Thurs., Sept. 26 for Carload Night – up to eight people properly seated with seatbelts on gain admission to the fair and receive unlimited rides for $50 per vehicle. Weber said this is a great way to make the fair more affordable for the entire family.
Additional advanced sale savings are available online by visiting www.vancecountyfairnc.com.
With new attractions such as the Super Shot Drop Tower and Rock Star, thrill acts such as “The Globe of Death,” a lion and tiger educational show, a petting zoo and a variety of games and food vendors, the Weber’s are expecting a very successful and entertaining 2019 Vance County Fair.
To hear the Webers’ interview in its entirety, please click the play button below. Listen live to WIZS’ Town Talk Monday-Friday at 11 a.m. on 1450AM, 100.1 FM or online at www.wizs.com.
Town Talk 09/23/19: Founder Melissa Elliott Discusses Gang Free’s Mission
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Melissa Elliott, Henderson City Council member and founder of Gang Free, Inc., was on Monday’s edition of WIZS’ Town Talk program to provide updates on the organization’s mission and focus.
Elliott founded Gang Free Inc. in 2009 to serve at-risk youth and adults. Stating she was once an at-risk youth with many of the same issues as the children she serves, Elliott credited “lots of prayer, a servant’s heart and a resilient spirit” for her success in life.
With a focus on local youth, the mission of Elliott’s organization is to “educate and empower individuals to live a life liberated of crime through innovative programs and services.”
Recently, Elliott said the focus has shifted slightly to preventing juvenile delinquency at the elementary school level before problems arise. Gang Free participants include children from L.B. Yancey, Pinkston Street, Clark and E.O. Young elementary schools.
“We are trying to reach these students before they actively become engaged in a gang or turn to juvenile delinquency,” said Elliott.
Located at 940 County Home Rd. in Henderson, the organization offers after school programs, summer camps, two homeless shelters and assistance for those suffering from food insecurities.
“We have a garden on our premises and we teach children about horticulture and growing their own food,” Elliott said. “In addition to the items from our garden, we distribute 60,000 pounds of food per month to those in need.”
Lack of adequate food and nutrition is just one obstacle facing many children in the community, according to Elliott, who said issues in the home often manifest themselves as “problem or troubled” behavior in the classroom and in public.
“Oftentimes, students that get involved in gang activity have a lot of barriers in the home. We’ve learned that you can’t just deal with one thing; it’s a domino effect,” explained Elliott.
While the bigger picture of what leads to juvenile delinquency and a life of crime are complicated and varied, Elliott said showing children they are cared for and valued at an early age can prevent gang involvement in the future.
“It’s not rocket science,” she said. “Children need to be loved and know that they are loved and cared for.”
To learn more about Gang Free Inc., to become a volunteer or to donate, please visit the organization’s website at www.gangfreeinc.org.
To hear Elliott’s interview in its entirety, including information on Gang Free funding, please click the play button below. Listen live to WIZS’ Town Talk Monday-Friday at 11 a.m. on 1450AM, 100.1 FM or online at www.wizs.com.
Town Talk 09/20/19
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Town Talk 09/19/19
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