Tag Archive for: #towntalk

Downtown Henderson

Town Talk 08/21/19: City of Henderson Names Walters Full-Time DDC Director

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100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

With the recent hiring of Kathy Walters as the full-time director of the Henderson-Vance Downtown Development Commission (DDC), the City of Henderson is one step closer to reestablishing its North Carolina Main Street Program status.

After eleven years of employment with the State of NC, Walters officially returns to the City of Henderson and the DDC on Monday, September 9.

For the past several years, the DDC director’s position has been funded on a part-time, contract-only basis, an arrangement that prevented Downtown Henderson, in part, from being reinstated in the Main Street Program.

“We are extremely delighted and fortunate to have Kathy on full-time with the DDC again,” said Board Chair Benny Finch. “She’s had about 10 years of experience working with the City and she’s very familiar with Downtown Henderson and the Main Street Program.”

A part of the Main Street Program from the mid-1980s until approximately 2010, a time that included Walters first tenure as director in the 90s, a lapse in the completion of requirements cost the downtown area the coveted distinction.

According to Finch, the benefits provided to a Main Street community are well worth the time and effort that the commission is investing in the three-year re-certification process.

“It is a three-year [overall] process and we are more than halfway there,” Finch said. “We expect to successfully complete all requirements by 2020. This will get us back into the Main Street Program which provides design expertise, as well as grant and networking opportunities.”

Citing her experience with maintaining Main Street status in the past, Finch said Walters was also instrumental in developing the Embassy Square area that now includes Perry Memorial Library, McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center and the Henderson Police Station.

In September 2017, Henderson was one of three NC towns selected by the NC Main Street & Rural Planning Center to receive up to three years of technical assistance for the recertification process.

Walters has already made it clear she is the right person for the job, according to Finch, as she has taken the initiative to meet with NC Main Street & Rural Planning Center director Liz Parham in Raleigh before her official day as DDC director even begins.

“We’re happy that Kathy has already taken the step to meet with Liz and to get the ball rolling on that part of the process,” Finch said.

In an email to WIZS, Henderson Mayor Eddie Ellington echoed Finch’s sentiments:

“We are pleased to welcome Kathy Walters back to the City of Henderson as our new Downtown Development Director,” Ellington wrote. “In our current fiscal year city budget, we allotted funding to provide for a full-time downtown director. It is necessary to ensure a vibrant downtown and re-entry into the North Carolina Main Street Program now that we have this person in place. Kathy, with her experience, knowledge and passion for Henderson, was the ideal candidate and we are looking forward to a bright future while preserving our past.”

To hear further discussion on the hiring of Walters and the future of downtown, 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 08/20/19: Vipers Kick Off Friday Night Football With Game Against Bunn

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100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

It’s officially football season, and WIZS has you covered locally with “Vance County Friday Night Football” live every Friday evening on 1450AM, 100.1 FM, and via live stream at www.wizs.com. Coverage begins at 6:45 p.m.; kickoff and play-by-play coverage begin at 7 p.m.

Also, be sure to tune-in to WIZS’ weekly Coach’s Corner Show each Friday at 1 p.m. This week, to kick off the season, the Coach’s Corner will originate live from Citizens Pub and Grill in downtown Henderson.

WIZS’ own John Charles Rose and Trey Snide were on Tuesday’s edition of Town Talk to provide an overview of the Vance County High School Vipers’ second overall athletic season and first season as part of the Big Eight 3A Conference.

Playing in their first game this Friday evening, August 23, 2019, the Vipers take on the Bunn Wildcats at home. The Vipers finished with a 4 – 7 record in their first season of play as a combined high school last year.

The first four games of the season are nonconference matches; conference play in the Big Eight 3A begins with a game against the Chapel Hill Tigers on September 27.

The final game of the regular season is scheduled at home against the Cedar Ridge Red Wolves on November 8.

The Vipers will also face the East Chapel Hill Wildcats, Southern Durham Spartans, Orange Panthers, Northern Durham Knights and Northwood Chargers in conference play.

Snide, who enters his third year covering Friday Night Football for WIZS, said Vipers Coach Darry Ragland is excited about this season, especially quarterback Samein Burwell.

“This is the first year Burwell has had a complete off-season and workout program,” said Snide. “In the sixth, seventh or eighth game of the regular season, that’s when Burwell finally had a full year under his belt under the brand new offense the Vipers were bringing with Coach Ragland.”

Snide said Ragland has expressed “excitement about Burwell’s potential” and hopes to improve on last year’s record of 1,800 passing yards, 17 passing touchdowns and 18 interceptions.

On the Wildcats end, second-year Bunn Head Football Coach Bradley Murphy spoke with Snide and said the Vipers can expect his team to bring “hustle and effort” to Friday’s match.

“We are going to come and give our best effort and best hustle on and off the field,” Murphy said. “I tell my boys all the time if they give their best, I’ll be proud of them at the end of the game regardless of the final score.”

Snide said the outcome of this first game, along with additional nonconference games scheduled against the Warren County Eagles, J.F. Webb Warriors and Roanoke Rapids Yellow Jackets, will set the tone for the Viper’s season.

“We are going to see what this team is all about, especially in the first four games leading up to the Big Eight Conference. These are teams we should be able to handle pretty well if the offense and defense can play on the same playing field,” Snide said.

Snide and WIZS’ other “colorful” cast of Vance County Friday Night Football announcers are looking forward to rooting on the Vipers this season. In fact, Rose said he can document coverage of what is now known as Vance County Friday Night Football back to at least 50 of the station’s 64 years on the airwaves.

“None of this is about us, however,” said Rose. “This is about the school, this is about Vance County, this is about the listenership, but most important, this is about the student-athletes. WIZS cannot wait to highlight the student-athletes – the quarterbacks, the defensive players, as well as the coaches and assistant coaches.”

To hear the Vance County Friday Night Football Town Talk discussion 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.

Salvation Army

Town Talk 08/19/19: Salvation Army Welcomes Derrick & Odessa Smith

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100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

Vance County’s Salvation Army recently welcomed new leaders Lts. Derrick and Odessa Smith, a husband-and-wife team last stationed in Alamance County.

The Smiths take over for the recently retired Captain Rick Langley and wife Angie who headed the local Salvation Army operation since 2012.

Odessa, who has been a part of the Salvation Army since she was four years old, said it was her experience and love for the ministry that attracted husband Derrick, originally of Duplin County, to serve.

“I’ll be honest, when she first invited me, I thought we were having church at a thrift store,” Derrick recalled with a laugh. “I remember vividly going to the Salvation Army for the first time and the people just came around and loved me like I had been there for 20 years!”

The Smiths have arrived at a transitional time for the local ministry, specifically with the opening of a new facility and ball fields encompassing a 40-acre lot on Ross Mill Road in Henderson. The new building will be located near Mako Medical Laboratories and Vance Charter School.

According to Odessa, the facility is expected to be completed in mid to late October with a ribbon-cutting and building dedication ceremony to follow in November.

The new facility will allow for more space for what the Smiths have identified through studies to be one of the greatest needs of the community – youth services.

“One of the biggest needs is youth development,” explained Odessa. “We would like to have after-school programs, mentoring programs and partnerships with local schools and other community organizations.”

In an interview with WIZS prior to his retirement in June, Rick Langley stated that the new facility will include a community center, gym, full-size commercial kitchen and two ball fields – baseball and soccer.

In addition to hosting Salvation Army-related games, the ballfields will double as the home field of the neighboring Vance Charter School Knights.

While construction is underway on the new building, the Salvation Army will continue to operate from its 355 Alexander Avenue location in Henderson.

The former Salvation Army Store, located at 222 W. Montgomery Street in downtown Henderson, is currently used for storage and provides the space needed to organize larger donations such as furniture, according to Derrick.

The new Salvation Army Store, located at 218 Raleigh Road in Henderson, recently held a one-day anniversary sale on August 10.

“We both want to thank the community for showing up,” Derrick said. “We had folks lining up at 8 a.m. waiting for the sale to begin at 9 a.m. It was a very successful day.”

According to Derrick, one of the highlights of the day was talking to people and making them aware of just how much their purchases were helping the community. “I don’t think many people know this, but 85 cents of every dollar spent goes back to help people in this community.”

“We’ve already seen that we have a very generous community here,” said Derrick. “It helps us to fulfill the Salvation Army’s mission to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in his name without discrimination.”

To hear the Smiths’ 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 08/16/19

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Town Talk 08/15/19

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Town Talk 08/13/19: What You Need to Know About NC’s Medicaid Transformation

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100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

Vance County Department of Social Services’ Denita DeVega, director, and Goldie Davis, program administrator of economic services, were on Tuesday’s edition of WIZS’ Town Talk to discuss changes to Medicaid requirements.

As part of the first phase of the Medicaid Transformation, Vance County recipients must enroll in one of four State-approved health plans and select a primary care physician by Friday, September 13, 2019.

“The process for being eligible for Medicaid and maintaining Medicaid remains the same,” Davis said. “You will still go to your local DSS to apply for Medicaid, benefits will still be maintained at your local DSS and your questions can still be answered at DSS.”

Changes to Medicaid requirements will take effect on November 1, 2019.

Medicaid recipients who have not selected a health care plan by the September 13 deadline will have one chosen for them by the State, Davis reported.

According to a recent press release from DSS, a health plan – through Medicaid – is a group of doctors, hospitals and other providers that will work together to provide healthcare to meet collective needs. The goal is for every medical service – physical health, mental health and medicine – to come through the same healthcare plan.

A primary care provider (PCP) should also be selected to assist with health care needs, which could be in the form of a family doctor, clinic or other health care provider.

Recipients who already have a primary care provider may keep the one they have or choose a new one.

“Ideally, what the State wants is for all of the physicians that are currently enrolled and contracted with Medicaid to be enrolled and contracted with all four plans,” Davis explained. “This will give the recipients the liberty to continue with the same primary care physician regardless of which health plan they choose.”

DeVega announced that a series of informational sessions have been scheduled to guide local recipients through the requirements.

These sessions will be held at Vance Co. Department of Social Services at 350 Ruin Creek Rd in Henderson and are scheduled for Monday, August 26, from 9 – 11 a.m. and 2 – 4 p.m., and Tuesday, August 27 from 9 – 11 a.m. and 2 – 4 p.m.

It is recommended that those who are senior citizens bring a trusted family member or friend to assist in the selection process.

If unable to attend the information sessions, an outreach specialist is available for assistance at Vance Co. DSS from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Assistance will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis.

For a list of doctors for each health plan, or to enroll, visit ncmedicaidplans.gov, use the NC Medicaid Managed Care mobile app or call 1-833-870-5500. A language line is also available.

For eligibility information or with questions about Medicaid’s new requirements, contact Cathy Hope, 252-492-5001 x 3221, Shelonda Boyd, 252-492-5001 x 3266, Shalonda Daye, 252-492-5001 x 3204, or Vance County Department of Social Services, at 252-492-5001.

To hear the Vance Co. DSS interview in its entirety, including an introduction of new director DeVega, 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 08/12/19

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100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

John Rose, Trey Snide and Henderson Police Chief Marcus Barrow discuss Business District (B1) zoning, code enforcement and a potential “curfew” for downtown Henderson businesses in advance of the Henderson City Council meeting at 6 p.m.

Town Talk 08/09/19

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Town Talk 08/08/19: Owens, Mayoral Candidate, Discusses ‘Concern’ for Henderson

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100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

Sharon Owens, candidate for the position of Henderson Mayor, was the guest of honor on Thursday’s edition of WIZS’ Town Talk.

A resident of Montgomery Street in Henderson, Owens is running against incumbent Eddie Ellington in the October 8, 2019, City of Henderson election.

Noting that her decision to run for mayor has been a topic of much self-reflection over the past year, Owens, a budget analyst with Durham Public Schools and an evangelist with Greater Refuge Church Henderson, said it was both prayer and her concern for the City of Henderson that led her to file.

Sharon Owens, candidate for the position of Henderson Mayor, is running against incumbent Eddie Ellington in the October 8, 2019, City of Henderson election. (Photo courtesy Sharon Owens)

“I have a deep concern for the City of Henderson,” Owens said. “When I look at the area now and compare it with other cities of the same size, or even compare it to our past, I am concerned.”

Owens, who has lived in Henderson all of her life minus a year she spent in Richmond, VA, said she is saddened by what issues such as crime, drugs, gangs and lack of viable job opportunities have done to the area she calls home.

“It breaks my heart when I look at how the downtown buildings have gone down, the stores have moved; nothing is like it used to be,” lamented Owens. “I can’t help but wonder what is the mindset of the City Council for downtown development and the city as a whole.”

Citing economic development as one of Henderson’s major issues, Owens said she would like to focus on bringing more jobs to the area by offering companies additional incentives. “We need to give some kind of incentive for jobs to come to the City of Henderson. When people have income and good housing, it makes them feel good about themselves and makes them want to do better.”

Acknowledging that the mayor works very closely with the city manager, Owens said she’d like to see those two positions take a more grassroots approach to affecting change in the community.

“I think that relationship should be such that we could go out into neighborhoods and talk to people at their level about [issues such as] drugs, gangs and murder, talk to people who it directly affects,” said Owens. “If we are being honest, it does not affect everyone.”

After stating the entire City of Henderson should be treated as a whole, Owens conceded, “Some areas of the city require a little more attention than others, especially the areas of high poverty.”

Owens said that she feels progress is being made in addressing issues that often accompany areas of high poverty but believes more can be done. She also believes that she is just the person to do it.

“I’m not saying that the Mayor and City Council aren’t doing a great job; they are doing a magnificent job,” Owens said.”I just believe that I can take it a little bit further.”

For more information on Owens’ campaign, visit her website by clicking here.

(This is not a paid political advertisement. WIZS is in communication with incumbent Eddie Ellington to participate in a similar interview.)

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 08/07/19: Artist Spotlight Rewind With Wes Collins

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100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm