Tag Archive for: #towntalk

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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TownTalk: Vance Elections Board Merges 5 Precincts To Create Newly Named Central Henderson, South Henderson Precincts

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With the proposal to consolidate five voting precincts into two approved by the N.C. State Board of Elections, County Elections Director Haley Rawles presented the plan to county commissioners at their meeting on Monday.

North Henderson 1 and East Henderson 1 precincts are going to become Central Henderson voting precinct, and voters will go to the campus of the former Eaton Johnson Middle School to cast their ballots.

The Hilltop, South Henderson 1 and South Henderson 2 precincts will merge to become South Henderson precinct. Perry Memorial Library will be the voting place for that precinct.

Rawles told commissioners that no candidate seats will be affected; the consolidation will not change the ward or district.

Rawles said information about the changes in precinct locations will be mailed to residents in August and the information also will be published on the board of elections webpage and shared with local news outlets.

The Vance County Board of Elections voted in February 2024 to set the process in motion, and it got notice of approval from then-state director Karen Brinson Bell.

The county elections board had been talking about consolidating precincts for some time, she said. “This has been something that they’ve wanted for years,” Rawles said. This plan reduces from 12 to 9 the number of voting precincts in the county.

More voters are choosing to cast ballots during the early voting period, which has reduced the number of voters who come to the polls on election day. She provided numbers from recent elections to commissioners – one precinct had zero voters come in on election day.

She said the consolidation could reduce by 21 the number of poll workers needed on election day.

In addition to reducing the number of workers, Rawles said the move will reduce confusion for voters about their polling place and will increase the safety and accessibility for voters – and staff. It also will simplify delivery and pickup of elections equipment by county employees.

“The Board of Elections is trying to save the county some money,” said Elections Board Chair James Baines.

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Pete Burgess

TownTalk: Remembering Talmadge R. “Pete” Burgess

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Talmadge R. “Pete” Burgess passed away at his home in Durham on Sunday, June 1. He was 92.

Burgess was a native of Vance County and proudly gave back to his community for decades, farming in the Epsom community and making the Vance County Regional Farmers Market a reality.

In a 2020 interview with WIZS, Burgess said “If you’re living in the community, you need to be a part of it. You need to be involved in what’s going on and have your input…help in any way that you can.”

Whether it was with the Epsom Fire Department, his church or other community organizations, Burgess lived into those words.

Largely through his efforts, Vance County was able to open its farmers market in 2014.

He was a founding member of the Vance County Regional Farmers Market and was acknowledged for his visionary leadership in leading the charge for funding and organizing the building of the current Farmers Market facility. A plaque hangs in the market today acknowledging Burgess for his role in getting the market up and running.

“It was not an easy project,” Burgess told WIZS back in 2020. It took several years before he pieces finally fell into place. But when they did, Vance County had something to be proud of.

The market, as it exists today, may have looked a little different had it not been for Burgess. Those roll-up garage style doors – with a $1,500 price tag in 2014 – were somewhat of an add-on.

“It was the easiest money I had to raise,” Burgess said, noting that he approached businesses to help pay for the cost of the doors that visitors and vendors see today at the market.

Burgess attended N.C. State University and studied agricultural engineering on an ROTC scholarship.  After graduation, he served in the U.S. Army and was stationed in Germany.  He worked as a safety engineer for the Liberty Mutual Insurance industry for 10 years, with various locations in North Carolina, South Carolina and Louisiana.  In 1968 he came home to Vance County to operate a farm, where he grew tobacco, grain, hay, and sweet corn, among other crops.

He was well known for his knowledge of planting, harvesting, curing tobacco and growing quality crops.  He took pride in his farming, always strived to nurture and enhance the land he farmed.

Burgess was a respected member of the Epsom Community, willing to lend a hand to his neighbors and share his expertise with other farmers.  An active community volunteer, he served as a board member and president to the Vance County Farm Bureau organization from 1978-1996.  He also was a member of the North Carolina Farm Bureau Board of Directors, the Farm Bureau State Executive Board, and the NC Farm Bureau Scholarship Committee.

Burgess had a long history of service to his community and to Vance County.  He received the Vance County Community Hero award in 2012.  He was a past president and board member of the Epsom Lions Club; past board member of the Epsom Volunteer Fire Department; worked with the Perry Memorial Library Building Committee to secure funding for the Farm Bureau Community meeting room; past board member of the Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce; and past member of the Vance County Planning Board.

He was a member of the First United Methodist Church in Henderson and served as a president of his Sunday School class and volunteered with the Methodist Men’s group.

He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Sylvia Smith Burgess; son Daryl and wife Darline; daughter Susan Hughes and husband Lyn; daughter-in-law Michele Burgess; grandsons Justin Burgess and wife Mehegan, Bryan Hughes and wife Kaylee, and Nolan Hughes and special friend Allison Wise; great granddaughters Virginia Parks Burgess and Lawson Burgess; and sister Lorraine Watkins and husband Eugene.  He was preceded in death by his parents, sister Juanita Burgess Robinson, and his son Talmadge Burgess, Jr.

Visitation with the family will be held on Tuesday, June 3, from 2 p.m. – 5 p.m. at the home of Michele Burgess, 6876 NC Highway 39 South, Henderson, NC.  A graveside burial service will be held on Wednesday, June 4 at 2 p.m. at Liberty Christian Church, 7818 NC Highway 39 South, Henderson NC.  A service of celebration will be held following the burial at 3 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church, 114 Church St. in Henderson.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions be made to the Vance-Granville Community College Foundation – T.R. Burgess Sr. Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 917, Henderson, NC 27536.  Or to the First United Methodist Church Memorial Fund in memory of T.R. Burgess, Sr., 114 Church St., Henderson, NC. 27536. J.M. White Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

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TownTalk: Community Outdoor Revival Coming June 2-6 at Back to Eden

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This year’s Blessed Trinity Ministries Revival begins Monday, June 2 and runs through Friday, June 6. The revival begins at 7 p.m. each evening at Back to Eden, located at 105 Spellman Loop off Satterwhite Point Road, and organizer and pastor Rev. Dr. Almice Floyd Gill invites the entire community to come out and be refreshed by hearing the word of God from five different preachers from the area.

“I’m not preaching this year, but I’ll be talking every night,” Floyd Gill said on Thursday’s TownTalk. Her role is more of facilitator for the weeklong revival, which will offer a whole new list of ministers, reverends and pastors who are taking part.

She said this year’s participants will offer a variety of messages for revival participants, and she said to expect the speakers to present their messages with “power, conviction and in love.”

“The revivalists from last year were great,” she said, and added that this year’s speakers will hopefully expand and invite even more people to attend the nightly services.

As in the Book of Nehemiah in the Bible, Floyd Gill said she prayed to God to ask for guidance as she began to plan the 2025 revival – God blesses those who work faithfully, and she wanted to emulate Nehemiah’s actions to help accomplish her goal to get the Word of God out to people in the community.

“We don’t want the revival to be routine,” she said, and invites any and all to attend the five-night event.

Here’s the lineup:

  • Monday’s speaker is Minister Sidney McNeil, of America Come Back to God Bible Institute
  • Tuesday’s speaker is Reverend Nicole Jones, of Ridgeway Missionary Baptist Church
  • Wednesday’s speaker is Reverend Doctor Bobby Graham Jr., of Blessed Trinity Ministries
  • Thursday’s speaker is Pastor Jermaine Whitaker, of Brookston Missionary Baptist Church
  • Friday’s speaker is Pastor Mark Hargrove, of Mount Zion Christian Church

If you can’t make it in person, find Blessed Trinity Ministries on Facebook to view live or join via conference call to listen to the revival each evening. Simply call 605.475.4700 and use Passcode 751573 to connect.

Anyone wishing to make a donation is welcome to do so, she said, adding that there are numerous ways to give: bring cash, check, cashier’s check or money order to the revival or mail to: Blessed Trinity Ministries, P.O. Box 3241, Henderson, NC 27536

Pay online as well using Gill’s number 252.438.0397. Donations may be made via apps like Zelle and Apple Pay
or via Cash App to $meeciefg.

She said all donations go to the church treasury to support its mission. “We’re thankful for every penny that anybody gives.”

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“Drive-In Movie Massacre” to Film At Local Legendary Raleigh Road Outdoor Theatre

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Wanna be in a movie? Wanna have a part in making a movie? Folks in the Henderson area will have their chance soon, because Bill DiNicola is looking for locals to be a part of Drive-In Movie Massacre, a comedy/horror slasher film that is going to be shot on location at Raleigh Road Outdoor Theatre.

And one thing he says for sure: the world premiere of the movie will be held right here in Henderson, at the iconic drive-in.

DiNicola, who got his start right here at WIZS, has moved to television and movie production, and he can’t wait to start filming. He said filming should begin in August or September of this year, and the final product is scheduled to be ready by September 2026. He’s formed a film company, ColaNatio Films, and he hopes this is just the beginning of having movies filmed in Vance County

He’s always been a big fan of horror movies, and his work in pre-production is what helped him get to this point in his career – creating a feature-length film.

Well, not Tom Cruise-Mission Impossible length feature film, but he said on Monday’s TownTalk that, with credits, the movie will be close to 90 minutes.

DiNicola said you need three things to make a movie – “a camera, a place to shoot and a story that people might be interested in.”

Camera, check. A place to shoot – the iconic drive-in in Henderson, check. And the story that people will be interested in. Check.

The script is about 54 pages in so far, and needs to be 80 pages or so. But it’s at the point where DiNicola is seeking funding for the project.

And a little star power.

He said he’s got local newsman-turned celebrity Mark Roberts on board for the project, as well as a “soft commitment” from Darcy the Mail Girl, who’s known in the horror/comedy genre.

The movie is a movie within a movie, DiNicola said – “It’s a slasher movie about people going to the movies to watch a movie about people going to the movie and getting massacred.”

And in the case of this movie, people are coming to the Raleigh Road Outdoor Theatre to see the movie.

“When you have an asset like that and you find out that people are interested in it and want to make it happen,” it’s a natural fit.

DiNicola said he sees Vance County as a great place to make movies, from the drive-in to Kerr Lake and more.

“What I really want to do,” he said, “is make movies in Vance County,” where he spent so much time as a child. “The woods, Kerr Lake…everything (is) kind of rolled into one In Vance County. The only thing you don’t have is film crews working in Vance County.”

He wants to change that.

Contact DiNicola at colanatio@gmail.com, 252.432.2235 or find him on Facebook.

 

 

 

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Mayor Pro Tem Remains Topic Of Conversation For Henderson City Council

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It is possible that the Henderson City Council will decide once again on who should be the mayor pro tem, a role that Council Member Garry Daeke had held since December 2023 until he was unseated in February 2025 and replaced with Council Member Michael Venable.

During the Council’s regular May meeting, however, Council Member Lamont Noel asserted that the February action was procedurally incorrect and set in motion a recommendation that later became a motion to return Daeke to the pro tem role. That motion was seconded and passed.

Then, at what was advertised to be a budget public hearing on Thursday, May 22, Council members picked up the issue yet again – this time with some clarification from the city attorney about proper procedures and following policy.

Noel acknowledged during the Thursday meeting that he’d mistakenly cited a policy that applies only to a special called meeting, not a regularly scheduled meeting, about the requirement that all Council members be present in order to add an item to the agenda.

In fact, agenda items may be added during any regular meeting and it’s done routinely. Although three Council members were absent in February, among them Daeke, a quorum was present and that is all that’s needed to hold a meeting or to add agenda items.

An agenda item may be added at a special called meeting only if all members are present.

As City Manager/City Attorney Hassan T. Kingsberry explained to Council members, he consulted with the School of Government to try to get a handle on this tangled-up issue.

“If you decide to revote, that is fine,” Kingsberry said. But it’ll have to wait until a regularly scheduled monthly meeting.

The budget public hearing, which did take place following about 25 minutes about the mayor pro tem topic and a closed session called for during the meeting, is NOT a regular monthly meeting and Council Member Sara Coffey was not present.

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