Tag Archive for: #towntalk

City Of Henderson Awarded $10.7M For Water Projects

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The City of Henderson is getting $10.7 million from the state’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund for its Sandy Creek Pump Station and Force Main projects.

The announcement came last week, when Gov. Josh Stein and the Department of Environmental Quality said that 48 projects in 27 counties would receive more than $204 million in funding for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure projects.

The awards will improve drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, address PFAS and other forever chemicals, identify and replace lead pipes and improve resiliency after future storms, according to information on the DEQ website.

“When you turn on the faucet in your home, you shouldn’t have to worry about whether that water is safe for your family,” said Governor Josh Stein. “These investments will help ensure North Carolinians have access to clean drinking water and will help keep people safe when disaster strikes.”

“At DEQ, we’re committed to ensuring everyone in North Carolina has access to clean water,” said DEQ Secretary Reid Wilson. “This funding will address aging infrastructure and improve public health for communities large and small.”

The town of Warrenton also is set to receive $10 million for its Phase IV Wastewater Treatment Plant Improvements project.

TownTalk: KARTS FLEX Ride Is Right On Schedule

In its first two months of operation, the KARTS FLEX Ride van is living up to expectations. KARTS officials say the goal is to increase ridership with each month of operation – so far, so good.

KARTS Executive Director Randy Cantor said the program is “going really well.”

Finance Manager Tonya Moore has the data to back up that sentiment – in June, the first month of operation for the Uber-style transit that operates within the city limits of Henderson – there were 242 riders. July isn’t even over yet, and ridership is at 253 and counting, Moore said on Tuesday’s TownTalk. She and Cantor discussed the new transportation opportunity available from KARTS.

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State and federal dollars are paying for the first three years of the micro transit. KARTS is one of a growing number of transportation agencies getting funds to establish micro transit programs.

“The goal is to increase every month,” Moore said. New passengers, not necessarily the same individuals who use the KARTS van service, are taking advantage of the new, streamlined system.

The door-to-door service helps people get to and from work, to doctor’s appointments or anywhere else within the city limits. Riders can book online, with an app on their phone or simply call the KARTS office to schedule transportation.

And the on-demand service can pick you up within 30 minutes.

“We’re keeping statistics,” Cantor said. “All of our trips have been 100 percent on-time performance. And there have been relatively few no-shows. There’s one vehicle in service now, but a second is available as demands for the service rise. And there’s a third vehicle that can be easily changed from a KARTS van to a FLEX Ride van, he said.

Each trip is $6, and the driver accepts cash, but KARTS said the process is much more streamlined if you pay by card or set up an account that automatically deducts the cost of the trip.

“The majority are scheduling on the app,” Moore said. “That’s exactly what we wanted to see – it streamlines the process for everyone involved.”

Both Cantor and Moore said they believe that ridership will increase further once the weather cools off.

“When it’s extremely hot, when it’s rainy, extremely cold, cancellations increase,” Moore said.

“People don’t want to get out in non-desirable weather.”

Visit https://www.kartsnc.com/ to learn more.

Rebuilding Hope Inc. ‘Kids Construction Camp’ Aug. 6-8

There are still a few spots available for Rebuilding Hope Inc.’s Kids Construction Camp, which gives young people an opportunity to learn about tools and how to use them.

The three-day camp takes place Aug. 6-8 at Rebuilding Hope’s facility, 414 Raleigh Rd. from 9 a.m. to 12 noon, said Tom Wille, co-director of Rebuilding Hope. The camp will be capped at 30; Wille said Monday there’s space for 5 or 6 more.

The camp is free and gives youngsters in 3rd-6th grade a chance to visit a variety of stations set up to learn about hammers and nails, electrical and plumbing, as well as block laying, roofing and more.

Wille said it’s a really good thing that the children get to learn some construction skills through hands-on activities, and “they learn a little about Jesus through the Bible Study,” he added.

Parents and guardians can find the application at www.rebuildinghopeinc.org or stop by the office, 414 Raleigh Rd. and pick up a paper copy.

The stations are mock-ups of real-life applications, but don’t worry – it’s all safe. The campers will be learning how to shingle a roof, but the roof is only waist-high, Wille said.

“Everything is safe, but they get the point to see how it’s done…see the tools that are involved,” he said.

The Kids Construction Camp could be a steppingstone to another opportunity for youth that Rebuilding Hope hosts each year: Servants on Site.

This weeklong program wrapped up last week, with 114 young people and even more adult volunteers working together to replace the roof on nine different homes in Vance and Warren counties.

“We were able to take the Gospel to our world – our Jerusalem, which is right here in Vance County and a couple of surrounding counties,” Wille said.

That in and of itself is good news, he said, but the even better news is that a number of youth participants and one of the homeowners professed their love of Christ during the week.

This year’s S.O.S. theme was “Follow Me,” and Wille said the participants got a chance to witness what it’s like to help those in need.

“They’ve made lifelong friends, seen things that they would (otherwise) not see and see how it directly affects the community around them. It’s a pretty awesome thing.”

The kids worked during the hottest week of the year and got a chance to see that hard work pays off – and makes a difference. “You get this opportunity to focus on thing of importance and things that matter,” he said. “It does become clearer…there are more important things than TikTok.”

The evenings were spent at Central Baptist Church, with high-energy Christian Rock music, a worship service, devotional time and small-group discussions about the goings-on of the day.

Several kids made the altar call, he said, a tribute to the power that comes with young people coming together to serve their community in the name of Jesus.

“We can talk about Jesus all we want to, but if we’re not out there relating to them, people are not going to see it,” Wille said.

“If we don’t get out there and show that compassion, that tenderness, the forgiveness, we don’t mirror God.”

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(This story was originally published July 1, 2025.)

TownTalk: Around Old Granville – Harriet-Henderson Cotton Mill Strike of 1958

 

 

Many folks who were born and raised in Henderson or Vance County either remember the 1958 cotton mill strike or have grown up hearing stories about it. But even the youngest mill workers during that time are in their 80’s now, so there are fewer and fewer folks still alive to tell the story of how the strike affected the community then and now, more than 60 years later.

In Thursday’s Around Old Granville segment of TownTalk, WIZS’s Bill Harris and local historian Mark Pace add some context to the events that led up to the strike, which lasted until 1961.

In 1895, brothers David Y. and John D. Cooper founded the Henderson Cotton Mill in North Henderson.

They’d made their money in the tobacco business after the Civil War ended and later set their sights on establishing a mill.

Textiles, tobacco and furniture, Pace said, were all North Carolina industries that began with a “relatively cheap raw material that you could manipulate into something much more profitable.”

The profit margins were much higher in textiles than for, say, tobacco, but it came with more risk, Pace explained.

The price and quality of the raw material, workers’ wages and overseas competition were just some of the factors that the Cooper family had to consider with the mills, which numbered three by 1913. Harriet Mills opened in South Henderson in 1909 and then Harriet Plant No. 2 opened in 1913.

“It took off like gangbusters,” Pace said. Indeed, the textile industry was not only big in Henderson, but also in the southern United States, possibly “the most important industrial endeavor in the South, even up until the 1980’s and 1990’s,” Pace said.

It was 1943 when the union first came to the Harriet and Henderson plants, he said. By this time the mills were under the leadership of John D. Cooper, Jr., who ran it until 1962, Pace said. By the time World War II ended, the U.S. found itself in the unique position of being pretty much the only textile producers left – between the devastation across Europe and civil wars in India and Pakistan, the domestic textile industry was looking good.

Harris said a post-war economic boom led to a 1949 downturn, and as other countries rebuilt and retooled, it was more difficult for the local mills to keep their equipment current.

“They were very forward thinking,” Pace said, and wanted badly to modernize the mills after World War II, but faced years long backorders as a result of post-War reconstruction.

Throw in the rise of synthetic textiles like rayon and nylon – no cotton needed – and the textile industry began to falter.

Harriet and Henderson produced thread and yarn from the raw cotton, and employed as many as 1,000 people during its peak, when it was the largest yarn manufacturer.

“Within the confines of the industry,” Pace said, the Coopers were “very innovative and forward-thinking.”

To keep the mills running despite high absenteeism, management had dozens of employees at the ready each day to fill jobs when employees didn’t show up for work, Pace said. Even if they weren’t needed inside the mill, the stand-by workers would get two hours’ pay for showing up.

“A lot of plant managers would not have put up with that,” Pace said of the often high absentee rate. “But the Coopers wanted the work force to be happy.”

Women made up half the work force, and sometimes had to take off with little or no prior notice but management tolerated it because they felt an obligation to the workers, he added.

Pace said he considers the mill strike of 1958 as one of the top two or three most important events in the history of Vance County, “right up there with Civil Rights or the coming of the railroad and the creation of the tobacco industry.”

Listen back to the entire show at www.wizs.com.

 

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Salvation Army

TownTalk: Salvation Army Power Couple Ready to Help Henderson

With about five weeks at their new posts with the Henderson Salvation Army, Majors Jonathan and Staci Gainey say they know one thing for sure: They want to stay, set down roots and have a positive impact in the community.

“We’re looking forward to being here for a very long time,” Jonathan said on Wednesday’s TownTalk. “We have no intentions of leaving.”

The couple got their assignment from the Salvation Army’s divisional commander – they had no say in that. “But we can let the Salvation Army know that we have no interest in leaving – we plan on staying,” Jonathan said.

In these first few weeks, Staci said they’ve been learning the ropes and “figuring out where they can make the best impact in our community.”

One way is helping to stock the food pantry with shelf-stable items that are distributed to households in need. If your gardens are giving you more produce than you can use, consider dropping off veggies or other fresh items. The Salvation Army has a walk-in fridge and freezer for those things.

Jonathan, who hails from Jacksonville, FL, is the one who does the preaching, teaching and challenging and Staci is the person behind the organizing and administration of the various programs, projects and services that the Salvation Army is known for.

“Staci is very gifted in leadership and administration,” Jonathan said. “We work together but we know where our strengths are.”

As time goes on, Staci said she hopes to visit civic clubs and other organizations to develop relationships and connections as they share the news and mission with the community.

The office of the Salvation Army, located at 2292 Ross Mill Rd. in Henderson, is open Monday-Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will accept donations and requests for help during those office hours. The phone number is 252.438.7107.

The Salvation Army helps individuals with things like food, clothing, after-school care and more, but it’s also a church.

Amidst all the programs and social services aspects of the Salvation Army, Jonathan reminds the community that they’re also ordained pastors who want to nurture people’s spiritual side.

“We meet human needs in Christ’s name without discrimination,” he said.

They’re already planning for the upcoming holiday season and folks can expect to see the familiar red kettles when they’re out and about between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

They’ll be signing up volunteer bell ringers, too.

There’s plenty to do between now and then, and the Majors Gainey are already hard at work.

“We want to be a part of this community,” Staci said. “We want to know people and want for them to get to know us as well.”

Visit https://southernusa.salvationarmy.org/henderson-nc/ to learn more about how to help.

 

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TownTalk: Vance County Friday Night Football A Month Away

The Vance County Vipers 2025-26 football season kicks off Friday, Aug. 22 with a 7 p.m. home game against non-conference opponent Warren County.

Head Coach Aaron Elliott and his staff are preparing for the upcoming season that puts them in a new conference, thanks to a huge realignment back in March by the N.C. High School Athletic Association. As part of the realignment plan, the NCHSAA expanded from 1A to 4A classification to an 8A classification. VCHS is in the 6A classification.

VCHS is one of six schools in the Northern Six conference, along with 6A Franklinton High School, and four 7A Wake County high schools: East Wake, Heritage, Knightdale and Wake Forest.

WIZS’s Scout Hughes discussed the upcoming season with SportsTalk regulars Doc Ayscue and George Hoyle on Tuesday’s TownTalk. The first game of the season is just one month away, and the trio chatted about this year’s team and the opportunities that lie ahead.

“I’m ready for some football,” Hoyle said, adding that he’s looking forward to the new season and getting off to a strong start in a new conference.

Ayscue said he’s interested in seeing new faces and new names on the field “and how they improve as year goes along – how you start and how you finish,” he said.

Hoyle said that although the team will miss some key contributors from last year, he is hopeful that the Vipers will hold their own in conference play.

The Wake County schools are newer schools, he said. “Hopefully, we’ll be right there with them,” he said of the Vipers’ competitiveness.

WIZS’s longtime game announcer Bill Harris phoned in with a question about how the lack of local teams on the schedule may affect attendance.

“With this schedule, there’s no Oxford Webb, no Louisburg, Bunn,” Harris said that would ordinarily draw local interest.

“Football is a sport that brings a lot of ‘gate,’” he said.

Indeed, J.F. Webb is not on the schedule, but the Vipers are set to play Granville County’s other high school, South Granville, in an away game on Aug. 29.

Ayscue said he hoped Webb would return to the schedule.

Both Granville County high schools are classified as 5A.

The non-conference teams included in this season’s lineup all made the playoffs last year, it was noted.

Hughes said, “Coach Elliott is trying to make them better, more prepared for the post-season” with the schedule that he’s built.

Last year’s regular-season game against Rocky Mount, for example, was a hard-fought battle that ended with a 23-22 W for the Vipers on the road.

Hughes’s prediction: Folks who follow Vance County football are going to be “very excited” about the prospects for this season.

 

 

Here’s the complete schedule for the Vance County Vipers football season:

Aug. 22 – Warren County (home)

Aug. 29 – South Granville (away)

Sept. 5 – Jordan (home – Military/First Responders Appreciation Night)

Sept. 12 – Rocky Mount (home – Homecoming)

Sept. 19 – Northeastern (away)

Oct. 3 – Wake Forest (away)

Oct. 10 – Knightdale (away)

Oct. 17 – Heritage (home – Breast Cancer Awareness Night)

Oct. 24 – East Wake (away)

Oct. 31 – Franklinton (home – Senior Night)

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TownTalk: Tyler Fleming Ready For What Comes Next

With freshman year of college under his belt, Tyler Fleming is setting his sights on what’s next for him as he begins to think about returning to Elon University for his sophomore year.

With thoughts of a career in journalism or communications, the Henderson native and 2024 Kerr-Vance Academy graduate has spent the summer with WIZS as an intern and he’s learning first-hand what it takes to run a radio station.

He sat down with WIZS’s Scout Hughes for Monday’s TownTalk segment, and he talked about some short-term and long-term goals.

“My dream job, ambition, goal,” he said, “is to be a motorsports broadcaster.” It’s something that’s always intrigued him, Tyler said, ever since he played with toy cars as a child.

Combine that with learning about cameras, recording audio and video and editing, and he’s got the makings for any number of jobs in the field of journalism or communications.

He’s gotten to work at a local speedway in Alamance County and looks forward to continuing that relationship and strengthening networks for when he’s out of school.

Tyler said he’s gotten to do some video work with the football team through a work-study program and he’s gotten to do some other work with the Elon News Network – “some air-to-tape and a little bit of camera work,” he explained.

Another program called Fresh TV has provided him a way to learn about cameras and other equipment in the studio, learn about the school and make some good friends. They even made a short film, he said.

These skills he’s honing are very transferrable across many aspects of the communications field if the motorsports plan doesn’t pan out.

In the meantime, he’s continuing to get experience at the local speedway, adding recordings of commentaries, interviews and post-race content for his portfolio. gathering recordings from

He’d love to do a Study USA program through Elon that would take him to Charlotte for a semester to learn about sport management and NASCAR.

“In the long run, I’d love to be at a network doing either NASCAR, Indy or even stuff in Europe,” Tyler said. Broadcasting from Daytona, Indianapolis or France’s 24-hour endurance race at Le Mans would be a dream come true.
“That’s the lofty goal for now, but one step at a time,” he said.

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TownTalk: Henderson City Council July Meeting, Investigations Coming

The Henderson City Council met Monday night for its regular monthly meeting to conduct routine city business but then went into closed session to discuss a personnel matter.

Mayor Melissa Elliott said she would entertain a motion to go into closed session.

The Council did vote to adjourn into closed session, which had not been included on the agenda that was sent to the press and posted on the city’s webpage.

Upon returning to open session, it was learned that Mayor pro tem Garry Daeke and Councilperson Geraldine Champion will work together to be the liaisons for separate, independent, third-party investigations that will be taking place into two matters: one involving employee surveys pertaining to the mayor and a second that involves accusations made against the manager.

The Council voted unanimously to make Daeke the liaison between the council and the two independent, third-party investigating entities that will look into the matters.

Champion requested that all information that is learned during the investigation be shared with the entire council, to which Daeke replied that would certainly be the case.

The procedure of discussion and voting got a bit complicated when Elliott suggested that Champion join Daeke as a liaison, but that suggestion did turn into what happened.

It’s unclear whether there was an addendum to the original motion or whether a secondary motion was made to include Champion as a liaison. Nevertheless, the vote was 6-2, with Council members Lamont Noel and Sam Seifert voting against the motion.

No further details were discussed about who will conduct the investigations, when they will commence, how long they should take or when results will be available.

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TownTalk: Business Spotlight – Vanco Crawl Space

Will Bumgarner said the work his team at Vanco Crawlspace and Restoration does isn’t glamorous or fancy. In fact, he described it as dirty, nasty work. But it’s good, honest work, he said. And when homeowners or business owners need professionals to take care of problems under their homes or businesses, Vanco is the one to call.

Vanco Crawlspace and Restoration is the newest member of the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce, and Bumgarner said he’s been in business for about 4 ½ years. The company’s general manager is Angel Perez.

The company has two teams that do all kinds of work in crawlspaces from insulation and sump pumps to foundation drainage, mold remediation and installing dehumidifiers.

“Pretty much anything that’s underneath a house, we handle,” Bumgarner said during a recent ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Chamber office.

They’re based in Henderson and serve Vance, Granville, Warren and Franklin counties, but they also do work from Greensboro to the coast.

“My game plan is to provide that (top) level of service for Henderson so the citizens of this county don’t have to look elsewhere,” Bumgarner said.

Sam Seifert, a member of the Chamber board, was among a handful of local dignitaries on hand to welcome Bumgarner to the Chamber.

Seifert said he’d recently had to go under his own house and said he’d likely be calling Vanco soon. “I appreciate you and Angel who are doing that kind of work,” Seifert said. “I appreciate keeping it local.”

Call Vanco Crawlspace and Restoration at 919.999.9572 or visit www.vancocrawlspace.com to learn more.

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