Tag Archive for: #towntalk

TownTalk: ALS United NC Helps Those With The Disease

/by

Dave Shore and WIZS’s Bill Harris have some things in common: They both have had media careers – Dave as one of the founders of 99.9 The Fan in Raleigh back in 2007, and Bill behind the mic right here at the radio station, for one. But more importantly, both are interested in helping others manage what, at best, is a life-altering diagnosis.

Shore was busy with TV sports career back in 1991 when his mother was diagnosed with ALS, and he said he wasn’t able to provide the care for her that he would have liked.

As president and CEO of Raleigh-based ALS United NC, however, Shore said he considers “this is my time to help my Mom…to help others.”

Today, Harris can count himself in that group. He was diagnosed last week.

“I’ve got it. I have to deal with it,” Harris said. “If doing a show can help someone else, I’m all for it.”

And so, that’s just what he did.

Shore joined Wednesday’s TownTalk segment by telephone from Washington, DC, where he and others are meeting with North Carolina legislators to talk about ways to help fight ALS.

“I’m leading a major Mission First organization,” Shore said. ALS United funds two grant streams – one that goes to patients to pay for things not covered by insurance – and the other that provides grant funding to the six clinics set up across the state to help ALS patients.

The two closest are at Duke and UNC, he said. These multi-disciplinary clinics are a one-stop shop of sorts to help patients see various specialists during the course of a day visit.

It’s a lot easier to go with the acronym ALS or Lou Gehrig’s Disease than it is to say Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (a-my-o-TROE-fik LAT-ur-ul skluh-ROE-sis), and Shore said diagnosing the disease can be as complicated as trying to pronounce the medical term correctly.

Basically, what it’s doing is breaking down motor neurons in your body and robbing your body’s ability to get signals from the brain, Shore explained.

“It’s a hard diagnosis to make,” he said, and it often takes a long time.

There is reason for hope, however. Between advances in research and drug trials, neurologists have more tools to improve patients’ lives.

The ultimate goal, of course, is to find a cure. In the meantime, organizations like ALS United continue to work to make patients’ lives better.

“Our main goal is to take care of our patients. We don’t do the research, but …partner with the ones who do to keep it going,” Shore said. “They’re smart people,” he said of the researchers, “and they’re going to find the right combination.”

Similarities between ALS and other neurological diseases ranging from Alzheimer’s to Parkinson’s are desperately underfunded. But Shore said if ALS researchers have a breakthrough, it likely would carry over into treatment of the others.

Remember the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge that went viral 10 years ago? “We’re going to do it again,” Shore said. “We need that influx of dollars.”

He’d like to think that a treatment for ALS, now considered a progressive, degenerative disease, will come along, much like the drug cocktail that has essentially made HIV a disease that patients can live with.

“It became a survivable diagnosis,” he said.

There are so many trials and so many drugs that people are being put on to see if the progression can be slowed down.

Shore’s mission is to find a way to live with ALS. “It’s kind of what fuels me,” he said. “That I get this information out and help as many people as I can.”

Visit https://alsnc.org/ to learn more.

CLICK PLAY!

 

TownTalk: Diamond Unique’s Domestic Violence Story

/by

Victims of domestic violence suffer at the hands of people who supposedly care for them – whether it’s physical or emotional abuse, or both, the suffering is real. But victims who make a plan to get out of a dangerous situation and then do so triumphantly call themselves survivors.

Once they choose survivor over victim, the tide turns and healing begins.

Just listen to Diamond Unique’s story, and you’ll hear what a survivor sounds like. She’s put the past behind her and she’s ready to share her story with others, in hopes of inspiring others who find themselves in similar circumstances.

The name Diamond Unique is not the name she was given at birth, but it is the name she goes by as she pursues a career as an actor, podcaster and author.

She reached out to WIZS to tell her story, “to let everyone know that I am a living testimony.” By sharing her story on various social media platforms, this single mother said she wants others to know they aren’t alone in their struggles.

Diamond said she thanks God for delivering her from her abuser. “Without the Lord, I would be nothing,” she said on Tuesday’s TownTalk. As she lay in a hospital bed, with a concussion from that last attack, she said God sent her a message: “You have a message, get your voice out. Let people know the real meaning of domestic violence.”

And now she’s using Facebook, Youtube, Instagram and Tik Tok to do just that. She said she’s got 20.8K Tik Tok followers, which she describes as “amazing…incredibly empowering.”

Domestic violence robs people of their self-love, their determination, Diamond said. “It makes you feel less than who you are,” she said. She felt like a nobody.

After she had gotten away from her abuser, she said “I could finally lift my head up and know that I was a person who made it through.”

She wants to send a message of empowerment to others through her acting and her video posts; she wants others who are suffering at the hands of abusers to know that there is more to life than their current situation.

Diamond is working on a book that chronicles her life and her experiences. The title is “Woman Behind the Bruises.” She doesn’t have a publication date yet, but she anticipates it will be out soon.

Find Diamond Unique on Facebook and Youtube; you’ll find her on Tik Tok and Instagram as Miss Pretty Ambitious.

Listen to the entire interview here.

TownTalk: AVID Equals Post-Secondary Readiness for VCS

/by

AVID is a program that’s been helping public school students unlock their potential for more than 40 years. Its longevity is a tribute in part to its effectiveness and in part to its response to the evolving needs of students.

The acronym stands for Achievement Via Individual Determination, and VCS AVID District Director Dr. Destiny Ross-Putney said today’s program focuses not just on college-bound students, but post-secondary pursuits that include work after high school.

Putney calls it “post-secondary readiness,” whether students are college-bound or head right into a career.

A typical AVID student is a student who has a GPA between 2.0 and 3.5. “It’s not for your typical high-flying student,” but rather for students who have the potential to be more successful with just a little bit more structured support in the classroom, Ross-Putney said.

“Some students are simply not interested in college,” she said, but AVID prepares students for life after high school graduation, whether it’s college or work. AVID teaches students how to be truly prepared to be active citizens in the community.

Three Vance County Schools have AVID programs – Vance County Middle School, Vance County High School and, new this year, Carver Elementary. There are about 70 middle school students at each grade level that participate in AVID, and there’s an elective class at the high school, Ross-Putney said. VCHS is a schoolwide AVID school, she added, which means that faculty use AVID techniques and strategies in their classrooms.

The third- and fifth graders at Carver are getting their first taste of AVID, Ross-Putney said. The plan is to introduce AVID in other elementary schools in the district.

The district also has professional development to share with teachers’ various AVID strategies, which include things like how to take good notes, create resumes, and effective interview techniques.

There’s a focus on writing with AVID, and teachers use the WICOR strategy to help students: WICOR stands for Writing, Inquiry, Collaboration, Organization and Reading.

AVID helps students develop self-confidence and self-advocacy, she said. “I can see how confident students are,” when she visits AVID classrooms. “They are specifically taught how to have a discourse,” she said, which increase students’ “abilities to communicate as well as withstand rigorous course work.”

And AVID also keep track of students after graduation – it’s a built-in component of the program to check in one year and three years after graduation.

CLICK PLAY!

Kerr Tar Workforce and NCWorks

TownTalk: Kerr-Tar Regional Young Adult Hiring Event

/by

There’s a big show scheduled at Raleigh Road Outdoor Theatre, but anyone who drives in will see that the feature isn’t the latest movie release from Hollywood but dozens of employers hoping to grab the attention of prospective employees.

The Kerr-Tar COG is hosting a young adult hiring event from 12 noon to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Apr. 30 at the drive-in theatre, 3336 Raleigh Road just outside Henderson.

And although the focus is on high school seniors who may be looking for work after graduation in a few short weeks, Desiree Brooks said anyone from the community is welcome to attend.

Brooks is business services manager for the KTCOG Workforce Development Board and she said that 40 employers from across the five-county KTCOG region will be on site to share information about available jobs at their respective businesses.

“There are some really cool jobs out there that you can make a career of,” Brooks said on Monday’s TownTalk. Young people often believe that they have to go to larger areas nearby to find work, she said. But the employers who will be at the upcoming hiring event are from right here in our region.

So far, more than 100 students have registered to attend and there’s still plenty of time to sign up, she said. KTCOG is working with the Career and Technical Education programs in the five counties’ school districts to promote the hiring event.

It’s a time when graduating seniors can “either secure employment, or at least identify what they want to do after graduation,” Brooks said.

Turning Point CDC’s Mobile Van will be on hand, and Kittrell Job Corps to share options for post-secondary education programs.

These days, manufacturers are using cutting-edge technology to make and deliver products, and those who attend the hiring event will get a chance to see some of this technology up close and personal – whether it’s heavy equipment from Sunrock to drones flying overhead as part of Vance-Granville Community College’s presentation.

It’s important for job seekers to understand that factory work has become more than just working on a production line, she said. “Advanced manufacturing involves robotics, welding and engineering – all of these things you could have a great career in,” Brooks said.

Wolfspeed is just one business that will be on site next week. It manufactures energy efficient power products for electric vehicles and has a facilities in Durham, among other cities in the state.

In addition to reps from the advanced manufacturing field, expect to see representatives from local, county and state government, banking, information technology and popular trades like HVAC and more.

Find the event on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ncworkskt or call the Career Center at 252.598.5200. Learn more about this program and more at www.ncworks.gov.

 

Click Play!

Shriners Fish Fry is May 8th

/by

The 60th annual Shriner’s Fish Fry is coming up on Wednesday, May 8, and plans are well underway to provide another great plate of fish with all the sides to raise money for the Shriner’s Children’s Hospital.

The Tri-County Shriners will be out in full force from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. to provide plates of steaming hot fish at 210 Industry Dr., between Mako and Servpro.

Plates are $10 each and although tickets are available for purchase ahead of time, no ticket is necessary – the Shriners will happily take your money in exchange for a plate of fish, slaw, potato salad and hush puppies, said Donald Seifert, a Tri-County Shriner who spoke with WIZS on Thursday’s TownTalk.

“The lines flow smoothly and there’s very little waiting,” said Seifert, as he explained the easy, drive-through process.

Delivery is available for 10 or more plates. Contact Seifert at 252.438.8355 or Ray Fields at 252.813.7665 to set up a delivery on Fish Fry Day.

They planned for 1,700 plates at last year’s event, and Seifert said the club’s goal each year is to raise $10,000 for Shriner’s Children’s Hospitals. There are 22 hospitals and five burn centers across the country, all of which provide care and treatment – free of charge – for children up to age 18. Shriners also provide transportation to patients and a family member to receive the care they need.

“It’s one of the reasons our Shriners’ Fish Fry has lasted so long,” Seifert said. “It’s for a good cause.”

Last year’s proceeds approached the $10,000 goal, he said. “Our biggest days, we’ve exceeded the goal,” but he predicted that, on average, each fish fry has netted $8,000.

A conservative figure for the fish fry’s 59 years is just shy of half a million dollars.

The volunteers who help behind the scenes and on fish fry day have a good time together, Seifert said, “but there’s so much work to be done on the day of the fish fry, everybody has to be productive to turn out that many plates. It takes a lot of help.”

He said the Shriners appreciate the support of the community each year and they look forward to another successful fundraiser.

“The community has always turned out, and we’re thankful for that,” he said.

 

CLICK PLAY!

TownTalk: Sheriff Brame Discusses Detention Center With County Commissioners

/by

As Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame sees it, this county needs a new jail, no two ways about it. He’s said it before and he said it again during an April 15 commissioners’ work session, during which commissioners reviewed several options from an architect’s needs assessment and received an update on current conditions from the sheriff.

Commissioners agree that something needs to be done, but as the old saying goes, “All it takes is time and money.”

Replacing the jail comes with a $42 million price tag, according to the assessment by Moseley Architects. An expansion would cost north of $31 million and repairing the existing facility would cost more than $5.2 million, according to the architect’s report. Board Chair Dan Brummitt speculated that even if the board decided now to build a new jail, it would be between five and eight years before the first detainee would be housed there.

There are no easy answers to the challenges that face the aging jail, but Brame said he’s worried about the lack of basic safety measures being in place – for detainees and for staff.

He said the jail has 20 staff openings right now, and that overnight staffing is sparse at best. Hiring is difficult, he said, partly because of the salary offered and partly because of the jail conditions.

“Pay does help,” Brame told commissioners. “We do need an increase in pay. But they will not come because they feel unsafe … those inmates could take over the facility any time they want to.”

The county recently spent half a million dollars to replace security doors at the jail, but Brummitt said they were not installed properly and the Georgia company that installed them has not returned to finish the job to the county’s satisfaction.

County Manager C. Renee Perry said she would look at the terms of the contract to determine if the county has any recourse in the matter.

There are other more routine maintenance issues that need attention, and the jail does have an employee who handles them, but other issues like replacing light fixtures and moving outlets away from inmates’ reach are things that require an electrician.

And tradespeople don’t want to do the work because it’s unsafe.

“We have an unsafe facility down there,” Brame said, “from the doors, to how it’s designed, to staffing.”

Commissioner Sean Alston said there are federal grants to apply for help with paying for a new jail and he is hopeful that recent talks with Don Davis and others are going to pay dividends in that area.

Perry said she had submitted to Davis two capital projects for funding consideration – the jail and a new EMS building.

It all comes down to safety, Brame said. “We’ve got a lot of dangerous people in our facility,” 40 in jail for murder. Between June 2021 and July 2022, there were 26 major incidents that occurred in the jail, including death, rape and assault.

From 2019 to 2024, Brame said there were 636 incidents at the jail that came in to 911 – from the jail. “Ninety percent of our people are violent offenders,” Brame said.

CLICK PLAY!

 

TownTalk: Lack Of Accredited Childcare Centers Locally And Across N.C.

/by

There are many challenges that face today’s working parents, no doubt about it. Who stays home with a sick child, for instance? And what about arranging carpools for after-school sports practices? And let’s not even get started on homework and preparing dinner.

But those challenges can pale by comparison to the challenges that come with finding quality child care for infants and toddlers – what’s a parent to do when there’s a wait list or when there simply are no satisfactory options?

N.C. Rep. Frank Sossamon doesn’t have the answers, but he said finding a solution begins with raising awareness through a couple of forums, the first of which takes place in Henderson on Tuesday, April 30.

“I’m trying to create awareness and then provide education…so we can move forward as a community,” Sossamon said on Tuesday’s TownTalk. The forum for the general public begins at 6 p.m. at Perry Memorial Library, 205 Breckenridge St.

Sossamon said the state of childcare is getting close to crisis level, with parents of young children finding either not enough options for adequate childcare centers or wait lists for centers to accept their child.

“They are not babysitting centers,” Sossamon emphasized, “they are child development centers” that support emotional, physical, psychological and nutritional development of young children so that they are prepared to start kindergarten.

Dr. Tony Cozart, director of Franklin Granville Vance Smart Start, said that when he was a school principal, he could tell which kindergartners had attended a quality childcare center. “They were far ahead of those who hadn’t,” he said. Those who hadn’t had the benefit of a quality childcare experience are “children who will be behind from Day 1,” Cozart said.

Some experts have said this area is a “childcare desert,” citing statistics like five children are vying for a single spot in a child care center.

Sossamon said it’s staffing – of lack thereof – that holds childcare centers back from being able to open up spaces. Federal money that was used during the COVID-19 pandemic are drying up, and it’s going to affect childcare centers as much as any other sector, from public education to small businesses.

Cozart described what’s happening as “a slow death.” Existing centers remain open, but maybe they have to eliminate a classroom, reducing the number of children it can enroll. “The next thing you know, you don’t have enough (students and money) to function,” he said.

The upcoming forums will have an information session from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. for anyone interested in learning more about starting a childcare center. Entrepreneurs and others, including area church representatives, are invited to attend.

Sossamon said he would encourage churches to make use of existing facilities and consider launching a childcare center.

“If churches would look at it as an extension of their ministries,” he said, “a childcare center is is a good way to attract young families.”

Sossamon said he expects the childcare situation to be a topic during the upcoming legislative short session. “If we don’t get some additional dollars to fund those day care centers, they’ll fall off the cliff…because they don’t have the money to operate.”

He said it’s all of our responsibilities to help childcare centers survive – maybe there’s something that local government, or businesses or individuals can do to support them, Sossamon said.

He and his fellow legislators are going to have to come up with some money for childcare centers across the state – they understand the seriousness of the situation, and he emphasized the negative economic impact a lack of childcare can have in our own area.

“When we’re recruiting industry to come to our community, if we don’t have childcare, then there’s 99 other counties that they can look at,” Sossamon said. “We’ll miss out because of the lack of childcare centers.”

Click Play!

Martha Gayle – ‘When Jesus Calls’ Author In Henderson Saturday For Book Signing Event

/by

Book signing Saturday; 2 p.m. – 4 p.m.; Sadie’s Coffee Corner.

If you know your Bible stories, you may remember the one about sisters Mary and Martha and how they behaved when Jesus came to visit. Martha was the one who worked hard to get everything ready and Mary was the one who just sat at Jesus’s feet, listening. When Martha got upset because she was getting no help from her sister, Jesus said Mary had made the better decision. It’s a classic story about priorities and remembering to spend time with God.

Martha Gayle, whose first book titled When Jesus Calls was recently published, said she truly believes she got the right name – for years, her corporate career had her constantly going and doing. But the main character in her work of fiction is Mary, and she said she’s trying each and every day to be more like that person in the Bible.

“It was a very personal experience…an amazing journey,” Martha Gayle, who grew up in Henderson, said on Thursday’s TownTalk. Martha Gayle (her pen name) will be at Sadie’s Coffee Corner on Saturday, Apr. 20 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. for a book signing.

Story continues below. TOWNTALK; CLICK PLAY!

“The Martha in the Bible was always worrying about everything,” she said, adding that she tries to be hospitable to others. “I love serving others…I’m always the one planning.”

“Mary forgot about all of that – she was at Jesus’s feet – she wanted Jesus more than anything else.” Her book guides readers “that we all need to rest at Jesus’s feet every day.”

Although it is a work of fiction, Martha Gayle said she drew upon her own life experiences to create the story. As the plot unfolds, the author has sprinkled in more than 40 Scripture verses that the character takes comfort in. And Martha Gayle hopes her readers will take comfort in them, too.

She said she was called to leave her corporate career to become a stay-at-home wife and mother, and ultimately to write her first book. She’s working on a second one now, and she said it’s almost completed.

Martha Gayle dedicated When Jesus Calls to her father, Norman, who was his daughter’s “biggest cheerleader.”

Other friends and acquaintances from her growing up years in Henderson are proving to be cheerleaders, also, as she reads posts on social media about her literary efforts.

“I haven’t lived there in many years, but to know (friends) still feel this way … it’s so appreciated and so humbling.”

Martha Gayle said she tries very hard to live a transparent and honest life – “in a way pleasing to God. God has a perfect plan for our life,” she said. Her goal is simple: “I want people to read it and come to Jesus.”

Like Mary.

Visit www.marthagayle.com to learn more.

TownTalk: Granville County Preparing For Vikings, The Scots And More

/by

It’s spring, and activities are popping up all over Granville County and Tourism Authority Director Angela Allen gave a rundown of several upcoming events and attractions that are sure to tickle your fancy.

This Saturday, Apr. 20, visit downtown Oxford between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. for the Oxford on Main Art and Wine Festival. Sponsored by The Hub on Main, this free event brings together craft vendors, kids’ activities, live music and more to Main Street, Allen said during Wednesday’s segment of TownTalk.

Purchase a $40 tasting ticket to sample more than 30 different wines. Visit the Hub on Main Facebook page or Instagram to find the Eventbrite link to purchase tickets.

“Even if you’re not a wine drinker, there’s still plenty to enjoy,” Allen said.

Then on Saturday, Apr. 27, there are a couple of big events happening in the Oxford area: One is the Central Carolina Highland Games and the other is the Granville Gardeners’ Expo.

Proceeds from the Highland Games benefits Central Children’s Home, which is where the games will be held. Attendees can watch traditional Scottish competitions from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and enjoy some traditional Scottish cuisine as well.

If plants and gardening are more your jam, head over to the Granville County Convention & Expo Center between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. In addition to a huge variety of flowering plants, herbs and more, the Expo – free to attend – features a variety of workshops and speakers on gardening to take part in There will be food trucks on site as well.

Other upcoming events include:

  • April 30 – The Arts in Bloom gala opens at the History Museum in Oxford and features works by school-aged artists from across the county. A collaboration between the museum and the Granville Education Foundation, the public is invited to a reception to open the show from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Proceeds from a silent auction will be used to further enrich art opportunities for students in Granville County schools, Allen said. The artwork will be on display until May 2 and the public is invited to stop by and view the students’ creations. Also visit the GEF Facebook page for a sneak peek at some of the artwork that will be on display during the Arts in Bloom gala.
  • May 3-5 – The Viking Experience will host its first event at its new property in northern Granville County. Visit thevikingexperience.com to purchase tickets and find out all the details for rustic camping opportunities, as well as different activities available to immerse yourself in the Viking life – including Saturday dinner around a campfire that will include music, dancing and skits.
  • May 2 – Quittin’ Time begins in downtown Oxford and continues on Thursdays in May and June. “It’s one of our favorites here in downtown Oxford for spring,” Allen said. A number of area restaurants will be preparing specialty small plate meals and cocktails, and patrons can move from one spot to another to sample the fare offered each week and enjoy live music. Visit the Downtown Oxford Restaurant Initiation – DORI – Facebook page to learn more about Quittin’ Time and other food-themed events in the works.

 

CLICK PLAY!