Tag Archive for: #towntalk

TownTalk: Pack And Ship Deadlines For Christmas

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At this time of year, the folks you see out shopping fall into two camps: Those who sat down to a Thanksgiving meal way back in November, content in the knowledge that the Christmas cards had been addressed and mailed, and gifts for everyone on the list had been purchased, if not already wrapped.

Then there’s that other camp – you know the one…the one where folks are flying around town in search of THE perfect gift, often passing up very nice, suitable gifts in search of THE perfect one.

Whichever camp you find yourself in this holiday season, if you must ship gifts to friends and family, time is running out if you want that gift opened on Dec. 25. In case you’re not looking at a calendar, that’s one week from today.

Mike Moore has watched folks come in to his Postal Plus location in Henderson for 33 years. He and his staff are ready to help you get those boxes weighed, labeled and in the bin for pickup.

Several key deadlines for shipping have already passed, but Moore said shipping packages out today or Tuesday should still be ok for getting those gifts to their destinations by Christmas.

“We can still get it done for you,” Moore said on Monday’s TownTalk.

Monday was the deadline for the U.S. Postal Service Priority Mail service, and Tuesday is the “drop-dead” deadline for 3-day guarantee service.

If you’re pushing the envelope, as it were, for shipping, Moore said Dec. 20 – Wednesday – is the deadline for 2-day shipments. And for those champion procrastinators, the 22nd is the last day for next day service – but it’s a service that comes with a price. “You’ll have to pay the overnight fee to get the Saturday delivery,” Moore said.

Of course, Moore also uses shipping giants Fed Ex and UPS, which generally make their pickup rounds about 3 p.m.

Things get a little busy by that time, so if you need extra help getting gifts in shipping boxes or wrapped securely to ensure a safe delivery, Moore said it’s a good idea to come in a little bit earlier in the day.

“We try to make things as easy and stress-free as we can,” Moore said.

“My staff is here ready to help you get it done.”

Visit Postal Plus at 993 S. Beckford Dr., online at https://www.postalplusbizcenter.com/ or phone 252.430.7771 for more information.

 

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TownTalk: Business Spotlight: Henderson Country Club

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Now through February, golfers can call the Henderson Country Club to book a tee time and get an up-close look at newly renovated greens and more, all for the low price of $40.

This is the second year the club has offered the special rates – which are in effect now through the end of February.

Golfers can take advantage of the nice, moderate weather and enjoy a round of golf as the club optimizes filling available tee times. Give the club a call at 252.433.7089 to book a tee time.

The HCC was Thursday’s Business Spotlight on TownTalk, and President Joseph Falkner and Membership Chairman Jeff Fleming talked about the many ways that the public can enjoy the grounds and facilities, not just the course, with its newly renovated greens.

Falkner said the new greenskeeper and his staff have done a great job to create championship greens. The weather cooperated when the greens were first installed, so they grew perfectly.

“This is the best the greens have ever rolled and the best the course has ever looked,” he added.

“Ultimately, it’s a community center for people,” Falkner said. “We’ve got a great kitchen staff…and can support hundreds of people at the time” for banquets, private parties and more.

There are plenty of opportunities for the public to enjoy what HCC has to offer, Falkner said, in addition to playing golf, the dining spaces can accommodate small or large groups. Recent upgrades to the banquet area include new chairs and fixtures.

“We are a full-service club,” Fleming reminded. “You have to think beyond golf.” Other amenities include tennis courts, swimming pool, workout area and the stately clubhouse.

Falkner said he sees HCC as a major attraction for families relocating to Henderson, making it a place the whole family can enjoy.

“Every successful and thriving small town has a club similar to ours,” Fleming said, adding that this facility can work as a hub to facilitate business.

The golf course is the location for numerous fundraiser tournaments, including Vance-Granville Community College and the local Chamber of Commerce. Then there’s the annual Invitational tournament and Member-Guest, just to name a few.

Expect to hear about additional tournaments next year, as the board continues to garner more attention for the club and its facilities.

“There are a lot of young business leaders on this board,” Fleming said. “We’ve come back strong.”

Visit https://www.hendersoncc.net/  to learn more.

 

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TownTalk: Get Into The Holiday Spirit With Louisburg Christmas Tour

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Dorothy Cooper and her fellow organizers have done everything possible to plan for the second annual Old Towne Louisburg Candlelight Christmas Tour through the Louisburg Historic District, and it seems like even the weather is going to cooperate by providing winterlike temps for Saturday’s walking tour.

Cooper, historian for the local historic district, said there are 10 locations on this year’s tour, which features a combination of residences and other historic structures.

Tickets are $50 each and can be purchased online at https://www.louisburghistoricdistrict.com/. The tour will be held Saturday, Dec. 16 from 4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Last year’s event was a great success, with people coming from Orange and Guilford counties, as well as counties closer to Franklin, she said.

“It was really interesting to have people come in and say ‘I never knew this little town was here!’” Cooper said on Wednesday’s TownTalk with WIZS co-host Bill Harris.

Person Place, located at Louisburg College, is where the tour begins. Participants will get a booklet complete with a map of the locations and information about each spot.

The sanctuary of Louisburg Baptist Church will be open, and organist Brian Miller will be providing seasonal music during the tour. Another stop is the Louisburg Fire Department museum – the lone location that folks may want to drive to, Cooper noted.

The majority of the tour stops are within walking distance of Person Place and the parking, which will be on the Louisburg College campus. And there’s one surprise location that ticketholders will learn about when they check in and get their booklets.

Participants also have the chance to book a horse and carriage ride for an additional fee. Bookings can be arranged when purchasing tickets for the tour, she added.

All proceeds support events and workshops of the historic group, including repair and restoration work at the city’s Oakwood Cemetery.

On Jan. 6, the group is sponsoring a Twelfth Night Luminary Drive-Through event at Oakwood Cemetery. Details are available on the website.

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TownTalk: Henderson Mayor And City Council Sworn In

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Henderson Mayor Melissa Elliott made history Monday night when she was sworn in as the first woman and the first Black to hold the city’s highest office.

The Henderson City Council chambers and lobby area was standing-room only, filled with family, friends and dignitaries to witness the historic swearing-in ceremony.

With her left hand on a Bible – held by her mother – Elliott raised her right hand and repeated the oath of office administered by Judge Henry Banks.

Four newly elected City Council members also were sworn in Monday as part of the regular monthly meeting of the council.

Geraldine Champion (Ward 1), Sam Seifert (Ward 2), Michael Venable (Ward 3 at-large) and Tami Walker (Ward 4 at-large) were installed and took their seats alongside current members Garry Daeke, Ola Thorpe-Cooper, Lamont Noel and Sara Coffey.

Outgoing Council members Mike Rainey and Marion Brodie Williams shared brief remarks during the meeting; Jason Spriggs was not present.

Banks also administered the oath of office for Seifert, Venable and Walker; Judge Ben Hunter administered the office for Champion.

The first action taken by the reorganized Council was to elect a Mayor Pro Tem. Ward 3’s Daeke was elected unanimously to that role.

In his final remarks as mayor, Ellington said he and Elliott both began their terms on the Council in 2015, adding that they were seated beside one another in Council meetings. “We’ve always been there together when we left …City Hall,” he recalled. He thanked city staff, including former City Manager Frank Frazier who also was in attendance Monday. Ellington accepted a gavel as a parting gift from the Council.

Brodie Williams challenged the incoming Council members “to not just work for your particular ward but the entire city – everyone and everybody. Lean on your mayor and manager and seasoned Council members,” she said. And remember to “do your research.”

Rainey, who joined the Council in 2003, said he had met a lot of people and seen a lot of changes during his 20-year tenure. He recalled the late Mary Emma Evans, former City Council member, who was fond of saying “it’s OK to disagree, but you don’t have to be disagreeable.”

After months of campaigning for the Oct. 3 election among a field of five candidates, Elliott found herself in a runoff with political newcomer and local businessman Greg Etheridge in the November election – an election she easily won by 300 votes. About 20 percent of the city’s registered voters voted in the October election, and 29 percent came out to vote in the runoff.

Just after the runoff Elliott said, “I’m elated…overwhelmed with joy,” about the election outcome.

“I am a servant leader,” Elliott said, and she plans to serve the community at-large and all people.

“Everyone was so wonderful…so much encouragement,” she said. There were “so many people that wouldn’t allow me to quit. I’m thankful for this historic moment in time,” but she said she also looks to the future for the city.

 

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TownTalk: Community Prayer Night Is This Friday

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Tiffany Jones, founder of Community Uplift Project, takes her mission seriously – and literally. She is planning a Community Prayer Night for Friday, Dec. 15 and Jones said its purpose is to spiritually uplift the community.

It’s called “Light the Way” and it begins at 7:30 p.m. at the offices of the local nonprofit at 105 S. Garnett St.

There will be food, special music, games for the children and prayer, she told WIZS co-hosts Bill Harris and Steve Lewis on Monday’s TownTalk.

When Jones says there will be food, she clarified: no finger foods, no hors d’ouevres for this community prayer night – everyone in attendance will get a plate full of supper. When they leave, they’re gonna be full spiritually and full literally, she said.

“Everybody leaves with something,” Jones said, “spiritual or tangible.”

Newscasts and news feeds are full of bad news – crime, wars, shootings, she said, the community prayer night is one way she can offer people hope.

“We just want to make sure people are uplifted at this time of the year,” Jones said.

Community Uplift Project was founded in August 2019, when Jones was unable to work because she was suffering from lupus. She was hosting yard sales to earn some money, she recalled. “I was sitting on my mother’s porch,” Jones said, “and the Lord said ‘give it all away.’”

Confused but obedient, Jones said she began posting photos of the items she was now giving away rather than selling.

People responded to her posts and she began to deliver the items to those who needed it.

“The more I did it, the more God gave me,” Jones said. “With the vision He gave me…I was just obedient to the vision.”

Jones is a self-professed giver – “just a little girl from the ‘hood with a big dream,” she said. She accepted the call to ministry more than 10 years ago and has never looked back.

She works with Headstart during the day, but can usually be found at the Community Uplift Project by 4:15 or so. Email her at CommunityUpliftProject2020@yahoo.com

or phone her at 252.425.6056.

 

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TownTalk: Amedisys Seeks Volunteers For Hospice

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COVID-19 restrictions affected just about every aspect of society, including the volunteer pool at Amedisys, a home health and hospice care agency that provides help to patients in hospice and respite care for their caregivers.

“Before COVID, I had volunteers,” said Roberta Freeman, regional volunteer coordinator for Amedisys, which serves the four-county area. Freeman was a guest on TownTalk with WIZS co-hosts Bill Harris and Steve Lewis.

Freeman said she is working to build back the volunteer program and shared details about how people can become involved.

Some of the attributes of an ideal volunteer fall under the category of soft skills, including being compassionate and having a heart for those who are in end-of-life care. Amedisys kicked off a holiday campaign to recruit volunteers called “Hope for the Holidays.” Freeman said it is her hope that people will give the gift of time to serve as a volunteer.

Direct-patient volunteering involves being matched with a patient or caregiver and then working out a schedule for regular visits, which could tasks such as running errands, light housework, caring for lawns or gardens, or even picking up prepaid grocery orders.

Anyone 16 or older can apply to volunteer, but individuals under the age of 18 aren’t allowed to visit homes unsupervised. There are plenty of administrative type jobs, too, including general office work, maintaining social media and representing Amedisys at community events.

Want to learn more? Contact Freeman at 225.412.7759 or email her at

Roberta.freeman@amedisys.com.

 

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Dabney Drive

TownTalk: Dabney Drive NC DOT Project

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All signs point to growth for the city of Henderson in the not-too-distant future. Whether you’re talking new subdivisions or urban revitalization, bringing back passenger rail service or finally widening a major congested artery through a heavily commercial district, Henderson is getting ready for change.

Change is considered a necessary evil by some, a vital component for progress by others. Either way, most would agree that change is inevitable.

Drivers who make their way along Dabney Drive have long experienced backups and congestion, and the N.C. Department of Transportation has had a widening project on its State Transportation Improvement Plan for a while, but Henderson City Manager Terrell Blackmon said the project could see some activity soon.

Funding is in place for the project based on the current 2024-2033 STIP, Blackmon told WIZS News Tuesday via email.

The plan originally called for portions of Dabney Drive to become a divided highway, with plans for a “peanut” shaped roundabout at the intersection with South Garnett Street down to the Dorsey Road/Oxford Road area.

Blackmon said city leaders met with DOT officials on Nov. 2 to discuss the $56.7 million project, which will commence in January or February 2024 with a public meeting. If all goes according to the timeline, an environmental document would be ready by September of 2024, followed by right-of-way acquisition, with construction underway in 2028.

“Plans remain very similar to what was originally proposed,” Blackmon stated.  The concept includes upgrading the existing Dabney Drive for eastbound traffic and use the existing Corbitt Road/former railroad corridor for westbound traffic, he added.

“Dabney Drive is a critical artery for the city of Henderson,” Blackmon told community leaders in July 2022 during his “State of the City” address. “That widening project needs to happen as soon as possible.”

View the STIP plan here and scroll down to page 59 for Dabney Drive project details.

Ten years sounds like a long time, but when you’re talking about completing major projects like the Dabney Drive expansion and creating a downtown train station for commuter and passenger rail, a decade can go by quickly.

In light of Sen. Thom Tillis’s announcement Tuesday of $1 billion being earmarked for the the S-Line corridor that will ultimately bring a stop in Henderson, the opportunity for even more downtown development and growth is almost certain.

City leaders are planning next steps for the location of a downtown train station that could serve as a springboard for Henderson to be a destination for train travelers to dine, see a show and enjoy other downtown amenities that haven’t even been thought of yet.

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TownTalk: Christmas At SaddleRock Farm

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SaddleRock Farm will host a winter festival on Saturday, Dec. 9 and invites families to come out to enjoy horseback rides, hay rides, games and more, all while celebrating The Reason for the Season.

Emily Parker was a guest on Tuesday’s TownTalk to provide details of the event and all the farm activities as part of WIZS’s Business Spotlight series.

The winter festival will be from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tickets are $8, and children under 3 are free, Parker said. “The Christmas festival offers fun things to do with the family,” she said.

“We decided on a low price…to attract more people,” she said. “If we get more people, we can tell more people about Jesus,” Parker added.

“We wanted to offer our farm as a place for people to come and hang out” during the holiday season, Parker said. There will be Christmas crafts for the little ones, and Santa himself will be there for anyone who’d like to get a photo. Parker said the farm goats will even be dressed in ugly Christmas sweaters!

“We will have a nativity scene and a story of the birth of Jesus,” Parker said.

SaddleRock Farm is located at 1786 Weldons Mill Rd. in Henderson.

To learn more about other events at the farm, including planning for a springtime field trip, visit http://www.saddlerockfarm.us/.

 

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TownTalk: ‘Tis The Season For Scams

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With Christmas just a few weeks away, folks are getting into that hustle-and-bustle mode as they try to take care of all the things that make the holidays special – including choosing the perfect gifts for family and friends.

There’s always more to do than time to do it, and an attorney for the Federal Trade Commission has some advice for anyone who feels frazzled and pushed for time: Give yourself time to know who you’re dealing with, whether you’re shopping online or taking a call from someone who claims to be a family member in need.

Ken Abbe, and FTC attorney in the Western Region of the U.S., was a guest on Tuesday’s segment of TownTalk.

“Everybody’s busy getting things done,” Abbe said, which makes this time of year prime time for scammers.

As Abbe pointed out, this is the time of year that people want to be as generous as possible – “it’s the perfect environment to get you – when you’re vulnerable,” Abbe said.

Abbe said it’s important for online shoppers to use a credit card or other type of payment that can be reversed or disputed if a suspicious or unauthorized payment is made. He does not recommend using debit cards, gift cards or wire transfers because, once spent, “that money is probably gone forever. Avoid things you can’t reverse to make a payment.”

It’s not just bogus online commerce sites that people fall for, Abbe said.

Chances are you know someone who’s gotten “that” phone call: a grandchild or family member who’s been in a car crash, or been arrested, or has fallen ill and needs money to get out of the situation.

“There are always things to do to make sure the person is (really) who you’re talking to,” Abbe said. “Scammers are clever,” he added and can quickly dupe unsuspecting victims into forking over lots of money.

Abbe encourages individuals to visit www.ftc.gov to learn about scammers and to file complaints.

“We collect complaints from all over the country from people who have been victims of scams. They are our eyes and ears,” Abbe said. “We can’t stop companies from ripping people off if we don’t know about it.”

And while there are very sophisticated schemes that operate online and take advantage of vulnerable, well-meaning individuals, there’s one time-tested adage to keep in mind: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

 

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TownTalk: Fire Safety Tips For Your Home

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Batalion Chief Lee Edmonds with the Henderson Fire Department reminds residents of several safety measures to preserve property and protect lives as December ushers in colder weather.

Anyone who uses a portable space heater as a supplemental heat source should make sure that it is positioned at least 3 feet from things like furniture and curtains – anything that could catch fire, Edmonds said on Monday’s TownTalk.

And, he said, any electric heater should be plugged directly into a wall outlet – please don’t use a drop cord.

“Power strips are a whole lot better to use – if you have to,” Edmonds said, adding that drop cords are for temporary use and not for a permanent use for any appliance, lamp, television or other items in the home.

If your home has a working fireplace, it’s a good idea to clean the chimney a couple of times a year and inspect it to make sure it’s structurally sound.

Place a fire screen in front of the fireplace to reduce the likelihood that ashes will pop. Even if you’re using decorative or gas logs, it’s a good idea to place a screen in front to protect children and pets from getting too close to the heat source.

The fire department is just a phone call away if you need to have your smoke detector or carbon monoxide monitor checked. Edmonds said the department is installing smoke detectors that have a 10-year life span. There are no batteries to replace – when it chirps, simply dispose of it and replace the whole unit, he said.

Contact the fire department to make an appointment at 252.430.1877 and leave a voicemail if necessary.

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