Tag Archive for: #towntalk

TownTalk: Frank Sossamon – Litter Clean Up Program

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In speaking with constituents across Vance County, State Rep. Frank Sossamon said he picked up on a familiar theme: litter.

“Litter kept coming up as our Number 1 problem,” Sossamon said. “It’s a plague on our county.”

And he’s making a connection with the trash that fouls the roadsides and public safety. A public safety task force is being assembled to strengthen a community-wide partnership of agencies and organizations to help improve the situation.

Overgrown trees or debris that obscures road signs, public safety issue. Trash blowing across the highways and interstates, public safety hazard.

“If we’re going to tackle it, we’re going to tackle all of it,” Sossamon said on Wednesday’s TownTalk.

A good first step is the kickoff of a litter campaign that will take place on Friday, Sept. 13 at 9 a.m. at the city’s Operations Center on Beckford Drive. Sossamon said there have been litter pickups before, but this is the first full-on campaign in the area.

“We’ve got to change the mentality of our citizens,” he said. Illegal dumping along roadsides, throwing fast-food containers from vehicles, junk cars cluttering yards – are just a few examples of what needs to be addressed through education and through awareness.

Groups ranging from civic organizations and churches to the local Chamber of Commerce and the local school district are all part of the community-wide partnership.

And the city is going to implement an “adopt-a-block” program to encourage residents to tidy up even a small section of the city. “Hopefully we can get every block adopted,” Sossamon said. A couple of fringe benefits of getting outside to pick up trash include extra physical activity and getting to know our neighbors, he said.

“The potential is to make the community even healthier,” he said.

Sossamon is putting stock in the younger generation for everything from reminding their elders not to litter to sending letters to the editor about cleaning up streets, sidewalks and roadways.

A letter-writing campaign provides extra benefits as well, he said. “It helps them academically, improves their critical thinking,” but youngsters also can take pride when they see their name in print.

“The schools have already opened the doors for us to come in,” Sossamon said, adding that trash containers painted with children’s handprints are in place as a way to build capacity.

“Education is what we’re after,” Sossamon said, and the public safety task force will be driving that home in as many places as possible.

The goal is to not to have more and more groups who fan out into the county to pick up trash. The goal is to have fewer and fewer litter sweeps because there is less trash to pick up.

We’ve all probably witnessed a driver or passenger in the vehicle in front of us throw something out the window, and Sossamon said NCDOT’s “Swat a Litterbug” campaign is one way to discourage littering.

If you see someone throw out trash and can get the vehicle’s license plate number, you can submit it to the NCDOT and the car owner will get a letter to report the offense. The letter is just a warning for the first offense

“The second time, you won’t get a letter, you’ll get a citation,” Sossamon said. The link to report a litterbug is https://www.ncdot.gov/litter/default.aspx

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TownTalk: Introducing Matthew McLaughlin, Kerr-Vance Academy

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Matthew McLaughlin said he didn’t set out to be a school administrator – he really wanted to be a middle school band teacher.

And McLaughlin was quite happy doing just that for many years.

Now, after close to two decades in the field of private education, he finds himself not in front of a bunch of tweens and teens learning music, but as the Head of School at Kerr-Vance Academy.

“School leadership and administration wasn’t on my radar,” McLaughlin said on Tuesday’s TownTalk. But as he took on various leadership roles, he was led to the University of Notre Dame to pursue a graduate degree that is specifically designed for private school leaders.

Since private schools are funded differently and governed differently than public schools, McLaughlin said private school leadership inherently involves aspects of business that public school leaders may not have to contend with.

He described his studies at Notre Dame as training that marries education and business, which he said is critical for private school leaders.

“We have to have some different conversations,” McLaughlin said. “The facilities are our facilities,” and they have to have some “pretty tight operational procedures” in place to make sure those facilities are maintained properly.

And although McLaughlin has only been on the job a month or so, he’s already witnessed one capital improvement project at his new workplace.

The school is finishing up work on a major renovation project at the Crawford Gymtorium, a multipurpose facility on the KVA campus that has been used over the years for everything from basketball games to graduation exercises.

They’ll have a ribbon-cutting on Friday, Sept. 13 at 3 p.m. to unveil the new gym floor, which McLaughlin said looks amazing.

A crew gutted the floor down to the concrete pad and built it back, he said, noting that it’s rated to last for 100 years.

Elected officials, alumni and others from the community are invited to attend the ribbon-cutting, which will take place during the KVA Fall Classic, which will bring several area schools together for two days of volleyball and soccer matches.

McLaughlin said he sees value in having a school like KVA in a community like Henderson, and you’ll never hear him say negative things about charter schools or traditional public schools. There’s room for all.

“I’ve made a career out of private schools,” he said. “There are some things that we do really, really well that can’t be recreated in the public schools…(but) they can do things that we’ll never be able to do.”

One of KVA’s advantages, he said, is the way it intentionally creates a feeling of community among its students and their families. There’s a day care on campus, so a child spend his or her entire school career at one school. That’s a long time to build community, McLaughlin said.

That dovetails perfectly with what McLaughlin said he has worked throughout his career for – watching and overseeing “the development of the whole person – it’s not just about reading and math. I love being a part of that and being a part of their story.”

Want to learn more? Visit https://www.kerrvance.com/.

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TownTalk: James Baines – Vance County Board of Elections

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No doubt, county boards of elections all across the state – and beyond – have been preparing for quite some time for the launch of in-person early voting and requests for absentee ballots in advance of the Nov. 5 General Election.

Vance County is no exception, but local elections officials have had an extra layer of logistics to deal with, thanks to the results of a couple of routine inspections – one by the fire department and one by Homeland Security.

As a result, Vance County Board of Elections Chair James Baines said folks who visit the elections board offices in the Henry A. Dennis Building in downtown Henderson may notice a few changes. And if they want to come down to witness election results, they may find themselves on the balcony outside.

Turns out, Baines said on Monday’s TownTalk, that the elections board is going to have to “downsize” the number of people allowed into the space to wait for elections returns, adding that attendance for previous election nights “had been exceeding capacity that is safe and secure.”

“In November, when they all come, there will be a limited space for poll workers,” Baines said, adding that he and local elections officials will adhere to the fire code recommendations.

An inspection by a Homeland Security agent produced findings that were passed on to the county manager and county commissioners, he said.

The agent “told the director that the election board was not a safe place for the director or any staff in Vance County” and recommended that the director’s office and that of the deputy director be moved from the front of the office space to the rear “for security reasons.”

According to Baines, Elections Board Director Hayley Rawls submitted the findings to County Manager C. Renee Perry, who relayed the information to the board of commissioners for action.

In the meantime, elections officials continue to plan for the start of in-person early voting, which begins Thursday, Oct. 17.

Vance County has two early voting locations – one at Aycock Rec Center on Carey Chapel Road and the second at the former Eaton-Johnson gym located on the county government complex on Beckford Drive.

Baines reminds voters that the City of Henderson Operations Center is no longer a site for early voting.

Early voting continues for “two weeks, back-to-back,” from Baines said, “and the last time (residents) can early vote will be Saturday, Nov. 2. Polls close that day at 3 p.m.

Absentee ballots will be mailed out beginning Friday, Sept. 6. The deadline to request an absentee ballot is 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 29, Baines said.

All completed ballots must be received by the time the polls close at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 5.

Completed ballots may be returned in person to the board of elections office or to either of the early voting locations, Baines said. Any voters casting an absentee ballot needs to make sure that there are two signatures on the form – the voter’s signature and the signature of a witness.

Baines said requests for absentee ballots usually come from nursing homes, the homebound elderly, military personnel and people “who don’t wat to get out into the hustle and bustle” of election day.

“I’m pretty sure, with the general election coming up – and it’s going to be one for the books – that we’ll be getting large requests from across the county” for absentee ballots.

Visit https://www.vancecounty.org/departments/board-of-elections/ or call 252.492.3730 to learn more.

TownTalk Airs on WIZS M-F at 11 a.m.

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TownTalk: Tiffany Jones Community Uplift Project

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Tiffany Jones uses her nonprofit Community Uplift Project to do a lot of good in the local area.

In addition to helping parents connect with resources for children who may be on the autism spectrum, the 501(c)3 has food giveaways and has even offered assistance to those struggling to pay bills.

But the bill assistance has been put on hold – for the time being, anyway – because Jones is focusing her attention on a fundraiser to make some upgrades to her office space at 105 S. Garnett St.

She needs to raise $10,000 to pay for contractors and materials to bring the space into code compliance. “We’re shooting for the stars… to upgrade our space…and continue to operate,” Jones said on Thursday’s TownTalk.

One of her passions is being an advocate for children who may have autism spectrum disorder.

“Autism is real, autism is present,” she said, but she wants parents, grandparents and others who care for children to know that there are resources that can help.

Children on the spectrum may be nonverbal or have other challenges when it comes to expressing themselves. Aversions to certain noises, smells or other stimuli they may encounter can trigger strong reactions that may be mistaken for bad behavior, but Jones said autism represents something bigger than just a behavior issue.

“I wanted to make sure I was able to help them,” she said, adding that when she detects stress and worry from parents of children on the spectrum, it just made her want to help them as well as the children.

She suggests that parents observe how their children interact with other children; autistic children often prefer to play in isolation. Watch for particular triggers: it could be something as simple as not wanting to share or not having a particular familiar toy, she said.

Challenges or obstacles that many children can resolve or think through themselves pose problems for children on the autism spectrum.

Autistic children won’t be able to resolve those issues on their own, Jones said. “They have to learn how, by teachers or parents,” she said.

Jones hopes one day to be able to house a training center at Community Uplift Project that helps adults learn more about autism and how to successfully support children on the spectrum.

But that won’t become a reality until she’s got the building issues taken care of. Jones will be at Saturday’s Way to Grow! festival in downtown Henderson to promote what C.U.P. is all about.

There are several different ways to make a donation, including Cashapp, credit or debit card and donating online at www.cuprojectnc.org.

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Duke Energy

TownTalk: Duke Energy and VGCC Foundations Support Small Business

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The Vance Granville Community College Foundation has received a $50,000 grant award from Duke Energy Foundation to support small business growth in the four-county area it serves.

And community college officials have come up with a creative way to make sure that the money is equitably distributed to do the most good.

The VGCC Foundation was one of 21 community organizations from across the state to share in $700,000 in this round of funding, said Beth Townsend, Duke Energy local government and community relations manager. Since it was established in 2020, the program has given more than $2 million in grant funds to small businesses across the state.

Townsend was a guest on Wednesday’s TownTalk, and was joined by VGCC’s Carolyn Perry, director of the Small Business Center, and Kyle Burwell, dean of Business and Industry Solutions, who provided details about how the money would be used.

The VGCC Small Business Center will select grant fund recipients through a series of workshops, one based in each of the four counties the college serves. Each workshop session will be comprised of four evening classes for a total of 10 hours of instruction. The sessions will culminate with a five-minute pitch contest, after which five of the session’s 10 participants will receive a $2,500 award to support their small business.

Workshop dates and locations are as follows:

  • 16–19: VGCC South Campus, Creedmoor
  • 30 – Oct. 3: VGCC Main Campus, Henderson
  • 7–10: VGCC Warren Campus, Warrenton
  • 14–17: VGCC Franklin Campus, Louisburg

Perry said there are just a few requirements to participate – applicants must be 18 years old and must be residents of the county of the workshop they sign up for. Only one participant per household is allowed and anyone associated with VGCC is not eligible to take part, she said.

If you do a little quick math, $50,000 divided by 4 equals $12,500. There will be 20 awards – 5 per county – which means that each grant will be $2,500.

The first three days of the process will involve coaching and developing a plan that will be pitched on day 4, Perry said, sort of like TV’s “Shark Tank.”

VGCC leaders have devised a creative way to help small business owners come up with innovative ways to infuse capital into their endeavors.

“When you start off with some capital,” said Burwell, you increase a business’s survival rate, not to mention provide stability and create additional employment opportunities. She said it’s a way to help businesses learn how to use funding and market themselves, which creates “a true impact for all of our communities.”

Perry said the Number One question she gets from entrepreneurs who seek advice and help from the Small Business Center is “Can you tell me where there are some grant dollars for my business?”

Owners of retail shops, restaurants and other small businesses looking to expand, their business, upgrade technology, improve marketing or downtown storefronts are just the kind of participant VGCC’s Small Business Center is looking for.

“We want to see how creative they’ll be,” Perry said. The timing right before the holidays could prove extra helpful; some small businesses depend on a brisk holiday sales season to boost their bottom line.

“Small businesses remain the backbone of the U.S. economy, and in rural areas, they also serve as the heartbeat of our local economies,” noted VGCC President Dr. Rachel Desmarais. “This monetary commitment enables Vance-Granville Community College to promote the entrepreneurial mindset and support budding small business ideas into real businesses within our larger community.”

To learn more about this program and participant requirements, contact Perry at 252.738.3240 or perryc@vgcc.edu.

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TownTalk: The Happiest Man

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TownTalk host John Charles Rose discusses a chance meeting with a very happy gentleman.

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TownTalk: Ducky Derby Coming September 21

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When you bring the family down to this year’s annual Ducky Derby in downtown Henderson, Kimiko Williams suggests you bring a change of clothes for the kiddos – at least a towel – because the water flowing down Garnett Street acts just like a magnet, figuratively speaking, of course.

“When they see that water, the first thing they want to do is dive in,” Williams told WIZS’s Bill Harris on Tuesday’s TownTalk. “They can’t resist getting in that water.”

The 15th annual Ducky Derby takes place on Saturday, Sept. 21 and it’s a fun event for a serious cause, said Williams, who is the program research and development coordinator for FGV Smart Start.

Tickets are $5 per rubber ducky and can be purchased in a variety of ways – online, via QR code, or by contacting or visiting the FGV office.

Of course, the number of ducks that will be poured out of the official cement mixer to float down the 2 ½ block course along Garnett Street depends on the number of tickets that are purchased. Pre-derby activities begin at 1 p.m. at the corner of Breckenridge and Garnett streets. The race begins at 2 p.m.

The first duck to cross the finish line wins for its ticketholder a $1,000 cash prize, Williams said. The second-place finisher gets Chick fil A for a year and the third-place winner gets a $250 Sheetz gas card.

Not to worry, the last duck that crosses the finish line doesn’t go away empty-handed; there’s a $100 cash award as a consolation prize.

Families currently paying for a child or children to be in day care can put their name in the bucket for a chance to win a free month of childcare at a local DCDEE licensed childcare facility.

Organizations or individuals may also be sponsors of the event – become a SuperDuck for $1,000, a Quacker Backer for $500 or a Feathered Friend for $250.

Proceeds from the fundraiser help FGV Smart Start provide supplemental support to families and children.

Williams said state and local dollars have restrictions for their use, but there are needs that those funds can’t be used for.

One program sends teachers into homes to help children gain skills that prepare them for entering school. And when those teachers learn about additional needs – diapers, transportation and more – they want to help.

“A lot of times, we need those unrestricted funds to provide that service,” she said.

Contact Williams at 252.572.0339 or visit (https://fgvsmartstart.org/community/ducky-derby) to learn more.

Call the FGV Smart Start office at 252.433.9110 (x230), purchase ducks online at fgvsmartstart.org or
(https://my.cheddarup.com/c/fgvss-ducky-derby/items?cart

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TownTalk: Bobby West – Grace Ministries

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Grace Ministries has a busy weekend on tap, with an outdoor concert on Friday evening and its annual Family Fun Day on Saturday.

Bobby West invites the community to join in the festivities for both events. The weather forecast is calling for nice weather each day, making conditions just right for what West and others at Grace Ministries has planned.

Texas-based Seventh Day Slumber will bring its Christian rock to the Friday event, West said on Monday’s TownTalk. The gates open at 5:30 p.m. and the concert begins at 7 p.m. Proceeds from the food and beverage concessions will benefit Rushing Water Outreach in Oxford; there is no charge for admission, but donations will be accepted at the gate, West said.

You should bring a lawn chair, but please don’t bring any outside food or beverages, he added.

Seating is first come, first served.

Then on Saturday, come back to Grace Ministries, located on Crozier Street, between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. to take part in the Family Fun Day. There will be lots of water games, including a slip n’ slide, for the kids to enjoy and hotdogs, watermelon, corn on the cob and more available throughout the day.

Backpacks filled with school supplies will be distributed, and West said he hoped to be able to give away between 150 and 200 by the end of the afternoon’s activities.

This weekend is just the beginning of a busy fall and holiday season for Grace Ministries, West said. They have plans to be at the Show, Shine, Shag and Dine in mid-October, and West said it would be a time for he and others to give out supplies and to pray with those who attend the car show.

They’ll be distributing meals across the area the Saturday before Thanksgiving, and then it’s on to the toy giveaway for Christmas.

“It’ll be here before you know it,” he said.

Grace Ministries helps people and families with its program called New Beginnings, designed to provide support for those struggling with addiction or substance abuse.

Whether facing those struggles or other types of challenges, including financial ones, West said it is the mission of Grace Ministries to offer support.

Eleven women recently completed GED programs at Grace Ministries, and West said the new graduates wore caps and gowns to the ceremony to mark the achievement.

There are 49 people enrolled in the next GED program that will begin soon.

Visitwww.graceofhenderson.org to learn more.

 

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TownTalk Around Old Granville: Forgotten Historical Figures, Pt. 2

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Remember Soupy Sales? What about Charlie Briggs?

Both were television stars, before streaming became a preferred way of watching shows certainly before binge watching was a “thing.”

But both men share something else in common: They are both from the area known as “Old Granville County” and were the topic of Thursday’s TownTalk segment of the same name.

Sales, a comedian and variety show performer, hailed from Franklinton and Briggs was from right here in Henderson. His may not be a household name, but viewers of the old TV shows like Bonanza, Maverick and The Sons of Will Sonnet will no doubt recognize his face, said Mark Pace, local historian and North Carolina Room Specialist at the Thornton Library in Oxford.

The local area has produced its share of entertainers over the years – Gerald Alston of the Manhattans, country music songwriter Danny Flowers and Ben E. King, just to name a few.

But there are plenty of noteworthy individuals who achieved stardom of a sort in other endeavors as well, leaving their marks in the area of religion, the military and other segments of society.

Take Henry Haywood Bell, for example. Bell was from Franklin County, and was an admiral in the Union Navy during the Civil War. He was from the South, but when it came time to choose sides, he said he had made an oath to serve the United States, so his allegiance was with the North.

Then there’s Charity Adams Early, who was born in Kittrell. Early was the first African American female Army officer, who rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel in the Women’s Army Corps during World War II. Early died in 2002.

Kirkland H. Donald, from Norlina, still serves as a consultant to the U.S. Navy, Pace said. Donald, a Navy admiral, became commander of all the nuclear submarines in the Navy.

Col. Redding F. Perry from Henderson was career military, and served as chief of staff for Gen. George Patton’s 3rd Army, Pace said. Perry, who was the uncle of longtime local attorney Bennett Perry, also established the National Guard in the state.

The Wyche family produced numerous members who made significant contributions as well.

Brigadier General Ira Wyche commanded the 79th infantry division during the Normandy invasion of World War II

Mary Lewis Wyche is credited with bringing the first nursing school to the state.  Known as the “Florence Nightingale” of North Carolina, Wyche also was the first trained nurse in North Carolina. She has a historical marker at Highway 39 and Glebe Road in Vance County, near the home where she grew up.

Alice Morgan Person, from Kittrell, contributed to people’s health in a slightly different way, Pace said.

“She was famous for her ‘remedy,’” he said. He’s not sure of all its ingredients, but he knows of one: “I know it contained alcohol.”

 

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