Tag Archive for: #towntalk

Kerr Tar Regional Council of Governments

TownTalk: Beth Davis Talks Kerr-Tar Regional Council Of Governments

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The Kerr-Tar Council of Governments provides assistance to a cross-section of the community, and part of Beth Davis’s job as regional engagement specialist is to share information about what the agency can do for residents in the counties it serves

The local COG serves five counties – Vance, Granville, Franklin, Warren and Person – and Davis said Wednesday that there are programs and services that benefit individuals, municipalities as well as businesses.

“We are always very busy,” Davis told John C. Rose on Wednesday’s Town Talk. There are 16 COGs in the state which received $10 million to help with American Rescue Plan, and another $6 million in disaster, recovery, resilience and mitigation monies to assist in local pandemic recovery efforts.

The Kerr-Tar COG is doing things to make the community a better place to live, Davis said. And that’s something that she enjoys spreading the word about.

“We have a lot of great services and programs for folks in our counties. We’re not a secret,” she said, adding that there are a lot of services that are of great help to the community. “How can you not get excited about that?”

Individuals can get help from Kerr-Tar through a variety of programs – from getting help creating a job resume to taking part in a walking program for people with arthritis to improve physical health.

The NCWorks agency is a part of the local COG, Davis said, which helps to connect employers with qualified candidates. In addition to workforce staff in the Kerr-Tar office, there are three career centers where people looking for help with finding a job. The Oxford location is at Hilltop on Hwy 158, the Henderson location is on Beckford Drive and the Warren location is on the campus of VGCC in Warrenton.

Traditionally, January is a “big time of year when people are looking for a change. It’s a good time to contact the workforce development office” for help in finding a job, she said.

Individuals also can get guidance about resources for seniors through the Area Agency on Aging. The agency is looking to hire an aging specialist, she said, but resources include family caregiver support and an ombudsman to help family members who have complaints about facilities.

Municipalities can get help with grant-writing and the Kerr-Tar planning and economic development arm facilitates a wide range of issues, from providing diversity, equity and inclusion training to spotlighting the use of electric vehicles and other alternate transportation such as bicycle and pedestrian plans.

Visit www.kerrtarworks.org to find out more and to view the monthly newsletter that lists many of the opportunites and upcoming events in the COG service area. There’s also a very active and up-to-date Facebook page that contains details of events.

For those who prefer telephones to computers or social media. Davis said a simple call to the office at 252.436.2040 can get you connected to services and information.

 

 

TownTalk: Ruin Creek Animal Protection Society Continues Its Mission To Save Animals

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The mission of Ruin Creek Animal Protection Society is to find homes for dogs and cats that, through no fault of their own, wind up at the Vance County Animal Shelter. RCAPS is in its 10th year of work in Vance County, and Brandon Boyd told Bill Harris on Tuesday’s Town Talk that a new facility is almost ready to further the RCAPS mission.

The construction phase is nearly complete to transform the former animal shelter facility on Vance Academy Road into a low cost spay and neuter clinic for dogs and cats.

Boyd said being a responsible pet owner can be expensive – from food and vet visits to spay and neuter procedures. But spaying and neutering is the best way to reduce the unwanted pet population, he said. And this low-cost clinic is one step toward supporting pet owners in this effort.

The weekly trips that RCAPS van driver James Jackson makes up the Northeast corridor takes adoptable animals as far away as New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania to find homes. It’s all possible through the generosity of local donors, Boyd said. From the weekly gas fillups from Rose Oil to videographer Dawn Hedgepeth who posts on Facebook Live each dog being crated and loaded on the van for their “freedom ride,” Boyd said he is thankful and appreciative of the local support that RCAPS enjoys.

“Ruin Creek is volunteer-strong and donor-supported,” he said. “Donors are the ones that make it possible.”

But when demand for companion animals – especially cats – there needs to be a different plan of action. “The (shelter’s) cat room has been full,” Boyd said, adding that the shelter staff and RCAPS has been working hard to find adoptive homes for them.

The spay and neuter clinic will hopefully be an avenue for residents to help reduce the unwanted pet population. “It’s a service we’re going to be able to provide to the citizens of Vance County,” Boyd said.

He called the feral cat situation in Vance County “rampant.”

“We’re very, very excited about it…within months, I hope we’re able to see the impact of this (clinic).”

He invited area vet techs and veterinarians to reach out to RCAPS at info@rcaps.org to learn more about how they can help with the clinic.

 

 

TownTalk: Firefighters And The Dangers They Face

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Two people – one of them a firefighter – were taken to hospital last night after a house fire broke out on Hargrove Street.

City Fire Chief Steve Cordell told WIZS News Monday that Capt. J. Bolton is back at home, and recovering from second- and third-degree burns on both shoulders and arms. “He was attempting to do a search” of the structure to locate possible victims,” Cordell said.

The fire started about 8 p.m. in the kitchen area of a residence at 1224 Hargrove St., he said.

One person was taken to the hospital, but no information is available about the person’s condition.

“She was alive when we got her to the ambulance,” Cordell said in a phone interview with John C. Rose Monday. It is not known to which hospital the victim was taken; Bolton was taken by ambulance to the UNC Burn Center.

Firefighters face risks each time that alarm sounds and they don their protective gear and head to the scene of a fire or a vehicle accident or other emergency call.

Some risks are immediate and obvious – being burned or injured when entering a burning building, for example. But firefighters face the possibility future health challenges as a result of the work they do.

And the recently passed state budget has an item in it that addresses some of those future health challenges – like cancer diagnoses.

Through the N.C. Department of Insurance, $15 million shall be used to establish and administer a pilot program to provide health benefits to eligible firefighters with a new diagnosis of cancer on or after Jan. 1, 2022. This is a supplemental program, and firefighters could receive $25,000 after getting a new cancer diagnosis, up to $50,000. The program also allows for reimbursement of up to $12,000 in medical costs associated with the diagnosis and provides eligible firefighters additional disability assistance.

 

 

Salvation Army

TownTalk: Salvation Army Continues To Meet With Success

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Captains Derrick and Odessa Smith not only talk the talk, but they walk the walk when it comes to the local Salvation Army.

The husband-and-wife team have led the local organization for the past few years, and they’ve been instrumental during the recent move to its brand-new location at 2292 Ross Mill Road.

According to the latest annual report, the local Salvation Army served almost 15,000 people in 2020. The Smiths talked with John C. Rose on Thursday’s Town Talk about how the organization has fared during the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as some of its long-range goals.

“It’s crazy to think we were able to reach that many people,” Odessa Smith said. The Henderson branch serves six counties – Vance, Granville, Franklin, Warren, Northampton and Halifax – and sometimes, they see people from outside Vance County. “Our goal would be to reach all six counties in the future,” she said, “but there is so much need in Vance County (and) we can only do what we can do.”

At the height of the pandemic, when children were not at school, Odessa Smith said more families came to get food during the popular food distribution events.

In addition, the new facility was able to quickly pivot to provide a place for parents to take their children during the day and complete their remote instruction.

“The biggest way we served people was our food box giveaways,” she said. The distribution events swelled to several times a month during 2020, but have since returned to monthly events, she added.

Derrick said between 200-300 cars regularly drive through to pick up food boxes, which contain provisions from the Food Bank of Central North Carolina in Durham as well as from local donations.

Now that children are back in school, Odessa said they are seeing fewer families and more elderly people coming to pick up food boxes.

Usually, the food box giveaways occur on the third Thursday of each month, but January’s distribution will take place Wednesday, Jan. 19, beginning at 1 p.m. Derrick recommends that people arrive as early as possible. Some people start lining up as early as 9 a.m., he said. “It is a task, at times, to keep cars out of the road,” Derrick said. “We utilize all our parking lot on those days.”

He thanked volunteers for helping make that food distribution run so smoothly, from those who come in and prepare the boxes to other individuals who help out on the day of the event. He also thanked all the individuals and groups who volunteered to ring the bell during the Christmas Kettle campaign.

The Smiths are able to walk the walk and talk the talk out in the community these days, largely because they know that the Red Shield Club and the day-to-day operations are under the capable supervision of Gina Eaves. Eaves joined as club director in May 2021.

“That’s made such a difference for us,” Odessa said. “We can go out into the community and rest assured, the club is taken care of and in good hands. She is the prime spokesperson for the Salvation Army. She believes in our mission…the Christian mission of the Salvation Army. We were so blessed to be able to bring her on, she added.

The mission of the Salvation Army is “to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination.”

Derrick and Odessa say their organization is doing just that, and their efforts take many forms: from serving 75-100 children at the Red Shield Club after-school program to providing clothing vouchers for someone in need of clothing for a job interview.

“Folks are coming in for different things,” Derrick said. The community continues to be generous, he continued.

“I think it’s amazing – just when we think we don’t have the resources,” he said, something good happens.

The Salvation Army thrift store provides a revenue stream to support local programs, too. For each dollar that is spent at the store, located on Raleigh Road, 85 cents goes back into the community.

“As we are blessed, we are going to bless others in the community,” he said.

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TownTalk: Things To Know For Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

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Since 1986, the third Monday in January has been a federal holiday to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. There are several opportunities to participate in discussions, events and opportunities to volunteer in the local area as part of this annual observance.

Schools will be closed, as will libraries, post offices and banks, and some area non-profits are encouraging individuals to volunteer to improve their communities.

Monday, Jan. 17 will be considered “a day of action” instead of just a day off from daily routines.

For the second year, the Granville County Human Relations Commission will hold its annual celebration virtually, but there are several ways to tune in. The event will begin at 7 a.m. and can be viewed on Spectrum Channel 17, the county government’s local access channel. Viewers can find the event on Facebook and Youtube as well.

Northern Granville Middle School, 3144 Webb School Road, Oxford, will be the site of a celebration Monday, Jan. 17 at 4 p.m. The event, sponsored by the local MLK Committee, is free and open to the public. Masks are required to be worn at the event.

Visit https://trianglemlk.com/ to learn about observances in the Triangle area, including a weath-laying ceremony at 9 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 14 to a memorial march in downtown Raleigh  beginning at 11 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 17.

Vance-Granville Community College will host a virtual panel discussion via Zoom on Tuesday, Jan. 25 at 6 p.m. as part of its MLK Jr. observance. Panelists will discuss using equity through social mobility.

Panelists will delve into the areas of education, finance, health and housing as it relates to Dr. King’s dream. “We will continue to focus on his dream by discussing racial justice through Civil Rights to economic justice through the Poor People’s Campaign which he sought near the end of his life,” according to information about the event released by VGCC.

Sponsors include: VGCC board of trustees, VGCC Men’s Achievement Academy, VGCC V.I.E.W. representative and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

Register here to join the discussion. https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJEucuCgqTIoHtIzZpC7RQSVSle52y8Wq9CS. Contact Dr. Jeffrey Allen at allenjl@vgcc.edu for more information.

Activate Good, a Triangle-based agency that helps volunteers connect with area non-profits that need volunteer help, has expanded upon the day of service concept to Dignity Week 2022 between Friday, Jan. 14 and Sunday, Jan. 23.
Visit https://activategood.org/event/97 to learn more or get ideas about how to volunteer in your community.

King’s philosophy of creating change through non-violent resistance resulted in sit-ins, peaceful demonstrations and marches in the 1950’s and 1960’s.

Although there are no records that indicate King visited locally, he did visit Raleigh, Durham and Greensboro, according to North Carolina Room specialist Mark Pace. And, in 1962, during a visit to Rocky Mount, he delivered a dress rehearsal of his now iconic “I Have A Dream” speech that was heard by more than 250,000 civil rights activists who gathered for the March on Washington in August 1963.

In 1964, he was the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. He was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee on April 4, 1968.

 

TownTalk: The Future Of Trains In Henderson

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It’s a sound many longtime Henderson residents recall fondly – the familiar sound of the train whistle. From the way some local officials are talking, the trains could be running through Henderson once again, bringing with them the chance for some economic development in and around the downtown area.

“I’m excited about the prospect for Henderson and for the railroad,” said Henderson Assistant City Manager Paylor Spruill. “There’s a resurgence and interest in the railroad and what it can do, not just for Henderson, but throughout North Carolina,” Spruill said on Tuesday’s Town Talk.

He and City Councilman Garry Daeke spoke with John C. Rose about some exciting possibilities for a future high-speed rail and freight line, in addition to commuter rail service.

The N.C. Department of Transportation is using some federal grant funding to study the feasibility of having a commuter, or S-Line, rail service. Both Spruill and Daeke said it’s pretty much a done deal that Henderson will be a regional stop on this line.

“We will have a stop in Henderson,” Daeke said.

The next step is to identify a spot for a station that can handle both the high-speed and the commuter service. One possibility is the old bank building located just about in the center of town, Daeke said. It’s been vacant for some time, and the building is squeezed in among other buildings on Garnett Street, but it’s a possibility.

“There are some other sites up and down the line,” he said, but added that it’s exciting to think that Henderson will be a stop on the line. It’s also exciting, from a city perspective, to think “big” in terms of economic development in and around the train station. From business and industry, to restaurants, social and recreational activities, the sky’s the limit.

Additional housing for those who commute to, say, the Raleigh area is another possibility for development.

“We’ve got some time, but we need to go ahead and start looking” for a site where the station could be located, Daeke said.

“There’s a whole lot of infrastructure that will have to go in to support the train station,” Spruill said, from elevator towers and a parking deck to several overpasses and underpasses to

accommodate the flow of rail, street and pedestrian traffic.

The project has some distance to go, but, Spruill said, “they’re still making some giant strides.”

 

 

TownTalk: Be Safe When Using Space Heaters

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The recent fires in Philadelphia and in New York that killed dozens of residents in the past week serve as tragic reminders about home fire safety during the winter months, when about half of all home heating fires occur.

With temperatures dipping into the 20s at night, it may be tempting to keep a space heater turned on to keep the chill off, but any supplemental heat unit should be turned off overnight – or even when you leave the room, according to a checklist from the National Fire Protection Association.

There are numerous items to double-check to make sure your home is as safe as possible, from testing smoke detectors and installing carbon monoxide alarms to knowing the proper use of space heaters and portable generators.

When dealing with winter storms that knock out power and create icy conditions, it is important to use care and caution inside and outside the home. Make sure that the street address is clearly visible from the road so emergency personnel can quickly identify your location. It’s also important to keep drives and sidewalks as clean of ice and snow as possible, for your own safety and in case emergency personnel need to get up to your home.

Be ready with flashlights – not candles – in case the power goes out.

And never use generators indoors. They should be kept away from structures when in use.

Supplemental space heaters should never be plugged into a power strip or used with an extension cord. Anything that can catch fire should be kept at least three feet away from space heaters.

All these precautions should be taken during and after a winter storm or extended cold snap, but having properly functioning smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors in your home is something that can be done at any time of the year.

Test these devices monthly and replace batteries or the entire detector when that annoying chirping sound begins.

The Henderson Fire Department has smoke detectors and Lee Edmonds said city residents can call the department at 252.430.1877 and fire officials will come and install them in their homes.

The Office of State Fire Marshal Mike Causey has posted the following reminders on its webpage. Visit www.ncosfm.gov to learn more.

  • Keep anything that can burn at least three feet away from heating equipment, such as the furnace, fireplace, wood stove, or portable space heater.
  • Have a three-foot, kid-free zone around open fires and space heaters.
  • Never use your oven to heat your home.
  • Have a qualified professional install stationary space heating equipment, water heaters or central heating equipment according to the local codes and manufacturer’s instructions.
  • Have heating equipment and chimneys cleaned and inspected every year by a qualified professional.
  • Remember to turn portable heaters off when leaving the room or going to bed.
  • Always use the right kind of fuel, specified by the manufacturer, for fuel burning space heaters.
  • When refueling kerosene heaters, be sure to move them outside to refill.
  • Make sure the fireplace has a sturdy screen to stop sparks from flying into the room. Ashes should be cool before putting them in a metal container. Keep the container a safe distance away from your home.

Kerr Tar Regional Council of Governments

Town Talk: Talent Connect Connects People To Employment

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A short informational virtual session could be the jumpstart to a new career path, and Desiree Brooks said staff at NCWorks is available to follow up with individuals who have questions about next steps toward seeking meaningful employment.

Brooks spoke with John C. Rose on Monday’s Town Talk about Tuesday’s 10 a.m. Talent Connect series, sponsored by the Kerr-Tar COG.

The session lasts 10 minutes, she said, but will be chock-full of information for participants.

“There’s a pathway for every person,” she said, adding that there’s no one set way for prospective employees to find a job that suits them and their skill sets.

Participants will have a chance to interact with presenter Helen Bradby during the virtual session – Tues, Jan 11 – Register at: bit.ly/pathways0111.

Anyone without internet access can simply call NCWorks at 252.438.6129 in Henderson or 919.693.2686 in Oxford  to schedule an appointment to learn more.

“We’ll figure out a way to get them the information they need,” Brooks said.

Other virtual sessions are scheduled for Tuesdays in January – the topic for Jan. 18 is professional communication and interview skills (register here – bit.ly/professionalskills0118) and the topic for Jan. 25 is resume building (register here – bit.ly/resumebuilding0125).

These “soft skills” can be important for interviews, Brooks said; prospective employers are looking for new workers who will be a good fit, and job seekers should feel confident when going into an interview.

The Jan. 18 session will give tips for gaining the confidence to kind of help you “shake those nerves…to go in and get the job.”

The Jan. 25 session about resume building will help participants create a resume, which doesn’t necessarily have list a long job history to be a powerful tool. “If you don’t have work experience, that’s OK,” Brooks said. There is plenty that you can put on a resume, from extracurricular activities like church, civic and community service participation.

“All that experience definitely needs to be highlighted on your resume,” she said.

Job seekers can practice those soft skills on Thursday, Jan. 13 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Oxford NCWorks Center’s hiring event with Express Employment Professionals. The NCWorks Center is located at 111 Hilltop Village off US Hwy 158.

Learn more and bookmark www.kerrtarworks.com.

 

 

TownTalk: Townsville And Its History

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The tri-weekly history show on Thursday’s Town Talk takes listeners to Townsville, in northern Vance County. It has been known as Townesville and, originally, Lynnesville.  L-Y-N-N-E.

That’s Lynne. Rhymes with “fine.”

Bill Harris and Mark Pace discussed the early days of the town, its heyday between post-Civil War period and the Depression, and what the area was like when railroads were the main mode of transportation for people and goods.

There’s a detailed map, drawn in pencil, that a prominent family – Adams – had made, Pace said. A copy is at the North Carolina Room at the Richard Thornton library in Oxford. It shows a prosperous area, with businesses and homes “It’s amazing how much there actually was in Townsville,” Pace said. “It was a really significant place in its heyday (between) 1885 and 1920.

There was a drug store, a box factory, a school, a bank -even a hotel. And a jail.

“It was a happening place,” Pace said. Mostly because of the railroad.

The town originally was called Lynnesville, for the Caroline County, Va. family that moved to the area. Lynne operated a store in town in the 1780’s. And it’s why John Penn, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, moved to Granville County. He married one of Lynne’s daughters.

The town’s name changed to Townesville to honor Edmund G. Townes who gave land on which the train depot was built. The railroad came through in 1855 and in the early 20th century when a spur line was put in between Manson and Townsville, “that’s when Townsville really hit its stride,” Pace said.

The citizens of the tiny town had a bond issue in 1920 and raised $60,000 to buy the rail line. It consisted of one freight car and one passenger car, and it went regularly between Manson and Townsville. The only trouble was there was no place to turn around in Townsville, so it had to chug in reverse all the way back to Manson.

Through the 1920’s the railroad died off, the box factory closed and Townsville became a casualty of the Depression. “Basically, it was part of the general change that was happening in America,” Pace said, of people leaving rural areas in search of jobs in more urban areas.

In 1942, two local gold prospectors from Granville County discovered something almost as good in Townsville Township. They found a rich deposit of tungsten, a hard metal that has a super-high melting temperature. Tungsten was put on the tips of missiles and artillery during World War II to penetrate tank armor.

The Allied forces didn’t have access to tungsten, and within six weeks’ time, there was a gaping open pit in Townsville and tungsten was being brought out to sell to the Army. It was dangerous work when the mining finally went underground, and Pace noted that it was one of the first places in the area that was integrated, Black and White working side by side.

The mine was in operation until 1971.

The Townsville area also produced a man by the name of Thomas Morgan, who eventually went to work for Sperry Corp. He was instrumental in creating a gyroscope used for ship navigation and also in the development of radar. “He was a big, big deal,” Pace said. Morgan, who is buried at Island Creek Baptist Church, had a famous visitor attend his funeral – U.S. Army General Omar Bradley.

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TownTalk: The Jail and more Things To Know

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The jail; Closed railroad crossings; Thieves; Hope House; Maria Parham visitation — all “Things to Know” in this latest edition of WIZS TownTalk.

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