Town Talk 03/09/20: Local Gas Price Discussion
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Town Talk 03/06/20
100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm
Town Talk 03/04/20: Harrison, G-V Public Health Director, Discusses Coronavirus
THIS STORY IS PRESENTED IN PART BY DRAKE DENTISTRY
Lisa Harrison, director of Granville-Vance Public Health, appeared on WIZS Town Talk Wednesday at 11 a.m.
In light of recent news that North Carolina’s first case of confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) was reported in nearby Wake County, Harrison addressed the local health department’s response to the disease.
“Viruses change over time, and this is an emerging situation,” explained Harrison. “We at Granville-Vance Public Health are paying close attention daily to information that comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Division of Public Health, the State Health Director and our whole epidemiology team who are very involved right now with our response in the United States and in North Carolina.”
According to the CDC, coronavirus, much like a cold or the flu, can spread between people who are in close contact with one another and through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Those suffering from the virus are thought to be at least mildly contagious before showing symptoms but are more likely to infect others when they are the most symptomatic.
Reported illnesses have ranged from mild symptoms to severe illness and death for confirmed cases. Symptoms, including fever, cough and shortness of breath, may appear 2-14 days after initial exposure.
The CDC recommends contacting a healthcare provider if you develop a fever and symptoms of respiratory illness and have been in close contact with a person known to have COVID-19 or if you have recently traveled to an area with an ongoing spread such as China, Iran, Italy, Japan or South Korea. Your healthcare provider will work with the public health department and CDC to determine if you need to be tested for COVID-19.
While not a time to panic, Harrison said it is important that residents seek credible sources for COVID-19 updates and take precautions to avoid exposure including:
- Wash hands frequently with soap and water (at least 20 seconds each time)
- Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed or washed hands
- Avoid close contact with anyone who is sick
- Cover mouth and nose with a tissue or bend of the arm when sneezing or coughing
- Clean and disinfect surfaces that are frequently touched
“I have a tremendous amount of confidence in the knowledge of your public health service,” Harrison said. “The most important thing to stress to individuals and families in Vance and Granville County is that everyone needs to continue to take precautions to protect themselves from the spread of any respiratory illness, including the flu and colds.”
A toll-free helpline has been established for those with questions about COVID-19 and can be reached by calling 1-866-462-3821.
You may also find additional information by visiting the Granville-Vance Public Health website at www.gvph.org and the CDC website at www.cdc.gov.
To hear the interview with Harrison in its entirety, go to WIZS.com and click on Town Talk.
Town Talk 03/03/20: Have You Voted? Primary Election Day Info.
100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm
Town Talk 03/02/20: Severe Weather Preparedness Week March 1-7
THIS STORY IS PRESENTED IN PART BY DRAKE DENTISTRY
Brian Short, Director of Henderson-Vance County Emergency Operations, appeared on WIZS Town Talk Monday at 11 a.m.
Short announced that March 1 – March 7 is the 2020 North Carolina Severe Weather Preparedness Week. With the potential of severe weather peaking with the beginning of the spring season, Short said now is the time to prepare in case of an emergency situation.
“Mother Nature rarely gives us a break,” said Short. “It seems like there is something we face every season. As we slide into spring, there is the potential for severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, straight-line winds, flash flooding and lightning.”
The number one thing you can do to prepare for severe weather is to make a safety plan for you and your family, Short explained. The plan should include which room(s) of the home to seek shelter in and who to contact in case of an emergency.
Tips for staying safe in events such as a tornado include seeking shelter in an interior room with no windows, staying close to the ground and getting in a doorway, which tends to be more structurally-sound than other parts of the home.
In addition to making a severe weather safety plan, Short said the National Weather Service (NWS) encourages everyone to participate in a Statewide Tornado Drill, which will occur on Wednesday, March 4, 2020, at 9:30 a.m. Every school, business, workplace, and family across the state is strongly encouraged to participate.
In information Short provided to WIZS, the NWS states the following:
- The tornado drill will be broadcast on NOAA Weather Radio and the Emergency Alert System via the Required Monthly Test (RMT). There will not be an actual Tornado Warning issued.
- Many NOAA Weather Radio receivers (including the older Midland WR-100 radios that many schools have) do not sound an audible alert for the RMT product; instead, they may have a blinking light on the display to indicate that an RMT was received. As such, when the RMT for the statewide tornado drill is initiated at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, March 4, 2020, there is a chance that your NOAA Weather Radio will not sound an alarm.
Since your NOAA Weather Radio may not sound an alarm at the time the RMT is issued, you may do one of the following:
- Manually turn on your NOAA Weather Radio receiver and listen to the audio broadcast to hear when the RMT is issued, which will mark the beginning of the statewide tornado drill.
- Plan to start your tornado drill on your own at 9:30 a.m.
There will be no follow-up statements issued by the NWS to mark the end of the statewide tornado drill. It will end when your group feels that you have adequately practiced your tornado shelter procedures.
According to the NWS, if there is actual severe weather occurring on March 4, 2020, the statewide tornado drill will be postponed. The alternate date for the drill is Friday, March 6, 2020, at 9:30 a.m.
Short encourages Henderson residents (that haven’t already done so) to visit www.vancecounty.org/em to register for the Code Red emergency notification service. By signing up for Code Red, you will receive local weather alerts and emergency information – evacuation notices, bio-terrorism alerts, boil water notices, missing child reports, etc. – directly to your phone.
For additional information on Severe Weather Preparedness Week, please visit https://www.weather.gov/rah/2020ncswpw where you’ll find links to daily severe weather topics and useful severe weather preparedness tips and information.
To hear the interview with Short in its entirety, go to WIZS.com and click on Town Talk.
Town Talk 02/28/20
100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm
Town Talk 02/28/20
100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm
Town Talk 02/27/20: Planning Underway for Kerr Lake Fireworks, Henderson Car Show
THIS STORY IS PRESENTED IN PART BY DRAKE DENTISTRY
Vance County Tourism Development Authority’s Pam Hester and Norman Dickerson appeared on WIZS Town Talk Thursday at 11 a.m.
While seemingly a bit early in the year to discuss the Fourth of July Fireworks at Kerr Lake and the fall car show, Hester explained that the planning of these events is a “year-long process.”
The 19th Annual Show, Shine, Shag & Dine Classic Car Show will be held in downtown Henderson on Friday, October 16 and Saturday, October 17.
“We are up to our eyeballs with car show and fireworks,” said Hester. “We are hoping to make the car show even bigger and better than it was last year if that is at all possible.”
New for 2020, Southern Classic Cars will hold an additional cruise-in event on Sunday, October 18, giving car show enthusiasts another day of entertainment and providing local businesses such as hotels and restaurants another day of visitor revenue.
Located at 117 Horner Street in Henderson, Founder and CEO Charles Bowman and staff plan to hold a cruise-in the third Sunday of every month beginning in March, according to Hester.
“This will get people used to coming to car shows in Henderson and give our annual car show visitors a reason to stay one more night,” Hester said.
For the fireworks show scheduled for Saturday, July 4, with activities planned from 3 until 10 p.m., Hester and Dickerson said it takes multiple agencies and volunteers working together to make everyone’s Independence Day fun, and more importantly, safe.
“Between 14-16 agencies are involved in the fireworks show – governmental, state, other regulatory and volunteers” explained Dickerson. “It takes a good coordination of all these organizations to make the 20 minutes of kaboom happen.”
Events such as the car show and fireworks display aren’t possible without collaboration between organizations and between counties, Hester said. “Everybody in the five-county area has a unique, individual thing to offer and each of the five counties can benefit from the uniqueness of the other four counties if we all work together.”
Giving an example, Hester said Henderson does not have enough hotel rooms to accommodate all of the visitors to the annual car show. As a result, guests spill over into neighboring counties that enjoy the economic boost from hotel room rentals, restaurant meals consumed, gas purchased, etc.
“Norman and I can’t do what we do on our own,” Hester said. “We have to have collaboration, and I feel like we have formed some very valuable partnerships with other agencies and people in this county. That’s what makes us successful.”
For more information on Vance County Tourism events, please visit www.kerrlake-nc.com.
To hear the interview with Hester and Dickerson in its entirety, go to WIZS.com and click on Town Talk.
Town Talk 02/26/20: Cox, Burgess & Ellington Discuss Economy, Regional Summit
THIS STORY IS PRESENTED IN PART BY DRAKE DENTISTRY
Diane Cox, executive director of the Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments, and Michele Burgess, president of the Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce, appeared on WIZS Town Talk Wednesday at 11 a.m.
Cox and Burgess discussed last week’s Focus 20/20, the Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments’ Economic Development Summit, held at the McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center in downtown Henderson. Participants included local government representatives, community leaders, business owners and professionals from Vance, Granville, Franklin, Warren and Person counties.
In response to Burgess thanking Kerr-Tar for hosting the summit, Cox responded, “It was a team effort. We were very fortunate to have not only our Kerr-Tar staff but also the economic development directors from the five counties that make up the Kerr-Tar region in addition to the five Chambers of Commerce, so it really was a collaborative effort.
With an agenda arranged into multiple “acts,” playing on the performing arts venue, discussions included the importance of investing in infrastructure, adapting with the times, advancing entrepreneurship and promoting workforce development.
Cox said the segment on workforce development as presented by Dawn Michelle Tucker, Dean of Continuing Education and College & Career Readiness at Vance-Granville Community College, particularly resonated with her.
“We know we have a workforce issue; workforce is an issue nation-wide. With the economy being as strong as it is now, having enough workers, especially skilled workers, is a big issue.
Working with VGCC, the Kerr-Tar Workforce Development Board and the school systems, we are actively trying to address the workforce issue.”
Burgess said President and CEO of NC IDEA Thom Ruhe’s presentation on changing the workforce mindset opened her eyes to the prevailing issue of employee disengagement and how negatively that affects community progress and development.
“He gave some of the following workplace statistics: 35 percent of the workforce is actively engaged – they show up every day, and put in work for the betterment of the company. Fifty-two percent of the workforce is not engaged at all. These are the employees he called ‘TGIF’ers’ (Thank God It’s Friday). Then there is 13 percent of the workforce actively disengaged, who actually cause problems when they show up for work.”
Burgess also discussed another takeaway from the summit, the importance of embracing and attracting young people to a community.
“The younger generation is looking at a community to see what’s there, to see if they have a fun downtown and apartments that cater to a younger mindset. So, they are picking the town, moving to the town and then finding a job. This is different from what we are used to, which is people moving here because of a job transfer.”
Explaining that the trend among the younger generation is to move to small towns close to larger cities with more cultural opportunities, Burgess said Henderson is “on the cusp of all that; we’ve got great potential here.”
On Tuesday’s edition of Town Talk, Henderson Mayor Eddie Ellington discussed his participation and perspective of the summit, including the knowledge shared by keynote speaker Doug Griffiths, author of the bestselling book “13 Ways to Kill Your Community.”
Listing what not to do, as well as measures to right the path, Griffiths presented the following ways to ensure a lack of community growth and prosperity: don’t have quality water, don’t attract business, ignore your youth, deceive yourself about your real needs or values, shop elsewhere, don’t paint, don’t cooperate, live in the past, ignore your seniors, reject everything new, ignore outsiders, become complacent and don’t take responsibility.
“His discussion on failing to embrace people from the outside that have come into the community really stood out to me,” said Ellington. “People that have lived here and seen the ebbs and flows of the economy have a different view than people from the outside that come in, and that’s not a bad thing.”
Explaining that it takes both points of view to grow the economy, Ellington said he believes the positive attitude and commitment to community investment and improvement seen recently by those moving to Henderson can only lead to more positive outcomes for the area.
Please tune in to WIZS 100.1 FM/1450 AM tomorrow as guest Pam Hester, director of Vance County Tourism, wraps-up this week’s discussion on the local economy and the regional economic development summit.
To hear the interview with Cox and Burgess in its entirety, go to WIZS.com and click on the 02/26/20 Town Talk. For Ellington’s interview, click on the 02/25/20 Town Talk.
Town Talk 02/25/20
100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm