Tag Archive for: #vancecountynews

Town Talk 10/28/19: Praise Dancing Part of ‘Preacher Girl’s’ Spiritual Mission

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100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

Youth Pastor Vanessa “Preacher Girl” Mitchell, founder of Preacher Girl Ministry and the owner of I Dance Praise Academy, was on Monday’s segment of WIZS’ Town Talk to discuss her involvement with the community and her youth praise dance team.

Started in 2016, the I Dance Praise Academy has grown from its initial enrollment of three girls to 80 young ladies ages 4-18 from Vance County and surrounding areas.

Participants are taught the biblical aspect of praise dancing, according to Mitchell, and perform at churches and events earning various color belts based on their skill level.

Dancers will attend the 3rd Annual Benefit Concert and Level Up Program on Saturday, November 16, 2019, at 5 p.m. at Dabney Elementary School, located at 150 Lanning Rd. in Henderson.

Tickets are available for $7 in advance or $10 at the door.

The concert preshow will feature Mr. Pipkins the Puppeteer, along with Devin Paylor & The Instruments of Praise Choir for the half-time entertainment.

Vendors include Elder Shirley Gray (Gray Baby Jewels) with Paparazzi and food vendor Fred Robertson.

For more information, please visit the I Dance Praise Academy Facebook page by clicking here.

To hear the interview with Mitchell in its entirety, please click the play button below. Listen live to WIZS’ Town Talk Monday-Friday at 11 a.m. on 1450AM, 100.1 FM or online at www.wizs.com.

Local Organizations Participate in Weekend’s Prescription Drug Take Back Event

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100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

-Information courtesy Maria Parham Health’s Facebook page

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Maria Parham Health is proud to support National Prescription Drug Take Back Day this Saturday, October 26, 2019, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Bring any unused or expired prescription medications (pills or patches only) to one of the following drop-off sites in our community to safely dispose of them:

Henderson Locations: Henderson Police Department, Mast Family Drug Center, Medical Arts Pharmacy and Walgreens

Oxford Locations: Oxford Police Department, Professional Pharmacy

Warrenton Locations: Warren County Sheriff’s Department, Futrell Pharmacy

For more information, visit https://takebackday.dea.gov/. Thanks for helping to keep our community safe!

 

Aycock Rec Center

Aycock Rec. Center Pool to Remain Closed Through Weekend

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100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

-Information courtesy Tara Goolsby, Henderson-Vance Recreation and Parks Facilities Supervisor, Aycock Recreation Center

Aycock Recreation Center’s pool will close at 1 p.m. on Friday, October 25 and will reopen on Monday, October 28 at 8 a.m.

For more information, please contact Lauren Newlin at (252) 438-3160 or email lnewlin@ci.henderson.nc.us.

Town Talk 10/24/19: Williams, Domestic Violence Survivor, Shares Personal Story

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100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

As part of WIZS’ commitment to bringing awareness to the prevalence and far-reaching effects of domestic violence, local organizations and individuals have appeared on-air weekly in October.

On Thursday’s Town Talk segment, domestic violence survivor Valerie Williams shared her very personal story and discussed her upcoming participation as the honorary guest at a local domestic violence awareness event.

On a February afternoon in 1996, Williams said her life changed forever in a violent, 20-minute attack. Arriving home on her lunch break from work, Williams said she found herself at the end of a .38 Smith and Wesson with her husband threatening to kill her.

Williams’ husband then shot her three times – once in the head and twice in the right arm – before turning the gun on himself. Williams survived the incident, eventually regained use of her arm and is alive today to tell her story and empower other victims.

Through it all, Williams said she had a difficult time reconciling herself as a victim of domestic violence because her husband was not previously abusive; however, one time of domestic violence was one too many.

The CEO & Founder of LOVESMART, Williams is now a passionate speaker, advocate and author of five self-published books.

Williams looks forward to sharing both her story and the insight she has gained at a “Think Community” domestic violence awareness event to be held at 3 p.m. on Saturday, October 26 at Clearview Church in Henderson.

Along with Williams, who will serve as honorary guest, the event will feature keynote speaker Patrice Andrews, chief of police, with the Town of Morrisville, NC.

The event is hosted by the Vance County Sheriff’s Office in collaboration with Pastor Abidan Shah of Clearview Church and is sponsored by Cardinal Innovations Healthcare of Henderson.

The church is located at 3485 Hwy 158 Bus. (Oxford Road) in Henderson. The public is welcome to attend.

To hear the interview with Williams in its entirety, please click the play button below. Listen live to WIZS’ Town Talk Monday-Friday at 11 a.m. on 1450AM, 100.1 FM or online at www.wizs.com.

Basketball Season Kickoff Clinic Scheduled for Oct. 26 CANCELED

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-Information courtesy Tara Goolsby, Henderson-Vance Recreation and Parks Facilities Supervisor, Aycock Recreation Center

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Basketball Season Kickoff Clinic sponsored by “Soul-Out” Ministry, Henderson Optimist Club, Boyd Honda of Henderson, Alamance Academy, LLC and the Henderson-Vance Recreation & Parks Department originally scheduled for Saturday, October 26, 2019, has been canceled.

We apologize for any inconvenience.  Thank you for continually supporting the Henderson-Vance Recreation & Parks Department.

Town Talk 10/23/19: Local Participants Needed for UNC-Sponsored Well Survey

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100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

Dr. Frank Stillo, research manager for the MacDonald Gibson Research Group at UNC-Chapel Hill’s Gillings School of Global Public Health, and Drew Griggs, a junior chemistry major at UNC, were on Wednesday’s edition of WIZS’ Town Talk to invite local residents to participate in a private well survey.

Stillo, who recently received his Ph.D. in public health from UNC, has been studying disparities in drinking water since early 2014.

He is particularly interested in how lead exposure involving residents with private wells affects children under the age of 7 in predominantly African-American communities. Lead is a neurotoxin, and young children are especially sensitive to the damage overexposure can cause to their still-developing brains, Stillo explained.

Griggs, son of Greg and Melanie Griggs of Henderson, attended a lead exposure seminar this summer held by the Gibson Research Group and said he was motivated to apply for a position as part of Stillo’s survey team.

The study group is seeking 300 households who use private well water and have a child under the age of seven living in the home.

Participants will receive the benefit of a well water test, dust testing, lead blood testing for their child provided by a licensed UNC phlebotomist, a consultation on ways to mediate lead issues if discovered and a $75 cash gift card – all free of charge.

In a small Wake County study of 29 cohorts completed a few years back, Stillo said a research team found that 28% of participating households with a well had elevated levels of lead in their drinking water. In running a variety of tests, Stillo said the team concluded that the majority of lead issues arose from plumbing structures inside the home.

“When you have water that is stagnant in your plumbing system and it doesn’t have a chance to get treated like those on the public water system, it will leach the lead out of the different metals in your system. When I had the same problem, I reached out to 24 Hour Emergency Plumbing Services near me and asked them to fix the plumbing,” said Stillo.

Factors such as the age of the house, age of plumbing materials and components of piping and connectors, also affect the level of lead exposure.

“Another reason well water has higher levels of lead is that residents with wells are stewards of their own water systems, whereas people on the public system have someone with technical expertise looking after their best interests,” Stillo said. “People on a public system are constantly having their water tested. Many on private wells don’t know to test their well water or what to test for and often don’t understand the effects of contaminants.”

Griggs said he is excited to be a part of this drinking water survey that can bring awareness to his hometown and took the first step in informing the community by reaching out to WIZS for an on-air interview.

“There are a lot of different ways to serve people; I’m really fortunate to have found an outlet to do so at UNC, especially one that can help a small, underserved community like Henderson.”

To learn more about the survey, please visit https://gillingswellwater.web.unc.edu/, email gillingswellwater@unc.edu or call (919) 843-5786.

To hear the interview with Stillo and Griggs in its entirety, please click the play button below. Listen live to WIZS’ Town Talk Monday-Friday at 11 a.m. on 1450AM, 100.1 FM or online at www.wizs.com.

Vance County Logo

Vance Co. DSS, Senior Center to Occupy Former EJMS by 2021

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100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

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Vance County Manager Jordan McMillen provided WIZS with the following summary of the Vance County Properties Committee meeting held Tuesday, October 22, 2019:

Related to the former Eaton Johnson Middle School, the Vance County School System will convey the school and property to the County for $1.

In a separate, unrelated agreement, the County is agreeing to utilize school capital funds, lottery funds if necessary, and any future school bonds to provide $8.3 million in capital funding for several facility usage redesigns, preventative maintenance items, school safety and technology initiatives in the school system over the next five years.

During the meeting, commissioners met and reviewed budget and timeframes related to a renovation at Eaton Johnson in order to move the Vance County Department of Social Services and the Senior Center to the property.

The projected timeframe for the move of these departments to the former Eaton Johnson is March 2021.

Reminder: Maria Parham to Offer Free Clinical Breast Exams – Oct. 24

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100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

-Information courtesy Maria Parham Health

To celebrate October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month, FREE clinical breast exams will be offered at Maria Parham Health on Thursday, October 24, 2019, from 5 until 7 p.m.

Join Maria Parham for:

  • Free clinical breast exams
  • Breast cancer resources
  • Follow up resources
  • Prevention education
  • Wellness information

For more information, please call (252) 436-1605 or visit mariaparham.com

Early detection saves lives!

VGCC Dr. Levy Brown

VGCC’s Dr. Levy Brown Selected to Attend Prestigious Thomas Lakin Institute

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100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

-Press Release, Vance-Granville Community College

Dr. Levy Brown, vice president of learning, student engagement & success at Vance-Granville Community College, has been selected to participate in the prestigious Thomas Lakin Institute for Mentored Leadership presented by the Presidents’ Round Table.

Dr. Levy Brown, vice president of learning, student engagement & success at Vance-Granville Community College, has been selected to participate in the prestigious Thomas Lakin Institute for Mentored Leadership presented by the Presidents’ Round Table. (VGCC photo)

Dr. Levy Brown, a resident of Youngsville, North Carolina is responsible for leading and working collaboratively with faculty and staff in the areas of academic programs, teaching and learning, student success, student services, enrollment management, K-12 partnerships and other areas at the Vance-Granville.

Prior to joining Vance-Granville, he served as Dean of Arts and Sciences at Lenoir Community College located in Kinston, North Carolina. Brown has a Bachelor of Science in communication from East Carolina University, a Master of Library Science from North Carolina Central University in Durham, North Carolina and an earned Doctorate in Education with a concentration in Higher Education Administration from East Carolina University.

Hosted October 20-25, 2019 in Kansas City, Missouri, The Lakin Institute seeks African-American participants whose experience and credentials indicate they are ready to attain the highest academic positions. The program is an opportunity for open dialogue with chancellors, presidents, and CEOs. It covers all aspects of academic leadership.

More than 300 participants have attended The Lakin Leadership Mentoring Program since its inception in 1994. The Institute has the highest graduate placement rate of any leadership institute in the United States. It is named in honor of Dr. Thomas Lakin, former Chancellor of the Ventura County (CA) Community College District.

Domestic Violence Awareness Month

Town Talk 10/22/19: Hicks Teaches Students to Use ‘I Power’ to Combat Bullying

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100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

Teresa Hicks, counselor at Carver Elementary School, was on Tuesday’s edition of Town Talk to continue WIZS’ weekly series in recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. WIZS has featured local organizations involved in various aspects of domestic violence each Tuesday in October.

The focus of this week’s segment was on younger victims of domestic violence – elementary school children – and how exposure to violent situations increases the risks of bullying.

To combat bullying and to work on students’ self-esteem, Hicks developed a strategy she coined “I Power.” “I Power is a way to make a situation that could be negative, better,” Hicks explained. “It gives students a voice and allows them to advocate for themselves. I tell them to speak up and practice using your voice.”

The key is for students to become comfortable expressing their opinions and feelings in a respectful manner. Hicks said, “This can be as simple as saying ‘I like strawberry ice cream’ when someone else says they don’t like strawberry ice cream.”

Expressing their opinions on seemingly simple matters can give students the confidence needed to stand up for themselves in more serious situations, according to Hicks.

Hicks said she tells her K-5 students, who are often interested in superheroes, that “you can be a superhero too; use your own I Power.”

To hear the interview with Hicks in its entirety, please click the play button below. Listen live to WIZS’ Town Talk Monday-Friday at 11 a.m. on 1450AM, 100.1 FM or online at www.wizs.com.