Tag Archive for: #vancecountynews

Maria Parham Health

Maria Parham Health Hosting Memorial Day Event – Gather ‘Round The Flag Poles On May 23 At 10 AM

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Maria Parham Health invites the community to a special Memorial Day event Thursday, May 23 to pay tribute to the courageous individuals who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces.

“Let us come together as a community to honor and remember those who have selflessly served our nation,” said Bert Beard, CEO of Maria Parham Health. “We extend a warm invitation to everyone to join us in this meaningful tribute to our fallen heroes. Their sacrifices will never be forgotten.”

The commemoration will take place at the flagpoles of Maria Parham Health on Ruin Creek Road, beginning at 10 a.m., according to information from MPH Marketing & Communication Coordinator Donna Young.

This commemorative event will feature:

  • Prayers for those who gave their lives in service
  • Guest speakers sharing reflections
  • Music to uplift and inspire
  • The hanging of a Memorial Wreath
  • Reading of Names in Memoriam to honor individuals’ sacrifice

All members of the public are invited to join us as we come together to honor and remember our fallen heroes. Whether you have a personal connection to the military or simply wish to pay your respects, your presence is deeply appreciated.

In the event of inclement weather, the ceremony will be moved to hospital auditorium to ensure the solemnity of the occasion remains undisturbed.

This special program comes on the heels of an earlier event on May 2, the National Day of Prayer. At 12 noon, team members from three area hospitals – Maria Parham Henderson, Maria Parham Franklin in Louisburg and Person Memorial Hospital in Roxboro – gathered at their respective locations to offer prayers for the nation, their hospitals and patients, as well as for families.

Beard, who serves as Market CEO at Maria Parham Health and Person Memorial Hospital, expressed appreciation for those who gathered together at the three locations. “In  moments like these, we are reminded of the profound impact of collective prayer in fostering  hope, resilience and compassion within our community,” Beard said.

The National Day of Prayer observance provided an opportunity for hospital staff to come together in a spirit of solidarity, reflecting on the challenges faced by our nation and our healthcare system  while also offering gratitude for the tireless efforts of frontline workers and the resilience of  patients and families.

“We extend our heartfelt appreciation to all who participated in this meaningful observance,” added Beard. “Together, through the power of prayer and compassion, we can continue to support and uplift one another, fostering a culture of healing and unity within our hospitals and beyond.”

-information courtesy of Maria Parham Health

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Vance Co. Regional Farmers Market

Weekly Farmers Market Bounty: Berries, Greens, Potatoes And More!

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The Vance County Regional Farmers Market Manager Pat Ayscue invites you to come out to the market Saturday – it’s all abuzz – with local honey and so much more! Strawberries are freshly picked, and you can almost taste the sweetness with your eyes. New potatoes are just-dug from local gardens, just waiting for customers to grab them up and take them home for dinner. Sweet potatoes are perfect for a sweet potato pie.

And don’t forget the greens: turnip salad, pointy-head cabbage and broccoli are just some of the early-season delights from area producers waiting to be scooped up and enjoyed.

Each new week, the farmers’ tables show that the season is moving forward. Jellies, pickles, and double WOW! at those fresh baked goods. Farm-fresh eggs gathered from some might well-loved and cared for hens. Handmade wood crafts and quilts. Soaps are designed for gifts and soaps for cleaning. Plants for home and garden. Fresh-cut flowers available for all occasions. Stop by and visit for that neighborhood and community feeling. Thanks for supporting your local farmer’s market.

The farmers market is located at 210 Southpark Drive and is open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays. The market is set to open on Wednesdays and Saturdays beginning in June.

Schools Provide Support To Students Facing First Weekend At Emergency Shelter

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The 70 or so children who have spent this week with their families and others at a local shelter face their first weekend away from the place they once called home.

The situation is certainly not ideal, but Vance County Schools Superintendent Dr. Cindy Bennett told WIZS News earlier Friday that district staff has put together some activities for the children to help get through the next couple of days when they’re not in school and things are far from “normal.”

“For the weekend, we are providing totes with art supplies, reading materials, board games and indoor/outdoor physical education items,” Bennett said.

On Monday, about 40 families moved to a shelter that was set up in the gym on the former campus of Eaton Johnson Middle School.
They had been extended-stay residents at a hotel located on Parham Road – some for longer than a year.

Earlier this week, Henderson Mayor Melissa Elliott said she was encouraged to see the community support as churches, schools and city and county leaders have rallied to create a caring network for the families who had to move to the shelter.

Henderson City Manager Terrell Blackmon said the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services is in charge of the shelter, with the cooperation of Vance County. The city’s role is limited and one of support to NCDHSS and other agencies in charge, Blackmon explained. “Our role at this point is to be an advocate for the families and to ensure that the motel remains closed for occupancy until the owners mitigate the violations at the property and bring it into compliance with the state building code.”

The city issued a zoning violation in addition to various fire code violations, Blackmon said, the majority of which are related to the state building code, which falls under the county inspections department.

The circumstances have been challenging, to be sure, but Bennett said that the district has worked to provide food, transportation and more to the children who attend Vance County Schools and their families.

“All of the VCS students who are staying in the shelter are still attending school- we have rerouted our buses to ensure they are picked up and delivered back to the shelter each day,” Bennett said in an email.

Members of the district’s Students Services team members are helping the shelter to get the children off to school in the morning and to greet them up on their return in the afternoon, she said.

The Student Behavioral Health Team is working with parents to identify new clothing that has been donated for the children, and breakfast and lunch are provided at no charge each day.

“Students who are displaced are identified as McKinney-Vento and additional resources are being added when needed.  The district has also had a social worker, nurse and counselor at the shelter each day this week to support the families and help connect them with community resources,” Bennett explained.

“We are there to support in any way we can,” Blackmon said of the city’s response to the situation. But, he added, “the services currently most needed by these families at the shelter are provided by the state, county and local nonprofit agencies.”

 

VCS Honors Students In Top 10 Percent Of Class Of 2024; Graduation Ceremonies Set For May 24, June 14

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It’s getting real now for the Class of 2024 in Vance County Schools – the district honored seniors in the top 10 percent of their class earlier this week and the first two graduation ceremonies will take place in just a few weeks from today. Families and friends with graduating high school seniors at one of four upcoming commencement exercises, however, need to know that they must have tickets to attend in person, according to school officials.

The school district is planning to livestream each graduation, so everyone has an opportunity to view the ceremonies, even if they aren’t there in person.

Vance County High School and Vance County Early College graduations take place on Friday, May 24; Vance Virtual Village Academy and Advance Academy graduations take place on June 14, according to information from Aarika Sandlin, chief officer of Communication & Innovative Support.

Vance County High School: Friday, May 24 at 9 a.m. –  VCHS stadium

Early College: Friday, May 24 at 6 p.m. – VGCC Civic Center

Advance Academy: Friday, June 14, at 3 p.m. – Center for Innovation

Vance Virtual Academy: Friday, June 14 at 6 p.m. – Center for Innovation

Visit www.vcs.k12.nc.us to learn more.

VCS honored students in the Top 10 Percent of their graduation classes Wednesday evening at the Atrium on the campus of the Center for Innovation. The Vance County High School Chorus, under the direction of Dr. Korwind Stokes, performed for the event.

The following students were honored for their hard work and achievement:

Vance County High School 

  • Carlos Lopez-Bolanos
  • Timmy Dang
  • Thuy Phuong Nguyen
  • Tommy Dang
  • Andy Ramirez Villeda
  • Sarah Nicole Baldwin
  • Aaliyah Michelle Burt
  • Sherlyn Lindary Rubi Panjoj Quinillo
  • Victoria Samone Williams
  • Kia’Shanti A’Shaye Hargrove
  • Deresha Lenice Bowen-Goodwin
  • Amani Sadae Small
  • Logan Wade Tharpe
  • Chrystyn Ahnayhia Woolridge
  • Tony Bolanos-Armas
  • Jessica Rodriguez Hernandez
  • Alyisha La’Dashye Henderson
  • Rene De Jesus Valencia Antonio
  • Elijah Bryan Fernandez Cueva
  • Aileen Marie Hinojosa
  • Savion Dashawn Yarborough

Advance Academy 

  • Alfred Jameel Solomon

Vance County Early College 

  • Elizabeth Angelinna Lopez Gonzalez
  • Sami Salah Mohsen Hauter
  • Josafat Hernandez-Arellanos
  • Justin Clark Hernandez

Vance Virtual Village Academy 

  • Justice Kiana Jones
  • Derrick Lamont Foster
  • Shane Bristol Sawyer
Vance County Logo

Counties Weigh Revenue Needs Against Tax Rate Levels As June 30 Deadline Approaches

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As counties and municipalities continue to hammer out details for next year’s budgets that are set for adoption by the end of June, residents are awaiting news about whether their tax bills are going to go up. And if so, by how much.

The recent change in value notifications noted spikes in property values since the last revaluation in 2016, which city and county leaders in Vance and other neighboring counties had been quick to point out.

In simple terms, if property values go up (and they did, almost across the board), then the overall tax rate could go down and the amount of tax needed to fund budgets could stay at existing levels.

However, if there are additional projects above and beyond the routine expenditures, then the tax rate may need to be adjusted.

Vance County Manager C. Renee Perry said there have been 329 informal appeals made by property owners, and seven would be continuing on for further review by the Board of Review & Equalization – which is the board of commissioners – on Monday, May 6.

Upcoming budget work sessions would be the time and place to talk about revenue neutrality, she said.

Perry said she expects to send out this week details about an information session that will be held in the county to talk about the revaluation process.

Granville County held a similar event in early April and the Granville County Board of Commissioners is holding budget work sessions at the Granville Convention & Expo Center Monday, May 13, and Wednesday, May 15, and if necessary on Thursday, May 16. Each session begins at 9 a.m.

Granville County Tax Administrator Jennifer Short told WIZS News Wednesday that 1,013 informal appeals were fielded before the April 29 deadline; of those, only one so far will continue to the Board of Equalization and Review.  The deadline for formal appeals is June 3, Short said.

“We are recommending anyone that wants to appeal to contact our office for an appointment date and time to ensure everyone is heard,” Short said in an email. “I would hate to chance someone having to come back because of the possible number of formal appeals and running out of time.”

Counties are scheduled to adopt the new tax rate in June and it would go into effect at the beginning of the new fiscal year, July 1.

According to information contained in a brochure explaining the process in Granville County, until the tax rate is set, it’s not clear how the revaluation numbers will affect individual tax bills.

In Franklin County, property owners have until May 20 to file a formal appeal. According to Franklin County’s Public Information Officer James F. Hicks, III, the vendor contracted to complete appraisals has indicated that “large tracts of land and any assessment that showed more than 100 percent increase would be reviewed again.”

The Franklin County Board of Commissioners will likely receive the proposed budget on May 20 and a public hearing will be in likely in early June., Hicks said.

Sheriff Brame: Five Arrested Tuesday In 3 Counties As Part Of ‘Operation Downrange’

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Five people in three counties suspected of being part of a drug trafficking organization were arrested Tuesday on a range of drug charges to culminate a months-long investigation by multiple law enforcement agencies.

In a press release issued Wednesday, Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame provided details of Operation Downrange.  In addition to the Vance County Sheriff’s Office, the following agencies proved instrumental in the success of this joint investigation, Brame said: Henderson Police Department, NCSBI, DEA, Wake Forest Police Department, Granville County Sheriff’s Office, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Probation Office in Raleigh.

Downrange focused primarily upon the trafficking of kilogram quantities of cocaine hydrochloride by a drug trafficking organization which had established itself within Vance County, Brame stated. The investigation began in August 2023 and its conclusion, Brame said, represents the culmination of thousands of hours of surveillance and other related missions.  It is believed that this organization was directly responsible for the distribution of more than 100 kilograms of cocaine hydrochloride during the course of this investigation.

In the early morning hours of April 16, 2024, numerous search warrants were executed simultaneously in Vance, Wake and Granville counties.

Law enforcement officers had search warrants for 93 Gupton Lane Extension, 383 Ross Ave., 1804 Old Epsom Rd., The Red Roof Inn, 11 Kyle Lane, and a storage unit facility located on Raleigh Road, all Henderson addresses. Additional warrants were served at 102 Dundee Place in Stem and at Lakeside Terrace Court Apartments, Wake Forest.

As a result of this investigation the following arrests were made:

  • Homero Carachure-Garcia – Conspiracy to Traffic 1000 grams of Cocaine Hydrochloride; Currently housed in the Vance County Jail, (Federal Hold)
  • Selena Morales – Conspiracy to Traffic 1000 grams of Cocaine Hydrochloride; Currently housed in the Vance County Jail under a $40,000 bond
  • Elmer Carachure-Garcia – Conspiracy to Traffic 1000 grams of Cocaine Hydrochloride; Traffic in Cocaine by Possession (850 grams); PWIMSD Cocaine; PWIMSD Marijuana; Felony Maintaining a Vehicle; Felony Maintaining a Dwelling; Currently housed in the Vance County Jail under a $140,300 bond
  • Richard Hope Jr. – Possession of Firearm by a Felon; PWIMSD Marijuana; Felony Possession of Marijuana; Felony Maintaining a Dwelling; Bond was posted in the amount of $90,000
  • Derravin Myers – Conspiracy to Traffic 1000 grams of Cocaine Hydrochloride; PWMISD Marijuana; Felony Possession of Marijuana; Felony Maintaining a Dwelling; At that time of arrest, Myers was already out on bond related to a March 13, 2024 incident during which he was found to be in possession of a kilogram of cocaine hydrochloride. He is currently housed in the Granville County Jail without privilege of bond.

Brame said additional arrests are anticipated.

Brame stated that the Vance County Sheriff’s Office extends “our most sincere thanks to all of our partner agencies that provided both their time and resources in an effort to rid our communities of illegal drugs as well as those who would poison our children and families by distributing these substances on our streets.”

SaddleRock Farm Hosts “Henderson Spectacular” For Community On April 27

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The folks at SaddleRock Farm are gearing up for the “Henderson Spectacular” on Saturday, Apr. 27, when the property will be open to the public for a host of activities and fun for the whole family.

Farm owner Larry Johnson and his granddaughter-in-law Emily Parker are weaving in a religious theme into all the activities that will be taking place on Saturday, Apr. 27.

The event is taking place just a few weeks after Easter and they want to spread the word, especially about The Greatest Story Ever Told.

Gates open at 11 a.m. and the fun continues until 3 p.m. Come early, Johnson advised, so you’ll have a chance to enjoy all the activities that are in store.

“I’m blessed to be a part of it…I’m glad to have it at the farm – it’s special,” Parker said in a recent interview with WIZS.

“Our farm furnishes the location,” Johnson said, and New Sandy Creek Baptist Church is a primary sponsor for this year’s “Spectacular,” which will feature horse rides and hayrides, inflatables for the kids to play on, puppet shows and much more.

Then there’s the food – think carnival food like popcorn, sno-cones and drinks to go along with all the outdoor fun – “all for zero cost,” Johnson added.

The farm is a for-profit endeavor, providing riding lessons, field trips and birthday parties throughout the year. But it’s important to Johnson to give back to the community, and hosting the event is his way of going that.

“When I bought that farm, I didn’t buy it for the public, I bought it for my family. Not too long after that, God spoke to my heart and said he had provided that farm…not just for my family but for other people. So when we opened in April 2010, we had a pretty big dedication service and we dedicated that farm to the Lord and his work. We do have to make a living – the farm does have to support itself, but it is dedicated to the Lord and every opportunity we have to provide any service that people can learn more about the Lord, we do that.”

SaddleRock Farm is located at 1786 Weldon’s Mill Rd., Henderson.

Learn About Child Care Options, Challenges At Upcoming Forums

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N.C. Rep. Frank Sossamon is hosting forums to discuss the topic of child care in the area – choices, challenges and access to licensed child care facilities for working families. Featured speaker at the forums is Ariel Ford, director of Child Development and Early Education at the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.

The first forum will be held Tuesday, Apr. 30 at Perry Memorial Library in Henderson; the second forum will be held Thursday, May 23 at The Grand at Oxford Days Inn & Suites, 913 Martin Luther King Jr., Ave., Oxford.

The public is invited to attend the forum at 6 p.m.; there will be a session earlier – 1 p.m. – for individuals interested in opening a child care site. According to information from Sossamon’s office, North Carolina is considered a child care “desert” when it comes to infant/toddler care, with a statewide average of five families with babies competing for every available slot in licensed child care facilities.

The events seek to raise awareness to the child care crisis in the state and the need for more child care opportunities in North Carolina which support children’s healthy development and learning, allow parents to work and keep businesses running.

Last year, 278 child care facilities closed across the state and the demand for child care far surpasses the supply. A recent survey of North Carolina child care programs from the National Association for the Education of Young Children shows 60 percent of facilities are reporting a staffing shortage and 55 percent are under-enrolled due to the lack of staff. Rural counties in North Carolina are disproportionately impacted.

The child care forums are hosted by Representative Frank Sossamon. NCDHHS. Smart Start, Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce, Granville County Chamber of Commerce, Childcare Services Association, local child care centers and others participating.

Join H-V Chamber For “State Of Health Care 2024”

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The Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce is hosting the first “state of” session for 2024 on Tuesday, April 23 to discuss local health care. The deadline to register is Thursday, April 18. Tickets are $30.

Guest speaker for the lunchtime event is Bert Beard, CEO of Maria Parham Health.

The lunch and learn will begin at 12 noon at Southern Charm Event Center, 200 S. Garnett St.

Beard will share updates on a variety of health care topics and is scheduled to discuss what’s happening locally as well as at the state level with Medicaid expansion and access to health care, among other topics.

Call the Chamber office at 252.438.8414 to learn more or email Tanya Wilson at tanya@hendersonvance.org to reserve your seat.

Wanna Be In A Movie? Casting Call For ‘Resurrecting Eden’ April 20 At Clearview Church

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There’s a movie being made right here in Henderson, and producers want to give locals first crack at a casting call on Saturday, Apr. 20.

Budding performers are encouraged to “bring your A game” – A for Acting – when they head over to Clearview Church to meet with producers of “Resurrecting Eden,” the setting of which is Back to Eden Plantation off Satterwhite Point Road.

According to information from the Rev. Dr. Almice Floyd Gill, pastor of Blessed Trinity Ministries, the film’s director and producers will be on hand at the casting call, looking for local talent to be part of the film.

Kenneth Spellman owns Back to Eden, and he’s been working for several years to create a living museum of sorts at the historical property, once owned by the Wortham family. Among the structures on the property is a house where enslaved people lived before the Civil War.

Clearview Church has partnered with Spellman and it’s there that anyone interested is invited to participate. The casting call will be from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Clearview Church is located at 3485 U.S. 158 Business.

“This is an exciting time – I can’t wait to see it unfold,” said Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce President Sandra Wilkerson. “Kenneth is dedicated to Henderson and the community and insisted that the casting call start right here in Henderson prior to reaching out to larger areas of the country.”

Local businesses also have the chance to get their name up in lights, as it were, by becoming a film sponsor. Sponsorship levels range from the Bronze level – $500 – all the way up to Iridium – $20,000.

For more information and to register for the casting call, phone 252.572.2358.