Tag Archive for: #vancecountynews

Town Talk 01/07/20: Girl Scout Cookie Sale Begins This Weekend!

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

Teresa Wimbrow, membership director for Franklin, Granville, Vance and Warren County Girl Scouts, appeared on WIZS Town Talk Tuesday at 11 a.m. Wimbrow discussed the 2020 Girl Scout cookie sale and benefits to the girls involved in the program.

This year’s sale begins Saturday, January 11 at 9 a.m. Wimbrow said the local area should be prepared for “girls ringing your doorbell with cookies in hand.” Cookies will also be available in the coming weeks at booths set up by girl scouts and adult volunteers at local participating businesses and restaurants.

Cookies are available for $4 a box with proceeds being used for trips and activities for the scouts.

Flavors available locally this year include Thin Mints, Caramel deLites, Peanut Butter Patties, Peanut Butter Sandwich, Lemonades, Thanks-A-Lot, Girl Scout S’mores, Shortbread and a gluten-free Caramel Chocolate Chip.

According to Wimbrow, this is expected to be the last year that the Thanks-A-Lot shortbread and chocolate fudge cookies will be available, so if they are your favorite, make sure you stock up. A new cookie will be introduced next year to join the tried and true originals.

Wimbrow, a former educator and basketball, volleyball and softball coach, has been with the Girl Scout organization for 11 years and says she enjoys fulfilling the organization’s motto by helping to “build girls of courage, confidence and character.”

“I love young people and I love this area,” said Wimbrow. “Girl Scouts is a great organization that offers a positive alternative to some of the other things that are happening that get so much negative publicity.”

The four-county area is part of the larger Girl Scout NC Coastal Pines, a council consisting of 41 counties. For information on the Girl Scout cookie program or testimonials from girls and volunteers alike, please visit www.nccoastalpines.org.

If you know someone interested in joining Girl Scouts, have questions or would like to volunteer, please contact Teresa Wimbrow at (252) 438-8103 or email twimbrow@nccoastalpines.org.

To hear the interview with Wimbrow in its entirety, go to WIZS.com and click on Town Talk.

Volunteers, Donations Needed for Local ‘Rise Against Hunger’ Event

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

-Information courtesy Brian Daniel, Rise Against Hunger

A “Rise Against Hunger” meal packing event and ACTS Food Drive will be held on Martin Luther King Day, Monday, January 20, 2020, at the Vance County Regional Farmers Market. The event will be held from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., with two-hour shifts available for volunteers.

The entire community is invited to partner for this exciting community day of service event. The purpose of the event is two-fold: a time to bring the community together, while at the same time helping fight hunger both on a local and international level.

According to event organizers, Vance County Farm Bureau has graciously endorsed the drive, providing the Farmers Market facility for the venue and seed money to launch this fundraising campaign. 

Donations are requested to help reach the fundraising goal of $17,280 (50,000 meals), and 1,600 non-perishable canned or box goods for ACTS of Henderson! All checks should be made payable to Rise Against Hunger, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.

Requested food donation items include dry pasta, peanut butter, boxes of cereal, bags of rice, dried beans, gallon size string beans, corn, peas, canned soup and broth.

For secure online donations and volunteer opportunities, visit https://events.riseagainsthunger.org/Vance. For additional information on the event, please email Brian Daniel at hendersonhawk96@gmail.com.

The Vance County Regional Farmers Market is located at 210 Southpark Drive (off Beckford Dr.) in Henderson.

Henderson Police Department

Town Talk 01/06/20: HPD Chief Marcus Barrow Discusses New Year, Firearms

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THIS STORY IS PRESENTED IN PART BY DRAKE DENTISTRY

Henderson Police Chief Marcus Barrow appeared on WIZS Town Talk Monday at 11 a.m.

Barrow, who was happy to report that the Henderson Police Department is starting the new year fully staffed, discussed numerous topics including the discharge of firearms inside city limits, the sheer number of guns in both the community and the country as a whole and the right to bear arms.

Plans for new initiatives for the new year, including a possible local version of the national “Coffee With a Cop” open community dialogue program, are already underway. To be more inclusive of the entire community, Barrow said the department is looking at changing the name of the program to shift the focus from law enforcement to citizen input and discussion.

The HPD is currently in talks with the newly opened Sadie’s Coffee Corner in downtown Henderson to provide the location and, of course, the coffee.

To hear the interview with Barrow in its entirety, go to WIZS.com and click on Town Talk.

‘Into the Woods’ to Bring Modern Fairy Tale Twist to McGregor Hall

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

-Information courtesy McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center

McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center is gearing up for its presentation of “Into the Woods,” a fully staged Broadway-style musical presented with a live, professional orchestra.

Evening performances include Sat., February 1, Fri., February 7 and Sat., February 8 at 8 p.m. Matinee performances will be offered at 2 p.m. on Sun., February 2 and Sun., February 9, 2020.

Stephen Sondheim’s masterpiece “Into the Woods” is a modern twist on the beloved fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm, entwining the classic stories of Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel, and Little Red Riding Hood with an original story about a baker and his wife wishing to start a family and live a more wonderful life. The moral of this story? Be careful what you wish for!

Tickets for this event may be purchased by:

DROP-IN: 201 Breckenridge Street, Henderson, N.C. Monday – Friday 1:30 – 5:30 p.m

CALL: (252) 598-0662 (M-F 1:30 – 5:30 p.m.)

CLICK HERE: www.McGregorHall.org  (Use the eTix official site, online fees apply)

(This is not a paid advertisement)

Vance County Logo

County Awaiting Testing Results Before Resuming Fire Restructuring Talks

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

In a brief update to WIZS, Vance County Commissioner Dan Brummitt stated that restructuring of the volunteer fire departments, a topic that has been much discussed and debated in recent months, is currently in a holding pattern pending test results.

“Most of the fire departments underwent testing for fire ratings, and we are waiting on the results before we proceed,” said Brummitt. “Preliminary results indicate that they all did well, and we should see some ability for insurance rates to be lowered in some parts of the county.”

Under the current fire restructuring proposal, paid part-time positions would be added to the County’s volunteer fire departments with the exception of the Vance County Fire Department, which would remain as currently structured.

“As soon as we get official test results, we anticipate starting the conversation again,” Brummitt said.

Vance County NC

Officials Estimate $15K Grant Will Remove 10 Abandoned Mobile Homes

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THIS STORY IS PRESENTED IN PART BY DRAKE DENTISTRY

Vance County Manager Jordan McMillen provided WIZS with the following summary of the County’s recent award of a $15,000 grant to remove abandoned mobile homes:

The County applied for a grant through the Division of Environmental Assistance and Customer Service which is under the State’s Department of Environmental Quality. We applied for $40,000 and were awarded $15,000.

This program has been on our radar since our first two iterations with it in 2010 and 2016. Our Board mentioned an interest in the program during their retreat last year in January and, once the funding was finalized in this year’s state budget, we had our Solid Waste Department prepare the application.

The funds will come to the County and is for the deconstruction, removal and disposal of abandoned mobile homes. We believe these funds, coupled with our matching requirement of $7,500 and with the participation fee, will remove approximately 10 units.

We will choose which units to address based upon a first-come-first-serve interest from property owners. First, we will inspect the unit to ensure it is abandoned and in a condition where it should be removed, and then we will handle the selection of a contractor to complete the work.

This program has been very satisfying because it gets right at beautifying our community. When we received the funding in 2010, there were multiple highly visible units that were removed. I recall one instance on NC 39 North where two abandoned mobile homes were right along the roadway, and every time folks traveled to the lake it was a visible blight. We are hoping this latest round of funding will allow us to identify and work with property owners to do the same.

For more information about the Division of Environmental Assistance and Customer Service’s Abandoned Manufactured Homes (AMH) Grant Program, please click here.

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Vance Co. Board of Commissioners to Meet Mon., Jan. 6

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

-Information courtesy Kelly H. Grissom, Clerk to Board/Executive Asst., County of Vance

The Vance County Board of Commissioners will meet Monday, January 6, 2020, at 6 p.m. in the Commissioners’ Meeting Room, 122 Young Street, Henderson. The Invocation will be given by Mary Anderson, associate minister of Shiloh Baptist Church.

Agenda items include:

1. Public Comments (for those registered to speak by 5:45 p.m. – speakers are limited to five minutes)

2. Public Hearing – 6 p.m. – FY 2020-21 Budget

3. Public Hearing – 6:15 p.m. – Angie Blount, County Planner Zoning Ordinance Text Amendment

4. Water District Board

a. Staff Report

b. Monthly Operations Report

5. County Manager’s Report

a. Schedule Annual Planning Retreat

b. NCDOT Agreement – Warrenton Road Solid Waste Project

6. Consent Agenda Items

a. Tax Refunds and Releases

b. Ambulance Charge-Offs

c. Monthly Reports

d. Minutes

7. Miscellaneous

a. Appointments

Click here to view current and prior Board agendas.

H-V Chamber Logo

Reminder: Jan. 8 Last Day to Apply for Chamber’s 2020 Leadership Vance

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

-Information courtesy the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce

It’s time to apply for Leadership Vance! If you haven’t been through the Chamber’s Leadership Vance program, you don’t want to miss the 2020 session.

Leadership Vance is a proven, structured program, designed to create a corps of informed and dedicated emerging leaders in our community. Upon graduation, program participants will be qualified to meet the present and future challenges facing Henderson and Vance County.

Leadership Vance will inform, challenge and educate participants on the opportunities and needs of the community. Participants will strengthen their leadership skills while learning about the social, economic, and political dynamics that shape our community.

Leadership Vance will encourage the development of interpersonal relationships among the participants and establish an ongoing resource network.

The intensive training and exposure to all aspects of the community will provide participants with the historical background and the skills necessary for volunteer, civic and community positions. It will also benefit participants in their business and career goals.

Individuals who live or work in Vance County are invited to apply. A select number of participants will be chosen by the Leadership Vance Selection Committee and will represent all backgrounds, occupations and geographic areas of Vance County.

To receive maximum benefit from Leadership Vance, it is essential that participants and their employers be willing to commit the time necessary for successful completion of the program. A participant is expected to attend all sessions, barring extreme emergencies. A maximum of two excused absences is permitted in order to graduate from the Leadership Vance program. All participants are expected to plan and participate as a team in a community service project.

The program cost is $350 for Chamber members and $425 for non-Chamber members. The tuition fee includes all course materials, meals, retreat expenses, travel, graduation banquet and diploma.

All participants should submit a completed application to the Chamber office no later than Wednesday, January 8, 2020.

For more information, contact Sandra Wilkerson at (252) 438-8414 or by email at sandra@hendersonvance.org.

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Commissioners to Hold Public Hearings on 2020-21 Budget, Middleburg Zoning

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THIS STORY IS PRESENTED IN PART BY DRAKE DENTISTRY

-Information courtesy Kelly H. Grissom, Clerk to Board/Executive Asst., County of Vance

The Vance County Board of Commissioners will conduct a FY 2020-21 Pre-Budget Public Hearing at 6 p.m., or shortly thereafter, on Monday, January 6, 2020, in the Commissioners’ Meeting Room at 122 Young Street, Henderson, NC.

The board will soon begin work on developing next year’s county budget and is interested in receiving suggestions and priorities from residents to help them in the development of the budget. This is one of two public hearings that will be held on the budget.

The county manager will submit a recommended budget in May and a second public hearing will be held on the proposed budget on June 1, 2020. The board will adopt the FY 2019-20 Budget no later than July 1, 2020.

The Vance County Board of Commissioners will also hold a public meeting on Monday, January 6, 2020, at 6 p.m., or shortly thereafter, to hear a recommendation from the Vance County Planning Board to approve an amendment adding the town limits of Middleburg to the Vance County Zoning Jurisdiction.

All interested parties are encouraged to attend and present their views on the matter.

No Charge Food Distribution Scheduled for Thurs., Jan. 9

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

-Information courtesy Betty Boyd, First Baptist Church

The Second Thursday No Charge Food Distribution will be held on Thursday, January 9, 2020, from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. at the Vance County Regional Farmers Market, off Beckford Drive in Henderson.

Participants remain in their vehicles and volunteers place a box of fresh fruits and vegetables inside the car at no cost to the recipient. No identification is required, and no information is collected.

An area partnership of St. James Missionary Baptist Church, First Baptist Church, NC Cooperative Extension Office, Vance County Social Services and the Food Bank of Central & Eastern NC, the monthly distribution supplements the food resources of the Vance County community.