Tag Archive for: #vancecountynews

Duke Energy

Duke Energy Reports First Storm Outages, Provides Important Reminders

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

Please check the WIZS website, Facebook page and listen live to WIZS 1450 AM and 100.1 FM for storm updates. The latest briefing from the National Weather Service can be found any time by clicking here.

-Information courtesy Tanya Evans, District Manager, Duke Energy

We are beginning to see the first storm-related outages this afternoon as Hurricane Dorian storm bands reach our state. And while we aren’t expecting hurricane force winds locally, we do anticipate severe weather conditions which will lead to outages.

Across the state, we are still projecting as many as 700,000 customers or more could experience extended outages from this storm.

How to see outages in your area

See the outage map at www.duke-energy.com/outages.

You can view outages in a few ways. On all devices, you can use the search bar to find a specific address or location.

When looking at the map, you will see circle icons of varying sizes indicating the location and number of customers without power. One outage on the map could represent multiple homes and businesses. Pan the map and select a circle to zoom in on your location.

Or you can select the zoom (+/-) in the lower right corner of the map, and then use the mouse to drag left, right, up or down to navigate to the location you want to view. Or, you can select the zoom (+/-) in the lower right corner of the map, and then use the mouse to drag left, right, up or down to navigate to the location you want to view.

On a mobile device, use the pinch open gesture to zoom in and the pinch close gesture to zoom out, and then use the drag gesture to move the outage map to the desired location.

Email and text communication

We have been sharing prepare messages and updates with customers who have email addresses registered with us. In addition, a text message was sent today to customers who do not have an email on file with us:

“Duke Energy Storm: Dorian is bringing high winds & excessive rainfall to parts of our state. Prepare for dangerous conditions & extended outages. Our crews are nearby and ready to move as soon as conditions allow.  Visit https://duk.us/06 for latest info. Heed all warnings and stay safe. Text STOP to cancel.”

 Outage reporting  

Customers who experience an outage during the storm can report it by:

Visiting duke-energy.com on a desktop computer or mobile device.

Texting OUT to 57801 (standard text and data charges may apply).

Calling the automated outage-reporting system at 800.419.6356.

For storm or power restoration updates, follow Duke Energy on Twitter (@DukeEnergy) and Facebook (Duke Energy). See the outage map at www.duke-energy.com/outages.

Important reminders

The following tips can help you and your family stay safe if the power goes out:

  • Stay away from power lines that have fallen or are sagging. Consider all lines energized as well as trees, limbs or anything in contact with lines.
  • Charge cellphones, computers and other electronic devices in advance of the storm to stay connected to important safety and response information. Consider purchasing portable chargers and make sure they are fully charged as well.
  • Maintain a plan to move family members – especially those with special needs – to a safe, alternative location in case an extended power outage occurs or evacuation is required.
  • Pet owners should make arrangements to stay at evacuation shelters that accept pets; friends’ or family members’ homes; or pet-friendly hotels.
  • Report all power line hazards using the following phone numbers:
  • Duke Energy Carolinas customers – 800.769.3766
  • Duke Energy Progress customers – 800.419.6356
  • Please do not use 911 to report a downed power line unless it is a life-threatening emergency. If a power line falls across a car that you’re in, stay in the car and dial 911. If you MUST get out of the car due to a fire or other immediate life-threatening situation, do your best to jump clear of the car and land on both feet. Be sure that no part of your body is touching the car when your feet touch the ground.Click here for a video demonstration and to read more about safety around power lines.

Vance Co. Schools Surpass State Graduation Rate for First Time

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

-Press Release, Vance County Schools

The performance of the Vance County Public Schools ticked up last year in several areas and revealed areas needing continued focus on the state’s annual School Performance Grade accountability measurements. This year more schools met or exceeded expectations for student gains and more schools earned grades of C or better than in previous years. VCS also posted the highest graduation rate in the history of the district.

At the end of our first year with our newly consolidated schools, while improvements were made at both schools, these data reveal mixed reviews. Vance County High School, while improving its biology scores by 26 points from 23% in 2018 to 49.4% in 2019, earned a school performance grade of D, missing improving their overall grade to a C, by less than one percentage point.

Additionally, Vance County Middle School, while making tremendous progress including increases in grade level proficiency by 6.2 points in reading from 30% in 2018 to 36.2% in 2019; 12 points in math, from 13.9% in 2018 to 26.4% in 2019 and 20.5 points in science from 34% in 2018 to 54.7% in 2019, earned a school performance grade of F. This was extremely disappointing, as they missed earning the next letter grade of D, by less than .04 of a percent.

The district also had several other bright spots in the report – 9 of 15 schools (60%) earned a letter grade of C or better.

Two schools – STEM Early High Middle School and Vance County Early College High School – earned the School Performance Grade of A.

Seven schools – Aycock, Carver, Clarke, Dabney, LB Yancey, Pinkston, and Zeb Vance – earned the School Performance Grade of C.

Four schools – EM Rollins, EO Young, New Hope and VCHS – earned the School Performance Grade of D and one school – VCMS earned the School Performance Grade of F.

8 of 15 schools (54%) met or exceeded growth – VCECHS, STEM-EH, Aycock, Carver, Dabney, EO Young, New Hope, and Pinkston Street.

Additionally, we are extremely proud of our STEM Early High Middle School and Vance County Early College students who posted perfect scores of 100% on the 8th grade science end-of-grade test and the Biology end-of-course exam.

We are also pleased to report that our 2018-2019 graduation rate is 86.7%, compared to the states graduation rate of 86.4.  This represents an increase of four-points over last year’s four-year graduation rate and a 21.8 point increase in six years.  This is the highest graduation rate in the district’s history and the first time VCS has ever surpassed the state average.

Superintendent, Dr. Anthony Jackson said, “This is a tremendous accomplishment and credit must be given to our entire team. We have worked diligently to implement strategies over the last few years to address the graduation rate and we are pleased to see a return on these efforts.”

Six years ago, Vance County Schools’ posted a graduation rate of 64.9% – the lowest in the state. “The graduation rate this year is a huge jump and we certainly are proud of that,” said Jackson. “The high school diploma gives our students options after graduation to pursue higher education, enlist in the military or to join the workforce prepared to be successful. We will not be satisfied until all of our students graduate on time, the stakes are too high to accept otherwise.”

The district is already working to address areas of deficit, train staff and implement new structures to support students. The district invites the community to its annual State of OUR Schools address on Wednesday, September 25, 2019, at 6 p.m. at Vance County High School to hear both our challenges and accomplishments as well as our plans for continuous improvement.

Town Talk 09/05/19: H-V Crime Stoppers to Hold 24th Annual Banquet

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

The 24th Annual Henderson-Vance Crime Stoppers Awards Banquet will be held Thursday, September 19, 2019, at Vance-Granville Community College’s Civic Center at 6:30 p.m.

James Baines, Crime Stoppers president, was on Thursday’s edition of WIZS’ Town Talk to encourage the public and business community to support the organization’s largest fundraiser of the year.

Individual tickets for $12 and reservation of tables are available by contacting Lorraine Watkins at Henderson’s Screen Master on S. Garnett St., John Faucette at Carolina Carpet & Flooring on Parham Street or by calling Baines at (252) 430-9218.

Speaker for the occasion will be Secretary of State Elaine Marshall, with dinner provided by Ted Wheeler Catering.

The Tom Long Memorial Award, Sam Pearson Memorial Award, Community Award and Citizen of the Year Award, among others, will be issued to deserving community members and are always a big draw for the banquet.

“I’m hoping the community will come out and support Crime Stoppers because we support our community and our law enforcement,” Baines said.

To hear Baines’ interview 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

Adopt-A-Highway Volunteers Needed to Tackle Local Litter Problem

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

-Press Release, Vance County Appearance Commission

The Vance County Appearance Commission is seeking help from citizens in our community to join together to improve the appearance of Henderson and Vance County.

We can all help with this endeavor by doing some small and easy things like throwing trash in proper receptacles, recycling appropriate items and doing what we can to keep the property around our homes and businesses as clean and orderly as possible.

Through the years, we have found that citizens joining the N.C. Adopt-A-Highway Program have made a real difference in improving the appearance of our community with their efforts. Groups who join the Adopt-A-Highway Program simply commit to cleaning up a two-mile stretch of a roadside in our county at least four times each year and report their clean-up efforts to the N.C. Department of Transportation (NCDOT).

Officials with NCDOT will post signs at each end of the adopted section of roadside with the Adopt-A-Highway group’s name on the signs to show their participation in the program. The local Adopt-A-Highway coordinator will work with each group to record their efforts and ensure they have the proper materials, including safety vests, gloves and bags for trash and recyclables, for cleanups.

Individuals and groups joining the Adopt-A-Highway must sign a contract with NCDOT agreeing to remove litter from their adopted roadside a minimum of four times each year. Contracts initially are for four years and can be renewed at the end of the four-year period and if the required number of cleanups have been completed. Volunteers in the Adopt-A-Highway Program also receive safety training.

To become involved in the N.C. Adopt-A-Highway Program, interested persons may visit the N.C. Department of Transportation website at https://apps.ncdot.gov/LM/ or call 1-800-331-5864 for information on the program and how to contact the local program coordinator.

We have about 60 Adopt-A-Highway groups now in Vance County, but we hope local citizens will get involved to create more participating groups to help deal with the roadside litter problems we have in our county. Such efforts would greatly enhance our work to improve the appearance of Vance County.

Our County Appearance Commission also continues to work with county officials to increase recycling efforts in households and businesses, clean up abandoned and unkept properties and encourage the Sheriff’s Department to hire a full-time litter control officer.

To deal with our littering, illegal dumping and abandoned properties issues in an effective manner, it will take all of us working together.

National Weather Service

Local Dorian Effects to Begin Late Thursday, Significant Impact Not Expected

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

Information courtesy Brian K. Short, director of Henderson-Vance County Emergency Operations

Please check the WIZS website, Facebook page and listen live to WIZS 1450 AM and 100.1 FM for storm updates. The latest briefing from the National Weather Service can be found any time by clicking here.

Hurricane Dorian is now expected to maintain its category 2 status as it approaches our coast. Additionally, the Tropical Storm Warnings have been extended inland to now include Franklin and Wake County.

If the current track and timing of the storm hold true, we should begin to feel the effects of the storm late Thursday afternoon and evening. At the height of the storm we can expect periods of heavy rain and wind gusts of up to 35 mph that could cause isolated downed trees, blocked roadways and power outages, but overall our impact is not expected to be severe.

Vance County and the City of Henderson remain under a local State of Emergency and will continue to be as long as needed.

At this time, we do not plan to implement any additional emergency protective measures and do not feel that our impact will be significant enough to open any emergency shelters.

The 911 center will be overstaffed throughout the event just in case there is a surge of emergency calls.

Please like and follow us on Facebook – Vance County Emergency Operations – to stay informed on current preparedness efforts and other storm related information.

‘Cops on Top’ Event at Chick-fil-A POSTPONED Due to Weather

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

Due to the threat of inclement weather from Hurricane Dorian, the “Cops on Top” Fundraiser originally scheduled for September 5 has been postponed and will now be held on Tuesday, October 15, 2019, from 6 a.m. until 5 p.m. at Chick-fil-A of Henderson.

Officers and deputies from the Henderson Police Department and Vance County Sheriff’s Office will be collecting donations at the restaurant’s drive-through and side entrances. Money raised will cover the expenses Vance County athletes incur while participating in the Special Olympics.

A bouncy house and face painting will be provided by BoHo the Clown with Character Antics. Guest appearances by kid-friendly characters are also scheduled.

Please mark your calendars for this rescheduled event!

Vance County Logo

Vance Co. Technology Committee to Discuss Broadband Wi-Fi Hotspots

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

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

Please be informed that Vance County’s Technology Committee (Brummitt, Feimster, Taylor) is scheduled to meet Wednesday, September 11, 2019, at 4 p.m. in the Administrative Conference Room of the Vance County Administration Building located at 122 Young Street in Henderson.

Broadband Wi-Fi hotspots will be discussed.

National Weather Service

Hurricane Dorian Updates – Sept. 3; County & City Issue State of Emergency

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

Information courtesy Brian K. Short, director of Henderson-Vance County Emergency Operations

Please check the WIZS website, Facebook page and listen live to WIZS 1450 AM and 100.1 FM for storm updates throughout the week. The latest briefing from the National Weather Service can be found any time by clicking here.

Hurricane Dorian has begun making its northerly turn and is headed our way. The storm has decreased now down to a category 2 but is still expected to track very close to our coast as a category 2 storm.

As of now, we can still expect wind gusts of 15 – 35 mph and periods of heavy rain. Localized urban and flash flooding is also likely. Isolated downed trees and power outages are also possible. Presently, we should begin to feel the storm’s effect late Wednesday evening into early Thursday morning. Rainy and windy conditions will likely be present throughout the day Thursday and into Thursday night. By mid-day Friday, the storm should have moved on.

The local Vance County Emergency Operations Center will partially activate with EM staff only as of 9 a.m. tomorrow (Wednesday). We will also escalate to a readiness level of 1 at that time.

Today, we conducted a local officials briefing at 11 a.m. in the EOC to lay out our local response posture and we will continue to coordinate with our local response agencies over the coming days.

We will also continue to have daily conference calls with State EM, the National Weather Service and other State agencies throughout the week as well.

We continue to recommend that our residents begin basic storm preparation activities of their own if they have not already done so.

At this time we do not believe our level of impact will require the opening of a shelter. If that changes, we will utilize our Code Red community alert and notification system and social media to get the information out to our citizens.

We will be issuing a local Proclamation of a State of Emergency for the City of Henderson and Vance County as of 5 p.m. today. Presently, there are no public restrictions in place, however a curfew could be implemented if travel becomes hazardous due to fallen trees, blocked roads or downed power lines.

Please keep in mind, if you should experience a power loss, it could take several days to get it restored depending on our level of impact. We encourage those of you that do not have an alternative power source available to charge your personal devices (phones, laptops, etc.) and, in particular, those devices that provide a life sustaining function for you, such as a portable oxygen concentrator.

Please remember that 911 is for emergencies only. We will be overstaffed for the event, but our telecommunicators will likely be extremely busy handling emergency calls. Processing nonemergency calls could delay help getting to a person with a true emergency.

Please like and follow us on Facebook – Vance County Emergency Operations – to stay informed on current preparedness efforts and other storm related information.
Vance County Sheriff's Office

Two Arrested in Brewer Cycle Identity Theft Case

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

-Press Release, Vance County Sheriff’s Office

On August 30, 2019, the Vance County Sheriff’s Office conducted an undercover operation with the assistance of Brewer Cycles in an effort to apprehend suspects committing identity theft. The suspects used a stolen identity in an effort to purchase an ATV valued at over $15,000.

With help from the Henderson Police Department and the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, both suspects were arrested.

Steven Bronson and Gregory Davis, both of Fayetteville, NC, were arrested and charged with identity theft, obtaining property by false pretense and unlawful access to a computer network to commit fraud.

Bronson was held on a $50,000 bond and Davis on a $100,000 bond.

The Vance County Sheriff’s Office is committed to working cooperatively with citizens, local businesses and other law enforcement agencies to enhance the safety of our county.

Sheriff Curtis R. Brame

Town Talk 09/03/19: 10th Annual Ducky Derby to Feature Festival-Like Atmosphere

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

Franklin-Granville-Vance Smart Start will hold its annual Ducky Derby Festival and rubber duck race, a fundraiser for the local Smart Start program, on Saturday, September 21, 2019, in downtown Henderson. The festival begins at 12 p.m. on Breckenridge Street between Perry Memorial Library and the Henderson Police Department.

According to Garry Daeke, development coordinator for F-G-V, this year’s activities include a bounce house and slide, face painting, corn hole, ring toss, balloon animals and performances by the Baby Shark and Paw Patrol characters.

Vendors will be on hand serving hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken, sausage dogs, fish sandwiches, corn on the cob, funnel cakes, ice cream and snow cones.

Entertainment will include a DJ, singing performances from several daycare programs, music from Henderson Collegiate, Mary Potter Elementary School band and choir and the drumline from Granville Central High School.

The YMCA will lead line dancing and Zumba in the street and children will have the opportunity to man a real firehose with the assistance of the Henderson Fire Department.

Each child that attends the event will receive a free book, courtesy of Smart Start. Parents will also have the opportunity to enroll any child age birth to 5 in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, a program that sends a book each month to children at their home.

“Our goal is to enroll 1,000 more children from this area into the program,” said Daeke. “We recently reached over 3,000 children enrolled and we are trying to get to 4,000 before the year is over. That would put us at 45-50% of the young children in the Franklin, Granville and Vance County areas that will be getting books in the mail.”

Safe Kids will also be present and will set up childcare safety seat inspections.

At 2 p.m., the entertainment switches to Garnett Street, where the rubber duck race will take place. Up to 2,000 rubber ducks will be poured into the Garnett Street “river” by a Greystone Concrete cement mixer.

The first duck to cross the finish line at Orange Street wins $1,000, second place $500 and third place finish is $250. Even the last duck to cross the finish line wins $100. There will be an additional drawing with one lucky winner receiving free “Chick-fil-A for a year,” a set of 52 meal tickets. Winners of the prizes do not have to be present to win.

In Henderson, tickets are on sale at EZ Car Care, Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce and State Employees Credit Union. All Smart Start staff and board members also have tickets, please call (252) 433-9110.

Tickets will also be on sale the day of the race. Ducks are $5 each, a “Quack Pack” of 6 tickets is $25 and a “Flock” of 25 tickets is available for $100.

Sponsors include:

Super Duck: Duke Energy, Union Bank, Granville Medical Center, Boyd & Royster Funeral Services

Top Duck: Charles Boyd Chevrolet and Cardinal Innovations

Feathered Friends: Henderson Family Dentistry, United Healthcare, Wester Realty, Greystone Concrete, City of Henderson, Chick-fil-A and Rose Oil Co.

To hear Daeke’s interview 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.