-Information courtesy Perry Memorial Library’s website
The Perry Memorial Library, 205 Breckenridge St. in downtown Henderson, will be closed through Sunday, April 28, 2019 for painting.
The library will reopen with normal operating hours on Monday, April 29.
And stay tuned because next week Patti McAnally, director of Perry Memorial Library will join WIZS on TownTalk.
-Press Release, NCDA&CS
As the weather turns warmer and many North Carolinians make travel plans for the summer months, the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Standards Division is offering a few tips on how to stay safe at the pump after a recent uptick in credit card skimmers have been found.
In the first quarter of 2019, inspectors with the NCDA&CS Standards Division and partnering local authorities found 23 credit card skimmers in gas pumps around the state through routine inspections at the pump. That compares to five skimmers in the first quarter of 2018 and 37 over the entire year.
Also of note is that 11 of the 23 skimmers found in the first quarter were found in Johnston County. This includes five at one location in the town of Selma, and implies a concerted effort to target the Johnston County area with skimmers. Skimmers were also found in Davidson, Mecklenburg and Polk counties.
“On return visits, we found that some of the same stores were hit a second time after the first device was already removed. This leads me to believe that someone is, or at least was, actively working this area,” said Chad Parker, Standards Division measurement section manager. “We have completed our sweep and now our inspector is returning to these stores for his annual inspections.”
Skimmers are electronic devices placed inside a gas pump which collect data whenever a credit or debit card transaction is made at that pump. The owner of the skimmer then returns and collects the device, along with the credit or debit card information stored on it.
For the average customer, there is no way of knowing if there is a skimmer inside a pump, said Parker. Despite that, there are a few steps that consumers can take to reduce the risk of having their information stolen.
The Standards Division inspects gas dispensers for accuracy and fuel quality. Inspectors with the division check dispensers for the presence of skimmers by request, complaint or during routine gas pump inspection.
Lindsey Bickers Bock, health education supervisor with the Granville-Vance Public Health Department, was on Thursday’s edition of WIZS’ Town Talk program to discuss the Prescription Drug Take Back event taking place in Oxford this weekend.
Held in conjunction with the Drug Enforcement Agency’s 17th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, the local event will be held on Saturday, April 27, 2019, from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. at Professional Pharmacy, 140 Roxboro Rd (near Food Lion) in Oxford.
The event is a partnership between G-V Public Health, Professional Pharmacy, Triangle North Healthcare Foundation, Cardinal Innovations Healthcare and Harm Reduction Coalition NC.
“We invite the community to bring any type of medication that they aren’t using anymore, as well as any used or unused syringes, to Professional Pharmacy on Saturday and let us help you dispose of them in a safe way,” said Bickers Bock.
Participants are asked to bring medication and syringes in their original containers and to mark over or scratch out identifying information; no personal information is required for participation.
According to Bickers Bock, the event is also an opportunity to educate the public about potential prescription drug abuse and consequences.
“The Take Back event is done as part of the Vibrant Coalition that works to reduce the risk of an opioid overdose. We know that one of the ways people end up misusing opioids is by having too much medication available to them after needing the prescription for only a short time.”
In fact, Bickers Bock said studies have shown that having just a five-day supply more than needed makes a person twice as likely to use opioids a year later.
In a recent press release sent to WIZS concerning the National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr., expressed concern about the on-going opioid crisis both state-wide and on the national level.
“Across the county and here in the Eastern District of North Carolina, we are facing a real and dangerous threat from opioids and other prescription drugs,” said Higdon. “We have unprecedented levels of addiction, frightening numbers of overdoses and an alarming number of deaths because of the over prescription and improper use of these drugs. And this requires each of us to work to solve it. By properly disposing of prescription medication we do not need, we can reduce the risk that these drugs will fall into the wrong hands. Please help us resolve this problem by participating in the National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.”
For more information on G-V Public Health and/or the Prescription Drug Take Back event being held in Oxford, please visit www.gvph.org. With additional questions, please contact Bickers Bock at (919) 693-2141, ext. 148 or email lbickersbock@gvdhd.org.
To locate a collection site that may be closer to you, please go the DEA Prescription Drug Take Back Day web site at https://takebackday.dea.gov/#collection-locator where you can search by zip code, city or state.
To hear the Town Talk interview with Bickers Bock in its entirety, click here. Bickers Bock’s portion of the interview begins at the 12:38 mark.
-Press Release, Vance County Schools
Vance County Schools honored the over 275 school volunteers and business partners who are involved in supporting our 15 public schools for the 2018-2019 school year at the annual Volunteer/Business Partner Recognition Reception held on April 24. The event was held at the Henderson Country Club.
During the event, Jack Richardson, a long-time volunteer at both Dabney and Pinkston Street elementary schools, was named the school system’s Volunteer of the Year for 2018-2019. Richardson was presented with the district volunteer award by Dr. Michael Putney, principal of Dabney, and Dr. Jacqueline Batchelor-Crosson, principal of Pinkston Street.
Jack Richardson, center, holds the plaque he received as the Vance County Schools Volunteer of the Year after it was presented to him by Dr. Michael Putney, principal of Dabney Elementary School, left, and Dr. Jacqueline Batchelor-Crosson, principal of Pinkston Street Elementary School, right. (Photo courtesy VCS)
Richardson has volunteered at both of the elementary schools for almost 15 years. He goes into the schools two to three days each week to tutor children in reading and mathematics. Both principals praise Richardson for his dedication to the children and his determination to have children adopt a love for reading and confidence in their math skills.
In addition to Richardson, 10 more school Volunteers of the Year were honored during the event. They were each presented with plaques by Dorothy Gooche, chairperson of the Vance County Board of Education and Superintendent Anthony Jackson.
School Volunteers of the Year include: Betty Jo Pernell of Aycock Elementary School; Johanna Ragland of Carver Elementary School; JoAnne Allen of Clarke Elementary School; Eboni Terry of New Hope Elementary School; Susan Freeman of E.M. Rollins Elementary School; Rev. Ronald Regular of L.B. Yancey Elementary School; Richard Brand of E.O. Young, Jr. Elementary School; Cedric Hinton of Zeb Vance Elementary School; Leslie Walthall of STEM Early High School; and Norma Moore of Vance County Middle School.
There were 43 more outstanding volunteers and business partners recognized with awards by our schools during the reception.
The most outstanding business partners include those nominated for the school system’s Shining Moment in Education Award. Those partners honored were First United Methodist Church, which earned the prestigious Shining Moment Award as the top business partner for the school system. Other Shining Moment partners include Clearview Baptist Church, Cokesbury United Methodist Church, Flat Rock United Methodist Church, Henderson Family YMCA, Henderson Toyota, I Believe God Outreach Church, Optimist Club of Henderson, South Henderson Pentecostal Holiness Church and St. Paul United Church of Christ.
The third annual Vance County Schools’ Arts Alive! event will be held at the McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center in Henderson this Saturday, April 27, 2019. The showcase will feature student talent in a variety of art forms including painting, drawing, dancing, singing and performance. All grade levels will be represented.
Parents, students, family, educators and community members are invited to view over 200 pieces of student artwork that will be displayed in the McGregor Hall Gallery beginning at 3 p.m. Gallery viewing is free of charge.
In addition to the art gallery, approximately 20 performing acts ranging from large to small groups of vocalists, musicians, dancers and more will entertain on McGregor Hall’s stage beginning at 7 p.m.
Tickets for the Arts Alive! show are available for purchase at McGregor Hall’s box office beginning at 3 p.m. on Saturday. Tickets for adults and children are $5 each; all seating is general admission.
New this year will be a series of “master classes” offered in singing, dancing and musical instruments the morning of the event. Classes will be offered by Hill’s Music Shoppe, Ballet Arts All Stars and Wolf Trap Education.
Master classes are free of charge and will either be offered at McGregor Hall or across the street at First Baptist Church in Henderson.
For more information on each class, locations or to register, please visit the Vance County Schools website by clicking here.
-Information and photos courtesy Kelly Smith, Nutbush Presbyterian Church
Nutbush Presbyterian Church in Townsville, NC will be the site of a clothing giveaway on Saturday, April 27, 2019, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Men’s, women’s and children’s clothing and shoes will be available.
-Information courtesy the Kerr Lake Park Watch’s Facebook page
Kerr Lake Park Watch is working on updating priorities for the seven NC State Recreation Areas on Kerr Lake – Kimball Point, County Line, Bullocksville, Satterwhite Point (JC Cooper), Nutbush, Hibernia and Henderson Point. (NORTH CAROLINA PARKS ONLY, we will poll on VA & US Army Corps of Engineers parks soon.)
We want to show state parks personnel how park attendees feel about park improvements.
Please visit the Kerr Lake Park Watch’s Facebook page (click here) and respond with which of the below two options you would prefer:
OPTION #1 – Do you want more campsites that are upgraded to RV status with 30/50 AMP, room for RV slides, 13.5 ft high, room for awnings and with a defined camping area? If so, respond – RV/Cabin Upgrades to camp.
OPTION #2 – Do you want more day-use areas, swimming beaches, hiking trails? If so, respond – DAY Use Upgrades.
NOTE: If you have other park suggestions, please send an email to info@kerrlakeparkwatch.org. YOU MUST INCLUDE your name, city of residence or where you receive mail, and your email; sending any other contact information is appreciated.
Kerr Lake Park Watch will never give or sell your information to any public or private entity.
Kendrick Vann, director of Henderson-Vance Recreation & Parks, along with Tara Goolsby, facilities manager, and Victor Hunt, program specialist, were on Wednesday’s edition of WIZS’ Town Talk program to discuss department updates.
According to Vann, the Recreation Department is currently working with City of Henderson and Vance County officials to obtain a park and recreation trust fund grant totaling $500,000 to build a new public park at the corner of Williams and Montgomery Street in Henderson. Vann said the current plan asks the City and County to match dollar for dollar up to $250,000.
If the grant is obtained, funding will be used to build a skate park, bike park, splash pad, outdoor exercise and fitness stations, a shelter for picnics and a walking trail that will encompass the park.
“We want to make Henderson one of the greatest cities in the area, and we want to show that by having a diverse park,” said Vann.
Vann said much of the planning was the brainchild of Recreation employees Alan Gill and Steve Osborne, along with the “hard-working” Recreation Advisory Committee who had the goal of accessibility in mind when creating the park’s design and layout.
“One of the biggest issues people tell us they have with using public parks and facilities is accessibility,” said Vann. “People aren’t always able to get to the Aycock Rec. Center, for example, because they say it is on the outskirts of town.”
After holding several pop-up community events at the corner of Williams and Montgomery Street, a spot some may recognize as the site of the former Vance Hotel, Vann said the committee realized they had an ideal park location.
“We started having community events such as ‘Stop the Violence,’ and we saw that it was a great location because we had a lot of attendance. The team discussed it and said that would be a great place to put a park, especially in conjunction with the happenings in downtown Henderson.”
Vann is referring to the close proximity of Perry Memorial Library, the McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center and the future outdoor Breckenridge Pavilion, as well as restaurants, shops and special events such as the annual Vance County Relay for Life and the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce’s “Meet Me in the Street” series.
The first of two scheduled public meetings for the community to hear additional information about the proposed park and to provide input was held Tuesday evening at City Hall.
While turnout was low, Vann hopes to see more of the Henderson-Vance community at the next meeting scheduled for tomorrow evening, Thursday, April 25, 2019. The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. at the City Council Chambers located at 134 Rose Avenue in Henderson.
“We invite the public to come out to hear the latest on park plans and to bring all ideas and questions that you have,” Vann implored.
Henderson Police Chief Marcus Barrow, who stopped by during the live interview, weighed in on the proposed park. “It’s a key location for the City; it’s right downtown and it’s been empty for over 20 years. This is an element that the City has been missing for a long time and something that Kendrick has been pushing for, and I’ve pushed for it with him. He has a vision, and we’ve got to follow that vision. It will be great for downtown.”
To hear the Town Talk interview with Vann in its entirety, including additional H-V Recreation & Parks updates from staff members, click here.
-Press Release, Vance County Schools
After consultation with school system leadership and the Vance County Board of Education, Superintendent Anthony Jackson has recommended, and the Board of Education has approved, a change in our school calendar to accommodate the N.C. Association of Educators’ Rally for Public Education planned for Wednesday, May 1, 2019, in Raleigh.
The day will be changed to an optional teacher workday in all Vance County Schools and a holiday for students.
This decision has been made because of the large number of educators in our schools who have asked for the day off to participate in the public education rally. The missed day of instruction will not be made up for students.
School system employees who want to be out of work on May 1 must use annual leave time or, if they don’t have available leave time, must take the day off without pay or report to work.
-Notes courtesy Claire Catherwood
Notes from the West End Community Watch meeting held on April 16, 2019:
West End Community Watch met on Tuesday, April 16. The speaker was Garry Daeke. Daeke discussed the City Council’s progress and plans since his joining the council 12 years ago.
In 2006, the City Council was very short on funds and the city was in danger of shutting down. Finances are now greatly improved. Taxes are not expected to be increased any time soon.
Many streets need resurfacing, and they are now being done. Resurfacing is very expensive.
City employee salaries had to be increased because Henderson has not been keeping up with the pay for city employees in neighboring cities. The city is still not on par with surrounding areas.
New equipment has been added; this is also very expensive.
About 80% of city employees’ time is spent on water, sewer, and street maintenance. The city has 100 miles of water and sewer line.
Asked about the THM pollutant in the city water supply, Daeke noted that Henderson was “just over the edge” in recent tests. The problems existed only at the “dead ends” of water lines that were all outside of city limits.
The City Council realizes that changes must be made in housing and is working towards redevelopment through private and public funding. Cost is the problem. Some of the plans are expected to be “very unique.” Attention is being placed on the entryways to the city; particularly Highway 39/Andrews Avenue. Lighting and signage will soon be added to some areas.
Downtown development is expected soon. An outdoor theater on Breckenridge Street, just outside the police station, has been contracted and will be the final stage of “Breckenridge Commons.” Also, a grant has been procured for a park to be developed at the site of the old Vance Hotel. An “open-air market” and a park, to include a “splash pool,” is planned for the site.
Beckford Drive is to be widened soon. Original plans included Beckford being wider when first built, however, due to inflation, the money saved was insufficient by the time the road was built.
Dabney Drive is being redesigned. There are currently two separate, projected plans. One widens Dabney Drive only as far as Parker Lane. The second widens it all the way to the Hardees location.
Additional businesses are coming to Dabney Drive. A coffee shop and a bank are soon to be added to the new Aldi’s. After that, additional shops are expected to open. These will add to the traffic in this already congested area.
Daeke said he is pro-sidewalks, but they are very expensive. With the city population decreasing, little progress has been made on building sidewalks.
The council is trying to get more kids involved with the Recreation Center. There are many activities available to Henderson children, but many parents are not aware of offerings. To name just a few opportunities, Henderson has PALS, The Boys’ and Girls’ Club, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, the “Y”, the Henderson-Vance Recreation Department, Fox Pond Park, Aycock Recreation Center, Rollins Park, the Perry Memorial Library, etc.
From the floor, it was suggested that the police department and/or the City Council post a list on social media so that parents can see the many options open to their kids.
The City Council, realizing that the perception of the city needs to change, is soon to start a trash and litter program. Also, not enough people recycle. Daeke would like to see the existing garbage carts become recycle bins and smaller carts be used for garbage. Both of these goals require a change in the mentality of our citizens.
Complaints are often issued about the cost of the city’s water. Daeke noted that our water is actually much lower than areas around Henderson; however, it is expected that our rates will soon increase. Our sewer rates are, admittedly, already high.
The group asked about the development behind the hospital. Daeke noted that this is outside city limits and beyond the responsibility of the city council.
