Henderson’s Mazatlan Mexican Restaurant on Ruin Creek Road caught on fire overnight. No one was injured.
The popular eating place, beloved by many, is a total loss, according to Henderson Fire Chief Steve Cordell.
The cause is under investigation.
Please scroll below for pictures taken by WIZS staff.
Alan Hedgepeth and Michelle Wood, volunteers with the Ruin Creek Animal Protection Society (RCAPS), were the guests of honor on Tuesday’s edition of WIZS’ Town Talk program. RCAPS is a group of volunteers dedicated to finding homes for animals at the Vance County Animal Shelter located on Brodie Rd. in Henderson.
“We started with seven or eight volunteers and, over time, have developed procedures to work with rescue groups in the Northeast,” said Hedgepeth.
According to Hedgepeth, the volunteers spend the majority of their time searching for no-kill rescue groups who will commit to providing a temporary or “foster” home for the animals at the shelter. “We find rescue groups during the week, and each Friday night a transport is arranged so the animals can go to the approved rescue groups up north.”
From there, rescue groups place the animals in “pre-approved and pre-screened” foster homes where they will stay until they are adopted.
When asked why so many of the rescue groups were located up north, Hedgepeth replied, “In the Northeast, they have spay and neuter laws, and those laws are enforced. They don’t have the overpopulation of dogs like we do here in the South.”
One way RCAPS reaches out to the rescue groups is via social media. Photos of each animal in the shelter are posted, along with personal bios and videos, to Facebook for viewing.
“It is a very cumbersome and expensive process,” said Hedgepeth. “Michelle does a lot of the work and has her hands full.”
According to Hedgepeth, weekly transport can cost over $1,000 a week. “That’s why fundraising is so important for us; it costs a lot of money to do what we do.”
Wood reported that 195 animals were transported from the Vance County Animal Shelter to rescue groups in the month of October alone. Hedgepeth said the overall totals are even more astounding with an estimated 16,000 to 20,000 animals placed in foster homes since the group started in 2011.
The group’s hard work, coupled with policies put in place by Chief Frankie Nobles and the Vance County Animal Shelter, has paid off, said Hedgepeth. “When we first started at Ruin Creek, the intake at the shelter was around 4,500 animals a year. Last year, I believe it was around 2,200.”
Hedgepeth was also happy to report that the number of animals euthanized by the shelter has significantly decreased from previous years. “The majority of euthanized animals, at this point, are feral cats; the dog rate is extremely low.”
Wood clarified that the majority of the dogs that are euthanized are not picked up by a rescue group or are injured beyond vet care.
In addition to costs related to transport, RCAPS also has the expense of providing medical care to animals in need. “RCAPS tries to provide medical care for any animal that we reasonably believe can be saved,” said Hedgepeth. “The shelter, often times, doesn’t have the capacity or funds to offer this care and that’s when we step in.”
When asked what his ultimate wish would be for the group, Hedgepeth responded, “Additional funds. I can’t say it enough! The work we do is expensive, and fundraising is essential to keep the group going.”
To listen to the interview in its entirety, please click here.
-Press Release, Vance-Granville Community College
Vance-Granville Community College’s annual Faculty & Staff Drive for the VGCC Endowment Fund raised $16,011 this fall from among employees on the college’s four campuses, according to an announcement by the co-chairs for the drive to the Trustees on Monday, Nov. 19, at the board’s regular bi-monthly meeting on the Main Campus.
The funds were raised to support the mission of the college and award scholarships to deserving students, said Eddie Ferguson, director of the Endowment Fund.
Heading up the drive this year were Michael Brodie, Campus Police sergeant; Antoinette Dickens, program head and instructor for the Paralegal Technology curriculum program; Willie Mae Foster-Hill, Main Campus receptionist; and Jeremy Lambert, assistant director of financial aid.
“Our campaign theme was ‘Rise Up!’” Ferguson told the Trustees. “It was based on the fact that every day our students rise up to come to school under a lot of hardships, whether it be academic pressure, family issues, transportation or such. We serve a very diverse community.”
VGCC’s Faculty & Staff Drive for the Endowment Fund was led by volunteers Michael Brodie, Campus Police sergeant; Antoinette Dickens, program head and instructor for Paralegal Technology; Willie Mae Foster-Hill, Main Campus receptionist; and Jeremy Lambert, assistant director of financial aid. Shown above celebrating the success of the drive at the Board of Trustees meeting are, from left, Brodie; Kay Currin, Endowment Fund specialist; Trustee Danny Wright, chair of the board; Dr. Gordon Burns, interim VGCC president; Foster-Hill; and Eddie Ferguson, director of the Endowment Fund. Dickens and Lambert were unavailable for the photo. (VGCC Photo)
The faculty and staff, he said, “rose up” with this drive to provide the funds for the students. “We are really proud to raise this money from our employees, most of which will go directly to students in the form of scholarships. Some of the money is directed to projects such as our student emergency fund to help meet other immediate needs,” Ferguson said.
Statewide Budget Priorities
In his report to the trustees, Interim VGCC President Dr. Gordon Burns outlined budget priorities identified by the North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS) for 2019 through 2021 and urged the trustees to share those priorities with the returning and newly elected members of the N.C. House of Representatives and the N.C. Senate who represent the four counties served by Vance-Granville Community College.
Under the Workforce Development Legislative Agenda, NCCCS is requesting funding to help 700,000 students annually achieve a better life through high-school equivalency, career and technical education, short-term workforce training, and high quality, affordable college transfer programs, Dr. Burns said. The state’s community colleges are essential in closing the skills gap for North Carolina employers, the NCCCS notes, and are a driving force in the economy of the state.
The system office reports that the state’s 58 community colleges continue to suffer from approximately $53 million in budget cuts made during the 2008 recession that have not been restored, which undercuts efforts to prepare the state’s workforce. Dr. Burns noted, too, that community colleges are having difficulty recruiting and retaining faculty and staff because the average annual faculty salary, at $47,362, is 41st in the nation.
Among legislative priorities for 2019-2021, NCCCS is seeking recurring funds of $11.5 million to fully fund short-term workforce training; $15 million to upgrade information technology systems across the state; $2.6 million to fund workforce-focused multi-campuses; and $2.8 million to expand a program that places career coaches in high schools to assist students with determining career goals and identifying community college programs that align with the students’ goals.
Dr. Burns said the legislative priorities also include increasing funding to bring faculty closer to the national annual salary average of $60,422, enacting statutory changes to eliminate barriers to enrollment caused by the state’s relatively new Residency Determination System, and stabilizing budgets for colleges faced with enrollment declines because of Hurricane Florence.
Capital Projects
In his report to the board on capital projects, Trustee Donald Seifert, chair of the Building Committee, said renovations have been completed to the seminar rooms in the Civic Center on Main Campus.
H.G. Reynolds Company began renovation of a 3,200-square-foot portion of Building 10 on Main Campus to create a Practical Simulation Lab for the Basic Law Enforcement Training, Fire/Rescue and Emergency Medical Services programs. The work, which started in October, is scheduled to be completed in January. In addition to the area being renovated, parking lot space is being expanded, Seifert said.
College officials are also working with the county managers in Vance and Granville counties to fund the replacement of a storage building on the Main Campus that was lost in a fire this past summer.
Other Action
In other action:
The next meeting of the Board of Trustees will be held on Monday, Jan. 28.
-Information courtesy the McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center’s Facebook page
Santa and Mrs. Claus will visit the McGregor Hall Gallery in Henderson on Saturday, December 1, 2018, from 4 to 6 p.m.
Bring your family, camera, and a donation of non-perishable food items benefiting ACTS of Henderson, NC. For the cost of only your ACTS donation, you can enjoy Santa’s Hot Cocoa Bar.
After visiting Santa, stay for “The Waffle House Christmas Musical” starring Joyce DeWitt at 8 p.m.
(This is not a paid advertisement)
-Information courtesy Tara Goolsby, Henderson-Vance Recreation and Parks Facilities Supervisor, Aycock Recreation Center
The Henderson-Vance Recreation and Parks Department is partnering with local community groups to provide a post-Christmas “Shoebox Give-a-Way.”
We are soliciting items for ages 6-17 such as small toys, cards, unopened candy, pencils, shampoo, conditioner, pens, lotion, deodorant, soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, socks, gloves, scarfs, books, combs and anything you are able to donate that will benefit these age groups.
We will also need shoe boxes as well. Deadline to receive these items will be on Friday, December 14, 2018, at 5 p.m. at Aycock Recreation Center. This program will run in conjunction with the “Peace Toys for War Toys” Program held by the Outreach Unit.
For more information, please contact Shantel Hargrove at 252.430.0382 or shhargrove@ci.henderson.nc.us or Gregory Kelly 252.431.6099 or gkelly@ci.henderson.nc.us.
-Press Release, Office of the Sheriff, Vance County
Sheriff Peter White announces today that on Monday, November 26, 2018, the Vance County Sherrif’s Office charged LATOYA J. DEBNAM, age 40 of 2708 Raleigh Road, Henderson, NC, with murder, larceny of a firearm and possession of firearm by felon.
This case was investigated by the Vance County Sheriff’s Office and the NC State Bureau of Investigations for the November 20, 2018, death of Willie B. Smith, age 61 of 23 Ridgeway Drewry Road, Manson, NC. Debnam is currently in the Vance County Jail without bond. The court date is December 11, 2018.
-Press Release, Vance-Granville Community College
Vance-Granville Community College invites the public to attend three separate forums scheduled for Nov. 30, Dec. 3 and Dec. 4 to meet and provide input on the finalists for the presidency of the college.
The three public forums will be held each day from 12:15 to 1 p.m. in the Civic Center.
Dr. Quentin J. Johnson of Mooresville, currently vice president of Student Support Services at Guilford Technical Community College in Greensboro, will be at the college on Friday, Nov. 30.
Dr. Melanie W. Thornton of Albany, Ga., the vice president of academic affairs at Columbus Technical College in Columbus, Ga., will attend the forum on Monday, Dec. 3.
Dr. Rachel M. Desmarais of Clemmons, who is currently executive vice president and chief operating officer at Forsyth Technical Community College in Winston-Salem, will be present on Tuesday, Dec. 4.
Invitations to the forums also have been sent to county officials, school officials, area chambers, and VGCC faculty and staff, among other groups.
The three finalists were selected from among nearly 90 applicants on Monday, Nov. 19, at the regular bimonthly meeting of the college’s Board of Trustees on Main Campus. Following North Carolina Community College System protocol, the trustees have presented the finalists to the State Board of Community Colleges for vetting.
The VGCC Board of Trustees plans to have the new president in place early in 2019. The new leader will become the seventh president in the 49-year history of the college, replacing Dr. Stelfanie Williams who resigned in August to take a position at Duke University.
-Public Notice, City of Oxford
PUBLIC NOTICE OF POSSIBLE QUORUM
Notice is hereby given that a quorum of the City of Oxford Board of Commissioners may be present for a joint meeting on Tuesday, November 27, 2018, at 6 p.m. at Henderson City Hall – Council Chambers at 134 Rose Avenue, Henderson, NC of the Kerr Lake Regional Water Partners.
The KLRW Advisory Board will review the system upgrade project; including financial planning, a possible revision of the partner’s rate structure and allow questions from the partners. No action will be taken during this meeting. The public is welcome to observe.
For more information contact: Cynthia Bowen, Clerk to the City of Oxford Board at 919-603-1105 or by email: cbowen@oxfordnc.org.
-Press Release, Vance-Granville Community College
Vance-Granville Community College Drama students will present “Crimes of the Heart,” a Pulitzer Prize winning play, on Nov. 29 through Dec. 2 at VGCC’s Main Campus. The tragicomedy, written by American playwright Beth Henley, will be staged six times over the four days.
Performances begin on Thursday, Nov. 29, at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, Nov. 30, at 3 p.m. and at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 1, at 2 p.m. and at 7:30 p.m.; and on Sunday, Dec. 2, at 2 p.m. All performances are in the small auditorium in Building 2 on the Main Campus in Henderson.
The play features VGCC and Vance County Early College High School students Savannah Morgan as Lenny McGrath, Mary Parish as Babe McGrath Botrelle, Jamie McGinn as Meg McGrath, Rebekah Varker as Chick Boyle, Matthew Varker as Barnette Lloyd, and Blake Lee as Doc Porter.
Members of the cast and crew of VGCC’s fall production of “Crimes of the Heart” prepare for six performances of the Pulitzer Prize winning play Nov. 29 through Dec. 2. Shown above are, front row, from left, Nick Kurtz, stage manager/assistant director; Matthew Varker (portraying Barnette Lloyd); Blake Lee (Doc Porter); back row, Jamie McGinn (Meg McGrath); Savannah Morgan (Lenny McGrath); Mary Parish (Babe McGrath Botrelle); and Rebekah Varker (Chick Boyle). (VGCC Photo)
Set in Hazlehurst, Mississippi, in the mid-20th century, it’s the story of three sisters who gather to await news of their grandfather’s death.
Betsy Henderson, director of the show and VGCC’s Theatre Arts/speech instructor and department chair of Fine Arts and Humanities, said the sisters are characterized in this manner: “Lenny, the oldest sister, is unmarried at 30 and facing diminishing marital prospects; Meg, the middle sister, who quickly outgrew Hazlehurst, is back after a failed singing career on the West Coast; while Babe, the youngest, is out on bail after having shot her husband in the stomach.”
She added, “Their troubles, grave and yet, somehow, hilarious, are highlighted by their priggish cousin, Chick, and by the awkward young lawyer who tries to keep Babe out of jail while helpless not to fall in love with her.”
The play is ultimately the story of how these young characters can escape their past to seize the future, Henderson said. “The telling of the story is very true and touching and consistently hilarious, guaranteed to entertain audiences,” she said.
In addition to winning the Pulitzer, the show was the winner of the New York Drama Critics Circle Award in 1981. A critic for the New York Times said, “While this play overflows with infectious high spirits, it is also, unmistakably, the tale of a very troubled family. Such is Miss Henley’s prodigious talent that she can serve us pain as though it were a piece of cake.”
The crew will be composed of Nick Kurtz, stage manager/assistant director; Jenna Walker, assistant stage manager/props; Megan Kokus, costume designer; Amanda Cease, costume and prop assistant; Lane Wade, sound board operator; and Cheyenne Guerrant, light board operator.
Admission is $10 for the general public and $5 for students and VGCC employees. Tickets may be purchased at the door, but attendees are encouraged to secure their seats by making reservations. For more information, contact Betsy Henderson at hendersonb@vgcc.edu or (252) 738-3371, or purchase your tickets online through Eventbrite here.
-Information courtesy Claire Catherwood, West End Community Watch
Val Short, executive director of Triangle North Healthcare Foundation was the speaker for the most recent West End Community Watch meeting held on Tuesday, November 20. Short explained that the foundation operates with money from a Duke Endowment. The funds are used to award grants to groups working to improve health in our community. Studies have shown that our five areas of greatest need are chronic disease, nutrition and fitness, mental health and substance abuse, reproductive health and success in school.
Since 2013, the foundation has awarded over 60 grants totaling 1.5 million dollars. Grants have been awarded to Access Dental Health, the Boys’ and Girls’ Club, Smart Start, Granville-Vance Public Health – in response to the Opioid crisis, the YMCA Water Safety program, the YMCA Girls’ on the Run program, The Shepperd Youth Ranch, NC Med Assist, a Diabetes outreach program, and Trosa – a drug treatment program.
In the police report, all were reminded to be extra careful now that Christmas is approaching. There had been events of purse snatching, burglaries, vehicle break-ins, larcenies, and aggravated assaults. All should avoid carrying valuables and be sure to lock all vehicles.
