Tag Archive for: #vancecountynews

Mills Stepping In As Interim Vance Economic Development Director

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Newly retired Granville County Economic Development Director Harry Mills is stepping in on a part-time basis to be interim economic development director in Vance County. According to Vance County Manager C. Renee Perry, Mills started Wednesday, Mar. 6 and will be on board to work with McKinley Perkinson, who announced last month that she is stepping away from the position.

“He will start in his official capacity on Mar. 20 as interim until we find a permanent replacement,” Perry said in an email to WIZS News. Perry said she reached out to Mills to see if he’d be interested.

In a phone conversation earlier Thursday, Mills said he looks forward to helping fill in until a successor is hired.

“It was a mutual agreement,” Mills said. “They needed someone…it’s a good opportunity to help and continue the momentum” for development in the county and to be available to help when economic development opportunities arise.

“Harry will bring his enthusiasm and experience to this role. He’s familiar with Vance County and has historically worked with our past Economic Development directors,” Perry said, adding that she looks forward to his expertise in economic development.

MPH, South Henderson Pentecostal Holiness Team Up For May 3 Cancer Survivor Dinner

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Maria Parham Health Cancer Center is planning a Cancer Survivor Dinner on Friday, May 3 to honor the strength and resilience of community members who have been affected by the disease.

The dinner will begin at 6 p.m. at South Henderson Pentecostal Holiness Church, located at 905 American Rd., Henderson, according to information from hospital officials.

The dinner will be a celebration of life, courage and hope and serves as a tribute to the unwavering spirit of individuals who have faced the challenges of cancer with bravery and determination.

“We are honored to host this special event to recognize the incredible journey of cancer survivors in our community,” said Kimberly Smith, Director of Maria Parham Health Cancer Center. “This dinner is a heartfelt expression of gratitude and admiration for their courage and resilience.”

Attendees are encouraged to bring along one guest to share in the celebration. Please register to attend by calling 252.436.6485.

The Cancer Survivor Dinner promises to be an evening of fellowship, joy and reflection. It provides an opportunity for survivors and their loved ones to come together, share their stories, and draw strength from one another.

“We believe that by standing united, we can inspire and uplift each other in our journey towards healing and recovery,” Smith stated.. “Together, let us embrace the spirit of solidarity and resilience that defines the cancer survivor community.”

Maria Parham Health Cancer Center is committed to supporting cancer survivors and their families throughout their journey. The Cancer Survivor Dinner is just one of the many initiatives aimed at providing comprehensive care and support to individuals affected by cancer.

For more information or to RSVP, please call 252.436.6485.

 

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Vance Commissioner Sean Alston Participates In UNC School Of Government Leadership Program

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Vance County Commissioner Sean Alston has completed the Advanced Leadership Corps training offered each year to select local elected officials by the UNC-CH School of Government in Chapel Hill.

The ALC is described as an intensive leadership development program designed by the School’s Center for Public Leadership and Governance. The weeklong residential program is a dynamic experience that helps participants learn about their own leadership styles, inspire others to work toward a shared vision and gain insights into how to work together to build better relationships and achieve far-reaching results.

More than 200 local elected leaders from across North Carolina have completed this selective program since it began in 2013.

“I don’t try to compete with anyone and I never try to be better than anyone,” Alston said in a press statement. “I simply try to be better than I was yesterday. Look, listen and learn! Small steps make giant waves.”

Alston said he ran for office to make a difference in his district and in the county. “I wanted to be able to make the best decisions for our citizens because they matter the most. I am developing myself professionally so that I can give back to my community. I see true growth on the horizon and I am here for the long run. I believe Vance County is situated perfectly and ready for much needed change.”

The leadership program, through support by the N.C. Association of County Commissioners and Empower Retirement, allows elected officials from across the state to attend with only a modest cost to the local unit of government.

For more information about the Advanced Leadership Corps and other programming for elected officials offered by the Center for Public Leadership and Governance at the UNC School of Government, contact Patrice Roesler at 919.843.4167 or proesler@sog.unc.edu.

NC Forest Service

N.C. Forest Service: Safety First To Prevent Wildfires

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The N.C. Forest Service reminds everyone to use extreme caution with all outdoor fires, especially yard debris burns, as thoughts turn to spring and tidying up landscapes. And don’t forget:  You need a valid burn permit before you start a fire.

In 2023, the Forest Service responded to more than 5,300 wildfires across the state. The main culprit: Escaped burn debris, according to information from fire service officials.

“Last year, 99 percent of wildfires in our state were directly related to human activity,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “This means that most of our wildfires could have been prevented. Before choosing to burn yard debris, make sure you have a valid burn permit, check the weather and avoid burning on dry, windy days. You are the first line of defense when it comes to preventing wildfires.”

Spring weather tends to draw people outdoors to work in their yards and many choose burning as a method to dispose of leaves, limbs and other yard debris.

“During the spring season, fires can spread quickly,” said State Forester David Lane. “Your N.C. Forest Service county ranger is a resource and can provide guidance about when, where and how to burn safely outdoors. Contact your local NCFS county ranger’s office before starting an outdoor fire.”

Rob Montague is the ranger for Vance and Granville counties. His email is Vance.ncfs@ncagr.gov and his phone is 919.693.3154.

Brian Champion is the ranger for Franklin County. His email is Franklin.ncfs@ncagr.gov and his phone is 919.496.3665.

Jim Short serves Warren County; reach him via Franklin.ncfs@ncar.gov or 252.257.5960.

The N.C. Forest Service also offers the following tips:

  • Check local burning laws. Some communities allow burning only during specified hours. Others forbid it entirely.
  • Make sure you have a valid permit. You can obtain a burn permit at any Forest Service office or authorized permitting agent, or online at www.ncforestservice.gov/burnpermit.
  • Keep an eye on the weather. Don’t burn on dry, windy days.
  • Local fire officials can recommend a safe way to burn debris. Don’t pile vegetation on the ground. Instead, place it in a cleared area and contain it in a screened receptacle away from overhead branches and wires.
  • Be sure you are fully prepared before burning. To control the fire, you will need a hose, bucket, steel rake and a shovel for tossing dirt on the fire. Keep a phone nearby, too.
  • Never use kerosene, gasoline, diesel fuel or other flammable liquids to speed up debris burning.
  • Stay with your fire until it is completely out.

 

To learn more about fire safety and preventing wildfires and loss of property, refer to Fire Safety Outdoors. For information about creating defensible space and a fire-resistant landscape around your home and property, visit www.resistwildfirenc.org.

Kerr-Tar COG Schedules Info Sessions On Local Food Systems

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What do you think about when you hear or read the phrase “food chain?”

Some folks may think back to elementary school Science lessons that talked about little fish getting gobbled up by bigger and bigger fish. But the Kerr-Tar region Council of Government is scheduling a series of meetings – one in each of the five counties it represents – for regional policymakers to hear from folks in the community about what’s working and what’s needed when it comes to our local “food chain.”

One of the outcomes of the meetings is the development of a food policy council, according to information publicizing the events.

If you think about it, we’re all part of the “food chain” whether we grow and market vegetables locally or simply prepare meals for ourselves and our families.

Everyone is welcome to share experiences, successes and challenges – from the consumer to producer, as well as food pantry partners and other agencies in the community.

The meetings begin next week in Roxboro and continue through March. Each session will be from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.  To register for one of the meetings, email crobinette@kerrtarcog.org or phone 980.389.3446.

Here’s the list of meetings:

  • Wednesday, Mar. 6 in Roxboro, Person County Cooperative Extension Center
  • Wednesday, Mar. 13 in Louisburg, Franklin County Cooperative Extension Center
  • Tuesday, Mar. 19 in Warrenton, Warren County Library
  • Tuesday, Mar. 26 in Henderson, Vance County Regional Farmers Market
  • Wednesday, Mar. 27 in Oxford, Richard Thornton Public Library

 

 

 

The Local Skinny! Mar. 5 Primary Elections

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The March 5 primary elections are upon us, and local elections officials are gearing up to make sure all goes smoothly.

There are a couple of updates from state elections officials that could have an impact on how local officials process the early voting and absentee votes next week.

With only two contested races in the upcoming primary, local officials should be able to manage without too much trouble, but instead of tabulating the early votes in advance of the 7:30 p.m. poll closing, they have to wait until after the polls close to make those tabulations.

WIZS News will be at the Vance County Board of Elections office Tuesday evening to report all the election results as they become available.

Since this is the first time the new rules will be in effect, it’s unclear just how long the early voting results may take, but it could be an hour or more before unofficial results can be posted.

One other change involves absentee ballots. Those ballots must be received no later than 7:30 p.m. on Election Day; this rule replaces the previous rule that allowed for a three-day grace period to receive absentee ballots.

Unlike early voting results, absentee-by-mail results can be tabulated before the polThose absentee results will likely be the first to appear publicly for any given county when the polls close. They will include all absentee ballots returned to the county boards of elections before Election Day. Under state law, ballots returned on Election Day are approved and added to the vote totals during the 10-day period after Election Day known as the “canvass.”

Canvass is the process of ensuring votes have been counted correctly and required audits have been completed, culminating in the certification of results during meetings of every county board of elections.

By law, these canvass meetings will be held by each county board of elections at 11 a.m. on Friday, Mar. 15. The state board will meet at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Mar. 26 to finalize primary results.

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Goalkeeper Peralta Among 2024 WFU Sports Hall Of Fame Inductees

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Back in the mid 1970’s, when José Peralta was in middle school at what was then Vance Academy, soccer hadn’t yet gotten a toehold in the area. But by the time Peralta and some of his Spartan teammates made their mark on the soccer field as Vance Senior High School Vikings, all that was changing.

It was early days for soccer when Peralta was in high school, but he told WIZS co-hosts Bill Harris and George Hoyle Thursday that the team began to make a name for itself. “We beat one of the Raleigh teams – Sanderson,” he recalled, a soccer powerhouse at the time.

And that’s when the letters starting hitting his family’s Ruin Creek Road mailbox, he said. College coaches, asking him to consider playing goalkeeper for them.

But Peralta’s focus was on academics, and ultimately he chose Wake Forest University. Earlier this month, his alma mater chose Peralta to join the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame.

You see, it’s Peralta who still holds the NCAA Division I record for career saves at a whopping 620 – that’s 342 more saves than anyone else in program history.

Peralta is one of only two goalkeepers in NCAA Division I history who can claim more than 600 saves.

As a freshman, he had 164 saves – the most by any freshman in program history.

He holds the four highest single-season number of saves in program history: 218 in 1983; 164 in 1980; 126 in 1982; and 112 in 1981.

Peralta’s statistics at WFU have stood the test of time – he was a member of the very first men’s soccer team at the school.

“Wake Forest didn’t even have a soccer team when I went there,” he said. What’s more, he didn’t know the school was thinking about forming one.

But, he said, God has a plan.

He remembers back to 1979, sitting in the quad with his parents – both beloved Spanish teachers in Vance County Schools – “all of a sudden I see these guys,” he said, who said soccer tryouts were going to start in 30 minutes, if he wanted to check it out.

Peralta said he kissed his parents goodbye and headed off to try out for the team.

They played as a club team that first year, with Peralta in the goal. He was the only walk-on to make the team.

Coach George Kennedy’s brother did goalkeeper camps and Peralta credits him with teaching him the goalkeep position from not only a physical standpoint but a mental one as well.

Reflecting on his time in the goal as a Demon Deacon, Peralta said he and his teammates helped to lay a good foundation for the program, now more than 40 years later.

His children, one of the grandchildren, a dozen or more teammates from the old days and a bunch of fraternity brothers all attended the induction ceremony, held Feb. 9 in Winston-Salem.

“The ceremony was awesome,” Peralta said. And at the Wake-N.C. State basketball game held later afternoon, Peralta was called to midcourt at halftime to receive a plaque and be recognized for his achievements.

One of those accolades is that Peralta was an All-ACC academic every year he was at Wake.

“I dedicated myself to soccer, but the classroom was extremely important,” he said.

 

Mar. 16 International Food Festival Serves Up Info About Health Resources As Well As Tasty Dishes

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When you head downtown on Mar. 16 to sample fare from food trucks during the International Food Festival, you may come away having learned a little something about the state’s Medicaid Expansion and how it affects you.

It took North Carolina a long time to get on board with Medicaid expansion, but it finally cleared the last hurdles in December 2023.

Adults between 19 and 64 who earning up to 138 percent of the federal poverty line – that single adults earning about $20,000 and families of three earning about $34,000 a year – may be eligible.

Representatives from Maria Parham Health will be available on the resource fair side of the food festival to share information to individuals who may qualify for Medicaid. There will be Medicaid Expansion advocates on site to provide more information about eligibility.

Of course, the best way is to apply online through ePASS or HealthCare.gov, but you can also apply in-person, by phone or by mailing paper applications via the U.S. Postal Service. The processing time for applications can be up to 45 days; applications submitted online may be processed faster.

Medicaid provides comprehensive health coverage, including services like primary care, hospital stays, maternity care, vision and hearing, dental/oral health care and more.

It pays for doctor visits, yearly check-ups, emergency care, mental health and more – at little or no cost to you.

 

 

 

TownTalk: Dan Brummitt On Economic Development 101

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Economic development often is the engine that spurs communities forward as it provides new job opportunities and contributes to the tax base. Sometimes, though, a community needs to have a little “skin in the game” to attract new businesses.

On the campus of the Henderson-Vance Industrial Park is one such example of the kind of investment that prospective industries are looking for – a shell building. There was an offer on the table almost as soon as it was finished. Unfortunately, that deal fell through at the last minute.

But Dan Brummitt, president of the HVIP board, announced on Wednesday’s TownTalk that there’s a new contract on the table. It’s just the sort of activity that local leaders are hoping for as the city and county continue to work together.

“There’s been a lot of activity on that building, and in the industrial park,” Brummitt said, adding that he sees more opportunities for growth in that area. If all goes according to plan, the new owner – yet unnamed – will close in the next few months.

It takes a strong city-county collaboration and partnerships among other agencies to attract and grow business and industry.

Brummitt said he would like to see more private investors stepping in to have a positive impact on growth. “There are people out there that want to be a part of growth in Vance County,” he said.

A private entity can raise enough money to do a job, Brummitt said, but the city and the county have to be involved when the talk is about making sure the infrastructure is in place.

“If the city and county are not involved, that would somewhat limit it,” he said of economic development.

There are a variety of community partners that help to create a strong network of cooperation, and one of those partners is the Economic Development Commission.

Its original iteration goes back to the 1970’s and in the early ‘80’s, it became an official city-county joint effort, Brummitt said, with the county handling the land part and the city bringing in the water/sewer component.

At that time, the role of director was a 50-50 funding split. In 2009, however, Brummitt said the EDC was “rebooted” and that funding split changed to a 75-25 split, with the county taking the larger responsibility.

As of 2011, the county agreed to fund 100 percent of the position. The city appoints three members to the board and the county appoints six members.

The EDC, with its director leading the efforts, is focused on business retention and expansion, Brummitt said.

Current EDC Director McKinley Perkinson announced her resignation recently and Brummitt said County Manager C. Renee Perry has the job of finding Perkinson’s successor.

That being said, the EDC director works with the 9-member EDC board, but generally reports to the county manager.

Brummitt said the EDC director also “obviously would work with the board” on any projects as well as keeping the EDC board updated on potential new businesses coming to the area. A lot of the job involves recruitment of new business, but the EDC director also needs to know the county’s assets.

Having a good working relationship with a cross-section of business and local leaders, as well as the boards is key to working together to accomplish the common goal that is economic development, Brummitt said.

Plus, “that makes for a healthy EDC,” he added.

“I think we’re in a really positive place,” Brummitt said. As the county continues its search for a new EDC director, he said “there’s a whole lot of activity in Vance County right now.”

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MPH Employees Get Special “Kindness Bag” From South Henderson Pentecostal Holiness Church

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– Submitted by MPH Marketing Coordinator Donna Young

In a world often overshadowed by negativity and turmoil, it’s truly heartwarming to witness acts of kindness that restore faith in humanity. The recent gesture by South Henderson Pentecostal Holiness Church toward our staff at Maria Parham Health is a shining example of the power of community and compassion.

Led by the dedicated Pastor Rhonda Pulley and her team, the church delivered an extraordinary gift to employees of Maria Parham Health. Each staff member was gifted with a “Kindness Bag” overflowing with thoughtful items – a gesture of generosity but also representing a sense of care and appreciation for what the hospital staff means to the community.

The bags were filled with essentials like water bottles, snacks and candy; items that might seem small in isolation but carry immense significance, especially for the healthcare workers serving our community.  In addition to these practical items, the inclusion of bracelets bearing messages of love serves as a poignant reminder of the interconnectedness of humanity, particularly during challenging times.

This gesture goes beyond the tangible contents of the bags; it speaks volumes about the values upheld by South Henderson Pentecostal Holiness Church and its commitment to supporting and uplifting others. In a world where divisions often overshadow unity, such acts of kindness bridge gaps and foster a sense of belonging and solidarity.

Gestures like these serve as beacons of hope and remind us that even in the face of adversity, kindness and compassion prevail. They inspire us to look beyond ourselves and seek opportunities to make a difference in the lives of others, no matter how large or small the gesture.

As we reflect on the kindness demonstrated by the South Henderson Pentecostal Holiness Church, let us also be inspired to emulate their example in our own communities. Whether it’s a simple act of kindness or a grand gesture of generosity, each effort contributes to building a more compassionate and caring world for us all.

We at Maria Parham Health would like to extend our exceptional gratitude to Pastor Pulley and her South Henderson Pentecostal Holiness family. Their generous gift reminds us that together, through acts of love and compassion, we can truly make a difference in the lives of others.