Tag Archive for: #vancecountynews

VGCC To Host Panel Discussion As Part of MLK Observance

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Join the Vance-Granville Community College Men’s Achievement Academy for a panel discussion to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Tuesday, Jan.  24 at 6 p.m. at the Main Campus Civic Center in Henderson.

The event is presented in partnership with Vance-Granville’s Initiative on Equity for Women of Color (VIEW), according to information from VGCC public information officer Courtney Cissel.

The panelists for this celebration include:

  • Deanna Townsend-Smith, Ed.D., Senior Director of the Dudley Flood Center for Educational Equity & Opportunity
  • Warren Allen, VGCC Student
  • Gwen Clayton, VGCC Student
  • Marque Debnam, VGCC Paralegal Program Head
  • Leslie Hurt, Moderator, VGCC Sociology Instructor

In addition to the panel discussion, there will also be opportunities for audience participation.

There is no cost to attend the event, and all are welcome! Register at www.eventbrite.com/e/vance-granville-mlk-celebration-2023-tickets 504827722307.

For more information about this event, contact the following planning committee members:

  • Marque Debnam (debnamm@vgcc.edu)
  • Jason Snelling (snellingj@vgcc.edu)
  • Delton Farmer (farmerd@vgcc.edu)
  • Derrick Cameron (camerond@vgcc.edu)
  • Leslie Hurt (hurtl@vgcc.edu)

For more information about the Men’s Achievement Academy and VIEW, visit the Clubs & Organizations page at www.vgcc.edu

Sossamon Sworn In As Dist. 32 Rep In N.C. House

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Frank Sossamon was sworn in last week as the new legislator representing Vance and Granville counties in the N.C. House before an audience of supporters in the lobby of McGregor Hall.

The Hon. John Dunlow administered the oath of office following remarks from county officials representing the local county commissions and chairmen of the Republican party.

Sossamon defeated incumbent Terry Garrison in the November mid-term elections. He had an official swearing-in on Wednesday in Raleigh.

In comments during the ceremony in Henderson earlier in the week, Sossamon recounted how he reached the decision to put throw his hat into the proverbial ring.

“The Lord used my own words against me,” Sossamon quipped, explaining that he told his church members to “be that somebody” to make change.

“I became that somebody,” Sossamon said. “I’m in it to serve the people.”

The retired pastor of South Henderson Pentecostal Church, Sossamon said he is going to have to “work hard and work fast and work smart” to get things done in Raleigh in his two-year term.

“Under my watch, I want us to be able to say that District 32 is one of the most prosperous districts” in the state; he said it currently ranks among the poorest districts.

He wants to focus on community development in both counties, which he said would have the side effects of decreasing crime, increasing educational opportunities and give young people hope.

“If we want company to come, we’ve got to clean up our house,” he said.

In an interview with WIZS News following the swearing-in, Sossamon said he looks forward to serving the people in District 32 to get some things done, and he said he will challenge the citizens he represents to join him in the effort.

$25,000 Reward Offered For Information About 2018 Homicide

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A $25,000 reward is being offered by the state of North Carolina for information about an almost five-year-old unsolved murder in Vance County.

Gov. Roy Cooper’s office made the announcement Thursday in connection with the death of 22-year-old De’Cedric Tyquon Alston.

In the late evening hours of Feb. 22, 2018, Alston was shot multiple times while driving his vehicle near the 1100 block of Warrenton Road in Henderson. He was transported to the hospital and later died from his injuries.

Anyone having information concerning this case should contact the Vance County Sheriff’s Office at 252.738.2200, Henderson-Vance Crime Stoppers at 252.492.1925 or the State Bureau of Investigation at 919.662.4500.

Vending Machines Dispense Books For Elementary Students To Enjoy

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A special type of vending machine has been placed at L.B. Yancey Elementary, the contents of which will help students add to their personal stash of books.

The vending machine dispenses chapter books, graphic novels, easy readers and more, and students need only to insert golden tokens to make their selection.

Vance County Schools and the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon-cutting Wednesday morning to launch the program, which will soon place “Inchy the Bookworm” vending machines in the other nine elementary schools within the Vance County Schools district.

Children receive the golden tokens as a reward for positive behavior, and they can choose from a diverse selection of books for readers on different grade levels, according to information from VCS Communication Coordinator Brielle Barrow.

“We are so grateful to have an opportunity to support students with building their home library”, said L.B. Yancey Principal Dr. Shannon Bullock. “We encourage our students to read at home and having the book vending machine makes it possible for students to read a variety of books that interest them.”

The vending machines and their contents were purchased by VCS as part of its literacy initiative to encourage reading and building student’s personal libraries.

“I’m excited for the book vending machine! This is such an innovative way to instill the love of reading throughout our building,” said Principal Letitia Fields of New Hope Elementary.

Inchy’s Bookworm Vending Machine, developed by Global Vending Group, can hold up to 300 books. The book vending machine will be refilled regularly with graphic novels, chapter books and easy readers to meet the varying needs of individual students.

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Maria Parham Franklin To Hold Job Fair Jan. 19

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Maria Parham Franklin will hold a job fair on Thursday, Jan. 19 in Louisburg.

Job seekers can visit with MPH representatives from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. to learn more about available positions at Franklin Behavioral Health, some of which include a $500 sign-on bonus, according to Donna Young, coordinator of marketing and communications.

Openings include day and evening RN positions for both adult and geriatric areas, as well as behavioral health techs for both adult and geriatric areas. Come prepared, as job offers may be made on the spot!

Learn more about the available positions at MariaParham.com/Careers. Applicants can pre-register for this event at https://www.mariaparham.com/event/44.

VGCC Site Of Free Technology Class For Senior Adults

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Rebuild Communities NC is partnering with AARP’s Senior Planet to provide a free class for senior adults to help them boost their technology skills.

It seems like computers and websites, online troubleshooting chats and QR codes are quickly becoming the norm in today’s daily experiences, and the Digital Skills Ready@50+ program may be a way to gain skills to help navigate an increasingly digital world.

Classes begin on Tuesday, Jan. 9 and continue on Tuesdays and Thursdays through February, according to information from Edythe Thompson, executive director and CEO of Rebuilding Communities NC. Each class is from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Whether you need to learn how to participate in video conferencing for work or if you just want to be able to visit online with faraway friends and family, the class offers trainings on a wide range of technologies.

All classes will be held at Vance-Granville Community College, Building 9, Seminar Room 2 – except the Jan. 12 class, which will be held in the conference room of Building 8.

VGCC is located at 200 Community College Rd., Henderson.

To learn more, email info@RebuildCommunitiesNC.org.

City-County Deal Could Add 4th Officer To Animal Services Staff

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Vance County Animal Services is one step closer to adding an animal services officer to its three-member team who would be responsible for responding to calls within the Henderson city limits.

Frankie Nobles met with Vance County Manager Jordan McMillen and members of the commissioners’ Human Relations Committee Wednesday afternoon to discuss details of the arrangement, which basically states that the city of Henderson will foot the bill – roughly $51,000 in salary and benefits – for the additional position.

The city has been asking for increased service from animal services, and Nobles has asked for more staff for the past couple of years, but the money just wasn’t to be found. The city-funded position would provide another officer in the county department.

Nobles said that between Jan. 1 and Nov. 29, there were 761 incidents reported to animal services in the city; in that same period, there were 778 incidents received from the county.

Having a fourth officer will help the small staff, Nobles said.

“It really does help,” he said, adding that having another person in the rotation gives everybody else a break and helps reduce burnout. He said the animal services officers routinely work their regular shifts then log an additional 15-30 hours on the weekends when they’re on call.

The committee approved the recommendation, and the matter will come before the board of commissioners at its meeting next week for final approval.

County Commissioners May Decide To Sell City Its Share Of 114 Vacant Properties For City To Redevelop

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The city’s land planning committee and the county’s properties committee held a meeting Thursday afternoon to discuss the disposition of 114 jointly owned properties within the city limits.

The group decided to allow the plan to sell the land to the city to move forward, and that is the recommendation that will go before the full board of county commissioners at its Jan. 9 meeting.

If the board approves the recommendation, the city would buy out the county’s interest in the properties – all are vacant tracts and all are tax foreclosures dating back to 2007, said County Manager Jordan McMillen. The city has a 43 percent interest in the properties and the county holds a 57 percent interest.

The meeting lasted about 90 minutes, with both groups asking questions and sharing opinions about possible future redevelopment of the properties, which McMillen said totals about 26 acres when added all together.

“If it all went back on the tax books today,” McMillen told WIZS News after the meeting’s conclusion, it would add about $4,800 tax dollars to the city and county coffers.

County commissioners Dan Brummitt, Yolanda Feimster, Leo Kelly and Archie Taylor were present for the joint meeting representing the county’s properties committee; Melissa Elliott and  Jason Spriggs represented the city of Henderson’s land planning committee.

“I don’t mind transparency or accountability because I feel confident with what I’m doing,” said

Henderson City Manager Terrell Blackmon, who explained the general plan to the group.

Blackmon said the city is ready to ramp up the redevelopment efforts as other projects to piggyback on progress being made with the West End Urban Redevelopment Area and a similar effort getting underway in the Flint Hill community.

In outlining the overall efforts taking shape within the city, he said there are developers knocking on the door to begin projects. When planning for the West End URA, the UNC School of Government reported that the city was 3,000 housing units short of where it needed to be. The city needs housing that is diverse, safe and affordable, Blackmon said. And as the city ramped up code enforcements over the past few years, the result was more torn down houses than houses that were preserved.

By all accounts, both groups supported the idea of having the city move forward with purchase of the properties, but Commissioner Brummitt said it’s time to “pick a project and move – make it happen.”

In comments to the joint group, Brummitt and Taylor both expressed concern that there has been much talk over the years about redevelopment, but little action.

We “continue to talk and talk about it, but we’re not taking any steps,” Brummitt said.

“We have developers on deck that are ready to move,” said Council member Elliott.

Blackmon said the redevelopment would most certainly need to be a mixture of single-family and multi-family structures, as well as a combination of renters and homeowners.

In response to some discussion about neighborhood safety, Brummitt said home ownership would be beneficial. “If you own that property, you’re more committed to it,” he said. Blackmon also commented that home ownership is one way to stabilize neighborhoods.

Elliott said a key component to the redevelopment efforts is educating the community about home ownership.

“If you can pay $1,200 to rent a house, you can pay $1,200 to buy a house,” she said, noting numerous programs available for first-time homebuyers.

Blackmon reminded the group that municipalities don’t build homes, but they can help plan for the types of housing that get built.

“When the municipality owns the dirt, we have some flexibility” in the type of housing we’d like to see in the community.

He used the term “workforce housing” to describe affordable housing options, including those for city employees and others who may choose to live in the same community where they work.

Whether it’s single-family or multi-family housing, the city must be aware of what the community can afford to spend. And developers that build in existing neighborhoods have the opportunity to improve the quality of life for residents who already live there – or who may choose to move there.

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Sandra Wilkerson Begins New Leadership Role As President Of Henderson-Vance Chamber

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Sandra Wilkerson has officially begun her new role as president of the Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce. Wilkerson succeeds outgoing president Michele Burgess, who announced her retirement in the fall.

Wilkerson has been the Chamber’s director of programs for the past four years.

“I am excited to step into this leadership role for our community and look forward to working with the board and all of our current team members who make our chamber as strong and vibrant as it is,” she said in a press statement announcing her selection.

“We are excited to have Sandra step into this leadership role to continue the positive momentum within our Chamber as well as the community,” incoming board chairman Bert Long said in the press statement. “Sandra has made it clear that she hopes to foster collaboration and provide a pathway to business for all in our community,” Long said.

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VGCC’s Aviation Program Cleared For Takeoff With FAA Initiative

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Vance-Granville Community College has been selected by the Federal Aviation Administration to participate in a collegiate training initiative for unmanned aircraft systems – also known as drones.

The college’s aviation program will participate in the Unmanned Aircraft Systems-Collegiate Training Initiative program, or the UAS-CTI.

“I’m happy for VGCC to have been recognized by the FAA as UAS-CTI partner,” says James Brown Jr., customized training irector at VGCC’s South Campus in Creedmoor. “First and foremost, it means that the FAA thinks we’re doing the right things to promote safe and responsible drone piloting. North Carolina was ‘First in Flight’ and remains on the leading edge of drone technology.”

The FAA program recognizes institutions that prepare students for careers in unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), or drones. In order to qualify, schools must provide curriculum covering various aspects of UAS training, including hands-on flight practice, maintenance, uses, applications, privacy concerns, safety and federal policies concerning UAS.

If you ask Brown, the sky’s the limit when it comes to the future of UAS programming at VGCC.

“This is a big step that will see VGCC expand its offerings in the unmanned aviation space, including entrepreneurialism, youth summer camps, extracurricular activities, university partnerships and the expansion of UAV technology for consumer, industrial and agricultural use. This partnership with the FAA will ensure that VGCC stays aligned with the UAS industry going forward.”

Vance-Granville’s aviation program currently consists of unmanned flight programs available to both hobbyists and commercial drone pilots. Hands-on flight training takes place at various VGCC campus locations based on demand. To learn more, view the class schedule or register, visit https://www.vgcc.edu/coned/aviation/