Tag Archive for: #vancecountynews

“State of the City” Highlights Positive Progress For Henderson’s Future

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The Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce, partnering with Henderson Vance Rotary, hosted the 2022 “state of the city” address Thursday,  highlighting an array of projects underway and others on the horizon but also asking for a unified community approach to tackle issues that detract from the city’s image.

The dining room at Henderson Country Club was filled with about 100 Chamber members and guests for the program. Greg Etheridge, local Rotary president, welcomed the group, after which Mayor Eddie Ellington and City Manager Terrell Blackmon provided updates on the city’s current situation and prospects for future revitalization.

Ellington said he balances celebrating the city’s recent successes with the need to face “hard truths” that cannot be ignored. The City Council passed a $39 million budget with no increase in taxes or fees, and the city’s fun balance is “sturdy,” he said. New jobs are being added through projects like the M.R. Williams expansion and the addition of the cardiac catheterization lab at Maria Parham Health.

But increased gun violence, lack of affordable housing and a low percentage of home ownership in the city are certainly areas of concern, as are numerous open positions within the city administration.

Blackmon used results from the city council’s recent strategic planning retreat to identify several areas of need in his presentation titled “Reshaping Henderson” – which include improving the perception of the city, effective recruitment and retention of city employees and housing redevelopment.

“We have things to fix,” Blackmon said. Whether it’s an ongoing campaign to reduce litter with the city’s neighborhoods or actively promoting existing and new events that take place in downtown Henderson, he said the whole community needs to become more involved.

The police department is down 9 officers, the fire department has 12 vacancies, according to Blackmon, and the city has been with two key department heads for a year – the city needs a lead engineer and someone to oversee the public works departments.

With expected growth in the number of redevelopment projects as revitalization continues, the work of these two departments is critical.

“We have to have that every day leadership to move forward,” he said. It’s tough to compete with larger cities nearby, especially for law enforcement, he added. One step the city took recently is to give a $1/hr. pay increase to front-line workers as a way to retain employees.

The city has allotted $1.5 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds – ARPA – to fund redevelopment activities and other strategic investments in the city, and Blackmon encouraged and challenged others within the community to “leverage that money to help more residents in Henderson and Vance County.”

A self-described “passionate public servant,” Blackmon mentioned the various community assets that bring visitors to the area, where they spend money and contribute to the local economy. In addition to Kerr Lake, Fox Pond Park and McGregor Hall, he pointed out the new skate park near downtown and a new outdoor pavilion in the Embassy Square area that is ready to proceed with construction.

The city rejoined the Main Street program in 2021 as one way to promote downtown revitalization. Blackmon mentioned several grant programs and projects that have come along since that time, and said there’s more to come.

“I think you’re going to be very pleased with some of the progress that’s coming” to downtown, he said.

Moving forward with the West End and Flint Hill urban redevelopment areas is one way the city is hoping to boost safe, affordable housing for Henderson residents.

The median income in Henderson in 2020 was about $31,000, which Blackmon explained would be enough to purchase a home that cost about $168,000. But with a poverty rate of 29.3 percent, home ownership often is out of reach.

Blackmon said 60 percent of housing in Henderson is rental housing, which creates challenges for tenants, for property owners and for the city. It puts a greater burden on businesses and homeowners to “carry the services we provide to the community,” Blackmon said. The city relies heavily on property tax revenues.

Infill housing – new construction in established neighborhoods close to downtown – is something that the city needs, but he added that it is difficult to make the housing affordable. Blackmon hinted at the possibility of several future projects involving subdivisions and infill development.

The much-talked-about water plant expansion should get off the ground by January 2023 and the S-Line Mobility Hub is a hot topic right now for the area. Blackmon said Assistant City Manager Paylor Spruill was in Raleigh Thursday for the unveiling of the first draft of what the railroad station could look like.

The rail project, though chugging closer to fruition, is still in the early stages of development, one transportation-related issue that has long been on the minds of city officials could face a roadblock.

The Dabney Drive widening project could face getting pushed further down on the to-do list by NC DOT.

“Dabney Drive is a critical artery for the city of Henderson,” Blackmon said. “That widening project needs to happen as soon as possible.” He urged those present to talk to their elected state officials to keep the project from moving down the list.

Vance County Sheriff's Office

2 Charged With Shooting At Wake Electric Truck

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Two arrests were made Thursday in connection with an incident last week during which a Wake Electric Membership Corporation truck was struck by gunfire.

Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame said his officers executed a search warrant at 240 Island Creek Estates Rd. as part of the investigation of the June 23 incident. According to a press statement, Brame said deputies responded to a shots fired call on Island Creek Estates Rd. about 3 a.m.

Upon the arrival, law enforcement discovered that a Wake Electric Membership Corporation truck had been fired upon.

The company’s truck was struck twice by gunfire. Although occupied at the time,  no injuries were reported.

The Vance County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division responded to the area and conducted an investigation into the incident, which resulted in the search of the residence.  Automatic assault rifles, handguns, magazines and a large quantity of ammunition was discovered.

Arrested were Di’quayveon Hargrove, 24, and Datwain Henderson, Jr., 22.

Each has been charged with discharging a firearm into an occupied vehicle.

Bond was set at $50,000 for each man.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is urged to contact the Vance County Sheriff’s Office.

MPH Welcomes Gastroenterologist Mamun Shahrier To Staff

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-information courtesy of Maria Parham Health

Maria Parham Health has announced that Mamun Shahrier, MD, PhD, FACP has joined its staff and will be offering GI services to patients throughout Henderson, Vance County and the surrounding area. Shahrier is a gastroenterologist with more than 30 years of clinical experience.

“Having worked with Dr. Shahrier for more than six years across two markets, I am very excited to welcome him to Maria Parham,” said MPH CEO Bert Beard. “His knowledge of the region and proven track record of delivering high-quality patient care will benefit the communities we serve tremendously.”

Shahrier is board-certified in gastroenterology and most recently worked at Wilson Gastroenterology, where he saw patients and performed GI procedures for  more than five years.

He was graduated from Dhaka Medical College, Bangladesh in 1984 and earned his PhD from The Medical College of St. Bartholomew’s Hospital in London in 1993. He served an internal medicine at Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY in 1999 and completed a fellowship in Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in 2002.

Shahrier is seeing new and established patients at his office at Maria Parham GI Associates. For a referral or to schedule an appointment, please call 252.430.8111.

Guthrie Named Chief Medical Officer At Maria Parham Health

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-information courtesy of Maria Parham Health

Maria Parham Health has announced that Dr. Shauna Guthrie has been named the organization’s chief medical officer.

In her new role, Guthrie will set direction for Maria Parham Health’s medical department and provide leadership in collaboration with local health systems, community-based providers and academic institutions. Guthrie also will build upon the hospital’s current clinical and medical care foundation as she adds her expertise to further drive innovation in health care, according to a press statement issued Friday.

“We are elated to welcome Dr. Guthrie to our executive team,” said MPH CEO Bert Beard. “Her work serving the community as a provider and medical director for Granville Vance Public Health give her intimate knowledge of the needs of the communities we serve and the broader political structures we will need to navigate to continue to meet those health needs. The fact she will continue in her public health role as well will also further strengthen our coordination of care in the region.”

Guthrie will continue her role as medical director for GVPH, a role she has had for the past seven years. She also has a private practice, Sunflower Direct Primary Care, in April 2021 in downtown Henderson.

Guthrie is a graduate of the New Hampshire Dartmouth Family Medicine Residency in Concord, NH. After graduation, she stayed in New Hampshire to participate in the Dartmouth Hitchcock Leadership Preventive Medicine Residency where she completed a Masters in Public Health with a focus in quality improvement.

With more than a decade of clinical and health care leadership experience to MPH. She is board certified in Family Medicine and Preventive Medicine. Guthrie came to Henderson seeking warmer weather in 2013 where she was in private practice, seeing adult patients and delivering babies at Granville Health System and Maria Parham Health.

She also enjoys giving back to the profession by teaching students and residents. Guthrie currently sits on the executive board of directors for the NC Academy of Family Physicians as the president-elect and will assume the role of president in December 2022.

TownTalk: Patrick Bailey Speaks At Local GOP Rally

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Patrick Bailey wants to be the next sheriff of Vance County. The Republican candidate was one of several speakers who spoke during a Vance County GOP fundraiser last week in Henderson. Bailey spoke for almost 15 minutes on topics ranging from Second Amendment rights to the opioid epidemic.

“We need a change,” Bailey said, which prompted applause from the audience. “We need to make Vance County safe again – it’s not safe now.”

He said he would support the Second Amendment right to bear arms as sheriff of Vance County. “The Second Amendment right stands as it is,” he said, which elicited more applause and shouts of support from the 300 or so gathered at the fundraiser.

“We’ve got people running around… in our stores that are criminals carrying guns and what does Washington want to do? Washington wants to come in and make more laws that are binding us as law-abiding citizens so that we can’t go out and buy a gun as easily as we have been.”

As he has traveled across the county to the various townships and communities, Bailey said the Number 1 issue on people’s minds is drugs. According to Bailey, Vance County holds the unenviable spot of being the top county in the import of opium. (He did not cite a source for this statistic.) That means that the majority of the illegal drugs come through Vance County first before being distributed to surrounding counties, across the state and elsewhere.

Bailey said the sheriff’s office desperately needs a drug interdiction unit to catch drugs as they are transported up and down the interstate. He also said the sheriff’s office needs well trained officers who know the law and how to enforce it.

Residents can identify particular spots where drugs are being sold, but there is little being done to shut them down. “We need undercover agents working in these townships and locating drug houses and getting rid of them,” he said.

But the issue has two fronts to battle – the people who deal the drugs and the users who buy them. Bailey said mental health workers need to be working with families of substance abusers to get them help.

The only way to achieve results, he said, is for Republicans to get out and vote. He said of the county’s 24,000 registered voters, only 1,200 Republicans cast ballots in the May primary.

“You’ve got to tell all of your friends, all of your family (to vote),” he said, from local elections all the way up to the president of the United States. “We need to get (the) Democrats out of office.”

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Pick One Or More Area Fireworks Displays This Weekend

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If you plan your holiday weekend right, and don’t mind spending a little money for gas, there are several fireworks displays planned in the area that are sure to light up the night sky and dazzle onlookers.

• The Henderson-Vance Recreation & Parks Department is hosting its annual event on Friday evening at Fox Pond Park. The park will close at 7 p.m. and no parking will be allowed at the park, but a free shuttle service will pick up visitors at Aycock Rec Center beginning at 5 p.m. and will continue until about 8:45 p.m. There will be food vendors on site at the park and the fireworks show is set to begin about 9 p.m. Visit https://www.kerrlake-nc.com/event-details.php?event=268 to learn more.

• Lake Holt in Creedmoor is the site of Granville County’s fireworks show on Friday, July 1. The lake entrance is located at 1100 Lake Holt Rd. off Old Hwy. 75 in Butner. Gates open at 6 p.m. for the event, and parking and security is provided by officers of the Creedmoor Police Dept, Butner Public Safety, the Oxford Police Dept., the Granville County Sheriff’s Dept., Creedmoor Fire Dept., Stem Fire Dept. and the Junior Volunteer Fire Dept. Make sure you’re through the gates no later than 8:45 p.m., because no one will be allowed to enter after that time. The show will begin once it’s dark. Visit https://www.cityofcreedmoor.org/departments/recreation/events/fourth-of-july-picnic-fireworks to learn more.

• Then, on Saturday, July 2, head on out to Satterwhite Point to watch the fireworks display sponsored by Vance County Tourism. Director Pam Hester said the event will feature food, live music and other vendors from 4 p.m. until dark, with fireworks beginning around 9:15 p.m. Reminder: alcohol is not permitted at state parks – including Satterwhite Point – and there is a $7 park entrance gate fee. Visit http://www.kerrlake-nc.com/event-details.php?event=267 to learn more.

• If you’re closer to Cokesbury than Satterwhite Point on Saturday, you can check out what Cokesbury Volunteer Fire Department has to offer. Chief Adam Pegram said gates open at 6 p.m. There will be food vendors on site and the fireworks will begin around dark.

• Unfortunately, the fireworks show scheduled for Franklin County was cancelled for this year following a recent fatal fire at a Lenoir County warehouse where the fireworks that were to be used in Franklin County had been stored. In addition to the fatality, several firefighters were injured in the June 11 blaze. There was not enough time to find replacement fireworks, so Franklin County officials cancelled the event.

“How To Grow Your Small Business” Lunch Event June 28 At VGCC Civic Center

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Area business owners have an opportunity to hear from a panel of experts who will discuss how to grow a small business. The program will be held Tuesday, June 28 from noon to 2 p.m. in the VGCC Civic Center on the Henderson campus.

MakoRx, a local business and member of the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce, has organized the “How to Grow Your Small Business” event, and Chamber President Michele Burgess said it will be a wonderful opportunity to learn strategies to help business owners – whether they’re getting a new startup off the ground or own a business that’s been around a long time.

Among the topics to be discussed: health care, HR relations, finances and employee retention.

Lunch will be provided.

Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/371344951747.

Master Gardener Class Forming for Vance, Warren Counties

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N.C. Cooperative Extension is looking for a few good volunteers to join the Vance/Warren Master Gardenersm program. Applications are now being accepted for the 16-week training program, which will begin on Thursday, Aug.11, 2022 and will continue to meet on Thursday mornings.

During the course of the class, participants will learn about all aspects of gardening including fruits, vegetables, weeds, insects, diseases, trees, shrubs, turf and more. The class location will alternate between Henderson and Warrenton.

After training, each volunteer intern is required to provide 40 hours of service in various community outreach projects. No green thumb required, and many other skills are needed including public speaking, writing, photography, social media, event planning, graphic design, and much more. Recent volunteer projects have included demonstration gardens in both counties, newsletters, gardening workshops and seminars, youth education and more. The training fee is $125.

For more information, please visit http://go.ncsu.edu/mgvw or call 252.438.8188 (Vance County) or 252.257.3640 (Warren County).

Magistrates in North Carolina

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According to nccourts.gov/learn/court-officials where you can click on the word magistrates, “A magistrate is an independent judicial officer, recognized by the North Carolina Constitution as an officer of the district court. Magistrates perform numerous duties in both civil and criminal proceedings. Magistrates are not elected, but are nominated for office by the clerk of superior court, appointed by the senior resident superior court judge, and supervised by the chief district court judge. A magistrate serves an initial term of two years, with subsequent terms of four years.”

Responsibilities of a magistrate in North Carolina include criminal proceedings like conducting initial appearances, set conditions of release such as bonds and bond amounts, issue warrants and more as well as civil proceedings like hearing small claims cases, entering orders for summary ejectment known as evictions, involuntary commitments, marriages and more.

Talk to most any magistrate or clerk of court and you’ll learn there are bonding guidelines.  Despite a large public sentiment that bonds should be higher in a lot of cases, it’s important to understand bonds are to assure a defendant’s appearance in court.  Bonds are not for punishment.

There is online a fiscal year 2019-2020 North Carolina Magistrate Fact Sheet (click here), and it states, “In order to be eligible for nomination or re-nomination as a magistrate, a candidate must be a resident of the county for which he or she will be appointed. The candidate also must have a four-year college degree or eight years of work experience as a clerk of superior court; or a two-year associate degree and four years of work experience in a job related to the court system, law enforcement, or other public service work. Many magistrates are attorneys, but they are not required to be, and those who are attorneys are prohibited from practicing law while in office as a magistrate.

“A magistrate serves an initial term of two years, with subsequent terms of four years. While magistrates are not under the jurisdiction of the Judicial Standards Commission like judges are, they must obey the Code of Judicial Conduct, and the grounds for removing magistrates are the same as for removing judges. Judges, justices, and magistrates share the same mandatory retirement age.”

Age 72 is it for judges in N.C.

The Judicial Branch uses a workload formula to determine the appropriate number of magistrates per county.  Magistrates are salaried employees who provide services 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.  They account for about 10 percent of the judicial workforce in North Carolina and about nine percent of the judicial budget in the state with the figure being about $51 million.

There are six magistrate positions in Vance County, and one of those is vacant as of this publication.

To read more from North Carolina General Statutes, click here for Article 16 as it pertains to magistrates from the web site ncleg.net. Among other things, you can read about a magistrate’s training requirements.

As an aside, in fiscal year 2019-2020, district and superior courts combined disposed of over 2,250,000 cases in North Carolina.

Vance County Sheriff's Office

Third Arrest Made In Oct. Shooting Death In Williamsboro

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A Vance County man faces charges of first-degree murder in connection with a shooting in Williamsboro in October 2021.

Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame said Donte S. Henderson of the New Hope community was arrested Tuesday, June 21 and was charged with first-degree murder, accessory after the fact and shooting into an occupied vehicle. He was placed in the Vance County Detention Center under a $1 million bond.

Brame said his Criminal Investigation Division officers located Henderson and subsequently served the indictments.

No further details of the arrest were given.

Henderson is the third person arrested in connection with the Oct. 30 death of Devontae Cheek, who was shot as he was getting out of a vehicle in the parking lot of the Williamsboro Shell Station. He was taken to Maria Parham Health, where he later died of his injuries.

The Vance County Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate this incident, Brame said. Anyone with information regarding this matter is urged to contact the Vance County Sheriff’s Office.