Tag Archive for: #warrencountynews

Deal Advances on Southeast Rail Corridor

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THIS STORY IS PRESENTED IN PART BY DRAKE DENTISTRY

-Press Release, N.C. Department of Transportation

North Carolina has received good transportation news as an important agreement reached this week will advance plans to improve the Southeast’s freight and passenger rail network.

The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation announced a major deal with CSX Thursday. Part of the deal will enable the N.C. Department of Transportation to acquire a 10-mile portion of an inactive freight line in North Carolina so the line can be converted for use on the Southeast Rail Corridor.

The Southeast Rail Corridor is a network of passenger and freight rail from Washington D.C. to Jacksonville, Fla. The rail runs through North Carolina roughly parallel to Interstate 85 and U.S. 1. The 10-mile section to be acquired runs from Ridgeway in Warren County to the North Carolina-Virginia border.

“This is a key step as we work to improve our rail system so we can move people and goods more efficiently between North Carolina and communities along the East Coast,” said Jason Orthner, director of the N.C. Department of Transportation’s Rail Division.

This week’s deal will also enable the construction of a new Virginia-owned Long Bridge across the Potomac River, and acquisition of more than 350 miles of railroad right-of-way.

The deal comes as officials with North Carolina and Virginia work together on a strategy to acquire both in-service and out-of-service rail lines for enhanced freight and passenger services. North Carolina Sen. Tom McInnis is chairman of the North Carolina delegation of the VA-NC Interstate High Speed Rail Compact and a chairman of state legislative transportation committees.

“This agreement takes us a big step forward in our efforts to better connect North Carolina communities,” McInnis said. “And it will offer new connections between our state and our neighbors, providing lasting economic development opportunities for our state.”

Warren Co. Coop. Extension to Hold FREE Track-Out Success Camp

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100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

-Information courtesy the Warren County Cooperative Extension Center

The Warren County Cooperative Extension Center/EFNEP Program will hold a Track-Out Success Camp for children on January 6-7 and 9-10, 2020, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.

The camp will be held at the Warren County Center located at 158 Rafters Lane, Warrenton, NC 27589.

Come and join us on your track-out week to learn about nutrition and how to prepare healthy food! The program is open to all school-age children and is offered at no cost!

Click here to register. Don’t wait – spaces are limited.

Reminder: Warrenton Christmas Parade This Saturday!

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100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

-Information courtesy the Rotary Club of Warrenton

The 2019 Warrenton Christmas Parade will be held on Saturday, December 14 beginning at 5 p.m. on Main Street in Historic Downtown Warrenton. The parade is sponsored by the Rotary Club of Warrenton and the Town of Warrenton.

In case of rain, the parade will be held Sunday, December 15 beginning at 5 p.m.

Parade lineup will be emailed to participants at least the day before the event, explaining how the lineup will work and encouraging participants to arrive no later than 4 p.m.

‘Merry Grinchmas’ to Offer Holiday Goodies, Photo Op With the Grinch Himself

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100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

-Information courtesy the Warren County Memorial Library

The Warren County Memorial Library will host a Christmas event for the entire family on Saturday, December 21, 2019.

Bring your family, friends and a camera to capture pictures with the Grinch from 11:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m.

“Enjoy holiday stories and plenty of fun…cookies and books for everyone!”

This event is sponsored by The Friends of the WCM Library.

Join the ‘Maintain, Don’t Gain’ Holiday Weight Challenge!

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100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

-Information courtesy Warren County NC Cooperative Extension Center

The Warren County NC Cooperative Extension Center invites everyone to participate in the 13th annual Eat Smart, Move More, Maintain, Don’t Gain! Holiday Challenge held November 18 – December 31, 2019.

The challenge is a fun way to help individuals avoid holiday weight gain. Everyone can participate – whether they are looking to lose a few pounds, maintain their current weight or pick up new strategies to eat smart and to move more. And it is FREE to participate!

Individuals who are interested in meeting up face-to-face, joining a private Facebook page, and/or listserve will be entered for a drawing to be held on January 22, 2020.

If interested, please contact Crystal M. Smith, County Extension Director/Family Consumer Science at (252) 257-3640 or cmsmith2@ncsu.edu Registration (click here) is required on or by November 27, 2019.

Vance Co. Commissioner Tommy Hester Announces Plan to Run for NC Senate

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THIS STORY IS PRESENTED IN PART BY DRAKE DENTISTRY

Thomas “Tommy” Hester, Jr., lifelong Henderson native, long-serving Vance County Commissioner and local businessman, has announced that he will file for the NC Senate District Three seat in the 2020 election. The filing period begins Monday, December 2, 2019.

NC’s third district is currently represented by Democratic Senator Erica Smith-Ingram and includes Vance, Warren, Northampton, Bertie, Martin and Beaufort counties.

With Smith-Ingram expected to file for federal office as opposed to filing for reelection to the state senate, Hester said the time is right to seek an office that “can help bring jobs and education – the two most important factors in economic growth – to rural NC counties.”

Tommy Hester announces to the local media on Wednesday that he will file for the NC Senate District Three seat in the 2020 election. The filing period begins Monday, December 2, 2019. (WIZS photo)

All six of the counties comprising district three are considered Tier 1, a distinction that makes them among the most economically distressed in the state. Rankings are based on an assessment of a county’s unemployment rate, median household income, population growth and assessed property value per capita, according to the NC Department of Commerce.

As a resident and county commissioner in a Tier 1 county, Hester said he is prepared to bring jobs and education to the district and believes his experience on the North Carolina Golden Leaf Board of Directors and Chairman of the North Carolina Rural Infrastructure Authority, in part, make him an ideal candidate.

“Being involved in Golden Leaf and being in Raleigh with the Rural Infrastructure Authority for six years has given me the background on what needs to be done to help rural counties,” stated Hester.

In addition to his many service roles in Vance County, Hester has connections to other rural NC counties including the three years he was stationed in Warren County as part of his 15 years of National Guard service and connections made through wife Jenny, a Northampton County native.

Locally, Hester has served the Henderson-Vance Economic Development Committee as its elected Board Chair. He was also named Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce’s Citizen of the Year in 2017 and has been recognized with the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, North Carolina’s highest civilian award.

A Vance County Commissioner for 14 years, Hester said he will only resign the local office if he wins the senate seat. If elected, Hester would also be required to resign from the Golden Leaf Foundation and the Rural Infrastructure Authority.

Hester pointed to recent examples of growth in Vance County, many of which he was either directly or indirectly involved with, as proof that the tide can turn in counties categorized as “economically distressed.” Examples included:

  • Expansion of the Henderson-Vance Industrial Park located off US-1
  • Mako Medical Laboratories opening in Henderson, bringing 100+ jobs (to date)
  • New Vance Charter School Building and Salvation Army Building in Henderson
  • Wireless Broadband agreement to provide service to 95-98% of Vance County
  • Vance County’s water expansion project, currently on phase 3

While he is proud of the strides made in Vance County in recent years, Hester said he also wants to help expand that growth to other rural counties via the third district senate seat.

“There’s no one running right now or announced to run except for me. I’m running for it because I care about NC and I care about rural counties. If we help one rural county, we are helping all surrounding counties.”

The general election for the North Carolina State Senate will be held on November 3, 2020. A primary is scheduled for March 3, 2020.

If elected, Hester would assume office the first day of the new General Assembly in January 2021. Members of the state senate serve two-year terms and are not subject to term limits.

Warrenton Christmas Parade to Delight Main Street Sat., Dec. 14

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100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

-Information courtesy the Rotary Club of Warrenton

The 2019 Warrenton Christmas Parade will be held on Saturday, December 14 beginning at 5 p.m. on Main Street in Historic Downtown Warrenton. The parade is sponsored by the Rotary Club of Warrenton and the Town of Warrenton.

In case of rain, the parade will be held Sunday, December 15 beginning at 5 p.m.

Applications and additional information for those interested in entering the parade are available at Town Hall (113 S. Bragg Street), Tar Heel Tire and on the Rotary Club of Warrenton’s Facebook page. Cash prizes will be awarded to the best floats!

Warren County Farm City Dinner to be Held at Armory Nov. 19

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100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

-Information courtesy Warren Co. Cooperative Extension

The Warren County 2019 Farm City Dinner will be held on Tuesday, November 19, 2019, at 6 p.m. at the Warren County Armory Civic Center. Come and celebrate the relationship between farm and city.

This year’s keynote speaker will be Dr. Blake Brown, Hugh C. Kiger Professor of Agriculture and Resource Economics at NC State University. Find out about current global trends in agriculture and how they affect our local communities.

Please RSVP by November 15. Register online by clicking here.

St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Ridgeway to Hold Fall Bazaar

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100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

-Information courtesy Annie Bender, St. Paul’s Lutheran Church

The Lutheran Women’s Missionary League of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, located at 114 Poplar Mount Road in Ridgeway, NC, will hold its annual Fall Bazaar on Saturday, November 9, 2019. The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall of the church.

For sale will be homemade baked goods, preserves, pickles, soups, chili, crafts, RADA cutlery and a variety of White Elephant (yard sale type) items.

Visit our snack bar for ham biscuits, homemade soups and chili, chicken salad and pimento cheese sandwiches, desserts, soft drinks and coffee.

All proceeds go to various mission projects.

NC Coop Extension

Pesticide Collection Day Scheduled for Warren, Surrounding Counties

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100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

-Information courtesy Paul McKenzie, Agricultural Extension Agent, Vance/Warren Counties

NC Cooperative Extension will offer a Pesticide Collection Day for residents in Warren and surrounding counties on Tuesday, November 5, 2019. The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the NC Cooperative Extension office located at 158 Rafters Ln. in Warrenton, NC.

NC Cooperative Extension will offer this service in collaboration with the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The local site manager will be Matthew Place, Agricultural Extension Agent for Warren County.

Nearly all pesticide products will be accepted, including herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, etc. For liquid pesticide containers larger than 5 gallons or for unlabeled pesticides, please contact the NC Cooperative Extension office for information before bringing to the collection event. Although no gas cylinders will be accepted, assistance information can be provided.

For more information, contact Matthew Place at the NC Cooperative Extension office at (252) 257-3640.