Tag Archive for: #wizsnews

TownTalk: Henderson City Council Meeting May 12 At 6 PM

/by

The Henderson City Council will meet at 6 p.m. on Monday, May 12 for its regular monthly meeting.  Items on the agenda include presentation of the 2025-26 city budget and a discussion of water and sewer rate increases.

Henderson Mayor Melissa Elliott has announced a special called meeting set for 5 p.m. as well, to discuss a personnel matter, according to information from Clerk Tracey Kimbrell. Water and sewer rates have remained the same for six years, and results of a study were presented to Council during a September 2024 work session. The study concluded that a significant adjustment to the water rates was needed, while a less substantial adjustment to the sewer rates was also required. The Council is expected to act on the resolution to increase the rates.

Anyone wishing to address the Council must do so in person or submit questions/comments to the City Clerk by 3 p.m. on the day of the meeting.

Join the Zoom Meeting at the following link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81365676350?pwd=B5woNmYx1X0G0s3VTpBOptHqPWY2eA.1

Click Play!

Sheriff Curtis Brame: Two Injured In Friday Shooting

/by

On Friday, May 9, Vance County deputies responded to the Variety Wholesalers warehouse, located at 1000 Facet Rd. in Henderson, after receiving a report of shots fired in the parking lot.

While deputies were at the scene for further investigation, it was determined that two subjects had walked into Maria Parham Health with gunshot wounds from the incident. Both subjects were transported to Duke Hospital for further treatment for their injuries.

Brame told WIZS Friday afternoon, “I understand it started somewhere else and ended up there,” on the parking lot.

A spokesperson for Variety Wholesalers told WIZS News Friday afternoon that they were aware of the incident and were cooperating with law enforcement officers to determine what happened.

“We are aware of an incident that occurred on Friday afternoon on our Henderson Distribution Center campus where two people
were allegedly shot. We understand that the incident involved a Variety Wholesalers employee and non-Variety Wholesalers employee. We are currently gathering facts and cooperating with authorities to find out more information. We will provide more information as the investigation continues and as we are able to communicate further.”

Neither the identities of the individuals involved in the incident nor their condition has been released.

This matter is an ongoing investigation. Anyone with any information is asked to please contact the Vance County Sheriff’s Office at 252.738.2200.

Click Play.

Cooperative Extension with Wayne Rowland: Organic Garden

/by

On the Vance County Cooperative Extension Report from Wayne Rowland:

Organic gardens can be accomplished by using only organic soil principles.

Listen live at 100.1 FM / 1450 AM / or on the live stream at WIZS.com at 11:50 a.m. Mon, Tues & Thurs.

Click Play!

Reflecting On The Life, Legacy Of Ernest C. Terry, 76

/by

Ernest Carlton Terry, 76, died on April 27, 2025 at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Durham. Terry spent his life in service to others, from his time in the U.S. Marine Corps to his work in Henderson as a local businessman and elected official.

The funeral for Terry was Wednesday, and his daughter Enesa said she and other family members are still coming to terms with her father’s unexpected passing.

Enesa offered reflections on her father’s life and told WIZS News this morning that her dad was a very loving man who loved his family, his friends and his community.

“My dad absolutely loved the city of Henderson,” she said.

Recalling conversations with her father, Enesa said he didn’t want people to forget about him. “I don’t want to die and people not remember me,” she recalled him saying to her.

At his funeral, she said she heard people call him a “trailblazer” and someone ahead of his time.

“To hear those words yesterday, it meant a lot,” she said. The City of Henderson also lowered flags in his honor, another gesture she said her father surely would have appreciated.

In business and in public, she said, he showed a dignified, professional side. Enesa’s mom, Costella, died when Enesa was 13, and she said her dad had to be both parents to their only child.

“He learned to do my hair,” she said, among other “little things that a mother is supposed to do.” It helped them form a closer relationship, she said.

“Behind the scenes, he was a kind, soft heart – he was a good man,” she said.

Terry has two brothers, Raymond and Michael. Raymond said his brother joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1967 and served four years – including a year-long tour in Vietnam. He participated and organized the Bugle Corps when he was stationed at Guam. He was awarded the Distinguished Navy Achievement Medal, among others.

After an honorable discharge he returned to Henderson and worked for a few years with the Henderson Police Department before he decided to attend mortuary college.

He worked for a couple of funeral homes after completing his education and then started E.C. Terry’s Funeral Service in 1982.

Enesa was in middle school when her dad served on the City Council.

He enjoyed explaining his role with the city to her and took her whenever he could to show her how city government works.

“He was ahead of his time,” she said. “He loved to serve on the City Council.”

Terry was the first African American to run for mayor of Henderson, but Enesa said at the time, she didn’t realize that. “He never pointed that out,” she said. Although Terry didn’t win, Enesa said it was a good race and she was proud of her dad.

“It was just amazing,” she said, “my dad was trying to run for mayor of this city.”

Henderson Mayor Melissa Elliott became the first African American and the first female to be elected to the position in 2023. Elliott spoke at the funeral and in comments to WIZS News Thursday echoed the sentiments about Terry’s kindness. “…he helped many families in the transition of their loved ones and was a true asset to our community,” Elliott said.

Former Henderson Mayor and City Council member Donald C. “Clem” Seifert, Jr. remembered Terry as someone who was very easy to talk to and reasonable during one-on-one discussions. “I often found that we agreed on many more things than we disagreed on,” Seifert told WIZS News Wednesday.

It was a three-person race for the mayor of Henderson in 2003, with Terry, Jeanne Hight and Seifert vying for the seat.

“I served with Ernest on the city council for many years,” Seifert said. “We always got along, and we always were able to come to some agreement on what we thought was the best way to move forward on issues that we may have some disagreement on.

“I enjoyed working with him and I’m sorry to hear of his passing. We did run against each other for mayor my first term…but Ernest never said anything derogatory toward me,” Seifert said.

“He was a nice, decent man who didn’t always speak up, but when he did speak, you wanted to listen to what he had to say. Ernest served the city well and his community well, in my opinion, and will be missed.”

Click Play

Cooperative Extension with Jamon Glover: Supporting Father Involvement Program

/by

On the Vance County Cooperative Extension Report from Jamon Glover:

We learn about the Supporting Father Involvement Program at Cooperative Extension

Listen live at 100.1 FM / 1450 AM / or on the live stream at WIZS.com at 11:50 a.m. Mon, Tues & Thurs.

Click Play!

H-V Industrial Park Board Votes Unanimously To Sell Shell Building For $3M

/by

The Henderson-Vance Industrial Park Board approved Wednesday afternoon to sell the shell building and 10 acres of property in the park to Linde Gas & Equipment, Inc., a leading global industrial gases and engineering company.

County Attorney Jonathan Care said this deal is better by about $300,000 than previous deals to purchase the building. Two other companies had expressed interest in the building, but both deals fell through.

Board President Tommy Hester called the meeting for 4 p.m. Wednesday, after getting the go-ahead from commissioners to sell for $135,000 three acres of land in the park to Linde in addition to the building and the seven acres it sits on. The industrial park board owns the building and the seven acres, located at 39 Commerce Dr. inside the Henderson-Vance Industrial Park near the U.S. 1 Bypass.

It took less than 10 minutes for the board to reach a unanimous vote in favor of the sale, which will total $3,135,000. Henderson Mayor Melissa Elliott made the motion, seconded by Vance County Commissioner Leo Kelly and the motion passed unanimously. Hester and Henderson Mayor Pro Tem Michael Venable, along with Elliott and Kelly, comprise the board.

Hester called it “one of the best deals ever for this community.” The company has said the plan is to finish out the building with a $25 million investment and initially hire about 30 employees before ramping up to 50 or 60 soon thereafter.

Hester told WIZS News that he had gotten endorsements from N.C. Sen. Lisa Barnes and N.C. Rep. Matthew Winslow, who fully support the project.

“We don’t need to miss this,” Hester said. And with endorsements from local legislators, Hester said it helps attract more projects to the county in the future.

The sale of the shell building and adjacent property is a win all the way around, Hester said – for the county, the city and for economic development.

One of the drawing cards to Vance County for Linde, Hester said, is the area’s commitment to invest in the community. “If you build it, they’ll come,” Hester said at the outset of the Wednesday meeting.

Linde is willing to put down $60,000 in earnest money, complete a 90-day due diligence process, with the possibility of an extra 30 days if needed. After the due diligence is completed, they’ll be able to close within 15 days.

The company did ask the county and the industrial park board to consider future zoning to ensure that any future “neighbors” would not be inconsistent with itsoperation.

The county will provide any environmental studies that are available, and the park board will pay 3 percent to the buying agent at closing.

As Hester explained, Linde will buy the building and seven acres for $3 million, then invest $25 million to finish it out. The average worker’s salary is about $60,000, so it will help Vance County’s status as a Tier 1 county. He said company officials have already stated they want to eventually expand the building from the current 57,000 square feet to 97,000 square feet.

Expanding the tax base, hiring workers and putting the shell building back on the tax books all spell progress and growth, Hester said.

And although city leaders at the time chose not to share the costs for constructing the shell building, the city will get the benefit of having the new occupant pay for water and sewer, which the city furnishes.

According to Hester, Linde’s home office is in New Jersey. This facility will be used to create a high-pressure and liquid filling facility for industrial, specialty and medical gases to serve the Research Triangle Park, as well as other markets in North Carolina and Virginia.

“They don’t have anything else on the East Coast for manufacturing,” he said.

They’re going to pay cash, and there are no incentives offered to locate here, Hester said.

Care said Linde is looking to expand and grow. “This was the property that they concentrated on,” he said, adding that the prospective buyer has done everything that they said they were going to do during the process.

Click Play!

Home and Garden Show

/by

On the Home and Garden Show with Vance Co. Cooperative Ext.

  • The Vance-Warren Beekeepers Association will have their May meeting on May 12th, 2025 at 7:00 pm at the Vance County Regional Farmers Market.
  • Cooperative Extension has publications on most vegetables and fruits that can be grown in  the central piedmont of  North Carolina call 252-438-8188 or come by the Cooperative Extension Offices during 8:30am til 5pm M-F.
  • Weed killers will work well after the recent rains.
  • If you plan to grow vegetables in containers be sure to use a container mix or potting mix rather than compost or garden soil.
  • Prune azaleas after they have finished blooming only if they need it. Prune back no more than ⅓ of the plant.
  • Check ponds for aquatic weeds and identify weeds before applying any weed control to your pond.
  • Identify your insects on plants before buying a control chemical.
  • In order to protect Bees avoid spraying insecticides on plants that are blooming.
  • Attract pollinators by planting wildflowers.
  • Continue your fruit tree spray program according to the label directions of the product that you are using.
  • Monitor strawberries closely. They ripen quicker than you know.
  • Check houseplants dust weekly with a soft cloth.
  • Check storage areas for mice.      

The Vance County Cooperative Extension is located at 305 Young St, Henderson, NC 27536

The Vance County Regional Farmers Market is located at 210 Southpark Dr., Henderson, NC 27536

Click Play!