Tag Archive for: #wizsnews

TownTalk: Author Martha Gayle Book-Signing Event Saturday At Sadie’s Coffee Corner

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Author Martha Gayle will be at Sadie’s Coffee Corner Saturday morning, May 17, for a book signing event for her second book, When Jesus Leads. Come out to chat with Gayle between 10 a.m. and 12 noon at Sadie’s located at 324 S. Garnett St.

When Jesus Leads picks up chronicling the lives of Mary and Jimmy, and picks up where the first book, When Jesus Calls, ends.

“Both of the books are all real life,” Gayle said, and recall events in her own life journey.

Through these characters, Gayle said, she hopes to share the importance of learning to trust God above all else.

“When we walk in His way and His will, it’s always perfect, always beautiful on the other side. That’s a lot of what these stories share is just trusting God above all else,” she said on Thursday’s TownTalk.

Martha Gayle, her pen name, said it’s a humbling experience to speak to others about her life. “That’s why God gave us this life, to share it.”

Gayle said she has found healing in writing the books.

“Writing has been the easiest part of the journey,” she said.

The first book was published in 2023, and When Jesus Leads was published in January of this year. She working on a third now – she’s on Chapter 7, so far.

“It’s a story that just continues,” she said, but wouldn’t give away any secrets about what happens in the lives of her characters Mary and Jimmy in this second book.

“There’s a twist in the second book,” she said, “I’m not going to say anything else, because it’s pretty awesome, actually.”

She said reviews have been positive thus far, and she read from one that said called When Jesus Leads a “heartfelt and faith-driven novel” that deals with themes of redemption, forgiveness and faith.

“Believing, trusting and walking in the will of God is the only thing that any of us need to do,” Gayle said. “It’s not always easy but to see the blessings and to see God glorifying himself in those moments – there’s nothing like it in the world.”

She gave a little clue at what the third book may include, but readers will just have to wait until it’s out to know for sure. “I believe this third book…is going to be a healing season for Jimmy, not as much for Mary,” she hinted.

 

A line of Scripture that features prominently in her life, her writing and her website is John 11:40, which reads: “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”

For Gayle, that verse is central to her life and to her endeavors as an author.

“God has planned this to the minute of what’s happening,” she said. The reviews and rewards (are) just been total confirmation that I’m doing exactly what God wants me to do in telling the story.”

 

Gayle dedicated her first book to her father; the second book is dedicated to her father and to her daughter.

We’ll have to wait and see to whom the third – and maybe more – books are dedicated.

Both books will be available for purchase at Saturday’s book signing, and Gayle said anyone who wants to bring books they’ve already purchased, she’ll sign those, too.

Visit www.marthagayle.com to learn more. She welcomes comments and prayer requests, too.

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Cooperative Extension with Jamon Glover: The Decision-Making Muscle

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Vance County Cooperative Extension with Jamon Glover

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

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The Local Skinny! County Manager Releases Revised Budget

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Vance County Manager C. Renee Perry said that her $64.3 million proposed budget presented to commissioners last week had some missing information, which prompted a line-by-line review of the numbers to create a revised budget.

The revised budget seems to be about $600,000 more than the original budget, coming in at $64,933,833.

“I know errors happen, but I hated for this to happen,” Perry told WIZS News. ”There was an issue with the data transfer from one spreadsheet to the next, and some of the expenditures and some of the requests did not make it in my budget,” she explained.

Perry said she and her team used a different process with the spreadsheets used to create the budget and “when we merged the data, we didn’t catch that some of the departments’ recommendations were missing, so it threw my numbers off.”

Perry said “something was on my mind” after the Monday, May 5th presentation to commissioners, and when she started looking through the spreadsheets, she realized something was missing.

She emailed commissioners first thing the next day, Tuesday morning May 6, to inform them of the issue.

“As soon as I was aware, I made them aware,” she said.

Perry said she and her team reviewed the budget over the last week, “making sure that we budgeted properly and that what I’m presenting to the commissioners are the things that they need to consider. I don’t want to go after July 1 and realize, ‘Oh, my God!’ we don’t have money for that,” she said.

“I need to present what we need for fiscal year 25-26 in its entirety, and I did not do that (at the Monday meeting). I’m taking full accountability, being transparent…to be able to present what I need to present to my commissioners.”

The revised budget was posted on the county’s website this Wednesday, May 14, giving commissioners a week to review before the scheduled May 20 budget work session.

The public hearing on the budget remains scheduled on June 2 at the regular monthly commissioners’ meeting.

If you happened to notice the first scheduled budget work session for this past Monday, May 12th, was cancelled.  This is the reason why.

In Perry’s cover letter to the budget presented to commissioners, she wrote:

“With all funds balanced and revenues and expenditures noted, this budget will not only meet statutory requirements but primarily seek to move Vance County forward in the next fiscal year by continuing to address needs within our infrastructure, services, and targeting opportunities of growth to capitalize on the inherent strengths of the communities across the County. The following message will outline points of emphasis and funding within the budget and highlight characteristics of the County that point toward continued strength and growth.”

The manager’s proposed budget does not include an increase nor a decrease in the general fund property tax rate of .7129 per $100 in value. The budget does not include an increase nor a decrease to 5.94 cents fire tax rate.

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TownTalk: Henderson City Council Meeting Budget Presented

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Henderson Finance Director Joey Fuqua presented the FY 2025-26 proposed budget of $54.5 million to the City Council Monday. The balanced budget means that no tax increase will be called for, but the city will have to dip big into its fund balance – to the tune of $4,058,000.

Fuqua called the budget “conservative” and “really challenging,” indicating that he had to deal with a shortfall of about $880,000.

In broad terms, increased salaries that outpace revenues from proposed development are a big reason for the shortfall, and Fuqua said the city implemented savings strategies in January to help as much as possible. The total budget – 54,517,011 – represents a very conservative 1 percent increase over last year’s budget.

Facing a $880,000 shortfall, Fuqua  turned to cost-saving measures in January 2025 to help stem the tide. He also turned to the city’s department heads to look for savings.

“Police and fire collectively were able to come up with $300,000 in savings within their budget,” Fuqua told WIZS Monday. The rest of the savings came from across other departments, further chipping away at the shortfall.

Those cost-saving measures and a healthy fund balance are what enabled Fuqua to keep the current tax rate.

Water and sewer rates will be going up, however. Water rates will increase 13.5 percent over the next two years. Sewer rates will rise by 7 percent over the next two years.

Property tax and sales tax are the city’s primary source of revenue. In Fuqua’s presentation to the Council, he said collections are pacing ahead of last year’s total as of April. Tax collections have remained essentially even to 2024 at 97.26 percent.

He said he did question some numbers coming from the county’s tax department, adding that he expected some of those figures to be adjusted in the city’s favor.

Projected increases in the tax base are just that – projections. And Fuqua told Council members several times during his presentation that the city needs to grow – in population to create new taxpayers and in development to increase the tax base.

“We are not being saved by development because we aren’t having development,” he said. Simply put, until the city can afford to pay for services like public safety and more, the tax rate will not be going down.

“.65 is the rate that would be necessary to pay for the salaries that the city has arrived at over a number of recent years,” Fuqua explained to WIZS Monday night after the meeting concluded. “We’re on the hook for those that hit the bottom line…when you factor in those salary levels and all the fringe, .65 is what’s going to pay for it. We don’t have other forms of revenue to supplement what we have to do to make that mark.”

The City Council has scheduled its first budget work session for May 19 at 6 p.m. The new budget must be adopted by July 1, 2025 when the new fiscal year begins.

 

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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

Originally written and posted on May 12, 2025

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Cooperative Extension with Michael Ellington: Impact of Kudzu

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On the Vance County Cooperative Extension Report from Michael Ellington:

We speak about the history and impact of Kudzu. We also discuss our efforts to educate residents on how to control it by hosting research trials at the Vance County Regional Farmers Market community garden.

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

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‘Stomp The Stigma 5K Run/Walk May 31 At Maria Parham Franklin

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Step out and step up to support National Mental Health Awareness Month at Maria Parham Franklin’s “Stomp the Stigma” 5K run and walk on Saturday, May 31 in Louisburg.

Check-in begins at 8 a.m. at the Maria Parham Franklin campus, 100 Hospital Dr. in Louisburg. There are three events for participants:  the 5K run/walk begins at 9 a.m.; the 1-mile family fun run/walk begins at 9:30 a.m. and the Kids’ Dash is at 10 a.m.

Maria Parham Franklin and the MPF Behavioral Health team are hosting the run/walk to raise awareness around mental health, reduce stigma and foster support for the needs of the local community.

Emilee Johnson, Maria Parham’s vice president of Operations, said this inaugural event is a great way to combine a fun activity with raising awareness to reduce the stigma that often surrounds mental health issues.

“Exercise helps a great deal with mental well-being,” Johnson said, so blending education and awareness with an event that provides physical activity just makes sense.

Vendors who provide education and treatment services will be on hand to share information about different types of mental illness and available resources for individuals.

The proceeds for the run/walk will be used to provide help to those in the four-county area, said Ashley Jarema, MPF coordinator for Marketing & Communications.

All dollars raised will go to First In Families, a local nonprofit that offers services and more to clients in Vance, Granville, Franklin and Warren counties. Whether the money is used for actual care or to help individuals get access to the care they need, the funds are meant to stay in the local area.

 

“We want to normalize seeking help when needed,” Jarema said, adding that oftentimes, people struggle silently. “We want to make everyone aware that it’s OK to seek help.”

If you want to make sure you get a t-shirt and a swag bag, you should register no later than Friday, May 16. It’s fine to register later – or even the morning of, too.

Register here: https://runsignup.com/Race/NC/Louisburg/StompTheStigmaK 

 

The top three male finishers and the top three female finishers will receive prizes, and the first 100 finishers will get medals.

There are surely folks who will want to get to the finish line first, but Jarema said “You don’t have to be a runner, you don’t even have to be a walker” to come out and help. There’s a spot to sign up to be a volunteer on the registration page.

 

Johnson said the message to the community is simple: “You are not alone. We are here with you. We all fight the battle together.”

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Sheriff Curtis Brame: Two Injured In Friday Shooting

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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.

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