Tag Archive for: #wizsnews

Local GOP Hosts Candidate Meetings

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The Vance County Republican Party is hosting a series of meetings designed to hear from candidates in the upcoming nonpartisan municipal elections.

Jimmy Barrier, local GOP chair, told WIZS News Wednesday that the Ward 1 candidates will be the focus of the meeting on Thursday, Aug. 31. The meetings begin at 6:30 p.m. and will take place at Tony’s Automotive on Raleigh Road.

Mayoral candidates were invited to participate in the first meeting held Tuesday, Aug. 29, Barrier said. Candidates Sara Coffey and Greg Etheridge attended; Melissa Elliott and Jason Spriggs did not participate.

Barrier said the meetings are a chance to learn about the candidates and their platforms.

“We’ve invited them to come to us,” Barrier said, “to speak to us and tell us why we should vote for them.”

The meetings are open to registered Republicans, Barrier said. “We want to be what’s best for Vance County and the city of Henderson,” he said, adding that the objective is to inform voters.

The candidates receive a list of questions in advance of the meetings, Barrier said, so nobody is caught off guard and can prepare their responses.

“We want…what’s best for Vance County and the city of Henderson,” he said.

“We’re not going to sit on the sidelines. We’re going to get in the game,” Barrier said.

Vance County High School

SportsTalk: Vipers Look For Third Win Of The Season Against Orange

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Last Friday night the Vance County Vipers dismantled Roanoke Rapids 52-14.  “I was surprised that Roanoke Rapids was not as competitive,” Vipers Head Coach Aaron Elliott said on Thursday’s SportsTalk.  The Vipers eliminated many of the penalties that plagued the team in a win over Warren County in week one.  That, along with a six touchdown performance from quarterback Javion Vines-Holder helped shut down Roanoke Rapids.  “He is slowly getting better. He only lacks confidence,” Elliott said of his young quarterback.

With five touchdown passes and another on the ground Vines-Holder is a threat to run or pass.  “We built our offense around a true running quarterback,” Coach Elliott added.  “It opens up opportunities,” stated Elliott.

The Vipers will be looking for those opportunities as they take on Orange this Friday night at Viper Stadium.  Orange is 1-1 on the year and is a team full of athletes Elliott said of this week’s opponent.  Orange will throw a 3-3 Stack defense against the potent Viper offense and that is a style of defense the Vipers have not faced.  “We’ve worked all week on how to block it and how to read it,” Elliott said.

The Vipers can move to 3-0 on the season with a win Friday night.  Join Bill Harris and Doc Ayscue for the live play by play beginning immediately following the Joy Christian Center broadcast at 6:50pm here on WIZS for Vance County Friday Night Football.

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Oxford Prep School

SportsTalk: Oxford Prep’s Challenging Schedule Could Pay Dividends Later

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It takes a young team time to learn and Oxford Prep Athletic Director John Hammett hopes the school volleyball team’s challenging schedule to open the season will do exactly that.  Oxford Prep opened with two losses against Wake Prep and East Wake.  Both schools field strong volleyball programs. Those losses were followed by two close wins against Kerr Vance Academy.

Conference play opened with a loss against Roxboro community this week.  “We hope the schedule will pay dividends later,” Hammett said of his young team on Thursday’s SportsTalk.  “We just have to play through it,” Hammett continued.

On the soccer field Oxford Prep won against Kerr Vance Academy last week but lost to Granville Central. Hammett is also optimistic about the soccer program.  “Our numbers are up,” Hammett stated.  “We are taking small steps building our program,” Hammett added.

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Community Partners of Hope

TownTalk: Community Partners Of Hope To Open Men’s Shelter October 1

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The men’s emergency shelter will open for the season in just over a month, but if Delthine Watson has anything to say about it, it will be the last time that the shelter will be open only in the fall and winter months.

“People need a place to go…away from the elements,” Watson told WIZS’s Bill Harris on Thursday’s TownTalk. The weather is something we have no control over, so whether the shelter can provide relief from the harsh winter cold or the relentless summer heat, that’s what she wants to do.

“(Homelessness) is not a seasonal problem,” she said, “we’re just a seasonal shelter – at this point. But we are working on that.”

Watson, community network specialist for Community Partners of Hope, said plans to upfit the former City Road Methodist Church to become the permanent 12-month location for the men’s shelter is taking shape.

Once all the paperwork is signed – and the money raised to make the necessary renovations to transform the church property – Watson said they’d be able to accommodate more men.

“At City Road, we might be able to prepare meals and give the men a place to not just sleep,” she said, but also a place to socialize with others and make connections with other people.

CPOH is working hard to raise the money to fulfill the vision that’s been in the making for the past 15 years – this is the 16th year of operation for the men’s shelter.

This is the only men’s shelter in the four-county area, but Watson said they get calls from Durham and Wake counties and even from Virginia.

It’s hard to say just how many homeless people are in Vance County and beyond, but Watson said this about the problem: “When we are open, we are almost filled to capacity.”

“We have a lot of displaced people who have nowhere to go,” she said.

She said the shelter is a “beacon of light” to people who have nothing. “If you come to the shelter, we give you clean clothes, and a meal and we give you hope.”

The shelter opens its doors at 5:30 each afternoon, but staff doesn’t always know how many men will enter. They try to have various sizes of clothing on hand and Watson said they have a special need for pajama bottoms and underwear.

They’ve got a lot of socks, but she said she would never turn away a donation from the community.

We are Community Partners of Hope, she said, emphasis on community.

There are opportunities for individuals and groups to support and contribute to the shelter, from signing up to provide a meal to making a monetary donation.

Visit www.cp-hope.org or follow them on Facebook to learn about all the ways to help

“Whatever it is you’re willing to do, we appreciate it,” Watson said. “We welcome whatever it is you want to do.”

Here’s how she looks at homelessness: “it’s not a goal you strive for, it’s something that happens to you. Showing a little kindness can go a long way.”

The shelter staff and the community that offers support lets the men know that they are loved and cared for, she said.

Watson can be reached at 252.767.0344.

Make checks payable to CP-OH Building Fund of CP-OH Operating Fund, P.O. Box 1791, Henderson, NC 27536.

 

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The Local Skinny! Henderson Fruit And Produce Expands To Warrenton

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It’s been a few years since Warrenton has had a grocery store, but Chris Fisher, owner of Henderson Fruit and Produce, is getting ready to change that – hopefully, by Saturday.

Stop by 140 S. Main St. in downtown Warrenton to check out Henderson Fruit and Produce of Warrenton.

People familiar with the Henderson location at 1215 Old Norlina Rd. may see some familiar items, Fisher said, but he described the Warrenton location as more of a butcher shop, deli and retail store and less of the bulk items that the Henderson store is known for.

Having two locations obviously means double the work, but Fisher is excited for the opportunity and said the fact that they’re only 10 or so miles apart makes it doable.

“I’ve got a great staff – they do most of the work,” he said on Thursday’s segment of The Local Skinny!

The new location has a prime spot in downtown Warrenton, and Fisher said customers can come in for fresh meats, produce, deli items and more.

Need to order for a special occasion? No problem. They can get pigs for pig pickin’s and keep ribeyes and tenderloins in stock. Most special orders are next-day deliveries, but if it’s a large order, it could take a couple of days.

Check out the weekend specials on their Facebook page, or give the Warrenton store a call at 252.879.0234.

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Cooperative Extension With Paul McKenzie: What Works in the Garden

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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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TownTalk: ACTS To Hold Concert At McGregor Hall

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The third concert to benefit ACTS – Area Christians Together in Service – will take place at McGregor Hall on Saturday, Sept. 16. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the program will begin at 7 p.m. ACTS Executive Director Lee Anne Peoples invites the community to come out and enjoy the music – it’s for a good cause.

Tickets are $5 to attend the “Make A Joyful Noise Unto The Lord” benefit concert, Peoples said. Children 12 and under get in free.

Tracy Dalton is cook and kitchen manager for the food bank and meal ministry that operates on William Street, and she’s just one of the featured acts on the program. ACTS volunteer and vocalist Evelyn Couch will perform as well. And Peoples said there is plenty of room on the program for additional individuals and groups to join in.

“The money goes into our general operating fund,” Peoples explained on Wednesday’s TownTalk. In addition to the cost of the food itself, there are the indirect costs associated with the Monday-Friday hot meal distribution that takes place from 11 a.m. to 12 noon.

On a normal day, she said more than 200 folks come by to pick up plates. Add the 40 or so mobile meals that go out and the daily number of meals served can easily be between 250 and 275.

Those associated costs include things like paper products needed to package the meals, as well as utility bills, she noted. “There’s a lot of dishes to wash up” after preparing all that food, she said.

“Everything has really gone up,” Peoples said, referring to increased prices for everything that goes into providing the hot meals and food boxes for households.

What else has gone up?

The need in the community.

“We have seen an increased need,” she said. ACTS served close to 50,000 meals in 2022, and that number is not going down.

The first concert was held in 2018, and Peoples said this year’s event is sure to please.

There are sponsorship levels available for the concert. Sponsor names will appear in the glossy, full-color program that will be available at the concert. Platinum level is a full-page ad for $1,000; Gold level is a half page for $500; and Silver level is a business card size for $250.

It probably comes as no surprise that the food pantry shelves could use some more items, too.

“We’re really low in the pantry now,” Peoples said.

Donations of shelf-stable food can be made any time between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, although it would be wonderful to avoid the 11 a.m. to noontime hour when they’re serving meals, Peoples said.

There is a list of useful items on the ACTS of Henderson Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ACTSofHenderson/

Any type of canned meat, vegetable or fruit would be a big help – but they have ample green beans, green peas and corn at this time.

Mail monetary donations to: ACTS of Vance County, Inc.

P.O. Box 25

Henderson, NC 27536

Learn more about how to help ACTS through donations or by volunteering by contacting Peoples at lapeoples@actsofhenderson.org.

 

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Home And Garden Show

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

  • With forecasted heavy rain open rows to prevent flooding in your garden
  • Plant tall fescue now.
  • Check for crusting of soil where recently planted seed in your fall garden
  • Think about how you could compost your fall leaves.
  • Prepare for inclement weather now. Emergency Kit, Have A Plan for Inclement weather!
  • Get ready to plant trees and shrubs.
  • Order bulbs that you will plant this fall.
  • Consider adding plants to your landscape that will add beauty in the winter.
  • Keep your Garden Journal up to date. Take pictures of what you grew this spring and what you have planted in the fall garden for future reference.
  • Avoid pruning.
  • Take stock of leftover garden seed.

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