Tag Archive for: #wizsnews

TownTalk: McGregor Hall To Host Book Signing For Local Author

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Chanel N. Scott created CheMinistry in 2015, and now Scott is on a national tour to promote her new book “Relationship Matters.” She’ll be at McGregor Hall this weekend as part of that tour.

Scott has local roots, and she’ll be back in the area on Saturday beginning at 3 p.m. for a book signing.

“CheMinistry” is now a show on FOX Soul, during which a panel of celebrities and influencers share their experiences – and expertise – on a variety of topics that center around romantic relationships in the 21st century.

She’s gained the moniker “Queen of Relationship Talk” as a result of her conversations and candid dialogue geared toward sustaining intimate relationships between a man and a woman, according to information on her website.

 

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TownTalk: Interim County Manager Sees Potential

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Interim Vance County Manager Scott Elliott said he fell in love with North Carolina during an internship at the Forsyth County Planning Department during the summer when he was in college at the University of Wisconsin.

In the decades since that internship, Elliott has worked in various counties across the state. He retired after more than 20 years in Pitt County, coming off 15 years in Robeson, Alamance and Guilford.

If you’re counting, that’s only five of the state’s 100 counties, but Elliott said it didn’t seem to faze local leaders that their prospective interim manager had only seen Vance County from inside a vehicle traveling along I-85.

“I knew very little to nothing about Vance County,” Elliott said in an interview recorded for Wednesday’s TownTalk. “I think the board actually liked that,” because it meant that he could deal with situations in an objective way – “no preconceived notions,” he added.

Case in point: the county’s fire services. Elliott said commissioners did take the staff recommendation for a fire services study to take place. Requests for proposals went out last week as a first step toward resolution, and Elliott said a selection could be made this month.

The search process for a county manager is underway, and Elliott said there could be an announcement sometime in the fall.

He’s only been in place for about a month, but Elliott’s early evaluation is positive.

“There are a lot of good things here in Vance County,” Elliott said.  The I-85 corridor and the industrial park are just two bright spots that show potential, he said, adding that there were some job announcements “brewing” that could come to fruition soon.

Bringing consensus to the board room is always a goal, and Elliott said it’s always good when commissioners listen and approve staff recommendations. When dealing with any group – elected officials or otherwise – there’s bound to be numerous opinions and perspectives.

“There will always be disagreement,” Elliott said, “but it can be a productive disagreement.”

 

 

Home And Garden Show

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

  • Keep your garden journal updated daily
  • Tomatoes and peppers may drop blossoms during hot weather, but fruit set should resume after temps fall again.
  • Pull out suckers on your tomatoes
  • Tall fescue can go dormant during summer months, needing little water.
  • Provide irrigation for your garden vegetables needs at least 1 inch of water per week.
  • Many vegetable crops can be planted in July to extend your harvest into late summer and fall.
  • Always read the label each time you use a pesticide
  • Check label for temperature guidance when using herbicides.
  • Start making plans for a fall garden. Ex seed, design of the fall garden
  • If planning a tall fescue lawn renovation, time to get busy.
  • When you hear thunder it is time to leave the garden.

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Winborne Sworn In As Granville County Schools Superintendent

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The Granville County Board of Education approved several changes in leadership during a work session Thursday, but the big change occurred at the conclusion of that session, when Dr. Stan Winborne was sworn in as the district’s new superintendent.

Dozens of colleagues, city and county officials, family and friends were present for the ceremony, which took place at 5 p.m. at the Mary Potter Center for Education.

The Hon. Caroline Burnette administered the oath of office.

Winborne officially begins his new role on July 1 when Dr. Alisa McLean retires with 30 years of education service – the last six years in Granville County.

Other leadership changes include:

 

  • Kelly Helner – principal of Granville Academy, the district’s blended in-person and virtual K-12 school. Helner has been with Granville County for five years as an assistant principal at Granville Central High and Creedmoor Elementary.
  • Mike Carroll – director of Maintenance and Environmental Safety, and district Athletic Director. Carroll is a 1994 J.F. Webb and began his career with the school district in 2003. Carroll is a Certified Athletic Administrator through National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association and Accredited Coach with the National Federation of High Schools. He will have the job of taking care of the schools’ physical plants and will help to coordinate the renovations and upgrades to campuses in the future.
  • Katherine Kaleel – district K-5 math coach
  • Susan Randau – district K-12 math coordinator
  • Tinisha Wharton – federal programs coordinator

Gov. Cooper Releases Info On County Boards Of Elections Chairs

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The office of Gov. Roy Cooper has released a list of chairmen and chairwomen of the state’s county boards of elections.

James Baines has been named chairman in Vance County. Baines has previously served as the board secretary.

James Wall, Sr. continues as chair in Granville County, according to information from the governor’s office.

Esther Terry has been named chair in Warren County and Bobbie Richardson will begin a term as chair of the Franklin County board.

North Carolina’s 100 county boards of elections conduct local elections, operate voting sites, maintain voter registration lists and handle many other aspects of elections administration. The State Board works with county boards of elections offices to ensure elections are conducted lawfully and fairly.

Perry Memorial Library

West End Community Watch Gets History Lesson At Library

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The June meeting of West End Community Watch was held at Perry Memorial Library, where local historian Tem Blackburn gave a brief account of the beginnings of Vance County and the City of Henderson with displays of interesting artifacts and mementoes serving as a backdrop.

Displays in the History Room include a timeline, beginning with the original Native Americans living in the area and ending with current-day information.  A major display depicts the Loughlin Circus performers, including beautiful original posters.  There are new displays about the Vance Hotel and John T. Church.  Nannie Crowder’s showcase includes her childhood toys.  Bennett Perry’s extensive arrowhead collection also is on view and housed in a display case.  There is a lovely mural of old Garnett Street as seen from the inside of what used to be Parker’s Drug Store.

If you did not come to the meeting, you missed learning a lot about the area, stated Claire Catherwood, community watch member.

The next West End Community Watch will take place in August. A speaker will be announced closer to the meeting date.

Duke Energy

Duke Energy Names New Community Relations Manager

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Duke Energy has announced Elizabeth Townsend as its new Government and Community Relations manager, succeeding Tanya Evans, who recently accepted a new position with the company and relocated to South Carolina.

“This is an exciting transition for me after having served in various capacities at Piedmont Community College for the last 17 years,” Townsend said in a press statement. Townsend served most recently as the community college’s vice president for advancement and communications.

“Duke Energy believes our success is tied directly to the success and strength of our communities and the customers we serve, and I couldn’t agree more. Tanya ensured a tradition of responsiveness and community involvement, and I look forward to building upon that commitment,” she said.

As a reminder, Townsend said Duke Energy’s customer service center is available to help with billing and service inquiries, as well as when outages are rerported. That number is 800.452.2777.

Duke Energy monitors storms throughout the state to be ready to respond to outages and emergencies.

Customers who experience an outage during storms can report it by:

  • Visiting duke-energy.com on a desktop computer or mobile device
  • Texting OUT to 57801
  • Calling the automated outage-reporting system at 800-POWERON
Warren Co. Memorial Library

Warren Library Gets 3 Grants Totalling More Than $58K

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Warren County Memorial Library plans to use more than $58,000 in grant money to get a few projects off the ground.

The three grants total $58,468, according to information from Charla Duncan, Warren County’s public information officer. One grant will be used for creating storywalks at Buck Spring Park and Magnolia Ernest Recreation Park; another grant is for the expansion of the library’s collection through the NC Cardinal system; and the third grant is to hire consultants to assist in developing a new five-year strategic plan.

“The library is looking forward to implementing these three grants to better serve the county,” stated Library Director Christy Bondy. “The strategic plan updates will help gather feedback from the community on shaping the future of the library.”

The projects are supported by grant funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the federal Library Services and Technology Act as administered by the State Library of North Carolina, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

The federal funds help libraries deliver relevant and up-to-date services for their communities. At Warren County Memorial Library, the LSTA grants will help expand the library’s collection through the NC Cardinal system. Users can borrow materials from 60 other participating library systems statewide.

Warren County Memorial Library received three of the 48 grants for fiscal year 2023-2024 awarded to North Carolina libraries from this year’s federal allotment of $2,590,904.  The LSTA grant program administered by the State Library of North Carolina funds library projects across the state that advance excellence and promote equity by strengthening capacity, expanding access, and community engagement in North Carolina’s libraries.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 122,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. The institute’s mission is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas. Through the LSTA Grants to States program, IMLS provides funds to state library agencies using a population-based formula. State libraries may use the appropriation to support statewide initiatives and services; they may also distribute the funds through competitive subgrants to public and academic libraries.  To learn more about the Institute, please visit www.imls.gov.

For more information about North Carolina’s LSTA program, visit the State Library of North Carolina’s LSTA web page at https://statelibrary.ncdcr.gov/services-libraries/grants-libraries/lsta-grant-information or contact the State Library’s Federal Programs Consultant at 919-814-6796.

The Warren County Memorial Library is located at 119 S. Front St.  Warrenton. For more information, visit www.wcmlibrary.org.

SportsTalk: JF Webb’s Burnette To Play College Lacrosse At Sewanee

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Henderson’s Beau Burnette’s list of activities and accolades while at JF Webb High School is quite impressive. He played five sports: lacrosse, golf, baseball, football and basketball.  Burnette was the Triangle North Conference Player of the Year his junior and senior seasons, academic all conference all four years, all conference in lacrosse, football and golf and was awarded the Tony Cullen Scholarship Award.  While this was happening, Burnette developed a love of history and maintained a 4.29 GPA.

Burnette, the son of Scott and Caroline Burnette, will take his love of lacrosse to Sewanee, whose official name is The University of the South, in Sewanee, Tennessee – where he has received a scholarship. He appeared on Thursday’s SportsTalk to discuss his high school career, love of lacrosse and his upcoming college experience.

While not playing summer travel ball, Burnette isn’t taking the summer completely off. “I’m lifting weights and running,” Burnette said as he prepares for the start of his college career on August 19.

So how does a young man handle five sports and academics?  “I try to keep a good balance between practice and grades,” Burnette said.  While he played many sports at JF Webb, Burnette will limit his college career to just lacrosse while in college.  He said he enjoyed the camaraderie of the other sports he played but the speed of lacrosse combined with the physicality of the sport is what he loves and that’s what he will concentrate on as well as his academics.

Burnette will major in history at Sewanee.

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