Tag Archive for: #wizsnews

TownTalk: DMV Commissioner Offers Insight, Updates To Increase Customer Satisfaction

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When Paul Tine stepped into his new role as the state’s DMV commissioner back in May, he knew his role was largely to steer the department through some upgrades and challenges that presented lots of roadblocks to customer service. Hours of waiting in line just to get in the door and impossible-to-get appointments were common complaints, and Tine said he and his team continue to work to make things better.

“Demand is certainly high,” Tine said on Wednesday’s TownTalk, “based on population and the Real ID initiative.”

He acknowledges the need for greater efficiency with internal processes, including upgrading and replacing the record-keeping technology that DMV uses. Customers expect a strong platform, he said, and he hopes to deliver before too long. He said he hopes to award by year’s end a contract to modernize the DMV technology. Until then, Tine and the DMV staff are constantly looking for ways to improve customer satisfaction.

The COVID-19 era requirement that customers make appointments is over, and walk-ins are welcome any time. Tine said 87 percent of clients are walk-ins these days, with the other 13 percent making appointments to conduct their business at DMV.

Moving toward more online transactions is helping ease the crunch at brick-and-mortar DMV offices, and there’s a new queueing system in place that allows customers to wait in their vehicles or other locations nearby instead of braving adverse weather conditions while they wait to get inside the DMV office.

“You can wait wherever you like,” Tine said, and a quick text message from DMV will let customers know when it’s their turn for assistance.

Thanks to more funding from the state legislature, Tine said more examiners have been hired – “the majority of those people in 30 days,” he said. The department is clearing a backlog of employee training by shifting to “in the field” training, which allows employees to serve while they are learning, he said.

Having third-party contractors step in to provide services is proving to be beneficial, too. There are self-serve kiosks in selected areas of the state, and a recent announcement that teen drivers can take their driving tests with a driver education group are just two examples of this partnership.

“We’re hoping to have that first certificate coming in the office any day,” Tine said.

The vast majority of North Carolinians will have to conduct business with the DMV at some time or another, and Tine said he’s sure about one thing:

“Our customers do not care about me…they care about that person they talk to in the office, on the phone, and how good our website is.”

Visit www.ncdmv.gov to learn more.

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McGregor Hall 2025 Live Series Lineup!

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This year’s McGregor Live! series includes something for everyone – from a revenge-seeking barber to a performing dog troupe, with some Christmas tunes, beach music and the Wizard of Oz thrown in for good measure.

The McGregor Live! series package is $135, which Mark Hopper said represents a 25 percent discount from the single-ticket prices.

The season kicks off on Saturday, Nov. 1 with a four-show run of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

This Stephen Sondheim classic won multiple Tony awards in 1979, Hopper said. “This one has a thriller of a story,” he said.

The local production features a 22-member professional orchestra and a cast and crew of about 60.

Performances are at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 1 and Nov. 8, with Sunday matinees on Nov. 2 and Nov. 9.

The stage welcomes ‘Plaid Tidings’ for performances on Friday, Dec. 19 and Saturday, Dec.  20.

This show tells the story of four young men who form an a capella “doo wop” group that performs all your Christmas favorites, Hopper said. With an air of nostalgia, the show makes lots of references to bygone days when celebrities like Ed Sullivan and Perry Como entertained families with TV specials and radio tunes.

The Wizard of Oz On Ice is an interesting addition and came to be because the team at McGregor Hall is thinking outside the box. The performance is Saturday, Jan. 31 at 3 p.m.

“There is no way we could afford this as a one-off, meaning a single performance,” Hopper explained. Plus, there’s the whole issue of “ice.”

A California-based company is going on a national tour of the production, which is a reimagined production of the classic story about the girl from Kansas who found her way to the Emerald City.

“We worked out a deal with them to come and do their technical rehearsals here, and in exchange we’re going to get to enjoy a show that otherwise would be way, way, way beyond our reach. This is a really high-end professionally done show with all the characters you know and love – this will be a great, great family show,” Hopper said.

Then, on Feb. 15, the Chairmen of the Board will come to Henderson, bringing with them that toe tappin’ sound that makes you want to get up and dance. Most of the band members are not original members, but Hopper said they all knew the great General Norman Johnson. The band’s current vocalists and band members are real stewards of the band and the music it’s known for, from “You’ve Got Me Dangling On A String” to “Carolina Girls” and more.

The series finale features a man and his mutts – Johnny Peers & the Muttville Comix, to be precise.

Join the fun on Sunday, Apr. 26 at 3 p.m. as Peers puts his pups through a series of challenging and hilarious tricks. This group has performed its slapstick comedy routine at Ringling Brothers & Barnam and Bailey Circus and on the David Letterman show. You won’t want to miss it!

Find out more at https://www.mcgregorhall.org/shows-events.

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Cooperative Extension with Wayne Rowland: Forest Property Boundaries

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Wayne Rowland, on the Vance County Cooperative Extension Report:

Knowing your correct forest property boundaries can save you time and money.

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: ‘Break the Silence, Stop the Violence’ Event at Clearview Church Oct. 25

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So often, victims of domestic violence suffer in silence, too ashamed or embarrassed to seek help or support to lead them out of an awful situation. But Debbie Scott, domestic violence educator with the Vance County Sheriff’s Office, wants them to know that they are not alone, and that help is just a phone call or a conversation away.

That’s the message of the 7th annual ‘Break the Silence, Stop the Violence’ domestic violence awareness event that is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 25 at 3 p.m. at Clearview Church in Henderson.

Scott and other victim advocates have planned an afternoon of speakers who work in law enforcement and advocacy to shed more light on domestic violence and where victims can go to get help.

In addition to several speakers lined up for the event, Scott said others will share their own experiences with domestic violence. “We will have two very powerful testimonies,” she said, adding that she considers it a blessing to work with strong advocates like the women who will share their stories to make a difference in the lives of others.

Thanks to a supportive community and a lot of hard work, Scott said the number of domestic violence or dispute calls coming into the Vance County 911 center dropped 11.5 percent from the previous year.

Between Oct. 1, 2024 and Oct. 1, 2025, 911 received 1,041 calls related to domestic violence or domestic disputes. The previous year’s total was 1,177. Sexual assaults dropped by 1 – from 46 to 45, but Scott said any step forward is progress.

“Our statistics in Vance County are changing,” Scott said. “We are changing the narrative…we can break the stigma. We can break the shame.”

The Oct. 25 program is going to be a combination of education, awareness and celebration, she said.

Contact Scott at 252.738.2235 or by email at dscott@vancecounty.org

 

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Home and Garden Show

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

  • The Vance County Regional Farmers Market is open on Saturdays from 8am to 1pm.
  • The Vance-Warren Beekeepers Association will meet on October 13th at 7pm at the Vance County Regional Farmers Market.
  • There will be a Home Composting Workshop on October 27th at 6:30pm at the Vance County Regional Farmers Market.
  • Collect your soil test now. What you do now will affect next year’s garden.
  • Start collecting your season extension materials.
  • Control any weeds that have started to go to seed.
  • Get ready to compost! Leaves will be falling soon. Do you have a compost bin for the leaves?
  • Check nurseries for trees and shrubs you would like to plant this fall.
  • Clean and store any equipment now that you won’t use till next spring.
  • Check vegetables that have been in storage. Ex: Irish potatoes.
  • Avoid pruning right now.
  • We are in Hurricane season. Have your Storm plan ready.
  • Start ordering your fall planting bulbs now.
  • Check houseplants dust weekly with a soft cloth.
  • Check storage areas for mice.

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

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

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TownTalk: Make a Joyful Noise ACTS Benefit Concert Coming Up Oct. 11

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The ‘Make A Joyful Noise Unto The Lord’ concert to benefit ACTS is coming up quickly, and Executive Director Thomas Blackwell is looking forward to the Oct. 11 performance at McGregor Hall. Blackwell has been in the role since January, and this will be the first chance he’s had to attend.

So far, local performers like Evelyn Couch, Eric Hargrove and praise teams from Harriet Baptist Church and Clearview Church are among those taking the stage over the course of the concert, which begins at 7 p.m.

Tickets are $5 and are available at the door. Children 12 and under get in free.

Sponsorships are available and there’s still time to sign up to perform, Blackwell said on Monday’s TownTalk. The deadline for both is Oct. 6.

And while the concert will be a feast for the ears, Blackwell said it’s a way to support the mission of ACTS to feed people – and not just with food.

“We want to feed people spiritually, not just bodily,” he said.

ACTS continues to provide hot meals at lunchtime, but since the COVID pandemic, those meals have been served outside.

He estimates that ACTS is serving between 200 and 300 plates a day, but some of those are take-home plates, so the number of individuals is lower than that figure.

“There are a lot of people who just need a little help,” Blackwell said, quoting statistics that state there are close to 4,000 children in Henderson alone who are food-insecure.

Blackwell said volunteers, as well as the cook, are working to put a plan together to return to providing meals indoors for those who rely on hot lunches at ACTS.

“We really want to bring people back inside, to build relationships,” he said. “We want Gospel opportunities in all that we do.”

Blackwell said he sees the mission of ACTS as part of The Great Commission, taking Jesus’s message to the corners of the world. Henderson is one of those corners, too, and the work of ACTS is a way to fulfill that mission close to home.

People “need hope, dignity, compassion,” he said, “someone to point them to Jesus.”

Follow ACTS on Facebook, where Blackwell keeps an updated list of particular needs for food donations and more. With school back in session, for example, the Backpack Buddies program is up and running, so there’s a need for single-serve food items for students to take home on weekends.

Contact Blackwell at ACTS 252.492.8231 or via email at tdblackwell@actsofhenderson.org

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