Tag Archive for: #wizsnews

TownTalk: The 2025 Kerr-Tar Housing Summit Sept. 11 At VGCC Civic Center

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The Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments is hosting a regional housing summit on Thursday, Sept. 11 to provide information about tacking challenges and working to resolve some of the barriers that exist in the realm of housing.

Desiree Brooks, Kerr-Tar’s Community & Economic Development manager, said the summit will begin at 8:30 a.m. at Vance-Granville Community College’s Civic Center and will conclude at 1 p.m. In addition to featured speakers offering a national and a regional perspective, the event includes a panel discussion and a work session to allow individuals to focus in on challenges specific to their counties.

“We’re really excited to launch this regional housing summit – it’s the very first time we’ve had the summit,” Brooks said on Wednesday’s segment of TownTalk. The event is free to attend, but registration is required.

“We recognize that every county has unique housing challenges,” Brooks said, but it’s important to start talking about housing because it is a crucial issue in economic development.

“We want to start talking about it so we can start working toward solutions.”

Keynote speaker is Chris Allen, the director of Events and Partnerships with Strong Towns, a national nonprofit media organization. Allen will bring a national perspective on the issue and will get down to the root causes of the housing crisis and identify some rational responses that communities can take to improve the situation, Brooks said.

Tyler Mulligan, a public law and government professor at the UNC School of Government will talk about his work helping local government in areas of economic development, affordable housing, public/private partnerships for development and revitalization efforts, she said.

Brooks said she’d love to see county and city managers, elected officials, housing advocates, community leaders at the summit, as well as developers, financial institution representatives – anyone with an interest in helping make a tough situation better.

“We recognize that there’s an issue and we look at what those top challenges are in economic  development,” Brooks said. “Housing is huge – that is a huge issue in our region – and everywhere really.”

The summit is one way Kerr-Tar COG can gather stakeholders to have conversations, identify needs and work on solutions.

“We hope that everybody leaves motivated, and with tools that they feel like, ‘OK, we’re working toward solutions,” Brooks said.

“I know we can’t fix it, but we have to start somewhere.”

 

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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 Wednesdays and Saturdays from 8am to 1pm. Today they have tomatoes, snapbeans, beets, cabbages, yellow squash, zucchini squash, red irish potatoes, cantaloupes, watermelons, cucumbers, sweet potatoes, peaches, and canned items.
  • There will be a Fall Vegetable Garden Class on September 2nd, 2025 starting at 6:30pm at the Vance County Regional Farmers Market.
  • Start collecting your soil samples now.
  • Sow tall fescue now through mid September.
  • Check apple and pear trees for fire blight, take out those limbs now while leaves are still present.
  • When purchasing grass seed, check the germination percentage on the bag of seed.
  • Check for Pecan trees for Pecan weevil. Tie a burlap bag around the portion of the pecan tree. If weevils are visible under the burlap bag after a few days. Treat the base of the tree and ground around the tree with liquid Sevin.
  • Check for insects on any recently planted transplants.
  • Do not let any weeds seed out in your garden.
  • When purchasing transplants look for a dark green color of leaves, stay away from pot bound transplants.
  • Carolina lawns is the best publication for having a good lawn.
  • 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 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: Upcoming Municipal Elections

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Editor’s note: As part of its continuing effort to keep listeners and readers up-to-date on local issues, WIZS Radio will be sending candidates a list of questions in an effort to gather responses to be included in a special elections project that will be published and aired before the early voting period begins.

Campaign signs are popping up along roadsides and in people’s yards, indicators that early voting for the upcoming Henderson municipal elections are not far off. Registered voters can cast ballots during the early-voting period at 500 N. Beckford Drive beginning Thursday, Sept. 18. Early voting continues Sat. Oct. 4.

Tuesday, Oct. 7 is the official Election Day, when voters will determine four seats on the eight-member City Council.

The Council Ward 1 at-large seat includes not one, but two incumbents – Council member Sara Coffey is seeking re-election, and Council member Geraldine Champion, who has the Ward 1 seat until the 2027 elections, has added her name as an at-large candidate. Newcomer Kenia Gomez-Jimenez and Clementine “Tina” Hunter also filed as candidates for the at-large seat.

Ward 2 at-large Council Member Lamont Noel is seeking to defend his seat against challengers Benjamin Buckner and George Mayo.

In the contest for the Ward 3 seat, incumbent Garry Daeke faces Clifford “Cliff” High, former Council Member Jason Spriggs and Deryl “Ms. Dee” vonWilliams.

And in the Ward 4 contest, incumbent Ola Thorpe-Cooper faces challengers Catherine “Kitty” Gill and Fred Robertson.

Anyone who lives in the city and still needs to register to vote has until 5 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 12 to do so.

The N.C. State Board of Elections has issued a press release with details and requirements about voter registration.

“To vote in a municipal election, you must be a resident of the municipality. Working within city, town, or village limits does not make a voter eligible to vote in municipal elections. Similarly, while a voter’s postal address may indicate a municipality, that does not always mean their residence is within the incorporated boundaries of the municipality,” the press release stated.

Eligible individuals who miss the regular registration deadlines may register and vote at the same time during the in-person early voting period at any early voting site in their county.

Eligible individuals have many options to register to vote, including the following:

There are 450 voters living throughout Vance County who need to provide additional information to the N.C. State Board of Elections to complete their voter registration, according to information from the SBE’s Registration Repair Project.

Individuals with incomplete voter registrations have received, or will receive, letters stating that they need to provide additional information – their driver license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number – to update their registration.

This can be done in several different ways, including by mail, in person at their county Board of Elections office or by visiting the NCDMV secure website payments.ncdot.gov. There is no fee associated with the online method and updating twill not be made over the phone.

Check to see if your name is on the list at ncsbe.gov/registrationrepair.

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Kerr Lake Country Club

TownTalk: Ladies Invitational at KLCC Coming September 6

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(This TownTalk post was originally made Aug 12, 2025)

Whether you’re a scratch golfer or if you’ve never swung a club, an upcoming charity tournament at Kerr Lake Country Club will fit you like a glove – in this case, a golfer’s glove.

Men, however, need not register – the Sept. 6 Mulligan Island is a women’s invitational.

Proceeds for the fundraiser will benefit Ruin Creek Animal Protection Society, and organizers are expecting a fun morning of golf to support a worthy cause.

A formidable foursome – Vance County Tourism’s Pam Hester, RCAPS representatives Michele Wood and Tracey Tsoumbos and Kerr Lake Country Club Manager Jan DeMarco – provided details about the tournament on Tuesday’s TownTalk.

DeMarco said the club has seen an increase recently in women enjoying the golf course, and a ladies’ league formed. “That gave us the idea that we really should have a women’s invitational,” she said.

Hester suggested that organizers connect with a local charity, and that’s when RCAPS joined the mix. There’s a division for serious golfers, she said, but there’s also a division for beginners, who may be hard-pressed to tell an eagle from a birdie.

Registration and breakfast begin at 8 a.m. and the 2-woman scramble will have a shotgun start at 10 a.m. The $75 registration includes lunch, a tee gift and lots of prizes along the way.

There are still opportunities for sponsorships, which range from $2,000 all the way to $100.

Players can buy a Mulligan Package for $20. These packages, as well as the hole sponsorships, go directly to animal protection.

Wood has worked with RCAPS since 2014, when the need was urgent to get unwanted animals out of the shelter and into foster and rescue organizations so they could be adopted.

She estimates that RCAPS has saved nearly 19,000 animals. In July alone, 170 animals were transported from the shelter.

“The impact we’ve been able to make in Vance County is huge,” Wood said.

In recent years, RCAPS has shifted its focus from transport to spay and neuter programs and education as a way to reduce the unwanted pet population and decrease intake at the shelter.

Tsoumbos, who joined RCAPS in November as executive director, said the current spay/neuter voucher program is for any pet owner – regardless of income level – to get a $20 voucher to present to participating local veterinarians when they have their pet spayed or neutered.

Education is a key component to reducing the number of dogs and cats that end up in the shelter. RCAPS has put the finishing touches on a new program designed to educate the community about ways to help.

RCAPS also has monthly yard sales at their office at 165 U.S. Hwy. 158 across from Petco. The next one is this Saturday, Aug. 16 and then again on Sept. 13 and Oct. 18. There are spots available for individuals to sign up to participate.

Then make plans to attend Pet Palooza – Holiday Bazaar edition – on Saturday, Nov. 1 at the former Boyd dealership at the intersection of Ruin Creek Road and U.S. Hwy. 158.

Visit https://www.kerrlakecountryclub.com/ or call 252.492.1895 to learn more or to register for the women’s invitational golf tournament.

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Cooperative Extension with Michael Ellington: Crops Grown in North Carolina

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Michael Ellington, on the Vance County Cooperative Extension Report:

The segment covers a few crops that most people don’t realize are grown in North Carolina. It also includes a reminder for pesticide training and a fall vegetable gardening workshop.  go.ncsu.edu/fallvegetable

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! Hassan Kingsberry Rescinds Letter of Resignation from City Manager/City Attorney

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The Henderson City Council voted 6-2 to allow City Manager/City Attorney Hassan T. Kingsberry to continue in his role through Dec. 31.

Kingsberry requested that the Council rescind his resignation so he can attend a program at the UNC School of Government. Kingsberry tendered his resignation at the regular monthly meeting of the City Council on Monday, Aug. 11 and shortly thereafter learned that he had been accepted into the program offered by the UNC School of Government in Chapel Hill.

Council Member Sara Coffey made a motion, seconded by Council Member Lamont Noel. Council members Geraldine Champion and Michael Venable voted against the motion.

The cost of the program is $4,500 and will be paid by the city.

“Keep me on so I can attend this training,” Kingsberry said in comments to the council.

Venable said he objected to spending money for Kingsberry to attend the program, knowing that he would be leaving the position.

In making the motion, Coffey said, “We need a manager and we need an attorney.”

Council Member Garry Daeke apologized to his fellow Council members for leaving a closed session Monday – during the first called meeting of the week – and not returning to the open session.

“I should have,” Daeke said in brief remarks at the beginning of the meeting. “I sincerely regret that I didn’t finish my duties,” he said.

 

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TownTalk: Sheriff Brame Pleads for Higher Pay for New Officers

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The Vance County Sheriff’s Office is between a rock and a hard place, it seems, as it faces a 20 percent vacancy rate – 12 sworn officers – including some who have recently left to take higher paying jobs in other counties.

Sheriff Curtis Brame took his plea to county commissioners during their Aug. 18 work session to ask for help in the form of funding salaries at a level that will attract officers and make them want to stay. Until salaries can become more competitive, Brame said he believes he’ll continue to face vacancies. But with so much money being put into state-mandated renovations and repairs to the jail, county commissioners and staff are at a loss as to where to find the money.

“We have lost valuable, seasoned employees,” Brame said. “Losing a deputy after two years is understandable. When you start losing investigators and SROs, that’s a wakeup call,” he said.

He said two School Resource Officers have left recently to take jobs in other counties – one went to Halifax County and a second went to Granville County.

Maj. William Mitchell recently left to take a state level job with the Standards and Training division. A lieutenant and other seasoned investigators also have left because of salaries. They can make more money elsewhere and work less, Brame said.

Brame said, “I’m here to make a plea. I am facing a crisis. I do not have enough help.”

Commissioners talked about implementing a progression pay scale, according to County Manager C. Renee Perry. That topic was referred to the Human Resources committee, and commissioners ultimately opted to give employees a one-time bonus instead.

Perry said, “We do need to move forward to allow people to move within their pay scale.” She acknowledged that the county is behind other nearby counties for starting pay – most are at $55,000, with the exception of Warren County, which is about $45,000.

The current starting pay for Vance County sheriff’s officers is just above $46,000. Both Vance and Warren counties are Tier I counties, which means they are among the 40 most distressed counties in the state when looking at the average unemployment rate, median household income, percentage growth in population and adjusted property tax base per capita.

Brame said he’d like to see the starting salary increase to $55,000.

The sheriff suggested possibly taking funds from a rainy day fund to boost salaries, something Perry told commissioners she would never recommend doing.

Board Chair Carolyn Faines said, “God knows we understand” that the sheriff’s office employees need more money.

But with all the money the county is putting into renovating the current detention facility, commissioners and county staff are hard-pressed to find even more money to boost salaries.

In response to a question from Commissioner Leo Kelly about what Brame would like to see happen, the sheriff said, “I trust our county manager,” adding that he would like to sit down and talk about numbers.

Perry and Assistant County Manager Jeremy Jones both endorsed the idea of addressing the concept of “compression” before bumping up starting salaries for deputies.

Compression is a way to address employee retention because salaries are based on experience.

At this time, Perry said it would be best to consider this for sworn personnel only, before opening it up to detention staff and other positions.

 

 

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