Tag Archive for: #wizsnews

Henderson City Council Votes Down City-County “One-Stop” Shop For Inspections, Planning Departments

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In a narrow 5-4 vote, the Henderson City Council voted against housing city and county planning county planning and inspections together under one roof.

In discussion leading up to the vote, Mayor Melissa Elliott was critical of the proposed 20-year lease at $1 a year. Elliott broke the 4-4 vote to defeat the motion.

Council members voting in favor of the county and city creating in essence a “one-stop shop” for inspections and planning offices were Garry Daeke, Lamont Noel, Sam Seifert and Kenia Gómez-Jimenez. Council members voting against were Geraldine Champion, Catherine “Kitty” Gill, Tami Walker and Michael Venable.

City Manager Paylor Spruill presented the proposal at the Council’s regular monthly meeting on Feb. 9. The plan to create a decentralized Development Services Office at the former municipal building on Young Street would house the city’s planning and code enforcement services and the county’s planning and development, inspections, permitting and code enforcement staffs.

The county had agreed to foot the bill to upfit the building and the city would be asked to provide parking on property recently purchased from the Embassy Cultural Foundation.

The city previous had installed a new roof and new restrooms in the building, basically creating a shell structure as it awaited a future use.

Daeke made the motion to approve the resolution, seconded by Seifert, following a presentation by Vance County Chief Building Code Enforcement Officer Bob Rosch.

“Vance County will pay for all costs of upfit to meet all parties’ needs,” Rosch explained, including architect fees, construction and getting the building up to code “to everyone’s liking.”

Council member Venable said he like the idea of a single location for developers, businesses and others who need both city and county services, but questioned the $1 annual lease.

Rosch said the county’s investment would likely be in the $300,000 range – roughly what the city had invested when it made improvements to the building earlier.

Daeke said people can get things done quicker and make the process easier for prospective businesses to get answers to questions, get permits and more.

Rosch said his office is “shuffling people back and forth on a daily basis” between city and county offices. “It is very confusing for everybody,” Rosch said.

Elliott said, “I think a 20-year lease is pretty long” She asked whether the county had considered giving the city revenue as part of the agreement.

Rosch said the idea of a 10-year lease had been “completely rejected” by county commissioners.

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Cooperative Extension with Wayne Rowland: Vermicomposting

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Wayne Rowland, on the Vance County Cooperative Extension Report:

Vermicomposting can be an easy way to make your own compost in the home.

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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RAM Pop-Up Clinic Scheduled For Mar. 28, 29 In Henderson For Free Medical, Dental, Vision Care

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The Remote Area Medical pop-up clinic is scheduled to return to Henderson for a fifth consecutive year, providing medical, dental and vision care absolutely free of charge for anyone.

The two-day clinic takes place at Vance Charter School, 2090 Ross Mill Rd., on Saturday, Mar. 28 and Sunday, Mar. 29, and clinic co-leader Lara Kendall says many of the details are the same as for previous clinics. Because patients are seen on a first-come, first-served basis, she recommends that folks arrive as early as they possibly can to make sure they can get the care they’re seeking.

The parking lot will open Friday, Mar. 27 at 11:59 p.m. The Saturday clinic begins at 6 a.m.

If you’d like to volunteer to help at the clinic, please visit https://www.ramusa.org/ to sign up to be a general support volunteer. No special skills are needed, Kendall pointed out – just a willingness to be there…and getting up a little bit early.

The clinic could use a few more dentists to help out, she said, and they are always happy to have additional vision and medical providers as well.

In addition to the more routine services like basic vital screenings and blood panels, patients can see doctors, nurses and physician assistants for other types of care. Dentists and hygienists will perform dental cleanings, fillings and extractions as well as other more complicated types of oral surgery.

And patients who come for vision services can come in, have their eyes examined and walk out with a brand-new pair of eyeglasses that were made right on the spot.

Just more than 300 patients received services at last year’s clinic, and Kendall recalled one of her favorite moments from last year’s clinic.

A little boy, who had just seen the dentist, came running out of the clinic, announcing happily to all around him that he could eat whatever he wanted. “I can chew it all as hard as I want,” she recalled the youngster saying.

For many, the RAM clinic is the way they get health care. They don’t have to show proof of insurance or even an ID card, Kendall said.

“It’s really heartening to know that the clinic we’re putting out there is serving its purpose,” she said, adding that it’s also “a little bit disheartening that the need is that great in the community.”

The RAM clinic provides a “Band-Aid solution” to the issue of having access to care in this area and across the country, she added.

Kendall, who grew up on Sanibel Island off the Florida coast, said she remembers having to go to the mainland for doctor or dentist visits. A series of bridges connects the island to Florida, and when hurricanes caused problems, they’d have to use fishing boats to ferry them back and forth.

People who lack access to quality health care can feel just as isolated as she did growing up on an island, and Kendall said her experiences have fueled her desire to help provide people the care they deserve.

Now a junior at Duke, Kendall said she aspires to go to medical school and work in disaster relief to provide medical services following hurricanes and other types of natural disasters.

Granville-Vance Public Health is a strong partner for this year’s clinic, and Kendall said interpreters will be on hand again this year to assist with provider-patient communication.

Speaking on behalf of this year’s team of Duke students working to plan the clinic, Kendall said they are dedicated to the effort and truly care about everyone who participates, from the volunteer doctors, nurses and dentists and patients to the volunteers that help make the clinic run smoothly.

“We are so deeply grateful for the community of Henderson,” Kendall said. “We really do have the best intentions. We just want to make a difference and help people.”

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The Local Skinny! School Board Formally Approves Closing Carver, New Hope

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The Vance County Board of Education approved Monday the closure of Carver and New Hope elementary schools, effective June 30, 2026.

This formal vote was the last step needed to complete the closure and consolidation process required by state law.

The board had been discussing the possibility of closing the two schools since its retreat in October 2025, citing low enrollment, aging buildings and funding.

A public hearing was held in January to give parents and others from the community the opportunity to hear more about the plan to close the schools and to have those students attend other schools.

The Carver students will go to E.O. Young Elementary and the New Hope students will go to Dabney Elementary. In comments during the public hearing, Superintendent Dr. Cindy Bennett stressed that school employees would have job security, adding that nobody would be out of a job if the two schools close.

“We are trying to find the best possible option for all in the district so that we have financial stability in a time of declining enrollment and declining funding,” Bennett said.

Bennett also provided current enrollment information for both schools at the public hearing. There are 123 students in grades PK – 5 at Carver; New Hope has 108 students.

It comes down to funding, Bennett said. The school district relies on local, state and federal funds to keep its schools open, and state funding follows the students. So if students leave traditional public schools for charter schools, that per-pupil-expenditure goes with the student.

A link on the school’s website contains information in FAQ format that provides details for the process of closure and consolidation. Find it at Website link with closure/consolidation info:

https://www.vcs.k12.nc.us/board-of-education/consolidation-plans

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Cooperative Extension with Jamon Glover: Kids are Watching

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Jamon Glover, on the Vance County Cooperative Extension Report:

We continue our Valentines Day Series called – Love Starts at Home. This time we learn how kids learn to love by watching you.

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: Chairmen Of The Board’s Ken Knox On Feb. 13 McGregor Hall Performance

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When you hear the word “Detroit,” a couple of things surely come to mind: cars and music. If you’re a music lover, you’ve got to give props to the “Motor City” for being the place where the Motown sound was born.

In 1979, a couple of guys who’d left Detroit and headed South formed Surfside Records in Charlotte in 1979. It didn’t take long for the label to incorporate that brand of rhythm and blues into the beach music scene, singing “You’ve Got Me Dangling On A String” and “Carolina Girls” among other hits for going on 50 years.

And while Ken Knox is the only original band member still performing, the Chairmen of the Board continues to perform its brand of beach music, mixing the old standards with some of the more modern tunes to reach multiple generations of listeners.

The Chairmen of the Board is bringing its signature sound to McGregor Hall for a 7:30 p.m. performance on Friday, Feb. 13.  Tickets available at the door.

Knox said this is the first time the band has performed in Henderson, but he was quick to bring up that he knows Henderson is where fellow musician Gerald Alston is from. Like Alston, Knox and the Chairmen of the Board are members of the N.C. Music Hall of Fame in Kannapolis.

“I owe it all to General Johnson and Danny Woods,” Knox said in an interview on TownTalk Wednesday.

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General Norman Johnson, the longtime “front man” of the group, died in 2010. Woods died in 2018, leaving Knox to keep the band going.

These days, he’s more of the front man for the group, and he shares the stage with Patrick McGuire and Thomas Hunter and their top-notch band The Executives.

“I’ve never wanted to be the lead guy,” Knox said. “I always wanted to be the guy on the sidelines.”

But, when Johnson’s health was failing, Knox said Johnson told him “’to go out and give the people what you know.’ And that was the music, the showmanship. And how to treat people,” Knox recalled.

“I made a promise to those guys to stay strong.”

He calls himself “everyday people,” someone who enjoys this time of year when indoor concert venues allow the band to be up close and personal with friends and fans they’re playing for.

What’s his favorite song?

Well, that’s like asking who’s your favorite child, he said. But if he had to choose a couple, he’d say “Patches” and “Give Me Just A Little More Time.”

You can bet they’ll be on Saturday’s set list.

Home and Garden Show

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

  • The Beginner Bee School will be on Saturday, February 14th starting at 9am at the Vance County Regional Farmers Market.
  • Fertilize your tall fescue lawns this week. Remember to use a slow release, turf grade fertilizer.
  • Purchase a good soil thermometer to check soil temperature before planting.
  • Refresh mulch around trees and shrubs, but don’t over do it.
  • When ordering any seed or plants try to order varieties that are recommended for Zone 7.
  • Clean out perennial beds. Cut back dead foliage, clean out weeds, and refresh mulch.
  • Now is the time to look at large trees that may be damaged or show signs of disease. If you have trees like this you need to contact a certified arborist.
  • Get your piedmont planting guide now.
  • Check pruning equipment. Sharpen, repair, or even replace them. You can get pruning guides from Cooperative Extension.
  • Clean all of your planting trays with a 1part bleach to 9 parts water solution before you add potting media and start your seed.
  • Remember to use the proper personal protective equipment when doing winter chores.
  • 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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