Tag Archive for: #wizsnews

Home And Garden Show

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

  • If space for a garden is limited consider constructing garden beds.
  • Continue planting trees and shrubs. It’s better to plant them now than waiting until the temperature heats up in late spring.
  • Write down on paper what garden problems that you had last year call Cooperative extension. We might help you with some of those problems before you run into them in 2023.
  • Tree fruit such as apples, peaches and nectarines require extensive spray programs.Do your research now so you’ll know the schedule and have the right products and equipment on hand
  • January is inventory month for gardeners to check older seeds and do a germination test.
  • This is also a good time to organize your seed starting supplies.
  • Do maintenance on all garden equipment.

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The Local Skinny! Valentines For Veterans

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Gentiva Hospice in Oxford is hosting a Valentine’s For Veterans event later this month to make Valentine’s cards that will be shared with veterans in five different are counties.

This is the third year that Gentiva, formerly Kindred Hospice, has sponsored the activity, and Patient Care Coordinator Whitney Allen told WIZS’s Bill Harris on The Local Skinny! that she invites people of all ages to come out and show support for the veterans.

Allen said she’s not quite sure just how many cards will get made, but the group will make as many as it can.

“It’s not just for kids,” she said, “it’s for anyone who wants to come out and help our veterans.”

Volunteer Coordinator Brittany Wilson had the idea a few years ago to have a card-making party and open it up to the community to participate.

Gentiva employees bring their children, she said, and a Girl Scout group has participated in the past. But it’s not just for groups – any individual who wants to come and put their art skills to work as they enjoy some pizza and music are welcome.

Gentiva has about 20 clients who are veterans and they will get cards, but they’ll also be distributed at the VA in Durham, Allen said; cards will end up in the hands of veterans in Vance, Granville, Person, Durham and Wake counties.

“They just love it,” Allen said of previous card distribution program.

The event begins at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 28 at Gentiva Hospice, located at 136 Roxboro Road in the Food Lion shopping center.

Individuals also can purchase cards and drop them by the Gentiva office. Before Feb. 1.

Call Gentiva at 919.603.0126 to learn more or find details on Gentiva’s Facebook page.

 

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TownTalk: Classes Help Seniors Navigate Technology And The Internet

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By all accounts, Edy Thompson says, the class designed for senior adults who want to learn more about how to use technology is a success.

From reading the evaluations from those who attended the first class, everyone thinks it’s an “excellent idea,” Thompson told John C. Rose. “And they’re coming back.”

Completing an evaluation is a small price to pay – the only price, actually. The class is free for senior adults and is the result of a partnership with AARP and Rebuild Communities. Thompson is the executive director of Rebuild Communities.

“I just think it’s an excellent, excellent program,” Thompson said. The facilitators had to get trained to teach the class, which will continue on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 12:30. Up to 10 participants come to learn more about how to use the technology that is all around us, from smartphones, laptops and iPads to Zoom calls and online troubleshooting chat sessions.

Thompson said older adults have to work at not becoming obsolete. “We know it but we don’t want to address it,” she said.

People are reluctant to show that they don’t know something, but this class provides information in a non-threatening way that folks enjoy.

“It’s wonderful to see seniors getting together and having fun and learning something useful,” she said.

Want to join in the fun? 252.915.1663 or send an email to info@rebuildcommunitiesnc.org.

 

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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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Franklin County Creates, Fills Second Assistant County Manager Position

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Franklin County is getting a second assistant county manager in a couple of weeks.

The county commissioners approved adding the position in its 2023 budget and officials recently announced that Ryan Preble will begin his new role on Jan. 25.

Preble has more than 20 years’ management across a variety of organizations, including the private sector and local and federal government.

“I am excited to join the Franklin County team and look forward to working together to fulfill the county’s mission, vision, values and goals,” Preble said in a press statement received by WIZS News.

Preble comes to Franklin County from Wayne County where he served more than six years as chief information officer and project management director. Prior to that, he worked as enterprise project manager for Alliance One International, Inc. in Farmville for six years. He also worked as management information systems supervisor for McRae & Associates for two years as well as various roles in information technology with the U.S. Air Force and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization for more than 11 years.

“Ryan brings a wealth of management experience in both government and the private sector which will be extremely valuable to Franklin County,” said County Manager Kim Denton.

Preble graduated from the University of Mount Olive with a bachelor’s degree in computer information systems. He also obtained a master’s degree in information technology with a concentration in project management and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Maryland Global Campus. He has also completed the Municipal and County Administration course with the UNC School of Government and is a Certified Government Chief Information Officer.

US Attorney’s Office Gets Guns Off the Streets In 2022

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-information courtesy of the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Eastern District of North Carolina

The U.S. Attorney’s office for the Eastern District of North Carolina has announced that, as a result of litigation efforts during 2022, at least 280 illegally owned, possessed, used or obtained firearms were forfeited.

“Getting illegal guns out of the hands of the most dangerous felons helps make our communities safer,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “I am proud of the strong partnership between federal, state and local law enforcement to get these guns off the street, so they are not used to commit future crimes.”

Firearms that are criminally forfeited are removed from the possession of a convicted criminal defendant and relinquished to the government for disposal, including potentially the return of the firearm to a rightful owner, the press release stated.

Since the start of 2022, EDNC charged about 278 defendants with federal firearms offenses, including “possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, possession of a firearm as a convicted felon, and straw purchasing of a firearm.”

These prosecutions are a result of close cooperation between prosecutors and partners at federal and local law enforcement agencies, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security Investigations. EDNC also partners with the State Bureau of Investigation, North Carolina State Highway Patrol, North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement, and local police and sheriffs across the district, which includes Vance, Granville, Warren and Franklin counties.

EDNC’s efforts to seize and forfeit illegal firearms in 2022 was the result of multiple investigative and prosecutorial efforts, including the Project Safe Neighborhood and the Violent Crime Action Plan initiative, which are collaborative efforts with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, working with the community, to identify and address the most significant drivers of violent crime, and the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces whose purpose is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations, which are primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply.

“ATF’s top priority is preventing firearms from falling into the wrong hands,” stated Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Special Agent in Charge Bennie Mims. “That effort is strongly supported by our local and state law enforcement partners and our federal prosecutors. Through our collaborative efforts, we’re working hard to prevent illegal purchases, firearms trafficking and firearms thefts. Keeping firearms out of the hands of prohibited individuals is key to building and maintaining safer communities.”

“Every day, the FBI works tirelessly with law enforcement partners across North Carolina to combat violent crime. Seizing guns from convicted felons is one step closer to making our communities safer,” said Michael C. Scherck, the FBI’s acting special agent in charge in Charlotte.

“DEA and its law enforcement partners want to send a stern warning that the distribution of dangerous drugs in association with gun violence presents a clear and present danger to the community,” said Robert J. Murphy, DEA’s special agent in charge in the Atlanta field division. “This dangerous lifestyle has led many to face serious prison time as a consequence.”

“Finding and confiscating illegal weapons from dangerous criminals not only protects our communities, but it also protects the law enforcement community as we do our jobs,” said Ronnie Martinez, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Charlotte that covers North and South Carolina. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to protect our communities.”

TownTalk: Reflections On Dr. Martin Luther King

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Monday’s TownTalk segment includes reflections from area pastors in observance of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. Please listen back to hear these reflections in their entirety.

 

The Rev. Joseph Ratliff, pastor of Shiloh Baptist Church, said he views the MLK holiday “not simply about a single man, but…the struggle of Black people for generations. Today, Ratliff said, Black Americans can vote, get elected and sit anywhere they choose on public transportation – “things our grandparents and great-grandparents only dreamt of.”

Because of the continued support from so many, Ratliff said, “we now have a brighter day – there are all kinds of opportunities in front of us.”

He called King the dreamer of the dream that Blacks would no longer be considered second-class citizens, a vision that provided hope to an entire nation.

“Our action – or inaction – determines our future,” Ratliff said. “Dream with me – we can make a difference. Be the somebody that Christ has made you.”

The pastor of Clearview Church, Dr. Abidan Shah, arrived in the U.S. as a teenager and quickly realized that “every citizen had the opportunity to achieve, through hard work, determination and initiative.”

He called King one of the most influential Christians in history, and laid down the challenge to revisit King’s vision of equality for all – that vision that says people should not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the strength of their character.

 

Dr. Ron Cava, senior minister at First Baptist Church, said he is a little too young to have first-hand knowledge about King and his ministry, but said what he has learned about King confirms the idea that he was not only a prophet but a great preacher.

King’s ministry, like the Gospels in the Bible, charge believers to love our neighbors as ourselves, Cava explained, “regardless of race or gender or a multitude of factors that divide us.”

The time is now “to let freedom ring and… justice roll down like a mighty torrent,” Cava said.

 

Elder Gloria Ragland delivers the “Walking in the Word” program on WIZS on Sunday mornings said if King were alive today, she believes he’d look approvingly on accomplishments, “but we still haven’t gone far enough yet – my dream is bigger than this (because) we still have racism, hate and discrimination.”

“I believe he would also say ‘God is love,’” she added.

“We have come a mighty long way,” Ragland said. “It’s time for us to love one another, show respect for one another,” she said.

We are all part of God’s creation, Ragland said. “We should be able to get along, to work together…it shouldn’t be about differences, but we are one with God.”

She said she believes that God wants all of his children to get along and to prosper.
“You can’t make it to heaven with hate” in your heart, she said.

 

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