Tag Archive for: #wizsnews

The Local Skinny! Mayor Ellington Discusses City Council Meeting

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The Henderson City Council approved Monday a request of up to $15.3 million from the Local Government Commission to fill a gap in projected costs for the Kerr Lake Regional Water System expansion.

This request includes an extra cushion of $300,000 that may be needed for administrative costs, according to City Manager Terrell Blackmon, who explained the situation to council members during the regular monthly meeting.

Bob Jessup, an attorney whose firm the city contracted with to help manage this part of the project, told council members that the money could be available by mid-March.

Mayor Eddie Ellington elaborated on Tuesday’s segment of The Local Skinny! and said that he and other city leaders have met with state officials to make sure the $80 million project stays on track.

“We’re always working to reach out at the state and federal level,” Ellington told John C. Rose on Tuesday.

Between the COVID-19 pandemic and the skyrocketing cost of materials, “expenses increased in a short amount of time,” he said. Ellington said he and others have met with state leaders to garner support for the project and have been met with nothing but positive responses.

N.C. House Speaker Tim Moore, Rep. Michael Wray have been supportive, as well as Diane Cox with the N.C. Kerr-Tar Council of Government.

“It’s a big deal,” Ellington said of the expansion project. “We have to have it for the future.”

 

 

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Perry Memorial Library

TownTalk: Perry Library Programs For Youths

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Gone are the days when librarians preferred the quiet, shushing patrons who dared make noise to interrupt the serious readers in their building.

No, today’s librarians embrace activity, breathing life into the more modern concept that has transformed libraries into media centers.

Public libraries are hubs in their communities, providing a variety of programs and services for patrons old and young.

Perry Memorial Library’s Youth Services Director Melody Peters joined the staff over the summer, when kids were out of school. Now that school is back in session, Peters is upping the game for young library patrons, who she says benefit greatly from the social interaction that comes with the programs offered at the library.

“Life is about people-to-people connections,” Peters told John C. Rose on Tuesday’s TownTalk. The networking and interaction that goes along with many of the library offerings, from Mother Goose Story Time for toddlers to Survival Skills and Life Hacks for teens.

“Information is shared in many ways,” Peters said. “There is real power in interpersonal communication-it’s what we need to thrive,” she added. “There is real power in interpersonal communication.”

The Mother Goose Story Time is an established program at the library – Thursdays at 11 a.m. It’s a time for children 0-4 to enjoy a story, but it’s also a time for parents and caregivers to connect, Peters said.

“We’re laying a foundation – it really does matter,” Peters said.

Part of that foundation can come from library programs, and there are plenty to choose from.

Curious about the outdoors? There’s a program for that. Rangers from Kerr Lake State Recreation Area come and read with kids on the third Thursday of the month.

And a family program on Jan.24 will focus on animal tracks in the snow.

Snow?

It’s something we don’t see a lot of here in Vance County.

No problem.

They’re going to make it.

Yep. They’re going to make some snow. Way to blend in STEM with some fun. All it takes is a little shaving cream and baking soda.

To learn more, visit https://www.perrylibrary.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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The Local Skinny! Chamber Adds New Board Members

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The Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce begins 2023 with some familiar faces in new roles.

In addition to new president Sandra Wilkerson, Bert Long is taking the reins as chairman of the board of directors for 2023. Long is the North Carolina project manager with H.G. Reynolds and is in his second year on the Chamber board.

Following is a list of other officers and their roles:

  • First Vice Chairman – Margier White, State Farm Insurance-Margier White
  • Second Vice Chairman – Turner Pride, NC Cooperative Extension Service
  • Treasurer – Angie Jacobs, Country Snacks Manufacturing
  • Secretary – Scott Burwell, Kennametal
  • Immediate Past Chairman – Ronald Bennett, Variety Wholesalers

Directors are elected to serve three-year terms on the Chamber board; the new class of 2023 – 2025 directors recently voted in are Scott Burwell with Kennamental, Stephanie Hoyle with Century 21 Country Knolls Realty, Dana Greenway with Kids World, Inc., Ann Holsing with Coastal Credit Union, Desiree Brooks with Kerr-Tar COG and Brandi Parker with Versatrim.

Incoming chairman Long thanked outgoing board members Brian Williams and Tyler Brewer for their service to the Chamber board at the group’s December board meeting. Williams is employed by Thermo King of Henderson and rotated off the board after serving three years. Brewer, vice president of Brewer Cycles in Henderson, has completed six years on the Chamber board. He also served as board chair in 2021.

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Vance County Logo

Town Talk: More On ARPA Funds, Jail and other items of County Interest

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Cities and counties across the country are figuring out just how to spend their part of the unprecedented $1.9 trillion in federal aid coming through the American Rescue Plan Act’s COVID-19 relief effort.

Vance County’s share is just more than $8.5 million, and county leaders are way ahead of the 2024 deadline to decide where those funds will be used: it’s all being allocated as “revenue replacement, which provides flexibility and allows the county to use the funds for general government purposes,” explained County Manager Jordan McMillen.

Of that total amount, about $2 million is earmarked for Phase 1B of the county’s water system, another $350,000 will be used to replace security doors and locks at the detention center and $347,000 was earmarked to pay employees premium pay back in February 2022, McMillen told WIZS News. The health department is set to get $250,000 as well.

All that doesn’t add up to the total slice of the trillion-dollar pie that’s promised to the county, but the infusion of ARPA funds into the county’s general fund should mean that next month’s scheduled audit presentation will show a fairly large surplus, he said.

McMillen said he expects that those surplus funds will be moved into the capital expense funds, which will allow the county to hold onto that money for future capital expenditures like a new EMS station, future needs at the county jail and more.

 

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Cooperative Extension with Wayne Rowland: Native Plants

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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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Maria Parham Franklin To Hold Job Fair Jan. 19

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Maria Parham Franklin will hold a job fair on Thursday, Jan. 19 in Louisburg.

Job seekers can visit with MPH representatives from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. to learn more about available positions at Franklin Behavioral Health, some of which include a $500 sign-on bonus, according to Donna Young, coordinator of marketing and communications.

Openings include day and evening RN positions for both adult and geriatric areas, as well as behavioral health techs for both adult and geriatric areas. Come prepared, as job offers may be made on the spot!

Learn more about the available positions at MariaParham.com/Careers. Applicants can pre-register for this event at https://www.mariaparham.com/event/44.