WIZS Radio Local News Audio 07-29-22 Noon
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SportsTalk: Elliott And Vipers Prepare To Kickoff 2022 Season
Twelve midnight! 12:01 a.m. Monday to be exact. That’s when the Vance Co. Vipers football team will begin the first official practice of the 2022 season. According to Coach Aaron Elliott, the team is excited about the “midnight madness” practice. The team will gather around 9 p.m. Sunday to prepare and learn the rules and expectations from Elliott and his coaching staff. “I’ve always wanted to have a midnight practice. I’m super excited,” Elliott said on Thursday’s SportsTalk.
“We have a special group of kids. Very mature. They stick together and hold each other accountable,” Elliott said of the 2022 Vipers. Right now Elliott has between 45 and 50 kids. Twenty of those will be on the JV team with the remainder making up the varsity unit. The Vipers have not had a JV team for several years but this season Elliott has re-established the JV team and they will have a full schedule.
Coach Elliott, in his first season, has been building relationships with the Vipers. He has taken them bowling, eaten dinner and brought a water slide to the school. He hopes all of this will add up to the Vipers playing as a team. “Talent and good players don’t necessarily make a great team,” Elliott said, citing the Louisburg Warriors team where he was a coach a few seasons ago. Louisburg went deep in the playoffs that season because of team work not because he had the best talent. He’s hoping for the same thing to take place with the Vipers.
The Vipers, who made it to the playoffs last season, have a strong core to build around. Elliott feels the receiver corp, anchored around Israel Terry, is particularly strong and Quarterback Nazir Garrett has also been impressive. Elliott adds the offense is ahead of his expectations.
On August 12th the Vipers will host the annual Jamboree with Cedar Ridge, Western Guilford and Roanoke Rapids participating and then on Friday night, August 19th, the season gets underway against Warren County – a team that Elliott says the Vipers will have to be ready for because the Eagles don’t quit.
You can catch the action all season long on Vance Co. Friday Night Football on WIZS beginning with the Vipers traveling to Warren County to take on the Eagles.
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Men’s Shelter Opening One Month Early On Path To 12-Month Operation
The local men’s shelter has gotten the green light to open its doors for an extra month, putting the group a step closer to realizing its dream of being open year-round for those in need.
The shelter, based at the First Presbyterian Church in downtown Henderson, is an outreach of Community Partners of Hope.
In previous years, the shelter was open from November through March, with the hope of being able to expand services and there is a campaign underway now to raise the $133,225 needed to make the dream a reality. To date, more than $15,000 has been raised.
Visit the Dream Team Fundraiser Link Here.
Information in the recent CPOH newsletter stated that Darryl Jones will continue as shelter manager and Josh Stokes will manage weekend duties, but the shelter continues to need volunteers to partner with paid staff to keep things running smoothly. The group is looking at the possibility of adding another paid overnight supervisor.
Community Network Specialist Delthine Watson is pursuing grant opportunities, as well as possible collaboration with other agencies and partners. Watson is available to speak to church and civic groups to share the mission and vision of CPOH. Contact her at specialist.cpoh@gmail.com or 919.339.1462 to learn more.
TownTalk: Welcoming Capt. Joshua Keaton To The Henderson Salvation Army
The training that the Salvation Army provides to its leaders is thorough, to be sure. But no two places are exactly alike, and Capt. Joshua Keaton and his wife, Capt. Amanda Keaton, are still learning about Henderson as they jump in to the day-to-day operations of their new assignment.
Capt. Joshua Keaton was John C. Rose’s guest on Thursday’s Town Talk and he said it’s been a busy time since they left their previous assignment in Concord, NC, and made their way to Henderson in mid-June. Father’s Day weekend, to be exact.
The local Salvation Army, based at 2292 Ross Mill Rd., serves a handful of surrounding counties – not just Vance County. From summer day camp to daily food distributions, there’s something going on most of the time at the Ross Mill Road facility.
There are two weeks left of summer day camp, then the Vacation Bible School will be Aug. 1-5.
The after-school program cranks up on Aug. 22, with daily pickups from a number of schools in Vance and Granville counties. Keaton encourages parents to get those completed applications in as soon as possible – space is limited.
Learn more at facebook.com/tsahenderson.
Keaton said he and his wife have a long association with the Salvation Army – they met at an SA camp in West Virginia in 2006 – he was a lifeguard and she was in charge of the dining hall. They married in 2009, and he said they “saw there was a need and felt the Lord nudging us to do more.”
The “more” turned into learning all about the Salvation Army – he called their time in Georgia “730 days of full-on engagement of learning the ins and outs of the Army – what you’d basically do during seminary,” he said.
The team spent several years in Greenville, SC before moving to Concord, NC and now to Henderson. They earned the rank of Captain and hope to achieve the rank of Major when the time comes.
Whether he is overseeing local programs like food distribution, inviting people to shop at their thrift store or talking with folks who have fallen on hard times, Keaton said he and his wife are willing to meet people wherever they are.
“We see constantly people struggling – spiritually, financially – being a shoulder they can lean on in their weakest moment is always a blessing to me,” he noted.
Life can change in an instant, he said, adding that it is important for him to live a life in service to the Lord.
“Everyone needs to receive salvation,” he said. “My goal is to lead you to it…the ultimate goal is to win souls for Him.”
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WIZS Radio Local News Audio 07-28-22 Noon
Click Play to Listen. On Air at 8am, 12pm, 5pm M-F
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City Council Reviews Proposed Minimum Housing Code; Could Approve At Aug. 8 Meeting
The stage is set for the Henderson City Council to possibly approve a revised minimum housing code at their August meeting. Updates to the code were reviewed during a called meeting of the City Council at noon on Wednesday, and Mayor Eddie Ellington told WIZS Thursday the changes in code are needed and called current enforcement “mediocre at best.”
Ellington said the city needs more code officers to address the challenges of enforcement. “This has been an ongoing 20-year troublesome problem that is holding our city back and we’ve paid the price for it, especially with our older neighborhoods,” Ellington said to WIZS News Thursday.
But there were some concerns about some of the details contained in the document, such as requiring property owners to designate an authorized agent and provide that information to the city. City Attorney D. Rix Edwards is consulting the N.C. League of Municipalities/School of Government to determine what city leaders can and cannot ask of rental property owners. State law prohibits municipalities from having any type of registration of rental property owners, and City Manager Terrell Blackmon said Thursday that he hopes to get clarification about the language contained in the revised code.
Blackmon told WIZS that the intent simply is to have a person to contact in case of an emergency regarding a rental property.
“At this time, we are considering just making it voluntary for all landlords as we await legal interpretation,” Blackmon said. “This is a work in progress, but there will be changes to the current code,” he added.
Council member Garry Daeke said he thought most of the ordinance is good, but he said there are a few things to check on to ensure due process.
He said he felt it premature to call for additional code enforcement staff at this time. “That question is legitimate, at another time, and for our manager and staff to propose to Council once the process is finished and they submit a plan of action,” Daeke said.
Although Daeke had to leave the meeting before it concluded, he said Thursday that he also has concerns about the point of contact. “We need it, but the lien issue isn’t the answer,” he said.
Despite what he described as a “chaotic” meeting, Daeke said he felt he and his fellow Council members made a good start to address the code challenges.
Council member Sara Coffey echoed Daeke’s sentiments. “I’m real happy that we are moving forward with issues that we have been burdened with for quite some time now,” Coffey said in a written statement to WIZS.
“We still have a few tweaks and are going to have all that done by our August meeting,” she continued. “It be great to work together to help our citizens and our city to be more productive for the betterment of all.”
Another concern related to an increase in penalties assessed as a result of inspections resulting in code violations.
Blackmon observed that the City Council has decided “not to sit on their hands and do nothing. The penalties already exist and the increases are not out of bounds with the General Statutes.”
Ellington said the city’s future depends on clear action from Council and others.
“The business constituents have spoken, as noted by their submitted letter to the City and also being in attendance (at) every meeting since,” he stated. “We as leaders are faced with as I’ve said, ‘hard truths’ and difficult decisions. But the future direction of our City depends upon it. This is expected from us as a municipality.”
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Cooperative Extension With Jamon Glover: Communication, Pt. 4
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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“Food Farmacy” Coming To Henderson Aug. 7
A “Food Farmacy” event is scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 7 outside Perry Memorial Library, showcasing local produce and producers while promoting health and wellness in rural areas through good nutrition.
The event is funded through a grant from Duke University’s Kenan Institute of Ethics and will feature local community vendors, according to information from Darius Pitt, with Henderson-Vance Recreation and Parks Dept.
Among the organizations that will be present are The Black Farmers Market and Slice 325. There will be a range of goods and produce, “hand-picked, packed and presented to you,” the publicity flyer notes.
Shop and learn between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. at the free event. The library is located at 205 Breckenridge St.
Rebuilding Hope To Hold Kids Construction Camp Next Week
There’s still time to sign up for Rebuilding Hope’s upcoming Kids Construction Camp that takes place next week. The three-day camp is designed to give children in 2nd through 6th grades an opportunity to use tools to create things.
The campers will work through a variety of stations, including Hammer & Nails, Electrical & Plumbing, Block Laying and Building a Birdhouse.
The camp runs from Aug. 1 to Aug. 3 from 9 a.m. to noon. A midmorning snack is provided.
Contact Rebuilding Hope at 252.438.5132 or 252.425.5593 or visit http://rebuildinghopeinc.org/
State Court Of Appeals: Felons May Register To Vote In NC – For Now
-Information courtesy of the N.C. State Board of Elections
Starting today – July 27, 2022 – an individual serving a felony sentence who is not in jail or prison may register to vote and vote. An individual must also have resided in North Carolina for at least 30 days prior to the election, be a U.S. citizen, and be at least 18 years old by the next general election.
Previously, under a North Carolina statute, a person serving a felony sentence could not register to vote or vote, whether they were in or out of prison, until they completed that sentence. This meant that felons serving probation, post-release supervision, or parole were not able to register or vote, until they completed their term of supervision.
Earlier this year, however, a North Carolina superior court determined that denying voting rights to people serving their felony sentences outside of jail or prison violates the state constitution. This decision has been appealed; however, while it is on appeal, the North Carolina Court of Appeals has ordered that the decision should go into effect as of July 27, 2022.
This means that, for the time being, any person serving a felony sentence outside of prison or jail is eligible to register to vote and vote. Those in jail or prison for a felony conviction are not allowed to register or vote. If a person is in jail awaiting trial for a felony but has not yet been convicted, they retain their voting rights. In North Carolina, a person never loses their voting rights for a misdemeanor conviction.
As of July 27, the State Board will update its website and voter registration forms and other voting-related documents to reflect this new information on felon eligibility. The agency will update this information upon any further order of the courts.