Tag Archive for: #wizsnews

Cooperative Extension with Wayne Rowland: Japanese Beetles

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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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GCPS Plans “Watch” Event July 12 To See Images From Webb Telescope

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The Webb telescope is set to send never-before-seen images of space back to Earth soon, and the scientific community – as well as folks on the ground in Granville County – are waiting and wondering what the giant telescope will reveal.

Planning for the design and successful launch of the James E. Webb Telescope has been years in the making, but now that it’s almost time for the instrument to send back full-color images of what it “sees,” scientists and others who have been closely monitoring its function can’t be exactly sure when they’ll be able to release those photos.

But Granville County Public Schools STEAM Coordinator Amy Rice is working with those experts to provide a special “watch” party at J.F. Webb High School on July 12. She knows the day, but the time is a little uncertain.

J.F. Webb is named for the father of James E. Webb, for whom the telescope is named. What better spot to host a watch party? Webb, the father, was a former schools superintendent in Granville County; his son, in 1961, became administrator of the newly formed NASA.

Rice told WIZS News that the event in Oxford on July 12 will include a virtual panel discussion during which time experts will discuss various aspects of the Webb mission. The panel discussion will begin at 6 p.m.

“Once NASA lets us know the time of the photo release, we will announce what time we will start live streaming the release of the photos,” Rice said in an email. On site will also be a group of science interns from nearby Shaw University to lead STEM-related interactive sessions for younger children that will be related to the work of the space telescope.

Interested in coming to the July 12 event? Please check https://www.gcs.k12.nc.us/ for updates on times for the photo release.

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Mt. Moriah AME Zion Site Of Summer Meals Program For Children

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Mt. Moriah AME Zion Church is partnering with the Durham branch of the N.C. Food Bank again this summer to provide free hot lunches to any child between the ages of 0 and 18 years.

The Kids Summer Meals Program provides hot, catered lunches and snacks to children in the area, beginning June 20, 2022 and continuing through Aug. 5, according to information from Linda Bristow of Mt. Moriah AME Zion. Meals will be served each weekday in the church fellowship hall between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.

The church is located 5448 Highway 158 Business in Henderson.

VCS Thanks Volunteers For Partnering With Schools During 2021-22

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Vance County Schools paid a special thank-you to a host of churches and other local individuals and organizations that have partnered with the district’s schools to enhance students’ learning experience.

And this year, Gang Free, Inc. was recognized for its ongoing work with Vance County Middle School.

Melissa Elliott, founder of Gang Free, Inc., was on hand at the partnership recognition ceremony Thursday, June 9 at 3 p.m. at the VCS Center for Innovation. In addition to providing basic necessities for students, their families and the community, Gang Free, Inc. – through a partnership with the N.C. Food Bank – established VCMS as a food bank satellite. Students can make weekly trips through the food bank to take home what their families may need. Community members can access the food bank as well.

Following is a list of volunteers and the schools they partnered with during the 2021-22 school year:

  • Craig Compton, Aycock Elementary 
  • New Life Baptist Church, Carver Elementary 
  • Alternative Learning Center & Community Engagement, Inc, Clarke Elementary
  • First United Methodist Church, Dabney Elementary 
  • Clearview Baptist Church,  E.M. Rollins STEAM Academy
  • Middleburg United Methodist Church, O. Young Elementary 
  • Henderson Optimist Club, B. Yancey Elementary 
  • Julie A. Booth, New Hope Elementary 
  • First United Methodist Church, Pinkston Street Elementary 
  • Plank Chapel United Methodist Church, Zeb Vance Elementary
  • TechTerra, STEM Early High School 
  • Fuerza Y Union Multiple Foundation, Vance County Early College High School T&T Laundry, Vance County High School 
  • Gang Free Inc., Vance County Middle School 
  • 4 Point 0 Mobile Clinic, Inc., Vance Virtual Village (V3) Academy 

Two Local Men Get Prison Terms For Drugs, Weapons Charges

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

Two Henderson men were sentenced in federal court Thursday for separate drugs and weapons-related charges.

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after the sentences were handed down. Details of the cases were included in a press statement issued from Easley’s office Thursday.

Joseph Jones, Jr., also known as “Woo,” was sentenced in Raleigh to 180 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute heroin and marijuana, and possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime. On Mar. 16, 2022, Jones pled guilty to the charges filed against him.

A second Henderson man, Jamey Owens, 51, was sentenced Thursday in Wilmington, N.C. to 72 months in prison for possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court documents and other information presented in court, in May 2020, Jones, 24, was identified as a heroin dealer in Henderson. The Henderson Police Department utilized a confidential informant to make controlled purchases of heroin from Jones. On Aug. 26, 2020, HPD responded to a call for service regarding a heroin overdose victim, who was stabilized with medical assistance. The victim reportedly purchased the heroin from Jones.

The same day, HPD conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle being driven by Jones and found him to be in possession of heroin. A search warrant was executed at his residence where more than 1,000 doses of heroin and more than 11 grams of marijuana were found, along with two loaded firearms including a Glock 21 .45 caliber pistol and a Diamondback AM2 9mm pistol. Some of the heroin was bound into “bricks” comprising 50 dosage units and carried stamps such as “Devil’s Reject,” “Maestro,” “Shell,” “Uranas,” “Takeback,” and “Natural Flavor.”

Jones has a lengthy criminal history, including possession with intent to manufacture, sell, or deliver a Schedule I controlled substance, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, and conspiracy to sell or deliver heroin.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Henderson Police Department investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert J. Dodson prosecuted the Jones case.

According to court records and statements made during hearings in the Owens case, Henderson police conducted a controlled buy of cocaine from Owens on Jan. 13, 2019 at his home on State Street. Based on the controlled buy, officers obtained a search warrant for the residence, which they executed on January 15, 2019.

Owens was present with his girlfriend. Near a couch where Owens had been sleeping, officers found two handguns. In his bedroom, they found a third pistol, and in a second bedroom they recovered a shotgun. Officers found drugs stashed throughout the house, including cocaine, heroin, suspected ecstasy tablets, and marijuana. They also found four digital scales; ink stamps labeled with “BLACK CEASAR” and green glassine bags, both commonly used to package heroin; two glass Pyrex dishes with a white powdery substance; and over $3000 in cash.

The Henderson Police Department and North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jake D. Pugh prosecuted the case.

SportsTalk: Elliott Prepares For First Season As VCHS Football Coach

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Aaron Elliott, the new head football coach for Vance County High School, has had a few days to watch his players during workouts this week. And he’s pretty impressed with what he sees so far, he said on Thursday’s Sports Talk.

Elliott joined Bill Harris, Doc Ayscue and George Hoyle and said he liked the level of leadership the players have shown so far. And he hopes that as the summer continues, the numbers of young people interested in wearing the Vipers uniform will grow.

“My biggest challenge so far has been numbers,” Elliott said. And in between workouts, watching last season’s film and meeting with his coaching staff, Elliott has been spending a lot of time fielding calls from student athletes about possibly returning to the team. He also said he’d heard from almost 20 rising 9th graders who are thinking about playing.

Whether he’s talking to players, prospective players, their parents or his staff, Elliott has spoken consistently about, well, consistency.

“I’m trying to incorporate and bring a philosophy of being consistent,” he said, “gaining trust of players and (others)…that I’m here to stay.”

This is Elliott’s first head coaching job, but he previously had been an assistant with Nash Central High School, and at Louisburg High before that.

He draws from his experience as a line coach to work with others on his staff, some of whom are returning for the upcoming season. “I will be the offensive coordinator and calling the plays,” Elliott said, but added that he would offer additional help wherever it was needed.

The offensive line will be a little young because of several seniors graduating, but the defensive line only lost one player to graduation, and there are several athletes that are at the ready to fill that position. “We should be fairly good defensively,” he said.Without giving away too much from the playbook, Elliott said he plans to run a spread offense with some run-pass options. It’ll be senior QB Nazir Garrett’s responsibility to make good reads, he noted, and to make good decisions about what to do with the football.

And he plans to incorporate special teams into every practice. “To me, special teams is important – you can get turnovers, you can change the momentum of the game” with special teams.

The team will continue with morning workouts Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. and participate in a couple of camps over the summer, starting with a camp at N.C. State next Thursday. The first official week is the first week of August, and that’s when the team moves to afternoon practices.

“All in all, these guys are in pretty good shape,” Elliott said. Several players said they’d been working during the off-season, he added. “I wouldn’t say they’re ready to play a football game tomorrow night, but I feel comfortable come August.”

 

The Local Skinny! Business Spotlight: Satterwhite Pt. Marina

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The season is heating up on Kerr Lake as warmer weather brings out boaters and campers, and that’s just fine for Scott and Catherine Hughes, owners of Satterwhite Point Marina and Rudd’s Creek Marina near Boydton, VA.

The Hughes family is celebrating 30 years at Satterwhite Point Marina, and Catherine told John C. Rose Thursday during the business spotlight feature of The Local Skinny! segment that they work hard to provide good service to folks visiting the lake and they strive to be good community partners.

“It’s hard to believe that Rudd’s Creek has been open for eight years,” she said, adding that husband Scott basically duplicated at Rudd’s Creek what he’d built at Satterwhite.

The marinas have boat storage options in wet slips and she said the hope is to have Drystack storage at the Virginia marina in the next year or so. Right now, that option is only at Satterwhite Point.

Both marinas have lakeside stores with discount marine supplies, lake gifts, signs, snacks and more.

“We always try to support the communities in Henderson and in Mecklenburg County, VA as well,” Hughes said, “ and we appreciate the support we get as well.” She said great employees, great customers and a great place to work make for a winning combination.

“We think we’re lucky to be able to be able to work right on the lake,” she said. “Sometimes it can be demanding or stressful, but the majority of the time, it’s just beautiful.”

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Cooperative Extension With Jamon Glover: Biting, Pt. 3

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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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