Jamon Glover, on the Vance County Cooperative Extension Report:
We wrap up our series on role models and mentorship and we talk about the impact that you may have on other kids that are not your own.
Listen live at 100.1 FM / 1450 AM / or on the live stream at WIZS.com at 11:50 a.m. Mon, Tues & Thurs.
Click Play!
The Vance County Board of Education is holding a special meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 21 to have a public hearing about the possible closing and/or consolidation of two of the county’s elementary schools.
The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. in the Curriculum and Instruction area of the Vance County Administrative Services Center, 1724 Graham Ave., according to information from Superintendent Dr. Cindy Bennett and Board of Education Chair Ayana Lewis.
The most recent school consolidations came in 2018, when the school board voted to merge the two high schools and the two middle schools to form Vance County High School and Vance County Middle School. Beginning with the 2018-19 school year, the high school was located on the campus of the former Southern Vance High School and the middle school was located on the campus of the former Northern Vance High School.
Here’s the statement in its entirety:
Pursuant to the provisions of N.C.G.S. 115C-72 and N.C.G.S. 143-318.12 the Vance County Board of Education will hold a special meeting on Wednesday, January 21, 2026 in order to provide a public hearing to discuss with the general public the proposed closing and/or consolidation of New Hope Elementary School with another school, and also the closing and/or consolidation of Carver Elementary School with another school, having in mind and taking into account the welfare of the students to be affected by such closings and/or consolidations, including providing information regarding which the said Board has in its possession relating to the practical and best use of its present school facilities and the costs and maintenance of all its facilities, and the use of same, and also considering geographic conditions, increase or decrease in school enrollment, the inconvenience or hardship that might result to the pupils to be affected by such closings or consolidations, the cost of providing additional school facilities in the event of such closings and/or consolidation, and such other factors as the Board shall determine to be germane.
Said hearing shall be held on January 21, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. in the Curriculum and Instruction area within the Vance County Administrative Services Center located at 1724 Graham Avenue, Henderson NC, and the general public shall be afforded an opportunity to express their views regarding said proposed closings and/or proposed consolidations.
Click Play!
On the Home and Garden Show with Vance Co. Cooperative Ext.
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
Click Play!
Listen On Air at 8am, 12pm, 5pm M-F
WIZS Radio ~ 100.1FM/1450AM
Click Play!
The Vance County Board of Commissioners’ annual retreat gives commissioners and county staff an opportunity to exchange information and opinions as they discuss a variety of topics that are sure to come up in 2026.
In the Jan. 9 retreat, there was a lot of discussion about revenues and spending, giving commissioners and staff a glimpse into what likely will be a part of future budget discussions.
In Commissioner Dan Brummitt’s view, it’s less a matter of money coming in than money going out and more about being more efficient when it comes to spending.
“I don’t believe we have a revenue problem,” Brummitt said during the retreat. “I believe we have an expense problem.”
County Manager Renee Perry assured the commissioners that the county doesn’t “just spend money” for the sake of spending. “We don’t have enough revenue to support anything at this point,” she countered.
“We know that we have an issue with revenues. we fully understand that,” she said. Vance County remains a Tier 1 county, along with almost half the rest of the counties in the state, which means it has higher unemployment, lower median salary and lower tax base than Tier 2 and 3 counties.
Personnel take the biggest bite out of the county’s budget, what with soaring insurance costs and even the slightest bumps in pay to try to improve recruitment and retention.
The county has 380 employees and 70 vacancies. Commissioners could opt to cut those vacant positions as cost-saving measures, but the bulk of those vacancies are in the sheriff’s office, detention center and Department of Social Services, three areas that typically experience chronic staffing shortages.
Perry told commissioners she had asked department heads once again not to request any new positions in the upcoming budget cycle, despite the fact that she knows they need the extra positions.
Speaking of personnel, Perry said she would recommend that commissioners consider again for the upcoming budget a 3 percent cost-of-living increase for county employees and put on the back burner – again – implementing the $1.2 million pay study salary increases.
A 3 percent COLA adjustment equals just more than $668,000, and Perry said that’s her recommendation simply because of all the other priorities the county has at the moment.
She would like to see the county consider a performance pay plan in the future, adding that it could start at a flat rate, moving later to a percentage plan.
So, if there’s not enough money coming in to sufficiently cover the county’s expenses, what’s a county government to do? There are a few choices to raise more revenue, including raising taxes.
One option that Perry encourages commissioners to consider is a local option sales tax increase. That requires a referendum for voters to approve.
Right now, the sales tax rate is 6.75 percent, and it could go up to a maximum of 7 percent, which would provide some extra money in the county coffers.
“I do think that this board should have a conversation at some point about getting the max on the sales tax – that would just be my recommendation,” Perry said. “I’m just surprised that we’ve never explored that here in this county…we get good revenues from sales tax.”
Perry predicted that a ¼-cent sales tax increase would translate to as much as $1.5 million in revenues.
Another option would be to raise the property tax rate, and staff has done some preliminary projections about what that could look like, but Perry said she’d hold off on those discussions until budget work sessions take place later in the spring.
If revenue projections are on the mark, the county is expected to add $400 to its tax base this year – $4.8 billion – up from $4.4 billion last year.
Another conversation for later, as the money comes in, Perry said. “That’s what we’re hoping for – that’s what we’re going to talk about in budget work sessions.”
CLICK PLAY!
Most days, the only folks you’ll find at the radio station are, well, folks who work at the radio station. But today wasn’t most days, as a group of sixth-graders from The Sledge Institute took a field trip to WIZS to get a peek at just how this thing called “journalism” gets done.
Along with their teacher, Christian Salinas, the group of nine students filled the lobby where they got a chance to do a live-to-tape segment that aired on Tuesday’s TownTalk mere minutes after it was recorded.
Afterward, they watched as their teacher did a live interview with WIZS host John Charles Rose to round out segment two.
While the interview was taking place in Studio A, the students squeezed into Studio B and watched through the plate-glass window as their instructor talked about how this journalism project got started.
The Sledge Institute embraces the concept called Project Based Learning, which integrates the curriculum into the creation of some type of product while encouraging collaboration among students.
In the first quarter of the school year, Salinas said the kids expressed an interest in producing a morning news segment, which included making and editing videos and podcasts. When the second quarter rolled around, he decided to shepherd the students on a PBL journalism project.
“The kids got to choose what projects they wanted to take part in,” he said, adding that students create all the different parts of the student news podcast – there are hosts, editors, researchers and interviewers, along with others who focus on a weekly Student Spotlight and Teacher Spotlight.
“My hands were off the wheel and the kids just started over it for themselves, which was awesome,” he said, as the team of students took ownership of the overall project. “The stuff we talk about in it, all the different segments they had – the kids ran that.”
This is Year 1 for The Sledge Institute, a charter school located on Gun Club Road in Vance County. The sixth graders who visited the radio station had nothing but positive comments about their school and teachers.
Vonderion said the teachers are nice and “make us stay on topic,” and Olivia said “teachers help us when we need help and make sure we stay focused in class.”
For Te’ani, it’s all about teachers who “teach us new things every day.” And for Layla, it’s the welcoming feeling she gets, along with the collaboration. “And you learn so much,” she said. “I just love it.”
Nehemiah said, “It’s all about teamwork and working together and working on projects.”
Jorja said her project is coming along just fine. She’s working on a project about good health and well-being and learning about foster care in her ELA/Reading class.
“Right now, we’re doing facts about January,” said Natalie, offering up the fact that garnet is the January birthstone.
Laila reeled off a variety of general topics that are part of the PBL project, including health, waters, equality and good health and well-being.
Sinai said her project is going well, but – spoken like a natural-born editor – she said she can always find ways to improve.
The students seemed naturally curious about what the idea of “journalism” entailed, and they’ve been learning about editing videos and diving into the craft.
Layla said she’s learned that journalism suits her. “Once I figured out what it meant, it’s definitely for me because I love to talk and I love to host things and I love to learn more facts about things because it (will help) me in the future to teach, you know, other kids and help them out while I’m younger.”
Natalie agreed. She said she was excited to learn more about what journalism is and has enjoyed doing videos and interacting with others in the videos.
Olivia said she watches the news every day and likes that she’s learning more about editing.
Te’ani and Sinai also like the editing process, as well as creating stories and learning more about things that are in the news.
The project-based learning model is an integral part of the school’s philosophy and it’s important to incorporate the community when possible. Previous projects have included making a documentary about Kerr Lake, which included a field trip to the lake to explore this important local natural resource. Another project involved a canned food drive for Turning Point CDC. Not only did they collect 10,000 cans, but the students had the opportunity to organize and stock the shelves and get the food ready for distribution.
It’s this type of real-world experience – whether it’s stocking food on shelves, learning about the outdoors or seeing the inside of a real-live radio station – that helps students make connections to what they’re learning in school with how to apply that in the community, Salinas said.
“They’re figuring out or learning that what they’re doing in their classrooms is not just for the sake of ‘you need to know it for a test,’” he said, but “you can use this on a daily basis or for your career.”
CLICK PLAY!
Listen On Air at 8am, 12pm, 5pm M-F
WIZS Radio ~ 100.1FM/1450AM
Click Play!
Michael Ellington, on the Vance County Cooperative Extension Report:
This segment explores why keeping dead trees on your property might be a good idea. Reminders for upcoming pesticide events are at the end.
Listen live at 100.1 FM / 1450 AM / or on the live stream at WIZS.com at 11:50 a.m. Mon, Tues & Thurs.
Click Play!
Asking local historian Mark Pace to divulge which old house is his very favorite is akin to asking a parent which of their children they prefer: indeed, there may be one, but you don’t want to admit it.
In their discussion of old homes in the area listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Pace singled out Vance County’s Pleasant Hill, softening his pronouncement a bit by saying it’s one of his favorites.
There certainly are a lot of contenders in the four-county area, and WIZS’s Bill Harris and Pace reviewed a number of homes and other structures listed on the National Register in Vance and Granville counties on Thursday’s TownTalk segment of Around Old Granville.
Now known as Rivenoak, the stately old home near Middleburg underwent a restoration in the late 1970’s and gained its National Register status in 1979.
And as impressive as the home is, with its double-shoulder brick chimneys (special-ordered from Williamsburg), and Greek Revival style with Georgian elements, it’s the family that built it and lived there that adds to its significance, Pace said.
The family gained prominence for developing the railroad in the area, and for a period of more than half a century between 1778 and 1848, there was a member of the Hawkins family serving in state government.
Future N.C. Governor William Hawkins was probably born at Pleasant Hill, built by his grandfather, Philemon Hawkins, Jr. Research confirms that at least part of it was built as early as 1760.
And those chimneys, located on either side of the home? “Those chimneys are really impressive,” Pace said. Each chimney is constructed of about 20,000 bricks – that’s 80,000 bricks. All imported from Virginia.
Homes like Pleasant Hill are nominated and then placed on a study list before getting their official designation.
Not all of the structures are homes, though, Harris noted. There are farms, churches, bank buildings and more that share spots on the National Register.
Local history buffs may be familiar with Henderson’s Historic District, which Pace said contains 91 of the county’s 114 historic structures.
As he explained, Henderson was a pretty big deal from, say, the 1800’s to the 1940s and 50s.
“There was a lot of impressive architecture that you won’t find anywhere else in North Carolina,” he said. There were several architecture firms located in Henderson. Steve Flannagan designed First Methodist Church and the original Henderson High School, for example. And the iconic fire station and clock tower? Yep, local architect Robert A. Bunn designed it.
Another local architect, James Thrower, designed the original courthouse. It wasn’t until Frank Milburn designed a major renovation that the columns were added.
So many of the old architectural gems remain today in Henderson’s historic district, a tribute to the community’s interest in preserving and repurposing buildings with historic significance.
Like Pleasant Hill, there are numerous homes dotting the countryside that once were part of huge plantations. Ashland near Satterwhite Point, Machpelah and Pool Rock close to Townsville, and Ashburn Hall near Kittrell are some examples.
Many have been lovingly restored and meticulously maintained over the years, preserving those architectural details that make them exemplars of the periods when they were built.
But there’s one house on the National Register that was neither showy nor huge, but impressive all the same.
During a restoration project a decade or so ago, workers removed some siding from a structure to reveal a log home that was built in the 1760’s. Tests on the yellow pine in the center part of the home reveal they were felled in the winter of 1763, according to information on the nomination form that was submitted in 2014.
Present-day Granville County has its share of historically significant homes and buildings, too, but like Vance County, the northern portion of the county has more listed on the National Register than the southern portion.
The Allen-Mangum house in the community of Grissom in southern Granville County was built in the mid- to late-1800’s. It was one of more than 30 Granville County structures added to the National Register in 1988.
This coincided with the publication of an architectural survey, Pace said, that is still the “go-to” reference book for historic architecture.
Brassfield Baptist Church near Wilton is the oldest church in the county, built in the 1840’s. It’s on the list, as is the First National Bank Building in Creedmoor.
Pace said the Obediah Winston Farm in Creedmoor is on the list because “it was one of the most intact old-timey tobacco farms in existence,” with outbuildings intact to give a true flavor of what tobacco production involved.
Red Hill, on Townsville Road off Highway 15 near the Virginia line, has a few different styles, thanks to several renovations and additions over the years. The oldest part of the house dates to 1776.
There’s Hill Airy, which has been on the register since 1974, part of the expansive Gregory family holdings.
Another one of the Gregory family plantations, Elmwood, is what Pace calls one of the finest Georgian style homes in Granville County. Built it 1850, it had been abandoned for decades.
Pace said he was sure the home was “as absolute goner.” All the interior features had been removed over the years, leaving just a shell of a building.
But thanks to a renovation project, Pace calls it “one of the most impressive historic structures” in the county.
CLICK PLAY!
In a unanimous decision, the Henderson City Council approved naming the Henderson Police Department in honor of the late chief, Melvin G. Smith.
Henderson Police Chief Marcus Barrow made the request, which will require no money from the city – the $5,000 estimated to place signs at the front and rear entrances will come from a money generated through the taxation of unauthorized drugs seized locally.
Smith died in July 2025, but Barrow told the Council that he’d been considering the request long before.
Smith was the first Black police officer at the department, joining before the 1964 Civil Rights Act, Barrow said.
“He wasn’t just the first (Black) police officer,” he continued. He was the first sergeant, lieutenant, the first and only African American major, Barrow noted.
“He was the most qualified person for any position he held,” Barrow said. “His 50 percent was better than anybody else’s 100 percent.”
Barrow knew Smith through the Basic Law Enforcement Training classes, when Smith was an instructor and Barrow a student.
“He was kind, thoughtful…he was an educator. He wanted us to learn…He was a tough man, but a fair man.”
Barrow proposes to install a large plaque at the front entrance and a smaller version at the rear entrance – one that officers use and can see and be reminded of Smith’s legacy.
“It’s time,” Barrow said. “The police department needs a name.”
What better name than Melvin G. Smith.
Click Play!
