Michael Ellington, on the Vance County Cooperative Extension Report:
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The Vance County Board of Commissioners will hold a special called meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 16 at 4 p.m. to hold public hearings on several zoning requests and to receive and potentially approve a fiscal operations policy.
According to information from Clerk to the Board Dywanda Pettaway, Board Chair Carolyn Faines called the meeting, which will be held in the commissioners’ conference room of the county’s administration building, 122 Young St.
The two rezoning requests – (ZMA25-003 & ZMA25-004) – are pursuant to Section 11.2(D)(1) of the County Zoning Ordinance and N.C. G.S. 160D. Article 6.
Public hearings regarding the two rezoning requests will be held beginning at 4 p.m., after which the commissioners will receive an updated fiscal operations policy. The board may choose to approve this policy, which contains information detailing county procedures and policies “designed to reflect best practice, not minimum practice,” according to information from Finance Director Stephanie Williams. “The intention is to create a consistent, disciplined framework that supports the long-term financial health of Vance County,” the statement continued.
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There are so many ways to get news and information these days – the more traditional methods like radio, television and print media often take a back seat to the ubiquitous screen.
When the COVID pandemic shut down Faicia Elliott’s radio advertising job, she hatched a plan to get a real newspaper in the hands of young people.
And that’s how The Blast got its start. Today, the newspaper is published monthly and is distributed free for the community to enjoy.
“Kids are on electronics for everything,” Elliott said on Monday’s TownTalk. “My vision was to have them to be able to have something tangible in their hands and to promote literacy.”
Fourth graders in Vance County Schools get copies each month, and Granville County Public Schools and Person have been added to the list, too.
It’s a one-person effort, with Elliott choosing the content, selling the ads and even distributing the 3,700 copies each month.
Printing is done at the Masonic Home for Children in Oxford print shop, a point of pride for Elliott because she likes to shop local.
The Blast began as a for-profit enterprise, and after a few years, Elliott said it became a nonprofit – which means she can apply for grants. She also has advertising clients, some of which have been clients since the paper’s inception.
“It’s working, or they would not keep paying for it,” Elliott said.
As for the newspaper’s content, Elliott said she likes to include word games and other activities that get the whole family involved.
“It is important to me to promote literacy and family togetherness,” she said. “It’s a really fun paper.”
King Features Syndicate provides all kinds of content for the “big” papers, but they also provide content for The Blast. “I called them and said this is what we do, could you give me some content,” Elliott recalled, “and they gave me some puzzles for minimal (amount) compared to what the big papers pay.”
The newspaper contains nothing political, Elliott said, and it’s not pushing any agendas.
Readers of the current issue will learn, however, that Today, Monday, Dec. 15 is National Cupcake Day. The monthly calendar noting those special, silly days is a staple of The Blast.
She also includes local activities on a town calendar. This month includes dates for Christmas parades, for example, but she also likes to include what’s going on at the libraries and with the different recreation departments.
Another staple – and a favorite of Elliott’s – is the fishing page. Everybody can fish, she said, and there are so many fishing tournaments that take place locally, she wanted to include a page devoted to the sport and to learn more about fish.
That’s where the fish facts come into play. “I like that page because it’s fun to find those facts,” she said. Add that to her list of responsibilities. Fish Fact Finder.
As a nonprofit, Elliott has a board to help manage and oversee the organization, but the day-to-day falls to her. “I am it,” she said, “and it is not easy, but it’s important to me.”
And it’s important to her that the young people have access to information that they enjoy and have fun with. That’s how the paper got its name, in fact. “We wanted the kids to have a blast.”
Find TheNCBlast on Facebook, use ncblastsales@gmail.com or pick up the phone and call 919.482.9335 to learn more.
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Wayne Rowland, on the Vance County Cooperative Extension Report:
Consulting Foresters can improve your forests and increase your income when you sell your timber.
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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Listen On Air at 8am, 12pm, 5pm M-F
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Listen On Air at 8am, 12pm, 5pm M-F
WIZS Radio ~ 100.1FM/1450AM
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A federal judge in New Bern sentenced a Virginia man to 174 months in federal prison after he met a minor on Snapchat and manipulated her into sexual activity. On May 7, 2025, David Anthony Howard, II, age 27, pleaded guilty to transporting a minor across state lines to engage in criminal sexual activity.
U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina Ellis Boyle said, “Criminals who use apps like Snapchat to target and exploit our children are some of the worst offenders we face. We will not hesitate to bring the full force of the federal law down against anyone who preys on minors. Parents deserve to know we are doing everything possible to keep their kids safe.”
Many experts assert that young people who use social media platforms are vulnerable to predators such as the case involving the Vance County teen. A new law in Australia went into effect today that prohibits young people under the age of 16 from having their own social media accounts. A press release issued in July about the new law stated, “Delaying access to social media, including YouTube, until the age of 16 will protect young Australians at a critical stage of their development, giving them three more years to build real world connections and online resilience.”
According to court documents and other information presented in court, in April 2023, a Vance County mother reported that her 15-year-old daughter was missing and possibly being held by an adult male. The FBI, the Vance County Sheriff’s Office, the Dinwiddie County, VA Sheriff’s Office, and the Virginia State Police determined that the minor was in Virginia with Howard at his residence. Further investigation revealed that Howard met the minor on Snapchat and manipulated her into a romantic and sexual relationship, traveling repeatedly from Virginia to her home in North Carolina to engage in sexual acts with her. He also enticed her to provide sexual images and videos. Finally, on the night of April 22, 2023, Howard tricked her to sneak out of her house and go to his home in Virginia. He kept her at his residence, continuing to sexually exploit her, until law enforcement recovered her five days later.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Erin Blondel, Sarah Nokes, and Ashley Foxx prosecuted the case, and the FBI, the Vance County Sheriff’s Office, the Dinwiddie County (Virginia) Sheriff’s Office, and the Virginia State Police investigated the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.
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The two newest members of the Henderson City Council will have to wait until after Christmas to be sworn in. According to City Clerk Tracey Kimbrell, the Dec. 8 meeting that was cancelled because of inclement weather has been rescheduled for 6 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 29.
Kenia Gómez-Jimenez and Catherine “Kitty” Miles Gill will join incumbents Garry Daeke and Lamont Noel, who won election or re-election to the Council in the fall elections.
Gómez-Jimenez defeated Ward 1 at-large Council Member Sara Coffey in the Oct. 7 election and Gill defeated Ola Thorpe-Cooper for the Ward 4 seat in the Nov. 4 runoff election.
Gómez-Jimenez expressed disappointment over the delay but said the decision to delay was the right call.
“Of course my family and I, along with our supporters and campaign team, were really looking forward to this Monday,” she said. “It was going to be such a
special moment for us and for our community. But at the end of the day, this really does come down to keeping everyone safe.
After the weather predicted for last Friday, I think many of us, myself included, weren’t sure if we were actually going to get any snow. Our City Manager and his team made the right call in closing City Hall on Monday because the roads really were getting slick that night. So while I’m a little disappointed, I also know December 29 will be here before we know it.
My hope is that the weather cooperates so our citizens can safely attend, be part of this moment, and witness the organizational votes and decisions that will shape the next four years. I truly hope to see you there!”
Kimbrell said finding a good time for all Council members proved to be a little tricky, especially given the holiday season.
“It’s the time of year,” Kimbrell said.”It was difficult finding a day that everyone was available. With it being such an important meeting, we wanted everyone to be there, especially the four newly elected and the two outgoing members of Council.”
Following the December installation, the Henderson City Council makeup is as follows:
The council members serve four-year staggered terms, and the mayor serves a four-year term.
In the 2027 municipal elections, Henderson voters will vote for mayor, as well as Wards 1 and 2 aldermen, and Wards 3 and 4 at-large aldermen.
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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
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