Tag Archive for: #wizsnews

Vance County High School

SportsTalk: Vipers Travel To Southern Durham Friday

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UPDATE – FINAL SCORE 

SOUTHERN DURHAM 26 

VANCE COUNTY 14 

RECAP MONDAY ON SPORTSTALK 

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SportsTalk on WIZS 12:30 p.m. M-Th 

Northern Lakes Conference play starts on Friday as the Vance County Vipers take on the Spartans of Southern Durham. Scout Hughes and George Hoyle had Coach Aaron Elliott join SportsTalk on WIZS to talk all about it.

Vance County defeated Northern Durham last Friday night by a score of 28-0. The game was suspended early in the second quarter. Coach Elliott spoke on how his team improved in last week’s game against the Knights, “We talked all week about being more physical, you know being more aggressive on both sides of the football. Our kids really came out and kind of exposed that and showed it a little bit and we talked about finishing drives on offense which we were able to do. So you know everything looked good.”

Moving onto Southern Durham on Friday, Head Coach Aaron Elliott gives us an insight into what he saw on film from the Spartans. “We watch them on film and kinda try to dissect them the best we could. They’re a good football team. All three years that I’ve been here, playing this game for the most part this has probably been the conference championship game. So our kids know that. Our kids always lock in and they’re more focused this week than they’ve been in any other week because they know what we got to do. They know what it’s going to take. We expect them to come in and we’re playing at their place and they definitely don’t want to lose to us at home. We told our kids all week if we eliminate the explosive plays, they scored on an 84-yard touchdown pass that Wake Forest kind of missed coverage on their part.”

The Vipers are on the road once again for the fourth time in five games this season. This aspect of the 2024 campaign doesn’t seem to phase Vance County. “I think we’re still used to it. Obviously, we were super excited to play at home last week. Before that game even started we had a lot of energy just by being at home. So hopefully, you know, we can get a good crowd at Southern Durham that will help tremendously.”

Coach also mentions that his team is free of injuries which is always a good thing. “Everybody is healthy. We talked about having Camarion Ragland out against Orange and then we let him sit last week just for cautionary reasons. Just to give him another week on his knee and he’s back, fully healthy this week. He had a great week of practice and just having him back is a plus. We are doing pretty good with the injury bug.”

Vance County beat Southern Durham last year 14-12 in Henderson. Southern Durham may have something to prove since the Spartans lost last year. Coach Elliott is fully aware of the situation. “We have a target on our back now. We went 10-0 in the regular season last year. Southern Durham wants us to have a loss this year.”

In order for Vance County to beat Southern Durham, it’s simple to Coach, play Viper Football, “We just got to make less mistakes than Southern Durham does. We got to play our football game offensively and defensively and let him make mistakes and we will come out with the win.”

Coach’s message to fans for Friday night, “Just show up and support us!”

We will Coach! Go Vipers!

Vance County travels to Southern Durham for Week 5 of the 2024 season on Friday, September 20th and you can hear all the action on WIZS 1450AM, 100.1FM, and online at wizs.com with pregame starting at 6:50 p.m. and kickoff thereafter at 7:00 p.m.

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Cooperative Extension With Jamon Glover: Re-Writing The Narrative

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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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Home And Garden Show

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On the Home and Garden Show with Vance Co. Cooperative Extension:

  • Vance County Regional Farmers Market is open on Saturday from 8am-1pm.
  • Fall Vegetable Garden Workshop on September 30th, at 6:30pm at the Vance County Regional Farmers Market. Led by Wayne Rowland.
    • Register for this workshop by calling the Vance County Cooperative Extension at (252) 438-8188.
  • Soil Samples are still Free of charge. Collect them now.
  • Now is a good time to order your Spring Flowering Bulbs.
  • There is still time to renovate your Tall Fescue Lawn. From now until October 1st. Use a 3-variety fescue mix when renovating.
  • If you haven’t applied your fertilizer to your Tall Fescue Lawn, you need to apply one pound of nitrogen per thousand square feet by the end of this month.
  • Check you crops for insects and maintain good weed control.

The Vance County Regional Farmers Market is located at 210 Southpark Dr., Henderson, NC 27536.

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TownTalk: Night Out Against Crime Tuesday, Oct. 1

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The community is invited to the Henderson-Vance County Night Out Against Crime that will be held Tuesday, Oct. 1 beginning at 5 p.m. along Breckenridge Street near the police station.

Local law enforcement agencies and other first responders will join a host of community partners and resource groups that serves as a way to build rapport with civilians and strengthen working relationships among those who protect and serve.

Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame said the event “is a great opportunity to get to know them and them to know us.” Too often, Brame said, children interact with law enforcement officers in domestic or otherwise violent situations.

The Night Out Against Crime gives adults and children alike the opportunity to chat and share a positive experience.

Henderson Police Capt. Joey Ferguson said the opening ceremony begins at 5 p.m., and then folks will be free to visit the various booths and tents – and enjoy a free meal of a hotdog, chips and drink. Child attendees will get a swag bag full of goodies as well.

“Last year was really good and we hope this year’s even better,” Ferguson said on Wednesday’s TownTalk.

Brame said he looks forward to the networking opportunity the Night Out Against Crime creates. He makes it a point to visit schools each week “to meet kids where they’re at,” and the annual Night Out event provides another chance for children to see uniformed officers up close and personal.

Ferguson said, “We really enjoy having the opportunity to engage community members – and especially kids,” and Night Out helps shine a positive light.

“They’re not seeing us when they’re at their worst,” he said, “when they’re going through a traumatic situation.”

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TownTalk: H-V Chamber 2024 Leadership Vance Graduation

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Members of the 2024 Leadership Vance class gathered Tuesday night to celebrate their graduation from the program, reminisce a bit about their time together as they learned about their community and pledged to keep Vance County moving in a positive direction.

Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce President Sandra Wilkerson and Chamber Board Chair Margier White got the ceremony underway following dinner at Kerr Lake Country Club.

Sixteen individuals received their graduation certificates – some have spent their whole lives in Vance County and others have relocated for work or other reasons.

Alicia Campbell is a Vance County native, and she told the group that she had learned a lot about the county she was born in. Campbell said she believes the class members have formed friendships that will last far beyond their time together touring businesses and learning what Vance County has to offer.

Fellow classmate Richard Davis took a moment to recall the extensive schedule the class followed, which included visiting 66 different venues. At those businesses, offices and governmental agencies, Davis noted that 178 took time out of their day to have Leadership Vance visit. “They were excited to speak to us,” he said.

Each Leadership Vance class completes a community service project, and the 2024 class decided to go one better and complete two projects.

Gary Band, editor at The Daily Dispatch, reported that the community garden is installed and will be ready to receive vegetable plants at the appropriate time, which ultimately will be harvested and shared with the men at the new City of Hope men’s shelter.

Laura Pendergrass, with Century 21 Realty, chaired the second project which involved collecting children’s books to be used in two Little Libraries – one at Fox Pond Park and a second at Chestnut Street Park.

Both projects are symbolic of the ongoing commitment by class members, which will help build relationships, strengthen the community and make Vance County the best it can be.

“It’s going to happen,” said Davis. “We just have to wait for it – and keep working.”

Following is the list of 2024 Leadership Vance graduates:

Susan Abbott, individual Chamber member

Gary Band, The Daily Dispatch

Alicia Campbell, Vance County

Richard Davis, A.R. Perry Glass

Susann Elliott, M.R. Williams

David Figueroa, Benchmark Community Bank

Krystal Foxx, Vance-Granville Community College

Xavier Hargrove, Hargrove Appraisals

Kimberly Lewis, Henderson Police Department

Cindy Norwood, City of Henderson

Bobby Orr, Charles Boyd Chevy

Laura Pendergrass, Century 21

Lance Stallings, Vance Charter School

Luke Stark, Wm. L. Stark, CPA

Elizabeth Townsend, Duke Energy

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Perry Memorial Library

The Local Skinny! Events At Perry Memorial Library

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The Perry Memorial Library is doing its part in the city’s recently launched anti-litter campaign. Youth Services Librarian Melody Peters said upcoming Storytime programs will have an anti-litter theme, and while there might be a little talk about trash, there will be no trash talking.

The programs will be held at the library on Thursday, Sept. 26 at 4:15 p.m. and on Friday, Sept. 27 at 10:30 a.m. Although geared for preschool and elementary-school aged children, Peters said all are welcome. There will be a craft activity and some giveaways with an anti-litter theme.

After attending last week’s kickoff, “I wanted to add a special story time,” Peters said on Tuesday’s segment of The Local Skinny! As part of the NC Litter Sweep program, which runs Sept. 14- Sept. 28, participants will get a chance to clean up around the outside of the library, too.

As fall programming continues to crank up, Peters said the monthly Survival Skills series for young people in grades 6-12 resumes beginning today at 4:30 p.m. The focus will be on quilting, she said. Once the crafters create their quilt top, it will be made into a pillow. Register by emailing mpeters@perrylibrary.org. Subsequent dates will be Tuesday, Oct. 15 and Tuesday, Nov. 19.

The Kids Connect program for children in grades K-5, comes back on Tuesdays beginning Sept. 24 from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. The kickoff session will celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month and will include arts and crafts activities like weaving and flower-making.

Learn more at https://www.perrylibrary.org/.

 

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VGCC Logo

TownTalk: VGCC Truck Driver Program & National Truck Driver Appreciation Week

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This week is National Truck Driver Appreciation Week and Vance-Granville Community College joins the nation’s trucking industry in a weeklong celebration of the millions of professional truck drivers who deliver America’s freight safely and securely every day.

Established by the American Trucking Associations in 1988 to recognize the vital contributions of truck drivers to our daily lives and to the economy, the national observance highlights the contributions of the nation’s 3.5 million truck drivers who deliver 70 percent of the country’s total freight to communities large and small.

Vance-Granville Community College has actively supported trucking in its four-county service area since launching a commercial driver’s license program in 2020. Originally offered in collaboration with Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute, VGCC’s program achieved the criteria to run independently late last year. To date, 290 VGCC students have graduated from the nine-week program, many of whom have been hired immediately or gone on to open their own trucking business.

“Kelvin Sharpe, our truck driver training coordinator, says, ‘Give us nine weeks and we’ll change your life,’” said Kyle Burwell, VGCC dean of Business & Industry Solutions. Since 2020, the program has graduated close to 300 individuals

Vance-Granville’s next Truck Driver Training course begins Oct. 21. There’s still time to register, and Burwell said there is a mandatory orientation that will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 24 at the Henderson campus. The session will conclude on Dec. 20.

To view participant requirements and register, please visit www.vgcc.edu/cdl.

Burwell and lead instructor Georgie Bullock were guests on Tuesday’s TownTalk and provided more details about the program.

As with driving any vehicle, Bullock said the top priority to convey to students is safety. Safety and patience.

“Take your time, watch everything moving around you,” Bullock said. “Always be prepared to stop,” he said. Driving on the open road is one thing, but driving a big rig through town can be unnerving at first, Bullock acknowledged.

“They can get kinda nervous driving through town,” he said. But city streets are part of the everyday training routes, as well as the testing route.

“If you can’t drive in town, you don’t need to be a driver,” he said.

Burwell calls the VGCC program “turnkey,” meaning that once the students complete the course, any one of three licensed examiners are on campus to administer the CDL test. The only thing left to do after a student passes the examination is go to the DMV to get their photo taken and get their CDL.

Burwell said she is thankful that the program’s instructors and coordinators stress safety, whether they’re on the driving range or on the road. There is no room for error or distraction when you’ve got 80,000 pounds of truck and cargo behind you.

Bullock tells students, “When you’re on the road, be 100 percent focused on what you’re doing.”

Learn more at www.vgcc.edu/cdl.

 

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