WIZS Radio Local News Audio 10-25-23 Noon
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Vivian Lassiter Fills Role Of Emergency Operations Director
Vivian Lassiter had been serving as interim director of the county’s emergency operations since the end of May, when long-time director Brian Short retired. At the time, Short said he felt Lassiter would do a great job until a replacement was found.
Well, they found one and, as it turns out, they didn’t have to look far.
Lassiter was selected in mid-September to be the permanent director for emergency operations.
Interim County Manager Scott Elliott said the county recruited for the position over the summer. “A wide field of applicants was vetted and interviews were conducted with the top three, utilizing a formal interview panel,” Elliott said in an email late Tuesday to WIZS News. “Based on…tenure, experience, emergency management training and associated certifications, she rose to the top for this important public safety related position,” Elliott continued.
Because she had been serving as interim, Elliott predicts that citizens should see a “seamless transition” as she takes the reins.
Back in May, Lassiter and Short were guests on TownTalk, during which time the incoming interim director said Short had prepared her for the role she was embarking upon.
“Brian’s worked with me one on one…I feel as ready as anyone else. I believe I’ll do fine (but) I’ve got big shoes to fill,” Lassiter said during that May 11, 2023 interview.
VCS Students Have Day Off On Election Day – Nov. 7
With early voting underway in Henderson to determine the next mayor, Vance County Schools officials have sent out a reminder that election day – Nov. 7 – will be a day off for students, since several schools also serve as polling sites.
The Center for Innovation – the former Henderson Middle School – is one polling site, and VCS Chief Officer for Communication Aarika Sandlin said Vance County Middle School, L.B. Yancey Elementary and E.O. Young Elementary are polling sites, too. New Hope Elementary also is a polling site, but there are no elections taking place at that location this year.
Municipal elections in Kittrell and Middleburg will be held on Nov. 7, in addition to the Henderson mayoral runoff election.
Aycock Rec Center is a polling site as well.
Sandlin said VCS district leadership tries to have teacher workdays scheduled to coincide with election days when it’s possible.
And students will have a three-day week that week, since Veteran’s Day will be observed on Friday, Nov. 10.
TownTalk: Military History Show Is This Saturday
The 8th annual Military History Show will take place at the Henderson-Oxford Airport Saturday, Oct. 28 and organizer Harry Coombs said he’s looking forward to another successful event during which attendees can see military hardware up close and better understand what men and women of the military may have endured during their time in combat.
Coombs said he expects a bevy of re-enactors to be on hand for the event, which takes place on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There have been re-enactors, in full military gear, from the Revolutionary War, Civil War, World Wars I and II, among others, he said on a recent TownTalk.
“It’s the same every year,” he said, “but it’s different every year,” he added, since he doesn’t always know well ahead of time exactly who is going to show up. Proceeds benefit the Granville County Veterans Affairs Committee. The airport is located at 6514 Airport Rd., just over the Granville/Vance line.
One thing that will return, he said, is the popular silent auction. Items are available for viewing during the event, and high bidders can claim a variety of items and services.
And Total Flight Solutions is back once more to provide helicopter rides – just be prepared to pay the ticket price and wait in line, Coombs said. “It’s always very popular.”
There’s no charge for admission to the event, but there is a donation bucket for anyone inclined to “throw some money into the bucket.”
And any student who may be interested in getting some community service hours is welcome to contact Coombs – there seems always to be a need for parking attendants.
Once parked, individuals can see displays of how camps may have been set up, depending on the era in which the war took place. Tents will be set up, and there will be some equipment on display. Re-enactors are available to answer questions as well.
The yellow Navy bi-plane may be on display again this year, Coombs said. A weapons demonstration will be held – firing blanks – and there could be a couple of heavy artillery pieces as well.
So whether you’re a military history buff or want to learn more about military history, mark your calendars for Saturday, Oct. 28. It promises to be an entertaining, educational event for the whole family.
To learn more, contact 919.691.7697.
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TownTalk: Halloween Safety Tips
From tech to costumes, learn about keeping everyone safe during Halloween.
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The Local Skinny! Youth Events At Perry Memorial Library
It was noisy in the library the other day when the youth gathered to learn about electricity – just like Melody Peters had hoped for.
Peters, youth services director for Perry Memorial Library, said the electricity workshop was a big hit – in fact, it’s going to pick back up in January and run monthly through April.
“There’s nothing like seeing a kid’s face light up,” Peters said, when they realize what they’ve just accomplished or created.
Admittedly, it took a little time for the participants to understand some of the characteristics of energy and how energy flows, she said.
“It took a little doing,” she said, and the instructor allowed the youngsters to learn by trial and error.
“I love giving kids hands-on learning experiences,” Peters said. When something didn’t work, they had to problem-solve to make the devices they created work properly.
The electricity program, part of the library’s Life Hack series, continues for middle and high school students on the second Tuesday of the month beginning in January and continuing through April.
The third Tuesday is for Survival Skills, which currently is teaching 14 kids to crochet. The library purchased hooks for the participants to use, and the instructor donated the yarn – that was the easy part. The kids had the more difficult task of actually creating a chain of single crochet loops.
“It was hard at first, tedious,” Peters said. “Once the connection is made, then they’re off,” she said. The next gathering will take place Nov. 21, and Peters said she’ll be interested to see progress that the participants have made on their projects.
Check out www.perrylibrary.org to find out about all the programs and services the library offers.
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WIZS Radio Local News Audio 10-24-23 Noon
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WIZS Radio ~ 100.1FM/1450AM
Cooperative Extension With Paul McKenzie: What Works in the Garden
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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State Retirees Get One-Time Bump In This Month’s Check
Retired state employees may have noticed a slight bump in their retirement checks that hit their bank accounts today. It’s not an error; rather, it’s a one-time supplement to benefit recipients who retired on or before Oct. 1, 2023, and who are members of the Teachers’ and State Employees’ Retirement System, Consolidated Judicial Retirement System and the Legislative Retirement System.
For most retired state employees and teachers, the Oct. 25 payment includes an additional 4 percent of their annual benefit – that amounts to $40 for a $1,000 retirement check.
These funds did not come from the Plan itself, N.C. Treasurer Dale Folwell said in a press statement. The money was appropriated by the General Assembly as a part of the budget passed earlier this month. The one-time payments will not reduce the funded ratio of the State System, Folwell noted.
This one-time supplement does not apply to benefit recipients of the Local Governmental Employees’ Retirement System, where a benefit increase may be granted by the LGERS Board of Trustees within certain statutory limitations.
TownTalk: Chief Barrow and “The State of the Police Department”
Like most law enforcement leaders, Henderson Police Chief Marcus Barrow would prefer a lower crime rate. But Barrow said he’s pretty satisfied with the level of protection that his officers provide throughout the city. And until that crime rate is zero, he said he will “keep fighting the good fight and looking for innovative ways to improve” the department he oversees.
Barrow provided business leaders and others from the community a “State of the Police Department” report during a Chamber of Commerce event in September, and he reviewed those comments on Monday’s TownTalk.
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“I think we’re doing well,” he said, but added that “you always want to improve – always want things to be better.”
The Flock camera system that has recently been installed is proving useful, Barrow said. “I did give up one (officer) position for Flock,” he said. “That was a smart move.”
“Flock is very beneficial to everything we do,” he said. “I’ve seen it work…and I’m a true believer.”
Law enforcement officers will take help – whether it’s in the form of a camera system or from other agencies who come together to execute search warrants and seize illegal drugs and weapons.
The Henderson Police Department is allocated 51 sworn positions, with 40 active officers and 5 more in training. There are 6 vacancies at the present time.
The police force has shrunk by 7 officers since Barrow arrived in 1998, he said he’s satisfied with the number. “I’m trying to make it cost effective for the city,” he said.
Interested in becoming a police officer? They’re hiring. And Base pay is close to $49,000; certain experience and education levels boost that base pay.
That competitive pay is, well, paying off. Barrow said a recent hire moved from a job in another town because Henderson offered a better pay package.
Henderson police officers are on track this year to handle more drug search warrants than last year, and they’re also on track to seize more guns than last year. Last year, officers collected 170 guns. Through September, officers have taken 145.
It leaves Barrow in a bit of a dilemma as to what to do with the upwards of 1,500 guns currently sitting in his evidence vault.
State law says the guns could be returned to their rightful owner – after lots and lots of research into who actually owns them. They also can be sold to a gun dealer or put into use by the police department.
They may only be destroyed if they are damaged or unable to be fired safely, Barrow added.
For Barrow, that limits his options. “I don’t want to put them back on the street,” he said, adding that he would only be willing to sell to a dealer that specializes in law enforcement weapons. He’d trade them in for other equipment his officers could use.