Tag Archive for: #wizsnews

TownTalk: Vance Elections Board Merges 5 Precincts To Create Newly Named Central Henderson, South Henderson Precincts

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With the proposal to consolidate five voting precincts into two approved by the N.C. State Board of Elections, County Elections Director Haley Rawles presented the plan to county commissioners at their meeting on Monday.

North Henderson 1 and East Henderson 1 precincts are going to become Central Henderson voting precinct, and voters will go to the campus of the former Eaton Johnson Middle School to cast their ballots.

The Hilltop, South Henderson 1 and South Henderson 2 precincts will merge to become South Henderson precinct. Perry Memorial Library will be the voting place for that precinct.

Rawles told commissioners that no candidate seats will be affected; the consolidation will not change the ward or district.

Rawles said information about the changes in precinct locations will be mailed to residents in August and the information also will be published on the board of elections webpage and shared with local news outlets.

The Vance County Board of Elections voted in February 2024 to set the process in motion, and it got notice of approval from then-state director Karen Brinson Bell.

The county elections board had been talking about consolidating precincts for some time, she said. “This has been something that they’ve wanted for years,” Rawles said. This plan reduces from 12 to 9 the number of voting precincts in the county.

More voters are choosing to cast ballots during the early voting period, which has reduced the number of voters who come to the polls on election day. She provided numbers from recent elections to commissioners – one precinct had zero voters come in on election day.

She said the consolidation could reduce by 21 the number of poll workers needed on election day.

In addition to reducing the number of workers, Rawles said the move will reduce confusion for voters about their polling place and will increase the safety and accessibility for voters – and staff. It also will simplify delivery and pickup of elections equipment by county employees.

“The Board of Elections is trying to save the county some money,” said Elections Board Chair James Baines.

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Perry Memorial Library

The Local Skinny! Vance County Reads with Perry Memorial Library

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Have you seen those baskets with books when you pop in the local coffee shop or the farmers market? Those books are for you! It’s part of a new program called ‘Vance County Reads’ sponsored by Perry Memorial Library.

There are 10 locations throughout the county where copies of three different books can be found, each one targeting a specific age range.

And Youth Services Librarian Melody Peters said everyone’s invited to a big celebration at the end of July to meet the two local authors whose books are among the selections in the baskets.

Lots of communities have group reads, Peters told WIZS’s Scout Hughes on Tuesday’s segment of The Local Skinny! She and library staff developed this program as a way to reach people who may not have occasion to visit the library itself.

“We tried to do what is a nice fit for the community,” she said.

The books are free to take, and you can bring them back after you’ve finished reading them so others can enjoy them, but it’s not required.

The goal is to get people excited about reading, she said.

Local author Curtis Harvey, Jr.’s book titled “The Perfect Pair” is geared for younger children through elementary school-aged youth.

“Super Pancake” is a graphic novel geared toward the middle school and older group, and local author Angie Ellington’s “Autumn at Apple Hill” is the book selected for adults.

Of course, anyone may choose to read any of the books, Peters noted.

Harvey and Ellington are scheduled to be at the July 29 celebration, which will be held at the library from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Find the book baskets at Perry Memorial Library and at the following locations:

  • Aycock Recreation Center, 307 Carey Chapel Rd., Henderson
  • Carolina Peanut Factory, 394 Zeb Robinson Rd., Henderson
  • Duke Primary Care Henderson, 480 Ruin Creek Rd., Henderson
  • Henderson Family YMCA, 380 Ruin Creek Rd., Henderson
  • Oasis of Hope Ministries, 2565 US 1/158 Hwy., Henderson
  • Sadie’s Coffee Corner, 324 S. Garnett St., Henderson
  • Starbucks, 1522 Dabney Dr., Henderson
  • Vance County Regional Farmers Market, 210 Southpark Dr., Henderson
  • Vanco Outdoor Equipment, 296 US 158, Henderson

Visit www.perrylibrary.org to learn about all the programs and services the library offers.

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Cooperative Extension with Michael Ellington: Too Much Rain

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On the Vance County Cooperative Extension Report from Michael Ellington:

We explain how too much rain may cause problems in plants even after the water is gone. Also included are reminders for the farmers market’s new Wednesday hours and an upcoming continuing education credits for commercial pesticide applicators.

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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Cooperative Extension with Wayne Rowland: Blossom-End Rot

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On the Vance County Cooperative Extension Report from Wayne Rowland:

Blossom-end rot can be prevented by the correct amount of calcium in the soil and correct watering of tomatoes.

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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TownTalk: Community Outdoor Revival Coming June 2-6 at Back to Eden

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This year’s Blessed Trinity Ministries Revival begins Monday, June 2 and runs through Friday, June 6. The revival begins at 7 p.m. each evening at Back to Eden, located at 105 Spellman Loop off Satterwhite Point Road, and organizer and pastor Rev. Dr. Almice Floyd Gill invites the entire community to come out and be refreshed by hearing the word of God from five different preachers from the area.

“I’m not preaching this year, but I’ll be talking every night,” Floyd Gill said on Thursday’s TownTalk. Her role is more of facilitator for the weeklong revival, which will offer a whole new list of ministers, reverends and pastors who are taking part.

She said this year’s participants will offer a variety of messages for revival participants, and she said to expect the speakers to present their messages with “power, conviction and in love.”

“The revivalists from last year were great,” she said, and added that this year’s speakers will hopefully expand and invite even more people to attend the nightly services.

As in the Book of Nehemiah in the Bible, Floyd Gill said she prayed to God to ask for guidance as she began to plan the 2025 revival – God blesses those who work faithfully, and she wanted to emulate Nehemiah’s actions to help accomplish her goal to get the Word of God out to people in the community.

“We don’t want the revival to be routine,” she said, and invites any and all to attend the five-night event.

Here’s the lineup:

  • Monday’s speaker is Minister Sidney McNeil, of America Come Back to God Bible Institute
  • Tuesday’s speaker is Reverend Nicole Jones, of Ridgeway Missionary Baptist Church
  • Wednesday’s speaker is Reverend Doctor Bobby Graham Jr., of Blessed Trinity Ministries
  • Thursday’s speaker is Pastor Jermaine Whitaker, of Brookston Missionary Baptist Church
  • Friday’s speaker is Pastor Mark Hargrove, of Mount Zion Christian Church

If you can’t make it in person, find Blessed Trinity Ministries on Facebook to view live or join via conference call to listen to the revival each evening. Simply call 605.475.4700 and use Passcode 751573 to connect.

Anyone wishing to make a donation is welcome to do so, she said, adding that there are numerous ways to give: bring cash, check, cashier’s check or money order to the revival or mail to: Blessed Trinity Ministries, P.O. Box 3241, Henderson, NC 27536

Pay online as well using Gill’s number 252.438.0397. Donations may be made via apps like Zelle and Apple Pay
or via Cash App to $meeciefg.

She said all donations go to the church treasury to support its mission. “We’re thankful for every penny that anybody gives.”

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Cooperative Extension with Jamon Glover: Basic Life Skills

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Vance County Cooperative Extension Report from Jamon Glover

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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“Drive-In Movie Massacre” to Film At Local Legendary Raleigh Road Outdoor Theatre

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Wanna be in a movie? Wanna have a part in making a movie? Folks in the Henderson area will have their chance soon, because Bill DiNicola is looking for locals to be a part of Drive-In Movie Massacre, a comedy/horror slasher film that is going to be shot on location at Raleigh Road Outdoor Theatre.

And one thing he says for sure: the world premiere of the movie will be held right here in Henderson, at the iconic drive-in.

DiNicola, who got his start right here at WIZS, has moved to television and movie production, and he can’t wait to start filming. He said filming should begin in August or September of this year, and the final product is scheduled to be ready by September 2026. He’s formed a film company, ColaNatio Films, and he hopes this is just the beginning of having movies filmed in Vance County

He’s always been a big fan of horror movies, and his work in pre-production is what helped him get to this point in his career – creating a feature-length film.

Well, not Tom Cruise-Mission Impossible length feature film, but he said on Monday’s TownTalk that, with credits, the movie will be close to 90 minutes.

DiNicola said you need three things to make a movie – “a camera, a place to shoot and a story that people might be interested in.”

Camera, check. A place to shoot – the iconic drive-in in Henderson, check. And the story that people will be interested in. Check.

The script is about 54 pages in so far, and needs to be 80 pages or so. But it’s at the point where DiNicola is seeking funding for the project.

And a little star power.

He said he’s got local newsman-turned celebrity Mark Roberts on board for the project, as well as a “soft commitment” from Darcy the Mail Girl, who’s known in the horror/comedy genre.

The movie is a movie within a movie, DiNicola said – “It’s a slasher movie about people going to the movies to watch a movie about people going to the movie and getting massacred.”

And in the case of this movie, people are coming to the Raleigh Road Outdoor Theatre to see the movie.

“When you have an asset like that and you find out that people are interested in it and want to make it happen,” it’s a natural fit.

DiNicola said he sees Vance County as a great place to make movies, from the drive-in to Kerr Lake and more.

“What I really want to do,” he said, “is make movies in Vance County,” where he spent so much time as a child. “The woods, Kerr Lake…everything (is) kind of rolled into one In Vance County. The only thing you don’t have is film crews working in Vance County.”

He wants to change that.

Contact DiNicola at colanatio@gmail.com, 252.432.2235 or find him on Facebook.

 

 

 

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