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TownTalk: KTCOG Summit Coming October 8
Early-bird registration continues through Aug. 31 for the Kerr-Tar Council of Governments annual economic summit that will be held in Vance County on Thursday, Oct. 8. KTCOG’s Desiree Brooks is among the planners for this event, which will take place at McGregor Hall – and outside on Breckenridge Street – from 10 a.m. to 5
TownTalk: Commissioners Consider Creating VAD Program For Owners Of Farmland
Vance is one of only seven counties in the state that doesn’t have a voluntary agricultural district, or VAD, a program that provides landowners a way to support rural communities and protect working farmland from nuisance complaints and encroaching development. At their Aug. 17 work session, the Vance County Board of Commissioners heard from Evan
TownTalk: Vance County Commissioners Discuss Ways To Recover $1.4M In Delinquent Property Tax
Vance County Tax Administrator Jennifer Williams recommended to county commissioners the use of what is known as “sheriff’s execution” as a last-resort option to collect more than $1.4 million in delinquent personal property taxes. There are a total of 1,481 delinquent accounts, Williams told commissioners during an Aug. 17 work session, although there probably are
TownTalk: Way to Grow! Festival All Week Long
The weeklong “Way to Grow” festivities kick off this afternoon with a community block party at the new Skateboard and Splash Park at William and Montgomery streets. With afternoon temps hovering in the low 90’s, organizers Heather Joi Kenney, president and CEO of Gateway CDC and Tracy Mosley, CEO of Helping All People Excel chose
TownTalk: 20 Years of Rebuilding Hope
It was 20 years ago when Randolph Wilson was struggling to understand just where he was being led. “God had been dealing with me for a while,” Wilson recalled Thursday. He felt called to do something, but he didn’t have a clear picture of what that “something” was. That’s when a friend casually mentioned whether
TownTalk: Judge Arrowood Ready for Re-Election Campaign
N.C. Court of Appeals Judge John S. Arrowood is seeking to retain his Seat 1 spot on the 15-judge court. Arrowood, a Yancey County native, has been appointed twice to the court, once in 2007 by then-Gov. Mike Easley and again in 2017 by former Gov. Roy Cooper. He ran for the seat in 2018
TownTalk: The Countdown Is On For Vance County Friday Night Football
The 2026 season marks the fifth year for Vance County Vipers Head Football Coach Aaron Elliott. Local sports analyst Doc Ayscue joined WIZS’s Scout Hughes on TownTalk Tuesday to talk X’s and O’s for the Vipers, beginning Year 2 in the newly formed Northern Six 6A/7A athletic conference. Noting Elliott’s 28-16 overall record as Vipers
TownTalk: Dr. Destiney Ross-Putney Embraces New Role as VCS Superintendent
As the newest superintendent of Vance County Schools, Dr. Destiney Ross-Putney most likely is feeling some of the same things that her predecessors felt as the beginning of a new school year approaches: excitement for what lies ahead, mixed with a little bit of apprehension, well, for what lies ahead. But like all good educators,
TownTalk: Around Old Granville – The History of Alcohol
In 1748, when North Carolina was just a colony and had to follow England’s rules, the first “ordinary” was opened in Granville County. The proprietor had to pay $30 in “proclamation” money for a license and he had to promise to provide food and lodging for travelers and their horses. As local historian Mark Pace
TownTalk: Henderson Reports 18.98 Percent Drop In Overall Crime For 2025
Henderson Police Chief Marcus Barrow said he knew the city’s crime numbers would be down, but the statistics in the data dashboard confirm it, and Barrow said it’s “fantastic news” for the city. Overall crime was down 18.98 percent from 2024 to 2025, including a 39.62 percent decrease in violent crime and 42.70 percent drop
