CMYK Stoppers need public’s help to solve crimes Public Records, Page 7A
Remembering a ‘date which will live in infamy’ Opinion, Page 11A
Why do we dream of a White Christmas? Showcase, Page 1C Scotty Justin Venable (32) and Jacobi Jenkins tackle Houston’s A.J. Dugat in first half of ECU’s win for C-USA championship.
Actor Bryan Batt at home in New Orleans
2010 Worship Directory special section
Sports, 1B
Inside Today
Showcase, Page 1D
SUNDAY, December 6, 2009
Volume XCV, No. 286
(252) 436-2700
www.hendersondispatch.com
Bearpond EMS unit proposed
Truck stop owner eyes city location Zoning ordinance change needed to allow the business By WILLIAM F. WEST Daily Dispatch Writer
The Planning Board will be meeting Monday, with the one item on the agenda being a proposed text amendment to the zoning ordinance related to truck stops. The subject came up in the final minutes of the Nov. 2 board meeting, with Zoning Administrator Sherry Moss saying she had been back and forth with City Attorney John Zollicoffer. And Moss said, “I had a gentleman that was inquiring, you know, about it.” Moss presented the board members with what is on the books in other North Carolina municipalities. Although some municipalities use classifications such as freight and terminal, Zollicoffer advised classifying truck stops as a particular use, Moss said. Please see TRUCK STOP, page 4A
Index Our Hometown . . . . . 2A Business & Farm. . . . 5A Opinion . . . . . . . . . . 10A Sports. . . . . . . . . . 1-6B Showcase. . . . . . . . . 1C Celebrate. . . . . . . . 3-4C Books & Leisure . . . . 5C Light Side . . . . . . . 6-7C A to Z Kids. . . . . . . . . 8C Real Estate . . . . . . 1-2D Classifieds. . . . . . . 3-6D
Weather Today Full of sunshine High: 46 Low: 29
Monday Partly sunny
Embers heat up Christmas spirit
Daily Dispatch/ASHLEY STEVEN AYSCUE
The Embers return to Henderson to perform their family-oriented, sit-down Christmas concert. From left, Wayne Free, Rick Sanders, Matt Kosma, Bobby Tomlinson, John Ray, Stephen Pachuta and David Dixon perform Friday night at Vance-Granville Community College.
Daily Dispatch/ASHLEY STEVEN AYSCUE
From left, Bobby Tomlinson plays the drums, Wayne Free entertains during a break in the Embers Christmas show and John Ray plays the stand-up bass while Matt Kosma plays the sax. To view or purchase photos, visit us on the Web at www.hendersondispatch.com
Homeless shelter for men permit due decision from zoning board By WILLIAM F. WEST Daily Dispatch Writer
The Zoning Board of Adjustment on Tuesday is scheduled to take up whether to grant a special use permit allowing First Presbyterian Church to have a voluntarily-run homeless shelter for men. The Planning Board at a Sept. 21 special meeting recommended changing wording in the zoning regulations to allow homeless shelters in Office-Institutional districts by a special use permit. First Presbyterian, 222 Young St., is in an OI district. Homeless shelters presently are only allowed in a Highway Commercial “A” district or an Office-Institu-
tional “A” district by a special use permit. The City Council on Oct. 12 approved the Planning Board’s recommendation. The vote came after the Rev. Paul Baxley urged support for the shelter at First Presbyterian. Baxley, of First Baptist Church, is past chairman of the Ministers Community Partnership. Additionally speaking was Joel Rice, of the Five County Mental Health Authority and who has been chairing the shelter’s task force. The partnership has been working for almost a year trying to develop a response to various challenges related to homelessness and poverty in Henderson and Vance County.
The partnership’s plan is to have the homeless shelter for men in the former Boy Scouts room of First Presbyterian. Fort Bragg has donated more than 40 cots, Maria Parham Medical Center has agreed to provide laundry services and linen supplies and the Police Department has agreed to provide security, Baxley has said. The plan is to hopefully open the shelter this month and keep the shelter open until the early spring, Baxley has said. The assumption is the shelter would take in up to 20 people in the first hour each night and, after that, the person would have
Details, 3A
Deaths Henderson Armstead J. Bishop, 64 Oxford Johnnie Crews, 90 Willie Mae B. Harrington, 63
Obituaries, 4A
OXFORD — Mayor Al Woodlief has provided his list of which city commissioners he wants to serve on what committees, with Commissioner-elect Danny Currin being tapped to chair finance and Commissioner Walter Cantley being tapped to chair public works. The official appointments of the committees are on the agenda of the 2009-2011 commission, which will begin serving Tuesday
evening after the completion of the departing commission’s business. The committees work with department heads to iron out details in advance of the monthly full commission meetings. Oxford’s seven commissioners serve staggered four-year terms and all of the four commissioners who were up for election Nov. 3 declined to seek another term. Commissioner Chance Wilkinson’s departure leaves an opening in the finance chairmanship and Commissioner Paul Kiesow’s
By AL WHELESS Daily Dispatch Writer
Chief Harold Henrich will ask Vance Commissioners Monday night to approve relocating one Emergency Medical Service unit to the Bearpond Volunteer Fire Department. According to Henrich, it would be the beginning of redistributing EMS units throughout the County. Given a tentative nod Thursday by the board’s Public Safety Committee, Henrich’s proposal to create an EMS substation at Bearpond is designed to decrease response times in delivering Advanced Life Support intervention to the southern end of the County. The committee includes Chairman Dan Brummitt, Scott Hughes and Tim Pegram. By July of 2010, Henrich hopes to relocate an EMS unit to somewhere in the northern part of the County. He said it would be centrally located between the main station on Bickett Street and Townsville. According to Henrich, the national standard for ALS intervention to patients is six to eight minutes. From the station on Bickett Street, the chief told the committee, the average response time to the Bearpond area is 12 to 14 minutes. Please see EMS, page 4A
Rain causes overflows of wastewater By DISPATCH STAFF
departure leaves an opening in the public works chairmanship as well as an open seat on finance. While Woodlief wants to keep Commissioner Howard Herring on the Finance Committee, he is proposing to shift Commissioner Bob Williford to finance to replace Kiesow. Williford is a sales associate at Granville Furniture who was a longtime manager of catering operators for Pan American Airways. Please see OXFORD, page 6A
Please see OVERFLOWS, page 4A
Currin to chair finance committee; Cantley new public works chairman By WILLIAM F. WEST Daily Dispatch Writer
Approval would begin relocation of responders
The City of Henderson reported Friday the overflow of untreated wastewater at the Sandy Creek Pumping Station and in the sewer collection system. The pumping station at 482 Rock Mill Road had an overflow of 10,000 gallons from 11:45 p.m. on Wednesday to 3:55 a.m. on Thursday, the city said in a press release. The bypass was caused by heavy inflow and infiltration from a 2.38-inch rainfall over a six hour period. Questions concerning the pumping station overflow should be directed to Tom Spain, Henderson Water Reclamation Facility Director, at (252) 431-6081. The sewer collection system bypassed 11,000 gallons of untreated wastewater from 8 p.m. on
Please see HOMELESS, page 3A
Oxford commissioners get assignments
High: 51 Low: 34
$1.25