ReportWire

Tag: Rachel Boyd

  • ‘These kiddos have to have a safe place to learn’: Ensuring school safety

    ‘These kiddos have to have a safe place to learn’: Ensuring school safety

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    RALEIGH, N.C. — School safety is a focal point of many campaigns, including governor and school superintendent.

    One question is how many school resource officers should be in schools and on what campuses, but what’s not in question is whether safe and secure learning environments for our students are the number one priority of SROs. 

     

    What You Need To Know

    School resource officers are fully trained law enforcement officers who work on public school campuses

    They often function as mentors, confidants, and security 

    Both candidates for state superintendent of public instruction support SROs in schools

     

    Sgt. Robert Tichenor has been an SRO on four school campuses in Garner and loves building bonds with students. (Spectrum News 1/Rachel Boyd)

    “These kiddos have to have a safe place to learn, and that’s our number one goal as SROs and as police officers,” Sergeant Robert Tichenor with the Garner Police Department said. “Number two goal is student engagement. Positive engagement, making sure that we’re making a difference in their lives.”

    Not only do they enforce laws and maintain order, but they also build positive relationships with students, some of whom would not have any outside positive interaction with law enforcement. SROs are often where first impressions of law enforcement start.

    “It provides not only safety and security to the school, the students, but it’s creating that positive engagement in the community so that later on we can have the crime prevention that we need,” Tichenor said. “Community policing is the way of the world now. It’s what works. An SRO is on the front line for that.”

    Tichenor says this is by far the best and most rewarding job he’s had as a police officer. He’s served as a school resource officer in all four of Garner’s secondary schools. 

    “This is our chance to make an impact on them and make sure that they see us in a positive light and know that we’re here to help, not just necessarily take people to jail,” Tichenor said.

    Sgt. Tichenor gives a final high five to a student after walking them safely to school. (Spectrum News 1/Rachel Boyd)

    He says the relationships built between an SRO and students can be extremely important to preventing threats on or off campus. 

    “If you have a good relationship with the student, they’re willing to tell you more,” Tichenor said. “They’re willing to explain what they may have saw on the bus, what they may have heard on Instagram, things like that.”

    Both high schools in Garner have two SROs and each middle school has one. Officers have the jurisdiction to make arrests and conduct investigations on school grounds; however, they defer to school administrators and school policy whenever possible.

    Being in schools is not only about locked doors and secure campuses, but it’s the opportunity to develop bonds with students that may change the trajectory of their life.

    “It does feel a lot safer just by having them as a visible presence,” Liem Mai, a Wake County student, said. “But they also not only see you as a student, but also as an individual that’s in there. And they’ll talk to you, kind of ask you about your future, your plans, your goals.”

    The issue of school resource officers has been hotly debated in our state superintendent campaign. Both candidates agree they are needed in schools and serve an important role, but Republican Michele Morrow would like to see more of them and on every single school campus in the state. Democrat Mo Green has said he believes there are some cases where an SRO would be redundant for certain schools and that decisions have to be made case by case.

    Both candidates lay out their school safety plans on their websites.

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    Rachel Boyd

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  • Sole apple grower makes it to the N.C. State Fair after Helene

    Sole apple grower makes it to the N.C. State Fair after Helene

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    RALEIGH, N.C. – The N.C. State Fair celebrates agriculture and all that it contributes to North Carolina, but the industry has seen undeniable impacts in the western part of the state in the wake of Helene. People might notice it in the lack of apples at the fair this year.


    Each year, people enjoy seeing Trey Enloe, a fifth-generation apple farmer from Hendersonville, press fresh cider at the fair. But when Helene hit his hometown, there was a moment when he wondered whether the Cider House would be closed this year.  

    Trey Enloe opens the shutter and sets up the N.C. Cider House to welcome fairgoers in Heritage Circle (Rachel Boyd/Spectrum News 1)

    “We didn’t have power ’til, you know, middle of the week last week, so I wasn’t sure I was able to get my apple press up and going,” Enloe said. 

    Enloe is the owner and operator of the Cider House at the N.C. State Fair, and Bright Branch Farms apple grower.

    Although the fair is the highlight of their year, cider has been the least of his worries over the past few weeks.

    “A lot of people are in, in really bad shape,” Enloe said. “We got banged up on our farm. But just take my parents for instance, their house is unlivable right now.”

    Prior to Helene hitting our state, the fair had 300 apple vendors set to bring in their bushels for competitions, sale, and display to the public. Now, the Enloe family is the only one. 

    “Luckily we had about half of our crop picked, so, I brought a lot of the varieties that were still viable,” Enloe said. 

    Many of the other growers didn’t have quality fruit to submit this year after half their crop was damaged in the storm. And although there isn’t a huge display of apples mirroring years past, the fact that they’re here at all is a prime example of North Carolina’s resilience.

    “I’m so glad they made the trip and the apples are beautiful that they brought,” April Blazich, the horticulture superintendent at the State Fair, said. “Just a reminder that North Carolina’s strong. You know, the growers are willing to put up with an awful lot.”

    Trey Enloe unboxes a bushel of apples at the fair, ready to turn them into cider for visitors

    Enloe said fruit on the ground is hurting this year’s revenues, but the biggest hit is the damage to the orchards themselves.

    “Guys not only lost this year’s crop, but then they lost potentially the next five years to 12 years of producing fruit,” Enloe said. “Annual crop growers, like tomatoes or leafy vegetables, that kind of thing, you know, that’s a crop that’s lost and you can replant it in the next year and right back in action.”

    If you and your family make it out to the fair this year, be sure to stop by the Cider House in Heritage Circle to grab a cup of fresh pressed cider straight from the mountains. 

    Enloe and other apple growers need support more than ever this year, along with the many people in western North Carolina still recovering from Helene.

    The State Fair has created a donate tab on its website where fairgoers can contribute to support disaster relief efforts in Western North Carolina when they purchase their fair tickets. All money collected will go to the MANNA FoodBank of Asheville, which lost its distribution warehouse during Helene.

    “We have seen a lot of good help, you know, from friends and family, locally and then across the state, everybody sending, supplies our way and that kind of thing. So you try to be positive where you can,” Enloe said. 

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    Rachel Boyd

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  • The promise to preserve: Protecting Wake County farmland

    The promise to preserve: Protecting Wake County farmland

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    WAKE COUNTY, N.C. – Peace and quiet just outside the city is harder and harder to come by, but one farmer has succeeded in ensuring his land stays that way. 

     

    What You Need To Know

    The Bailey Farm dedication is the largest single county dedication in North Carolina

    The Triangle Land Conservancy and Wake County’s Farmland Preservation worked together to protect 125 acres

    In the past 40 years, the Triangle Land Conservancy has protected 25,000 acres

     

    Jim Bailey enjoying working on his farm in Wake County (Spectrum News 1/Rachel Boyd)

    Land is a hot commodity today in North Carolina as developers look to build homes to meet the demands of the growing population, but with the help of Triangle Land Conservancy and Wake County’s Farmland Preservation Program, 125 acres of farmland on the border of Wake and Johnston counties are now protected in perpetuity, making it the largest single county dedication in the entire state.

    Jim Bailey has never been a farmer but his Uncle Cedric was, and he grew up learning with him on the farm. To his complete surprise, he inherited the property when his uncle passed in 2014.

    “We did not know anything. All we knew was we got a call from a lawyer, Kirk Law Practice in Wendell, and he told us we need to come down,” he recalled. “And we came down, and that’s when we saw the note from Cedric. And the note said, ‘Jim, I hope you enjoy this land as much as I have. Give all you can to the Lord, and I hope you won’t plant this land in houses.’”

    Bailey has been working to preserve the land ever since, and although it may have taken 10 years, this dedication fulfills his uncle’s final wish at long last. Triangle Land Conservancy has been working to preserve land in the Triangle for 40 years; so far they’ve protected 25,000 acres.

    Jim Bailey gives a hayride and farm tour to members of Triangle Land Conservancy (Spectrum News 1/Rachel Boyd)

    “I’ve had people come by quite often and want to ask me if I’m interested in selling the land,” Bailey said. “I’m not against development. But I do think sometimes they just put it right on top of each other.”

    The Wake Soil and Water Conservation District has certified that 75% of the soil on the Bailey Farm is considered prime farmland. 

    “We don’t have any more land, you know, this is it,” Bailey said. “You get back here and you just feel like you’re way away from civilization.”

    The Bailey’s received this year’s Patrick H Johnson Farmland Preservation Award for their work to protect the county’s soil, water, farms, wildlife and environment. Although the land cannot be developed, it can continue to be used for agriculture or be used for parks and recreation space in the future if the family ever decides to sell.

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    Rachel Boyd

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  • ‘Compositions by Her’: Concert celebrates Women’s History Month

    ‘Compositions by Her’: Concert celebrates Women’s History Month

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    DURHAM, N.C. —  An orchestra in North Carolina is working to honor marginalized voices in the music world, starting with a tribute for Women’s History Month.

    What You Need To Know

    • The Durham Symphony Orchestra put together a concert honoring women in music

    • In 2016, works by female composers and composers of color made up only 4% of orchestra programming, according to the Orchestra Repertoire Report

    • The Durham orchestra’s concert featured works by marginalized and suppressed voices

    As part of its 48th season, the Durham Symphony Orchestra put on a special concert at the beginning of March titled “Compositions by Her – A Celebration of Women in Music.” 

    Members of the Durham Symphony Orchestra rehearse for a concert. (Spectrum News 1/Rachel Boyd)

    Maestro William Henry Curry, the music director for the orchestra, has been working to include neglected pieces by marginalized composers since he accepted the position in 2009.

    “When I think of the amount of female or women composers that have been suppressed, their content,” Curry said. “They still compose despite being lost in oblivion, ignored. Your heart breaks over that.”

    Founded in 1976, the symphony has always aimed to be “Durham’s People’s Orchestra” — reflecting the diversity of the community in its programming.

    “This is an era now where if there’s anything positive, we’re having an awakening to these treasures, like these female composers that never should have been buried in the first place,” Curry said.

    Maestro William Henry Curry champions the cause of marginalized composers and musicians. (Spectrum News 1/Rachel Boyd)

    According to the Orchestra Repertoire Report in the 2022-23 orchestra season, more than 87% of pieces performed were composed by men. Curry said the power of his podium comes in moments like this when he gets to be what he calls a “composer’s advocate.”

    “To root for the underdog and bring forward the unjustly neglected pieces and performers, to me is kind of a natural, innate,” Curry said.

    He said you can feel that these women are saying things through their music that words couldn’t convey and believes sometimes you have to play what people need to hear even if it’s not comfortable or easy.

    The report also shows that in 2016 works by female composers and composers of color made up only 4% of programming — today that number has increased to 24% thanks to efforts like those of the Durham Symphony Orchestra. 

    “These are people that could have given up and they would have been forgiven for giving up, but they wouldn’t have forgiven themselves,” Curry said. 

    The orchestra’s next concert is a free outdoor performance the first weekend in May called Pops in the Park. It will conclude the season with a performance with the Choral Society of Durham on May 19 at Duke University. 

    The Durham Symphony Orchestra curated a concert to honor women in music. (Spectrum News 1/Rachel Boyd)

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    Rachel Boyd

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  • Making farm fresh products more accessible and affordable

    Making farm fresh products more accessible and affordable

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    CHATHAM COUNTY, N.C. — Customers at the Pittsboro Farmers Market can now pay with tokens from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

    A new sign greets customers at the Pittsboro Farmers Market letting them know they can trade SNAP/EBT benefits for market tokens. (Rachel Boyd/Spectrum News 1)

    What You Need To Know

    • Vendors at the Pittsboro Farmers Market are accepting SNAP and EBT
    • SNAP and EBT can be turned in for one-dollar and five-dollar tokens
    • This is the first market in Chatham County to accept the benefits

    The Pittsboro Farmers Market has been around since 1997, but for the first time, vendors can now accept SNAP and EBT benefits.

    The farmers market is the first in Chatham County to accept SNAP and EBT, increasing access to a variety of fresh local vegetables, fruits, meats and breads.

    “It is so nice to be able to get it on the tables of everyone, regardless of income,” Mackenzie Withington, a vendor from Lilly Den Farm, said. “Throughout all these years, people asking if we accepted Snap, EBT and we always had to tell them no.”

    Eggs from Lilly Den Farm are one of the things customers can purchase with SNAP/EBT tokens (Rachel Boyd/Spectrum News 1)

    The push to bring SNAP and EBT to the market first started three years ago, while Patricia Parker was the market manager.

    Although it didn’t come to fruition during her tenure, she’s excited as a current vendor to accept the one-dollar and five-dollar tokens for her produce.

    “It’s really cool to finally have a farmer’s market that accepts EBT,” Parker said. “People are looking for healthy food, fresh food and food that they can believe in, that they know who’s growing it.”

    SNAP and EBT can be used on meat, eggs, fresh produce, baked goods and more at the market. 

    “It’s not about just our family, it’s actually about our community,” Emily Fuller, of Heart Song Farm, said. “And it’s time to cultivate a healthier situation for everybody.”

    The market is currently working on a dollar-matching program so that SNAP beneficiaries can double-up on the amount they have to spend. The market takes place year-round each Thursday from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at The Plant in Pittsboro.

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    Rachel Boyd

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