Thursday, Congressman G. K. Butterfield (D-NC-01) joined U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Marco Rubio (R-FL), along with Representatives Michael T. McCaul (R-TX-10), Sean Duffy (R-WI-07), and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD-08), to introduce the RACE for Children Act (the Research to Accelerate Cures and Equity for Children Act) to support the development of novel and promising cancer drugs for children. The bipartisan bill would update the Pediatric Research Equity Act (PREA) to reflect the latest advances in cancer drugs. PREA …
Month: July 2016
Friday / Weekend Open Lines
Friday, July 15th. Motorists in Oklahoma City were confronted with America’s first parking meter this month in 1935. It was located on the corner of First Street and Robinson Avenue, and while local drivers could avoid that single space, they couldn’t escape for long. That meter was just the first of many to sprout up in Oklahoma City and across the nation, as millions of ticketed motorists will attest. While municipalities sought to rotate street parking spots among more drivers, …
North Carolina Weekend
For the week of July 14 on North Carolina Weekend, visit the Southern Highland Craft Guild in Asheville. Tempt your taste buds at Queen’s Feast – Charlotte Restaurant Week. Pop in to the Straightaway Cafe and Pub in Black Mountain. Explore a performance of Unto These Hills in Cherokee. And relax at Shutters at the Banks in Kill Devil Hills. (Please note: listings are subject to change.) North Carolina Weekend is underwritten by Visit North Carolina. In addition, UNC-TV has …
Thursday Open Line
Income taxes first came to America 154 years ago this month, when President Abraham Lincoln signed a bill levying a 3 percent tax on incomes between $600 and $10,000, and 5 percent for greater incomes. The tax was rescinded in 1872. The income tax all of us know today dates to 1913, when the 16th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified. About 147 million individual income tax returns are submitted annually, reporting tax revenues totaling over $1.6 trillion. There are …
Butterfield Invites HUD Secretary to Tour Wilson; Prioritize Blight Removal
On July 11, 2016, Congressman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Julián Castro, inviting him to visit Wilson, North Carolina in the First Congressional District, to witness firsthand the community’s recent growth and the challenges faced by the community as a result of blighted properties. There are more than 300 blighted properties in Wilson. As efforts to remove blight in the City and surrounding areas continue, Butterfield applauded HUD’s recent …
Applications Available for Grades 7-8 at Vance County STEM
Vance County Schools is now accepting applications for STEM Early High School for grades 7 and 8 for the 2016-2017 school year. STEM is an innovative early high school that focuses on science, mathematics, engineering and technology. All students are provided with a laptop computer and work collaboratively in an environment that encourages high levels of problem solving through the use of engineering principles and creativity. Limited space is available for students. Applications will be accepted through July 27 at …
Transportation Officials Hold Ribbon Cutting for Durham Rail Project
State transportation officials gathered in Durham July 12 to celebrate the completion of a railroad construction project designed to enhance rail safety and efficiency. “To help fulfill Governor McCrory’s 25-Year Vision, our Rail Division is working to enhance rail safety and connectivity across the state,” said N.C. Transportation Secretary Nick Tennyson. “These projects will modernize railroad track, roads and bridges along the corridor between Raleigh and Charlotte.” The project is funded through a grant from the Federal Railroad Administration and …
Wednesday Open Line
One of the most important inventions of our time was announced in early July 1948 in a press release by Bell Laboratories in New Jersey. It was the transfer resistance device — far better known as the transistor. The small, simple, and tough transistor replaced fragile and heat-generating vacuum tubes, which had been the heart of electronics for decades. The discovery led to the development of the integrated circuit and the microprocessor that are the basis of modern electronics. Today, …
Jordan McMillen Appointed Vance County NC County Manager
The Vance County Board of Commissioners is pleased to announce the appointment of Jordan McMillen as County Manager effective August 19, 2016. Mr. McMillen currently serves as Deputy County Manager/Director of Planning and Development. Mr. McMillen joined the county staff in May 2008 as Planning Services Manager; was promoted in October 2011 to Director of Planning and Development/Planning Services Manager and was promoted to his current deputy position in July 2013. While serving as Deputy Manager, Mr. McMillen has been …
Tuesday Open Line
A stirring but controversial period of American history ended, semiofficially, on this date in 1893. That’s when University of Wisconsin historian Frederick Jackson Turner delivered a landmark academic paper in Chicago. Based on 1890 Census data, Turner declared that the closing of the American frontier ended the formative national experience. Turner said that migration from the East, the building of railroads and hundreds of new towns had combined to forge a single transcontinental nation. Even 123 years on, the West …
NC Cooperative Extension Updates
COST-SHARE ASSISTANCE FOR ORGANIC CERTIFICATION The NCDA&CS is offering cost-share assistance for farmers pursuing organic certification. For details and requirements, visit this link. SOYBEAN INSECT SCOUTING Dr. Dominic Reisig, NCSU Extension Specialist, predicts that this year will be “wormier than the previous three”! For scouting and ID tips, check this link. OCT 2-4: WOMEN WORKING IN THE MEAT BUSINESS This conference features expert speakers who will cover production, marketing, processing and much more. Efland, NC (Orange County). Details here. …
Intersection Conversion in Granville County Postponed until July 20
Because of wet conditions caused by recent heavy rain, and the need for additional utility work, the scheduled switch of the intersection of Huntsboro Road/Tabbs Creek Road and Salem Road in Oxford in northeastern Granville County to a permanent all-way stop has been postponed from July 13 until Wednesday, July 20. The intersection currently requires vehicles to stop in both directions on Huntsboro Road/Tabbs Creek Road, but traffic on Salem Road does not have to stop. The conversion is taking …
Vance County Board of Education Called Meeting July 13th, 2016
Vance County Board of Education Called Meeting Wednesday, July 13, 2016 5:30 p.m. in the Administrative Services Center Superintendent’s Conference Room 1724 Graham AvenueHenderson, NC 27536 I. Call to Order * II. Approval of Meeting Agenda * III. Executive Session – Personnel * IV. Adjournment * Requires Board Action
City of Henderson City Council Meeting Monday July 11th, 2016
Henderson City Council Regular Meeting Monday, 11 July 2016 6:00 PM City Hall Council Chambers, 134 Rose Ave., Henderson, NC 27536 Download the full agenda packet here: 20160711_coh_agenda_packet.pdf I. CALL TO ORDERII. ROLL CALLIII. INVOCATION AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCEIV. OPENING REMARKSIn order to provide for the highest standards of ethical behavior and Transparency in Governanceas well as provide for good and open government, the City Council has approved Core Valuesregarding Ethical Behavior1 and Transparency in Governance2. The Mayor now inquires as towhether any …
Congresswoman Renee Ellmers: Our national security is too important to treat so carelessly
Photo of the Week This week we were very excited to welcome our second session of 2016 summer interns to Team Ellmers! Christina Harp was born and raised in Cary and graduated from NC State University. Christina is now pursuing a graduate degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. Dylan Blackburn is originally from the Dunn/Sampson County area and graduated from Midway High School. Dylan is a sophomore at Campbell University where he is a member of …
Monday Open Line
The distant reaches of planet Earth came into electronic proximity for the average American on this date in 1962. The occasion was the successful relay of a transatlantic TV signal by Telstar, the first privately owned satellite launched the day before. While a major communications advance and a sensation of the day, Telstar did not last long. It failed in December, was restored briefly, and then went dead in February 1963. Today, dozens of communications satellites allow television signals, telephone …
Congressman G. K. Butterfield Newsletter
Heard It First: Gun control takes center stage; Durham mourns the loss of civil rights legend; Butterfield leads call to halt immigration raids; Jobs and Justice Tour concludes Dear Friend, Last month, our country suffered a brutal and deadly mass shooting in Orlando, Florida. The senseless tragedy that claimed 49 lives and injured dozens more has brought the issue of gun control back into focus. The overwhelming majority of Americans want Congress to take commonsense action to …
The Department of Homeland Security Announces the Countering Violent Extremism Grant Program
Courtesy of Senator Angela Bryant: On Wednesday, July 6, 2016, Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson announced the Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) Grant Program, with $10 million in available funds. This is the first federal assistance program devoted exclusively to providing local communities with the resources to counter violent extremism in the homeland. “As I have said before, given the nature of the evolving terrorist threat, building bridges to local communities is as important as any …
North Carolina General Assembly Approves 2016-17 Budget
The NC General Assembly finalized the 2016-2017 state budget on the last day of the legislative session, also the first day of the new fiscal year. Counties will benefit from the inclusion of $40 million in additional funds for behavioral health initiatives, including recommendations from the Governor’s Task Force on Mental Health and Substance Abuse. Strong advocacy work by NCACC and member counties, including a letter of support from the association board, contributed to these recurring and non-recurring funds being …
VGCC to offer second Enrollment Day on July 20
Vance-Granville Community College will hold the second “Enrollment Day” of the summer on Wednesday, July 20, from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m., at all four of its campuses. On Enrollment Day, VGCC counselors and other staff members will be ready to assist anyone who is interested in enrolling at the college for the Fall 2016 semester, which starts Monday, Aug. 15. No appointments are required. For new students, the process of enrollment begins with an application for admission and an …