Congressman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) released the following statement on the Republican tax principles announced today: “I have always been ready to work with my colleagues on bipartisan tax reform. However, the tax proposal announced today by the Trump Administration and Republican leadership is wholly unacceptable and harmful to working families. “Instead of working toward comprehensive improvements to the tax code that would benefit the majority of Americans, this plan would hand trillions of dollars in tax cuts …
Month: September 2017
More NC Students Taking Advanced Placement Exams, Earning College Credit
Continuing a recent trend, more North Carolina high school students are taking and succeeding in college-level Advanced Placement courses, according to a report released today by The College Board, which administers the AP program and exams. The number of public school students in North Carolina taking at least one AP exam in 2016-17 increased 6 percent from the previous year, compared to a 5.2 percent increase nationally, according to The College Board data. “It is encouraging to see more students …
Vance-Granville Community College’s Open House For Adult Basic Skills
Vance-Granville Community College will hold an Open House for its Adult Basic Skills department on Tuesday, October 3, from 8:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. and later from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m., in room 7212 of Building 7 on the college’s Main Campus in Vance County. “We invite all who did not finish high school to come see and hear how our Adult Basic Skills Department can either help adults gain enough credits to earn a high school diploma or gain …
Governor Cooper Announces 28 New Board and Commission Appointments, including 2 from Henderson
This month Govenor Roy Cooper announced new appointments to North Carolina Boards and Commissions, including the North Carolina Courts Commission, the Criminal Justice Education and Training Standards Commission, and the North Carolina State Board of Agriculture. “These appointees bring years of experience and a wealth of knowledge to our state boards and commissions,” Gov. Cooper said. “I’m grateful for their service and look forward to working with them to build a healthier, better educated, more prosperous North Carolina.” Gov. Cooper …
Senator Richard Burr: National Defense Authorization Act Passes Senate
Last week, the Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act. This legislation is critical to accomplishing the federal government’s most important responsibility: keeping our country safe. As the Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and your Senator from North Carolina, I am all too aware of the wide-range of threats facing our nation and how versatile our military must be to fight them. We cannot stand idly by as Iran, North Korea, Russia, ISIL, Al-Qaeda and others present …
You Need to Know: Grandparent Scammers are Active, and Teaming Up on Potential Victims
It’s an old scam with a new twist – con artists know that most grandparents would do anything to help their grandkids. They attempt to exploit that love in the “Hey Grandma, it’s me!” scam by pretending to be a grandchild in distress. We’ve seen a significant uptick in these scams lately, particularly in the Wake County area. Just this week, our office has received a half-dozen reports of the scam. In a current variation, callers claimed they were leaving …
Scott Hughes: Talk Radio With No Substance
Recently, I listened to a local radio show here in Henderson. At the risk of sounding negative, I wasn’t at all impressed with what I heard. Had it not been early in the day, it would have probably put me to sleep. I’m sure that they run out of things to talk about and if a caller doesn’t call in to bring up a topic, they are, for the most part, stagnant. Media sources are valuable resources for the community …
School Breakfast and School Performance
School breakfasts have been in the news. New York City public schools recently announced that breakfast would be free to all of their students. Governor Roy Cooper and First Lady Kristen Cooper recently visited Riverside High School in Durham to tout that school’s policy of offering free breakfast to all of its students. Currently, only 58% of North Carolina students eligible for free/reduced meals are eating school breakfasts. Timing and transportation difficulties are part of the reason, but there is …
Scott Hughes: The Real Definition of Economic Socialism
Mr. Webster tells us that Capitalism is “an economic system characterized by private or corporate ownership of capital goods.” He goes on further to say “investments are determined by private decision, and by prices, production, and the distribution of goods that are determined mainly by competition in a free market.” When my eyes are reading those words, my brain is telling me “blah blah blah.” My personal definition of capitalism is less favorable than Mr. Webster’s and I believe there …
Scott Hughes: Socialism vs. Capitalism
Recently, during a discussion about politics that I was having with another individual, I asked the man what he thought Socialism was. His reply did not surprise me at all because what he said was what I’ve heard many times before. We are in the South East and it seems that ideas like Socialism, for whatever reason, are taboo. I responded to him objectively and told him what Socialism really is in regards to commerce and the workforce. His definition …
Beware of Buying Used Cars Following The Recent Storms
Vehicles that have been totally or partially submerged often show up for sale on new and used car lots, after extensive cleaning that makes it hard for buyers to detect damage. Under North Carolina law flood damage must be disclosed in writing, but title paperwork is sometimes unlawfully altered to remove any mention of flood damage. To avoid buying a flood-damaged car: Ask the seller directly if the car has been damaged in any way, including by storms or flooding. Consider …
Vance County School Seeking Bus Drivers
Vance County Schools is seeking adults to work as bus drivers for our schools. Any individuals who currently have the appropriate licenses to drive a school bus or those who are interested in being trained are asked to contact the school system’s Transportation Department by phone at 252-438-5012 or Dean Thomas, coordinator for Student Transportation Services, by email at dthomas@vcs.k12.nc.us.
Scott Hughes: 9/11 – Their Truth Versus The Real Truth
September 11th of 2001 was by for one of the worst days in American History. Many lives were needlessly lost and other lives changed forever. Any way you look at it, the attacks were bad. There are multiple ideas as to who was responsible but, regardless of who the culprit was, by the very definition of terrorism, it was a terrorist attack. I want to make clear that I, in no way, am trying to minimize the damage done during …
NCDA&CS activates hotline to help farmers impacted by Hurricane Irma
The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has activated its hotline to connect farmers with resources that can assist with agricultural emergencies. The toll-free number is 1-866-645-9403. The hotline operates 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. “There is still uncertainty about how Hurricane Irma will affect our state,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “We anticipate impacts to farms could include power outages, damage to crops and agricultural buildings, and animal health emergencies. We are prepared to work with our state …
VGCC Students Awarded Golden LEAF Scholarships
A group of students from Vance-Granville Community College recently received scholarships through the Golden LEAF Scholarship program for the North Carolina Community College System. The scholarship program, designed to help North Carolinians attend the state’s community colleges, is funded through a $750,000 grant from the Golden LEAF Foundation. The scholarship can be used to assist with tuition, books, fees, supplies, transportation and childcare expenses related to attending classes during the 2016-17 academic year, and industry-recognized credential testing expenses that address …
Butterfield Statement on President Trump’s Decision to End DACA
Congressman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) today released the following statement after Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ remarks confirming President Donald Trump’s decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, known as DACA: “DACA offered protection for young people who were brought to the United States as young children, the vast majority of whom know no other home than the United States. Today, President Trump has failed to “show great heart” to the hundreds of thousands of young people …