We hope everyone enjoyed the weekend, and took some time to honor Memorial Day. Did the gas prices prevent any out of the area trips your family hoped for? Gas has come down quite a bit in the last few weeks, but don’t get your hopes up yet. Summer is just about to start, and prices will increase up to $5.00 a gallon if predictions by Goldman Sachs live up to the hype. It makes you wonder what exactly is …
Month: May 2011
Funds For Beacon Light to be Demolished
Reporter – Leigh Hester – After a three year wait, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has deposited grant funds into the City of Henderson’s escrow account for the demolition of the Beacon Light apartment complex. Located on the 300 block of Boddie St, the dilapidated complex has been a blight on the community and a target for arson for years. In October of 2009, the Henderson City Council voted to proceed with a demolition order after …
NC budget must move state forward
A kindergartener explained it: “Our teacher can’t do it alone.” Gov. Perdue visited an elementary school in Carteret County on Friday, and the child’s comment highlighted the governor’s message to the legislature: balancing the budget on the backs of teacher assistants is bad for North Carolina. The Senate’s budget would eliminate 14,000 classroom positions, part of a proposed mass firing of 20,000 public education employees. “This state cannot afford to go backwards,” Gov. Perdue said after her visit to Newport …
Senator Richard Burr Message
This September marks the ten-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks that killed 2,977 unsuspecting citizens in Manhattan, Pennsylvania and the Pentagon. This attack on our homeland sharpened our collective world view and thrust our society into a new phase, a Post-9/11 America. After that day, thousands of young men and women from all walks of life were inspired to join the Armed Forces and dedicate themselves to protecting our way of life and preserving the exceptional freedoms we enjoy as …
Vance County Board of Education Meetings
PUBLIC NOTICE OF SPECIALLY CALLED MEETINGS OF VANCE COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION The Vance County Board of Education will meet in specially called meetings on the following dates and at the following times: Tuesday, May 31, 2011 beginning at 4:45 p.m. Thursday, June 2, 2011 beginning at 4:45 p.m. Friday, June 3, 2011 beginning at 4:45 p.m. Saturday, June 4, 2011 beginning at 9:15 a.m. All meetings will be held at the Holiday Inn Express, 200 Simmons Drive, Henderson, N. …
Animazement Convention in Downtown Raleigh This Weeked
This Memorial Day Weekend, Raleigh hosts North Carolinas largest anime convention. Beginning Friday, the new Raleigh Convention Center will host a 3 day event full of fun for all ages. Over 7,000 people attended this convention in 2010, traveling from all over the world to partake in the activities. Such activities include panels and sessions with industry workers from Japan and locally. North Carolina has a large number of acting studios that provide voice overs for imported anime and some …
New and Standing Members Approved for City Boards
Reporter: Leigh Hester – Henderson City Council Members voted Monday night to approve new a few new Committee members and to reinstate several currently standing members. Among those who filled out applications and were approved for service to Henderson were: Martha Zollicoffer to continue serving on the H. Leslie Perry Library Board until June 30, 2014 Horace Bullock to continue serving on the Clean Up Henderson Committee until June 30, 2014 Judy L. Bell to serve on the Clean Up …
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Review by Claire Ramsey May 2011 Strange and stranger, indeed, or perhaps, to quote from Lewis Carroll, curiouser and curiouser. The subtitle of the latest installation of the popular Johnny-Depp-headed saga is appropriate in more than one way. First, the strangers – which means the majority of the cast. Familiar faces include Kevin McNally as Gibbs, Geoffrey Rush as Barbossa, another cameo by Keith Richards as Jack Sparrow’s father Captain Teague, and, as goes without saying, Johnny Depp back in …
Ruin Creek Animal Rescue joins with Advocates for Vance County Shelter Animals
Ruin Creek Animal Rescue held its first meeting on Tuesday May 24th, 2011. Brandon Boyd founder was on hand to discuss the groups’ direction as it begins and continues to grow. Ruin Creek Animal Rescue is operated entirely by volunteers. The group began as Advocates for Vance County Shelter Animals to rescue shelter animals at risk of euthanasia due to over population at the area shelter. The two groups are now joining as one to rescue at risk animals and …
Summer Enrichment Camp
Vance County Schools again this summer will be operating its Summer Enrichment Camp, June 20 – August 5, at Dabney Elementary School. Children ages 5 to 12 may enroll in the camp for child care services as well as experiencing age appropriate enriching learning opportunities and physical activities. Under the direction of an experienced adult staff, children will be able to enjoy arts and crafts, special speakers and presentations, activities through educational software and Internet resources in the school’s computer …
Friday / Weekend Open Line
Vermont became the first state to lay the groundwork for single-payer health care on Thursday when its governor signed an ambitious bill aimed at establishing universal insurance coverage for all residents. Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin said “Here’s our challenge. Our premiums go up 10, 15, 20 percent a year. This is true in the rest of the country as well. They are killing small business. They’re killing middle-class Americans, who have been kicked in the teeth over the last several …
Thursday Open Line
We’d like to remind everyone of a free event this evening in downtown Henderson, NC. 2011’s first of three free “Meet Me in the Street” concerts is scheduled for Thursday, May 26. Featured band will be The Castaways. A reputable band known throughout the South, The Castaways posses nearly fifty years of experience in the beach music industry. From their beginning in Durham in 1961, The Castaways have been pleasing audiences with their unique flavor of Beach, Soul, and Rock …
High School Testing Schedule
The adminstration of semester exams and state end-of-course tests at high schools in the Vance County Public School System begins next week. The testing will begin at Northern and Southern Vance high schools on Tuesday, May 31, and continue through Wednesday, June 1, with students taking their semester exams and Occupational Course of Studies tests. State end-of-course testing begins on Thursday, June 2, with exams for first-period courses in selected subjects. Testing will continue on Friday, June 3, with second-period …
City Rate Cuts in Working Budget
Reporter: Leigh Hester – Henderson City Council members are working with a City Budget much different from the one originally proposed by City Manager Ray Griffin. Among the changes Council Members expect (and have voted in favor of) are: In elimination of the proposed property tax increase. The 1 cent property tax increase would have covered $85,215 of budgetary expenses for motor fuels for City vehicles. Previously, City staff had budgeted for an expected average annual cost of $4.60 a …
HPD Quarterly Training Workshop
North Carolina Community Watch Association Quarterly Training Workshop Henderson Police Department 200 Breckenridge Street, Henderson NC. 27536 June 04, 2011 Agenda 8:00 am – 8:30 am Registration 8:15 am Welcome and Remarks Lt. Rick Eades (NCCWA President) , Iredell County Sheriff’s Office 8:30 am – 10:00 am Gang awareness Sgt. Lamont Burchette Henderson Police Department 10:00 am – 10:15 am Break 10:15 am – 11:30 am Scams & When Disaster Strikes Deputy Director Caroline Farmer Victims and Citizens Section …
Senate Budget Proposal Reduces NC Tourism Budget By $1 Million
The Division of Tourism would lose $1 million in marketing funds under the budget proposal unveiled by the N.C. Senate this week, and local tourism leaders are being urged to contact key legislators today regarding this reduction. In addition to paid advertising, this $1 million cut would affect the Division’s other core marketing and advertising programs. Research from Longwoods International shows that a $1 million reduction in marketing dollars would likely result in 2,261 fewer jobs and $191 million less …
Wednesday Open Line
If anyone’s curious as to what happened, or what didn’t happen, last Saturday May 21, there was according to Mr. Harold Camping a judgement indeed, and those determined worthy have been decided. “Through chatting with a friend over what he acknowledged was a very difficult weekend, it dawned on him that instead of the biblical Rapture in which the faithful would be swept up to the heavens, May 21 had instead been a “spiritual” Judgment Day, which places the entire …
State Unemployment Rate Holds Steady at 9.7% in April
North Carolina’s unemployment rate remained at 9.7 percent for the second consecutive month. During the same time, the state gained 2,900 nonfarm jobs. This is the fourth consecutive month of job growth. The private sector has added 37,400 jobs since December. Seasonally adjusted total nonfarm industry employment, as gathered through the monthly establishment survey increased by 2,900 to 3,892,900 in April. The largest over-the-month employment increase occurred in trade, transportation and utilities (+2,700). The largest decrease was in government (-2,300). …
Tuesday Open Line
Last night, the City of Henderson hosted a city council meeting. If you have any thoughts on the proceedings, feel free to discuss here on our open lines. If you’d like to submit an article with your take to be published in our news section or simply our opinion section feel free to contact us. This evening, Vance County will host a special called meeting Tuesday May 24th at 4pm in the Commissioners Conference Room in the Vance County Administration …