North Carolina public schools have lost 16,677.9 positions and laid off 6,096.7 people since the 2008-09 school year in response to state budget cuts, according to the most recent data reported by local school districts and released this week by the NC Department of Public Instruction. It is also important to note, that over that same period of teacher and educator job cuts, North Carolina public school enrollment has grown. Teacher positions made up 35 percent of the positions lost. …
Month: August 2011
Wednesday Open Line
If you’re making plans this week, please put on your schedule to visit Downtown Henderson tomorrow (Thursday) afternoon from 5:30 to 8:30 for a free live concert event, Meet Me In the Street. Featured band is The Holiday Band. Today, the President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness is holding a Listening and Action Session with local businesses and stakeholders in Portland, Oregon. Council members will take questions and comments from people around the country submitted on the White House LinkedIn group …
Farmers with weather losses can get answers to tax questions online
The recent heavy weather from hurricane Irene that has affected many parts of the Eastern United States has caused damage to agriculture, rural and coastal businesses. In many cases the damage to farms, rural businesses and private homes qualifies as a casualty loss due to the unexpected damage, says Guido van der Hoeven, a North Carolina Cooperative Extension specialist at N.C. State University. The Internal Revenue Code has provisions that allow persons affected by such sudden events to apply beneficial …
Tuesday Open Line
President Obama remembers the lives lost to Hurricane Irene, and reminds Americans that this is still a dangerous storm and response and recovery efforts will be an ongoing operation.
Progress Energy to restore 95 percent of customers by midnight Wednesday
RALEIGH, N.C. (Aug. 28, 2011 – 8 p.m.) – Progress Energy crews have restored service to more than 330,000 customers since Hurricane Irene first began lashing the Carolinas on Friday. The company expects to restore service to the majority of remaining customers without power by midnight Tuesday, with 95 percent of restorations complete by midnight Wednesday. In the hardest-hit areas with the most severe damage, final repairs to customers able to receive power will likely continue into Thursday. This includes …
Vance County Unemployment up to 14.7% in July 2011
We initially reported that June’s numbers were 14.1, however with July’s report, they have adjusted the June number to 14.2%. In July, it increased again to 14.7% Vance County is now tied for the 4th highest unemployment county in North Carolina, along with Graham County. Scotland, Edgecomb and Rutherford are the top 3 positions at 17.7%, 16.2% and 14.8% respectively. Warren County ended up with a 14.2% for July, making it the #5 top position, just after the Vance and …
VGCC Seminar helps Small Businesses use Social Networking sites
A free seminar offered by Vance-Granville Community College will seek to help local small businesses stay competitive in the changing online world of social networking. The Small Business Center seminar, entitled “Facebook and Social Networking to Enhance Your Business,” will be held from 9 a.m. until noon on Thursday, Sept. 15 in room 7107 of Building 7 on the college’s main campus in Vance County. In the seminar, instructor Martin Brossman of Raleigh will show participants how using popular social …
New School Year Teacher Resources from UNC
One of the joys of being an educator is the excitement surrounding the start of a new school year. I remember the eagerness and nervousness of the first day of school that I felt as I young child. I still feel these emotions each year as I eagerly await meeting my new students and diving into our curriculum. In that spirit, I am delighted to welcome you back to school and share LEARN NC’s new resources with you. For those …
Rick Perry Campaign Discusses Changes to US Constitution
Texas Governor and Republican presidential contender Rick Perry has signed a pledge vowing to support a Constitutional amendment declaring marriage to be a union of one man and one woman, the group sponsoring the pledge said on Friday. The pledge also includes a vow to support the Defense of Marriage Act in court, appoint judges and an Attorney General who will respect “the original meaning of the Constitution,” and appoint a presidential commission to investigate harassment of “traditional marriage” supporters. …
Monday Open Line
We hope everyone is safe and not too much damage from the hurricane this weekend. We fared quite well on Saturday, all morning our power was in and out, but when it was out it only lasted a few seconds. The yard ended up covered with leaves and small branches, but other than that nothing to report. Still, many lost power, our neighbor lost power for about 10 hours. Reminder that out here in the country, neighbor means about a …
Friday / Weekend Open Line
Batten down the hatches, Vance County could see 40mph winds this weekend, and rain at around 1-2 inches. For tips on how to prepare for a hurricane, here’s a fairly good article. Click here for an updated look at the storm track. As of this writing, according to the United Pullers of the Carolina’s website, the Friday night tractor pull at the Vance County Fairgrounds are still on. There is not a mention of Saturdays though as of yet. In …
Thursday Open Line
As I start this open line monologue everyday, I always stress over what to put here. I can spend hours browsing the days news stories to come up with something seeming halfway interesting that might generate some conversation. Tonight, I decided to see how many visitors we have from the coastal area, and to say something witty like “To the 12 or so visitors we have for some reason on the coast this weekend, be aware that there is an …
Vance County Proposed Redistricting Maps
Attached are the proposed Vance County redistricting maps. These maps have not yet been approved by the commissioners, and are a proposal of the new lines. The public may contact the Vance County Planning and Development department with any questions. 3 informal public viewing sessions will be scheduled to allow the public to view the maps and ask questions to county planners. The commissioners will, in addition to the three informal sessions throughout the county, also have a public hearing …
Wednesday Open Line
Of course, the big news yesterday was the earthquake that was clearly felt in Henderson, NC. The train tracks are directly behind the Dataforge / Home in Henderson offices and come by several times a day. The train loves to blow its insanely loud horn at the most opportune times, like right when I’m on the phone with a customer. It also shakes our old building quite noticeably. Tuesday, as the train horn had just been heard passing by a …
Earthquake Felt In Henderson, NC
At about 1:51pm a short earthquake was felt in Henderson. It was felt in Kittrell, Warrenton and in Raleigh as well. Reports are all over the east cost, including Washington DC and NYC and as far down as South Carolina. An estimated 5.8 on the Richter scale earthquake with an epicenter near Mineral, Va.
Vance County Board of Education Called Meeting August 31
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 5:30 p.m. Administrative Services Center Superintendent’s Conference Room 1724 Graham Avenue Henderson, N. C. 27536 On the agenda is a budget work session for Capital Outlay, Child Nutrition and Child Care.
Perdue Reassures Schoolkids While Preparing To Exempt NC From No Child Left Behind
WEAVERVILLE — In a room full of 7th and 8th graders, Gov. Perdue asked,” Does anyone know someone who lost a job?” The sea of hands that shot up proved the point: North Carolina must help its students prepare to be competitive in a global economy. Gov. Perdue visited North Buncombe Middle School, on the second day of classes, and took questions from students at an assembly. Questions covered the basics — “How old are you?” as well as finer …
Gov. Perdue Announces Warrenton As One Of Five New “Small Town Main Street” Communities
Gov. Bev Perdue announced Friday that five North Carolina towns have been selected to participate in the N.C. Small Town Main Street Program, an initiative for small and rural towns that focuses on creating new jobs and investment by helping revitalize downtown areas. The newest participating towns are Bessemer City, Troutman, Warrenton, Lillington and Pittsboro. “Revitalizing downtown means creating jobs by helping grow local small businesses and attracting investments. Our successful Main Street programs have proven that,” Gov. Perdue said. …
Tuesday Open Lines
North Carolina has launched the State Employees Career Transition Center, at 313 Chapanoke Road in Raleigh. The center offers career counseling, resume-writing and interviewing skills development and classes that focus on starting your own business or exploring a new career. “In the past, when a state employee was laid off by one department, they were usually able to find a job in another department,” Coleman says. “But this is a new day in state government, and what worked in the …
Vance County Firemen 5th Annual National Truck and Tractor Pull August 26-27
Vance County Firemen present the 5th Annual National Truck & Tractor Pull. 7 action packed classes. Stock trucks each night also. Concessions on grounds. Adults $15.00 in advance, $18.00 at the gate, Kids 6 to 12 $5.00; under 5 free. National Truck & Tractor Pull Vance County Fairgrounds. Henderson, NC 27536. Take NC 39 Exit off US 1 Bypass. Travel South on NC 39. Fairground entrance is on the left just past Bojangles Restaurant. Visit the United Pullers of the …