Note: All meetings are held in the Superintendent’s Conference Room. Finance, Tuesday, January 3rd, 5:30 pm Personnel, Wednesday, January 4th, 8:30 am
Month: December 2011
Wednesday Open Lines
Tuesday, the Obama administration sent out a passionate message regarding extension of payroll tax cuts for 2012. We’ve been fighting for months to make sure taxes on the middle class don’t go up on January 1st. This weekend, Democrats and Republicans in the Senate came together, compromised, and took a giant step to avoid just that. In fact, 89 senators approved an extension of the payroll tax cut. And 39 of them were Republicans, including GOP Senate Leader Mitch McConnell. …
Michael Bobbitt: Notes from the Peanut Gallery
December 19, 2011, Special Called Meeting of the Water District Board. For those who did not attend this meeting of the Water District Board aka Board of Commissioners you missed one of the best examples of an all powerful elected representative democracy in action. The meeting started with the Board of Commissioners sitting as the Water District Board. This is a handy way for elected officials to assure themselves that any decision by one board is automatically approved by the …
Occupy Wall Street Marchers Occupy Henderson
A group of Occupy Wall Street protesters are on a march from Washington DC to Atlanta, Georgia to raise awareness of their cause. Although the march began earlier in New York, the official march beginning was when on December 1st, the group of 11 started hiking from DC roughly coming down side roads near Highway 95, then 85, then #1. Thursday, December 14th, they reached North Carolina, passed through Manson, Middleburg, and stayed in Henderson that night. They stopped at …
Henderson Police Department Officers of the Month for November 2011
The Henderson Police Department is recognizing two officers as Co-Officers of the Month for November 2011. On November 27, 2011, Section 3 officers were dispatched to the Henderson Convention Center on Wortham Court to assist the Vance County Sheriff’s Department with a large crowd. Members of the Sheriff’s Department were working off duty security at the location for a party. Responding officers were advised that several fights had occurred and there were large groups of disorderly persons still on scene. …
Vance County Schools – Seniors Accepted to Colleges and Universities
Seniors at Southern and Northern Vance high schools are being accepted at colleges and universities across the state to further their education after they graduate in June. Several of the students qualify for scholarships to attend certain schools. Seniors at Southern Vance High School and the schools they have been accepted to attend this fall include: Sikera Alston, Johnson and Wales University; Whitney Brown, Winston-Salem State University; Jolisa Bullock, Catawba College; Michael Burns, Barton College; Tonique Cheek, Chowan University …
Senator Hagan’s Holiday Message
I want to wish all North Carolinians Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year. The past year has been filled with many highs and lows. I rang in 2011 with our troops in Afghanistan. North Carolina is the most military friendly state in the nation, and as the Chair of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and a member of a military family myself, I am committed to ensuring our servicemembers and their families have the resources and …
Tuesday Open Lines
There’s been some discussion here regarding Occupy Wall Street protesters, and last week a group of 11 marchers passed through Henderson. Some of the members have been marching from New York, but the march officially started in DC on December 1st. They are marching to Atlanta Georgia. I have pieced together a short timeline of their journey into and in Henderson in an article. The President said that Congress cannot go home without preventing a tax increase on 160 million …
North Carolina Wins Race to the Top—Early Learning Challenge Grant
Gov. Bev Perdue announces that North Carolina won a Race to the Top—Early Learning Challenge grant from the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. North Carolina was among nine winners chosen from 37 applicants competing for a share of $500 million. While the exact amount of the grant will be announced later, the state’s application was for approximately $70 million. North Carolina’s grant will allow the state to strengthen efforts to ensure that …
VGCC to host Dr. Martin Luther King Holiday Celebration on Jan. 17
Vance-Granville Community College will hold a special program celebrating the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012 at 11 a.m. in the Civic Center on VGCC’s Main Campus in Vance County. For the third year in a row, the program will feature several VGCC students delivering speeches on the legacy of Dr. King. This year’s theme is: “I’m living the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.” A panel of judges will award cash prizes for …
Franklin County Early College students bring cheer to VGCC Day Care
Christmas came a bit early for the Child Care Center at Vance-Granville Community College’s Franklin County Campus, thanks to students from Franklin County Early College High School. Freshmen at the high school (a partnership between Franklin County Schools and VGCC that is located on the Franklin Campus) threw a Christmas party for the young children at the day care on Dec. 12, with a special purpose in mind. They had been informed by their freshman seminar teacher, Jaime Adams, that …
VGCC Graduates 12 Law Enforcement Cadets in School’s 93rd BLET Class
Twelve cadets graduated on Dec. 13, 2011 from the Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) course at Vance-Granville Community College, in a ceremony held in the Civic Center on Main Campus. After passing the state certification exam, all are authorized to work in any law enforcement agency in North Carolina. This class, VGCC’s 93rd BLET graduating class overall, boasted a 100 percent passing rate on the exam on their first attempt. Graduates included Charles Lance-Allen Minks of Butner Public Safety; Mark …
Senator Richard Burr Message
It’s been a busy week in Washington. Below is a summary of what I’ve been up to since I left NC last Monday. HELP COMMITTEE On Tuesday, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Subcommittee on Children and Families held a hearing on the importance of ensuring that children are free from abuse and neglect. As Ranking Member of this Subcommittee, I delivered opening remarks on the issue. To truly ensure our children are safe, both children and adults …
Study finds ENERGY STAR® Homes In N.C. Sell Faster and for More
RALEIGH — ENERGY STAR® homes sell faster and at a higher price per square foot compared to conventional homes, according to a study by the North Carolina Energy Efficiency Alliance (NCEEA). The study analyzed data for new homes built in 2010 in a five-county area around the Raleigh-Durham region of North Carolina. The study showed that the ENERGY STAR label brings significant added value to homes beyond the well-known 15 to 30 percent savings on monthly utility bills. The study …
Monday Open Line
This weeks Weekly Address President Obama expresses gratitude for the historic achievements of the brave men and women who have served in the war in Iraq — and welcomes our troops home as we mark the official end to the war. Welcome to the Monday Open Lines!
Vance County Water District Board Special Called Meeting
This memorandum will serve as notice that Chairman Terry E. Garrison has called a special meeting for Monday, December 19 at 4:00 p.m. in the Commissioners’ Conference Room, Vance County Administration Building, 122 Young Street, Henderson, NC. The Board will be sitting as the Water District Board to: 1. Approve project plans and specifications subject to any modifications made by USDA.2. Authorize staff to solicit bids for operations and maintenance services.3. Solicit construction bids according the to engineer’s time table.4. …
Donors step up to help NC secure $15 million federal grant
More than 20,000 North Carolina students to benefit from early college initiative Many companies, foundations and individuals from across North Carolina and across the country have stepped up to help the North Carolina New Schools Project (NCNSP) raise $1.5 million in pledges in recent weeks to successfully meet a required private sector match for a $15 million federal grant. This grant would extend successful early college strategies to as many as 20 traditional high schools in rural, low-income communities across …
VGCC Community Band concert includes holiday favorites
The Vance-Granville Community Band presented its fourth annual Holiday Concert on Monday, Dec. 12 in the Civic Center on the college’s main campus in Vance County. VGCC music instructor Michael Stephenson serves as director of the band. The program featured familiar holiday tunes, including several medleys of Christmas carols and the Leroy Anderson classic, “Sleigh Ride.” On “The Ultimate Christmas Medley,” the band was accompanied by veteran vocalist Raynah Adams. A Henderson native, Adams was a member of the U.S. …
The Letterman Christmas Show Tonight at Louisburg College
The Letterman Christmas Show, performing Friday December 16th at 8pm in the Jones Performing Arts Center. For tickets and more information please call 1-866-773-635
Friday / Weekend Open Line
This is the last full weekend before Christmas, we hope you’re ready for the holidays. If you still have more gifts, please take a look at our Holiday Shopping Guide. If your business would like to add your special please feel free to send us your discount and we’ll list your ad for no charge. We have also received a great suggestion to ask for your Christmas decoration pictures, be they your own at home, your business, or one that …