Logistics Management magazine named North Carolina’s Port of Wilmington number 18 on its list of U.S. Port Rankings for volume for the first quarter of 2012. The 42-foot channel deep water port realized 28,395 inbound twenty-foot equivalent units or TEUs for the quarter. Container movements were up more than 11% in 2011 at North Carolina’s ports. According to the Top 30 U.S. Ports article, U.S. exports are growing by a healthy five to six percent annually. North Carolina’s ports are …
Month: June 2012
June 15 deadline for updates for 2013 N.C. Travel Guide
Now is the best time for all attractions and accommodations to check VisitNC.com to view their property’s listing and to verify that their information listed is correct. If your listing needs to be updated, contact your local Extranet county contact. The Division’s Extranet fuels the database for VisitNC.com and also for the information for the listings in the Official North Carolina Travel Guide. The deadline for the Extranet county contacts to update the listings for attractions and accommodations that will …
Coverage of D-Day, and Other Thoughts
Yesterday, from a reader comment, I learned was the anniversary of D-Day. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normandy_landings. I also saw a article on the home page of either msn.com or yahoo.com or something similar. If you read our open lines for yesterday, you’ll notice it didn’t say anything about D-Day, it was about the anniversary of the first drive in theater. The open line introductions are provided by the US Census department in their multimedia section called Profile America. It’s an easy blurb for …
‘CBS This Morning’ today features N.C. moonshine and NASCAR
As a direct result of the Division’s New York Media Mission in January, “CBS This Morning” is slated to air a segment this Thursday about North Carolina’s modern craft distilling movement and its NASCAR heritage. The segment features Troy & Sons Distillers in Asheville and the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte. At the January event, Division PR Manager Margo Metzger introduced CBS Producer Chase Bodine to distillery owner Troy Ball. When the CBS crew came to film in late …
Thursday Open Line
One of the small town summer joys of the past is being recreated this weekend in Danville, Kentucky. Some 40,000 people are expected to enjoy performances at the annual Great American Brass Band Festival. Concerts featuring world famous brass bands will be held on the lawn at Centre College, in the bandstand by the courthouse, and other locations in town. In addition to concerts of patriotic tunes and popular songs, the festival also includes a hot air balloon event, a …
‘Revolution’ will film in Wilmington area
NBC’s new series “Revolution” will be produced in the Wilmington region beginning this summer. Premiering this fall, the series’ production team will employ 125 people full time, hundreds of extras part time, and spend millions of dollars in the regional economy. “We are excited to have a television series back in Wilmington that will create hundreds of jobs,” said Aaron Syrett, director of the N.C. Film Office. “The North Carolina film credit continues to create high-quality, well-paying jobs for North …
Vance County Schools – Student Uniforms at L.B. Yancey Elementary
L.B. Yancey Elementary School has overwhelming support from parents of students and the approval of the Vance County Board of Education in moving forward with plans to require student uniforms for the 2012-2013 school year. The uniforms will include white and navy blue tops, which should be collared knit shirts or blouses for girls, as well as navy blue or khaki bottoms which may consist of pants and shorts and also for girls skirts, skorts and jumpers. Students also will …
Perry Memorial Library Hosts Announcement of Federal Grants to NC Libraries
RALEIGH – North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources Secretary Linda A. Carlisle will announce 71 federally-funded grants for local and statewide library projects for community outreach, library book collections, technology improvements and digitization of materials, on Tuesday, June 12, at noon, at the Perry Memorial Library, 205 Breckenridge Street, Henderson, N.C., 27536. Carlisle will be joined by State Librarian Cal Shepard, Library Director Jay Stephens, and other local officials. The grant funding is made possible by a Library Services and …
Prostate Cancer Educational Support Group at Maria Parham Medical Center
The American Cancer Society and Maria Parham Medical Center will host a Community-Wide Prostate Cancer Educational Support Group on Thursday, June 28th. The topic for the evening will be: ‘Men and Survivorship – An Open Discussion About Prostate Cancer’. ‘Man to Man’ is designed for men in our area who are affected by prostate cancer and those who care for them. It is very helpful for both long term survivors and those who have just been diagnosed. You are encouraged to …
VGCC Culinary program announces upcoming dates for The Vanguard Café
The Vanguard Café in Oxford, where students in Vance-Granville Community College’s Culinary Arts program prepare and serve lunch for the public, is inviting the public to participate in developing culinary students’ kitchen and hospitality skills by dining there on scheduled Thursdays during the upcoming fall 2012 semester. “This gives students an opportunity for realistic training, while offering unique cuisine to local diners,” said VGCC Dean of Business and Applied Technologies Bobby Van Brunt. “Vance-Granville can achieve its educational goals with …
VGCC names new Medical Assisting program head
The new head of Vance-Granville Community College’s Medical Assisting program recently wrapped up her first semester in the leadership role. Donna M. Gardner, a resident of Louisburg, joined VGCC in January, bringing with her more than 25 years of experience as a Medical Assistant and educator. Gardner graduated with an Associate in Applied Science degree in Medical Assisting from Kalamazoo Valley Community College in 1986. She then continued her education at Western Michigan University, earning both a Bachelor of Science …
Wednesday Open Line
A major pop culture phenomenon began on this day in 1933. With the automobile increasingly reshaping the American landscape, Richard Hollingshead opened the nation’s first drive-in movie theater in Camden, New Jersey. Soon, drive-in movies became a fixture across the country and a popular place for teenage dating. Some even had heaters to go along with the speakers, so they could stay open through the winter. Drive-ins reached their peak in the 1950s. There were nearly 21,000 movie theaters then, …
Robbery and Vehicle Theft at Vance Charter School
At 9:54 AM today, a 65 year-old female was confronted by a black male with a handgun in the parking lot of the Charter School, 1227 Dabney Drive, Henderson. The male demanded the female for her purse and keys. The black male then took the female’s vehicle a drove in the direction of Hardees on Dabney Drive. The area was searched, but the suspect was unable to be located. The vehicle stolen is a white in color 2010 Toyota Camry …
Michael Bobbitt: Notes From The Peanut Gallery (VC BOC 6/4/2012)
1. Public Hearing – FY 2012 – 2013 Proposed Budget The agenda for this June’s Board meeting opens with two public hearings followed with the public comment period. The second public hearing was specifically intended for the public to speak on the proposed budget. Not one person of the seven people attending the Board meeting spoke at either public hearing or the public comment period. Commissioner Wright asked if the public had been made aware of their opportunity to speak …
NC Public School News Briefs
* NC Students and Teachers Earn More Than 51,000 Microsoft Certifications Over the past 18 months, North Carolina public high school students and teachers earned 51,225 free professional, industry-recognized certifications in Microsoft computer applications thanks to North Carolina’s Microsoft IT Academy. In November 2010, North Carolina became the first state in the nation to offer the Microsoft IT Academy Program through public high schools and since then, the program has been implemented in 98 school districts and 344 high schools …
Oxford tobacco buyer pleads guilty in insurance fraud scam
An Oxford tobacco warehouse owner pleaded guilty in federal court Monday to a fraud insurance scam and could face up to five years in prison. Keaton Rankin’s charges include conspiring to make false statement, making material false statement, committing mail and wire fraud, and structuring transactions. Rankin, from September 2006 to November 2007, conspired with others to defraud the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation, according to a Department of Justice news release. The government lost $400,000 in the deception. Read more …
NC Cooperative Extension Pond Management Workshop
The Pond Management Workshop will be held on June 26th, 5:30 pm at Vance Granville Community College (Main Campus). This event, sponsored by NC Cooperative Extension, will feature expert speakers on fisheries and aquatic weed management from North Carolina State University. The program will take place in the Student Lounge, with a couple of brief pond-side demonstrations immediately following. A hot dog supper will be served, thanks to the generous sponsorship of Southern States of Oxford. There is no charge, …
State Superintendent June Atkinson’s: What difference does a year worth of school make in a child’s life?
That critical question should provide the foundation for any North Carolina public school accountability model. The new accountability model proposed by the General Assembly in Senate Bill 795 would assign a letter grade to schools, but it would not address that most critical accountability question: did the school and its teachers make sure that students grew academically this year? Instead, the letter grade plan would give schools grades based on their students’ test passing rates. If your school had 93 …
Troopers seek driver in fatal Granville hit-and-run
A 71-year-old pedestrian was killed Monday afternoon when she was struck by a car on Munns Road in Granville County, according to the state Highway Patrol. Troopers were dispatched to the area after reports of a woman lying on the side of the road. Linda Michalina was found dead at the scene. Read more here: http://www.wral.com/news/news_briefs/story/11170147/
Governor Perdue: Investing in Education: N.C. House Education Cuts
I am fighting to increase our investment in North Carolina’s schools. It’s the right thing to do for our children and it’s also one of the most important things we can do to create jobs. Last year, the Republican-controlled General Assembly made deep and unnecessary cuts to North Carolina schools. After those cuts, schools were forced to cut 915 teachers, more than 2,000 teacher assistants, and nearly 5,000 total education jobs. Local superintendents from across the state have spoken out …