As we begin 2013, our country and state face many challenges. Creating jobs and reducing our national debt are two of my top priorities, and tackling them in a meaningful way will require political courage and cooperation from Democrats and Republicans. This year, I will keep working to find bipartisan solutions to our most pressing issues. In 2013, I also remain committed to providing first-rate constituent services to all North Carolinians. If you run into bureaucratic red tape, please know that the …
Month: January 2013
Crime and Violence, Suspensions and Expulsions Down in Public Schools in 2011-12
The total number of reportable acts of school crime and violence, short- and long-term student suspensions, and expulsions all decreased in 2011-12 according to the 2011-12 Consolidated Data Report today presented to State Board of Education members. The total number of acts of school crime and violence was the lowest reported number since 2008-09. State Superintendent June Atkinson said there are two clear facts when it comes to high student achievement. “Students learn best in an environment where they feel …
White House: Working Together to Prevent Gun Violence
Right now, Vice President Biden is leading an effort to develop a new set of policies to reduce gun violence and prevent tragedies like the shooting in Newtown Conn. Yesterday, as part of that work, the Vice President met with victims’ groups and gun safety organizations at the White House. Following those meetings, the Vice President held conference calls with governors of both parties, and state and local elected leaders from across the United States. The Vice President listened to the …
Friday / Weekend Open Line
This date in 1973 was a day that lives in infamy, at least among some self-described baseball purists. The American League approved a three-year experiment with replacing pitchers in the batting order with a designated hitter. The rule change stuck and is the most visible distinction between the two major leagues. The first DH to come to the plate was the New York Yankees’, Ron Blomberg on April 6, 1973. The result of this epochal at-bat? He walked. With the …
NC opposition builds to proposed Virginia uranium mine
Manson, N.C. — As legislation that would allow uranium mining in Virginia advances through that state’s legislature, opposition to the move is growing in North Carolina. A group of Virginia lawmakers voted Monday to approve a bill that would lift a 31-year-old ban on uranium mining and allow the practice in Chatham, Va., where a 119 million-pound deposit of uranium – the $7 billion vein is the largest in the U.S. – is located. The bill now goes to the …
NC Cooperative Extension Updates
You can download our next newsletter at the link below. It contains dates for upcoming production meeting, respirator fit testing, pesticide recertification classes, and much more! http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/spring2013.pdf Produce Safety Workshop/Intro to GAP. Please be sure to take a look at the workshop details at the following link:http://go.ncsu.edu/GVsafeproduce This workshop will cover lots of important information for anyone who sells produce. We will also go over the basics of becoming GAP certified.
NCDA&CS sets five public meetings on proposed gypsy moth treatments
RALEIGH — The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is seeking input from residents in Caswell, Currituck, Granville, Rockingham and Warren counties concerning treatment options for the non-native, highly destructive gypsy moth. Field monitoring activities conducted by the department in 2012 determined that reproducing populations of the gypsy moth exist in these counties and represent a threat to hardwood trees. Residents in or near the proposed treatment areas have been sent notices by mail. The following meetings are scheduled: …
VGCC offers Medical Transcriptionist Workshop
Vance-Granville Community College will offer a three-hour workshop to help area residents explore a career in medical transcription. “Work at Home as a Medical Transcriptionist” is scheduled to be held Tuesday, Feb. 26 from 6:30 until 9:30 p.m. on the college’s Main Campus in Vance County. The instructor, Deborah Burns, has been a medical transcriptionist for more than 30 years. According to Burns, demand for full-time and part-time medical transcriptionists is soaring. “If you want to choose your own hours, …
North Carolina Weekend
For the week of Jan. 10 on UNC-TV’s “North Carolina Weekend,” be en garde with the youth fencing tournament hosted by the Mid-South Fencers Club in Durham. Smile at the antics of those at the Duke Lemur Center in Durham. Get out in the great outdoors at Pettigrew State Park in Creswell. Enjoy a stay at the Burke Manor Inn Bed & Breakfast in Gibsonville. And experience fresh and unique dining at Youssef 242 in Hickory. (Please note: listings are …
N.C.-filmed ‘Banshee’ debuts this Friday on Cinemax
“Banshee,” the much anticipated new television series from creator Alan Ball (“Six Feet Under,” “True Blood”), debuts this Friday at 10 p.m. on Cinemax. The 10-episode series, which shot throughout the Charlotte region, was heavily recruited by the N.C. Film Office and began filming in April 2012 after opening offices in late February. The production is estimated to have had a direct in-state spend in excess of $35 million while creating approximately 4,200 job opportunities including 250 crew positions for …
Congressman Butterfield Launches New and Improved Website
WASHINGTON, DC – The Office of Congressman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) today announced the launch of their new website, complete with new user-friendly tools to track Congressman Butterfield’s activities and communicate with his staff. “This new website is a vast improvement over the previous one,” said Butterfield. “The site is visually appealing and makes it easier for residents of the First District to stay up-to-date with the work I am doing both in the district and in Washington.” The redesigned …
VGCC honors retired faculty and staff
Vance-Granville Community College celebrated employees who had retired from the college — and particularly the most recent retirees — during the holiday social for faculty and staff, held on Dec. 17 in the Civic Center on the college’s Main Campus. Dr. Stelfanie Williams, the president of VGCC, thanked all employees, past and present, for their dedication to students and the community. “We have decided today, at a time of both joy and reflection, to recognize the remarkable work of our …
New VGCC classes offer instruction in Beekeeping and Raising Chickens
Vance-Granville Community College is offering two new Personal Enrichment courses to help area residents learn how to begin raising bees and chickens. Both are taught by local farmer Mike Holland and will be held in part at the Holland Farm on Lickskillet Road in Warren County. The one-day “Backyard Chicken Craft” class is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 9 from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. (including a one-hour lunch break), with a classroom component at VGCC’s Main Campus in Vance County …
Author of historical novel featured speaker for upcoming Vance County Genealogy Society Meeting
David C. Reavis, author of the historical novel, “Upon These Steps,” will be the featured speaker at the Vance County Genealogy Society Meeting on Monday, January 14, 2013. Meeting location is Perry Memorial Library in Henderson, NC at 6:30 p.m. The novel is based on the Reavis Family and two Confederate soldiers during the Civil War. http://www.UponTheseSteps.com
White House: When Discussing the Second Amendment, Keep the First in Mind Too
By Jay Carney White House Press Secretary Let’s not let arguments over the Constitution’s Second Amendment violate the spirit of its First. President Obama believes that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual right to bear arms. However, the Constitution not only guarantees an individual right to bear arms, but also enshrines the freedom of speech and the freedom of the press — fundamental principles that are essential to our democracy. Americans may disagree on matters of public policy and express …
Thursday Open Line
Legislation to grant women the vote was first introduced on this date in 1878, when a California senator proposed the necessary constitutional amendment. It was buried in committee for years, and defeated when finally put to a vote in 1887. But some decades later, the matter was settled rather speedily. The 19th Amendment enfranchising women was proposed in Congress in June 1919 and became law in August 1920. In the 2010 election, over 46 percent of female citizens 18 and …
Vance County DSS on Lockdown
According to WRAL: The Vance County Department of Social Services is on lockdown after Henderson police received a tip Wednesday of potential violence.
Herbalife to create 493 jobs in Forsyth County
Herbalife, a NYSE-listed company that manufactures and markets nutrition products, announced Jan. 19 that it will establish a manufacturing facility in Winston-Salem. The company plans to create 493 jobs over the next three years and invest approximately $130 million in the purchase and complete retro-fitting of an existing facility, to include the machinery and technology to create a world-class manufacturing facility which is in full compliance with U.S. Good Manufacturing Practices for dietary supplements and food products. The project was …
N.C. firm receives national Small Business Innovator Award
Phonebooth, a major cloud-based business VOIP phone provider, has announced the winner of a national Small Business Innovator Awards Program. Winning the grand prize of $20,000 was Simplicity Sofas, a High Point-based furniture manufacturer. Its highly innovative, yet stylish sofas are designed for ease of assembly and multi-functionality. The company’s products are made to order and can fit in and through tight spaces. Finishing third in the national voting out of 25 finalists for this award was another North Carolina- …
2012 a record-breaking year for film industry in N.C.
As in 2011, North Carolina witnessed another year of record-breaking film numbers in 2012. Year-end projections show productions had a direct in-state spend in excess of $376 million and created more than 4,100 well-paying crew positions for the state’s highly skilled workforce. All told, productions created nearly 20,000 job opportunities-including talent and background extra positions-for North Carolinians. These numbers eclipsed 2011’s record-breaking $220 million in spending and 3,300 crew positions. All told, nearly 50 productions registered with the state film …