Black History Month stories often celebrate Thurgood Marshall, a successful attorney who became the first black appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1967. The trail to that tribunal was broken over a century earlier. In 1865 African-American attorney John Rock was admitted to practice before the Supreme Court. Rock was an MD who practiced medicine and dentistry, as well as law. He died at the age of 41, just a year after being admitted to the bar of the …
Month: February 2013
North Carolina Weekend
For the week of Feb. 14 on UNC-TV’s “North Carolina Weekend,” take in a production by the Raleigh Little Theatre in Raleigh. Examine the pieces at Cameron Art Museum in Wilmington. Fly through the air by zip lining at Hawksnest in Seven Devils. Try to narrow your selection at The Lot, a food truck court in Asheville. And the “House Special” samples the fare at Lilly’s Pizza in Raleigh. (Please note: listings are subject to change.) “North Carolina Weekend” is …
Attorney General Roy Cooper: Credit Card Users Could See New Charges
Merchants pay credit card companies like VISA and MasterCard a processing fee each time a customer uses a credit card. Historically, credit card companies and large banks that issue cards prohibited merchants from passing that cost directly on to customers in the form of an extra fee. But retailers took the card companies to court and under a settlement agreement, credit card companies can no longer prevent retailers from hitting customers with a surcharge for using a credit card. The …
2013 N.C. Travel Guide app now available
The 2013 Official North Carolina Travel Guide app is now available for iPad and iPhone tablets plus Android and Kindle Fire tablets via Google Play. It is a state-of-the-art app with videos, pop-ups, a photo slide show, and an interactive Blue Ridge Parkway map. The app highlights the unique places across the state with beautiful photography and easy-to-read stories, making it easy to plan your trip to the Old North State. The Official North Carolina Travel Guide is the essential …
Information Sessions Scheduled at Vance County High Schools
Special events to offer valuable information to rising ninth graders and their parents and students now in grades 9-11 and their parents will be held at both Northern Vance and Southern Vance high schools beginning at 6 p.m. on Thursday, February 21. At both schools beginning at 6 p.m., current eighth graders who will be attending high school in the ninth grade for the upcoming school year will be provided with information about registering for classes for the 2013-2014 school …
Giveaways, promotions to mark Feb. 14 release of Safe Haven
State and local tourism officials are marking the Feb. 14 release of Safe Haven with a variety of giveaways and promotions. The film, based on a Nicholas Sparks novel set in Southport, stars Josh Duhamel (Transformers), Julianne Hough (Footloose), David Lyons (Revolution) and Cobie Smulders (How I Met Your Mother). The motion picture filmed in Southport, Raleigh and Western North Carolina. The Division of Tourism has “Experience Film Sites from Safe Haven” on VisitNC.com. In addition, the Division gave away …
VGCC offers Office Computer Skills training
Vance-Granville Community College is currently registering students for “Today’s Office: Computer Skills,” a course designed to teach employees to use the software programs commonly used in local workplaces. The class is scheduled to meet Monday-Friday 9 a.m. until noon, March 11 through May 31, 2013. Classes will meet in room 7136 of Building 7 on the college’s Main Campus in Vance County. Students will receive a total of 177 hours of instruction in the 2010 versions of Microsoft Word, Excel, …
White House State of The Union Speech 2013
This week, in the State of the Union, President Obama outlined his plan for a thriving middle class and a strong America. He described a strategy that will make the United States a magnet for jobs and manufacturing, equip every American with the skills they need to do those jobs, and ensure that hard work leads to a decent living — through investments in manufacturing, clean energy, infrastructure, and education. If you prefer the text version, you can read it …
Thursday Open Line
While today may not be an official holiday, Valentine’s Day is one of the most popular in the year’s calendar. Its origins are a mix of legends involving two Christian martyrs, a Roman fertility rite, and the old notion that this is the time of year when the birds choose their mates. What is sure is that Esther Howland of Massachusetts began selling the first mass-produced valentines in the 1840s. Today’s occasion falls in the heart of February, which is …
Northern Vance Team Wins Prize For Innovation Competition!
The Northern Vance High School Engineering Team and their Sirocco Computer Cleaner project have won the N.C. State University Emerging Issues Prize for Innovation!!!! N.C. Gov. Pat McCrory presented the five team members and Dr. Jeff Arthurs with their first-place award earlier today in Raleigh! They captured the top prize over two student teams from the N.C. School of Science and Math in Durham, a student team from Hillside High School in Durham, and a student team from Havelock High …
Henderson Collegiate Releases New Video
On Friday, February 8th, Henderson Collegiate released a new Introduction Video about the school. The school, now in its third year, has tripled in size since opening in 2010. From one hundred fourth grade students and just seven teachers, the school now has 300 students in grades four – six and has 24 full-time employees. Henderson Collegiate, NC [2013 promotional video] from LPZ Media, LLC on Vimeo. You can also view the video on the Henderson Collegiate website at http://hendersoncollegiate.org/2011/03/introduction-video/.
Butterfield’s Statement on the Release of John McNeil and the NAACP
WASHINGTON, DC — Congressman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) issued the following statement regarding the release of Wilson, N.C. native John McNeil from a Georgia prison today: “As a former judge and Wilson native, I have closely followed the John McNeil case. While many are disappointed McNeil’s conviction was not overturned based on self-defense, today he can at least return home, rejoin his family, and attempt to pick up the pieces of his broken life. Although bittersweet, McNeil’s release from prison …
NC Lakes District Regional Bike Plan (Survey Request)
Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments is sponsoring its first regional cycling survey for our area. This survey will help gauge citizens current use and future direction of area bicycling transportation. Please take this survey linked below and pass the word around, the more results that come in the more useful the survey is! https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7DRPJ23
Rural center releases “Our Manufacturing Future” study
The N.C. Rural Economic Development Center released on Feb. 8 the results of an expansive, yearlong study of the state of manufacturing in North Carolina. The report cites growing reasons for optimism about the future of manufacturing — in 2011, for example, the sector experienced the first net increase in jobs in 16 years — and recommends establishment of the N.C. Manufacturing Council to capitalize on this momentum. A second report, with further recommendations, is to be released in March. …
Wednesday Open Line
This date marks the anniversary in 1635 of America’s first public school — the Boston Latin School — long before there was a United States. And this month in 1897, Phoebe Hearst and Alice Birney founded what is today known as the Parent Teacher Association, or PTA. Originally called the National Congress of Mothers, the organization now encourages both mothers and fathers to take part in school activities to improve the quality of their children’s education. Today, there are over …
Elisabeth Von Trapp Free Concert February 14th, 2013 at Church of the Holy Innocents
Please see attached a free concert brought to you on Valentine’s Day, Thursday, February 14th at 7:00 pm to see Elisabeth Von Trapp, world-renowned singer and the granddaughter of the famous Von Trapp family, who inspired “The Sound of Music”. The concert will take place at Holy Innocents Church on 210 South Chestnut Street. The free hour-long concert will take place in the sanctuary. Church of the Holy Innocents210 South Chestnut StreetHenderson, NC 27536 Thursday, February 14th 2013 starting at …
Butterfield Re-Introduces Bill to Equalize Veterans’ Education Benefits
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) today announced the introduction of H.R. 595, the Veterans’ Education Equity Act of 2013, to reward equal educational benefits to veterans whether they choose to attend a private or public institution of higher learning. The bill would change an inequity in existing law which allots more education funds to veterans enrolled in private colleges than those in public institutions. Currently, the Post 9-11 Veterans’ Educational Improvements Assistance Act capped the education benefit …
Possible Event Attendance of Henderson City Council
The Henderson City Council has been invited to attend a meeting on Wednesday, February 20, 2013 regarding Progress Energy’s plan to replace 65 power poles on Garnett Street between Andrews Avenue and Spring Street. The meeting will be held in the Farm Bureau Room at the H. Leslie Perry Memorial Library at 5:30 p.m. It is possible a quorum of City Council may attend; however, no action by Council will be taken at that time. For more information, please contact …
Upcoming VGCC classes
Today’s Office: Computer Skills Day Class ~ Microsoft Office 2010Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher, Access Start Date: 3/11/13 End Date: 5/31/13Monday thru Friday Time: 9:00 ~ 12:00Location: VGCC Henderson Campus Building 7, Room 7136Cost: $175 Registration, $7 Other (Registration fee waived for seniors who are 65 and older for one course per semester) Graphics in Business Presentations Night ClassStart Date: 3/7/13 End Date: 4/11/13Thursday nights Time: 5:30 ~ 9:30Location: VGCC Henderson Campus Building 7, Room 7100Cost: $65 Registration, $7 Other (Registration fee waived for seniors …
VGCC and North Carolina A&T sign Nursing agreement
HENDERSON – Vance-Granville Community College and North Carolina A&T State University have formed a partnership that will allow graduates of VGCC’s Associate Degree Nursing program to easily transition to N.C. A&T’s four-year Nursing degree program. Representatives of the college and the university formally signed their new agreement in a ceremony today (February 8) in the Civic Center on VGCC’s Main Campus, located on Interstate 85 between Henderson and Oxford. Through this new “RN to BSN” partnership program, a Registered Nurse …