During the past two years, a local reality show in Haywood County has become a phenomenon that’s being broadcast into homes across the country and beyond. The program is Hillbilly Blood: A Hardscrabble Life, and it features Western North Carolina outdoor survival experts Spencer Bolejack and Eugene Runkis. With the second season currently hitting the airwaves, the program follows Bolejack and Runkis around the woods of Haywood County, where they cross paths with skilled craftsmen, figure out planned scenarios or …
Month: May 2013
Thursday Open Line
The first recorded automobile accident involving two vehicles occurred on this date in 1896 in New York City. Henry Wells of Springfield, Massachusetts, was driving a new Duryea Motor Wagon, the first automobile to be made and sold in the U.S. Unfortunately, he collided with Evelyn Thomas of New York, riding a bicycle. Thomas went to the hospital with a broken leg, and Wells spent the night in jail. Now, there are close to 11 million motor vehicle accidents a …
Dataforge Wins Small Business Of The Year for 2012 by the Henderson – Vance County Chamber of Commerce
Wednesday, May 29th, 2013, Dataforge (That’s us!) was presented the award for the Small Business Of The Year for 2012 by the Henderson – Vance County Chamber of Commerce in a ceremony also featuring award winners from Franklin, Granville and Warren Counties at the Henderson County Club. The speaker for the event was Dr. Stelfanie Williams, President of the Vance-Granville Community College. Other award winners were: Franklin County: First Citizens Bank of Franklin County Granville County: Creedmoor Drug Company Warren …
Meet Me In The Street – Thursday, May 30th Downtown Henderson 5:30pm – 8:30pm
Thursday, May 30th, 2013, staring at 5:30pm come visit Downtown Henderson, NC for a free party featuring the band Steve Owens and Summertime. This is the 2nd event of the year put together by the Henderson – Vance County Chamber of Commerce. The next one will be September 12th, 2013. The event tonight is free, and lasts until 8:30pm.
NC Main Street Communities Receive 2013 National Accreditation
Raleigh, N.C.—The N.C. Department of Commerce, Office of Urban Development announced that 27 North Carolina communities have achieved accreditation from the National Main Street Program for meeting the commercial district revitalization performance standards set by the National Main Street Center®, a subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Each year, the National Main Street Center and its partners announce the list of accredited Main Street® programs that have built strong revitalization organizations and demonstrate their ability in using the …
NC Cooperative Extension Updates and Events
COLLECTION DAY FOR ALL PESTICIDES (HERBICIDES, INSECTICIDES, FUNGICIDES, ETC.)Bring your all old, unneeded pest control products for disposal free of charge! Thursday, May 30th, 10 am to 2 pm, City Operations Center on Beckford Dr. in Henderson. Signs will be posted, or call for directions (252-438-8188). This is a once every two year opportunity! (also look for a collection day in Warren County this fall) THIS WEEK IN THE GARDEN 1 – Grow your own dried flowers. Plant statice, globe …
Attorney General Roy Cooper: Lottery scammers target real winners
Telling people that they’ve won a prize but must pay taxes or fees before they can collect it is a common and unfortunately effective scam. Some recent winners of the North Carolina Education Lottery have been targeted by a new twist on this ever-popular scam. Recent lottery winners have gotten calls informing them that in addition to the prize they already knew about, they’ve won a Mercedes-Benz. But before taking possession of their new car, they need to pay $499 …
Small Business Taxpayer Program reports big impacts; new program launched
The Small Business Taxpayer Recovery Program — a joint effort of the N.C. Department of Commerce’s Commissioner for Small Business and the N.C. Department of Revenue — is winding down, but it continues to have a significant impact on North Carolina’s small businesses. More than 3,000 firms have been accepted into the program by the Department of Revenue and $126 million has been collected: $58 million in delinquent taxes and $68 million in current taxes. Businesses will save almost $18 …
Representative Michael Wray’s Newsletter
Representative Michael H. Wray’s Raleigh Report May 23, 2013 As Crossover came to a close, the speed at the General Assembly intensified as the Senate gave final approval to their budget proposal. The budget now heads to the House where changes will be made before presenting a final plan to Governor Pat McCrory for his signature. In a heated debate, Senate Democrats condemned the measure citing harmful impacts to working families. The Senate budget is another step in …
Wednesday Open Line
The nation’s first daily newspaper, the Pennsylvania Evening Post, began publication this week in 1783, printed by Benjamin Towne in Philadelphia. Americans’ hunger for news was such that by 1850, there were some 250 dailies. The number of newspapers peaked a hundred years ago, when there were 2,600 dailies published across the nation, with a circulation of over 24 million. Today, with increasing competition from the Internet, television, and radio, the number of daily newspapers in the U.S. has dropped …
City of Henderson: New Police Chief – Captian Marcus W. Barrow
I am pleased to advise you that I have appointed Captain Marcus W. Barrow to the position of interim Police Chief, effective close of business on Friday, 31 May 201.3. Captain Barrow, a native of Zebulon, NC, has been with the Henderson Police Department (HPD) since 17 August 1998. His tenure has been marked as one of progressive development and promotion. He was promoted to Police Officer II in 2000, Police Officer III in 2003, Sergeant in 2005, Lieutenant in …
Senator Angela Bryant: Senate Budget Hurts Early Childhood Education
Statement from Abdul Rasheed on the N.C. Senate’s Cut of All Funding for the N.C. Community Development Initiative: We are deeply disappointed that the North Carolina Senate failed to provide any funding to enable the N.C. Community Development Initiative to continue helping North Carolina’s most economically distressed communities recover and rebuild their economies. Businesses, families and the state’s fragile recovery cannot withstand this move by state legislators and the governor to dismantle 20 years of progress made through public-private investments …
More than 1,000 Graduates of NC Early College High Schools Earn Associates Degrees or Two Years of College Credit
RALEIGH – North Carolina’s growing number of early college high schools reached a new milestone this spring, with more than half the 2,000-plus graduates in the class of 2013 earning an associate degree or two years of college credit in addition to a high school diploma. At a time of intensifying focus on the readiness of high school students for college and the workforce, North Carolina’s early colleges are proving an effective model for helping students gain the kinds of …
Senator Richard Burr Newsletter
This week the Senate continued its work on the Farm Bill. One amendment that was offered by Senator Dianne Feinstein would have been devastating to North Carolina’s farmers. If passed, the Feinstein amendment would have singled out tobacco farmers, and only tobacco farmers, from being eligible to purchase federal crop insurance. This was just another thinly veiled attempt to end the production of a legal product in this country. Tobacco is also the leading tax generating commodity in the agriculture community and one that we export. If the amendment …
VGCC Pins Nursing Graduates
Vance-Granville Community College recognized 43 students who graduated this spring from the Associate Degree Nursing program with a pinning ceremony in the college’s Civic Center on May 8. Among those honored with distinctive nursing pins at the ceremonies were five who graduated through the LPN to ADN Transition Program, which helps Licensed Practical Nurses to continue their education with the Associate Degree Nursing program and then become Registered Nurses. These graduates were Domonique Hargrove and Laura Ohlandt, both of Franklinton; …
VGCC honors Radiography Graduates
Twenty-five new graduates of Vance-Granville Community College’s two-year Radiography program were honored in a May 6 pinning ceremony in the college’s Civic Center. VGCC Dean of Health Sciences Angela Thomas, who was head of the Radiography program when the graduates first enrolled, presided over the ceremony. In welcoming remarks, VGCC President Dr. Stelfanie Williams congratulated the graduates and saluted the faculty for preparing students to become radiographers. “Your class has demonstrated a commitment not only to technical excellence but also …
VGCC graduates 12 Law Enforcement Cadets in School’s 96th BLET Class
Twelve cadets graduated on May 14 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. Graduates of VGCC’s 96th BLET class included James Alan Vercoe of Butner Public Safety; Keith Antwon Alston of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office; Lindsay Ann Green of the Vance County Sheriff’s Office; …
Tuesday Open Line
May kicks off the busiest moving season of the year. It’s a time when moving vans and rental trucks show up in driveways and parking lots all across the country. Each year, 1-in-8 of us changes our address — a rate that is up slightly as of last year. Nearly two thirds of all moves are within the same county, and slightly less than 5 percent to another state. Men and women in their 20s are more apt to move, …
Congresswoman Renee Ellmers: Remembering the Fallen
As we head into the holiday weekend, many of us will be busy with family gatherings, trips and community events. My family will be celebrating the graduation of my son, Ben, from high school. Amidst the activity of the weekend, let us take time to remember those in our armed forces who gave all to secure the way of life we enjoy today. You will find my Memorial Day message in this newsletter, along with information about two bills I …
White House Weekly Address: Giving Thanks to Our Fallen Heroes this Memorial Day
In this week’s address, President Obama commemorates Memorial Day by paying tribute to the men and women in uniform who have given their lives in service to our country. This week, the President continued his Jobs & Opportunity tour, this time highlighting bold new efforts in education and manufacturing in Baltimore, gave the commencement address at Morehouse College, invited the President of Myanmar, eight immigration reform advocates and DREAMers themselves, and Gershwin Prize winner Carol King and friends to the …