WASHINGTON, DC – Representatives G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) and David Price (NC-04) have written North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory urging him to reconsider his decision to delay the special election for the 12th Congressional District for more than 300 days and to adopt an alternative timeline to cut the period of vacancy by several months. The Representatives write that the Governor’s decision is unacceptable and unprecedented, and that it deprives the district’s residents of their constitutionally guaranteed right of representation. …
Month: January 2014
White House Weekly Address: Ensuring 2014 is a Year of Action to Grow the Economy
In this week’s address, President Obama calls 2014 a year of action, which should start with Congress quickly passing emergency unemployment insurance for the 1.3 million Americans who lost this vital lifeline as they fight to find jobs and make ends meet. This week, President Obama called on Congress to extend emergency unemployment insurance for more than a million Americans, and announced the first five of what will be 20 Promise Zones to help change the odds for kids, as …
Monday Open Line
Couch potatoes can trace their roots to this date in 1928, when three experimental television sets were installed in private homes in Schenectady, New York. Not that there was much to see, the test broadcast by General Electric and RCA being of a woman smoking, followed by a man playing a ukulele. The first home receivers’ screens were only 1½ inches square; a far cry from today’s theater-sized flat screens. And in another departure from 1928’s lonely three, the percentage …
Henderson City Council Meeting Monday, January 13th, 2014
Download the full packet here (137 pages): 20140113_coh_agenda_packet I. CALL TO ORDER II. ROLL CALL III. INVOCATION AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE IV. OPENING REMARKSIn order to provide for the highest standards of ethical behavior and Transparency in Governanceas well as provide for good and open government, the City Council has approved Core Valuesregarding Ethical Behavior1 and Transparency in Governance2. The Mayor now inquires as towhether any Council Member knows of any conflict of interest, or appearance of conflict, withrespect to …
VGCC Art students exhibit their work
Vance-Granville Community College is holding an art show consisting of works by students in Portrait Painting continuing education classes taught by Leslie Johnson of Oxford. The portraits are displayed in the lobby on the first floor of Building 7 on the college’s Main Campus in Vance County, Friday, Jan. 10 through Wednesday, Jan. 15. The 12 artists whose paintings are featured in the exhibition hail from Vance, Granville, Franklin, Warren and Halifax counties and include participants in classes held over …
Vance County Board of Education Meeting Monday, January 13th, 2014
Vance County Board of Education will meet in Henderson, N. C. 27536 on Monday,January 13, 2014 7:00 p.m. in the Administrative Services Center. I. Call to Order II. Moment of Silence * III. Approval of Minutes * IV. Approval of Meeting Agenda V. Recognitions/Announcements A. School Board Appreciation Month Recognition B. National Board Certification Recognition C. Regional Principal of the Year VI. Comments from the Public (Citizens who would like to address the Board may …
VGCC launches Online Registration for Continuing Education
Vance-Granville Community College recently introduced a new system that allows area adults to register and pay for many continuing education classes online. According to Dale Fey, the college’s Dean of Continuing Education, the innovative changes bring several benefits. “First of all, this is going to be convenient for our students, who will now be able to register from anywhere, anytime, at the click of a mouse,” Fey said. “In addition, this will mean that all the administrative procedures will be …
North Carolina Schools Regional Teachers of the Year Named; State Winner to be Announced in May
Nine teachers have been selected to represent their regions and charter schools as the state’s regional Teachers of the Year and will now compete for the title of 2014-15 Burroughs Wellcome Fund North Carolina Teacher of the Year. The winner will succeed the 2013-14 Burroughs Wellcome Fund North Carolina Teacher of the Year Karyn Dickerson, an English teacher at Grimsley High School (Guilford County Schools). North Carolina Regional Teachers of the Year are North Central Region: Rhonda Holmes, Conway Middle …
Mount Airy Named a N.C. Certified Retirement Community
Raleigh, N.C. —The N.C. Department of Commerce announced today that Mount Airy has been designated a N.C. Certified Retirement Community. The N.C. General Assembly established the program in 2008 to designate communities that offer unprecedented quality of living that is desirable to retirees. “This designation will be a valuable economic development tool for the city of Mount Airy and its residents, “said N.C. Commerce Secretary Sharon Decker. “The people of Mount Airy recognize the valuable contributions that retirees can make …
Friday / Weekend 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 2012 election, nearly 64 percent of female citizens 18 and …
Vance County Schools Friday Night Basketball January 10, 2014
VANCE COUNTY SCHOOLS Friday, January 10, 2014 Academics First…Athletics Second NORTHERN VANCE HIGH SCHOOL (Home of the Vikings) Southern Durham High Schoolvs.Northern Vance High School 4:30 p.m. JV Men’s, 6 p.m. Women’s, 7:30 p.m. Varsity Men’sat Northern Vance High School $5.00 admission SOUTHERN VANCE HIGH SCHOOL (Home of the Raiders) Franklinton High Schoolvs.Southern Vance High School 4:30 p.m. JV Men’s, 6 p.m. Women’s, 7:30 p.m. Varsity Men’s at Southern Vance High School $5.00 …
VGCC offers Securities Law seminar for Small Businesses
Vance-Granville Community College’s Small Business Center will present a free seminar to help entrepreneurs understand the rules about seeking investors on Wednesday, Jan. 29 from 9 a.m. until 11 a.m. in Room F131 at VGCC’s Franklin County Campus near Louisburg. The seminar, entitled “Raising Business Capital: FAQ’s for Entrepreneurs and Small Businesspersons,” will be conducted by John Maron of the Securities Division of the N.C. Secretary of State, the agency which administers state securities laws. As a general rule, when …
Dr. Larry Webb Named Region 3 Principal of the Year
The 700 students at Eaton-Johnson Middle School joined their teachers and other school staff members, as well as support personnel from the Administrative Services Center, in a “surprise” assembly Wednesday afternoon to announce that Dr. Larry Webb, principal of Eaton-Johnson, has been selected as the Region 3 Principal of the Year for the 2013-2014 school year. He was selected as the top candidate interviewed by a special panel in the regional competition which also includes principals from Wake, Durham, Edgecombe, …
Gateway Centre Hotel Complex recognized for electric charging station
Tradeshow publication Exhibit City News recently spotlighted Rocky Mount’s Gateway Centre Complex. This past November, Tesla Motors installed a supercharger station for its electric cars at the Centre. The company is planning to install similar charging stations about every 150 miles along major highways in the U.S. so that Tesla electric car owners may conveniently travel long distances. The Gateway Centre is a prime location to serve this objective. According to the Gateway Center, the charging stations are already attracting …
N.C. Zoo visitors get Christmas gift of new polar bear
A different kind of White Christmas was in store for North Carolina Zoo visitors in Asheboro when “Patches,” the zoo’s new female polar bear, went on exhibit for the first time the day after Christmas. Born in 1987, Patches came to the N.C. Zoo from the Erie Zoo in Pennsylvania. The N.C. Zoo’s polar bear exhibit has been undergoing an $8.5 million renovation and expansion during the past two years. Patches will be exhibited in the older part of the …
U.S. Travel Outlook: U.S. economy strengthening
Economic analysis indicates that the U.S. economy appears to be strengthening with a revised forecast for GDP growth at 3.6 percent for the third quarter of last year, according to the latest U.S. Travel Outlook. While the growth was expected to slow somewhat in Q4, the second half of 2013 should end up with an average of 2 percent growth from the previous year. Supporting this growth is strength in employment, consumer confidence and household spending. Leisure travel in 2013 …
New Health Insurance Options – Jan. 2014
Courtesy of Senator Angela Bryant: STARTING THE NEW YEAR WITH NEW HEALTH INSURANCE OPTIONS, NEW CONSUMER PROTECTIONS Today is a new day for the millions of Americans who finally have the security that comes from quality, affordable health coverage. And those who already have health insurance will have better, more reliable coverage than ever before. From now on, insured Americans won’t be forced to put off a check-up or worry about going broke if they get sick. While there is …
North Carolina Weekend
For the week of Jan. 9 on UNC-TV’s North Carolina Weekend, enjoy a tour around Star. Roar along with the big cats – and other interesting animals – at the Conservators’ Center outside of Burlington. Discover the uniqueness of the Gourd Museum in Angier. Tempt your taste buds at the Weeping Radish Restaurant and Pub in Grandy. And the “House Special” samples the fare at Bay Leaf Restaurant in New Bern. (Please note: listings are subject to change.) North Carolina …
White House: What’s a Polar Vortex?
Want to know more about the frigid blast of air that’s been sweeping the country this week? Dr. John Holdren, Assistant to the President for Science and Technology and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, has got answers for you.
Thursday Open Line
If you feel a special, hair-raising electricity in the air today, well that’s no wonder — it’s National Static Electricity Day. Static electricity is the result of an imbalance between negative and positive charges in an object. These charges build up on the surface until they are discharged. This commonly happens when you shuffle about when the humidity is very low and then touch a conductor, such as a door handle or your pet’s wet nose. Static electricity has uses …