On this date 32 years ago, the infant personal computer was empowered to become something much greater than a glorified word processor with the release of the spreadsheet program Lotus 1-2-3. The popular program drew acclaim as the first PC “killer application.” Finance and accounting workers were thus freed from hunching over ledger books and switched to hunching before a computer screen. The name “1-2-3” stemmed from the product’s integration of three main capabilities — spreadsheet, charting and graphing, and …
Month: January 2015
City of Henderson City Council Meeting January 26th, 2015
Henderson City Council Short Regular Meeting and Work Session Monday 26 January 2015, 6:00 p.m. R. G. (Chick) Young, Jr. Council Chambers, Municipal Building 134 Rose Avenue Henderson, North Carolina Download the full agenda packet here: 20150126_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 …
Rusty McMahon: Commissioners Need to Address Water Project
Editors Note – An abbreviated version of this opinion piece has also been published in The Daily Dispatch‘s paper on Saturday, 1/24/2015. Dear Commissioners, I respectfully request that you address the following issue at your upcoming Planning Retreat. You told citizens in public meetings that 5000 gallons of water would cost $35-45, with no mention whatsoever of a monthly fee if they signed up but wanted water later. Those who signed up based on your promises learned of the monthly …
Oxford Prep to Celebrate National School Choice Week with Special Event
Oxford – Oxford Preparatory School will hold a special event on Tuesday, January 27, 2015 at 9:00 AM to celebrate National School Choice Week, school leaders announced today. This event will feature a Business & Community Forum, that will include interactive discussion with students and parents. The event will be held at the school. Oxford Preparatory School is a Public Charter school serving grades 9–10, with a student enrollment of 115. Oxford Prep is one of more than 9,000 schools participating in National …
Vance County Schools – Telescope Donation
Jack Abbott of Henderson and a volunteer in Vance County Schools, has donated a telescope to the STEM Early High School. Abbott is shown in the accompanying photo with the telescope when he came to the school to make the donation. The telescope will be used extensively in scientific studies by the students at the school in grades 6-8. Principal Rey Horner, along with his staff and students, were delighted to receive the very generous donation.
Union Bank partners with VGCC to present golf tournament
Union Bank is partnering with the Vance-Granville Community College Endowment Fund to present the college’s annual golf tournament in 2015. “We are so appreciative of Union Bank’s role in the four counties served by our college, and it pleases us that the bank is partnering with us to help our students secure scholarships,” said Eddie Ferguson, director of the Endowment Fund. “This is our first presenting sponsor in the 31-year history of our tournament. Union Bank has been a supporter …
Vance County Schools – College Advisors at SVHS and NVHS
The addition of college advisors to the staffs at Southern Vance and Northern Vance high schools is proving to be very beneficial to students. Through a grant program with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the schools each have a college advisor who works with students and their parents in helping them to prepare for college. During National College Application Week in late November, Austin Dixon, college advisor at Southern Vance, and Vincent Baxter, college advisor at Northern …
Friday / Weekend Open Lines
An innovation in product packaging — and a staple of TV advertising — is having its 80th anniversary tomorrow. The first canned beer went on sale in 1935 as a marketing test in Richmond, Virginia, by the Gottfried Krueger Brewing Company of Newark, New Jersey. Experiments with putting beer in cans had taken place as early as 1909 but the technology of the time couldn’t stop the beer from interacting negatively with the metal of the can. Prohibition delayed further …
Sleepy Hollow leaving for Atlanta if renewed
According to the Wilmington Star-News. Fox Television Group chairman and CEO Dana Walden said if it’s renewed for a third season, Sleepy Hollow will move production from Wilmington following the demise of the North Carolina film tax credit program. “We’ve explored other places to produce that show and I will tell you it came down to Atlanta and Vancouver and it looks like we’ll head to Atlanta,” she said following a news conference at the Television Critics Association winter 2015 …
Researchers hopeful N.C. site is that of Lost Colony
A clue discovered just a few years ago on a centuries-old map has led researchers back to a North Carolina site in hopes of discovering whether the men, women and children of North Carolina’s “Lost Colony” settled there. In 2012, researchers with the First Colony Foundation and the British Museum announced they had found a tantalizing clue about the fate of the Lost Colony, the settlers who disappeared from Roanoke Island in the late 16th century. The clue was on …
DPAC among top five theatres in U.S.
For the fifth consecutive year, the Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC) has placed in the top five theaters in the U.S., as tracked by multiple industry-leading trade magazines. In their year-end published attendance rankings, Pollstar, Billboard and Venues Today all placed DPAC among the top five venues in the U.S. among reporting venues of its size and type. DPAC’s 2014 calendar year featured 199 events, which drew more than 412,000 guests and saw a record 93 sellouts.
NCDA&CS to host farmer meeting with Harris Teeter in Raleigh February 20th 2015
RALEIGH – The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services will host a meeting Feb. 20 for N.C. farmers interested in selling fresh produce and greenery to Harris Teeter. The meeting will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Martin Building at the State Fairgrounds. “This meeting will offer local growers a chance to meet with major retailers one-on-one in a way they may not otherwise get,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “It is one of the …
Local Adopt-A-Highway Groups Recognized
Members of outstanding local N.C. Adopt-A-Highway Program groups are shown in the accompanying photo after they were presented certificates of recognition during the Vance County Board of Commissioners’ meeting on January 5. A total of 17 Adopt-A-Highway groups were recognized at the meeting for their efforts in keeping their designated roadside areas in Vance County clean of litter and debris. Archie Taylor, chairman of the Vance County Board of Commissioners, presented the certificates. The Vance County Appearance Commission joined the …
VGCC schedules Portrait Painting art class
Vance-Granville Community College will offer an Art class focused on Portrait Painting on Wednesdays from 1:45 p.m. until 4:45 p.m., Feb. 5 through April 8. Classes will be held in room 5230 (Building 5) on the college’s main campus in Vance County. Instructor Leslie Johnson of Oxford said that new students are sometimes reluctant to try portrait painting. “But when they work at it and find they can do it, they find it rewarding and don’t want to stop,” she …
Thursday Open Line
Many sumptuous foods get their day — or month — in the sun by way of some commemoration. But January celebrates a very basic, traditional dish. This is Oatmeal Month, recognizing the long-term favorite for its up-to-date health characteristics — low fat, no sodium, and the ability to help lower the risk of heart disease. Oatmeal also fits today’s time pressures, since a bowl can be made in seconds in the microwave. And, of course, oatmeal cookies are among the …
White House: President Obama’s 2015 State of the Union
Those were a few of President Obama’s final words as he finished delivering his sixth State of the Union address moments ago. He spoke not just about where we are as nation, but where we’re going. This is a speech you don’t want to miss — so if you didn’t see it live, make sure you watch the full enhanced version now.
NCDMV to Extend State License Plate Agency Hours in Wake and Mecklenburg Counties
RALEIGH — Beginning on Thursday, January 22, the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles will expand its pilot program to extend office hours at two state-operated license plate agencies in Raleigh and Charlotte. Office hours at both locations will increase by one hour, providing quality customer service from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. on Thursday and Friday of each week. Each office will be open from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday through Wednesday. This expansion will increase the number …
Middle and High School News January 19-23, 2015
VANCE COUNTY SCHOOLS WEEKLY SCHOOL NEWS Volume 3, Issue 21 A Publication for Middle and High Schools January 19-23, 2015 The MISSION of Vance County Schools is to be committed to educating all students to prepare them for lifelong learning and productive citizenship. IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS Early College High students return to classes on Tuesday. All students return to classes on Wednesday. This day is the make-up …
N.C. Rural Infrastructure Authority Approves Building Reuse Grant for Thomasville
The N.C. Rural Infrastructure Authority (RIA) has approved a building reuse grant of $500,000 for the city of Thomasville with the commitment of 40 new jobs. North Carolina Commerce Secretary John Skvarla and Assistant Secretary for Rural Development Dr. Pat Mitchell made the announcement January 8. The funds will be used to support the reuse of a total of 275,000 square feet in multiple buildings that were constructed between 1973 and 1984 and have been vacant for three years. Ennis-Flint …
NCDOT Sponsored Study on American Tobacco Trail Concludes
RALEIGH – A N.C. Department of Transportation sponsored study conducted by N.C. State University’s Institute for Transportation Research and Education (ITRE) on the American Tobacco Trail in Durham has concluded. The study set out to determine changes in trail usage that indicate impacts to transportation, health, and economic behaviors from the construction of a bicycle and pedestrian bridge over I-40. The bicycle and pedestrian bridge on the American Tobacco Trail crosses over I-40 and corresponding paved connections opened in February …