Once again, the dropout rate for North Carolina public schools hit a record low; and for the first time, two school districts – Hyde and Tyrrell – reported zero dropouts according to the 2013-14 Consolidated Data Report today presented to State Board of Education members. Last school year, 2.28 percent of high school students dropped out of school, which represents a 6.9 percent decrease from the previous year’s record low of 2.45 percent. The full report containing state, district and …
Month: March 2015
VGCC Paralegal program receives State Bar recognition, will hold information session
The Paralegal Technology program at Vance-Granville Community College was recently designated as a “Qualified Paralegal Studies Program” by the North Carolina State Bar. The State Bar’s Board of Paralegal Certification approved the VGCC program for this recognition at a meeting in February, but the status is considered to be retroactively effective from Dec. 18, 2014. The qualification lasts for five years, according to Joy C. Belk, the board’s assistant director. The State Bar is the agency responsible for regulating the …
NC Cooperative Extension Updates
MARCH EDITION OF GARDEN PATH NEWSLETTER Click the link for all the latest garden news from the Vance/Warren Extension Master Gardener Volunteers! http://gardenpathnews.blogspot.com/2015/03/march-edition-of-garden-path-newsletter.html BACKYARD FARMER SCHOOL STARTS MARCH 12, REGISTER NOW! Starting Mar 12, 6:30p, six sessions on fruit, vegetables, poultry, soils and more. Sign up for one or all. Details here: http://warren.ces.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Backyard-Farmers-Spr2015.pdf REGISTER NOW FOR “WILD IN THE GARDEN” SYMPOSIUM 3/28, Vance County Regional Farmers Market, details at: http://gardenpathnews.blogspot.com/2015/02/2015-symposium-going-wild-in-garden.html VEGETABLE INSECT PEST ID & MANAGEMENT 3/16, 12p, bring your …
First-Time Events Join Signature Festivals for an Inviting NC Spring
RALEIGH, N.C. (March 5, 2015) ? Like a well-tended garden, North Carolina builds on a festive foundation to heighten spring’s arrival in destinations from the mountains to the coast. Along with Biltmore Blooms, the North Carolina Azalea Festival and other traditional favorites come new celebrations of flowers and flavors inspired by natural beauty and nurtured creativity. Blossoming forth New: For Art in Bloom, floral designers interpret works in the North Carolina Museum of Art collection for a vibrant festival centerpiece. …
Vance County Committee Meeting Notices
Please be informed of the following County Committee Meetings on Tuesday, March 10th. Both meetings will be held in the administrative conference room. Public Safety Committee – 2:00 p.m. Properties Committee – immediately following the Public Safety Committee meeting.
North Carolina Weekend
For the week of March 5 on North Carolina Weekend, “Fitness Files” visits Rocky Knob Mountain Bike Park in Boone. “Collecting Carolina” tours the John Campbell Folk School. Check out the centennial celebrations for the Duke Mansion in Charlotte. And tempt your taste buds at Crafted in Greensboro. (Please note: listings are subject to change.) North Carolina Weekend is underwritten by Visit North Carolina. In addition, UNC-TV has made recent editions of North Carolina Weekend available online..
Friday / Weekend Open Lines
Seemingly out of nowhere, the issue of mandatory vaccinations has been in the news recently, particularly in conjunction with an upsurge in cases of measles. Governmental involvement in vaccination traces back to this date in 1810. That’s when Massachusetts enacted a law to “diffuse the benefits of inoculation for the Cow-Pox.” Such vaccinations of the mild, bovine cowpox virus immunized humans from smallpox, then a leading cause of disfiguring illness and death. This particular discovery dated from Great Britain just …
Winter Weather Issues Friday, March 6th, 2015
Please check directly with your local school, business, or government office for the most up to date information. WRAL also has a mostly complete list you can visit at: http://www.wral.com/weather/closings/?category=all As of this writing for Friday March 6th, 2015: Franklin County Schools: 2 hour delay Granville County Schools: 2 hour delay Kerr Vance Academy: 2 hour delay Vance Charter School: 2 hour delay Vance County Schools: 2 hour delay Victory Christian School: 2 hour delay ATTENTION HENDERSON COLLEGIATE FAMILIES: Henderson Collegiate …
VGCC Free Seminars & Resources for your Small Business
SEMINAR TITLE DESCRIPTION OF SEMINAR LOCATION DAY TIME DATE Register The Franchising Marketplace: Beyond the Burger PART 1 of a 3 PART SERIES Understanding the 4 quadrants of franchising: We will outline the 4 quadrants that make up all franchise business models and discuss the owner’s role, capital requirements and growth strategies How much money do I need? We will discuss how territories are defined in franchising We will evaluate Single Unit vs. Multi-Unit Growth strategies in …
VGCC Student Geoffrey Arnott recognized for Academic Excellence
Vance-Granville Community College has named student Geoffrey Arnott of Oxford as its recipient of the North Carolina Community College System’s Academic Excellence Award for 2015. One student from each of the 58 colleges in the state system is honored with the award each year. Arnott will be officially recognized at Commencement in May, when he is also scheduled to graduate with an Associate in Science degree. Arnott was home-schooled by his parents through high school. “I was given an excellent …
Butterfield and Jones Introduce Bill to Make WWII Merchant Mariners Eligible for Veterans Benefits
WASHINGTON, DC – Representatives G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) and Walter Jones (NC-03) today introduced bipartisan legislation that would make deserving World War II U.S. Merchant Mariners eligible for honorary veterans’ status and certain veterans’ benefits. H.R. 1288, the World War II Merchant Marine Service Act of 2013, would expand the list of documents accepted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to prove service and to grant honorary veterans status to a forgotten segment of the World War II Merchant …
Attorney General Roy Cooper: Who’s calling? Tech support scammers
Overseas crooks pretending to be tech support representatives for companies like Microsoft continue to dial up North Carolina residents. They say your computer is infected and offer to fix it, but it’s a trick to try to steal your information and your money. We’ve warned about these phony tech support calls before, but reports of the scam are up so far in 2015. Sometimes the scammers ask for a credit card number to pay for their services. In other instances …
Granville County to Get 40 New Jobs With Expansion of Shalag US
The One North Carolina Fund helps Shalag US, Inc. expand its production facility in Granville County. The expansion will create 40 new jobs over the next three years. The company plans to invest $16 million in Oxford. “Manufacturing is one of North Carolina’s traditional industries that has helped build our economy,” said Governor Pat McCrory. “It’s always great to see companies such as Shalag US expand manufacturing operations and create additional jobs right here at home.” Shalag US is the …
Henderson Vance Crime Stoppers Crimes of The Month – Rewards Offered for Info
Breaking & Entering Larceny Case: On February 10, 2015 at approximately 3:09 P.M. Henderson Police Department officers responded To 945 West Andrews Mini Storage, in reference to a Breaking and Entering Larceny. Upon arrival officers talked to Eric Watkins who stated that someone had broken into his storage unit during the daytime. Taken were several items from the unit. The Henderson Police Department encourages anyone with information related to this case to contact Henderson – Vance Crime Stoppers at 492-1925 …
Representative Baskerville Bulletin
Inside this issue: NC’s Economy Education Ethics Reform Medicaid Expansion Affordable Care Act Teacher Pay/Tenure Community Spotlight Download the full newsletter here: newsletter Feb 2015.pdf
More Than 490 New Jobs Announced with Latest Rural Grants
North Carolina Commerce Secretary John E. Skvarla, III and Assistant Secretary for Rural Development Dr. Pat Mitchell announced February 19 that the N.C. Rural Infrastructure Authority (RIA) approved 15 grants or loans totaling more than $5 million with the commitment of 491 new jobs. Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) loan: The City of Raeford (Hoke County): $1,000,000 to support the construction of a new belt press facility. This infrastructure will enable the city to accommodate the projected wastewater discharge requirements …
North Carolina Climbs to No. 4 Ranking in Site Selection’s Governor’s Cup
Governor Pat McCrory announced that North Carolina jumped to fourth place among all states in Site Selection magazine’s 2014 Governor’s Cup, a closely-watched ranking of economic development success. North Carolina moved up three spots as compared to last year’s ranking. The Governor’s Cup is awarded annually based on the number of new and expanded corporate facilities as tracked by Conway Data Inc.’s New Plant Database. North Carolina ranked number one in the South Atlantic region. “National rankings draw attention to …
Thursday Open Line
A severe economic panic, striking in 1893, led the city of Seattle to create the nation’s first municipal unemployment assistance office on this date in 1894. State and federal unemployment assistance wasn’t established until the 1930s. Recently, the national unemployment rate, as determined by the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey, has settled to around 5.5 percent. In 2010, Washington state’s average was at the then national average of 9.6 percent. The most current unemployment rate in Washington state is 6.6 …
How the White House Celebrated Black History Month
During Black History Month, the White House hosted a number of events and activities to celebrate the contributions and accomplishments of African Americans, both past and present. From honoring the women of the Civil Rights Movement, to telling the untold stories of African Americans in STEM, to talking with faculty and alumni from our nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities, it was an eventful month here at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Watch the wrap-up video from this year’s Black History Month …
Wednesday Open Line
The first woman to serve in Congress took her seat on this date in 1917. Barely a month later, Jeannette Rankin of Montana shortly became one of the few representatives to vote against entry into World War I, a stand that contributed to her defeat when she ran for the Senate in 1918. She reentered Congress in 1940, and putting her principles ahead of office holding, cast the lone vote against declaring war on Japan after Pearl Harbor in 1941. …