Vance-Granville Community College students will enjoy clearer pathways to completing a four-year degree, thanks to a new Independent Comprehensive Articulation Agreement (ICAA) between the N.C. Community College System and the N.C. Independent Colleges and Universities. On Aug. 27, Dr. R. Scott Ralls, the president of North Carolina’s system of 58 community colleges, and Dr. A. Hope Williams, the president of NCICU, signed the revised ICAA at William Peace University, one of the 22 private colleges and universities that have agreed …
Month: August 2015
NCDOT’s Helping Travelers Save Time, Money Over Labor Day Weekend
RALEIGH – As families travel to enjoy the final holiday weekend of summer, the N.C. Department of Transportation will suspend most road construction activities on major routes across the state to help make their trips a little smoother. By avoiding traffic delays, motorists can reach their destinations safely and efficiently, while cutting down on fuel consumption and costs. NCDOT will put on hold most construction projects along interstate, N.C. and U.S. routes from 4 p.m., Friday, September 4, until 9 a.m., Tuesday, …
Congresswoman Renee Ellmers: Hearing Firsthand from Small Businesses
Video of the Week Last week, I hosted a roundtable discussion with small business owners from Cary and Apex. We discussed the harmful impact of the health insurance tax as implemented through the Affordable Care Act. During this roundtable, I emphasized Congress’ efforts to repeal this tax through my co-sponsorship of H.R. 928. Click here to watch a short video on the roundtable and hear directly from participants and small business owners. Weekly Update: Late last week, I had …
Safety Escort Plan in Place for March of Justice Through North Carolina on US 1 and US 401
RALEIGH – Motorists are urged to use extra caution if they travel along U.S. 1, N.C. 211, and U.S. 401 as participants in the NAACP March for Justice make their way along those highways through North Carolina from Saturday, Aug. 29, through Sunday, Sept. 6. It is a part of an 860-mile march from Selma, Alabama to Washington D.C. that started earlier this month. The North Carolina segment of the march will begin south of Rockingham in Richmond County on …
Vance County Schools Committee Meeting September 1st, 2015
Vance County Board of Education Committee Meeting Date: * Policy Committee, Tuesday, September 1, 2015, 5:30 pm Note: All meetings are held in the Superintendent’s Conference Room.
NC Housing Finance Agency Grant
Courtesy of Senator Angela Bryant: News from the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency North Carolina will gain $470 million in affordable rental apartments as the result of federal Housing Credits approved this month. The new awards are expected to support 9,500 jobs in construction and other industries. They will produce 3,690 privately owned, privately managed affordable apartments in 36 counties, including some counties within Senator Bryant’s district. In addition to the federal tax credits, 22 of the properties will receive …
Butterfield Supports Iran Nuclear Agreement
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) today released the following statement in support of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran Nuclear Agreement: “After carefully reviewing the JCPOA, I have concluded that it is in the best interest of the United States and our allies to support this historic agreement. I have read the agreement in its entirety and have personally met with many proponents and opponents of the agreement. In addition, I …
White House Weekly Address: Meeting the Global Threat of Climate Change
In this week’s address, the President spoke about his upcoming trip to Alaska, during which he will view the effects of climate change firsthand. Alaskans are already living with the impact of climate change, with glaciers melting faster, and temperatures projected to rise between 6 and 12 degrees by the end of the century. In his address, the President spoke to ways in which we can address these challenges, including the transition away from fossil fuels to more renewable energy …
Monday Open Line
The 1950s may be recalled for many now-quaint things, but it was also a decade with antecedents for our current technological pursuits. On this date in 1955, William G. Cobb of the General Motors Corporation demonstrated the world’s first solar-powered car. This vehicle didn’t take the world by storm because it was a model a mere 15 inches long. The first solar powered car that could actually be driven was unveiled in 1962; a 1912 Baker electric car was fitted …
N.C. Mountain State Fair offers ‘Mountain Fun’ for the whole family
FLETCHER – Fun-filled attractions, uplifting mountain music and deep-fried delicacies are all part of the entertainment planned for this year’s N.C. Mountain State Fair, which runs Sept. 11-20 at the WNC Agricultural Center. For some down-on-the-farm fun, visitors can enjoy the expanded Farmer Bill’s Ag-Ventures exhibit located near the main entrance. “This year, children will be able to drive sit-and-scoot tractors around a farm track, pick apples while learning about the region’s apple industry, and milk a cow,” said Agriculture …
Vance County Schools Principals Serve on State Committee
Dr. Michael Putney, principal at Dabney Elementary School, and Dr. Larry Webb, principal at Northern Vance High School serve on the State Superintendent’s Principals’ Advisory Committee. Dr. Putney, seated at far right, and Dr. Webb, standing at far right, are shown with members of the committee during their meeting held in late July. Additional members include, seated from left, Amy Richardson; Steve Lassiter, who is the N.C. Principal of the Year; Robin Hamilton and Christopher Poston. Others shown are, standing …
N.C. Forest Service sends crews, fire engines to assist with wildfires in Western U.S.
RALEIGH – More than 70 N.C. Forest Service personnel are currently helping fight fires in the Western United States. And for the first time in its 100-year history, the agency sent fire engines out West, too. The three engines are former military trucks that have been converted into fire trucks capable of carrying 600 to 800 gallons of water. Two of the trucks are going to Idaho, and the third is going to Oregon. The trucks, which left last weekend, …
Friday / Weekend Open Lines
Friday, August 28th. What is believed to be the nation’s first radio commercial was broadcast on the new medium on this date 93 years ago. Station WEAF in New York City carried that first ad — not for soap or automobiles — but for a group of apartment buildings in Queens. The cost was $100 for a 10-minute sales pitch. At the time, there were just 30 stations in the whole country, and only 60,000 households had receivers. By 1929, …
Luncheon Celebration for E.O. Young Jr. Elementary
All staff members at E.O. Young Jr. Elementary School were the special guests during a community appreciation luncheon held in their honor in the fellowship hall of Middleburg Baptist Church on August 20. School staff members enjoyed great food and fellowship with representatives from several churches and the town of Middleburg. The luncheon’s theme was “The Middleburg Diner Presents the Great Showcase Showdown.” Staff members were given door prizes and school supplies for students. They also played games including Password …
Summer Reading at E.O. Young Jr. Elementary
Volunteer Gary Tillotson, shown in photo at right, was one of about 20 church members who tutored students at E.O. Young Jr. Elementary School during a summer reading program led by members of Flat Rock United Methodist Church. Approximately 24 rising second and third-grade students received tutoring each week in the school’s media center from June 23 through August 6. The church provided transportation for the students and also lunch each day they were tutored.
High School students explore health and science at two VGCC campuses
This summer, high school students from across the region attended “Mini-Medical School” camps organized by the Wake Area Health Education Center (AHEC) in partnership with Vance-Granville Community College. The camp was held in June at VGCC’s South Campus, located between Butner and Creedmoor, and in July at the college’s Franklin County Campus, just outside Louisburg. Between the two locations, 35 students completed the program. This was the college’s second summer partnering with Wake AHEC’s Mini-Medical School, which is an intensive, …
VGCC recognizes 15 Medical Assisting students at Pinning
Vance-Granville Community College held a pinning ceremony for its 2015 Medical Assisting program graduates on Aug. 7 at the college’s Franklin County Campus in Louisburg, where the program is conducted. As VGCC’s program is nationally accredited, graduates are now eligible to sit for the American Association of Medical Assistants’ (AAMA) certification examination to become Certified Medical Assistants. The 15 graduates being honored included Courtney Pearce of Clayton; Tabitha Winstead of Creedmoor; Morgan Hudgins of Franklinton; Kourtney Cockrell, Jennifer Crews, Joyce …
Butterfield Marks Women’s Equality Day
WASHINGTON, DC – Wednesday, Congressman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) released the following statement recognizing the 95th anniversary of the 19th amendment, which guarantees a woman’s right to vote: “Today, on Women’s Equality Day, we mark the progress and applaud the achievements women have made since gaining the right to vote 95 years ago. Although women now graduate from college in higher numbers than men, make up nearly half of the workforce, and serve in senior government and private industry positions, …
North Carolina Weekend
For the week of Aug. 27 on North Carolina Weekend, wonder at the wind beneath the wings at the Winston-Salem Air Show. Get out to the great outdoors at New River State Park in Laurel Springs. Check out what’s happening at North87South Music Venue in Saxapahaw. Take in the “From the Master’s Hands” exhibit on woodwright Eddie Hamrick at the Hickory Museum of Art. And the “House Special” samples the fare at Neomonde Cafe and Bakery in Raleigh. (Please note: …
Thursday Open Line
The U.S. petroleum industry got its start on this date in 1859. That’s when blacksmith William Smith saw a dark film floating on the surface of the water in a hole he was boring near Titusville, Pennsylvania. Rising from a depth of just 69 feet, it was the oil he was seeking for his employer, Edwin Drake. Soon, the nation’s first commercial oil well was pumping out crude oil. Western Pennsylvania was the center of the infant industry, as new …