In this week’s address, the President recognized Labor Day by highlighting the economic progress our country has made, and underlining what needs to be done to continue that growth. Our businesses have created 13.1 million new jobs over the past five and a half years, the unemployment rate is the lowest it’s been in seven years, and seventeen states across the country have raised the minimum wage. The President stressed that to continue this progress, Congress needs to avoid a …
Month: September 2015
Congresswoman Renee Ellmers: Tapping our Energy Potential
Photo of the Week This week I joined several of my Congressional colleagues touring an oil exploration rig in the Gulf. This trip gave me a unique perspective for my work on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and Subcommittee on Energy & Power. The photo above was taken in the Control Room of the drilling center where pressure, kickback, and other issues are monitored. Weekly Update: This was a busy week of travel and learning. I began …
Monday Open Line
This is Labor Day — a time to honor the nation’s working men and women, and traditionally, the end of the summer season. The observance has more than the usual significance this year because of the recent years of slow employment growth. The first Labor Day was celebrated in September 1882 in New York City. By 1894, more than half the states were observing the occasion, and noting the first Monday in September as a national holiday became federal law …
Vance County Board of Commissioners Meeting Tuesday September 8th, 2015
Vance County Board of Commissioners Meeting Tuesday September 8th, 2015 Download the full agenda packet here: 20150908_vcboc_agenda_packet 1. Public Comments (for those registered to speak by 5:45 p.m. – speakers are limited to five minutes) 2. Public Hearing 6:00 p.m. Zoning Ordinance Amendment Solar Farm Regulations 3. Appointment 6:15 p.m. Argretta Johen, HR Director 2015 Summer Work Program 4. Appointment 6:30 p.m. Tony Jackson, Schools Superintendent Alysa Watkins, Schneider Electric Energy Savings Project Resolution 5. Water District Board a. Water …
NCDOT Uses Gator Getters to Pick Up Road Side Trash
RALEIGH — Have you ever driven down the road and noticed trash along the route? It could be big pieces of tires, trash bags or even debris from accidents located in the median or in the lanes. All that can be very dangerous for N.C. Department of Transportation maintenance crews to pick up. That’s where the Gator Getter comes in. The Gator Getter is a high-speed highway debris removal tool that is custom built to attach to heavy-duty trucks. The devise collects …
Friday / Weekend Open Lines
Friday, September 4th. Today is the 234th anniversary of the founding of Los Angeles by the Spanish governor of California. It was a small village of just 11 families, but was given the name “The Town of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels.” The town had grown to some 6,500 residents when the Mexican Revolution overthrew Spanish colonial rule in 1821. California was among the territories ceded to the United States in 1848 after the Mexican-American War, and became …
Overview of State Economic Development Programs: Senate District 4 Counties
Courtesy of Senator Angela Bryant: JDIG JDIG is a discretionary grant program by the State to a new or expanding business for creating jobs in the State. Businesses apply for a grant to the Economic Investment Committee. Committee evaluates applications, selects projects for grants, and negotiates an agreement setting out amount of grant, the term of the grant (limited to no more than 12 years), and requirements. The grant amount is based on a percentage (ranging from 10% to 75%) …
More Labor Day weekend travel expected this year
Approximately 35.5 million Americans will journey 50 miles or more from home during the 2015 Labor Day holiday weekend, according to a AAA Travel forecast. This marks the highest travel volume for the holiday since 2008, and a 1 percent increase compared to 2014. While 30.4 million travelers (86 percent) will celebrate the end of summer with a final road trip, air travel is also projected to grow 1.5 percent. Drivers are expected to see the lowest Labor Day gas …
NC Navigator Consortium awarded $2.6 million to enroll consumers in health insurance through the Affordable Care Act
RALEIGH, September 2, 2015 – The NC Navigator Consortium, a group of 14 health care, social service and legal aid organizations, has been awarded $2,610,472 in federal funding to help North Carolina consumers enroll in affordable health insurance plans through the Affordable Care Act during the 2015-2016 open-enrollment period, the second-largest grant in the country for this period. The grant was announced today by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, a part of the U.S. Department of Health and …
Vance County Schools – Results from 2014-2015
Data released Wednesday by the N.C. Department of Public Instruction for the 2014-2015 school year is encouraging for the Vance County School System. Eight Vance County Schools increased performance by one letter grade as determined by the state required School Performance grading system. The four-year cohort graduation rate increased by more than four percentage points from the previous school year. These results also indicate that Vance County Schools’ third-grade students improved their reading proficiency by nine percentage points in 2014-2015 based …
Final of Three “Meet Me in the Street” Events Scheduled for Friday, September 18, 2015
Henderson, NC – The final of three free “Meet Me in the Street” concerts is scheduled for Friday, September 18 featuring “Steve Owens & Summertime”. This popular band presents a mix of Carolina Beach Music, Southern Soul and Rock-n-Roll. Its no wonder that they have a faithful following with Cammy nominations for Male Vocalist of the Year, Entertainer of the Year, Group Album of the Year, and Song of the Year. The free concert will take place on Breckenridge Street …
North Carolina Weekend
For the week of Sept. 3 on North Carolina Weekend, take in a show at the Ice House Theatre in Selma. Be environmentally conscious as you fish with the River Girl Fishing Company in Todd. Tempt your taste buds at La Farm Bakery in Cary. Let a llama carry the golf bag at Talamore Golf Resort in Southern Pines. And explore the changes at the Omni Grove Park Inn in Asheville. (Please note: listings are subject to change.) North Carolina …
Louisburg College to Dedicate Mural During Tar River Festival
LOUISBURG, N.C.— Louisburg College invites members of the media and the general public to attend the dedication of the public art project Esse Quam Videri, a mural of the Latin phase for the state’s motto, which translates in English as “to be, rather than to seem.” The dedication will be held during the Tar River Festival on Saturday, September 12, 2015 at 12:00 p.m. in front of the mural at the corner of 218 S. Main Street and Johnson Street …
First United Methodist Church of Henderson – GriefShare Program Starts September 10, 2015
First United Methodist Church located at 114 Church Street, in Henderson, will be presenting a non-denominational GriefShare support group beginning on September 10th, and running for 13 weeks – excluding Thanksgiving. Sessions will be held in the Stephen Ministry Room beginning at 6:00 p.m. every Thursday night. The sessions are free, and open to anyone grieving the loss of a loved one – family member or friend. Unfortunately, we are not able to offer child care at this time. You …
Thursday Open Line
Football season is soon to be in full swing again. Many colleges begin playing their schedules today, and the National Football League season starts a week from now. For many years, it was believed the first professional game took place on this date in 1895 in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. It was considered professional because one player was paid the sum of $10. However, recent research determined that the first professional game took place in 1892 in Pittsburgh between two athletic clubs. …
Representative Nathan Baskerville Newsletter
View the August 2015 newsletter here: August 2015 newsletter
North Carolina Rural Infrastructure Authority Approves Grants to Support 330 New Jobs
The North Carolina Rural Infrastructure Authority (RIA) approved 14 grants or loans on August 20, totaling nearly $4.6 million with the commitment of 330 new jobs. Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)/loans approved include: Edgecombe County: A $500,000 loan to support Wada Farms’ reuse of a building vacant for four years. The company plans to create 25 jobs. City of Lumberton (Robeson County): A $495,041 grant to demolish two dilapidated industrial buildings constructed in 1928 and 1946. The buildings require abatement …
New VGCC Scholarship established in memory of Granville County soldier
W. Christopher “Chris” Johnson’s life was devoted to service and helping others, and a new scholarship in his name at Vance-Granville Community College will continue to help local students for years to come. A Granville County native and J.F. Webb High School graduate, Johnson was a 22-year-old private first class in the U.S. Army infantry serving in Iraq in 2007 when he was killed by an improvised explosive device. In the years that followed, his parents, Billy and Rhonda Johnson, …
Robin Wilson is Vance County Schools’ Teacher of the Year
Robin Wilson, a third-grade teacher at New Hope Elementary School, is the 2015-2016 Vance County Schools’ Teacher of the Year. Mrs. Wilson has a total of 41 years of teaching experience, with 30 years of teaching in Virginia. She is in her second year as a faculty member at New Hope after teaching for the previous nine years at E.O. Young Jr. Elementary School. Mrs. Wilson was selected for the district’s teaching honor by a special selection committee, which interviewed …
Wednesday Open Line
To highlight its importance, both as a crop and as part of the changing U.S. diet, this is National Rice Month. Globally, rice is the world’s most important cereal grain. Reflecting both our increasing cultural diversity and awareness of good nutrition, Americans have increased their annual consumption of rice from 1980’s 9½ pounds to today’s 31 pounds each. Rice has been grown in America since the late 17th century and is currently a $3 billion a year crop. While raising …