The state of North Carolina has once again awarded a five-star license — the highest possible rating — to the Child Care Center at Vance-Granville Community College’s Main Campus. State evaluations of child care programs are conducted once every three years, explained Bridget Perry, the manager of the VGCC center. “On a scale of one to 15 points, our program received 13 total points, earning the renewal of our five-star status,” Perry said. “The five-star rating shows our parents and …
Month: February 2016
Congresswoman Renee Ellmers: This Week in the District
Photo of the Week Brent and I enjoyed a Valentine’s Day with our son Ben over the weekend. Ben had an opportunity to escort a young lady in a formal dance, and Brent and I were honored to accompany them both. We had a blast dancing the night away! Weekly Update I was excited to get back to the district this week, as I knew I would have the opportunity to meet with constituents from across the district. At …
Monday Open Line
The history of radio and the presidency seems to center entirely on Franklin Roosevelt’s famous “fireside chats” beginning in 1933 in the depths of the Depression. But the first president to address the nation from the White House over the infant broadcast medium was, ironically, “Silent Cal.” President Calvin Coolidge spoke to a coast-to-coast audience on this date in 1924 on the occasion of George Washington’s birthday. His words were carried over a mere 42 stations. That year, there were …
FAFSA Day events this Saturday to help students apply for financial aid
Free expert help applying for college financial aid will be available on February 20 at locations across North Carolina. With the cost of college rising, financial aid is more important than ever for many North Carolina families, but some eligible students aren’t taking advantage. According to a recent study, North Carolina high school graduates missed out on a reported $87.6 million in Pell Grants, free federal money for low- and middle-income students. The study also found that 47% of NC …
Friday / Weekend Open Lines
Friday, February 19th. On this date in 1942, President Franklin Roosevelt issued an executive order requiring Japanese-Americans living along the Pacific Coast to be relocated inland. This order affected some 77,000 citizens and 43,000 resident aliens. The internment lasted throughout the Second World War, and the camps closed by early 1946. The dislocation caused by the internment order singling out an ancestry group came to be widely regretted and led to the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, formally apologizing for …
Republican Redistricting Criteria Violates Voting Rights Act
Congressman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) Wednesday released the following letter he sent to North Carolina Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore of the North Carolina General Assembly regarding his objection to several criteria adopted for drawing North Carolina’s 2016 congressional district maps: In his letter, Butterfield wrote, “I take strong exception to several of the criteria adopted by the Joint Select Committee on Congressional Redistricting to be used in drawing a 2016 Congressional Plan in response …
North Carolina Weekend
For the week of Feb. 18 on North Carolina Weekend, discover the works of “Rodin: Portraits of a Lifetime – Selections from the Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Collections” at the William F. Bethune Center for Visual Arts at Methodist University in Fayetteville. Admire another type of artistry at Brian Boggs Chairmakers in Asheville. Take in the great outdoors along the Elkin Valley Trails in Elkin. Lift a glass at Mystery Brewing in Hillsborough. And the “House Special” samples the …
Popular N.C. Beer Month returns in April
North Carolina, one of the nation’s top craft beer states, celebrates the craftsmanship of 145 breweries along with the destinations that embrace it with the return of N.C. Beer Month in April. Co-sponsored by Visit North Carolina and the N.C. Craft Brewers Guild, N.C. Beer Month directs travelers to a rising range of beerscapes, from brewery-rich cities and welcoming towns to unexpected finds in lesser-known places. Major festivals, singular events, special-edition beers, lodging packages, beer dinners, and brew schools showcase …
Vance County Early College Applications Available, First Parent Info Meeting February 18th
Vance County Schools is now accepting applications for rising ninth graders to enroll in the Vance County Early College High School for the 2016-2017 school year. Applications can be picked up from counselors at Eaton-Johnson Middle School, Henderson Middle School and the STEM Early High School, as well as on the Early College website and at the school’s office on the third floor of Building 2 on the campus of Vance-Granville Community College off Poplar Creek Road. The deadline for …
Thursday Open Line
Although Canada has been self-governing since 1867, it wasn’t until this date in 1927 that the U.S. established formal diplomatic relations through recognition of a Canadian ambassador in Washington. Until that date, the Dominion of Canada’s foreign relations remained under the control of London. The relations since have been sterling, as Canada is our greatest trading partner. In 2014, more than $660 billion of goods passed one way or the other across the effectively undefended border. There are about 6.8 …
Time to submit wheat tissue samples for spring nitrogen needs
The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services reminds growers that properly timed spring nitrogen applications are essential to the growth and development of wheat. Assessing nitrogen needs now will optimize yield and economic return later, and is especially important for organic grain growers. To decide how much spring nitrogen to apply, growers should submit a wheat sampleto the NCDA&CS Agronomic Services Division for plant tissue testing. “Tissue sampling should be done when wheat reaches Zadoks growth stage 30 (GS-30) …
Vance County Properties Committee Meeting February 18th, 2016
Vance County’s Properties Committee (Brummitt, Kelly, Wilder) is scheduled to meet Thursday, February 18 at 3:30 p.m. in the Large Conference Room at the City of Henderson City Hall, 134 Rose Avenue. The meeting will be with the Henderson City Council’s Land Planning Committee to discuss dilapidated/abandoned structures and REO properties.
Commerce Fellows Professional Development Opportunity Now Accepting Applications
Local communities build their capacity to attract businesses and grow their economies in many ways. One key way is increasing the knowledge and ability of local leaders to pursue the important work of community building. The Commerce Fellows/Community Capacity Building program offers grants to local governments so they may offer high-quality professional development and training opportunities to local administrators. Fellows in the program gain access to a training curriculum in grant administration and public management that covers a range of …
First NC Competes for Jobs Event Highlights Available Solutions to Assist Local Communities
More than 100 local community leaders gathered in Wilkesboro February 11 to hear N.C. Commerce Secretary John Skvarla and his rural economic and workforce development leaders outline the many solution-oriented programs Commerce offers local communities in the pursuit of economic growth. The NC Competes for Jobs events offer attendees a fast-paced, information-packed session outlining the solutions N.C. Commerce offers to address common challenges that get in the way of meeting the needs of businesses, such as a lack of available …
Main Street Grant Solves Business Growth Challenge in Warrenton
Supporting business growth means clearing away obstacles that hinder companies from growing in your community. Especially when a company is poised for explosive growth and your community stands to benefit from all the economic benefits that follow such potential. In Warrenton recently, the bustling business facing an obstacle was Quilt Lizzy, which provides extensive supplies and training for quilt fabrication. Business owner Susan Harris offers a unique service to the region, meeting head-on a shortage of quilting equipment dealers and …
NC Cooperative Extension Gardener Updates
GARDEN PATH NEWSLETTER Our latest issue available here. As usual, it contains great information on timely gardening tasks, our plant of the month, herb of the month, and much more! MASTER GARDENER SYMPOSIUM There is still time to register for “Backyard Gardening: Big Ideas for Small Spaces”! This year our symposium will be held on March 19th at the Vance County Regional Farmers Market. Registration required and all the details are available at http://go.ncsu.edu/vancegarden.
NCDA&CS accepting proposals for 2016 Specialty Crop Block Grant Program
The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is accepting grant proposals for the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program. Nonprofits and government agencies wishing to apply have until March 25. The Specialty Crop Block Grant Program aims to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops in the marketplace. It is managed by the department and funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture under the 2014 farm bill. “In 2015, we were able to award more than $1 million to fund 13 …
Wednesday Open Line
This month — and some sources cite this date — is the 250th anniversary of the 1766 birth of Thomas Malthus in Dorking, England. Given that birthplace, he perhaps naturally became an economist, demographer and statistician. He’s remembered for “The Principle of Population,” a 1798 essay foretelling widespread famine caused by population growth far outstripping the food supply. While the forecast remains unrealized, his theory of demand-supply mismatches was a precursor to later theories about the Great Depression. When Malthus …
Henderson City Council’s Land Planning Committee Meeting Thursday, February 18, 2016
The Henderson City Council’s Land Planning Committee will meet on Thursday, February 18 at 3:30 p.m. in the Large Conference Room at City Hall, 134 Rose Avenue. This meeting will be with the Vance County Properties Committee to discuss dilapidated/abandoned structures. The public is welcome.
Tuesday Open Line
The nation’s first college for deaf students traces its beginning to this date in 1857, when Congress incorporated the Columbia Institution for the Instruction of the Deaf, Dumb and Blind. In 1864, the school was federally chartered to confer degrees, the first three of which were awarded in 1869. Those diplomas were signed by President Ulysses S. Grant, and all subsequent diplomas awarded by the school bear the U.S. President’s signature. In 1954, the name of the institution was changed …