Friday, March 18th. This is National Peanut Month — celebrating one of the nation’s favorite foods, and absolutely America’s favorite snack nut. They are enjoyed in many ways — roasted in the shell, used in salads and stir-fry recipes, in cookies and, of course, ground into peanut butter. The idea of honoring the peanut has been a monthlong observance since 1974. Americans eat an average of more than six pounds of shelled peanuts a year, about half in the form …
Month: March 2016
VGCC Agricultural project receives $25,000 grant
Vance-Granville Community College has been awarded a $25,000 grant through the Rural Community College Agricultural Cooperative Initiative, with funding provided by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The grant is for a project entitled “Cultivating and Connecting Agricultural Communities” that seeks to strengthen agricultural cooperative partnerships in Franklin, Granville, Vance, and Warren counties. A different component of the same project received grant funding from the N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission. As part of the new grant, VGCC will be …
AT&T sponsors new VGCC Summer Bridge program
AT&T North Carolina has made a $10,000 contribution to Vance-Granville Community College to support a new student success initiative. For the first time, the college will offer a “Summer Bridge” program this year for incoming first-year students. With AT&T’s sponsorship, the program will be available at no cost to participating students. “Thanks to the strong support of AT&T North Carolina, in a few months, our faculty and staff will be able to offer some extra help to students to prepare …
NCDA&CS promoting N.C. livestock with new tag program
The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has launched a tag program to promote livestock born and raised in North Carolina. The new Got to Be NC tag program uses special ear tags to identify N.C.-born-and-bred cattle, swine, sheep and goats. The voluntary program is a collaboration between the department’s Got to Be NC marketing program, Livestock Marketing Section and Veterinary Division. “Livestock production generates over $3.6 billion in farm income in North Carolina,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. …
Butterfield: Senators Burr and Tillis Must Demand Senate Majority Leader McConnell Give Supreme Court Nominee a Vote
Congressman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) today released the following statement on President Obama’s nomination of federal appeals court judge Merrick Garland. “The President has done his job in nominating a highly qualified judge to the Supreme Court. Now, it is time for Senators Burr and Tillis to demand that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell gives a fair hearing and timely vote on the President’s nominee. Senator Tillis sits on the committee responsible for the hearings on Judge Garland’s nomination. I …
North Carolina Weekend
For the week of March 17 on North Carolina Weekend, step back to a simpler time at R.A. Fountain General Store in Fountain. Consider judging a book by its cover at Scuppernong Books in Greensboro. Go airborne at Defy Gravity Trampoline Park in Durham. Enjoy the great outdoors at William B Umstead State Park in Raleigh. And the “House Special” samples the fare at Sam Jones BBQ in Winterville, which ought to be of particular interest to those who attended the …
Stephanie Alston Named as New Principal at E.M. Rollins Elementary
Stephanie Alston, an educator for over 17 years and an elementary school principal most recently in Edgecombe County, has been named as the new principal at E.M. Rollins Elementary School. She replaces Dean Thomas, who has been named as Vance County Schools’ new coordinator of the Transportation Department. Alston will assume her new duties at E.M. Rollins as soon as possible. During her career in education, she was a teacher for eight years and an administrator for the past nine …
White House: Get to know the President’s nominee
Wednesday, President Obama announced his nominee for the Supreme Court: Chief Judge Merrick Garland. Read why President Obama chose him for the job, then watch the video to learn more: Learn more about his background and experience. After the announcement, Chief Judge Garland gave remarks reflecting on his career as a dedicated public servant — and they’re definitely worth a read: JUDGE GARLAND: Thank you, Mr. President. This is the greatest honor of my life — other than Lynn agreeing …
Thursday Open Line
This is a day when people of all ethnicities are cheerfully encouraged to wear something green. It is St. Patrick’s Day, a rare national holiday observed outside its native land. The day honors Bishop Patrick, born in England, who brought Christianity to Ireland in the fifth century, using a shamrock to illustrate divinity. The celebration here goes back to Colonial times. New York City’s parade has taken place every year since 1762, and today is the largest such event in …
N.C. Main Street Conference Kicks Off Wednesday in Goldsboro
North Carolina’s largest downtown revitalization conference gets underway this Wednesday, March 16th in Goldsboro. Commerce’s NC Main Street Center will host the three-day conference offering learning sessions, tours, downtown exploration and networking opportunities with downtown professionals, elected officials, consultants and volunteers. More than 500 participants are expected to attend. The conference theme – Soaring with Main Street – references both the conference location, adjacent to the state’s largest Air Force Base and the tremendous economic successes achieved through the Main …
Wednesday Open Line
The first salvo in what we’ve come to know as the War on Poverty was fired on this date 52 years ago. Following President Lyndon Johnson’s State of the Union call for tackling poverty in America, the Economic Opportunity Act was introduced and passed by Congress with 11 program components. The landmark legislation was signed into law in August. The poverty rate in 1965, at the implementation of the programs, was around 16 percent, down from some 22 percent in …
North Carolina Requesting Waiver from Assessing Speaking and Listening in Reading/English Language Arts Assessments
The U.S. Department of Education (USED) is allowing states to request a waiver from assessing speaking and listening as part of its Reading/English language arts assessments. In June 2010, the North Carolina State Board of Education adopted Reading/English language arts content standards, which include standards for speaking and listening. Federal law requires assessments include all adopted content standards; however, measuring speaking and listening skills in a large-scale summative assessment is not practical at this time. As a result, North Carolina …
Butterfield Invites Constituents to Attend His “Jobs and Justice” Tour
Congressman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) announced four additional stops on his district-wide “Jobs and Justice” Tour. He will travel across the First Congressional District where he will host constituents for open dialogues about issues they face in the community. Butterfield is also conducting a survey on his website to capture the views of his constituents. “I will listen to the concerns of constituents and take their recommendations back to Washington, D.C. where I’ll work with my congressional colleagues and the Obama …
Butterfield Statement on the Passing of Former State Senator Earline Parmon
Congressman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) Tuesday released the following statement on the passing of former North Carolina State Senator, Earline Parmon: “North Carolina lost a legend today with the passing of Earline Parmon, Forsyth County’s first black state senator. Earline was elected to the North Carolina Senate in 2012 after serving as a representative in the North Carolina House of Representatives for ten years. She was well respected by her colleagues and was a charismatic leader who always put the needs of …
NVHS Soccer Earns Academic Award
The Northern Vance High School men’s soccer team for the seventh consecutive year received a High School Team Academic Award from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) with the fourth highest grade point average among the 152 teams receiving national recognition for the award for the 2014-2015 school year. The team’s overall grade point average was 4.11. The NSCAA annually recognizes high school soccer programs that have excelled in the classroom in addition to their work on the …
VGCC students partner to register bone marrow donors
The SkillsUSA chapter at Vance-Granville Community College recently teamed up with national organizations and a local cancer survivor to find some potential heroes. The survivor, Whitney Johnson Espinosa of Henderson, who calls her campaign against childhood cancer “Whitney’s Hope,” organized a bone marrow registration drive in the Civic Center on VGCC’s Main Campus. She connected with the SkillsUSA student organization through her mother, VGCC Dean of Business & Applied Technologies Angela Gardner-Ragland. Espinosa was working in concert with three national …
Chamber Ribbon Cutting – Kerr Lake Cornhole & Vinyl Graphics
A ribbon cutting was held on February 23rd for Kerr Lake Cornhole & Vinyl Graphics to celebrate the company’s membership with the Chamber and business growth at their location on 430 S. Garnett Street in Downtown Henderson. Family, chamber staff and local dignitary and businesses joined them in their celebration. Anthony and Gail Hatchel are the owners of Kerr Lake Cornhole & Vinyl Graphics (430 S. Garnett Street, Henderson), a business that builds custom sets of the bean bag game. …
Vance County Committee Meeting Notices – Water Committee and Public Safety
Please note the following schedule of upcoming committee meetings: Public Safety Committee – Monday, March 28 at 2:00 p.m. (fire department reorganization) Water Committee – Monday, March 28 at 3:00 p.m. (water matters) These meetings will be held in the administrative conference room. All commissioners are invited to attend.
Tuesday Open Line
Ask many Americans where their food comes from, and they’ll answer the supermarket, while clothing comes from the mall. That’s why today is National Agriculture Day, and March 13 to 19 is National Agriculture Week. These annual programs focus on students across the nation, the consumers of tomorrow. They’ll learn that from pizzas to cosmetics, from clothing to orange juice, agriculture gives us what we eat each day and much of what we wear and use. In 1920, there were …
Congresswoman Renee Ellmers: Growing Economic Opportunities in Sanford
Photo of the Week Turnout for the ribbon cutting ceremony at the Sanford Buggy Factory was huge! It was an honor to speak at such a one-of-a-kind ceremony in downtown Sanford. This ceremony is a perfect example of how revitalization and historic preservation can enhance our community. This newly-renovated facility will provide a “one-stop-shop” for economic growth and development in Sanford, as it will house several agencies focused on developing, growing and enhancing Sanford. Weekly Update Monday began with …