Yesterday, the President announced his “America’s College Promise” proposal. It makes two years of community college free for responsible students. Yes, you read that right. Under his plan, any student who earns good grades would get two years of community college education at no cost. Get the facts on yesterday’s announcement, and pass it on to someone who stands to benefit from the President’s proposal. Think about this: The President’s new proposal would let students earn the first half of …
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Friday / Weekend Open Lines
If you feel a special, hair-raising electricity in the air today, well that’s no wonder — it’s National Static Electricity Day. Static electricity is the result of an imbalance between negative and positive charges in an object. These charges build up on the surface until they are discharged. This commonly happens when you shuffle about when the humidity is very low and then touch a conductor, such as a door handle or your pet’s wet nose. Static electricity has uses …
Chamber Ribbon Cutting – TEGARRIS Associates Realty, Inc.
A ribbon cutting and Business After Hours ceremony was held on Thursday, December 18th at 5:30 PM for Tegarris Associates Realty to celebrate their membership with the Chamber and to showcase their business and all that they have to offer. Tegarris Associates Realty is a trusted name in the North Carolina realty community. They have a history of providing quality and affordable realty since 1980. Their superior customer satisfaction has been the key to their sustainability and progress. Thirty …
Agricultural Entrepreneurship Program to be offered again at VGCC beginning February 3
The Small Business Center and the Project Skill-UP Departments of Vance-Granville Community College are pleased to announce another offering of the NC REAL AGRICULTURAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAM. Date: Tuesdays, February 3 – March 17, 2015; 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM Instructor: Carrie Harvey Location: Oxford Recreational Complex Hix Gym Classroom Tuition: $70 Textbook – $25 Tuition scholarships available to those who qualify. Do not delay, register today. The program is limited to the first 20 students. You may register here. The …
Search Warrant Yields Heroin Arrest
The Henderson Police Department Special Operations Division and members of the Oxford Police Department concluded a joint investigation into the sale of heroin in the Henderson and Oxford areas. Members of both departments simultaneously executed search warrants at two residences in the Henderson area. Search warrants were sought and obtained for the residences located at 79 Evans Road, Lot #11 and 1465 Newton Dairy Road, Lot #16. Kareem Welfare, 23, 79 Evans Road, Lot #11, Henderson was charged with possession …
Michael Bobbitt: Notes from the Peanut Gallery (January 5th, 2015)
Monday night’s meeting was the first I have attended since Mr. Taylor’s ascension to Chairmanship. What a difference he has made in Board procedures. Instead of relying on the county manager to report on topics the committees have discussed the Chairman asked the committee chairs’ for their respective reports. This procedural change makes each committee chair accountable for their committee’s decisions instead of hiding behind the county manager. A larger than normal number of people attended most of the meeting, …
Scholarship established in memory of longtime VGCC employee Charles Brooks
A new scholarship is set to keep alive the memory of a Vance-Granville Community College staff member. Charles L. Brooks Sr. of Oxford died in 2009 at the age of 61, following a long battle with a rare form of leukemia and after many years working at the college’s South Campus. In the years since, his friends and co-workers at the college have worked to establish a scholarship in his name through the VGCC Endowment Fund. Brooks worked in the …
Vance County Properties Committee Meeting Notice
Vance County’s Properties Committee is scheduled to meet Monday, January 12th at 11:00 a.m. in the Administrative Conference Room. The purpose is to discuss foreclosed properties.
North Carolina Weekend
For the week of Jan. 8 on North Carolina Weekend, the “Fitness Files” visits Little River Regional Park in Rougemont. Go geocaching in Bynum. Compare your skills to the Tobacco Road Basketball League in Cary. Lift a glass at FontaFlora Brewery in Morganton. And sample the “House Special” fare at Casey’s Buffet in Wilmington. (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.
Thursday Open Line
The nation’s telephone service options changed forever on this date 33 years ago when AT&T complied with a Justice Department mandate to give up its local Bell System companies. The action came as the result of what has been termed the most significant antitrust suit since the breakup of Standard Oil in 1911. From the late 19th century, the virtual monopoly of what had come to be known as “Ma Bell” controlled America’s telephone equipment and lines. After the breakup, …
St. Paul staff complete afterschool training at VGCC
Vance-Granville Community College recently partnered with Saint Paul Presbyterian Church Day Care Center in Louisburg to provide continuing education to all employees of the center’s afterschool program. The staff members included Brenda Lynch, Mary Spencer, Barbara Terrell and Keshia Thorne. This five-star center holds the distinction of being the first in the Franklin-Granville-Vance Partnership for Children/Smart Start to achieve the goal of having all staff complete “Upping Your After School Game,” a training workshop conducted by VGCC School-Age Education program …
Butterfield Takes Helm of the Congressional Black Caucus
WASHINGTON, DC – Tuesday morning, Congressman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) was sworn in as the 24th Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) during a ceremony hosted by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF) at the U.S. Capitol. The historic ceremony marked the induction of the largest class in the CBC’s 44-year history, which includes five new members of which 20 are women. During the event, Chairman Butterfield recognized Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer, and Assistant …
Former Harlem Globetrotter to speak at two VGCC campuses
The Male Mentoring Program at Vance-Granville Community College is bringing former Harlem Globetrotter James “Twiggy” Sanders to speak to students, faculty, staff and the community. Sanders is scheduled to speak first in the multi-purpose room at VGCC’s Franklin County Campus near Louisburg on Tuesday, Jan. 20, at 10:30 a.m. Then, he will speak in the Civic Center on the college’s Main Campus in Vance County at 1 p.m. that day. Both presentations are free and open to the public. Coming …
Warrenton Downtown Revitalization Project Win Funding
The North Carolina Department of Commerce announced December 18 that the City of Shelby and the Town of Warrenton have been awarded up to $75,000 each from the Main Street Solutions Fund. “We are very excited about these two new projects,” said Liz Parham, director of the North Carolina Main Street Center. “The hope is to not only preserve each community’s historic character, but also revitalize their commercial districts.” The project in Warrenton relocates and expands an existing business in …
Wednesday Open Line
During the Revolutionary War, the rebelling colonies and the Continental Congress were anything but too big to fail. To the contrary, finances were very spotty and precarious. To help put affairs in order and make credit available, the first commercial bank in the U.S. opened on this date in 1782, just a week after being chartered by Congress. Called the Bank of North America, it was capitalized at $400,000, which roughly would be around $5.5 billion today. The names of …
Robert Murphy Appointed as Vance County Interim County Manager
PROFILE Thirty years’ experience as a county and city manager in growing and dynamic communities. Career includes managing a diverse county with a manufacturing, commercial and agricultural based economy, a coastal county with a substantial commercial and tourism tax base and a suburban city located in a major metropolitan area. EXPERIENCE Interim County Manager February 2014 – June 2014 Caswell County, North Carolina Interim County Manager July 2014 – January 2015 Pender County, North Carolina County Manager 2001 – 2013 …
Vance County Schools – High School Exam Schedule
First semester exams begin this Wednesday, January 7, and continue through Friday, January 16, at Northern Vance, Southern Vance and Western Vance high schools. The Early College High School completed its first semester exams December 15-19, prior to the Christmas break. The high school exam schedule includes: January 7: English III N.C. Final Exams and teacher made exams for first and third-period classes at NVHS and SVHS January 8: Civics and Economics N.C. Final Exams and teacher …
Elementary School News January 5-9, 2015
VANCE COUNTY SCHOOLS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL NEWS Volume 2 Issue 19 January 5-9, 2015 The MISSION of Vance County Schools is to be committed to educating all students to prepare them for lifelong learning and productive citizenship. IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS Students return to classes on Monday SCHOOL EVENTS FOR THIS WEEK Zeb Vance Elementary: (Monday, January 5) – Staff meeting at 3:30 p.m. Dabney Elementary: (Monday, January …
VGCC to host Dr. Martin Luther King Holiday Celebration on January 14, 2015
Vance-Granville Community College will hold a special program celebrating the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday on Wednesday, Jan. 14, at 11 a.m. in the Civic Center on VGCC’s Main Campus in Vance County. The celebration is free and open to the public. The theme of this year’s event is “How can we educate, inspire, and support our community?” The program will include inspirational music presented by local choirs, as well as remarks by guest speaker Archie Taylor Jr. of …
Middle and High School News January 5-9, 2015
VANCE COUNTY SCHOOLS WEEKLY SCHOOL NEWS Volume 3, Issue 19 A Publication for Middle and High Schools January 5-9, 2015 The MISSION of Vance County Schools is to be committed to educating all students to prepare them for lifelong learning and productive citizenship. IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS First semester exams begin on Wednesday at Northern Vance and Southern Vance high schools. Early College High School students …