Business is up at North Carolina’s State Ports with posted increased cargo movement for the 2011 calendar year compared to 2010. Container movements increased more than 11 percent and general breakbulk cargo increased 8 percent for the year positioning the North Carolina State Ports Authority for a successful fiscal year 2012. In Wilmington, NCSPA moved 287,467 20-foot equivalent unit containers in 2011, an 11.2 percent increase over calendar year 2010. And more than 1.7 million tons of bulk and breakbulk …
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Wednesday Open Line
Today I’ve posted numerous releases regarding businesses expanding and creating jobs in North Carolina. Although they aren’t here, the large number of businesses announcing hiring and expansion is a telling sign that our economy is growing. While February 14th may not be an official holiday, Valentine’s Day is one of the most popular in the year’s calendar. Its origins are a mix of legends involving two Christian martyrs, a roman fertility rite, and the old notion that this is the …
President Obama’s 2013 Budget is a Blueprint for an America Built to Last
President Obama traveled to Annadale in northern Virginia Monday morning to talk about his budget for the 2013 fiscal year — and how it will boost job creation to speed our economic recovery. A core set of themes helps to define this budget, and in talking to the crowd, the President laid out those ideas: [An] economy built to last demands that we keep doing everything we can to help students learn the skills that businesses are looking for. It …
NC Schools To Celebrate “Love The Bus” Week Feb. 13-17
Students at Caleb Creek Elementary School (Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools) will have a chance to make a new friend when they board bus number 246 on Wednesday morning. On Feb. 15, as part of the American School Bus Council’s (ASBC) annual Love the Bus program, State Superintendent June Atkinson will ride the bus to Caleb Creek Elementary School (1109 Salem Crossing Road, Kernersville) with students and then she will take part in a program to thank school bus drivers. “Our school …
President’s Budget for Education Summarized
President Obama hopes to increase education spending to $69.8 billion in 2013, which is 2.5 percent more than the current budget of $68.1 billion. Obama’s budget proposal Monday for the next fiscal year seeks level funding or slight increases for several education programs, including competitive grants that reward public education reforms and innovation. And he wants to spend $14 billion on one-time “strategic investment” in key areas, including synchronizing education with labor needs, improving teacher quality and making college more …
Tuesday Open Line
Happy Valentine Day to all! Since the 19th century, handwritten notes have given way to mass-produced greeting cards. The mid-19th century Valentine’s Day trade was a harbinger of further commercialized holidays in the United States to follow. In the second half of the 20th century, the practice of exchanging cards was extended to all manner of gifts in the United States. Such gifts typically include roses and chocolates packed in a red satin, heart-shaped box. In the 1980s, the diamond …
Richard Brand: Why?
If you listen to the political promises, you know that everybody is talking about jobs. We need more jobs. We have a high unemployment rate. Mr. McCory has the delightful circumstances that the Republican party in 2010 refused to keep a half-cent sales tax that a majority of people in North Carolina said they would accept. The refusal to keep that half-cent resulted in a much reduced budget for education and a large number of teachers, teacher aids and administration …
What They Are Saying: Preventive Health Care and Religious Institutions
On Friday, President Obama announced that his Administration will implement a policy that accommodates religious liberty while protecting the health of women. Under the new policy, women will still have access to free preventive care that includes contraceptive services – no matter where she works. And as previously announced, churches and houses of worship will be exempt from the requirement to refer or provide coverage for contraception. But if a woman’s employer is a charity, hospital or other religious organization …
Monday Open Lines
Weekly Address: Extending the Payroll Tax Cut for the Middle Class – President Obama urges Congress to extend the payroll tax cut to prevent a tax hike on 160 million hardworking Americans. Back in December, Congress faced this exact same predicament. People all over the country tweeted, emailed and wrote to explain how losing $40 each check would affect them. Ultimately, thanks to your stories, Congress did the right thing and passed a two-month tax cut extension. It’s more important …
Alonzo Ellis Arrested and Charged Regarding September 2011 Assault
On Thursday, February 9, 2012, Alonzo Ellis, 34, 513 Zene Street, Henderson, N.C. was arrested and charged with one count of Robbery With A Dangerous Weapon, Assault, and an outstanding order for arrest. He was placed in the Vance County Jail after failing to post a $23,800.00 secured bond. A preliminary hearing has been scheduled in Vance County District Court on February 21, 2012. The robbery charge stems from an incident that occurred in Henderson on September 5, 2011. The …
Butterfield Urges the DOJ to Maintain Its Original Decision to Oppose Changes to Elections in Kinston
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) today sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder urging the Department of Justice (DOJ) to maintain its opposition to proposed changes that would make the City of Kinston’s elections nonpartisan. In 2009, Kinston, located in Lenoir County, voted to alter their election procedure by making all city council elections nonpartisan. Butterfield believes nonpartisan elections in Kinston would reduce Black voters’ ability to elect their candidate of choice. Since Lenoir County …
Grants from BB&T and Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation Support Leadership Development Efforts for Innovative Secondary Schools
RALEIGH — Grants from BB&T and the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation are helping support efforts led by the North Carolina New Schools Project to hone the skills of leaders of innovative secondary schools across the state. BB&T is providing $300,000 over three years for leadership development; the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation is giving $130,000 over two years for the same effort. “These funds will help us provide the kind of coaching and support that principals want and need to be …
Representative Michael H. Wray’s Raleigh Report
The General Assembly is scheduled to return to Raleigh next week, and I plan to attend even though we have been told that no floor votes are scheduled. Committee meetings may be scheduled and I want to be available for any of my committees that are asked to meet. I also want to be prepared to represent your interests if a vote is scheduled quickly, as happened during a recent session. The last few weeks have been tumultuous, as a …
Senator Richard Burr Message
This Week in Washington: Unemployment Benefits Reform Act This week, I introduced a bill called the Unemployment Benefits Reform Act of 2012 which would individuals who have been unemployed for six months or more to complete 20 hours of public service and 20 hours of active job search or other work related activities per week as conditions for receipt of federal extended unemployment benefits. The United States economy is suffering, and we are experiencing record levels of sustained unemployment. Being …
Division of Aviation Awards $400,000 to Triangle North Executive Regional Airport for Terminal Area Expansion
RALEIGH — As part of the N.C. Department of Transportation’s ongoing commitment to improving aviation in North Carolina, the N.C. Division of Aviation awarded $400,000 in State Aid to Airports funds to Triangle North Executive Regional Airport in Louisburg for a terminal area expansion project. The funds will be used to acquire land for the expansion, which will include additional hangars and an aircraft parking apron. “The land acquisition is the key initial step in allowing the airport to develop …
Henderson City Council Regular Meeting Monday January 13, 2012
The Henderson City Council Regular Meeting is scheduled for Monday, 13 February 2012 at 6:00 PM in the City Hall Council Chambers, 134 Rose Ave., Henderson, NC 27536 You may download the full packet here: (103 pages) 20120213_coh_regular_meeting_agenda_packet Consideration of Approval of Resolution 12-13, Requesting the Closeout of the A. L. Harris Estates Grant 06-C-1609.Public HearingResolution 12-13I.PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD ON AGENDA ITEMSCitizens may only speak on Agenda items at this time. Citizens wishing to address the Council must sign-in …
Thomas Day Program at Warren County Memorial Library
“Thomas Day, Cabinet Maker: Man in the Middle” will be presented on Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 5:30 p.m. in the community room at Warren County Memorial Library by Laurel Sneed, educator, researcher, media producer/film-maker, executive director of Thomas Day Education Project. The event is free and the public is invited to attend. This project is made possible by a grant from the North Carolina Humanities Council, a statewide nonprofit and affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Be …
Vance County Board of Education January 13th, 2012
Vance County Board of EducationHenderson, N. C. 27536February 13, 2012 7:00 p.m.Administrative Services Center Download the full agenda packet here: 20120209_vc_boe_agenda_packet A G E N D A I. Call to Order II. Moment of Silence * III. Approval of Minutes * IV. Approval of Meeting AgendaV. Recognitions/Announcements A. Shining Moment Award B. North Carolina School Boards Association Presentation VI. Comments from the Public (Citizens who would like to address the Board may do so …
State Tourism Office Unveils Tools To Assist Wine Travelers
RALEIGH— The North Carolina Department of Commerce Division of Tourism, Film and Sports Development today announced the release of three new tools to help travelers find their way to more than 100 wineries in North Carolina. A new winery guide, mobile website and billboard campaign are designed to draw attention to wineries as attractive destinations where visitors can connect with North Carolina traditions in taste and agriculture. “The wine industry and travel and tourism industry are critical economic drivers for …
Raleigh Realizes 4th Greatest Job Growth in Nation
The number ten city by total number of jobs added was North Carolina’s capital city, where job growth swelled by 48,900 from 2001-2011, according to an article by G. Scott Thomas in the Triangle Business Journal. Raleigh was fourth in the nation in terms of job growth percentage. The city’s number of jobs expanded by over 13 percent since 2001. As we emerge from the Great Recession, hindsight reveals there was a place job growth and a more stable economic …