Duke may have pulled out a win at the buzzer last night, but it seems UNC-Chapel Hill has a solid grip on number one—for best college value, that is. In January, the Tarheel school was named by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine as the number one top value for public universities. This month, The Princeton Review arrived at the same conclusion, naming UNC-Chapel Hill the number one best value for public colleges. The rankings were based on institutional data and student …
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Butterfield Urges USDA Secretary to Keep State Farm Service Offices Open
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack opposing the proposed closures of several U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices in North Carolina. As part of an effort to cut its budget, the USDA released a proposal in January suggesting the closure of a number of FSA offices, including those in Chowan, Hertford and Warren counties, which provides critical access to USDA services for …
Friday / Weekend Open Line
Greenway’s new restaurant on Garnett Street is open. Lunch: Sunday – Fri 11 – 2 Dinner: Fri – Sun 5 – 10 Located in the old Wildflower / Bullpen / Jessica Charles / restaurant location Martin Robinson Delany had many careers — doctor, editor, author, politician, judge, and army officer. He used his talents toward abolishing slavery and promoting emigration for African-Americans. He went to Harvard to become a physician, and during the Civil War recruited soldiers for all-black units …
Presentation by Brian Short Regarding Backup 911 Site on February 6th, 2012
This was presented to the Board of Commissioners February 6th, 2012 20120206_Back Up PSAP Proposal Draft 7 Vance County BOC
NC Students Continue To Improve Advanced Placement Participation And Scores
A total of 18.4 percent of North Carolina’s high school Class of 2011 earned a score of 3 or better on at least one Advanced Placement (AP) exam, according to the annual Report to the Nation today released by The College Board. The report showed that 18.1 percent of the nation’s students reached the same achievement Over the past five years, North Carolina students have increased both their participation in the Advanced Placement program and also the percentage of graduates …
VGCC offers small business seminar on Hiring, Retention
Vance-Granville Community College’s Small Business Center will offer a free seminar, entitled “How to Hire and Retain Good Employees,” from 9 a.m. until noon on Thursday, March 8 in room 7107 of Building 7 on the college’s main campus in Vance County. The seminar will help business owners and managers match the right workers with the right jobs, thereby reducing turnover and increasing the bottom line. Topics will include the selection process, finding suitable candidates, interviewing and reasons behind employee …
Butterfield to Announce His Candidacy for Re-election in Durham, Friday
WILSON, NC — Congressman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) will make three stops in North Carolina’s First Congressional District to kick-off and announce his re-election campaign. Butterfield’s campaign stops will begin with a rally at the Durham Arts Council on Friday, with special guest Durham Mayor Bill Bell. On Monday, the Congressman will host a Meet & Greet at GK Café and Catering in Greenville, and a rally at the Booker T. Theater in Rocky Mount. “I am particularly excited about …
Vance County Schools Bus Driver Training
Vance County Schools is offering school bus driver training to interested persons Monday, February 13, through Wednesday, February 15, from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day in the Drama Room at Southern Vance High School. Persons seeking school bus driver certification must attend training sessions all three days. No pre-registration is necessary. Participants should arrive prior to 8:30 a.m. each day and must have their driver’s license with them. For more information, interested persons may contact the Vance County …
N.C. filmed ‘Journey 2’ hits the big screen on Friday, new productions setup shop
Wilmington’s first 3D movie hits the big screen on Friday, but exterior shots won’t feature familiar area locations. That’s because most of the interior shooting for “Journey 2: The Mysterious Island” took place on sound stages at EUE/Screen Gems Studios a year ago. The movie used Stage 10, the lot’s largest, as well as a water tank built by the production specifically for the shoot. “‘Journey’ was a big deal for North Carolina,” said N.C. Film Office Director Aaron Syrett. …
Doritos “Sling Baby” Wins 2012 USA TODAY Facebook Super Bowl Ad Meter
MCLEAN, Va., Feb. 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — The USA TODAY Facebook Super Bowl Ad Meter winner has been announced and Doritos “Sling Baby” came out on top for 2012. The ad features a grandmother who creates a way to sling her grandson – with a rubber band-like setup – across the yard to grab a Doritos bag from a taunting boy. The Facebook community rated the ad a 4.33 (on a scale of 1 to 5 stars). The top five ads …
Clinical Laboratory Service Company to Expand in North Carolina
HIGH POINT—Gov. Bev Perdue today announced that Solstas Lab Partners, a leading medical and diagnostic laboratory, will expand its operations in Guilford County. The company plans to create as many as 500 jobs and invest about $11.6 million over five years to gain maximum benefits from performance-based incentives approved by Guilford County and the City of High Point. The project was made possible in part by a $450,000 grant from the One North Carolina Fund. The state grant will be …
Corporate “Personhood” to be Tested in MF Global Bankruptcy Case
NEW YORK, Feb. 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — The legal principle of “corporations are ‘persons'” is set to be tested in the current MF Global bankruptcy case after a former MF Global client, Adam Furgatch of Hawaii, filed a motion on Monday in Federal Bankruptcy Court that asks the Court to treat MF Global Holdings, Ltd. as a “person” instead of a corporation. The filing asserts that because the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that a corporation such as MF Global …
Thursday Open Lines
Regardless of whether the groundhog saw his shadow last week — it’s still cold over much of the nation’s landscape — and that means keeping the heat on and also keeping an eye on the thermostat for a balance of being comfortable and holding down costs. Across the U.S., just over half of all homes are heated by gas. Electricity is the second most popular fuel, used in just over a third of homes. Fuel oil and kerosene heat just …
Vance County 911 Back Up PSAP Proposal
This presentation was given at the November 7th, 2011 Board of Commissioners meeting regarding the plans for a backup 911 site. You may download the presentation here: 911 Back Up PSAP Proposal Draft
Gary Morgan: A World Without Religion
It is the human (sin) nature to declare one’s own superiority and assume authority and mastery over others weaker or less motivated than ourselves. And it is only the ethical and moralistic values (inspired by religion) that hold back this basest of human instincts, without which no society or eco-system can long survive. What would it be like … a world without religion … a world without a future beyond our mundane human existence … a world where death leads …
Michael Bobbitt: Notes From The Peanut Gallery
Regarding the Vance County Board of Commissioners meeting on February 6th, 2012. Brian Short and Jordan McMillen presented the Emergency Operations Hazard Mitigation Plan (Plan) for approval by the Commissioners. This is apparently the second public hearing of this Plan. This first was held in July 2010 according to Mr. McMillen. Mr. Short started the presentation by referring the Commissioners to an executive summary, a summary not in the initial packet of public documents. Commissioner Brummitt started the Commissioners’ comments …
Search Warrant Nets Drugs and Stolen Firearm
On Wednesday, February 1, 2012, members of the Henderson Police Department Special Operations Division executed a search warrant at 725 John Street in Henderson. Kamal Harris, 26, 725 John Street, Henderson was charged with one count of Possession with the Intent to Manufacture, Sell, and Deliver Marijuana, Possession of a Stolen Firearm, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Harris was placed in the Vance County Jail after failing to post a 10,000.00 secured bond. A preliminary hearing has been scheduled in …
Vance County 2010-2011 Audit Report
For the fiscal year 2010-2011 ending June 30th, 2011. Local accounting firm Phillips, Thomas, Waters, & Brafford, P.A. submitted their audit report to the Vance County Board of Comissioners at the Monday February 6th meeting. You may download the full report here. (116 pages) 20120206_vance_county_2011_audit_report
Wednesday Open Line
This month, the word “heart” usually makes us think of the romance of Valentine’s Day, coming up next week. But February is also American Heart Month, with a more serious meaning — taking care of our physical heart. Everyone should be aware of the warning signs of a problem, an uncomfortable pressure in the chest may signal a heart attack, while numbness or weakness on one side of the body could mean a stroke. Experts say you can help prevent …
National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
February 7 marks the 12th annual National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD), a national community mobilization initiative to boost HIV awareness and advance HIV prevention, testing, and treatment among blacks in the United States. HIV and AIDS Disproportionately Affect Blacks Among all racial/ethnic groups, African Americans bear the greatest burden of HIV in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 1 in 16 black men and 1 in 32 black women will be diagnosed …