Good afternoon, Today, I was in Michigan. Yesterday, it was Colorado and Nevada. Before that, it was Iowa and Arizona. The day after I delivered my State of the Union Address to Congress, I took off to connect with ordinary Americans around the country, talk more about our Blueprint for an America Built to Last, and get some feedback. That’s why I’m writing you. On Monday we’re going to do something a little different. At 5:30 p.m. ET, I’ll walk …
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Richard Brand: A Must
Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson were appointed co-chairs of a committee to examine the national debt and to make recommendations for solving that massive problem. The Commission has made its report. There are 67 pages of report and recommendations. Not long ago on N.C. Public Television the Bowles and Simpson’s visit to Duke Univeristy was broadcast. The presentation is available on the internet now. The message is a brutal message. It steps on all the toes. It has bi-partisan support. …
VGCC South Campus Schedules Variety of Classes
Several courses are scheduled to begin in February at Vance-Granville Community College’s South Campus, offering all area residents opportunities to gain skills for use on the job or in their personal lives. South Campus is located on N.C. 56 between Creedmoor and Butner. First, South Campus will hold a two-night course for people who want to obtain a North Carolina commission as a Notary Public. The class will be conducted from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 6 …
N.C. Utility Savings Initiative Saves Taxpayers $82.8 Million Last Year
RALEIGH –North Carolina’s Utility Savings Initiative saved the state’s taxpayers more than $82.8 million in utility costs in the last fiscal year and avoided emitting more than 250,779 metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, according to a report released today by the North Carolina Energy Office. Since the Utility Savings Initiative was launched in 2003, the state has avoided more than $417 million while investing $11.5 million into utility savings improvements in North Carolina government and university facilities. …
Vance County Educator Effectiveness Report Released
Download the report here. The page for the full reports from all counties and more information is here. North Carolina is reporting on the effectiveness of teachers and administrators across the State. The reports show ratings of the performance of all teachers who were evaluated in the 2010-11 school year. This group includes mostly new teachers and some veteran teachers. Data for all principals and assistant principals also are reported. The following pages provide data on educator effectiveness in this …
Vance County Public Safety Committee to discuss Animal Shelter and Backup 911
Please be informed that the County’s Public Safety Committee is scheduled to meet Tuesday, January 31 at 4:00 p.m. in the County Manager’s Office. The Committee will discuss the animal shelter and the back-up 911 center.
Hatteras Yachts Exports First Boat to China
Deal Was Discussed During Recent Asian Economic Development Mission RALEIGH— Gov. Bev Perdue announced Friday that Hatteras Yachts will be exporting its first ever yacht to China. The boat, a 60-foot motor yacht, was sold to a group of business executives that met with Gov. Perdue and N.C. Commerce Secretary Keith Crisco during the economic development mission to Asia last fall. “Exporting products made in North Carolina is a critical piece of our state’s economy,” said Gov. Perdue. “Our boat …
Indianapolis Hotels Skyrocket Up to 1700% for Super Bowl
INDIANAPOLIS, Jan. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — Patriots and Giants fans who are planning a spur-of-the-moment last-minute trip to Indianapolis for the Super Bowl are going to be paying big bucks (upwards of $2000 according to ticket brokers) for not just tickets. A survey from Cheaphotels . org has revealed that they’ll also be spending major money for a hotel room unless they are willing to endure a long drive home after the game. In center city Indianapolis where the football …
Monday Open Line
Weekly Address: President’s Blueprint Includes Renewal of American Values. In his weekly address, President Obama discusses the blueprint he put forward this week in the State of the Union Address for creating an economy built to last. After focusing on American manufacturing, American energy, and skills for American workers during each of the last three days, he used his weekly address to highlight his commitment to a renewal of American values. The President is challenging leaders in Washington, DC to …
Vance County Schools Finance Committee Meeting Cancelled
The Vance County Schools Finance Committee Meeting scheduled for Wednesday, February 1, 2012, has been cancelled.
2011 Main Street Awards Winners Announced
CLAYTON – Commerce Secretary J. Keith Crisco presented 21 awards to participants in the N.C. Main Street Program. Award winners were recognized for excellence in downtown revitalization efforts in categories such as promotion, organization, design and economic restructuring. “Our successful Main Street programs have proven that revitalizing our downtown areas can help grow local small businesses, attract new investments and create jobs,” said Sec. Crisco. “Congratulations to this year’s winners for their efforts to improve communities across North Carolina.” The …
Henderson Man Pleads Guilty to Firearm Charges
WILMINGTON – United States Attorney Thomas G. Walker announced that in federal court on January 17, 2012, SHAWN D. STAMPER, 25, pled guilty before Senior United States District Judge James C. Fox to possession of a stolen firearm and ammunition and unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a person convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence. On September 20, 2011, a Federal Grand Jury returned a Superseding Criminal Indictment. According to the investigation, on January 29, 2011, …
Butterfield Announces $2.8 Million in Grants to Upgrade District Airports
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) today announced the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) awarding of $2.8 million in grants to seven airports throughout eastern North Carolina. The grants were awarded to make several critical upgrades to Martin County Airport, Northeastern Regional Airport, Tarboro-Edgecombe Airport, Tri-County Airport, and Warren Field. In addition, the grant funds will be used to remove runway obstruction at Oxford-Henderson Airport and to expand the runway at …
CED Report Shows Entrepreneurship Creates Jobs, Capital and Economic Stability in North Carolina
DURHAM, NC, January 25, 2012—CED, the Southeast’s largest entrepreneurial support organization, today released a 20-year retrospective report, “Starting Something: The State of the Entrepreneurial Economy of North Carolina, 1992-2011.” The report aggregates data from 1,823 high-growth companies founded in North Carolina since 1992 and shows these companies created 40,560 jobs. Of these firms, 397 have attracted $7.7 billion in private capital, raised from more than 600 funds, since 1997.The report is the first to provide a comprehensive look at the …
North Carolina Clear Choice for New Shipyard Location
RALEIGH – Gov. Bev Perdue today announced that Gunboat Company, a maker of high-end sailboats, will locate a new shipyard in Dare County. The company plans to create 71 jobs and invest more than $1.8 million over the next three years in Wanchese. The project was made possible in part by a $213,000 grant from the One North Carolina Fund. “My top priority is creating jobs,” Gov. Perdue said. “Our state’s top-notch workforce and job training programs create a strong …
Friday / Weekend Open Line
Democratic North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue, the first woman elected governor in the state, said Thursday she would not seek re-election this year because she believes a bid would make it more difficult to fund education. “We live in highly partisan times, where some people seem more worried about scoring political points than working together to address the real challenges our state faces,” Perdue said in an email to supporters. A re-election bid, she added, “will only further politicize the …
Thursday Open Line
By the time you read this I’ll already be out of town on a small trip. If you’re seeing this message, it’s because I wasn’t able to put up a open line last night. Same goes for tomorrow, as we won’t return until the weekend. Feel free to tear up the open lines!
New VGCC Scholarships honor memory of Granville County couple
The generous spirit of a Granville County businessman and his wife will live on thanks to two new scholarships recently established at Vance-Granville Community College. The scholarships, one endowed at the Presidential Scholar Award level and one at the Academic Achievement Scholarship level, will both be awarded to full-time VGCC students in the names of the late Harold L. Sherman and Helen Jones Sherman. A Granville County native and U.S. Army veteran, Harold Sherman owned and operated Morton & Sherman …
State Unemployment Rate Drops to 9.9 Percent in December
The number of people unemployed in North Carolina decreased in December as the unemployment rate dropped one-tenth of a percent, from 10 to 9.9 percent. “Gov. Perdue’s mission on jobs for North Carolina continues to be our focus,” said N.C. Department of Commerce Deputy Secretary Dale Carroll. “Looking at the private sector over-the-year, we are seeing some moderate signs of improvement. We remain committed to assisting our customers statewide with our programs and services available at our local offices.”Since December …
Wednesday Open Line
Nancy Pelosi made an odd comment yesterday on CNN, regarding the possibility of Newt Gingrich becoming president “He’s not going to be President of the United States. That’s not going to happen. Let me just make my prediction and stand by it, it isn’t going to happen.” (read more) The Daily Beast sought to determine which urban centers are havens for tolerance. Where are diverse urban populations matched by high levels of acceptance and peaceful relations? To find out, they …