Category: Quick hits

We plan to write more on the topic later, but City Manager Jerry Moss revealed a plan at yesterday’s FAIR Committee meeting to give all city employees a 3% cost-of-living adjustment beginning on May 5. This would be the first pay hike of any kind for city employees in two years. Let your thoughts on that or anything else be known below on our open line.

This morning, the Clean Up Henderson Committee will meet in the City Operations Center Conference Room at 8:00 a.m. Later today, there will be a joint Human Resources and FAIR Committee meeing in the City Hall Conference Room at 5:30 p.m. Presumably, this meeting will be to work out the new city manager’s contract. Immediately following, but no later that 7:00 p.m., there will be a Community Development Committee meeting also in the City Hall Conference Room.

Tax returns are due at midnight tonight. Our readers seem to have plenty to talk about, so we’ll just provide some more space to talk about it below. Enjoy.

Don’t forget that the state and federal income tax return deadlines are looming over us all on Monday at midnight! So as not to end the open line on a sour note, Home in Henderson would like to extend our best holiday wishes to our readers along with our hopes that everyone who is travelling has a safe trip.

Any thoughts on Operation Gateway, or perhaps on law enforcement in general? Let your thoughts on that or anything else be known on today’s open line.

So, did the city get its priorities right? Should they add some? Should they take some away? Let them know what you think on today’s open line.

Let us suppose that Beacon Light Apartments’ residents are removed and given vouchers for Section 8 housing. Would they be any better off than they were before, especially in light of J D Quinitchette’s comments regarding Section 8 housing at the March 27 city council meeting? Let us know your thoughts on today’s open line.

We presume that we’re not the only ones who aren’t surprised by the council’s selection for city manager last night. Now that it’s done, what do you think? In any event, Home in Henderson extends its congratulations to Mr. Moss and wishes him success.

We’re thinking about trying to get some reader questions together for the candidates for sheriff before the election. No promises, though. If you have contact information, especially email addresses, for Sheriff R. Thomas Breedlove, W.T. (Billy) Currin, and Peter White, please send it to us here (please don’t post it below). Also, if Peter White does, in fact, have a website, please email us the address. Google turned up nothing. With that, the floor is yours.

Well, it looks like our information regarding Tony Oakes was wrong. He was suspended with pay by the school board. You can read about it in The Daily Dispatch. We’re especially interested in the Reverend John Miles’ plan to picket the school. Is this democracy in action or disruption of the educational process? Let us know your thought on this or anything else below. The floor is yours.

We’ve made some changes and plan to make more under the “Pages” section of Home in Henderson (to the left of your screen) in order to improve our service to our readers. Please give them a look in the coming days. We heard that Tony Oakes resigned his position at Southern Vance High School yesterday. What are your thoughts on that? Let us know on today’s open line.

It has clearly come to the attention of our readers that an employee within the Vance County Schools system has been accused of using racially derisive language towards students while discharging his official duties. While Home in Henderson avoids the use of racially charged language wherever possible, we understand that the use of such language is sometimes necessary for the purpose of a frank, honest, and open discussion of the issues. However, we expect that our readers will exercise discretion …

The FAIR Committee will meet today at 3:00 p.m. at City Hall. The Land Planning and Development Committee will not be meeting today. What do you think of the city’s cost-cutting measures so far? Let your opinion be known on today’s open line.

We were interested to see that the county has (provisionally) stepped up to meet the funding request of the library for this fiscal year. Unfortunately, we were not able to cover last night’s meeting, but you can read about it here. What are your thoughts on this or any other issue? Let us know on today’s open line.

The Public Works Committee is scheduled to meet at 9:00 a.m. at City Hall. The County Commission is scheduled to meet at 6:00 in its chambers in the old courthouse. We’ll be unable to cover today’s meeting, so anyone who would like to post their impressions of the session is invited to do so below. We’re especially interested in the next installment of the zoning debate. With that, the floor is yours.

We wonder if there is a third option to ownership of the library: re-privatization. We understand that the library was once an independent entity. Perhaps it can be again. What are your thoughts? Let them be known on our weekend open line.

We’re fascinated by the trade (county gets library, city gets Armory) offered by the county to the city at yesterday’s Intergovernmental Committee meeting. We weren’t able to cover the meeting because of our pesky real job, but you can read about it here in The Daily Dispatch. Do you think it would solve some problems or simply create a new set of disputes? Voice your opinion here on our open line.

Will the “Education Lottery” be the windfall for our children that we’re being promised, or will it become just another revenue stream for the state like it has in so many other states? Say it loud and proud on our open line.