Category: Quick hits

After finishing second in its pool at the Babe Ruth World Series, the Henderson-Vance 12-and-under girls softball team opens the double-elimination championship round this morning at 9:30 against host Cherry Hill, N.J. Henderson-Vance went 3-1 in the National Division. Cherry Hill finished third in the American Division at 2-2. You can follow the action inning by inning here. Set the “find games scores” feature to Game 21.

Today’s meeting of the Vance Organization to Implement Community Excellence should get down to the nitty-gritty of the application for the federal Weed and Seed designation after last week’s delivery of free technical assistance from the Justice Department. “Varied activities … will need to be put in motion as we work on the full application,” Henderson City Manager Eric Williams, the VOICE chairman, wrote in a note accompanying the agenda for the meeting. He added that the letter of intent …

The Henderson-Vance 12-and-under girls softball team saw its winning streak end at the Babe Ruth World Series in Cherry Hill, N.J., this morning when Sparta, N.J., cruised to an 11-1 win in four innings. After playing almost perfect softball for two days, Henderson-Vance could do little right against Sparta, committing three errors and getting no hits while formerly red-hot pitchers Jessica Rowland and Jordan Garrett gave up 10 hits and two walks. Natalie Reavis scored the lone Henderson-Vance run after …

It’s the day of the year families look forward to and dread all summer: the first day of school, at least for the children in Vance County Schools. So watch out for school buses, walking children and parents driving like lunatics to get to school on time, whether to drop off or pick up their children. Meanwhile, Kerr-Vance Academy and Crossroads Christian School start up next Monday. Vance Charter School, because of construction delays on its home at Henderson Mall, …

It’s a big enough deal when one of the congressional offices representing Henderson sends a contingent to town. Today, we’re scheduled to welcome three: representatives of Republican Sens. Elizabeth Dole and Richard Burr and Democratic Congressman G.K. Butterfield himself. The attraction is the proposed Weed and Seed zone in the city. The visit starts with a meeting in the community room at the library at 10 a.m.

Middleburg was the last of Vance County’s three municipalities to produce candidates for the fall elections, but the town is making up for lost time. Everyone on the Middleburg ballot has competition after town Commissioner Ray Bullock filed today to challenge Mayor Vivian Edwards’ bid for re-election and Annie Fudge created a four-way race for the three commissioner seats. Vance Elections Director Faye Gill said Middleburg has only about 95 registered voters; six of them are now on the ballot. …

Our local elected officials get plenty of criticism for their budget work, but at least they always pass their budgets on time. That’s because state law, as well as common sense, dictates that cities, counties and school systems have an annual spending plan in place before the July 1 start of the fiscal year. No such luck with the General Assembly, which today is likely to pass its third continuing resolution to keep the state government running because the House …

A day after three filers ensured at least one candidate for every seat on Vance County’s municipal ballots and at least five contested races in Henderson, the county Board of Elections enjoyed a day of quiet today. No one wandered to the back of the first floor of the Henry Dennis Building to jump into politics. On Tuesday, Henderson Mayor Clem Seifert filed for re-election (he’s unopposed so far), Sara Coffey signed up for a second crack at Henderson Ward …

There’s nothing unusual about the Clean Up Henderson Committee and the Vance Organization to Implement Community Excellence meeting on the same morning, as they will at 8 at the police station and at 10:30 at the Aycock Recreation Complex, respectively. And there’s nothing unusual on their agendas: The cleanup committee will receive reports from the Public Works, Police and Code Compliance departments and discuss the housing task force; VOICE will talk about the Weed and Seed application. What is unusual …

Bail bondsman and private investigator Sara Coffey filed to run for the 1st Ward at-large City Council seat this morning, presenting a challenge to incumbent Bernard Alston for the second consecutive election. Two years ago, Coffey and fellow Old West End resident Anthony Young ran against Alston, who became the mayor pro tem after his victory. Coffey’s entry ensures contests for at least five of the eight council seats in Henderson: incumbent Mary Emma Evans against Glean Henderson Jr. for …

The candidate filing period won’t go into overtime for this fall’s Henderson elections. Mayor Clem Seifert filed to run for re-election this morning, filling the last empty spot on the municipal ballot three days before Friday’s noon deadline. “Had I known what I know now two years ago, I would not have run for mayor,” Seifert told WIZS-AM (1450), referring mostly to personal issues such as his wife’s death from cancer. He also mentioned that he has struggled with the …