Category: Quick hits

Ever dream of chasing the police? Today’s your chance at the Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run. The fundraiser starts with a few brief speeches and the torch lighting outside the police station at 10 a.m. Officers from the Henderson Police Department, Vance County Sheriff’s Office and state Highway Patrol then will carry the torch 2.5 miles to the city limits at Sunset Gardens. The goal is to raise money for the North Carolina Special Olympics, so bring $13 for …

We should never forget what this holiday weekend is all about. Memorial Day doesn’t exist just to provide a three-day start to summer, or to make it easy to remember when the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 are being run. It’s a time to remember and honor the men and women who have died in defense of this nation. That’s particularly important when we are at war. A memorial service will be held at Sunset Gardens today at 2 p.m.

By 1 p.m., the local Class of 2005 will have put high school in the past. A reminder of the graduation schedule: Northern Vance, 9 a.m.; Kerr-Vance Academy, 10 a.m.; and Southern Vance, noon. Western Vance’s 34 graduates hit party time about 7:30 p.m. Friday. For those of us who aren’t graduating this weekend, the ceremonies themselves (and maybe some peak-of-the-season strawberry picking in the afternoon if the thunderstorms stay away) are the day’s highlights. But more important, for the …

Today brings no limit of options for those who love meetings. Among them are a Vance County budget presentation at 5 p.m. at the old courthouse and a Henderson budget unveiling at 7 p.m. at the Municipal Building, a session that has the bonuses of a health insurance debate and a question-and-answer period with the city’s auditor. And we’d still love to be flies on the wall for the 5:30 p.m. meeting of the murky but powerful and private Henderson-Vance …

The city of Henderson holds its second official farewell ceremony of the month this afternoon in honor of Finance Director Traig Neal. The open house in the council chambers at the Municipal Building is scheduled to run from 3 to 4:30 p.m. — strangely, a half-hour less than the city scheduled to say goodbye to Planning Director Grace Smith last week. Neal’s last day on the job is next Wednesday, and he has to survive at least one more Finance …

The City Council’s Public Utilities Committee will meet at 5:15 p.m. at the Municipal Building as committee Chairman John Wester tries to resolve council member Elissa Yount’s concerns about proceeding with the 20-million-gallon-per-day expansion of the Kerr Lake Regional Water System plant. Yount worries about the need to replace the sewer plant.

It’s hard to beat the excitement of a regular City Council meeting, especially when alcohol is a certain topic, but today should be the day that Mayor Clem Seifert’s Speak Up Henderson forum finally shines. Cliff Rogers and others from the Vance County Coalition Against Violence have vowed to be at the Municipal Building at 6 p.m. to ask/complain about the way the city sets priorities in picking among its 200-plus abandoned buildings for condemnation and demolition. If this combination …

What better way to kick off graduation week in Vance County than with a bit of prayer? That’s what Kerr-Vance Academy’s graduating class will do during its baccalaureate at 2 p.m. at the Episcopal Church of the Holy Innocents on Chestnut Street. We’re told it’s a moving, meaningful event, although given that confession is good for the soul, we have to make one: We still regret skipping our own baccalaureate all those years ago. For those of you planning your …

The Henderson Optimist Club will hold its annual bicycle safety skills competition for ages 6 to 12 at the Marketplace Shopping Center at 10 a.m. Children will compete by age group for prizes that include new bicycles. Children who use training wheels may participate but are not eligible to win bicycles.

Summer starts Thursday for Vance schoolchildren. Still looking for a fun activity for the kids? There’s always the Vance Aquatics Club, which holds an unusual Friday practice from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at the Aycock Recreation Complex. The team is always open to new swimmers ages 5 to 18. Come out and try a few laps. Practices will be Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday mornings starting May 31. The first Durham Summer Swim League match is Saturday morning, June 4. …

This is actually our pick for Thursday, not our second pick for Wednesday, but you’ll be too late if you wait until that day to read this. It’s the Henderson premiere of “Star Wars, Episode III: Revenge of the Sith,” timed to start one minute after midnight Thursday at the Marketplace Cinema. Costumes aren’t manadatory, but why not have fun with what figures to be George Lucas’ sixth and final “Star Wars” epic. It even is getting good reviews. Tickets …

Tents set up outside the armory are serving the eat-in crowd through 7 this evening at the Henderson Shrine Club’s 41st annual fish fry. The Henderson Shrine Club will hold what has to be one of the most successful food fundraisers anywhere, its annual fish fry, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. outside the old armory on Dabney Drive. Whether you want to take out your meal from the back of the armory along Oak Street or want to eat …

May and June are great months to live in Henderson because of the many Relay for Life fundraisers. But even amid the flurry of fish fries, carwashes, yard sales and flocking flamingos, the city of Henderson’s big fundraiser stands out because of one thing: the dunking booth. Don’t miss the chance today from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Dabney Drive fire station to send City Manager Eric Williams, Assistant City Manager Mark Warren, City Council member Mike Rainey …

It has come to our careless attention that our recent shift from MP3s to Windows Media audio files for our sound clips has caused problems for Mac users. We will try to correct a software issue on our end to get back to a universal sound format, but for now, here’s a link to a free download from Microsoft of the Mac version of Windows Media Player. If you don’t have Mac OS X, try this link instead. Again, we …