For the week of Feb. 5 on North Carolina Weekend, the “Fitness Files” visits the Elkin Valley Trails in Surry & Wilkes counties. View artists working at 205 Collaborative in Greensboro. Find something unique at the Raleigh Aquarium Society Fish Auction in Raleigh. Relax at the Inner Banks Inn in Edenton. And the “House Special” samples the fare at Big Al’s Barbecue in Raleigh. (Please note: Listings are subject to change.) North Carolina Weekend is underwritten by Visit North Carolina. In addition, UNC-TV …
Thursday Open Line
February is American Heart Month, dedicated to the serious matter of monitoring and taking care of our beating hearts. This is important because while heart disease has claimed fewer lives in recent years, it is still the nation’s number one killer — responsible for nearly 600,000 deaths annually. However, almost as if to prove that no good intention goes unpunished, February is also National Snack Food Month. And America truly “hearts” its snack foods. After the brief disappearance a couple …
City of Henderson Land Planning & Development Committee Meeting Public Notice
The Henderson Land Planning & Development Committee will meet Thursday, February 5, 2015 at 4:15 p.m. in the Large Conference Room at City Hall, 134 Rose Avenue. The main purpose for the meeting is to consider an offer to purchase a City owned property. Other items may be discussed as appropriate. The public is welcome.
Chamber Ribbon Cutting Seven Springs Delight Restaurant & Bar
A ribbon cutting ceremony was held on Thursday, January 29th at 5:30PM for Seven Springs Delight Restaurant & Bar to celebrate their membership with the Chamber and showcase their business at 197 Parham Road in Henderson. Owner Joe Swartz and staff treated member business owners to tasty food samplings of baked spaghetti, chicken wings with both a hot and signature sauce, shrimp and vegetable egg rolls with dipping sauce, salad, onion rings, and the saucy, fall-apart tender taste of their …
VGCC faculty and staff hear from local Chick-fil-A owner
Joshua Towne, Franchised Restaurant Operator of the Chick-fil-A in Henderson, was the guest speaker for Vance-Granville Community College’s spring convocation of faculty and staff in January. Towne has owned and operated the local Chick-fil-A since 2005 and has worked with the company for the past 20 years. He is also an alumnus of the North Carolina Community College System. After graduating from Cape Fear Community College with an associate degree, he completed a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration at UNC-Wilmington …
Tar River Center to Focus on Oral History of School Desegreation with Funding from NC Humanities Council
LOUISBURG, N.C.—The Tar River Center for History and Culture Foundation, Inc. has received a grant from the North Carolina Humanities Council, a statewide nonprofit and affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, to undertake an oral history of school desegregation in Franklin County. The project will be carried out by volunteers who are working with the Tar River Center for History and Culture at Louisburg College. “This is a project of great importance,” said Maury York, director of the …
Grant funds provide new robotic equipment for VGCC Mechatronics training
The Mechatronics lab on Vance-Granville Community College’s South Campus continues to gain state-of-the-art equipment, purchased with grant funds. The newest addition is the MAS-200 Modular Assembly System produced by SMC International Training, a company based in Spain. A Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) Grant from the U.S. Department of Labor — the single largest competitive grant award received in VGCC’s history — paid for the system. Roger Giddens, a consultant from Moultrie Technical College in Georgia, …
Vance County Schools – ACT Preparations
After school tutoring sessions began this week for 11th-grade students at Northern Vance and Southern Vance high schools to help them prepare for the administration of the ACT on March 3. The after school tutoring sessions will begin for students at the Vance County Early College High School on Tuesday, February 10. Western Vance High School will conduct ACT preparation sessions with its juniors during the school day schedule. The ACT is used by many colleges and universities for …
Duke Energy awards $237,757 grant to Vance-Granville Community College
HENDERSON, N.C. – Duke Energy and Vance-Granville Community College (VGCC) today announced a $237,757 investment from the Duke Energy Foundation to continue equipping the college’s Advanced Manufacturing Skills Center. Students in VGCC’s manufacturing-related programs will benefit from access to state-of-the-art, industrial-grade training equipment. The new grant is Duke Energy’s fourth to VGCC during the past year, following a similar $245,923 equipment grant as well as two donations to provide scholarships for students in technical programs. Students in the Electrical Systems …
West Orange Street Shooting – Rewards Offered for Information
On Tuesday, February 3, 2015 at 3:09 P.M., members of the Henderson Police Department responded to 929 West Orange Street in response to someone shot. When officers arrived they found Jaymon Gibson, 16, 535 High Street, Henderson was suffering from a gunshot wound to the leg. Gibson was transported to Maria Parham Medical Center for treatment of his injuries. Members of the Criminal Investigation Division responded to the scene and have taken charge of the investigation. Anyone with information about …
Wednesday Open Line
Adding poignancy to Black History Month, today marks the birthday in 1913 of Rosa Parks, a shy woman who became a symbol of the fight for civil equality. Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama, bus to a white man. This sparked a boycott of the bus system by blacks, which greatly energized the ultimately successful civil rights movement. During her life, Rosa Parks championed the cause of increased opportunities for youth. When …
Elementary School News February 2-6, 2015
VANCE COUNTY SCHOOLS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL NEWS Volume 2 Issue 23 February 2-6, 2015 The MISSION of Vance County Schools is to be committed to educating all students to prepare them for lifelong learning and productive citizenship. IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS Schools observe Black History Month throughout February with special programs and events. Monday is School Counselor Appreciation Day. The N.C. School Report Cards data for the 2013-2014 school year will …
N.C. restaurants featuring sweet potatoes in February for Sweet Potato Month
RALEIGH – February is Sweet Potato Month in North Carolina, and restaurants across the state are celebrating by offering sweet-potato dishes on their menus. It’s all part of the “Signature Sweets” promotion, sponsored by the N.C. SweetPotato Commission. About 50 restaurants are participating in the promotion, which asks chefs to create a signature dish using N.C. sweet potatoes. Dishes can be appetizers, entrees, sides or desserts. A list of participating restaurants is available on the N.C. SweetPotato Commission’s website at …
Middle and High School News February 2-6, 2015
VANCE COUNTY SCHOOLS WEEKLY SCHOOL NEWS Volume 3, Issue 23 A Publication for Middle and High Schools February 2-6, 2015 The MISSION of Vance County Schools is to be committed to educating all students to prepare them for lifelong learning and productive citizenship. IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS Schools observe Black History Month throughout February with special programs and events. Monday is School Counselor Appreciation Day. …
White House: Look Inside the President’s Budget
In case you missed it, the President released his budget for fiscal year 2016 this morning. Today, we’re able to communicate with more Americans than ever before, which means our budget presentation looks like a little different than it did decades ago. From the budget now being easier to navigate and share online, to our interactive way to actually “see” the budget, this year’s budget is much different than those of years past. http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2015/02/02/five-new-things-about-the-fy2016-budget This is our nation’s first open-sourced …
Tuesday Open Line
It may be hard to credit, but there used to be a time when the public sphere wasn’t filled with squabbling about income tax rates. The familiar noise began 102 years ago today, when the 16th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, authorizing Congress to levy taxes on income. In its first two years, the tax was modest, affecting only a very few citizens and provided only a small part of the government’s total revenue. But the need to fund …
Phil Hart: Our Participation Makes Us
Wednesday January 28th, 2015 I went to the Vance County Board of Commissioners Annual Retreat. Home in Henderson was invited to attend as a media outlet to give our views of the past, present and future of Vance County from our organizations point of view. If I were given the invitation personally, the presentation may have been different, however it was fitting that the invitation first went to frequent contributor Michael Bobbitt. Michael is such a frequent contributor here and goes …
Health insurance workshop for Small Businesses to be held at VGCC
The Raleigh office of the U.S. Small Business Administration, in partnership with the Vance-Granville Community College Small Business Center and the Leder Firm, will soon present a free workshop on health care enrollment. The event, which is open to any member of the community, is set for Wednesday, February 11, from 9 a.m. until noon, in room 7107 (Building 7) on VGCC’s Main Campus in Vance County. Welcoming remarks and a presentation are scheduled to begin at 9:15 a.m., but …
Congresswoman Renee Ellmers: Fighting to End Human Trafficking
Video of the Week: Earlier this week I spoke on the House floor about why it is so important that Congress address the heinous crime that is human trafficking. My bill, the Trafficking Awareness Training for Health Care Act of 2015, will train healthcare workers to identify and recognize signs of abuse so that they can intervene on the patients’ behalf early-on. I am thrilled to report that H.R. 398, my bill to fight human trafficking, passed the House …
VGCC History club elects officers
Vance-Granville Community College’s History Club has elected officers for the 2014-2015 academic year. They include, pictured above, from left, secretary Jessie Hartley of Oxford, president Jennifer Burns of Henderson, and vice president Morgan McFalls of Oxford. Not pictured are the club public information officer, Joseph Richardson, and the public information officer for South Campus, Brieanna Downey. Advisors for the club are VGCC History instructors Victoria Klesmith and Dr. Natasha Thompson. Membership in the VGCC History Club is open to any …