A ribbon cutting ceremony was held on Wednesday, September 24th at 10:00AM for Carolina Sunrock, LLC to celebrate the re-opening of their Kittrell concrete plant. Carolina Sunrock has operated a concrete plant since 2005 on an as needed basis at their Kittrell Quarry location on US 1. Thanks to improving economic conditions, Sunrock is now staffing this location with four team members who supply concrete in our community every day. The economic recovery, and its positive effects on the construction …
Peak-season soil fee period announced for 2014-2015
RALEIGH – Growers and home gardeners or landscapers are reminded to send in their soil samples to the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Agronomic Services Lab by Nov. 25 at 6 p.m. to avoid upcoming peak-season fees. There will be a $4 fee per sample for those received during the lab’s peak-processing time of Nov. 25 through March 31. Samples received before Nov. 25 or after March 31 will be processed without a fee. Most soil samples for home …
VGCC to offer Agricultural Entrepreneurship program at Farmers Market
Vance-Granville Community College is offering a new course designed specifically to help local farmers and budding entrepreneurs succeed in developing profitable, environmentally-sound small farms or agricultural businesses. The “NC REAL Agricultural Entrepreneurship” program will be conducted at the Vance County Regional Farmers Market, located at 210 Southpark Drive in Henderson, on Tuesday evenings, October 28 through December 16, from 6-9 p.m. This is the first class ever offered by the college at the Farmers Market, which opened earlier this year. …
North Carolina Paves the Way to Accurate Reports on Bicycle and Pedestrian Traffic
RALEIGH – The N.C. Department of Transportation, in conjunction with local governments, has announced an innovative plan to track the popularity of greenways, bicycle facilities and pedestrian pathways across the state. With the help of powerful new technology, NCDOT will soon have the ability to gauge how popular bicycling and walking is in North Carolina by collecting bicycle and pedestrian traffic usage data. “Putting hard data behind North Carolina’s bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure will allow for a more calculated and …
Friday / Weekend Open Lines
National Rehabilitation Awareness Week ends tomorrow. One of goals of the annual event is to salute the determination of the nation’s 56.7 million residents who confront their disabilities as they go about their daily lives. Another is to say thanks to the thousands of rehabilitation professionals, such as the nation’s 204,000 physical therapists, who help those in need adapt to and overcome their disabilities. About 18 percent of the population is living with some form of disability; half of them …
Peak-season soil fee period announced for 2014-2015
RALEIGH – Growers and home gardeners or landscapers are reminded to send in their soil samples to the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Agronomic Services Lab by Nov. 25 at 6 p.m. to avoid upcoming peak-season fees. There will be a $4 fee per sample for those received during the lab’s peak-processing time of Nov. 25 through March 31. Samples received before Nov. 25 or after March 31 will be processed without a fee. Most soil samples for home …
Governor McCrory Unveils 25-Year Vision for Transportation
Governor Pat McCrory and Transportation Secretary Tony Tata unveiled the Governor’s 25-Year Vision for transportation in North Carolina September 17 with a cross-state tour that included stops in Wilmington, Greenville, Winston-Salem and Asheville to detail the challenges faced by and solutions proposed for each of the state’s four major regions: coastal, eastern, central and western, as well as comprehensive solutions for the entire state. The plan can be reviewed online at www.ncvision25.gov. “Transportation is the backbone of our state’s economy, …
Chamber Ribbon Cutting – Henderson Collegiate
A ribbon cutting “steel setting” ceremony was held on Friday, September 19th at 3:30PM for Henderson Collegiate to celebrate their future location. Excitement filled the air as Henderson Collegiate students, families, and staff signed steel that will be placed in the future Home of the Pride. Even more exciting is what the steel means for the Pride and for students throughout Vance County. Since 2010, Eric and Carice Sanchez have worked long and hard with the extraordinary support of Henderson …
North Carolina Weekend
For the week of Sept. 25 on North Carolina Weekend, enjoy the competitions and festivities of Scotland County Highland Games in Laurinburg. Celebrate the International Sardine Festival in Aberdeen. Relax at The Badin Inn in Badin. Tempt your taste buds at Iris restaurant, at the N.C. Museum of Art in Raleigh. And enjoy a tour of the Inn of the Patriots in Grover. (Please note: listings are subject to change.) Due to special programming on PBS for Friday, UNC-TV will …
NCDMV, NCDHHS and MorphoTrust Partner to Pilot First Secure Electronic ID Initiative
RALEIGH – The North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles, in conjunction with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and MorphoTrust, have partnered to pilot a secure electronic ID initiative through a grant awarded by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The grant will administer funding for two years as DMV, DHHS and MorphoTrust research the security and feasibility of establishing a secure electronic ID (eID). An eID is an individual’s unique online identity used to …
White House President Obama: “We Choose Hope Over Fear”
Wednesday morning, President Obama addressed the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The President spoke about the problems that demand the urgent attention of the international community — from the Ebola outbreak in parts of West Africa, to Russian aggression in Ukraine, to the senseless brutality of ISIL terrorists threatening innocent lives. “We choose hope over fear. We see the future not as something out of our control, but as something we can shape for the better through concerted …
Thursday Open Line
Three important dates in American newspaper history occurred in September. These anniversaries span more than three centuries. On September 15, 1982, USA Today began publishing. Critics at the time said the idea of a national newspaper was doomed to failure — now, USA Today is one of the country’s largest-selling dailies. On September 18, 1851, the New York Times issued its first edition. And, on this date in 1690, the first newspaper in America was published for one day in …
Chamber Ribbon Cutting – Henderson Community Concert Association Celebrates 30 Years
A ribbon cutting ceremony was held on Monday, September 22nd at 11:00AM for The Henderson Community Concert Association to celebrate their 30th Anniversary. For 30 years, The Henderson Community Concert Association continues to bring high-quality entertainment to Henderson. It takes over one hundred dedicated volunteers and board members to make it all happen. These volunteers solicit businesses, civic organizations, individuals, and families to garner support for each season which consists of a series of five or six music, dance, or theater …
Attorney General Roy Cooper: Kidnap Scammers Use Fear
North Carolinians in the Triad area are receiving startling telephone calls from scammers who claim to have kidnapped the person’s child. In the background of some calls, someone pretending to be the child can be heard pleading for help while being roughed up by the would-be kidnappers. The scammers threaten to harm the child if a ransom isn’t paid immediately. The scammers provide a lot of personal information about the kidnap victim, to convince the person that they are actually …
Vance County Human Resources Committee Meeting Notice
The Vance County Human Resources Committee Meeting is scheduled to meet Thursday, October 2 at 4:00 p.m. in the Administrative Conference Room. The purpose is to discuss the county manager’s position.
VGCC President creates new Scholarship
Dr. Stelfanie Williams, the president of Vance-Granville Community College, and her family have established a new scholarship to help students continue their education. In awarding the Keith and Stelfanie Williams Family Scholarship, preference will be given to students who first came to VGCC for an Adult High School Diploma or High School Equivalency diploma, and then enrolled in a curriculum program at the college to earn a certificate, diploma or degree. The college offers more than 40 curriculum options to …
Weekend Ramp Closures Continue for Fortify Project; This weekend it’s the I-440 East Ramp to Poole Road
RALEIGH – Crews working on the I-440 section of the Fortify rebuild project will have another ramp closure in effect this weekend. It will be the ramp from I-440 East onto Poole Road that is shut down between 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 26, and 6 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 29, weather permitting. A similar closure was in place for the I-440 West ramp to Poole Road last weekend. In addition to the ramp closure, the outside westbound lane of …
Wednesday Open Line
We are halfway through “Unmarried and Single Americans Week,” noting that many who are unmarried do not identify with the world “single,” since they may be parents, have partners, or are widowed or divorced. The idea for the observance started in Ohio in the 1980s. There are 105 million unmarried adult Americans, more than 44 percent of all U.S. residents 18 and older. Eighteen million of them are seniors over the age of 65. The number of people who live …
Michael Bobbitt: Notes From The Peanut Gallery (City Council September 22, 2014)
The public part of the 22, September 2014, and the 25 August 2014, City Council meetings were brief especially compared to the long closed door sessions each had. One major announcement came from the closed door session Monday night. Closed Session Mayor O’Geary, said there would be an announcement when the Council returned following the closed door session to discuss two personal matters, a client attorney matter, and an EDC matter. I suspect the mayor and council were unaware of …
Special Called Meeting of Henderson City Council September 25th, 2014
Notice from City of Henderson, Mayor O’Geary has requested a Special Called Meeting of the Henderson City Council for Thursday, 25 September 2014 at 12:00 Noon. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss steps to replace the City Manager who will retire effective 1 November 2014. This meeting will be held in Council Chambers at City Hall, 134 Rose Avenue, Henderson, NC. The public is welcome to attend.