This week, the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship – aka March Madness – returns to Raleigh. The NCAA tournament is at PNC Arena this weekend, with second rounds games on Friday, followed by third round games on Sunday. This marks the third time PNC Arena has hosted the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship (2004 and 2008). In 2008, the NCAA Championship in Raleigh generated $5.5 million in direct visitor spending and 12,500 hotel room-nights, according to the Greater Raleigh CVB. …
North Carolina Weekend
For the week of March 20 on UNC-TV’s North Carolina Weekend, celebrate Lebanese culture during Cedar in the Pines on the Plaza at the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh. Put the pedal to the metal with Cycle North Carolina in Oriental. Practice your aim with Black River Paintball in Angier. Enjoy simple classics at High Rock Farm in Gibsonville. And the “House Special” samples the fare at Dame’s Chicken & Waffles in Durham. (Please note: listings are subject to …
Morganton hosts world premiere of sci-fi movie about famous Brown Mountain lights
The Brown Mountain lights, a natural phenomenon seen for centuries near their namesake mountain in Burke County, play an integral role in Alien Abduction, a sci-fi thriller hitting the big screens April 4. The independent movie will hold its world premiere April 1 in downtown Morganton. Director Matty Beckerman and producer Cathy Beckerman, both of Los Angeles, will be on hand for the premiere, and will host a Q-and-A session following the screening. Beckerman learned about the Brown Mountain Lights …
VGCC volunteers support UNC-TV fundraiser
Vance-Granville Community College recently sent a group of approximately 30 volunteers to Research Triangle Park to continue the college’s tradition of helping UNC-TV with the public broadcasting network’s on-air “Festival 2014” fundraiser. This was the tenth consecutive year that the college participated in the Festival. Students, faculty and staff members traveled to the UNC-TV studio on March 1. They manned the phones and performed other tasks for several hours, all the while proudly wearing green VGCC apparel. One of the …
Thursday Open Line
One of the most distinctive and near universal American colloquialisms — the affirmation “OK” — appeared in public for the first time this month in 1839. There have been claims that “OK” derives from languages as diverse as Greek and Choctaw and that it appeared in earlier American documents, but it was first published in a Boston Morning Post story, with a brief definition. While “ok” took off around the country and eventually the world, time KO’d the Boston Post, …
Art Show at VGCC Seeks Entries, Announces Cash Prizes
Artists are invited to submit their works for the 48th annual Kerr Lake Art Show, which will be open to the public April 14-18. The event, co-sponsored by Vance-Granville Community College and the Kerr Lake Art Society, will be held in the Civic Center (Building 9) on VGCC’s Main Campus in Vance County, N.C. This arts competition is open to both amateurs and professionals, working in media including photography, drawings, prints and collages. Works must be original creations completed within …
VGCC to stage Dinner Theater production of “An Inspector Calls”
Vance-Granville Community College’s Drama and Culinary Arts departments are teaming up once again to present the college’s second annual Dinner Theater. Attendees can enjoy a scrumptious meal followed by an engaging play, on the evenings of Thursday, May 1, and Friday, May 2, in the Civic Center on VGCC’s Main Campus in Vance County. Dinner begins at 6 p.m. each night, with the drama starting at 7:30 p.m. In 2013, VGCC staged its first-ever Dinner Theater with the drama, “Our …
Award-Winning Historian to Speak at Louisburg College April 3
LOUISBURG, N.C.—Dr. Jane Turner Censer, professor of history at George Mason University, will present a lecture entitled “Heroines and Farm Women in Civil War North Carolina” on Thursday, April 3, at 7:30 p.m. in The Norris Theatre at Louisburg College. This is the third presentation in the Tar River Center for History and Culture’s 2013-14 lecture series, “The Civil War and Its Aftermath in North Carolina and Franklin County.” Part of Dr. Censer’s lecture will focus on “Aunt Abby” House …
Butterfield Applauds the North Carolina Central University(NCCU) Men’s Basketball MEAC Championship Team.
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) today applauded the North Carolina Central University (NCCU) Men’s Basketball team for winning the 2014 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) championship and finishing the regular season with the best record in the MEAC. The NCCU Eagles finished the regular season with one of the school’s best records ever following a 71-62 championship victory over Morgan State University on March 15, 2014. For the first time in school history, NCCU will play in the …
Henderson Vance Crime Stoppers Offers Rewards for Waffle House Robbery Info
The Henderson Police Department is currently investigating two incidents of armed robbery occurring at the Waffle House, 942 W. Andrews Avenue in Henderson. The first incident occurred March 13, 2014 at 3:08 A.M. The second incident occurred March 18, 2014 at 12:14 A.M. The suspect in the first event is described as a black male, approximately 5’05”, short curly hair wearing a black sweat shirt and gray sweat pants. The suspect in the second event is described as a black …
Vance County Technology Committee Meeting Notice
Please be informed that the County’s Technology Committee is scheduled to meet next Thursday, March 27 at 12:00 noon in the County Manager’s Office. Topics to be discussed include social media, data center, security controls, etc.
Wednesday Open Line
Banks had operated in America for about a half century before someone tried to make an unauthorized withdrawal. On this date in 1831, Edward Smith committed the first bank robbery in the U.S. — hitting the City Bank on New York’s Wall Street. He entered the bank after it closed, using a duplicate set of keys, and got away with $245,000 — a huge sum at the time. But he was caught, convicted and spent five years in New York’s …
E. O. Young Elementary School 1st Annual April Madness Night Friday, April 4th, 2014
E. O. Young Elementary School is excited about their 1st Annual April Madness Night Friday, April 4th from 5:30 until 7:30. All are welcome! EO Young Students get in for free, all others ages 10 and up only $1. There will be MANY games, delicious food, cake walk, face painting, bounce houses, 50/50 cash raffle and venders to purchase items such as 31, Pampered Chef and many more. Most games are only .50 to play. All proceeds go towards the …
VGCC awards 339 Scholarships to students
Vance-Granville Community College awarded 339 scholarships to students at an annual awards ceremony, held Feb. 26 in the college’s Civic Center. The number set a new record for scholarships awarded at VGCC in a single academic year. In her welcoming remarks, Dr. Stelfanie Williams, the president of VGCC, congratulated the scholarship recipients and thanked the donors who support the college’s Endowment Fund, many of whom were on hand to present their scholarships in person. “This ceremony represents the strong …
Vance County Public Middle and High School Weekly News March 17-21, 2014
VANCE COUNTY SCHOOLS WEEKLY SCHOOL NEWS Volume 2, Issue 29 A Publication for Middle and High Schools March 17-21, 2014 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 ? ACT administered to high school juniors on Tuesday. ? The Vance County Community Resource Fair will be held at Southern Vance High School on Thursday …
Vance County Public Elementary School News March 17-21, 2014
VANCE COUNTY SCHOOLS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL NEWS Volume 1 Issue 22 March 17-21, 2014 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 The Vance County Community Resource Fair will be held at Southern Vance High School on Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Local high school students will visit the Community Resource Fair during the …
8 Things That Make Spring Worth the Wait
RALEIGH, N.C. (March 17, 2014) — If winter felt unusually harsh, spring’s arrival seems long overdue. Experience the season in North Carolina and you’ll find that it was worth the wait. Here are eight ways to enjoy the sunnier days and warmer nights. Find more inspiration as well as places to relax and refuel at VisitNC.com. Walk the wildflower trails North Carolina’s mountain wildflowers are nearly as famous as the fall foliage. Color unfolds from March to June with a …
Got to Be NC Festival seeks antique tractors, vendors, musicians
RALEIGH — Space is still available for farm-equipment hobbyists, musicians and food vendors wanting to take part in the Got to Be NC Festival May 16-18 at the State Fairgrounds. Organizers are looking for collectors of antique tractors and farm equipment to join a display of more than 1,000 pieces of machinery. Tractors in working order also can participate in the daily tractor parade through the fairgrounds. Participation is free, but pre-registration is required. The festival also will host a …
Tuesday Open Line
Two young women, who were the first Americans of their gender to enter their professions, are highlighted during this Women’s History Month. Lucy Hobbs Taylor was the first to receive a degree in dentistry, graduating from the Ohio College of Dental Surgery in 1866. And this month in 1883, Susan Hayhurst became the nation’s first woman pharmacist when she graduated from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy. She’s further distinguished by obtaining that degree while already being a physician. Now there …
Area Schools Delayed Tuesday March 18th 2014
Delayed 2 hours:Crossroads Christian SchoolHenderson CollegiateKerr Vance AcademyVance Charter SchoolVance County SchoolsVictory Christian School Delayed until 10:00am:VGCC Be sure to check with your local school for the most update information! An online listing can be found here as well: http://www.wral.com/weather/closings/?category=all