Local farmers can learn about potential new economic opportunities related to industrial hemp during a free “dinner and a movie” presentation at Vance-Granville Community College. The event will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 27, from 5:30 until 8 p.m., VGCC Warren County Campus, 210 W. Ridgeway St., Warrenton, NC 27589 Attendees will watch an award-winning independent documentary, “Bringing it Home,” directed by North Carolina-based filmmakers Linda Booker and Blaire Johnson and distributed by Bullfrog Films. The 52-minute film sheds light …
Fifth Annual North Carolina Bike Summit to be Held in Asheville Sept. 16-17
Cycling experts and advocates from throughout the Southeast will come together in Asheville at the Fifth Annual North Carolina Bike Summit on Sept. 16 and 17. Presented by BikeWalk NC in partnership with the N.C. Department of Transportation, this year’s event will focus on the economic benefits of investing in bicycling and pedestrian infrastructure. “Governor Pat McCrory understands the importance of a robust bike and pedestrian network in North Carolina,” said Ed Johnson, acting director of the state’s Division of …
Hospitality industry training to be offered at VGCC Franklin Campus
Vance-Granville Community College is offering a training course at its Franklin County Campus that introduces area residents to careers in the hospitality and tourism industry. The Hospitality START program will be offered from Oct. 3 through Dec. 17 in a hybrid format, which combines online coursework with classroom instruction on Mondays and Wednesdays from 12:30 until 3:30 p.m. START (Skills, Tasks, and Results Training) is a curriculum developed by the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (AHLEI). Students in this …
Wednesday Open Line
The 1950s may be recalled for many now-quaint things, but it was also a decade with antecedents for our current technological pursuits. On this date in 1955, William G. Cobb of the General Motors Corporation demonstrated the world’s first solar-powered car. This vehicle didn’t take the world by storm because it was a model a mere 15 inches long. The first solar powered car that could actually be driven was unveiled in 1962; a 1912 Baker electric car was fitted …
VGCC offers BioWork training program on two campuses
Classes to train area residents for jobs in the growing biotechnology manufacturing field are scheduled to start soon at both Vance-Granville Community College’s Franklin County Campus near Louisburg and at the Main Campus in Vance County. Both campuses have state-of-the-art biotechnology labs in which to conduct the “BioWork” Process Technician training course. A BioWork class will be held in the lab on the Franklin Campus on Tuesdays, from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m., Sept. 20 through Nov. 12, with additional …
Lectures on Downtown Revitalization at Louisburg College Friday September 16th, 2016
The Tar River Center for History and Culture at Louisburg College is sponsoring a free public lecture on Friday, September 16, 2016 at 10 a.m. pertaining to downtown revitalization. Citizens and staff members of local governments are encouraged to attend. Speakers are Liz Parham, director of the North Carolina Main Street Center, “North Carolina’s Main Street Program”; and Robert Davie, Town Administrator, Warrenton, N.C., “Leveraging Main Street’s Designs: Dollars and Data” The program, which will be held in the Benson …
VGCC honors Faculty and Staff Members of the Year with Glen Raven Awards
Vance-Granville Community College President Dr. Stelfanie Williams recently presented the college’s annual awards to a pair of outstanding VGCC employees. Law Enforcement Training coordinator/instructor Andrea H. Ferguson of Manson was chosen as the Faculty Member of the Year for 2016-17, while Kathy J. Wolford of Oxford, the college’s distance education assistant, was named Staff Member of the Year. The honors are two of VGCC’s three Glen Raven Excellence in Teaching and Leadership Awards. Glen Raven, Inc., the manufacturer with a …
Tuesday Open Line
On this date 50 years ago, the federal court system received its first African-American female judge. Constance Baker Motley was confirmed by the U.S. Senate, and took her seat on the federal bench in the Southern District of New York. She served until her death in 1986, by which point she had been Chief Judge of the district for four years. Motley, a graduate of Columbia Law School, had clerked for Thurgood Marshall at the NAACP, and in the early …
Kerr Lake Regional Water System Advisory Board meeting Tuesday, August 30th, 2016
The Kerr Lake Regional Water System Advisory Board will meet on Tuesday, August 30 at 10:30 a.m. in the Large Conference Room, City Hall, 134 Rose Avenue, Henderson, NC. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss a possible expansion project.
Congresswoman Renee Ellmers: Enter the Congressional App Challenge
Photo of the Week The Reflecting Pool and Washington Monument on a gorgeous summer day in Washington, DC. Congressional App Challenge My office is participating in the 2016 Congressional App Challenge! If you are a high school student in North Carolina’s Second District and have an idea for a great new app, I hope you will enter the competition. Below is some basic information about the challenge. The deadline to submit entries is November 2nd. Visit this page …
Monday Open Line
Two trailblazers in early electronics, whose inventions changed pastimes the world over, were born in August. One was television pioneer Philo Farnsworth, born 110 years ago. He conceived the idea of television broadcasting while still in high school and realized it at the age of 21. The other was Lee de Forest, born in late August, 1873. The Yale doctor of physics invented the three-element vacuum tube, a step toward creating radio. Holding hundreds of patents, he was an innovator …
I-85 South Closed by Tractor-Trailer Crash Near Henderson
A tractor-trailer crash has closed Interstate 85 South near exit 217 (Satterwhite Point Road) near Henderson. This is about 16 miles south of the Virginia state line. The crash is in a work zone where traffic has been reduced to a single lane in each direction. Once the truck is removed from the area, guard rail repairs need to be done before the southbound lane can reopen, which is expected to be around 7 p.m. Southbound traffic is being diverted …
Pop Up Market in Downtown Henderson Friday August 26th, 2016
The first Pop Up Market in Downtown Henderson, NC will be Friday August 26th, 2016 from 9am to 4pm at the Library and Police Department parking lot near Breckenridge Street. Come for fresh produce, crafts, hot dogs and hamburgers Select vendors will accept SNAP cards as well Pop Up Markets are scheduled weekly throughout the farming season
Evening introductory Carpentry course offered at VGCC
A course that introduces students to the carpentry trade will be offered soon by Vance-Granville Community College. “Carpentry I” is scheduled to be held on Monday through Thursday evenings from 6 until 10 p.m., Sept. 6 through Dec. 20, in room 5109 on VGCC’s Main Campus in Vance County. Students will learn about proper safety techniques, equipment and building materials, blueprint reading, floor systems, wall systems, ceiling and roof framing, ceiling joists, and envelope systems. The 236-hour course includes both …
NC Public Schools Begin Fourth Year of PowerSchool
Parents of school-age children in North Carolina have been adding a new word to their vocabulary: PowerSchool. Until three years ago, most parents lacked easy access to real-time information about their children’s grades in school and attendance. Now, with a new school year getting underway Monday for most schools, technology leaders with the NC Department of Public Instruction expect more parents will be logging in to the online PowerSchool application as a key source to help keep abreast of their …
VGCC recognizes 22 Medical Assisting students at Pinning
Vance-Granville Community College held a pinning ceremony for its 2016 Medical Assisting program graduates on Aug. 5 at the college’s Franklin County Campus in Louisburg, where the program is conducted. As VGCC’s program is nationally accredited, the graduates are now eligible to sit for the American Association of Medical Assistants’ (AAMA) certification examination to become Certified Medical Assistants. The 22 graduates being honored included Heather Harwood and Kimberly Richardson, both of Castalia; Amanda Newton and Shatory Yarborough, both of Franklinton; …
N.C. Railways to Benefit from Grant for Safety Technology
The state will soon be able to purchase new equipment needed to meet a nationwide mandate on rail safety standards, thanks to a federal grant awarded to the N.C. Department of Transportation last week. “The safe movement of passengers and freight on our rail system is our top priority,” said Transportation Secretary Nick Tennyson. “These funds will help us ensure that we have the technology to prevent crashes and save lives.” North Carolina is one of only six states to …
Congressman G.K. Butterfield Newsletter Heard It First: August 2016
Heard It First: Voting Rights Act Turns 51; Butterfield Leads Fight to Release Wildin Acosta, Pitt-Greenville Airport Receives $791,000 Grant Dear Friend, On August 6, 1965, the Voting Rights Act (VRA) was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson, empowering millions of African Americans to vote for the first time. Then, in June 2013, a divided Supreme Court gutted the VRA, which allowed states including North Carolina to almost immediately pass strict and regressive voting laws that disenfranchised …
Friday / Weekend Open Lines
Friday, August 26th. “Every dog has its day,” is an idiom dating from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, and even earlier. According to one animal welfare advocate, today is that day for America’s canines. Now in its 13th year, this is National Dog Day, about five months after National Puppy Day. The occasion has two goals. One is to honor dogs, which serve humanity as companions, watchdogs, herders, and Seeing Eye dogs. The second goal is to rescue dogs from neglect and abuse …
Henderson-Vance Peace – Unity – Love – Live P.U.L.L. Weekend August 26-28
Come be a part of the Community Event scheduled for August 26-28, 2016. Enjoy wholesome fun and activities for the entire community. The Vance County NAACP is partnering with area community organizations and government entities to create a unified community. See the attached flyer for the schedule of activities and partnering organizations. For information and questions contact, Timothy Daye, Sr. at tmdayesr@yahoo.com.