North Carolina lodging properties continue to perform well through the third quarter of 2013, with year-to-date room demand and room revenues at record highs. Year-to-date demand (number of room nights sold) through September was 23.6 million, up more than 14 percent from 2000 (see graph). Room revenues are up 3.8 percent from the same time period last year, and up more than 12 percent from 2011. Regionally, the Western Region continues to lead the state in revenue growth with a …
Small WNC fish hatchery might change view of agritourism
Sally Eason, the second generation of her family to own Sunburst Trout Farm in Canton, is hoping to someday teach the world to think outside of the field when it comes to sustainable farming. By the end of this year, Sunburst will open a second 12,000-square-foot facility in Waynesville Industrial Park. Sunburst intends to use the space for advancement in fish-processing technology and as a center for agritourism and aquaculture education. But it will be as far away from pumpkin …
Homeland renewed for fourth season
Showtime announced on Tuesday (yesterday) that it has renewed its award-winning, N.C.-filmed series Homeland for a fourth season. Production on the third season, which is currently airing on Showtime Sundays at 10 p.m., has just recently completed; production on the fourth season is expected to begin in spring 2014. Primarily filmed in the Charlotte Region, the production has had an estimated direct in-state spend in excess of $90 million while providing more than 6,000 job opportunities in the state, including …
U.S. Travel Outlook: Business/Meeting travel improves while leisure travel outpaces
While some recent research points to more disposable income for American households, high unemployment rates and the 16-day government shutdown negate the positive research, according to the latest U.S. Travel Outlook. While there is good news in terms of growth in household wealth (+1.8 percent in Q2 over Q1), low interest rates and lower gas prices, the shutdown is estimated to have taken approximately $3.1 billion out of the gross domestic product, according to HIS Global. In addition, non-government business …
North Carolina Weekend
For the week of Oct. 24 on UNC-TV’s North Carolina Weekend, celebrate the mighty pecan during the N.C. Pecan Harvest Festival in Whiteville. Compare experiences at 100+ Years of Progress Train & Tractor Show in Carthage. Relax with a visit to Westglow Resort and Spa in Blowing Rock. Find just the right furnishings at the Hickory Furniture Mart in Hickory. And the “House Special” samples the fare at Jerry’s Food, Wine & Spirits in Wilmington. (Please note: listings are subject …
Money: Raleigh among ‘best small cities to retire’
Money magazine revealed this week its 2014 list of “America’s Best Places to Retire” on CBS This Morning – and Raleigh is on the list. Donna Rosato, the magazine’s senior editor, said Raleigh has long been a very popular destination for retirees. “There’s been a 97 percent increase in the population of people 55-64,” she said. “Mild weather, four seasons, and an interesting phenomenon – many people in the Northeast move to Florida, and then they move to do a …
White House: If Every State Expands Medicaid Coverage
This Monday, Ohio announced they will join the majority of states and move forward with expanding the Ohio Medicaid program, as supported by the Affordable Care Act. Thanks to Obamacare, nearly 6 in 10 uninsured Americans will have access to health coverage for $100/month or less next year — and it could be even more if every state expanded Medicaid coverage like Ohio, ensuring all its residents can benefit from the security of quality health insurance. Read more by clicking the …
Thursday Open Line
A big news story last month was the epic 110-mile swim of 64-year-old Diana Nyad from Cuba to Key West. It seems there’s just something about ladies in their 60s and aquatic adventures. On this date in 1901, 63-year-old former school teacher Annie Edson Taylor became the first person to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel and survive. In a custom-made barrel padded inside with a mattress, she went over the horseshoe falls, a drop of 170 feet. Taylor …
Third Annual Domestic Violence Awareness Walk and Candlelight Vigil Thursday, October 24, 2013
October 24, 2013 Starting at the Vance County Courthouse Steps 5:30PM: Walk begins 6:00 PM: Candlelight Vigil The activities include: Welcome- Antonia Pedroza, Jr., Director of Vance County Department of Social Services Prayer- Sheriff Peter White Proclamation- Mayor James D. “Pete” O’Geary Statistical Data- Lt. Irvin Robinson, Henderson Police Department Commitment and Balloon Release- Jacquetta Bullock, Executive Director of New Direction Ministries Explanation of the Purple Shoe Display- Cassandra Hart, Vance County Department of Social Services Survivor Testimony- Message of …
Owens Corning to Create 110 Jobs in Gaston County, N.C.
Governor Pat McCrory and North Carolina Commerce Secretary Sharon Decker announced Tuesday that Owens Corning (NYSE: OC) will establish a new advanced manufacturing operation in Gaston County. The company plans to create 110 new jobs in North Carolina by the end of 2016 and invest more than $120 million in the NC Certified Gastonia Technology Park. Susan Fleetwood served as the developer on the project for the N.C. Department of Commerce. This Gaston County facility will enable Owens Corning to …
Students learn about careers at VGCC Applied Technologies expo
Vance-Granville Community College helped local students explore technical career fields on Oct. 15 by holding an “Applied Technologies Expo” in the Civic Center on the college’s Main Campus in Vance County. Approximately 240 middle and high school students from Vance, Granville, Franklin and Warren counties attended the event. They received information and saw demonstrations from various VGCC curriculum programs, including Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Technology; Automotive Systems Technology; Bioprocess Technology; Carpentry; Electrical Systems Technology; Electronics Engineering Technology; and Welding …
Polymer Manufacturer Expansion Brings 76 Jobs to Rutherford County
Governor Pat McCrory and North Carolina Commerce Secretary Sharon Decker announced Tuesday that Trelleborg Coated Systems US, Inc., a leading manufacturer of engineered polymer solutions, will expand its operations in Rutherford County. The company plans to create 76 new jobs and invest $10.6 million over the next four years in Rutherfordton. David Spratley served as the developer on the project for the N.C. Department of Commerce. “Creating new jobs in North Carolina is one of my main priorities. We know …
Decker Visits Halifax and Warren Counties
N.C. Commerce Secretary Sharon Decker traveled to Halifax and Warren Counties on Oct. 9 to meet with local economic developers, community leaders, elected officials, and other stakeholders. In Halifax County, Decker took a windshield tour of some of the county’s new industrial parks, certified sites and tourism attractions, and learned that the county is the “Rockfish Capital of the World.” She heard from Halifax County Economic Development Commission Executive Director Cathy Scott and Halifax County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau President …
Abdalsalah Ahmed Mohamed Almuwallad Arrested for Sexual Assault
On October 20, 2013 members of the Henderson Police Department responded to 429 Chestnut Street Apartment A, Henderson in reference to a sexual assault of a 20 year-old female. Members of the Henderson Police Department Criminal Investigations Division were contacted to conduct the ongoing investigation. Upon further investigation, Abdalsalah Ahmed Mohamed Almuwallad, 30, of 429 Chestnut Street, Apartment A, Henderson was arrested and charged with second degree sexual assault. Almuwallad received a $100,000 secured bond pending a court hearing on …
Wednesday Open Line
This is Spinach Lovers Month — perhaps the only vegetable made famous by a comic strip. The spinach-eating sailor Popeye first appeared in January 1929 — and soon spinach was the third favorite children’s food — after turkey and ice cream. Several towns proclaim they are the “spinach capital of the world”; among them is Crystal City, Texas, which has a statue of Popeye in front of its city hall and an annual spinach festival. Spinach is now a common …
Henderson City Council Boards and Commissions Meetings October 24th
1. The Henderson City Council’s Human Resources Committee will meet on Thursday, October 24, 2013 at 1:00 p.m. in the Large Conference Room at City Hall, 134 Rose Avenue. The main purpose of the meeting, among other items, is to discuss the employee dress code. This meeting is open to the public. 2. The Henderson City Council’s Boards and Commissions Committee will meet on Thursday, October 24, 2013 at 4:00 p.m. in the Large Conference Room at City Hall, …
VGCC Child Care kids learn about Fire Safety
Children enrolled in the Child Care Center on Vance-Granville Community College’s Main Campus recently learned about fire safety and fire trucks as part of October’s observance as Fire Prevention Month. Special guests at the center on Oct. 16 were, pictured above (from left), Captain Bryant Williams of Vance County Emergency Services and Battalion Chief Tim Twisdale of the Henderson Fire Department. The firefighters discussed the “stop, drop and roll” technique and what to do in case of a fire at …
Tuesday Open Line
“10 – 22 – 38 Astoria.” That cryptic sequence indicating date and place was the very first photocopied image, created on this date in 1938 in Astoria, New York. A man named Chester Carlson developed a method of making dry copies of documents on plain paper, known as xerography — which we take for granted in using photocopiers today. Before his invention, copies were made either by using carbon paper when typing or by a mimeograph machine for large numbers …
Pictures from 2013 Show, Shine, Shag & Dine, and the Corbitt Preservation Society
View over 300 pictures from this weekends huge event on our Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151736982497717.1073741825.97222822716&type=1&l=efd8b95c28 Also, like our Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/homeinhenderson