On these scorching hot summer days, with the nation’s average warmest day of the year coming up within a week, most of us welcome ducking in from the heat into a cool office, business, or home. For this, we can thank Willis Carrier, who in the depths of winter in 1906 received a patent for what he called an “apparatus for treating air.” His idea has fundamentally changed the way most Americans live, and the Carrier name is still prominent …
VGCC offers Glass Dome Jewelry class
Vance-Granville Community College will offer a two-hour class in which participants will learn how to make unique pieces of jewelry. The “Glass Dome Jewelry: Keepsake Pendants” class is scheduled for Saturday, July 27 from 10 a.m. until noon on the college’s Main Campus in Vance County. During this class, instructor Alison Beal of Wake Forest will help students make one glass dome pendant necklace and one pair of glass dome earrings. If participants want to make the pendant a “keepsake,” …
Entries Solicited For Small Town Main Street Awards
It’s time to have your Small Town Main Street community recognized for good work by submitting downtown projects completed within the past two years for a Small Town Main Street Award. The awards will be presented at the annual Main Street Conference in New Bern next January. Award nomination forms were emailed last month. Please feel free to contact the Small Town Main Street Program managers for more information. Deadline for submissions is Aug. 20.
Food Packaging Company to Expand Facilities in Lenoir and Iredell Counties
Governor Pat McCrory and N.C. Commerce Secretary Sharon Decker announced Tuesday that Pactiv, LLC will expand manufacturing facilities in Lenoir and Iredell counties. The company plans to create 77 jobs in the two counties and invest more than $9 million in Kinston and Mooresville. “Manufacturers like Pactiv recognize that our state’s workforce is second to none,” said Governor McCrory. “We must continue to support education and job training programs that will help companies produce more goods with the ‘Made in …
Have a Superlative Summer in North Carolina
RALEIGH, N.C. — Come to push your limits or to take in the unrivaled views. North Carolina is home to attractions that top lists of lighthouses, bridges and rivers based on measurable qualities. The height of summer is a perfect time to catch the action. Steepest zipline in the Continental United States: Newly opened in Saluda, The Gorge Zip Line drops 1,100 vertical feet on a course that includes 11 ziplines, three rappels and a sky bridge. Hear the roar …
Wednesday Open Line
On this date in 1984, President Reagan signed a bill known as the Minimum Legal Drinking Age Act. Backed by Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the law standardized a patchwork of local laws across the country and made it illegal for anyone under 21 to purchase or publicly possesses alcohol. It has been calculated that many lives a year are saved as a result, particularly among young drivers. Across the nation, some 58 million Americans are binge drinkers, and that can …
Legal Aid of North Carolina to Host Free Legal Clinics in Vance County
HENDERSON, N.C. – The Durham office of Legal Aid of North Carolina, a statewide nonprofit law firm that provides free legal help to low-income residents, will hold two free legal clinics in Henderson this summer. The clinics are part of Legal Aid’s third annual Nellie G. Kearney Summer Family Series, named in honor of a former Legal Aid board member and Vance County native who has devoted her entire life to advocating for the needs of families in her community …
N.C. small grain growers to vote assessment Aug. 7
RALEIGH — A farmer referendum on whether to continue an assessment on sales of seven types of grain will take place Aug. 7, the N.C. Small Grain Growers Association has announced. The assessment amount would be half of 1 percent on sales of wheat, rye, oats, barley, rapeseed, canola and grain sorghum. The assessment period would run from Jan. 1, 2014, through Dec. 31, 2019. All North Carolina small-grain growers who are at least 18 years old by Aug. 7 …
Wright Foods to Create 505 Jobs in Montgomery County Expansion
TROY, N.C. – Governor Pat McCrory and North Carolina Commerce Secretary Sharon Decker announced today that Wright Foods will be expanding its food processing and packaging operation in Montgomery County. The company plans to create 505 new jobs and invest $53 million over the next five years in Troy. Wright Foods currently employs more than 80 employees in North Carolina. “One of my top priorities is helping existing businesses grow and expand their operations in North Carolina,” said Governor McCrory. “It’s …
Tuesday Open Line
Major league baseball takes a pause in its regular schedule today to play its 84th all-star game. This year’s event is being held at Citi Field in New York, home of the Mets. The first midsummer all-star game was played on July 6, 1933, at Comiskey Park in Chicago. A homer by Babe Ruth helped the American League defeat the National League, 4-to-2. In 1933, all 16 teams in the major leagues were clustered in the northeast of the country, …
Chamber Ribbon Cutting – Pelican’s SnoBalls
A ribbon cutting was held for Pelican’s SnoBalls to celebrate the opening of their new business. Both Mayor O’Geary and County Commissioner Chair Tommy Hester were on hand with warm welcoming words on behalf of the City and County. Also on hand to help in the celebration were local customers, family and the Chamber’s Ambassadors and staff. Pelican’s SnoBalls offers New Orleans style snoballs while focusing on bringing ONLY the highest quality product to their customers, friends and family! With …
4th Annual Ducky Derby Saturday September 21st, 2013, Seeking Sponsors
FGV Smart Start will hold its 4th annual Ducky Derby fundraiser in downtown Henderson on September 21st, 2013 At 2 o’clock, Garnett Street will be filled with a river of rubber ducks and a fun time for everyone. Tickets will be sold as the community adopts a duck to win the Grand Prize-$1,000, 2nd Prize–$500, 3rd Prize– Chick-fil-A for a year, and even the last duck wins a $100 prize! FGV Smart Start needs sponsors to assist with …
Butterfield Applauds HHS Grants to NC Health Centers to Help the Uninsured Gain Health Coverage
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) today applauded the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for awarding $4.1 million in grant awards to 31 health centers in North Carolina, including 10 in the First Congressional District. The grant award will be divided amongst the community health centers and used to hire additional staff that will help enroll uninsured North Carolinians in new health coverage options made available by the Affordable Care Act. In North Carolina, 31 …
Senator Richard Burr Newsetter
Last week the Senate grappled with legislation on student loan rates and, once again, did not reach a consensus. Despite rates doubling last Monday, Harry Reid and other Senate Democrats chose to stand behind Senators Reed and Hagan’s stop-gap measure that would kick the can until next year – the same action taken in 2012 – instead of the bipartisan bill introduced by Senators Manchin, King, Alexander, Coburn, Carper, and me. Our bill offers a permanent solution that lowers rates …
White House Weekly Address: Strengthening our Economy by Passing Bipartisan Immigration Reform
President Obama discusses how a large, bipartisan majority in the Senate voted to pass comprehensive immigration reform, which would add a big boost to our economy, strengthen Social Security, and modernize our legal immigration system to make it more consistent with our values. He calls on Congress to pass this commonsense bill quickly so that we can fix our broken immigration system and keep America strong for years to come. This week, the First Lady hosted the second Annual Kids’ …
Vance County NC Cooperative Extension Updates
PONDS MAY BE UNDER STRESS Due to the heavy rainfall and saturated soils, landowners may want to inspect ponds. Be sure to check drains and emergency spillways to be certain they are operating properly. DON’T MOVE FIREWOOD With the recent discovery of Emerald Ash Borer in Vance, Granville and Person Counties, everyone is reminded that it’s best to obtain firewood from a local source. Those who enjoy summer camping trips should procure firewood at their destination, and leave any leftovers …
Congresswoman Renee Ellmers: Individuals and Families Need Relief from Obamacare, too
The recent announcement by the Obama administration that they were delaying the implementation of the employer mandate found in Obamacare until 2015 is a reluctant admission that the law is fundamentally flawed. It’s also an admission that the law poses a danger to American jobs. However, the delay that the administration has proposed only provides relief for large businesses, and does nothing for everyday Americans living under the soon to be imposed individual mandate. Obamacare is not just a threat …
Monday Open Line
When car drivers in Oklahoma City went to bed on this date in 1935, they probably had no idea how their world, and ours, was going to change come the next morning. On July 16th, America’s first parking meter was operating on the corner of First Street and Robinson Avenue. While local drivers could avoid that space, they couldn’t escape for long. That meter was just the first of many, as millions of ticketed motorists will attest, and as municipalities …
White House: Statement by the President on Trayvon Martin
The death of Trayvon Martin was a tragedy. Not just for his family, or for any one community, but for America. I know this case has elicited strong passions. And in the wake of the verdict, I know those passions may be running even higher. But we are a nation of laws, and a jury has spoken. I now ask every American to respect the call for calm reflection from two parents who lost their young son. And as we …
Shop Local Chamber Ribbon Cutting – Community Home Care and Hospice
A ribbon cutting ceremony was held for Community Home Care & Hospice to celebrate their new office location. Community Home Care & Hospice has been a member of the Henderson-Vance Chamber since July of 2004. Their goal is to help patients with a life-limiting illness conditions live the rest of their life with comfort, dignity and compassion. Hospice patients decide how and where they will spend the life they have left; and that can also choose what hospice benefits they …