The summer travel season is here and many families have vacations planned in the coming weeks. Nothing can ruin a good trip faster than falling for a scam or realizing you got a bad deal. Attorney General Roy Cooper joined this week with law enforcement and consumer protection officials from other states as well as overseas to go after travel scammers, including one that operated in North Carolina. The international sweep coordinated by the US Federal Trade Commission includes 190 …
Friday / Weekend Open Line
A home entertainment revolution began on this date in 1975, when the videocassette recorder was introduced. It was Sony’s Betamax format recorder, which in a very few years was superseded by the rival VHS format. At its peak, some 9-out-of-10 households across the country had a VCR. Then, the DVD was introduced in 1997, and quickly eclipsed videocassettes. Now, the rising format is the Blu-ray system, allowing video quality to match high-definition television sets. Renting out discs and what’s left …
Vance County High School Graduations Announcement
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATIONS The graduation ceremonies for the Class of 2013 at Northern Vance High School and Southern Vance High School on Saturday, June 8, will be held in the gymnasiums of the schools due to expected bad weather. The Northern Vance High School graduation ceremony will begin at 8 a.m. Saturday in the school’s gymnasium. The Southern Vance High School graduation ceremony will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday in the school’s gymnasium. Only those individuals who …
Vance County Schools – Class of 2013 Future Plans
There are 207 members of the Class of 2013 from the four high schools in Vance County Schools who will go on to post-secondary education or the military service following their graduation this weekend. Of the 44 graduates of the Vance County Early College High School, 43 will be attending a post-secondary education institution and one plans to enter military service. They include: Sarah Askew – Vance-Granville Community CollegeJoselyn Bobbitt – The University of North Carolina at GreensboroDenisha Bullock – North Carolina …
Gov. McCrory proclaims June “Great Outdoors Month”
Gov. Pat McCrory has proclaimed this month as “Great Outdoors Month,” encouraging all North Carolinians to enjoy the state’s natural beauty and near-perfect climate, and celebrate North Carolina’s commitment to conserve and protect its air, water, wildlife, spectacular lands and quality of life. “June in North Carolina is just beautiful,” said Gov. McCrory. “From the Mountains, to the Piedmont, to the Coast, every part of our state has something to offer. Whether it is getting out and exploring our state’s …
North Carolina Weekend
For the week of June 6 on UNC-TV’s North Carolina Weekend, enjoy a stroll through the Blowing Rock Art and History Museum in Blowing Rock. Immerse yourself in Zombie Town in Asheville. See a different side of Beaufort with Beaufort Culinary Bike Tours. Step back in time via the Emancipation Proclamation Display at the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh. And the “House Special” samples the fare at McLean’s OleTime Cafe in Zebulon. (Please note: listings are subject to change.) …
NC Tourism Dept New Regional Visitor Profile provides insights, comparisons by geographic area
As a part of its ongoing research, the Division recently completed an in-depth regional analysis of the 2012 visitor profile data and has made it available online. This market research, combined with other studies, helps guide the Division’s strategic marketing decisions. This regional report provides each region with research data specific to their geographic area. The report is divided into four sections: Mountain, Piedmont, Coast and a regional comparison. Where applicable, regional statistics are compared to statewide statistics to provide …
All signs point to near-record summer for travel
The unofficial kickoff of the summer vacation season last week found a growing number of people on the move, marking a steady return to travel as the economy recovers and consumer confidence improves. In fact, if the surveys and forecasts are right, 2013 could prove to be one of the strongest summers on record. Incentives, promotions, value-adds and a bounty of new apps are also helping to fuel interest in and demand for travel. Researchers and travel executives are encountering …
Leisure and Hospitality lead statewide employment growth
The Leisure and Hospitality Services sector is leading the state in total non-farm industry employment growth in North Carolina, according to recent data from the Labor and Economic Analysis Division. Total North Carolina non-farm employment (seasonally adjusted) increased 0.2 percent from March to April and 1.8 percent from April 2012 to April 2013. Since April 2012, Leisure and Hospitality Services has added the largest number of jobs (23,700; 5.7 percent), followed by Professional and Business Services (15,900; 3.0 percent) and …
VGCC schedules pair of Computer classes
Vance-Granville Community College is currently registering students for two popular computer continuing education courses starting in late June on the college’s Main Campus in Vance County. The “Beginner’s Guide to Computers & Internet: Windows 7” is scheduled for Tuesday evenings from 6 until 10 p.m., June 25 through Aug. 6. Exploring the Windows 7 operating system, novice students will get an introduction to the common components and many uses of personal computers. Students will also learn effective ways to make …
UNC-VGCC partnership cultivates high caliber teachers for young children
Through a new partnership with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, the early childhood education department at Vance-Granville Community College is offering a cutting-edge program for the next generation of teachers. Tracey Bennett, who has taught at VGCC for 10 years and now serves as department chair, is collaborating with FPG’s Supporting Change and Reform in Preservice Teaching in North Carolina (SCRIPT-NC). The project, led by Tracey West, SCRIPT-NC’s principal investigator, works …
Thursday Open Line
A major pop culture phenomenon began on this date in 1933. With the automobile increasingly reshaping Americans’ habits, Richard Hollingshead opened the nation’s first drive-in movie theater in Camden, New Jersey. Soon, drive-in movies became a fixture across the country and a popular place for teenage dating. Drive-ins reached their peak in the 1950s. There were nearly 21,000 movie theaters then and more than 4,000 of them were drive-ins. Now, there are nearly 4,900 movie theaters around the country — …
Henderson City Council Budget Work Session meeting scheduled for Thursdayhas been CANCELLED
The Henderson City Council Budget Work Session #5 meeting scheduled for Thursday, June 6, 2013 at 6:00 p.m. has been CANCELLED. The next meeting will be Monday, June 10th from 6pm to 8pm. The public is invited to attend.
Rusty McMahon: Unintentional Borrowing… Really!?
Recently, the Daily Dispatch reported that the Kerr-Tar Council of Governments improperly spent $138,537 in restricted funds from its only checking account, has been directed to repay the funds in short order to the Economic Development Administration, and is assessing member municipalities a per capita $1.39 “tax” (for lack of a better word) to pay back the improperly spent money and “replenish” its bank account with an additional $172,830. Would that we could all misspend $138,537 and get $311,367 as …
Empire Me, Empire You Summer Camp Accepting Registrations
INFINITE POSSIBILITIES, INC. PRESENTS… Empire Me, Empire You teaches youth to think of their own lives as an empire and to focus on building it. We believe what they learn can add to and enhance the skills they need to enlarge their empires by offering a full 7 week summer camp for ages five (5) to fifteen (15). We use Activity-Based Learning (ABL) teaching model combined with evidenced based curriculum where at its core, it integrates learning within students’ knowledge …
E-Books at the Perry Memorial Library
The Perry Memorial Library now offers a quick way to access e-books for your Kindle, Nook, or other reading device. Simply go to the library’s homepage at www.perrylibrary.org. Near the top of the page you will see a link that reads E-Books. Clicking on this link will take you to the web site for e-iNC, a group of North Carolina public libraries offering access to books and audio books in electronic format. From this site you will be able to …
Decker unfolds framework for public-private partnership organization
N.C. Commerce Secretary Sharon Decker spoke to the House Commerce Committee on May 29 and presented a detailed plan for the new public-private partnership that will assume the leadership and accountability for North Carolina’s economic development initiatives. House Bill 630 is the enabling legislation for the creation of the partnership. The objective of the N.C. Economic Development Partnership is to be more nimble and proactive, and able to leverage private funds with public dollars, move at the speed of business …
Mount Airy redesignated as a N.C. Main Street community
Mount Airy recently was redesignated as an active Main Street community, part of the national Main Street Program that is administered by the N.C. Department of Commerce’s Office of Urban Development. “The North Carolina Main Street Center staff is looking forward to working with the Mount Airy leadership to help them develop a comprehensive Main Street program that will improve the commercial district and attract increased foot traffic to downtown,” said Office of Urban Development Director Liz Parham. Mount Airy …
Senator Angela R. Bryant Newsletter
NEWS FROM RALEIGH… I always welcome your comments, project updates, suggestions, and visits. My office door and electronic door is always open to you! As always, thank you for your support! NEWSLETTER INDEX Around the District and More Events Action for Children Legislative News Senate Budget Overview Ethics Tip Hear and See Legislative Live Daily If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, please click here —————————————————————————- AROUND THE DISTRICT AND MORE “The Ultimate Page Week” in …
Strategic design alliances stimulate economic development across rural North Carolina
Art-Force Incorporated, a non-profit tax exempt organization based in Chapel Hill, stimulates and diversifies economic development in distressed communities by allying artists, artisans and designers with entrepreneurs, small businesses, educational institutions, and local agencies. Through cross-currents of artistic design and production, Art-Force reaffirms connection to place – creating new products, jobs and transforming community. Skilled in the implementation of these imaginative partnerships, Art-Force is helping to reinvigorate downtowns through the infusion of a creatively-minded workforce and the expansion of local …