The Small Business Taxpayer Recovery Program — a joint effort of the N.C. Department of Commerce’s Commissioner for Small Business and the N.C. Department of Revenue — is winding down, but it continues to have a significant impact on North Carolina’s small businesses. More than 3,000 firms have been accepted into the program by the Department of Revenue and $126 million has been collected: $58 million in delinquent taxes and $68 million in current taxes. Businesses will save almost $18 …
Representative Michael Wray’s Newsletter
Representative Michael H. Wray’s Raleigh Report May 23, 2013 As Crossover came to a close, the speed at the General Assembly intensified as the Senate gave final approval to their budget proposal. The budget now heads to the House where changes will be made before presenting a final plan to Governor Pat McCrory for his signature. In a heated debate, Senate Democrats condemned the measure citing harmful impacts to working families. The Senate budget is another step in …
Wednesday Open Line
The nation’s first daily newspaper, the Pennsylvania Evening Post, began publication this week in 1783, printed by Benjamin Towne in Philadelphia. Americans’ hunger for news was such that by 1850, there were some 250 dailies. The number of newspapers peaked a hundred years ago, when there were 2,600 dailies published across the nation, with a circulation of over 24 million. Today, with increasing competition from the Internet, television, and radio, the number of daily newspapers in the U.S. has dropped …
City of Henderson: New Police Chief – Captian Marcus W. Barrow
I am pleased to advise you that I have appointed Captain Marcus W. Barrow to the position of interim Police Chief, effective close of business on Friday, 31 May 201.3. Captain Barrow, a native of Zebulon, NC, has been with the Henderson Police Department (HPD) since 17 August 1998. His tenure has been marked as one of progressive development and promotion. He was promoted to Police Officer II in 2000, Police Officer III in 2003, Sergeant in 2005, Lieutenant in …
Senator Angela Bryant: Senate Budget Hurts Early Childhood Education
Statement from Abdul Rasheed on the N.C. Senate’s Cut of All Funding for the N.C. Community Development Initiative: We are deeply disappointed that the North Carolina Senate failed to provide any funding to enable the N.C. Community Development Initiative to continue helping North Carolina’s most economically distressed communities recover and rebuild their economies. Businesses, families and the state’s fragile recovery cannot withstand this move by state legislators and the governor to dismantle 20 years of progress made through public-private investments …
More than 1,000 Graduates of NC Early College High Schools Earn Associates Degrees or Two Years of College Credit
RALEIGH – North Carolina’s growing number of early college high schools reached a new milestone this spring, with more than half the 2,000-plus graduates in the class of 2013 earning an associate degree or two years of college credit in addition to a high school diploma. At a time of intensifying focus on the readiness of high school students for college and the workforce, North Carolina’s early colleges are proving an effective model for helping students gain the kinds of …
VGCC Pins Nursing Graduates
Vance-Granville Community College recognized 43 students who graduated this spring from the Associate Degree Nursing program with a pinning ceremony in the college’s Civic Center on May 8. Among those honored with distinctive nursing pins at the ceremonies were five who graduated through the LPN to ADN Transition Program, which helps Licensed Practical Nurses to continue their education with the Associate Degree Nursing program and then become Registered Nurses. These graduates were Domonique Hargrove and Laura Ohlandt, both of Franklinton; …
Senator Richard Burr Newsletter
This week the Senate continued its work on the Farm Bill. One amendment that was offered by Senator Dianne Feinstein would have been devastating to North Carolina’s farmers. If passed, the Feinstein amendment would have singled out tobacco farmers, and only tobacco farmers, from being eligible to purchase federal crop insurance. This was just another thinly veiled attempt to end the production of a legal product in this country. Tobacco is also the leading tax generating commodity in the agriculture community and one that we export. If the amendment …
VGCC honors Radiography Graduates
Twenty-five new graduates of Vance-Granville Community College’s two-year Radiography program were honored in a May 6 pinning ceremony in the college’s Civic Center. VGCC Dean of Health Sciences Angela Thomas, who was head of the Radiography program when the graduates first enrolled, presided over the ceremony. In welcoming remarks, VGCC President Dr. Stelfanie Williams congratulated the graduates and saluted the faculty for preparing students to become radiographers. “Your class has demonstrated a commitment not only to technical excellence but also …
VGCC graduates 12 Law Enforcement Cadets in School’s 96th BLET Class
Twelve cadets graduated on May 14 from the Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) course at Vance-Granville Community College, in a ceremony held in the Civic Center on Main Campus. After passing the state certification exam, all are authorized to work in any law enforcement agency in North Carolina. Graduates of VGCC’s 96th BLET class included James Alan Vercoe of Butner Public Safety; Keith Antwon Alston of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office; Lindsay Ann Green of the Vance County Sheriff’s Office; …
Tuesday Open Line
May kicks off the busiest moving season of the year. It’s a time when moving vans and rental trucks show up in driveways and parking lots all across the country. Each year, 1-in-8 of us changes our address — a rate that is up slightly as of last year. Nearly two thirds of all moves are within the same county, and slightly less than 5 percent to another state. Men and women in their 20s are more apt to move, …
Congresswoman Renee Ellmers: Remembering the Fallen
As we head into the holiday weekend, many of us will be busy with family gatherings, trips and community events. My family will be celebrating the graduation of my son, Ben, from high school. Amidst the activity of the weekend, let us take time to remember those in our armed forces who gave all to secure the way of life we enjoy today. You will find my Memorial Day message in this newsletter, along with information about two bills I …
White House Weekly Address: Giving Thanks to Our Fallen Heroes this Memorial Day
In this week’s address, President Obama commemorates Memorial Day by paying tribute to the men and women in uniform who have given their lives in service to our country. This week, the President continued his Jobs & Opportunity tour, this time highlighting bold new efforts in education and manufacturing in Baltimore, gave the commencement address at Morehouse College, invited the President of Myanmar, eight immigration reform advocates and DREAMers themselves, and Gershwin Prize winner Carol King and friends to the …
Butterfield Opposes Bill to Increase Student Loan Interest Rate, Supports Bill to Provide Students Financial Relief
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) took to the House floor today to voice his strong opposition to the Republican-led “Making College More Expensive Act” that would change the interest rates for all new federal student loans made on or after July 1, 2013, from a fixed interest rate to a variable market-based interest rate. Presently, the interest rate for subsidized loans is 3.4 percent, however, the rate is scheduled to double to 6.8 percent after July 1 …
Vance County Board of Education Called Meeting Thursday, May 30th
NOTICE VANCE COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION Called Meeting Thursday, May 30, 2013 5:30 p.m. Administrative Services Center, Superintendent’s Conference Room, 1724 Graham Avenue, Henderson, N. C. 27536 A G E N D AI. Call to Order* II. Approval of Meeting Agenda* III. Executive Session* IV. Personnel Recommendations* V. Adjournment* Requires Board Action
Friday / Weekend Open Line
This holiday weekend will see the great seasonal migration begin to decks, balconies and backyards to fire up our gas or charcoal grills. May is not only National Barbecue Month but also National Hamburger Month. While cooking food outside has occurred throughout history — and prehistory — grilling became a popular recreation in the U.S. in the 1920s. The first charcoal briquettes sold for the purpose were produced by Henry Ford, using scrap wood left over from making Model Ts. …
N.C. Special Olympics Law-Enforcement Torch Run Wednesday, May 29, 2013
The N.C. Special Olympics Law-Enforcement Torch Run will be held Wednesday, May 29, 2013 at 9:00 A.M. The run will start at the Henderson Police Department located at 200 Breckenridge Street. Officers from the Henderson Police Department, Vance County Sheriff’s Office, the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, and the District Attorney’s Office, will be participating in the event. The Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics is an international series of relays by law enforcement officers to raise money for …
Events Across NC Tap Memorial Day Spirit
RALEIGH, N.C. (May 22, 2013) — North Carolina destinations are ready to welcome visitors for Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial start of the summer travel season. Special events feed the urge to travel, lodging packages make the trip more enticing, and lower pump prices sweeten the deal. “The three-day weekend makes Memorial Day irresistible,” said Wit Tuttell, marketing director in the North Carolina Department of Commerce’s Division of Tourism. “With the extra day, you can see more, do more, relax more …
VGCC Board Reviews Plans to Create a Police Presence on Campus
The Vance-Granville Community College Board of Trustees held its bimonthly meeting on Monday, May 20 at the college’s Henderson campus. During that meeting, VGCC Vice President of Employee and Public Relations Stacey Carter-Coley detailed plans for bringing a police force to Main Campus as a way to expand the present campus security and foster partnerships with local law enforcement agencies in the four counties that Vance-Granville serves. The College will keep its current campus security force in place and add …
Kerr Lake Art Show winners named
Entries in the 47th Annual Kerr Lake Art Show, co-sponsored by Vance-Granville Community College and the Kerr Lake Art Society, were judged and put on display for the public on the second floor of Building 7 on the college’s Main Campus in Vance County, May 20-31. This year’s competition saw 21 visual artists from throughout the region submit a total of approximately 60 works in a variety of two-dimensional media, according to Lelia Brigham of Henderson, the Kerr Lake Art …