Attached is the full packet from the Vance County Annual Retreat on January 23rd, 2013. Download here: Vance County Board of Commmissioners Annual Planning Retreat-1 (50 pages) The packet outlines goals that were set last year, the status of those goals, and goals for the upcoming year. We asked for your comments, and several of you responded with comments for the commissioners. We were able to actually get your comments in the full packet that was given to each commissioner. …
Franklin County Sherriff Makes Statement Regarding Gun Control
Citizens of Franklin County North Carolina, As most of you are aware I attended a meeting at Fargo’s Restaurant in Zebulon some weeks back. The purpose of the meeting was simple, to provide clarification to the citizenry as to where your Sheriffs stand with regards to your 2nd Amendment Rights to Keep and Bear Arms. Particular interest was given to the possibility of any new Federal Laws and/or restrictions and how each Sheriff would react should such measures be taken. …
Vance County Schools Committee Upcoming Dates
Vance County Board of Education Committee Meeting Dates: * Building & Grounds, Thursday, January 24th, 8:30 am * Community Relations, Tuesday, January 29th, 5:30 pm * Finance Committee, Wednesday, January 30th, 5:30 pm * Policy Committee, Wednesday, January 30th, 6:00 pm * Personnel Committee, Tuesday, February 5th, 8:30 am Note: All meetings are held in the Superintendent’s Conference Room.
Voluntary Ag District workshops to be held around the state
RALEIGH – The N.C. Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund will assist in hosting five workshops across the state for local governments interested in protecting their communities’ agricultural lands. The Voluntary Agricultural District workshops are for agricultural advisory board members, county representatives, program staff, farmers and anyone responsible for, or interested in, developing and administering voluntary and enhanced voluntary agricultural plans. Workshops will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the following dates and locations: Feb. 4 …
Carolinas Aviation Museum getting NASA artifacts from shuttle program
Pieces of NASA’s space shuttle program soon will be landing in Charlotte. In a key acquisition of space history, an emergency escape basket – designed to whisk astronauts away from the launch pad in event of trouble – will become part of the permanent collection at the Carolinas Aviation Museum, Shawn Dorsch, the museum’s president, said Monday. It is part of a cache of items from the shuttle program that the space agency is assigning to prominent museums across the …
AAA announces 2013 Five and Four Diamond Award Hotels and Restaurants in North Carolina
AAA has announced its 2013 Five and Four Diamond Award winners for Hotels and Restaurants. In North Carolina, Five Diamond Lodging includes The Umstead Hotel and Spa in Cary, The Ritz-Carlton in Charlotte and the Fearrington House Country Inn in Pittsboro. Five Diamond Restaurants are Heron’s in Cary and the Fearrington House Restaurant in Pittsboro. Five Diamond Restaurants are Heron’s in Cary and the Fearrington House Restaurant in Pittsboro. Four Diamond Hotels include Asheville’s 1889 White Gate Inn & Cottage,1900 …
New York Times: ’36 Hours in Durham’
In last Friday’s travel section, The New York Times featured “36 Hours in Durham, N.C.” The tobacco and textile industries left their imprint on Durham long ago, but now the historic brick mills and repurposed factories form the backdrop of North Carolina’s re-energized Bull City. Recently, artist studios and upstart galleries have multiplied in the flourishing downtown area, where new bakeries, pizzerias, tapas bars and food trucks – and trailers and buses and even the odd tricycle – seem to …
Pop star Bieber rocks photo shoot at Transportation Museum in Spencer
Justin Bieber, one of the biggest pop stars on the planet, was in Spencer over the holiday weekend doing a photo shoot for Teen Vogue at the N.C. Transportation Museum. Museum interim Director Larry Neal said a production crew from Greensboro photographed Bieber in several locations throughout the property. The magazine paid for the privilege of using the state-owned facility as a photo backdrop. “It’s very beneficial for the museum in showcasing the fact that our property does lend itself …
‘Dawson’s Creek’ debuted 15 years ago
In January of 1998, a TV series that would become a national phenomenon burst onto the small screen and quickly stole teens’ hearts. “Dawson’s Creek” premiered on Jan. 20 to mixed reviews, but it struck a chord with high schoolers and young adults, earning it a spot as the most popular show in the WB network’s 10-year history. It also catapulted Wilmington’s film industry into the national spotlight and changed the way television executives planned scripted series, said Wilmington Regional …
Asheville distillery makes big expansion
The craft whiskey business is booming at Asheville’s first legal distillery, where a big, new custom-made German still is greatly increasing production. Asheville Distilling Co., makers of Troy & Sons high-end moonshine whiskey, has just installed a 5,000-liter still, the largest of its kind made in Germany, said Charlie Ball, who founded the company with his wife, Troy. The company’s old still, since dismantled, sold and shipped elsewhere, could produce one 53-gallon barrel, or 400 bottles, of whiskey a day. …
North Carolina Weekend
For the week of Jan. 24 on UNC-TV’s “North Carolina Weekend,” take in a performance by the Burning Coal Theatre Company in Raleigh. Whet your appetite at The Weeping Radish Brewery and Restaurant in Grandy. Sample the fare at J. Betskis in Raleigh. Get your swing on at the N.C. Jazz Festival in Wilmington. And check out the scene at the Beyu Caffe in Durham. (Please note: listings are subject to change.) “North Carolina Weekend” is exclusively underwritten by the …
Thursday Open Line
Surgery has been practiced since the Stone Age, but the fearsome pain suffered by the patients of such procedures held back the practice for ages. This began to be resolved in the 19th century with the advent of anesthesia. Now anesthesia is an advanced and specialized component of the surgical process. In recognition, January 20 through the 26th is Nurse Anesthetists Week, celebrating the professionals that are the main provider of anesthesia in rural America. There are 2.7 million registered …
Elissa Yount: Beware of Greeks Bearing Gifts
“Beware of Greeks bearing gifts.” This warning holds meaning for us in Henderson just as it did for the Trojans in ancient times. The first gift we should have been wary of was the gift of the warehouse on Zene Street that was accepted by the Downtown Development Commission. This commission is not elected and for the most part is funded by the taxpayers in Henderson. Why the DCC would accept such a large property that harbored vagrants and piles …
VGCC students discuss Service to Humanity at annual Martin Luther King celebration
Speeches by students on the importance of serving others and joyful music were among the highlights of Vance-Granville Community College’s annual celebration of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, held on Jan. 16 in the college’s Civic Center. Attendees were welcomed by VGCC Early Childhood Education program head Tracey Bennett, chair of the college’s Global Awareness Committee, which sponsored the event. VGCC Publications Coordinator Elizabeth Gray, who chairs the Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Subcommittee, helped Bennett preside over …
Free Seminar at VGCC Will Provide Business Owners Information About Taxes And Workers’ Comp
The Vance Granville Community College Small Business Center will host a seminar for business owners that deals with taxes and workers’ compensation insurance on Tuesday, February 19, 2013. The seminar, which is free to everyone, will take place between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. in Building 7, Room 7107 at the Vance Granville Community College Henderson campus. The Henderson campus is located at 200 Community College Road, which is exit 209 off of interstate 85 onto Poplar Creek Road The …
Henderson Strategic Planning Retreat January 23, 2013
The Henderson City Council will hold its annual retreat meeting today, which is open to the public if you’d like to attend. The agenda is attached: Henderson City Strategic Planning Meeting
Attorney General Roy Cooper: Use caution when meeting people online
You may have seen recent news reports about a college football player’s involvement with an online girlfriend who turned out not to exist in real life. Regardless of what details ultimately emerge, this is a good reminder to use caution when getting to know someone online. The online world makes it easy for someone to hide their true identity, and easy for them to find and befriend unsuspecting people. Con artists and online predators will even use information you reveal about yourself online …
State to make global connections at Miami Boat Show
Approximately 35 North Carolina companies will be exhibiting at the Miami International Boat Show Feb. 14-18. At the show the N.C. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Division will partner with the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Buyer Program and the National Marine Manufacturers Association to host trade delegations from Japan, Costa Rica, Brazil, Panama, Chile, and Turkey. For the first time, the boat show has been chosen to be a part of the International Buyer Program, which was created to …
N.C.-filmed ‘Homeland’ strikes gold again
The North Carolina-filmed series “Homeland” once again walked away the big winner in television from the Golden Globe Awards, presented on Jan. 13 in Los Angeles. The series brought home the honor of Best Television Series-Drama for the second consecutive year. In addition, Claire Danes and Damian Lewis each won for Best Performance by an Actress and Actor, respectively, in a Television Series-Drama. In addition, the series was also once again named one of the top productions of the year …
State Board of Education to Consider a Vote on Corporal Punishment in North Carolina Schools
Two decades ago, most school districts in North Carolina allowed the use of corporal punishment as an acceptable form of student discipline. New data released by the Department of Public Instruction earlier this month shows that corporal punishment is now on the decline. Twelve school districts used corporal punishment last year, three of which have since banned the practice. Research has shown corporal punishment is not effective to improve student behavior or academic outcomes, and yet, nine districts continue to …