Editors Note – The original article can be found here if you’d like to read: http://www.carolinajournal.com/daily_journal/display.html?id=9808 John Hood’s article on unemployment in the Daily Dispatch (1/16/2013, page A8) would make the English philosopher John Locke (for whom Hood’s organization is named) absolutely mortified. I have studied Locke, and Hood fails to understand him and takes him out of context, which is what he also does with his cited references. So that no reader thinks I am a slacker for what …
North Carolina Weekend
For the week of Jan. 17 on UNC-TV’s “North Carolina Weekend,” chill out with the Blowing Rock Winterfest. Enjoy strolling through the Rockford General Store in Rockford. Explore the many aspects of Linbrook Heritage Estate in Trinity. Take in the art at Weatherspoon Art Museum in Greensboro. And the “House Special” samples the fare at Cherry’s Barbecue in Forest City. (Please note: listings are subject to change.) “North Carolina Weekend” is exclusively underwritten by the N.C. Division of Tourism. In …
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 this past Sunday 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 …
White House: Now is the time for all of us to act
Wednesday President Obama announced a plan to help protect our kids and communities from gun violence. You’re going to hear a lot about it, but I wanted to make sure you got a chance to get the facts, straight from me. After hearing from Americans from across the political spectrum, we decided to focus on some key priorities: closing background check loopholes, banning military-style assault weapons, making our schools safer, and increasing access to mental health services. The ideas we …
Thursday Open Line
There’s been a lot of emphasis lately on making houses that are more energy efficient — with better insulation and windows that seal out heat and cold. Many feature the use of solar panels to capture the natural heat of the sun. The first house in America with solar heating and radiation cooling opened this week in 1955 in Tucson, Arizona. A large, slanting slab of steel and glass converted sunlight into heat, which was ducted into the house. In …
Vance County Learning Center Announces Community Meetings Regarding Plans For Future Charter School
Vance County Learning Center Announces Community Meeting Regarding Their Plans For A Future Charter School, Named In Honor Of Fallen Student January 15, 2013 – Henderson, NC – Vance County Learning Center, a 501 c 3 non-profit educational organization, located in downtown Henderson, is pleased to announce the re-submission of their North Carolina charter application to the NC Department of Education. For over 9 years, Miss Deryl (von Williams), as her students call her, has been lovingly guiding and instructing …
Chamber’s 2013 Leadership Vance Class Deadline Extended
The Henderson – Vance County Chamber of Commerce 2013 Leadership – Vance program application deadline has been extended for 1 more week. This program will introduce you to the community, it’s workings, government, schools, all sorts of programs in the area. If accepted into the Leadership-Vance Program, you or your employer will be billed for tuition. ($325 for Chamber members, $400 for non-Chamber members). This will cover all costs of attending the program, including the retreat, meals, materials, etc To …
Wyndham Hotel Group Converts Jameson Inn to Baymont Inn & Suites
Henderson, NC (January 1, 2013) — Wyndham Hotel Group, the world’s largest hotel company with over 7,260 hotels and part of Wyndham Worldwide Corporation (NYSE: WYN), today announced plans to convert Jameson Inn to Baymont Inn & Suites. The property will be managed by Channel Point Hospitality, LLC, a wholly owned and operated subsidiary of Aimbridge Hospitality, a hotel and real estate management company based in Dallas. Dave Johnson, President and CEO of Aimbridge Hospitality, is thrilled about Aimbridge Hospitality’s …
NC Annual Main Street conference approaches in Salisbury
The N.C. Department of Commerce’s N.C. Main Street Center, Urban Development Division, will hold the 2013 North Carolina Main Street Conference, the downtown revitalization event for the state, in historic downtown Salisbury Jan.30-Feb. 1. The conference will feature fresh, new collaborative partnerships that are creating locally owned enterprises, cultural and entertainment venues, downtown housing, schools and a mix of activities. It’s no longer downtown business as usual. Innovative ideas are attracting people, interest and investment, making communities more resilient and …
Butterfield Picks Up Key Seat on House Heath Subcommittee
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) today was appointed to serve on the powerful House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health during the 113th Congress, making him the eighth most influential Democrat on the subcommittee. The Health Subcommittee has jurisdiction over a wide range of issues that are important to North Carolina and the nation. Among those include Medicare and Medicaid, private health insurance, public health, hospital construction, health information technology, privacy, cyber security, medical malpractice, and drug …
Tourism division, Charlotte showcase state as ABA brings tour operators to N.C.
For the second time in five years, Charlotte hosted the American Bus Association’s Annual Marketplace, one of the premier industry events for group travel. More than 3,000 tourism industry professionals attended the trade show last week, with all receiving a healthy dose of memorable group travel experiences in Charlotte, the region and the state. Attendees enjoyed networking opportunities through more than 100,000 scheduled, face-to-face business appointments, evening events, dine-arounds, sightseeing tours, tradeshow exhibits and more. The N.C. Department of Commerce’s …
Tobacco growers to vote on funding for export promotion Jan. 23
RALEIGH — Flue-cured tobacco growers in North Carolina will vote Jan. 23 on whether to continue an assessment to fund export promotion and expansion activities by Tobacco Associates Inc. The amount of the assessment would be no more than one-fifth of 1 cent per pound of flue-cured tobacco sold. The assessment would be in effect for the 2013 through 2015 marketing years. Voting will take place at N.C. Cooperative Extension offices in counties where flue-cured tobacco is grown. Any tobacco …
HiH Jobs page updated
Our jobs page has been iffy for a few days not posting everything its supposed to, today it seems like it’s working again. Please give it a look if you haven’t recently at http://homeinhenderson.com/category/jobs/
Wednesday Open Line
There have been 27 amendments to the U.S. Constitution over the past 222 years, but that total comes with an asterisk. Uniquely, the 21st Amendment repeals the 18th, which began its short career this day in 1919. That amendment launched the Prohibition Era, a well intentioned act (of social hygiene) seeking to ban the availability of alcoholic beverages. The unintended consequences, though, were perhaps worse — vast flouting of the law by the public and a boost to organized crime. …
Michael Bobbitt: Notes From The Peanut Gallery (City Council 1/14/2013)
Last night’s City Council meeting was the first meeting for this new year of 2013. If last night’s meeting set the tone for this year, then an Americanized Chinese dish best describes the coming year. Last night the City Council served up a great plate of sweet and sour government. The City Council did one man’s bidding and allowed gambling dens (internet cafes) to be located next door to a barber college. As it was explained to me after the …
New Charter High School Names Swanner Executive Director
At Thursday’s board of directors meeting for Oxford Preparatory High School, the Board named Andrew Swanner as Executive Director of the school. Swanner is one of the founding educators of the school and led the writing of the extensive charter application. Board Chair, Shawn Spence, said, “The Board voted unanimously to offer Mr. Andrew Swanner the position and is confident that he is best suited to lead the school. He has shown himself to be instrumental in the charter application …
Study: Most N.C. Winery Customers Are In-State Tourists
RALEIGH, N.C. (Jan. 14, 2013) — A new research study on visitation to North Carolina wineries revealed that 80 percent of winery customers are visitors to the community, with more than 70 percent coming from inside the state. Most overnight visitors went to North Carolina wineries as an activity during their vacation while only 12.4 percent indicated that visiting the winery or a winery event was the primary reason for their trip, according to research funded by the North Carolina …
NC Cooperative Extension Class Cancellation
From Paul McKenzie: Due to low registration, the produce safety meeting for Thursday, 1/17 has been cancelled. We will send out a notice if we decide to reschedule. If you were planning to register, but had not yet done so, please let me know as that will help me gauge interest for a possible future meeting. Sorry for any inconvenience.
Ag Forum will offer economic and policy outlook Jan. 31 at State Fairgrounds
RALEIGH — The economic and policy outlook for North Carolina agriculture will be on the agenda at the eighth annual Ag Development ForumThursday, Jan. 31, at the State Fairgrounds. The forum will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Holshouser Building. Dr. Nick Piggott, an agricultural economist at N.C. State University, will be the keynote speaker. The forum also will feature Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler’s annual State of Agriculture address, and representatives of N.C. agribusinesses will share …
Attorney General Roy Cooper: Don’t respond to alarming security system pitch
A call reporting that burglaries are on the rise in your neighborhood would be enough to get anyone’s attention. But if the call includes a pitch for a new home security system, don’t fall for it. More than 600 North Carolina consumers contacted us last year to report telemarketing calls pitching alarm systems. The calls often start with an alarming recorded message that says the FBI or SBI has noticed a spike in burglaries and “reports a break in every …