This is National Fire Prevention Week — a time to look around the house with the idea of keeping the risk of fire to a minimum. It’s also a good time to replace the batteries in your smoke detectors. Two of the worst fires in U.S. history broke out on this date in 1871. One was the famous fire in Chicago. The second fire that day was much worse, but has faded into history. A dry summer and high winds …
Richard Brand: All Those Other People
One of the realities of elections is that you only vote for a few people, but what you get is a whole lot more people. That is, when you vote for the President and Vice-President, you get all those cabinet secretaries, advisers, experts, appointments and staff people. It is not just Obama and Biden, it is his whole staff. It is not just Romney and Ryan, it is all the people they would bring with them. That is a great …
City of Henderson City Council Meeting October 8th, 2012
Henderson City Council Regular Meeting Monday, 8 October 2012, 6:00 p.m. in the R. G. (Chick) Young, Jr. Council Chambers, Municipal Building 134 Rose Avenue Henderson, North Carolina Download the full agenda here: 20121008_coh_agenda_packet VI. APPROVAL OF MINUTES a) 24 September 2012 Short Regular Meeting [See Notebook Tab 1]b) 24 September 2012 Work Session VII. PUBLIC HEARING a) Consideration of Denial of Ordinance 12-70, Rezoning a 1.96 +/- Tract Located on the Corner of Oxford Road and Ruin Creek Road …
Henderson-Vance Crime Stoppers Seeks Help In Solving Cases, Rewars Offered
Strong Arm Robbery & Larceny Case: On September 06, 2012 at 10:15 p.m., officers of the Henderson Police Department were dispatched to a robbery that just occurred on East Andrews Ave. Upon arrival officers found the victim, Rodney Davis of Jessup Road Westport Ct. Mr. Davis stated that two black males grabbed him and took some money from his pocket. The two black males then ran from the scene. One suspect was wearing a gold shirt and black pants and …
Vance County Schools Information Session for Parents October 11th, and 23rd
Parents of students in Vance County Schools in the 10th and 11th grade are invited to attend an information session about upcoming test administrations for the PLAN and ACT tests. The session is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Thursday, October 11, in the board room of the school system’s Administrative Services Center on Graham Avenue in Henderson. All parents of high school sophomores and juniors are urged to attend. School system personnel will share a Powerpoint presentation and written materials …
Fit To Love, A Play Against Domestic Violence October 13th
Fit To Love, A Play Against Domestic Violence, will be held Saturday, October 13, 2012 from 10:00am to 1:00pm. Registration begins at 9:30am. The even takes place in the auditorium at the Boys and Girls club on 212 N. Clark Street, Henderson, NC 27536. Fit to Love is a free event to all! Come out and take a stand against domestic violence and teen dating violence! The play will be followed by poetry reading, video, panel discussion, free hamburgers, fellowship …
Organizing for America Hosts Program to Prepare for Early Voting on Saturday Morning
Organizing for America is having a practice exercise to make sure that volunteers are prepared for Early Voting. Volunteers are invited to come to the Headquarters (219 S. Garnett) at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday October 6th and take part in the training. Early Voting is a very important part of the Get Out to Vote effort by the Democratic Party of Vance County.
Vance County Board of Education Meeting Monday, October 8th
Vance County Board of Education will meet on October 8, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. in the Administrative Services Center. The full agenda packet can be downloaded here: 20121008_vcboe_agenda_packet I. Call to Order II. Moment of Silence * III. Approval of Minutes * IV. Approval of Meeting Agenda V. Recognitions/Announcements VI. Comments from the Public (Citizens who would like to address the Board may do so by completing Form BDDH-E, Public Participation at Board Meetings. …
First-ever N.C. Brewers’ Cup winners announced
RALEIGH – Front Street Brewery in Wilmington took home the Best of Show honors among professional breweries in the inaugural N.C. Brewers’ Cup competition. Front Street’s Amber Jack ESB beat out 33 other commercial beers for the honor. Chris Creech of Chapel Hill took home Best of Show in the homebrewing competition for his home-brewed Irish Dry Stout. The competition was judged by eight professional beer judges on Sept. 29. A total of 177 entries were judged – 33 professional …
NC Cooperative Extension: Present Use Value property tax program
Vance County is undergoing a Compliance Review of the Present Use Value program. So far the County Tax Office has sent notices to about a third of enrolled landowners, with the remaining notices to be sent around the first of the year. Note that under the “Agriculture” or “Horticulture” category, the landowner is required to have average gross farm income of at least $1000 per year over the past three years. The Tax Office requires documentation of income, which could …
Attorney General Roy Cooper: Illegal “Robocalls” Irritate, Scam Consumers
It’s against state law for a business to call you using a recorded message, but North Carolinians are continuing to receive these automated calls, often called robocalls. Most of these calls are scams designed to steal your personal information. Hundreds of consumers have filed complaints about a robocall from “Rachel , with Card Services” who claims to be able to lower your credit card rates for an upfront fee. Another common robocall claims the FBI has noticed a spike in …
State Board of Education Adopts ‘Vision of Public Education in North Carolina’
The North Carolina State Board of Education today adopted the “Vision of Public Education in North Carolina: A Great Public Education System for a Great State” to guide their work and encourage a shared commitment to assuring a strong, flexible and coherent education system that serves all students and that is geared toward the promotion of the public interest. The vision statement is available here. (pdf, 629kb) “We have a responsibility for all children in the state, not just the …
White House: Operation Educate the Educators
This afternoon, I (Dr. Jill Biden) was so honored to meet two of our nation’s youngest heroes – 11-year-old twin sisters Felicity and Abigail. The 7th graders love to read and play sports, and, like many of our nation’s 1.3 million school-age military children, their current school is not their first school. Felicity and Abigail have attended five different schools in four states in the past seven years. They have left old friends and met new ones, transferred school records, left …
Friday / Weekend Open Line
U.S. based manufacturers receive new orders every month worth close to a half-trillion dollars. To underscore the health and prospects of this closely watched economic sector, today is Manufacturing Day, with activities staged across the country by American companies. The main focus is a series of open houses to show that the words “Made in America” are still a powerful sign of innovation and quality. These open houses will enable the public to see for themselves that American manufacturing is …
VGCC receives positive feedback as SACS Committee visit ends
A committee representing the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) Commission on Colleges wrapped up its on-site visit to Vance-Granville Community College on Sept. 26, marking an end to a crucial step in the process by which the college receives reaffirmation of its accreditation. The ten-member On-Site Committee consisted of administrators and faculty members from colleges in Southern states outside of North Carolina, and was chaired by Dr. Carl Hite, the president of Cleveland State Community College in Tennessee. …
North Carolina Weekend
For the week of Oct. 7 on UNC-TV’s “North Carolina Weekend,” experience the festivities at the Edenton Peanut Festival. Take in the wonders of nature at the Charlotte Nature Museum. Step back in time via a tour of Civil War sites in Kinston. Consider a stay at the Jarrett House in Dillsboro. And enjoy a profile of Farmville. (Please note: listings are subject to change.) “North Carolina Weekend” is exclusively underwritten by the N.C. Division of Tourism. In addition, UNC-TV …
NCDOT to launch $1.6 million study of I-95 tolling
In response to questions raised by the public, the N.C. Dept. of Transportation announced Tuesday (yesterday) it will begin a study on the economic impact of tolling along Interstate 95. The study, which will take six months to complete, will examine the positive and negative aspects of adding lanes on I-95 and paying for them with tolling or other funding. The department said the study will also look at what would happen if lanes or other significant improvements requiring additional …
Vance County Schools – New Hope Backpack Buddies Programs
Two local churches are supporting students at New Hope Elementary School this school year through their Backpack Buddies programs, which involve church members each week donating non-perishable food items that are sent home for the weekend with selected students. Barbara Slaughter, school counselor at New Hope Elementary, works closely with the churches to coordinate the programs. The congregation of Island Creek Baptist Church, which also had a Backpack Buddies program with the school last year, supports 15 identified students with …
VGCC schedules Digital Photography and Software courses at Main Campus
Area residents can register now for short-term courses in photography and two software programs, which will soon be offered by the Occupational Extension Computer Center at Vance-Granville Community College. All three of these courses are scheduled to start in October at VGCC’s Main Campus in Vance County. “Digital Photography & Photo Editing (Level 2)” is set to be held on Monday evenings from 5:30-8:30 p.m., Oct. 29 through Dec. 17. The instructor is Nancy Jo Smith, a Kittrell-based professional photographer …
Best Dish in N.C. winners announced
RALEIGH — Winners were announced in the Best Dish in North Carolina competition, which showcases restaurants using local ingredients. Organizers said 2012 was one of the most competitive years yet. “The bar has been raised over the years and this year’s results show just how difficult it can be to place in this competition,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “The difference between first and second place was three points or less in several categories and we even had our first …