The Vance County Board of Commissioners will meet Monday night, October 1st, 2012 at 6:00pm. Download the full agenda packet here: 20121001_vcboc_agenda_packet (171 pages) Speakers will be Karen Foster with the Council of Governments regarding Awarding of Bids for the Scatters Site program. Also, Porcha Brooks, Tax Administrator, will discuss Tax Office Matters and Untimely Exemption Application. Reports by Human Resources and Education Committees County Manager’s reports for Schools – Joint Application for Lottery Funds, and Qualified Zone Academy Bond. …
Richard Brand: Who Is in Favor of Voting?
The right to vote. Democracy has been the great ideal of the United States. It is the right to vote that has been a signature virtue of this country. The idea that government will be selected by the citizens by private vote has been the keystone to this country from its creation. The great march of democracy in this country has been to expand the right to vote. The struggle to give women the vote. The struggle to give blacks …
Anonymous Reader: The Fix Is In On The Ducks
This just in from an anonymous reader to our submission email address: The fix is in on the ducks. While we all sleep last night a clandestine team of experts installed waterproof, invisible, microscopic solar powered, electro-magnets along the course of tomorrow’s duck race. The top winning ducks have an electro-magnetic receiver cloned into their belly and hundreds of super microscopic feet all hidden beneath very fine plastic feathers. The super microscopic feet are powered by the electro-magnetic receiver as …
NC Cooperative Extension Updates
COVER CROPS FOR SMALL FARMERS, 10/11, WARRENCover crops are planted not for harvest, but for the purpose of soil improvement, pest management, and more. Using cover crops effectively can have a dramatic effect on productivity. On Thursday October 11th Paul McKenzie (Ag Extension Agent) will conduct a seminar entitled “Cover Crops for Small Farmers”. He will discuss the various plants that can be used as cover crops, their benefits, and how to manage them for best results. The program will …
Representative Michael H. Wray’s Raleigh Report
Interim committees continue to meet at the General Assembly to discuss and study education, health, transportation and other matters vital to our state. The hope is that in-depth evaluations of specific programs will lead to better decisions when we return to session in January. I have also been active in many other events in our community during this interim as I continue to learn from you what I can do in Raleigh to improve conditions here at home. I appreciate …
Eaton-Johnson Middle School Team Fundraiser
A Yard Sale & Car Wash event is scheduled from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Saturday, October 13, at the Superior Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep dealership on U.S. 158 Bypass in Henderson. The event is a fund-raising effort for Team Alice Walker at Eaton-Johnson Middle School to cover the costs of activities for eight-grade students on the team. The public is invited to attend the event and support the students at Eaton-Johnson Middle School.
This Weeks Contest: 2 Tickets to the NC State Fair! Drawing October 5th
Beginning at this posting, which will be about 12:02am Friday morning, September 28th, Home in Henderson will hold our latest contest. The lucky winner receives 2 general admission tickets to the NC State Fair. To enter, simply make a comment on ANY ARTICLE on our website during the contest time frame of September 28th to October 5th. On Friday, October 5th at 9:00am the contest will close and a random commenter will be drawn that morning. The winner will be …
Friday / Weekend Open Line
Most people may think of cranberries only at Thanksgiving, but not the people of Warrens, Wisconsin. The town’s 40th annual Cranberry Festival starts today and runs through Sunday, a celebration expected to draw 110,000 people. While the focus is on cranberries, the festival has more than three miles of booths featuring arts, crafts, antiques, and food. Among the activities offered are educational tours of the nearby cranberry bogs. Each year in the U.S., there are 340,000 tons of cranberries harvested, …
North Carolina Weekend
For the week of Sept. 27 on UNC-TV’s “North Carolina Weekend,” see selections from “The Gone with the Wind” classic movie at the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh. Get lost at Eliada’s Annual Corn Maze in Asheville. Enjoy a variety of activities at Hexagon Wake Park in Benson. Take in the sights and food during the N.C. Seafood Festival in Morehead City. And the “House Special” samples the fare at The Legacy Restaurant in Elm City. (Please note: listings …
VGCC Psychology instructor offers seminars on Dreams
Peter Metzner, a Psychology instructor at Vance-Granville Community College, will offer a free seminar about understanding dreams, and the public is invited. In the “Dream Circles” seminar, Metzner will facilitate a discussion in which participants will learn how to better understand and work with their own dreams and each others’. This seminar is scheduled to be offered twice: on Wednesday, Oct. 10 from 1:30 until 2:30 p.m. and on Thursday, Oct. 11 from 2:30 until 3:30 p.m. On both dates, …
Nine Creative Ways to See North Carolina’s Fall Colors
RALEIGH, N.C. (Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2012) — With the arrival of fall, the leaves are beginning to shade North Carolina in hues of burgundy, burnt orange and golden yellow. Starting with the lofty peaks in the north, color spreads to the south and east in a painterly wash before slowly fading into winter. It’s an orderly progression, yet the timing is tricky. In any given area, the weather can rush or delay the peak, prolong the glory or cut it …
Butterfield Applauds $1.9 million Grant for HIV/AIDS Prevention in North Carolina
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) today applauded the awarding of a $1,897,500 grant to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) from the Center of Disease Control (CDC) to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS in minority communities. The three year grant, funded by the Care and Prevention in the United States (CAPUS) program under the Secretary’s Minority AIDS Initiative, will address the social, economic, clinical and cultural barriers to HIV testing and care in …
North Carolina firms ink deals to import 826,733 tons of corn
Original Story: http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/sns-rt-us-usa-corn-importsbre88p1kh-20120926,0,6566321.story CHICAGO (Reuters) – Hog producer Prestage Farms Inc and two other livestock companies in North Carolina have signed deals to import 750,000 metric tons (826733.48 tons) of corn from Brazil in the wake of sky-high U.S. prices, Senior Vice President John Prestage told Reuters. The imports, made through agribusiness companies such as Bunge Ltd and Archer Daniels Midland Co , are the largest on record and come after the worst drought in half a century rallied grain …
White House: President Obama Addresses the United Nations
Speaking to the United Nations General Assembly, President Obama remembered Ambassador Chris Stevens and delivered a defense of both free speech and the spirit of tolerance. The President described Stevens — who was slain earlier this month in an attack on the U.S. compound in Benghazi, Libya — as a man who “embodied the best of America.” “Like his fellow Foreign Service officers, he built bridges across oceans and cultures, and was deeply invested in the international cooperation that the …
N.C. sponsors pay for roadside litter pickup
As budget cuts and prison closings shrink the inmate labor available to pick up trash along North Carolina highways, the N.C. Dept. of Transportation is trying to fill the gap with business sponsors who pay for litter removal by the mile. Blue signs have sprouted along Interstate 40 in Durham and Wake counties this year to promote the first handful of recruits to North Carolina’s Sponsor-A-Highway program. They range from the Angus Barn restaurant and other local stalwarts to Mixed …
N.C. filmed ‘Homeland’ wins six Emmys
The North Carolina-filmed series “Homeland” walked away with a total of six awards following the conclusion of the 64th annual Primetime Emmy Awards at the in Los Angeles this past Sunday. The series, which was nominated for a total of nine honors, won the evening’s top honor by taking home the Outstanding Drama Series. In his acceptance speech, Executive Producer Alex Gansa recognized the Charlotte crew for its work on the series. Claire Danes and Damian Lewis were both named …
USA Today: Celebrating Andy Griffith’s legacy at Mayberry Days Sept 27th – 30th
For more than two decades, the organizers of Mount Airy’s annual Mayberry Days festival have wooed visitors “who long for the days when life was simple and the sheriff didn’t carry a gun,” according to USA Today. The sheriff in question — Mount Airy native Andy Griffith, who played Mayberry lawman Andy Taylor in the beloved TV sitcom The Andy Griffith Show — died in July at age 86. And, says Surry Arts Council’s executive director, Tanya Jones, “We get …
Several N.C. museums offer free admission on National Museum Day
Museum Day Live is an annual event hosted by Smithsonian magazine in which participating museums across the country open their doors to anyone presenting a Museum Day Ticket for free. More than 1,500 Smithsonian-affiliated museums will waive admission on National Museum Day, Sept. 29, including more than 40 in North Carolina. A free admission-for-two ticket for Museum Day Live can be downloaded here.
Thursday Open Line
While Halloween is more than a month away, the folks in Barnesville, Ohio are staging their 49th annual Pumpkin Festival beginning today and running through Sunday. Some 100,000 people are expected to see parades, a car show, banjo and fiddle contests, and, of course, the queen’s pageant. One major event will be the King Pumpkin Contest, where giant home grown pumpkins ride by on pickup trucks. Just over a billion pounds of pumpkins are grown in the U.S. annually. Illinois …
Smart Start Ducky Derby Closing Garnett Street Saturday September 29th
There will be no parking on Garnett Street from Breckenridge Street to Horner Street from 12:00 noon until 3:00 pm on Saturday, September 29th, 2012 for the Ducky Derby race. Violators will be towed at the owners expense if found in violation. We appreciate your cooperation with keeping Garnett Street clear between these hours. This fundraising event will benefit the children of Vance County and FGV Smart Start. Flyers are also posted along Garnett Street businesses announcing the street closure. …