RALEIGH — Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler is encouraging farmers to have their corn tested for aflatoxin to prevent contamination of feeds and food. Aflatoxin is a byproduct of the mold Aspergillus flavus, and can be harmful to both humans and livestock. “Another hot, humid summer means there is potential for aflatoxin in corn,” Troxler said. “Having your corn tested is a good way to protect feed and food against this mold.” Some farmers may need to have corn samples tested …
Butterfield Applauds Award of USDA Loan Guarantee to Chemtex for Construction of Cellulosic Ethanol Refinery
WASHINGTON, DC — Congressman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) today applauded the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack’s announcement of a $99 million loan guarantee to Chemtex International, Inc. for the construction of a cellulosic ethanol refinery in Sampson County, North Carolina. The facility will be the first commercial-scale biorefinery in the United States and will produce an estimated 20 million gallons per year of cellulosic ethanol. “Today’s announcement is great news for eastern North Carolina and the nation …
Class of 2012’s ACT Scores Top National Average for Fifth Consecutive Year
North Carolina students again posted a 21.9 average ACT composite score in 2012, the same average as the Class of 2011 and the Class of 2010, according to the 2012 ACT report released Wednesday. This marks the fifth consecutive year that the state’s average ACT score has been higher than the national average score on this college admission exam. Nationally, 52 percent of students took the ACT and posted an average composite score of 21.1. In North Carolina, 20 percent …
VGCC Computer classes scheduled to start in September at Main Campus
Vance-Granville Community College is currently registering students for popular, short-term computer courses scheduled to start in late September on the college’s Main Campus in Vance County. One course, “Graphics for Business Presentations,” is scheduled to meet on Thursday evenings from 5:30 until 8:30 p.m., Sept. 20 through Oct. 25. Participants in the course will learn how to use the Microsoft PowerPoint and Publisher programs to create dynamic slide presentations and printed materials in office and corporate settings. These programs help …
Labor Day travel figures expected to be strong
Americans won’t let the sluggish economy and spiking gas prices keep them home this Labor Day, according to AAA, which says holiday travel will hit a post-recession peak. AAA says 2.9 percent more people will travel at least 50 miles from home this holiday than last year – 33 million hitting the road from Thursday, Aug. 30, to Monday, Sept. 3. That’s up from 32.1 million over the same holiday last year. If those projections materialize, it would be the …
North Carolina Weekend
For the week of Aug. 23 on UNC-TV’s “North Carolina Weekend,” take in the festivities of the N.C. Apple Festival in Hendersonville. Step back in time at the Thomas Wolfe House in Asheville. Be fascinated at the All-A-Flutter Butterfly Farm in High Point. Enjoy a tour of Plymouth. And the “House Special” tempts your taste buds at Sweet & Savory Bakery and Café in Wilmington. (Please note: listings are subject to change.) “North Carolina Weekend” is exclusively underwritten by the …
Visitors come to Mount Airy looking for Mayberry
An Associated Press story, picked up nationwide, noted “Visitors come to Mount Airy looking for Mayberry.” While Mayberry was fiction, it was inspired by a real place: Mount Airy, hometown of the late Andy Griffith. And more than a half-century after the series first aired, fans are still coming to Mount Airy, looking for a glimpse of small-town life and the simpler times portrayed on the show. Tourism in Mount Airy is up since Griffith died, with about 10,400 people …
Civil War Battlefield Land Acquisition Grants awarded to 2 in N.C.
The American Battlefield Protection Program has awarded Civil War Battlefield Land Acquisition Grants to two historic sites in N.C. Averasborough Battlefield in Dunn was awarded $103,380 and Bentonville Battlefield in Four Oaks received $60,380. The grants were made from the National Park Service’s ABPP to help states and local communities acquire and preserve threatened Civil War battlefield land outside the boundaries of National Park units. Funds were awarded based on the property’s location within pre-defined core and/or study areas, the …
Thursday Open Line
Today marks the 100th birthday of one of the nation’s most popular entertainers of the 1940s and ’50s — dancer, movie director and producer, choreographer, singer and actor Gene Kelly. Kelly, a powerful and athletic dancer, is perhaps best remembered for two movies–“An American In Paris,” and “Singin’ in The Rain.” He was a dominant force in Hollywood musicals for the better part of 20 years and received many prestigious awards, including the Kennedy Center honors and an honorary Academy …
From Below to Above Average: Students Grow at Henderson Collegiate
At the end of their second year at Henderson Collegiate, the school’s rising 6th graders have shown remarkable academic growth from where they started in 2010. After entering the free public charter school significantly behind their peers in reading and math proficiency, these students are now outperforming other students across the state. This cohort of 100 students is more commonly referred to as the “Pride of 2019,” named for the year they are all expected to enroll in college after …
NC Cooperative Extension: Kudzu bug in soybeans
All soybean producers should be on the lookout for kudzu bugs, a new exotic insect that is becoming widespread in NC. Please note that finding kudzu bugs in a field does not necessarily warrant spraying. NCSU Extension Entomologists have established economic thresholds of “one nymph-stage bug per sweep” with a sweep net. We do have one confirmed siting of this new insect pest in Vance County. Please don’t hesitate to call if you would like confirmation on a potential siting. …
Congresswoman Renee Ellmers: Listening Across the Second District
As I’ve traveled the District the past few weeks, I’ve talked with groups, business leaders, healthcare professionals, and with constituents one-on-one. In this newsletter, you will find photos and information about the meeting of my Healthcare Advisory Council in Clayton last week and recent visits across the district. The comments I am hearing in the District are in line with results of my August 5 Constituent Survey. In the survey results, constituents said the economy and jobs were their top …
Harrah’s Cherokee adds live gaming in ceremony
Governor Beverly Perdue and Principal Chief Michell Hicks of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, along with other tribal and state officials, today (Aug. 21) officially opened live table game offerings at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino & Hotel. A new 30-year gaming compact between the Eastern Band and the state of North Carolina concluded in June, expanded the tribe’s gaming enterprise, permits live dealers and has led to the creation of more than 500 new jobs at the casino resort complex. …
Festive Events Cover the Fall Spectrum Across NC
With its breaths of fresh air, autumn draws out North Carolina’s festive nature. Every weekend brings events that pick up different wavelengths to celebrate everything from the glorious foliage, the truest blue skies, vivid sunsets and the particulars that impart local color. Sample the palette with these events from www.VisitNC.com. North Carolina Apple Festival Aug. 31-Sept. 3 Hendersonville Henderson County, one of the nation’s top apple producers, celebrates the prized fruit with a street fair, orchard tours and other festivities …
Wednesday Open Line
Big city hotels as we know them would not be possible without elevators — guests simply would not walk up countless flights of stairs with their luggage. This week in 1859, the first hotel with an elevator opened in New York City, an elegant structure called the Fifth Avenue Hotel. It was six stories high. Its elevator did not use cables, but cars carried guests to upper floors atop a solid, screw-like mechanism, called a “vertical screw railway.” The first …
Vance County FY 2013 Fair Market Rent Documentation System
Editors Note – I’m not sure what this is, but this showed up in our inbox today. Read the full report here. The $fmrtype$ FY 2013 Vance County FMRs for All Bedroom Sizes The following table shows the $fmrtype$ FY 2013 FMRs by unit bedrooms for Vance County, North Carolina. $fmrtype$ FY 2013 FMRs By Unit Bedrooms Efficiency One-Bedroom Two-Bedroom Three-Bedroom Four-Bedroom $fmrtype$ FY 2013 FMR $414 $506 $670 $831 $977 FY 2013 FMR areas continue to use the …
North Carolina Motorsports Park Annual Autism Benefits Race
There is a race Sunday Sept 2, 2012 Up at Henderson’s Motocross Track (NCMP) ATVs should be racing Saturday Like every year. Come out and watch some good racing while Giving to a good Cause. Racing should start around 9:30Am Gate fee : $20 Per person for 2 days But if your only staying for saturday you can give your bands back after the race and get half your money back so its only $10 Address: 900 Cheeks Quarter Rd …
Attorney General Roy Cooper: Watch out for “reload” scams
Reload scams hit consumers when they’re down, offering to help them make back money they lost to a previous scam or bad business decision. These scams have been popular for years with telemarketing fraud rings but can also follow other types of fraud. We’re now seeing reload scams seeking to recruit consumers who were members of Zeekler, a penny auction website headquartered in North Carolina that shut its doors last week and entered into a settlement with the U.S. Securities …
White House: Behind the Scenes White House Chefs Prep the Kids’ State Dinner
The Kids’ State Dinner is a White House original in many ways — it’s not only the first time the guests of honor are ALL under the age of 13, it’s also the first time the White House kitchen has served a formal meal where the entire menu was created by “chefs” who have no formal training. But Executive Chef Cris Comerford and Executive Pastry Chef Bill Yosses say they learned a thing or two about healthy cooking from the …
Tuesday Open Line
All across the country, many families are squeezing in a last week of vacation before school gets under way. These getaways will take people to the mountains, lakes, ocean beaches, and the country’s network of national parks and recreation areas for one last summer fling. Many will be sightseeing trips, while others have more defined goals, such as fishing, camping, or hiking. Americans go on 350 million leisure trips each year, averaging about 4½ nights away from home. More than …