The Division recently completed the 2011 analysis of international visitation to the state. The analysis concluded that in 2011, more than 680,000 international visitors spent time in North Carolina, spending over $312 million. These estimates do not include Canadian visitation. The top countries of origin for N.C. were the United Kingdom (81,497) and Germany (61,053), followed by Mexico (42,470), Japan (32,383) and India (31,424). These top countries accounted for more than one-third of the international spending in the state. Interesting …
‘North Carolina Weekend’
For the week of July 26 on UNC-TV’s “North Carolina Weekend,” enjoy the great outdoors at Hammocks Beach State Park in Swansboro. Relax at Chetola Resort in Blowing Rock. Get your toes a-tapping at the PreddyFest Bluegrass Festival in Franklinton. Learn about Hamlet’s extensive train history. And the “House Special” samples the fare at Hillsborough Barbecue on Hillsborough. (Please note: listings are subject to change.) “North Carolina Weekend” is exclusively underwritten by the N.C. Division of Tourism. In addition, UNC-TV …
Film production in 2012 already exceeding 2011 record-setting numbers
Halfway through the 2012 calendar year, film productions in North Carolina have already eclipsed 2011’s recording setting numbers for in-state spending, Gov. Bev Perdue announced today (Wednesday). As of July, the North Carolina Film Office has received notification from more than 35 productions in regards to filming in the Tar Heel state this year. The projects are expected to have a direct in-state spend of more than $300 million while creating 15,000-plus job opportunities, including more than 3,300 well-paying crew …
NC Schools State Superintendent Testifies Before U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee
WASHINGTON, DC – North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction June Atkinson today testified in front of the U.S. Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee about concerns over the impact of sequestration and drastic funding cuts to education. Atkinson testified in opposition to automatic funding cuts that will be detrimental to education reform occurring across the country, and outlined the immediate need for clear guidance from the federal government on how sequestration will work, if …
Thursday Open Line
The shape of the modern American military was cast on this date 65 years ago when President Truman signed the National Security Act. The Department of War was renamed the Department of Defense, and the secretaries of the Army and Navy were moved from the President’s cabinet and placed under the Secretary of Defense. The same act created the U.S. Air Force, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the CIA, and the National Security Council. Known simply as “DOD,” the defense …
United Way of Vance County To Hold Community Celebration, Launch New Online Resource
The United Way is rolling out a new online resource called GET CONNECTED, and will be sponsoring a Community Kick-Off event on Thursday, August 2nd to raise community awareness of this tool. The event will be held in the parking lot of Ruby Tuesday, who will be donating a portion of their proceeds that day to the United Way. The event, which will last from 5pm-8pm, will feature live music, a bouncy castle and slide sponsored by Character Antics, and …
VGCC Community & Economic Development classes teach variety of skills
From Quilting to Computer Repair and nearly everything in between, a variety of Vance-Granville Community College courses are scheduled to be offered this fall. The fall semester begins Aug. 20 and ends Dec. 14. Throughout the year, the college’s Community and Economic Development division provides opportunities for adults to hone their basic skills, complete a high school diploma, obtain training to help them become employed or advance on the job, and enjoy hobbies in their leisure time. Various types of …
White House: By The Numbers, $140 Million
Last week, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced its first public enforcement action: an order requiring Capital One Bank to refund approximately $140 million to 2 million customers who were pressured or mislead into paying for “add-on” products such as payment protection and credit monitoring when activating their Capital One credit cards. CFPB is the bureau of the federal government that’s tasked with protecting consumers by carrying out consumer financial laws, so that people are able to make financial decisions …
Wednesday Open Line
On these blistering hot summer days when we walk from the heat into a cool office, business, or home, we can thank a man many of us have never heard of — Willis Carrier. He patented what he called an “apparatus for treating air” in 1906. His idea has fundamentally changed the way most Americans live, work and play. Air-conditioning did not come into widespread use until following World War II. Even by 1960, only 12 percent of homes in …
Michael Bobbitt: Notes From The Peanut Gallery (VC BOC Called Meeting, July 23rd, 2012)
Chairman Terry Garrison “called a special meeting of the Vance County Board of Commissioners and the Vance County Water District Board for Monday July 23, 2012 …”. “The purpose of the special meeting [was] to … Enter into closed session to discuss attorney client privileged matters.” Such an announcement should make one wonder what attorney client privileged matters is so important for the two Boards to meet. That important matter was the contract between the City of Henderson and Vance …
Shakirah Davis Walk For a Cure Fundraiser
U-Neak Dimemondz will be hosting a charity walk for Shakirah Davis at Southern Vance High School on August 4th, 2012 from 9am to 1pm. Shakirah Davis was diagnosed with 1 tumor on the brain leading to a stroke, so please come out and support this cause. It is $5 per person to walk or a donation if not interested in walking. There will also be a hot dog sale at this walk for Shakirah. Hotdogs are $1 with all the …
NetApp to Build on Success in RTP with New Facility and Expansion
RALEIGH—Gov. Bev Perdue announced Monday that NetApp, one of the largest providers of innovative storage and data management solutions, will expand its Wake County operations. The company plans to create 460 new jobs over four years and invest more than $75 million into a new R & D facility in Research Triangle Park. The project was made possible in part by a state grant from the Job Development Investment Grant. “Creating jobs is what motivates me every day,” said Gov. …
Tuesday Open Line
This is National Drive-Thru Day — noting the popularity of restaurants that take your order by intercom and then hand it out a window to drivers while they remain behind the wheel. The first such service was the idea of Robert Peterson, at a Jack-in-the-Box restaurant in San Diego in 1951, serving hamburgers for just 18 cents. At the time, drive-in restaurants were very popular, where staff brought food to people who stayed in their parked cars. Some even brought …
Richard Brand: Both Sides Now of Sin
There is a Book of Common Worship prayer of confession of sin that asks for forgiveness for “those things that we have done that we ought not to have done and for those things that we have not done that we ought to have done.” The two kinds of sins: the sin of commission and the sin of omission. There are glaring examples of both in the news at the moment. There is a horrific example of the sin of …
Vance County Board of Commissioners Special Called Meeting Today
Today, Monday, July 23rd, 2012 the Vance County Board of Commssioners will hold a special called meeting at 6:00pm in the Commissioners Conference Room in the Vance County Administration Building. The purpose of the meeting is to: 1. Enter into closed session to discuss attorney client privileged matters.2. Other items as needed.
Congresswoman Renee Ellmers: Yes, You Did Build That
Our businesses and job creators are under constant assault. According to a new survey by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce survey, 72% of small business owners say Obamacare has made it harder for their business to hire more employees. Furthermore, the latest monthly report from the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) shows that small business owners are identifying taxes as the “single most important problem facing their business.” Each of these recent reports follow on the heels of President …
White House Weekly Address: Remembering the Victims of the Aurora, Colorado Shooting
President Obama honors the victims of the tragedy in Colorado, those who knew and loved them, and those who are struggling to recover. This week, the President attended the Team USA basketball game, hosted the Baylor University Lady Bears basketball team, and proposed a STEM Master Teacher Corps, while the First Lady traveled to Philadelphia for ‘Let’s Move!’ and to Birmingham to tour tornado recovery, the Vice Presidnet spoke to seniors about retirement security, and the administration hosted a Google+ …
Monday Open Line
Today is the first day of Ragbrai — the name of an annual bike ride across Iowa sponsored by the Des Moines Register newspaper. The word stands for the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa. Not a race in the traditional sense, the event lasts for a week, with overnight stops at small towns spaced about 68 miles apart. Ten thousand riders are expected, the limit for the event, with many coming from countries around the world. Of these, …
City of Henderson City Council Meets Monday July 23rd 2012
The Henderson City Council Regular will hold a Short Meeting and following Work Session on Monday, 23 July 2012, 6:00 p.m. in the R. G. (Chick) Young, Jr. Council Chambers, Municipal Building 134 Rose Avenue Henderson, North Carolina You may download the full agenda packet here: 20120723_coh_agenda_packet
VGCC instructor presents math workshops for Boys & Girls Clubs
Vance-Granville Community College recently provided special math workshops for elementary school children involved in the local Boys & Girls Clubs organization. Jacquelin Heath, head of the college’s School-Age Education program, presented a series called “Math Manipulatives for Youth” in June and July at the Boys & Girls Club site in Louisburg. The lessons were aimed at students, ages 5 to 8, in the organization’s summer programs who needed to improve their math skills. In educational terminology, a “mathematical manipulative” is …