The growth of our state’s wine industry is nothing short of phenomenal. Just a decade ago there were only 25 wineries in North Carolina. Now there are 110. So what’s causing the wine boom in our state? That’s the focus of the new WRAL documentary Grape Expectations. The program premieres June 27 at 7 p.m. and is hosted by WRAL News anchor and reporter Monica Laliberte. A recent study shows our state’s wine industry has an annual economic impact of …
NC To Create New “Pathways To Prosperity” For High School Students
Collaboration Among Employers, Educators and Policymakers Needed to Lead Students from Education to Careers Of the approximately 91,000 North Carolina high school students who received their diplomas this spring, more than three-fourths say they plan to move on to a two- or four-year college or university. But by the time they reach their mid-twenties, only about half of them will have earned a college degree if past trends continue. There are many reasons for this, but the college completion rate …
Wednesday Open Line
It’s summer, and one of the perennial pests of the season is mosquitos. While most people think of them as inconvenient, there is a deadly side to these flying insects, in the form of West Nile virus and malaria. That’s why this is National Mosquito Control Awareness Week, to honor those whose profession is working to eradicate mosquitos. In the U.S. last year, there were 43 deaths from the West Nile virus. Worldwide, malaria has been historically one of the …
Michael Bobbitt: Notes From The Peanut Gallery (City Council, June 25th, 2012)
I attended Monday’s Henderson City Council meeting because I read on HomeInHenderson the citizen concern for expansion of video gaming parlors. I wanted to see for myself the number of people who would come to the council meeting to express their view regarding the expansion. Besides myself only one other person attending the council meeting was not a council member, city manager, city attorney, or a city employee. Consideration of Approval of Ordinance 12-08, An Ordinance Eliminating Distance Restrictions on …
Fundraiser for Christina Franklin
July 14, 2012 at Twisters Karaoke & Cafe 118 Zeb Robinson Rd, Henderson, North Carolina 27537-3577. This fundraiser is to help Christina & Shawn with their upcoming medical bills from her motorcycle accident… There will be tickets sold by Phillip & Regina Hill for chicken plates from now untill the 12th of July…$6.00….No ticket, No plate. Tickets will also be sold the day of the event but will be limited. There will also be; a “Shout out” table, face painting, …
White House: Do You Qualify for Refinancing?
President Obama’s plan to give mortgage relief to responsible homeowners boils down to one important principle. He wants to simplify the refinancing process. And the very first step is to let people know if they would benefit from the President’s proposal — so we’ve built a tool to help answer that question. Just enter a few basic facts about your mortgage, and this tool will help you figure out if you currently qualify for easy, low-cost refinancing — or whether, …
VGCC South Campus offers ServSafe course
ServSafe, the 16-hour food safety certification course, will soon be offered at Vance-Granville Community College’s South Campus, located between Creedmoor and Butner. Participants will meet on two days, Monday, July 16 and Monday, July 23, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. in room G-120. Peter Lambert of Oxford will serve as the instructor for the course, which is designed for food service managers and supervisory staff in restaurants, hospitals, nursing homes, child care facilities and other food service establishments. ServSafe …
VGCC Carpentry Students build Gazebo for Clarke Elementary School
Students in the Carpentry program at Vance-Granville Community College are completing a service project that will make a lasting impact on a local elementary school. A gazebo that students are building on the college’s Main Campus will soon be relocated to Clarke Elementary School in Henderson, where it will serve as an outdoor classroom. The construction is part of a unique community-wide partnership. The idea originated when retired farmer Pete Burgess of Henderson learned that Clarke Elementary, Vance County’s newest …
New Medical Billing & Coding course offered at VGCC Main Campus
Vance-Granville Community College is now registering students for a new continuing education course for medical billing and coding professionals. The “CPC Certification Boot Camp” will be held on Tuesday and Thursday nights from 6 until 9 p.m., July 12 through Aug. 7, on the college’s Main Campus in Vance County. Marianne Durling is the instructor for this course. This new course, which has been pre-approved by the American Academy of Professional Coders for CEU credit, is designed to prepare pre-certification …
Tuesday Open Line
The person’s name is not known, but whoever bought a pack of chewing gum at the Marsh Supermarket in Troy, Ohio on this day 38 years ago was making history. It was the first purchase of an item to be scanned into a cash register by using the Universal Product Code — much better known as the bar code. Realizing the significance of the event, the buyer returned the item — a 10-pack of Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit — which is …
VGCC starts Fall Semester Registration online and on-campus in July
The Fall 2012 semester at Vance-Granville Community College begins Monday, Aug. 20, but college officials advise students to apply and register for classes as early as possible. New students may apply for admission at any time prior to the beginning of the term. The upcoming semester’s course schedule is now available on VGCC’s web site (www.vgcc.edu) by clicking on “WebAdvisor.” Printed schedules will also be available at all VGCC campuses and in boxes at various community locations. Orientation sessions for …
Senator Richard Burr Updates
Farm Bill This week, the Senate voted on the Farm Bill and related amendments. I opposed the bill because it shortchanged both taxpayers and southeastern farmers. Veterans Employment Bill Our nation is experiencing record levels of sustained, high unemployment, and unfortunately, the veterans who courageously served our country are bearing the brunt of this as they return from war and struggle to find jobs in a hurting economy. By enabling employers to post jobs targeted to specific military occupations on …
Congress Woman Renee Ellmers: Protecting Access to Our Seashores
This week, the House passed H.R. 4094, the “Preserving Access to Cape Hatteras National Seashore Recreational Area Act” as part of the larger Conservation and Economic Growth Act. This legislation will restore reasonable pedestrian and motorized access to the Cape Hatteras National Seashore Recreational Area and I am happy to have joined Congressman Walter Jones as a co-sponsor. Below you will find more information about this legislation. On Bill LuMaye’s radio show this week, I talked about President Obama’s recent …
White House Weekly Address
President Obama discusses the urgent need for Congress to act now on two common sense measures to help middle class families: preventing interest rates on federal student loans from going up and putting hundreds of thousands of construction workers back on the job. West Wing Week: 06/22/12 or “Dreamers” This week, the President talks about an important policy change on immigration that more closely aligns our policy with our values, and traveled to the Group of 20 Summit in Los …
NC Cooperative Extension Updates
Hope everyone saw the interesting hydrilla article in the Daily Dispatch this past week. As a followup, I thought I’d mention that there are actually five applicators approved by the Corps of Engineers to make treatments. They are listed on the following web page: http://vance.ces.ncsu.edu/files/library/91/Kerr%20Lake%20Vegetation%20Survey.pdf That same page also contains a link to the recently completed report of the lake-wide vegetation survey conducted last year. I would especially encourage you to look at the recommendations listed on pages 6 & …
Nurse Aide course scheduled at VGCC Main Campus
Vance-Granville Community College is now registering students for an upcoming Nurse Aide Level I (CNA I) course, which is scheduled to start soon at the college’s Main Campus in Vance County. Classes will be held Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. until 2:30 p.m., starting July 18 and continuing through Sept. 21. This includes the required introductory course. The Nurse Aide I program prepares students to become Certified Nursing Assistants and to take the state CNA certification exam. VGCC’s certification programs offer …
Monday Open Lines
Most of the time, when we hop into our cars or trucks, we don’t think about our tires — we’ve become so accustomed to them performing for tens of thousands of miles with only checking the air pressure every now and then. This month in 1844 Charles Goodyear received a patent for his discovery that if he removed the sulfur from natural rubber and then heated it, it would remain elastic even when cold. More than 40 years later, Scottish …
City Considering Increasing Sweepstakes Locations
I know a lot of readers comment on the number of sweepstakes places in town, so I wanted to point out an upcoming vote that would allow more Electronic Gaming Operations in the city. The ordinance proposed states: “In June of 2010, Section 670B was added to the Zoning Ordinance to allow electronic gaming operations. The current language requires an operation to be 750 feet from of another electronic gaming operation, any school, church, daycare center, library, or public park. …
City Council Meeting for Monday June 25th
The Henderson City Council will hold a Short Regular Meeting on Monday, 25 June 2012 6:00 PM with a Work Session to immediately follow in the City Hall Council Chambers, 134 Rose Ave., Henderson, NC 27536. Please download the full agenda packet: 20120625_coh_agenda_packet (137 pages) I. PUBLIC HEARING a) Consideration of Approval of Ordinance 12-08, An Ordinance Eliminating Distance Restrictions on Electronic Gaming Operations Within Shopping Centers. (CAF 12-66) [See Notebook Tab 2 Public Hearing Ordinance 12-08 II. …
Vance County Board of Commissioners Special Called Meeting Monday
Please be advised that Chairman Terry E. Garrison has called a special meeting for Monday, June 25 at 5:30 p.m. in the Commissioners’ Conference Room, Vance County Administration Building, 122 Young Street, Henderson, NC. The purpose of the special meeting is to: 1. Adopt FY 2012-13 Budget Ordinance2. Authorize Year-End Closeouts3. Surplus Equipment4. Other Items as Needed