WASHINGTON, DC – Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Henry A. Waxman (CA-30) and Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade Subcommittee Ranking Member G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) today sent a letter to U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood urging him to combat odometer fraud by updating the rule governing odometer disclosure requirements. The full text of the letter follows. March 21, 2012 The Honorable Ray LaHood Secretary United States Department of Transportation U.S. Department of Transportation 1200 New Jersey Ave, SE …
Health Reform in Action: Covering Young Adults
Tracy Muñoz realized our health care system needed to change the hard way: Her family had to take drastic financial measures to pay thousands of dollars for surgery that her private insurance wouldn’t cover. Before the Affordable Care Act, this Norfolk, VA mom worried that her five children would face the same pressures, especially one son who, as a part-time college student, was not eligible to stay on the family’s insurance plan. “What if something happened to him and we wouldn’t be able to pay for …
Thursday Open Lines
Wednesday marked the birthday of one of the major figures of the American wine industry — Julio Gallo. With his brother Ernest, he started making wine after Prohibition ended in humble surroundings — a rented California warehouse, with equipment bought on credit. Over the years, the brothers’ hard work saw their winery become the largest in the U.S., and their creative marketing techniques helped shape the nation’s drinking tastes. Now, Americans buy $18.5 billion of wine annually. California vintners produce …
Local Supper Series: How Local Farmers Can Sell Food To Schools
The March meeting of the Local Supper Series, which will take place this Thursday, March 22, 6-8 PM. The meeting will be held at the Armory in Warrenton. We have a great program planned: the presenter will be Gary Gay with the NC Department of Agriculture, speaking about NCDA’s Farm to School program. He will discuss the history and goals of the NC Farm-to-School program, which provides a way for NC growers to sell healthy fruits and vegetables to school …
VGCC names six Early College students to Dean’s List
Vance-Granville Community College recently announced that six students who are enrolled in Early College High School programs earned Dean’s List honors for the fall semester that ended in December 2011. To qualify for the Dean’s List, a student had to maintain a 3.5 grade-point average and have no grade lower than “B” while carrying at least 12 semester hours. At early college high schools, students simultaneously complete both a high school diploma and a two-year college degree (or up to …
Expert on Religion to discuss Middle East at VGCC on April 11
Vance-Granville Community College will host a noted scholar to talk about recent events in the Middle East on Wednesday, April 11 from 11 a.m. until noon in the Civic Center on the college’s Main Campus in Vance County. The public is invited to attend the presentation, which is offered free of charge. The guest speaker, Dr. Anna Bigelow, an Associate Professor of Islamic Studies in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at N.C. State University, will discuss the role …
Vance County Board of Education Upcoming Meetings
The Vance County Board of Education has announced a special called meeting Wednesday, March 28, 2012 5:30 p.m. Administrative Services Center Superintendent’s Conference Room 1724 Graham Avenue Henderson, N. C. 27536 A G E N D A I. Call to Order * II. Approval of Meeting Agenda III. Work Session: Capital Outlay Budget Requests * IV. Adjournment * Requires Board Action Also, the next Vance County Board of Education Committee Meeting Date prior to April 2, 2012 School …
VGCC Male Mentoring program hosts guest speaker
The Male Mentoring Program at Vance-Granville Community College will welcome a noted author, entrepreneur, social activist and educator to campus, where he will share his inspirational story. Dr. NKrumah D. Lewis will speak Friday, March 30 starting at 11 a.m. in the Civic Center on VGCC’s Main Campus in Vance County. The presentation is free and open to the public, in addition to VGCC students, faculty and staff. A Durham native, Lewis is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Winston-Salem …
Data Raise Troubling Questions about Corporal Punishment in North Carolina Public Schools
Students with Disabilities, American Indian Students Hit at Disproportionate Rates (Raleigh, N.C.)-A report examining the Department of Public Instruction’s inaugural release of corporal punishment data highlights some uncomfortable truths about who gets hit in North Carolina’s public schools. While local school districts have long since been required to keep records on their use of corporal punishment, recent legislative changes now require school districts to submit those data to the Department of Public Instruction for release in an annual consolidated report …
Jay Carney Answers Your Questions on Energy and the Affordable Care Act
Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney announced the return of First Question, an online engagement series that utilizes social media to answer questions from people across the country. On a regular basis, the Press Secretary takes questions from the press – via First Question, he adds questions from citizens to that mix. Through Twitter and the White House Google+ page, hundreds of people submitted their questions for Jay. He responded to questions on gas prices, tax breaks for oil …
What Do 20.4 Million Women Have in Common?
Original Article: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/03/20/numbers-204?utm_source=032012&utm_medium=photo&utm_campaign=daily President Obama’s health reform law requires that new health insurance plans cover preventive services with no co-pay or deductible. In the last 18 months, approximately 20.4 million women with private health insurance have received preventive health services such as mammograms and pap smears at no additional cost because of this provision in the Affordable Care Act. Besides improving access to services that help women stay healthy and detect health problems early on, health reform helps women in many …
Small Business is Big Business in NC
Governor Beverly Perdue: I am pleased to present the 2012 edition of North Carolina’s Annual State of Small Business, prepared by the Small Business and Technology Development Center, under the direction of our State Commissioner for Small Business. This report contains the most current information and data on small businesses in North Carolina. It is clear that small business is actually big business in our state, providing about half of all private sector employment, and accounts for roughly 45% of …
Offshore wind energy potential draws developer interest
Three hundred energy industry experts, government officials and wind energy developers gathered in Charlotte earlier this month to attend the first ever Southeastern Coastal Wind Conference. N.C. Department of Commerce Secretary Keith Crisco participated in a keynote panel at the meeting along with Virginia’s Secretary of Commerce Jim Chang and other officials. The advantages of regional collaboration provided the focus for the two day conference. The potential for offshore wind energy along the nation’s East Coast has drawn growing interest …
State Tourism Office and Time Warner Cable Media Partner to Increase Tourism Across the State
Raleigh, NC (March 20, 2012) – From the Outer Banks to the Southern Appalachians, getting to a North Carolina tourist destination is as easy as a few clicks away. In an effort to attract visitors, the North Carolina Division of Tourism, Film and Sports Development has formed a partnership with Time Warner Cable Media to air long-form videos promoting popular North Carolina tourism destinations. The videos will be available to all Time Warner Cable Digital TV customers across the state through …
N.C. expects economic boost from ‘Hunger Games’ fans
North Carolina is poised to reap major dividends from tourism with the March 23 opening of “The Hunger Games,” the highest-profile movie ever made in the state. “The movie is already a winner for us,” said N.C. Department of Commerce Secretary Keith Crisco. “The filmmakers spent more than $60 million in North Carolina, and now fans are eager to come see the locations and go to the restaurants, neighborhoods and other places the stars visited. The money they spend here …
Using Technology to Help Homeless Veterans
Original Article: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/03/19/using-technology-help-homeless-veterans?utm_source=032012&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=daily More than 67,000 veterans spent one night homeless, living in emergency shelters, transitional housing units or on the streets in 2011, according to last year’s “point in time” count conducted by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in coordination with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). It’s not always easy for volunteers and outreach workers to know where to send them to get help. That’s why the VA is excited to launch a competition to …
Wednesday Open Lines
Yesterday, March 20th. As of 1:14 Eastern time in the morning, it’s spring in the northern hemisphere. While celebrated by poets, composers, and artists, people of every age will also be glad to welcome a change in the weather after the long winter. While winter may hang on in spots around the country for a few weeks more, the time is coming for spring rains and soon afterward, a profusion of flowers in an infinite variety of colors. Those whose …
Relay For Life Yard Sale
The Vance County Relay for Life will hold a county wide yard sale on Saturday — April 28, 2012 from 7:00 a.m. until Noon at the Old Aycock School Gym on Vicksboro Road. For more information on attending please contact Jane Haithcock at 252-432-3778 or 252-492-8246
Grant from GlaxoSmithKline Supports STEM Education for NC Students
RALEIGH – North Carolina’s growing network of innovative STEM-focused schools is getting a boost from a three-year, $750,000 grant from GlaxoSmithKline. The funding from GSK will support the professional development of teachers and principals in the schools, which emphasize science, technology, engineering and math. These schools are part of a statewide STEM network, developed by the North Carolina New Schools Project in partnership with local districts, the State Board of Education, the Department of Public Instruction, higher education and businesses …
NC Wildlife Organization Seeking Opinions on Hunting at Night
There’s still time to share your opinion about proposed rules that will allow the hunting of feral swine and coyotes at night with a light. Public hearings are scheduled for this week and next week, or you can comment online. The proposed seasons would be year-round, seven days a week. All hunting on Sundays is allowed only on private lands and only with archery equipment. Night hunting is one means of controlling the population of coyotes and feral swine, both of …