Welcome back from the holiday weekend, we hope that everyone had a great one. For the weekly address, President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama offer a special holiday tribute to the men and women who wear our country’s uniform and the families who support them. The West Wing Week, a behind the scenes look at the administration for the past week is your guide to everything that’s happening at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. With the holidays in full swing and …
Michael Bobbitt: Board of Adjustments Meeting
The Vance County Board of Adjustments held their inaugural meeting on December 20, 2011. The purpose of this public meeting was a hearing of four requests for a zoning ordinance variances or conditional use permits. BOA Case # 20111220-1 Luther Scott (owner) Cornerstone General Contracting (applicant) – variance BOA Case # 20111220-2 Charles Thompson (owner and applicant) – Conditional Use Permit. BOA Case # 20111220-3 Larry Greenway (owner), James L Fields (applicant) – Conditional User Permit BOA Case # 20111220-4 …
North Carolina is the 5th Largest Population Growth State in the Nation
Texas gained more people than any other state between April 1, 2010, and July 1, 2011 (529,000), followed by California (438,000), Florida (256,000), Georgia (128,000) and North Carolina (121,000), according to the latest U.S. Census Bureau estimates for states and Puerto Rico. Combined, these five states accounted for slightly more than half the nation’s total population growth. “These are the first set of Census Bureau population estimates to be published since the official 2010 Census state population counts were released …
Friday / Weekend Open Line (And Christmas, Too!)
Our Christmas present to readers is a full video presentation of the lighting of the Henderson Christmas Tree. It actually occurred on November 29th, 2011 but we’re posting it here now for our readers. It’s aboot 45 minutes long. Enjoy the presentation of the tree lighting, and numerous musical numbers from area churches. View the video here A short term agreement was reached Thursday, and for 2 months into 2012 at least, your paycheck will continue to have an about …
Henderson, NC Christmas Tree Lighting
Sorry for the delay, but I have here your Christmas present, the full Christmas tree lighting ceremony. This actually took place on November 29th, 2011. It was cold, and windy, so you’ll likely hear wind noise from my cheap camera mic, and it was already dark, so the video is quite dark. Also, I had to move the camera towards the later half to a more protected spot as the wind picked up and I knew it would be troublesome. …
East Coast Drag Time Hall Of Fame Featured In ‘Drag Racing Action’
The latest issue of “Drag Racing Action” features the East Coast Drag Time Hall of Fame event in Henderson. In addition to featuring the Class of 2012 inductees, the magazine notes, “The town of Henderson is the epitome of small town America. But on one weekend every October for the last ten years, the town of Henderson rolls out the red carpet and swells in population as the East Coast Drag Times Hall of Fame and Show, Shine, Shag & …
Henderson PD Arrests 3 in Dollar General Construction Site Thefts
On December 21, 2011 around 1:43 AM officers with the Henderson Police Department located a breaking and entering that had just occurred at the new site for Dollar General on N. Garnett Street, Henderson. Officers located three males in a vehicle parked on the parking lot of Food Lion, Jessie Burkett, 25, of 118 S. Chestnut Street, Henderson; Timothy Christmas, 36, of 331 Dick Faines Lane, Henderson; and Dejano Hawkins, 20, of 348 Taylor Farm Lane, Henderson. They were arrested …
Announcement of Vance County Appearance Commission Meeting
The Vance County Appearance Commission will meet at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, January 10, in the conference room off the main hallway of the Vance County Administrative offices (old courthouse) on Young Street in Henderson. Anyone interested in joining the commission as a member to work on projects to improve the appearance of the county is urged to attend the meeting. Persons seeking additional information may contact Terri Hedrick, chairperson of the commission, at 915-9420 or thedrick@vcs.k12.nc.us
Update – Charlotte Pendergrass, Sought for Felonies, Turned Herself In
Updated on 12/21/2011 – On December 20, 2011, Charlotte Pendergrass turned herself into the Henderson Police Department after her wanted picture being posted in numerous media outlets. Ms. Pendergrass was charged with four counts of felony obtaining property by false pretense and four counts of misdemeanor worthless checks. She received a $40,000 secured bond pending a court hearing on January 3, 2012. You can see our original article here. Members of the Henderson Police Department General Crimes Unit are asking …
Print, Online Versions Of 2012 North Carolina Travel Guide Now Available
The Division unveiled The Official 2012 North Carolina Travel Guide, which features Johnnie Mercer’s Pier in Wrightsville Beach on its cover, during a joint press conference last Friday with the Wilmington and Beaches CVB. The Travel Guide’s evocative photographs and modern digital features draw visitors into the natural, manmade and historic assets that enrich the state’s travel experience. “Visitors love North Carolina, and many develop deep connections to our great state,” said Assistant Sec. Lynn Minges. The Travel Guide is …
Thursday Open Lines
In a press release we received today, we THOUGHT it said that Henderson landed a large company that was expanding, creating 51 new jobs and invest 11.5 million dollars… but it was instead Henderson County, not the City of Henderson. Regardless, it’s good news for the state. Governor Bev Perdue today announced that UPM Raflatac, a leading global supplier of pressure sensitive labelstock, will expand in Henderson County. The company plans to create 51 jobs and invest $11.5 million during …
State Unemployment Rate Drops to 10 Percent in November
RALEIGH — The number of people unemployed in North Carolina decreased in November as the unemployment rate decreased to 10 percent, down from 10.4 percent. Total nonfarm jobs grew slightly by 3,800 in November with the private sector gaining 4,600 jobs. The public sector shed 800 jobs. “The drop in the unemployment rate was significant,” said N.C. Department of Commerce Deputy Secretary Dale Carroll. “However, the focus must remain on growing jobs in our state. The private sector has experienced …
Butterfield and North Carolina Democratic Delegation Introduces Bill to Provide Faster Relief to Farmers
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) was joined by the entire North Carolina Democratic delegation today to introduce H.R. 3740, the Farmers Disaster Assistance Act of 2011, to provide speedier disaster assistance to farmers, who are often forced to wait several months to a year to receive relief following damages to their crops. Representatives Brad Miller (NC-13), Mel Watt (NC-12), Heath Shuler (NC-11), Larry Kissell (NC-08), Mike McIntyre (NC-07), and David Price (NC-04) are all original cosponsors of …
Vance County Board of Education Upcoming Meetings
Note: All meetings are held in the Superintendent’s Conference Room. Finance, Tuesday, January 3rd, 5:30 pm Personnel, Wednesday, January 4th, 8:30 am
Wednesday Open Lines
Tuesday, the Obama administration sent out a passionate message regarding extension of payroll tax cuts for 2012. We’ve been fighting for months to make sure taxes on the middle class don’t go up on January 1st. This weekend, Democrats and Republicans in the Senate came together, compromised, and took a giant step to avoid just that. In fact, 89 senators approved an extension of the payroll tax cut. And 39 of them were Republicans, including GOP Senate Leader Mitch McConnell. …
Michael Bobbitt: Notes from the Peanut Gallery
December 19, 2011, Special Called Meeting of the Water District Board. For those who did not attend this meeting of the Water District Board aka Board of Commissioners you missed one of the best examples of an all powerful elected representative democracy in action. The meeting started with the Board of Commissioners sitting as the Water District Board. This is a handy way for elected officials to assure themselves that any decision by one board is automatically approved by the …
Occupy Wall Street Marchers Occupy Henderson
A group of Occupy Wall Street protesters are on a march from Washington DC to Atlanta, Georgia to raise awareness of their cause. Although the march began earlier in New York, the official march beginning was when on December 1st, the group of 11 started hiking from DC roughly coming down side roads near Highway 95, then 85, then #1. Thursday, December 14th, they reached North Carolina, passed through Manson, Middleburg, and stayed in Henderson that night. They stopped at …
Henderson Police Department Officers of the Month for November 2011
The Henderson Police Department is recognizing two officers as Co-Officers of the Month for November 2011. On November 27, 2011, Section 3 officers were dispatched to the Henderson Convention Center on Wortham Court to assist the Vance County Sheriff’s Department with a large crowd. Members of the Sheriff’s Department were working off duty security at the location for a party. Responding officers were advised that several fights had occurred and there were large groups of disorderly persons still on scene. …
Vance County Schools – Seniors Accepted to Colleges and Universities
Seniors at Southern and Northern Vance high schools are being accepted at colleges and universities across the state to further their education after they graduate in June. Several of the students qualify for scholarships to attend certain schools. Seniors at Southern Vance High School and the schools they have been accepted to attend this fall include: Sikera Alston, Johnson and Wales University; Whitney Brown, Winston-Salem State University; Jolisa Bullock, Catawba College; Michael Burns, Barton College; Tonique Cheek, Chowan University …
Senator Hagan’s Holiday Message
I want to wish all North Carolinians Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year. The past year has been filled with many highs and lows. I rang in 2011 with our troops in Afghanistan. North Carolina is the most military friendly state in the nation, and as the Chair of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and a member of a military family myself, I am committed to ensuring our servicemembers and their families have the resources and …