Vance County’s Properties Committee is scheduled to meet Monday, March 7 at 5:30 p.m. in the administrative conference room. The purpose is to review offers to purchase foreclosed properties. All commissioners are invited to attend.
Rebuilding Hope New Building Fundraiser March 7th, 2016
Rebuilding Hope is celebrating 10 years of service to the Vance County community on March 7th, 2016 with a fundraiser event involving acquiring the Coca Cola Bottling Co. Plant on Raleigh Road. The move will provide needed space to expand services and at the same time restore and preserve an important historic landmark. Durham Coca Cola Bottling Co. has gifted over half the price of the property but we still need to raise $250,000 to purchase the plant and make needed …
Attorney General Roy Cooper: “Fake message from boss” scam hitting NC churches
Scammers are using phony but real-looking emails to try to steal thousands of dollars from North Carolina churches. A church in central North Carolina nearly fell victim recently, and other churches in the state have also reported the scam to their bank. How the scam works An employee of the church’s finance office receives the email, which appears to be sent by the pastor or another high-level person at the church. The message instructs the employee to send thousands of …
Thursday Open Line
Children have worked for family enterprises like farms and small shops for countless generations. But child labor in mines and the often-dangerous factories arising from the Industrial Revolution was quickly regarded as a social ill. In response, Massachusetts became the first state to regulate child labor on this date in 1842. The modest measure prohibited children under the age of 12 from working more than 10 hours a day. Now, all states have statutes regulating child labor, and nationally, the …
Rural Infrastructure Authority Grants Will Support 152 New Jobs Across NC
Governor Pat McCrory announced on February 18 that grant and loan requests totaling more than $3.7 million have been awarded, the result of action taken by the North Carolina Rural Infrastructure Authority (RIA). The RIA awards include commitments to create a total of 152 new jobs. “Job creation begins with modern infrastructure,” said Governor McCrory. “By funding utility improvements, access roads and building upgrades, these grants will enable small and mid-sized communities across North Carolina to embrace exciting opportunities for …
VGCC Warren Campus hosts Agricultural Taxes workshop
The Vance-Granville Community College Small Business Center is inviting local farmers and budding entrepreneurs to a free workshop, entitled “Understanding Agricultural Business Taxes,” on Monday, March 28, at VGCC’s Warren County Campus in Warrenton. Dinner will be served starting at 5 p.m., with the presentation following from 5:30 until 8 p.m. The instructor will be North Carolina State University Extension Specialist Guido van der Hoeven. He will discuss tax issues in the specific context of agricultural businesses, including sales taxes, …
Be careful when burning debris in spring
The N.C. Forest Service is urging residents across the state to think safety and exercise caution during the spring fire season, which typically lasts from March to May. During the spring fire season, people do a lot of yard work that often includes burning leaves and yard debris. There are many factors to consider before doing any burning. “If you’re thinking about burning debris, contact your county forest ranger first,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “The forest ranger can …
Educators Encouraged to Take NC Teacher Working Conditions Survey
Teachers, do you have sufficient access to adequate school facilities and resources? Do you have support of parents and the community at your school? Do you have leadership opportunities and are you involved in decision-making at the school level? Starting March 1st, 2016, school-based licensed educators in all 115 North Carolina school districts and charter schools will have an opportunity to answer these and many more questions on the 8th biennial statewide NC Teacher Working Conditions (TWC) Survey. The NC …
Aycock Elementary Science Fair Winners
Students who captured top honors in the Fifth-Grade Science Fair at Aycock Elementary School have been announced. Those earning top recognition are Sam Boyd, first place for his project on “How Much Energy Does It Take to Bounce a Basketball?”; Jacob Newcomb, second place for his project on “Have You Tried Making Colors With Light?”; and Ahzaiah Williams, third place for his project on “Can You Keep Candy Cool by Using the Power of Evaporation?” The winners are shown, from left to …
Wednesday Open Line
The capital of the vanquished Confederacy was the site of the first chartered black-owned bank in the U.S. Known as the Savings Bank of the Grand Fountain, United Order of True Reformers, it founded on this date in 1888 by former slave and Union Army veteran William Washington Browne. Opened in 1889, its deposits on the first day totaled $1,269. The bank provided mortgage loans and other banking services that were difficult for African-Americans to obtain in the segregated, repressive …
VGCC Male Mentoring leaders take office
The Male Mentoring program at Vance-Granville Community College recently installed students to serve as officers and to represent the group at special events. The new leaders include President Christopher Ford of Manson, a Warren Early College High School/College Transfer student; Vice President Bradley Gooch of Oxford, a student in the Computer Technology Integration – Web Design & Support program; and Recorder/Treasurer Christopher Blue of Henderson, a Vance County Early College High School/College Transfer student. Ford is at the top of …
Thomas Jefferson makes first visit to VGCC
Vance-Granville Community College students, faculty, staff and members of the community recently felt that they were in the presence of one of our nation’s Founding Fathers, when Bill Barker, in character as President Thomas Jefferson, presented the first in a series of three lectures. Barker has a local connection, as his father was an Oxford native and he has many relatives in Granville County. The college’s Arts and Sciences division is offering a spring lecture series featuring Barker, the critically …
Congresswoman Renee Ellmers: In Washington This Week…
Video of the Week In recognition of National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, an annual campaign that sheds light on a disease that affects 30 million Americans, I spoke on the House floor about my bill, H.R. 4153. This legislation, the Educating to Prevent Eating Disorders Act, is a bipartisan bill I introduced that will create a pilot program in middle schools to educate counselors, teachers and nurses about the symptoms. Click here to watch the full video! Weekly …
Tuesday Open Line
This is Women’s History Month — a time to recognize the often overlooked vision, courage, and accomplishments of the nation’s women. One example is Clara Barton, who ministered to wounded soldiers in the Civil War and went on to found the American Red Cross. Another is Grace Hopper, a long-serving naval officer who was a pioneer in computer programming. In recent years, women have excelled in educational attainment. In 1960, men received two-thirds of all college degrees. Today, nearly 24 …
VGCC names 280 students to President’s and Dean’s Lists
Vance-Granville Community College has announced that 124 students earned President’s List and 156 students earned Dean’s List academic honors for the fall 2015 semester that ended in December. The President’s List recognizes students who achieved a perfect 4.0 grade-point average (GPA) while carrying a “full load” (of at least 12 credit hours) in 100-level or higher curriculum courses. To qualify for the Dean’s List, a student had to earn a GPA that was at least 3.5 but less than 4.0, …
Monday Open Line
Immigration as an item of government involvement appeared on Colonial America’s shores 350 years ago. Born in Bohemia, essentially today’s Czech Republic, Auguste Herman came to the New World initially to work for the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam, now New York. A surveyor and cartographer of considerable talent, Herman’s work took him to the Chesapeake Bay, on the shores of which he wished to settle. Because he wasn’t born a British subject, he had to apply for citizenship in …
Newsletter from Office of Senator Angela R. Bryant
YOUTH LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY REPRESENTATIVE FOR DISTRICT -4 CHONTARA MASON – VANCE COUNTY Sen. Angela R. Bryant Provides Scholarship to Northern Vance High Student to Attend 2016 Youth Legislative Assembly Henderson, NC – February 12, 2016 The NC Department of Administration’s Youth Advocacy & Involvement Office is hosting the 46th Annual Youth Legislative Assembly (YLA) April 1 – 3, 2016, in the Legislative Office Building in downtown Raleigh. Senator Angela R. Bryant is sponsoring a scholarship for Chontara Mason …
The Rural Center Hosts Rural Advocacy Agenda April 20th, 2016 in Oxford
The Rural Center will hit the road in April for a series of six meetings across the state, as we unveil our first-ever comprehensive Rural Advocacy Agenda. We believe the timing couldn’t be better for advancing the discussion of rural North Carolina’s economic development future. Right now, everyone is talking about rural North Carolina: • “Can state bridge rural-urban divide?” is a recent column by Patrick Gannon, editor of the Insider State Government News Service in Raleigh, and …
Friday / Weekend Open Lines
Friday, February 26th. Car insurance is both required and a major item in the budget of many households. The idea of insuring cars against accidents began this month in 1898 when the Traveler’s Insurance Company issued a policy to Dr. Truman Martin of Buffalo. His policy cost $12.25 and gave him $5,000 in coverage. Martin was chiefly concerned about accidents between his automobile — one of fewer than 4,000 in the entire country at the time — and horses, which …
North Carolina Weekend
For the week of Feb. 25 on North Carolina Weekend, see what’s new at the Annual Dixie Deer Classic at the N.C. State Fairgrounds in Raleigh. Discover the Hiddenite Arts and Heritage Center in Hiddenite. Explore Tryon with a tour. Take in the art at the African American Atelier in Greensboro. And tempt your taste buds at The Pit in Durham. (Please note: listings are subject to change.) North Carolina Weekend is underwritten by Visit North Carolina. In addition, UNC-TV has made …