For the week of Feb. 18 on North Carolina Weekend, discover the works of “Rodin: Portraits of a Lifetime – Selections from the Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Collections” at the William F. Bethune Center for Visual Arts at Methodist University in Fayetteville. Admire another type of artistry at Brian Boggs Chairmakers in Asheville. Take in the great outdoors along the Elkin Valley Trails in Elkin. Lift a glass at Mystery Brewing in Hillsborough. And the “House Special” samples the …
Popular N.C. Beer Month returns in April
North Carolina, one of the nation’s top craft beer states, celebrates the craftsmanship of 145 breweries along with the destinations that embrace it with the return of N.C. Beer Month in April. Co-sponsored by Visit North Carolina and the N.C. Craft Brewers Guild, N.C. Beer Month directs travelers to a rising range of beerscapes, from brewery-rich cities and welcoming towns to unexpected finds in lesser-known places. Major festivals, singular events, special-edition beers, lodging packages, beer dinners, and brew schools showcase …
Vance County Early College Applications Available, First Parent Info Meeting February 18th
Vance County Schools is now accepting applications for rising ninth graders to enroll in the Vance County Early College High School for the 2016-2017 school year. Applications can be picked up from counselors at Eaton-Johnson Middle School, Henderson Middle School and the STEM Early High School, as well as on the Early College website and at the school’s office on the third floor of Building 2 on the campus of Vance-Granville Community College off Poplar Creek Road. The deadline for …
Thursday Open Line
Although Canada has been self-governing since 1867, it wasn’t until this date in 1927 that the U.S. established formal diplomatic relations through recognition of a Canadian ambassador in Washington. Until that date, the Dominion of Canada’s foreign relations remained under the control of London. The relations since have been sterling, as Canada is our greatest trading partner. In 2014, more than $660 billion of goods passed one way or the other across the effectively undefended border. There are about 6.8 …
Time to submit wheat tissue samples for spring nitrogen needs
The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services reminds growers that properly timed spring nitrogen applications are essential to the growth and development of wheat. Assessing nitrogen needs now will optimize yield and economic return later, and is especially important for organic grain growers. To decide how much spring nitrogen to apply, growers should submit a wheat sampleto the NCDA&CS Agronomic Services Division for plant tissue testing. “Tissue sampling should be done when wheat reaches Zadoks growth stage 30 (GS-30) …
Vance County Properties Committee Meeting February 18th, 2016
Vance County’s Properties Committee (Brummitt, Kelly, Wilder) is scheduled to meet Thursday, February 18 at 3:30 p.m. in the Large Conference Room at the City of Henderson City Hall, 134 Rose Avenue. The meeting will be with the Henderson City Council’s Land Planning Committee to discuss dilapidated/abandoned structures and REO properties.
Commerce Fellows Professional Development Opportunity Now Accepting Applications
Local communities build their capacity to attract businesses and grow their economies in many ways. One key way is increasing the knowledge and ability of local leaders to pursue the important work of community building. The Commerce Fellows/Community Capacity Building program offers grants to local governments so they may offer high-quality professional development and training opportunities to local administrators. Fellows in the program gain access to a training curriculum in grant administration and public management that covers a range of …
First NC Competes for Jobs Event Highlights Available Solutions to Assist Local Communities
More than 100 local community leaders gathered in Wilkesboro February 11 to hear N.C. Commerce Secretary John Skvarla and his rural economic and workforce development leaders outline the many solution-oriented programs Commerce offers local communities in the pursuit of economic growth. The NC Competes for Jobs events offer attendees a fast-paced, information-packed session outlining the solutions N.C. Commerce offers to address common challenges that get in the way of meeting the needs of businesses, such as a lack of available …
Main Street Grant Solves Business Growth Challenge in Warrenton
Supporting business growth means clearing away obstacles that hinder companies from growing in your community. Especially when a company is poised for explosive growth and your community stands to benefit from all the economic benefits that follow such potential. In Warrenton recently, the bustling business facing an obstacle was Quilt Lizzy, which provides extensive supplies and training for quilt fabrication. Business owner Susan Harris offers a unique service to the region, meeting head-on a shortage of quilting equipment dealers and …
NCDA&CS accepting proposals for 2016 Specialty Crop Block Grant Program
The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is accepting grant proposals for the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program. Nonprofits and government agencies wishing to apply have until March 25. The Specialty Crop Block Grant Program aims to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops in the marketplace. It is managed by the department and funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture under the 2014 farm bill. “In 2015, we were able to award more than $1 million to fund 13 …
NC Cooperative Extension Gardener Updates
GARDEN PATH NEWSLETTER Our latest issue available here. As usual, it contains great information on timely gardening tasks, our plant of the month, herb of the month, and much more! MASTER GARDENER SYMPOSIUM There is still time to register for “Backyard Gardening: Big Ideas for Small Spaces”! This year our symposium will be held on March 19th at the Vance County Regional Farmers Market. Registration required and all the details are available at http://go.ncsu.edu/vancegarden.
Wednesday Open Line
This month — and some sources cite this date — is the 250th anniversary of the 1766 birth of Thomas Malthus in Dorking, England. Given that birthplace, he perhaps naturally became an economist, demographer and statistician. He’s remembered for “The Principle of Population,” a 1798 essay foretelling widespread famine caused by population growth far outstripping the food supply. While the forecast remains unrealized, his theory of demand-supply mismatches was a precursor to later theories about the Great Depression. When Malthus …
Henderson City Council’s Land Planning Committee Meeting Thursday, February 18, 2016
The Henderson City Council’s Land Planning Committee will meet on Thursday, February 18 at 3:30 p.m. in the Large Conference Room at City Hall, 134 Rose Avenue. This meeting will be with the Vance County Properties Committee to discuss dilapidated/abandoned structures. The public is welcome.
Tuesday Open Line
The nation’s first college for deaf students traces its beginning to this date in 1857, when Congress incorporated the Columbia Institution for the Instruction of the Deaf, Dumb and Blind. In 1864, the school was federally chartered to confer degrees, the first three of which were awarded in 1869. Those diplomas were signed by President Ulysses S. Grant, and all subsequent diplomas awarded by the school bear the U.S. President’s signature. In 1954, the name of the institution was changed …
NC Cooperative Extension Updates
FOOD SAFETY FOR FARMERS MARKET PRODUCE VENDORS If you sell produce at a local farmers market, please don’t miss this opportunity to learn about how to make sure your produce stays safe from farm to table. Registration required (call 252-438-8188). Take your pick of the following dates: Wed, Feb 17, 4:30 pm, Vance County Regional Farmers Market Fri, Feb 26, 9-10:30 am, Vance County Reginal Farmers Market FRANKLIN COUNTY SMALL FARMS CONFERENCEDon’t miss this unique learning opportunity! Get all the …
Congresswoman Renee Ellmers: Punching Back
Photo of the Week This week I visited Ft. Bragg to meet with officials regarding the deactivation of the 440th Airlift Wing. This decision to deactivate is beyond disappointing — it’s irresponsible to our paratroopers, and I’m punching back. Scroll down to read more. Weekly Update On Monday, I visited Fort Bragg and met with military officials regarding deactivation of the 440th Airlift Wing. Included in these meetings were Chief of the Air Force Reserve, Lt. Gen. James …
Microsoft Office and IT Academy courses scheduled at VGCC
New training courses in computer software and hardware are set to be offered soon at Vance-Granville Community College, and grant funding can help eligible area residents pay for them. All of these courses will be offered in a “hybrid” format, with some coursework online and some on VGCC’s Main Campus during the evening. The “Microsoft Office Specialist” course will be offered March 8-May 13, with the in-class component on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6 until 8 p.m., taught by …
Vance County Early College Recognitions
Administrators and faculty members at the Vance County Early College High School hosted their annual “Leading the Pack” celebration for outstanding students on February 9, in the Civic Center at Vance-Granville Community College. There were 18 students honored during the celebration as they near the end of their fourth year in the five-year program and are on target to complete their high school education and have two years of college course credits when they graduate in May of 2017. The …
Cast, crew announced for VGCC Dinner Theater production
Vance-Granville Community College has announced the cast and crew for “Deathtrap,” a comedy-thriller that will be the college’s fourth annual Dinner Theater event. The dinner theater is scheduled for the evenings of Thursday, April 28, and Friday, April 29, in the Civic Center on VGCC’s Main Campus in Vance County. Dinner begins at 6 p.m. each night. Then, on Saturday, April 30, at 2 p.m., there will be a special encore matinee performance of the play, without dinner, at the …
Monday Open Line
For many Americans nowadays, it’s hard to conceive of life without computers. But such a life is within the living memory of America’s seniors. The first electronic computer was publicly demonstrated on Valentine’s Day 1946 at the University of Pennsylvania. Inventors J. Presper Eckert and John Mauchly developed the computer to help calculate the proper ballistic trajectory for artillery shells. It filled a large room with 18,000 vacuum tubes and the resulting heat. Eckert and Mauchly went on to develop …