The N.C. Pecan Growers Association will hold its annual conference March 5 at the Pitt County Cooperative Extension office in Greenville. The event is open to current pecan growers and those interested in learning more about pecan production in the state. The meeting includes workshops and an orchard tour. Dr. Lenny Wells, a pecan horticultural specialist at the University of Georgia, will discuss varieties and successful production practices. Other pecan production and business topics will be covered, including crop growth …
Evening introductory Carpentry course offered at VGCC
A course that introduces students to the carpentry trade will be offered soon by Vance-Granville Community College. “Carpentry I” is scheduled to be held on Monday through Thursday evenings from 6 until 10 p.m., March 16 through June 28, on VGCC’s Main Campus in Vance County. Students will learn about proper safety techniques, equipment and building materials, blueprint reading, floor systems, wall systems, ceiling and roof framing, ceiling joists, and envelope systems. The 235-hour course includes both classroom instruction and …
Vance County Schools Recognitions
Vance County Schools is proud to announce that Marion Perry, an outstanding volunteer in our school system and particularly for Carver Elementary School, was named the Citizen of the Year for 2015 at the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce Annual Banquet on February 4, 2016. Our school system also is proud to announce that Flat Rock United Methodist Church in Vance County has been named the recipient of the school system’s Shining Moment in Education Award for 2015-2016 as the most …
ACTS in the Community
Who We Are ACTS of Vance County was ?established?in?1985 by more than 40 local churches, local businesses, individuals, and the United Way. ACTS is committed to providing daily hot nutritious meals to the low-income and homeless population in the Vance County community. It is our mission to provide an effective Christian focus for directing all the resources of the community toward transforming human lives. We serve our community through the operations of soup kitchen, food pantry, community garden, brown bag …
Week-long Side Street Closure for NCDOT Tryon Road project in Raleigh Starts Feb. 15
The contractor for the N.C. Department of Transportation Tryon Road realignment and bridge replacement project in south Raleigh plans to close a portion of Junction Boulevard/Ileagnes Road between the current Tryon Road and what will be the new alignment of the road, starting Monday, Feb. 15. The week-long closure will allow workers to safely continue getting the area ready for a shift to the new alignment. A signed detour will have drivers using Grenelle Street, Olympia Drive and Ileagnes Road …
Redrawing of NC Congressional Maps
A federal three judge panel ruled Friday, February 5, 2016, that NC Congressional Districts 1 and 12 were unconstitutional. US District Judges William Osteen of Greensboro, Max Cogburn of Asheville and US Circuit Judge Roger Gregory of Virginia have given lawmakers until February 19th to redraw the flawed election map for the 1st and 12th districts. The 12th Congressional district, which is represented by Alma Adams, falls within a stretch along Interstate 85 and is 120 miles long but only …
Butterfield Praises Passage of Bill to Honor Service of World War II Merchant Mariners
On Tuesday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the American Heroes COLA Act (H.R. 677), which contained key provisions authored by Congressman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) that will simplify the process for Coastwise Merchant Seamen who served during World War II to be recognized for their service to the United States. “For decades, many of these mariners have never been recognized for their contributions to the war effort because the documents required to prove their service have either not survived …
Vance County Board of Commissioners Public Safety and Human Resources Committee Meeting Notice
Please note that the County’s Public Safety Committee and also the Human Resources Committee is scheduled to meet Thursday, February 25 at 12:00 noon in the administrative conference room. The purpose is to discuss Fire/EMS matters. All commissioners are invited to attend.
Friday / Weekend Open Lines
Friday, February 12th. One of the nation’s major civil rights organizations is 107 years old today — the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Founded to combat lynching and segregation, the NAACP continues to work toward greater opportunities for minorities. One of its most telling moments came with the 1954 Supreme Court ruling in Brown vs. Board of Education, which desegregated the nation’s schools. The lawyer who argued that case, Thurgood Marshall, became the first African-American Supreme Court …
NCDA&CS to host workshops for farmers market managers March 4 and 18
The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services will host workshops for farmers market managers March 4 in Winston-Salem and March 18 in Mount Olive. “With more than 250 farmers markets across the state, it is easy for consumers to connect with local farmers in their community,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “Our farmers market workshops make it easy for local managers to learn best practices, share success stories and discover new resources to make their local markets even better.” …
Attendance at State Parks sets record with 17.3 million visitors in 2015
Gov. Pat McCrory announced this week that attendance at North Carolina’s state parks set a new record in 2015. More than 17.3 million people visited the state’s 39 parks, up from 15.6 million the previous year, according to the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation. “An 11 percent increase proves that nothing compares to the enriching experience of a visit to a North Carolina state park,” Gov. McCrory said. “North Carolina’s natural beauty is an important part of our …
National changes by GED may affect some VGCC test takers
The national GED Testing Service recently announced revisions to the “cut,” or passing scores, as well as performance levels for its High School Equivalency (HSE) test, and is making those revisions retroactive to January 1, 2014, when the 2014 GED Test series was first released. North Carolina will join 32 states in recognizing these changes immediately, possibly resulting in as many as 700 new HSE diploma holders in the state. GED Testing Service is contacting those affected by the changes …
North Carolina Weekend
For the week of Feb. 11 on North Carolina Weekend, take in a show at the Cape Fear Community College Humanities & Fine Arts Center in Wilmington. Enjoy a tour of Granville County. Tempt your taste buds at La Guinguette Creperie in Black Mountain. Lift a glass at Fair Game Beverage Company in Pittsboro. And check out the scene at Plank Road Steakhouse in Farmville. (Please note: listings are subject to change.) North Carolina Weekend is underwritten by Visit North Carolina. In …
Thursday Open Line
Among his very many achievements, Benjamin Franklin played a leading role in the founding of America’s first hospital, decades before the Declaration of Independence. Together with Dr. Thomas Bond, he obtained a charter for a hospital to serve the poor, sick and insane in Philadelphia. The Pennsylvania Hospital opened on this date in 1752 in a converted house. The hospital later developed at a location where a modern medical complex still serves the city. During its long history, the hospital’s …
NC Cooperative Extension Updates
TOBACCO FLOAT BED WATER SAMPLES It’s time to submit water samples for your tobacco greenhouse float beds! The Vance/Warren offices of Cooperative Extension can deliver those samples for you, but please note the following: Call in advance so we can schedule the delivery. It’s critical that samples be delivered in a timely fashion, preferably within 24 hours of collection. Bring payment in form of check or money order ($5 per sample). For more info., visit this site. PESTICIDE RECERTIFICATION CLASSES …
VGCC Trustees endorse Connect NC Bond
The Vance-Granville Community College Board of Trustees has voiced its support of the Connect NC Bond on the ballot for voters in the primary on March 15. In a unanimous vote on Monday night, Feb. 8, at the trustees’ regular bimonthly meeting, the board adopted a resolution of support for the $2 billion bond package. “The Connect NC Bond … will enable North Carolina’s systems of higher education to educate and train a highly qualified workforce for the 21st century …
Webster Completes Work for Doctorate
Lisa Webster, the teacher for academically and intellectually gifted students at Zeb Vance Elementary School, said she did it to honor her mother. She worked for more than five years and recently earned her doctoral degree for Exceptional Children in Education. Her degree is from North Central University and she completed all of her work online. “My mother always instilled education in me,” Webster said. “Education was a big thing to her. She saw me get my bachelor’s degree and …
Wednesday Open Line
This month 150 years ago, Lucy Hobbs Taylor received a doctorate in dentistry from the Ohio College of Dental Surgery. She was the first American woman so credentialed, and it’s believed she was also the first in the world. Born in 1833, Lucy Hobbs at first tried to attend medical school, but finding that avenue closed to her, studied dentistry. Beginning in 1861, she practiced without a certificate as was common at the time. Following her graduation, she married James …
VGCC welcomes “Thomas Jefferson” for lecture series
Vance-Granville Community College’s Arts and Sciences division is offering a spring lecture series with a distinguished guest speaker, former President Thomas Jefferson — or, to be exact, Bill Barker, the critically acclaimed resident “Mr. Jefferson” at Colonial Williamsburg, Va. The public is invited to attend the Jefferson presentations, as are VGCC students, faculty and staff. On Thursday, Feb. 18, at 11 a.m., the series kicks off with “Mr. Jefferson and the Pursuit of Science.” That will be followed by “Mr. …
Shooting on West Andrews Avenue, Reward Offered for Info
On Monday, February 08, 2016 at 11:24 A.M., members of the Henderson Police Department responded to Gate City Foods, 601 W. Andrews Avenue, Henderson in response to someone being shot. Arriving officers found Tre’shon Cheek, 18, 315 Davis Street, Henderson suffering from a gunshot wound. Cheek died as a result of his injuries. The investigation of this matter is being handled by the Henderson Police Department Criminal Investigation Division. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Henderson Police Department …