The Henderson Driver License Office, located at 1080 Eastern Blvd., will be temporarily closed for equipment installation on Tuesday, Dec. 1. It is scheduled to re-open on Wednesday, Dec. 2, at 8 a.m. Other offices located in the region will provide service during the closure: East Durham – 101 S. Miami Blvd., (919) 560-6896 Hillsborough – 1201 U. S. Highway 70 West, (919) 732-2427 Oxford – 100 Providence Road, (919) 693-6128 North Raleigh – 2431 Spring Forest Road, Suite 101, …
Lower Taxes for Business on Tap as Governor McCrory Announces $1 Billion Reserve in Unemployment Trust Fund
After paying off a $2.8 billion debt to the federal government in May 2015, Governor Pat McCrory and Commerce’s Division of Employment Security announced November 12 that the unemployment trust fund reserve has reached $1 billion. This is the first time the trust fund has exceeded $1 billion since May 2001. By reaching this mark, the 20 percent state unemployment insurance tax surcharge will be discontinued, an extra burden that N.C. employers have been paying for ten years. These savings, …
VGCC Biotech Club elects officers
The Vance-Granville Community College Biotech Club recently elected officers for the 2015-2016 year. They include club president Eliza Hernandez of Louisburg, vice president Melissa Messner of Wilton, secretary Andrew Boyle of Franklinton and treasurer Natasha Durham of Manson. All are students in the VGCC Bioprocess Technology degree program. The purpose of the Biotech Club, formerly the Biopharmaceutical Club, is to stimulate interest in, and provide a social forum for, biotechnology throughout the community college. Club members engage in activities that …
Vance-Granville Community Band to present free holiday concert on December 3rd, 2015
The Vance-Granville Community Band will perform its eighth annual Christmas Concert, entitled “Making Spirits Bright,” on Thursday, December 3rd, 2015 at 7 p.m. in the Civic Center on VGCC’s Main Campus in Vance County. Admission is free and the public is invited. The band has prepared a program featuring a variety of holiday-themed favorites, including “All I Want for Christmas is You,” “A Holst Christmas,” a march called “Christmas Joy,” “The Bells of Saint Mary,” “Twas the Night Before Christmas,” …
Vance County Schools Transportation Department Ratings
The Vance County Schools’ Transportation Department earned a rating of 28.76 on its annual state inspection for school bus safety. The state inspection was held on November 3 and thoroughly examines 10 percent of the school system’s bus fleet, with the focus on getting the lowest score possible. The average rating statewide for this year is projected at about 55, meaning the local inspection results were more than 25 points better than the state average. The Transportation Department also received …
White House Update on Syrian Refugees
As we approach Thanksgiving and many of us prepare to share time with friends and family, we want to make sure you have the latest information from us about the Syrian Refugee Crisis and ways you can support efforts to provide support and aid to those fleeing violence. Visit aidrefugees.gov, where you can enter your zip code into a map to learn about volunteer opportunities with organizations near you that are helping refugees start anew in your community Or check …
White House: Here’s what the refugee screening process looks like
Since the attacks in Paris, many have asked about our process for admitting Syrian refugees into this country. I understand the anxiety that many Americans are feeling right now. And as Secretary of Homeland Security, I share with President Obama the top priority of keeping the American people safe. So let me be clear about what this process of vetting and resettling refugees looks like. It’s important to remember, we’re focused on admitting the most vulnerable Syrians — this means …
Wednesday Open Line
It’s a time to celebrate one of life’s simple, viscous pleasures — it’s Peanut Butter Lovers Month. The stuff of one of America’s favorite sandwiches, peanut butter was first offered to the public at the St. Louis Exposition in 1904. But as we currently know it — with the peanuts roasted and the product churned like butter to be smooth and so the oil won’t separate — peanut butter didn’t appear on grocery shelves until 1922. While we each eat …
Middle and high schools partner with VGCC to advance student success
Administrators and guidance counselors from local high schools and middle schools recently met at Vance-Granville Community College to learn more about what the college offers, and to discuss how the educational institutions work in partnership. Representatives of schools in Vance, Granville, Franklin and Warren counties were invited to attend the forum, held on Oct. 22 in the Civic Center on the college’s Main Campus. The day began with opportunities for attendees to engage in roundtable discussions with various members of …
NCDA&CS offers tips to care for fresh Christmas trees
Because Thanksgiving falls late this year, many Christmas tree growers are opening up early for the season. The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services encourages consumers to use proper techniques to care for their fresh trees. “Real Christmas trees offer a great addition to your holiday decorations, but they do need a little extra attention,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “With proper care, a real tree can last up to two months, providing your home with a wonderful aroma …
Tuesday Open Line
This month marks the 151st anniversary of absentee ballot voting in the U.S. This measure was introduced during the Civil War to permit Union army soldiers in the field to choose between re-electing Abraham Lincoln or sending his opponent, George McClellan, to the White House. But on this date in 1896, Vermont became the first state to enshrine in law the concept of voting away from home, though the voter had to be within the state. All that was required …
Christmas With The Embers December 11th, 2015 – Tickets on sale now!
On Friday, December 11, we have the opportunity to enjoy one of those rare and memorable gifts – an evening with our loved ones at the Henderson-Vance Chamber’s annual Christmas with the EMBERS Holiday concert. A delightful evening together with family and friends enjoying an exhilarating Christmas concert of cherished Christmas classics by the EMBERS as only they can perform. The event will be held at the beautiful Vance Granville Community College Civic Center in Henderson. We are proud to …
Congresswoman Renee Ellmers: Ensuring the Safety and Security of Americans
Video of the Week I spoke on the House floor Monday evening during a Special Order to express solidarity with France and to reiterate my commitment to destroying ISIS. The President’s passive approach has proven to be no deterrent to these Islamic extremists – and it’s time he implement a clear and comprehensive strategy to completely destroy ISIS abroad on their soil so that we aren’t fighting them on ours. Click here or on the photo above to watch this …
City of Henderson City Council Meeting Monday November 23rd, 2015
Henderson City Council Short Regular Meeting Monday, 23 November 2015 6:00 PM Work Session to immediately follow City Hall Council Chambers, 134 Rose Ave., Henderson, NC 27536 Download the full agenda packet here: 20151123_coh_agenda_packet.pdf
Senator Richard Burr: VOTE refugees and national security
The horrific terrorist attacks in Paris last Friday were a sobering reminder of the threats we face from those who wish to do America and her allies harm. That’s why it is reasonable and prudent to suspend the President’s plan to resettle Syrians in the United States until the American people are satisfied that this program is not being used by ISIS to gain access into the country. Our nation similarly suspended the refugee admission program after the September 11 attacks. …
Louisburg College Hosts Lecture To Focus On North Carolina Tobacco Culture
LOUISBURG, N.C.–W.W. Yeargin, Jr., an expert on tobacco culture in North Carolina, will deliver the next Tar River Center Lecture at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 2 in Benson Chapel on the Louisburg College campus. His lecture, titled “Leaves of Gold: North Carolina Tobacco Culture,” is free and open to the public, and will include a look at tobacco’s history in the Upper Tar River region. Yeargin has published three books on the prominent role tobacco has played in the culture, …
Monday Open Line
It used to be that going to the bank was somewhat of a chore — with inconvenient hours and locations, and waiting in line for a teller. Now, many of us rarely see the inside of a bank anymore. We take care of our financial business at an ATM, by going online, or at our bank’s drive-in windows. The first such drive-up facility opened on this date in 1946 at the Exchange National Bank in Chicago, which offered its motoring customers …
Richard Brand: More War on Christmas?
It began early this year. It is still two months before Christmas. We have just finished Halloween and have not even begun to talk about Thanksgiving, and already we have people outraged about what is being called a “war on Christmas.” The latest battle site was Starbuck’s decision to put out simple red cups with their corporate logo on them. Just red cups with no seasonal decorations. No snow flakes, no holly wreaths, no snowmen, no menorah, nothing but their …
Vance County Clerk of Superior Court – Financial Related Audit
NC State Auditor releases report on the Vance County Clerk of Superior Court: The results of our audit identified deficiencies in internal control and/or instances of noncompliance that are considered reportable under Government Auditing Standards. These items included: (1) The Clerk’s Office did not compel the timely filing of estate inventories in accordance with state law; (2) Staff in the Clerk’s Office had the ability to change and/or delete information in multiple systems, resulting in inadequate segregation of duties. Details …
Thanksgiving Travel: Know Before You Go and Save Time, Money
As families travel over the river and through the woods for Thanksgiving celebrations, the N.C. Department of Transportation will suspend most road construction activities on major routes across the state to help make their trips a little smoother. By avoiding traffic delays, motorists can reach their destinations safely and efficiently, while cutting down on fuel consumption and costs. NCDOT will put on hold most construction projects along interstate, N.C. and U.S. routes from 6 a.m., Wednesday, November 25, until midnight, Sunday, November 29 with these exceptions: U.S. …