It’s officially on. Elissa Yount filed for re-election to her Ward 3 at-large City Council seat today, setting up the fall’s marquee contest in Vance County: Yount vs. fellow council member John Wester, who is giving up his ward seat to run at large. Because the competition is for an at-large seat, all of Henderson will get to choose between arguably the two most outspoken council members. The contrast in views between Yount, a freshman council member, and Wester, the …
Mapping contract, ETC grant await commissioners
The Vance County Board of Commissioners will be asked tonight to approve a contract for digital mapping of the county as part of the move to countywide zoning.
Milestones: A conversation with God
During a recent unfortunate encounter between my epiglottis and a french fry eaten at a fast-food restaurant I’ve been advised not to name, I had occasion to stop breathing for (what felt like) several minutes. As I gradually lost consciousness to the sound of my wife’s concerned, hysterical laughter and the feeling of my children going through my pockets, I dreamed that I saw God. He was playing golf.
Brief agenda for Planning Board
The Henderson Planning Board, which had a one-item agenda that took no more than six minutes when it last gathered July 21, again figures to have a quick day when it meets at 3:30 this afternoon at the Municipal Building. Aside from the approval of minutes, the board has one matter: a request from Alan’s Surveying on behalf of the William H. Hughes estate for the board to approve a subdivision plat for 22.38 acres on State Road 1407 in …
Pick of the day: Talk to the commissioners
If you’ve been desperate to tell the Vance County Board of Commissioners how you feel about that trip to Hawaii, the board’s support for the Henderson-Vance Economic Partnership, or anything else that angers or thrills you about the county government, today’s your chance. To comply with a new state law, the commissioners are due to adopt a policy guaranteeing a public comment period during each monthly board meeting, and the board will hold such a comment period during its meeting …
Pick of the day: Down the stretch we come
It’s the final week of filing for the fall municipal elections, and we have a candidate for every office but two: mayor of Henderson and Middleburg town commissioner. But we don’t have many contests. Kittrell and Middleburg have none. Henderson has two candidates for the ward seats in Wards 1, 2 and 3, and if and when Elissa Yount files for re-election this week, Ward 3’s at-large seat will be contested. We’d like to see at least two candidates for …
Taxes motivate Gupton’s candidacy
Robert “Bobby” Gupton is running for Harriette Butler’s seat on the City Council, but he said Friday that he is not running against the incumbent.
Pick of the day: Big moment in Boston
Henderson’s bid for reaccreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies faces its final test. Police Chief Glen Allen, Capt. Charles Crumpler, Lt. Perry Twisdale and Mayor Clem Seifert are in Boston for the CALEA conference, and the police officers will go before a three-man panel of the CALEA board this morning to answer any questions about the on-site report of the CALEA team that visited in the spring. The full CALEA board will hear and discuss the …
Vance jobless rate remains third-worst in state
Vance County’s jobless rate was worse in June than in May, better than a year earlier but almost unchanged relative to the rest of the state.
Gupton to run against Butler
It took Harriette Butler 3 1/2 weeks to file for re-election to the City Council; it took two days for a challenger to emerge. Robert Gupton, a retired Americal production manager who has been active at Speak Up Henderson forums this year, went to the Vance County Board of Elections before 9 this morning and filed to run for Butler’s Ward 2 ward seat. Butler, who faced no opposition two years ago, filed Wednesday. We’ll have more from Gupton about …
Housing task force to concentrate on Orange Street
The mayor’s task force on housing is moving toward an initial focus on the Orange Street-Pettigrew Street area after a three-day visit to Henderson by two consultants paid by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Butler cites determination to boost fund balance
Harriette Butler is running for re-election in response to encouragement from a lot of supporters, the Ward 2 City Council member said Thursday afternoon.
Pick of the day: Cable talks
Time Warner Cable’s contracts with Henderson and Vance County expire this fall, and the negotiations kick off in earnest this morning with a meeting at the county Administration Building. City Council members Elissa Yount and Lonnie Davis are set to advise and support City Attorney John Zollicoffer, who is taking the lead in negotiations on behalf of the city and county. Before you get too excited, however, remember that it’s a nonexclusive contract. Any other cable company could try to …
Dance card nearly full in Middleburg
Middleburg is three-fourths of the way to a full ballot after two more candidates from that town filed today. Mayor Vivian Edwards is seeking re-election, and Frances May is hoping to succeed her husband, Alvin, who was a two-term town commissioner when he died in January. William C. Abbott Jr. filed to run for Middleburg commissioner Wednesday. The town needs at least one more candidate for commissioner; with one week left to enter the race, two incumbents, Ruby Atkins and …
Children reach for the Holy Grail of the mind
Watched by Queen Jasmine Ayscue, King of Reading Alex Kirk draws a reader’s name from a chest held by Claire Ramsey on Wednesday afternoon. About 50 children completed a mythic quest to expand their minds by celebrating the end of the H. Leslie Perry Memorial Library’s summer reading program Wednesday.
Pick of the day: Amortization on the table
The latest version of the proposed junkyard amortization ordinance goes before the City Council’s Land Planning and Development Committee at 9 a.m. This proposal, revised after new Planning Director Erris Dunston held a work session with the Planning Board last week, appears to address the main concerns of auto shop owners while attacking unsightly junk, the original goal of the amortization process. For example, repair facilities could substitute gravel for paving. No auto repair businesses would be forced to shut …
Butler files for re-election
An extension for the candidate filing period became a little less likely today when two people, one in Henderson and one in Middleburg, completed their paperwork to run in the fall municipal elections. William C. Abbott Jr. became the first candidate of any kind in Middleburg, where he is hoping to join the three-person Board of Commissioners. But overshadowing his entry is Harriette Butler’s decision to seek re-election to the ward seat in Henderson’s Ward 2. We failed to catch …
Williams: Vance should spend more on library
Questions about local funding for the H. Leslie Perry Memorial Library are unlikely to be resolved by the latest letter from City Manager Eric Williams to County Manager Jerry Ayscue and library director Jeanne Fox.
Lighthouse shines under blazing sun
Michael and Nancy Jo Smith and their helpers find that digging in dirt can be fun. More than 40 people gathered under a tent in 100-degree heat Tuesday afternoon to watch a woman play in the dirt.
Pick of the day: Royalty of summer reading
The H. Leslie Perry Memorial Library’s summer reading program reaches a majestic conclusion at 2 p.m. with a final party in the form of a medieval fair. There’ll be fun and food for up to 100 children, and all who met their reading goals will get prizes. The festivities and the educational summer will culminate in the crowning of the king and queen of reading around 3.