As some have commented on this site, it is one of the cruel ironies of Embassy Square that the city’s heavy investment/donation/loan to the cultural center between Breckenridge and Winder streets has left Henderson unable to finance any cultural endeavors.
Grocery opens on Andrews Avenue
A Hispanic-led grocery chain has opened a store in the former Lowe’s Foods location on East Andrews Avenue.
Barracudas make marks in losing efforts
The Vance Aquatics Club lost its first two meets in the past week, but behind those road results are performances that reveal teamwide improvement.
Opinion: Our final word (we hope) on insurance
Most of the comments about the coming shift in the Henderson government’s health insurance have been negative, based on the planned increase in the deductible from $500 to $1,000. We don’t want to spend much more time on this — insurance is not our area of expertise, and, like most Hendersonians, we aren’t directly affected by the change in benefits — but we think the City Council deserves credit, not criticism.
Sex offender arrested on rape charges
Tecory A. Hester A Henderson man who has spent most of his adult life in prison for a sex crime was arrested Tuesday on six sex-related charges and a firearms violation.
Big-city garbage collection
In light of Henderson’s debate over garbage and recycling at the curb, it is interesting to see those operations in action in New Orleans. Garbage and recycling are collected at the curb, recycling in rectangular plastic bins, garbage in ordinary cans that people must carry or drag to the roadside. The pickups are handled by private companies under contract to the city. And this week, when storms have hit daily, both collections are late, leaving the unattractive bins and cans …
Pick of the day: Big Easy weekend
Your humble editor has left his Henderson home for the weekend to visit the place of his birth, New Orleans, for a few days of family, food and college baseball. We’ll update the site as opportunities allow.
Woman arrested in church break-in
A woman was arrested inside a downtown Henderson church Monday night and is suspected of stealing from its food pantry, which a church member had touted to the City Council only hours earlier.
Opinion: Insurance choice right for residents, staff
Henderson’s City Council and city manager face a perpetual struggle to balance the needs of city taxpayers, who want to minimize expenses, and city employees, who want to maximize pay and benefits. That’s what makes the all-but-final city decision to switch health insurance carriers so special: It serves the interests of everyone.
Pick of the day: HUD returns
Less than three months after the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development abruptly halted their project, College of Experts consultants Yolanda Porche and Dorothy Reiser return to Henderson today for a two-day visit that marks the revival of HUD’s technical assistance to the city’s housing redevelopment efforts. They might not have the green light for their full $120,000 plan of help, but Henderson will take whatever it can get. So if you see two women who aren’t from around …
City opts for lower insurance premiums for city, staff
Henderson will switch from Blue Cross and Blue Shield to the North Carolina League of Municipalities for its health insurance, the City Council conditionally agreed Wednesday night during a meeting of its finance committee.
City to cut insurance budget; choice due tonight
After receiving information at three meetings, the Henderson City Council expects to make a decision on which health insurance to buy for employees in the fiscal year that starts July 1.
Opinion: Partnership must guarantee open meetings
You know something is important when it draws more discussion than tax rates and fund balances despite coinciding with the public hearings on the city and county budgets, so we know the Henderson-Vance Economic Partnership is a big deal. We know it’s something different. We know it has people wary. What we don’t know is what exactly this grand collaboration will do.
Pick of the day: Health insurance to be set
For employees of the city of Henderson, nothing this budget season is more important than the decision that should be made sometime after 6 p.m. in the conference room at the Municipal Building. At a Finance and Intergovernmental Relations Committee meeting, City Council members are expected to select the health insurance coverage for municipal employees for the year starting July 1. The impact on taxpayers as a whole will be minor compared with the effect on individuals facing a doubling …
Economic Partnership wins with city, waits on county
The Henderson-Vance Economic Partnership came out of the shadows Monday, promising as much openness as possible in its quest to bring jobs to Vance County. The result was one win and one postponement for the planned private, nonprofit group that will bring together much of the power in the county.
Residential-business zoning clash is tabled
The Henderson Planning Board tabled for further study a rezoning request that was close to home for one board member and echoed discussions in recent months about the proposed amortization ordinance that the board sent to the City Council this spring.
Youth Services gets $59,000 birthday present
The Youth Services Division of the Henderson-Vance Recreation Department is holding a 20th-anniversary celebration one week from Wednesday, and a letter received from Gov. Mike Easley last week will give Youth Services something to toast beyond endurance.
Evans urges raises for public safety, public works
Mary Emma Evans is known for taking passionate stands on the City Council, but unlike, say, Elissa Yount and City Manager Eric Williams, she usually avoids putting her thoughts on paper and sending them out in memos. Monday was a significant exception.
Planning director could be picked this week
Four people have applied for Henderson’s vacant planning director position, and City Manager Eric Williams says he may offer one of them the job this week.