The old National Guard armory on Dabney Drive is not an ideal building for use by the school system, but the dual purpose of saving the structure and meeting a need for schoolchildren is enticing, Superintendent Norm Shearin said in an interview last week.
Opinion: Higher sales tax adds up
An 8 percent sales tax is not a concept that thrills us, and we were caught off-guard when we heard of Board of Education Chairman Tommy Riddle’s idea to use that tax to finance the school system’s serious facility needs.
No second phase for HUD aid
Special federal aid for what ails Henderson has come to an abrupt end, although the city can look to the federal government for help in winning state support.
The thrill of budget competition
Code Compliance Director Corey Williams is in his first year as a Henderson department head and is in the middle of his first budget season for a department that didn’t exist a year ago. He got a pointer from a veteran of the process during the Clean Up Henderson Committee meeting two weeks ago. “We just got through budgets,” Williams said with some relief while delivering the regular report on his department’s activities. Chief Glen Allen, in his eighth year …
Sales tax increase proposed for school construction
Vance County Schools’ latest hope for financing school construction is not a bond referendum but an increase in the local sales tax.
School year to end May 25, start Aug. 15
Vance County Schools’ makeup day for the St. Patrick’s Day snowfall is set for Wednesday, May 25, pending Board of Education approval.
Opinion: Let the troopers patrol I-85
Much is made of the perception that the state has done essentially nothing for Henderson and Vance County through our tribulations of recent years.
Opinion: College officiating is foul
It says a lot about the sorry state of college basketball officiating that two of the biggest calls in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament — at least in the eyes of local fans — are deservedly controversial.
Electrical engineering looks faulty in water project
Some questionable contracted engineering could wind up costing Henderson and the other partners in the Kerr Lake Regional Water System more than $40,000.
Third Alive! concert searches for home
Alive! After Five is set for two appearances at the Henderson Operations & Service Center this year, but a planned third concert has been lost in the debate over alcohol use on city property.
Great gobs of grease to put city in a FOG
The city of Henderson is likely to crack down on restaurants soon to reduce the amount of grease seeping into the sewer system and producing blockages and leaks.
Blackout festival at heart of anti-violence art push
A nationally recognized spoken-word troupe will highlight an anti-violence afternoon for youths at the Aycock Recreation Complex on Saturday, April 30.
Tobacco buyout meeting April 5
Anyone with lingering questions about the tobacco quota buyout can look for answers at an informational meeting scheduled for Tuesday, April 5.
Seeing is believing for Burr aide
Clean Up Henderson Committee Chairwoman Lynn Harper shows how the abandoned houses, indicated by red dots, crowd around schools and the tourist route to Kerr Lake. Sen. Richard Burr has received some 390 appropriations requests, and from an office in Washington, one looks pretty much like another: Some town somewhere in North Carolina has a problem and wants the federal government to throw some money at it. Senatorial aide Drew Elliot said that’s pretty much how he saw Henderson’s request …
Opinion: Now that’s a chicken sandwich
Sometimes it seems like our No. 1 commodity in Henderson is fast food.
$30,000 closer to 8%
It’s not a solution to the fund balance problem, but City Manager Eric Williams did have some good financial news for the City Council’s Finance and Intergovernmental Relations Committee on Wednesday.
Three nights only: The big budget show
Looking for some free entertainment after the NCAA basketball tournament ends in early April? The city of Henderson has a deal for you. Three nights. Six hours. A dozen stars. And all the facts about the city budget you can consume.
Man arrested at coin-op laundry
A Henderson man was arrested inside a coin-operated laundry Thursday morning on several theft-related charges. Police found Clarence Venable, 46, of 204 Harrison Ave. breaking into vending machines at TNT Laundromat at 1101 E. Andrews Ave. about 6 a.m., according to a news release issued by Lt. M.L. Perry. Venable was charged with breaking and entering a coin-operated machine, possession of burglary tools and damage to a coin-operated machine. He was jailed in lieu of $10,000 bond and is due …
Opinion: Take a stand on the ops center
We applaud the City Council’s push to produce policies that provide consistent responses to recurring situations, such as requests for lower speed limits on residential streets and efforts to hold events with alcohol on city property. But one obvious policy has slipped through the cracks amid talk of beer and music and fried fish.
Armory rental policy takes shape
Nonprofit groups would pay less than others to use the parking lot at the Dabney Drive armory under guidelines discussed by the City Council’s Land Planning and Development Committee on Wednesday.