Back in the mid-1980s, when states raised their drinking age from 18 to 21, they typically grandfathered in people who turned 18 before the law changed. You had a brief period of 19-year-olds legally drinking in places where the drinking age was 21. The Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce would become the equivalent of those 19-year-olds under a policy the City Council’s Land Planning and Development Committee advanced Wednesday afternoon.
Assistant fire chief to be hired
Fire Chief Danny Wilkerson won authorization Wednesday night to hire an assistant chief, a joint city-county position that has been vacant since Ronnie Lassiter retired June 1 last year.
Butcher bandit robs Family Dollar
A man wielding a butcher knife robbed Family Dollar at 1450 E. Andrews Ave. of an undisclosed amount of cash and fled in a small green car just before 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, Henderson police reported in a news release Wednesday night. The bandit was gone by the time police arrived at the store. No one was injured. A search of the area using a description of the getaway car failed to turn up a suspect. Police described the robber as …
Fun Embassy fact of the day
What’s in a name? For some people lately, anything with “Embassy” will smell equally foul. No, that’s not fair. Few people are against Embassy Square. It’s a bold project, and most of us would love to see it thrive. But the Embassy project is the whipping boy for anyone who thinks the city’s priorities are out of whack. If you listen to enough people with a cause around here, you’ll hear a lot of “I’m all for the Embassy project, …
Beacon Light draws support for rehab
The Henderson city government must do its part to give the residents of a subsidized housing complex a chance at a better life, a City Council member said Monday night.
Armory stays closed; land available
The top administrators for the city, county and school system met Tuesday afternoon to address the future of the former National Guard armory on Dabney Drive.
Will city’s policy be all wet?
City Council members can drink their fill of a far-from-dry topic at a committee meeting this afternoon. A possible policy on alcohol on city property is on the agenda for the Land Planning and Development Committee when it meets at the Municipal Building at 4:30.
Time-Out Tuesday’s take to serve 200+
Last week’s Time-Out Tuesday fund-raiser brought in more than $6,000 for the Franklin-Granville-Vance Partnership for Children in its effort to bring Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to this area.
2nd arrest in Dabney robbery
A second Creedmoor man has been charged in the armed robbery of a Dabney Drive convenience store Saturday.
Fun Embassy fact of the day
The big Embassy Square event next week won’t be a groundbreaking after all. The official term now is “construction celebration ceremony.” That’s the wording on the invitation, which City Manager Eric Williams said will be going out to about 600 people. Don’t worry if your invitation gets lost in the mail; the ceremony, at 1 p.m. on Friday, April 1, is open to the public. The star of the show, of course, is Sen. Elizabeth Dole, whose mere presence is …
Smith won’t settle for $300 credit
Samuel Smith doesn’t have to worry about having his water cut off anymore, but he’s still thousands of dollars short of satisfaction in his dispute with the city of Henderson over 18 years of improper billing.
2 asphalt speed humps OK’d for Granite Street
Granite Street will get two speed humps between Chestnut and Garnett streets on a trial basis, but only after the City Council nearly postponed action for further details about costs Monday night.
Maintenance code snarled in bigger issues
The proposal to enact a maintenance code for commercial buildings in the city has become entwined in the debate over whether to fill the job of assistant fire chief. That makes the planned discussion of the maintenance code at tonight’s City Council meeting a potential double whammy on city-county relations.
Etheridge schedules farm forums
Congress Bob Etheridge has scheduled four forums in the next two weeks to meet with farmers in his district, which includes southern Vance County.
Juvenile court expanding in Vance
The unnamed umbrella working group on crime and related issues has gained one success without even trying. Starting in April, Vance County will have an extra day each month for juvenile court.
Wildflower to bloom in spring
Exactly three months after it closed with little warning but much fanfare, the Wildflower Cafe will blossom again. Patricia Newhouse, the owner of Gray’s Gourmet, is buying everything that was the Wildflower — the name, the recipes, the décor — from Bill Coffey and has set April 4 as the date for the reopening of the downtown favorite at the intersection of Garnett and Breckenridge streets.
Creedmoor man arrested after Dabney Drive robbery
A Creedmoor man was arrested Saturday night in connection with the armed robbery of a gas station convenience store on Dabney Drive in Henderson, according to a news release from the Henderson police Sunday afternoon. Two men robbed the Parade on Dabney Drive (the BP station) at 1551 Dabney Drive about 4:10 p.m. Police arrived too late to catch the bandits, and investigators distributed a description of the vehicle in which the robbers fled. A search of the West Henderson …
Opinion: It’s the thought that counts the loss
For all you would-be Ken Jenningses out there, consider the plight of the Quiz Bowlers on Saturday afternoon at the Vance County Administration Building on Young Street.