This week, North Carolina’s students won big. I am very proud to share with you that two of my amendments to increase North Carolina’s education funding cleared the Senate. I’m beyond thrilled that North Carolinians will see a significant increase in education funding for our children as a result of these two pieces of legislation. For the future of our state, it is imperative that we do all we can to assist our students, regardless of background, in reaching high …
Congresswoman Renee Ellmers: No to a Bad Nuclear “Deal”
Video of the Week This week, I teamed up with members of the Republican Women’s Policy Committee to talk about national security on the House floor. I discussed the importance of funding a robust military presence, the impending threat of the Islamic State and the administration’s recent “deal” with Iran. Click here or on the photo above to watch the video. Weekly Update: This week, I learned that the Air Force Reserve Command has delayed the deactivation of the 440th …
White House Weekly Address: A Comprehensive, Long-Term Deal with Iran
In this week’s address, the President explained the comprehensive, long-term deal announced earlier this week that will prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. This agreement cuts off every pathway that Iran could take to develop a nuclear weapon, implements unprecedented monitoring and inspections of Iran’s key nuclear facilities, and ensures that if Iran violates these terms, the strict sanctions previously imposed on the country will snap back into place. This is a good deal that demonstrates that American diplomacy …
Monday Open Line
It took a while after the invention of the gas-powered automobile by Karl Benz in Germany in 1886 for someone to steal the wheels. The first stolen car is said to be of a French aristocrat’s Peugeot in Paris in 1896. In this country, the first auto theft is believed to have occurred in St. Louis in 1905. But this slow beginning has become an all-too-robust present. With July and August being the peak months for automotive thefts, this is …
NCDA&CS receiving reports of canine influenza in Asheville, Greensboro and Winston-Salem
RALEIGH – North Carolina veterinary officials have received confirmation of three cases of canine influenza in Asheville and Winston-Salem, and are receiving reports of suspected cases in Greensboro. According to reports, more than 200 dogs may have the virus, but since it is not a reportable disease in North Carolina, the problem could be more widespread. Veterinarians are asked to voluntarily report cases to the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Animal Welfare Section at 919-715-7111 or agr.aws@ncagr.gov<mailto:agr.aws@ncagr.gov> so …
Friday / Weekend Open Lines
Friday, July 17th. Harvard University, founded in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1636, is the oldest institution of higher education in the United States. Thus, it was already a bit long in the tooth when on this date in 1867, it opened the first dental school associated with a medical school. It was also the first to be permanently established by a university, making the full scholarly and scientific resources of a university available to dental education. Today, there are 65 dental …
VGCC hosts campus security training
The Campus Police Department at Vance-Granville Community College recently provided professional development for security officers, including its own. VGCC hosted a two-day, 18-hour North Carolina Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (NCACLEA) Campus Security Training Course for the region. The course was designed for non-sworn security officers working in a college campus environment. The following topics were taught by certified law enforcement instructors from the North Carolina Central University and Duke University campus police departments: rules and responsibilities of patrol; emergency …
VGCC to offer Craft Artists Entrepreneurship program at Farmers Market
Vance-Granville Community College is offering a new course designed specifically to help creative local residents with skills in arts and crafts to succeed as entrepreneurs. The “NC REAL Professional Craft Artists Entrepreneurship” program will be conducted at the Vance County Regional Farmers Market, located at 210 Southpark Drive in Henderson, on Tuesdays from 6 until 9 p.m., Aug. 11 through Sept. 29. “If you are considering starting your own business selling your handmade items, then the NC REAL Professional Craft …
State confirms first EEE case in Cumberland County
RALEIGH – A Cumberland County horse died last month after contracting Eastern Equine Encephalomyelitis, a mosquito-borne disease that is preventable by vaccination. The 8-year-old Quarter horse died despite veterinary treatment. This is the first reported case of EEE in North Carolina this year. The state recorded 12 EEE cases in horses in 2014. The virus has been detected in North Carolina for many years and is considered endemic, meaning the virus is now commonly found in the state and horse …
North Carolina Weekend
For the week of July 16 on North Carolina Weekend, “Collecting Carolina” examines genealogy at the State Archives of N.C. in Raleigh. Find a treasure at the Highway 21 Three Day Road Market in Harmony. Check out Science on a Sphere at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh. Relax at the Inn at Little Pond in Valle Crucis. And the “House Special” samples the fare at Merritt’s Store and Grill in Chapel Hill. (Please note: listings are subject …
Thursday Open Line
On this date in 1935, drivers in Oklahoma City were confronted with America’s first parking meter, collecting rent for a space on the corner of First Street and Robinson Avenue. While local drivers could avoid that single space, they couldn’t escape for long. That meter was just the first of many to sprout up in Oklahoma City and across the nation, as millions of ticketed motorists will attest. While municipalities sought to rotate street parking spots among more drivers, raising …
Sinkhole Causes U.S. 1 Lane Closure in Franklin County
RALEIGH – A pipe separation on U.S. 1 between N.C. 96 and U.S. 1-A in Franklin County has created a sinkhole in the highway’s median. NCDOT crews have begun repairs, requiring the closure of the southbound inside lane. It is possible the same lane on the northbound side will also need to be closed to for the safety of the crews. It is hoped the repairs can be completed by late Thursday. Drivers need to use extra caution while driving …
Gardening Tips & Events
Recruiting Now for Master Gardener Class Volunteers needed! Do you love gardening? Are you looking for an opportunity to volunteer? The Extension Master Gardener Volunteer program is just for you! Our training classes will begin on Tuesday, July 28, 9 am to noon and meet weekly for 14 weeks. No gardening experience required! For more information, or to request an application form, call 252-438-8188, 252-257-3640 or e-mail paul_mckenzie@ncsu.edu. FREE SEMINAR – All About Propagation! July 22, 12 noon, Vance County …
Butterfield Introduces Bill to Issue a Commemorative Postage Stamp in Honor of George Henry White
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) introduced H.R. 3034, a bill to direct the U.S. Postmaster General to issue a commemorative postage stamp in honor of George Henry White, the last African American to serve in Congress until 1929. “George Henry White was a persistent and thoughtful advocate for his constituents and all African Americans,” said Congressman Butterfield. “He relentlessly stirred the conscience of both his Congressional colleagues and all Americans to embrace racial justice and equality …
Pluto
Tuesday morning, the United States became the first country to reach Pluto — and the first country to explore the entire classical solar system: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. NASA’s New Horizons interplanetary probe has been making its way to Pluto since January 19, 2006, and has been providing the world with the sharpest photos ever seen of our Solar System’s most prominent “dwarf planet.” Today, it made its closest approach to Pluto yet — about 8,000 …
Vance County Water Planning Committee Meeting July 27th, 2015
Vance County’s Water Planning Committee (Garrison, Brummitt, Taylor) is scheduled to meet Monday, July 27th at 3:00 p.m. in the Administrative Conference Room. The purpose is to discuss water matters. Note: All commissioners are invited to attend.
White House: The Iran deal
Tuesday, after two years of negotiations, the United States — together with our international partners — has achieved what decades of animosity has not: A comprehensive, long-term deal that will verifiably prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. This deal shows the real and meaningful change that American leadership and diplomacy can bring — change that makes our country and the world safer and more secure. We negotiated from a position of strength and principle — and the result is …
Wednesday Open Line
It’s time to pass the mixed carrots, or maybe the pear zucchini corn. Fremont, Michigan is celebrating the 25th annual National Baby Food Festival, which begins today and ends Saturday. The town of 4,000 is home to the Gerber Baby Food Company, and is welcoming thousands of visitors to enjoy entertainment as well as baby food eating contests by adults and a baby crawl race. Today in the U.S., there are around 3.9 million babies being cradled or held in …
Traffic shift for Rolesville Bypass Project Postponed Again By Weather
Raleigh — Due to rainy weather in Tuesdays forecast, N.C. Department of Transportation contractors have postponed a traffic shift planned for the Rolesville Bypass Project until Wednesday night. It is the second night in a row that weather has postponed the work. The shift that was scheduled for tonight at midnight will now take place July 16, between midnight and 5:00 a.m. Once completed, It will open the bypass in a four-lane pattern from Louisbury Road to just south of …
Tuesday Open Line
Almost every home has at least one. They can be made out of cloth, plastic, or metal. Seamstresses and tailors use them, as do professional craftsmen and weekend do-it-yourselfers. It’s the tape measure, patented on this date in 1868 by Alvin J. Fellows of New Haven, Connecticut. His version had a feature still found today — a spring click lock to hold the tape at any desired point. One notable tape measure was 600 feet long and gold plated. It …