Foundation creates scholarship for VGCC students in memory of Vance County native

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The Watkins Family Foundation, created by the estate of Vance County native Edward Tarry Watkins, has donated $25,000 to the Vance-Granville Community College Endowment Fund to endow a scholarship to help underprivileged women.

The donation to VGCC is actually the first made by the newly-established, Houston, Texas-based foundation, according to Meghan Watkins Thompson, a granddaughter of Watkins.

“I recall that my grandfather would always tell me, ‘you educate the woman, you educate the family,’” Thompson said.

Among family members who remain in the Henderson area is Watkins’ nephew, George Rose Watkins, who has also endowed a scholarship through the VGCC Endowment Fund to help students and regularly plays in the college’s annual benefit golf tournament. His family’s company, Rose Oil, is also a longtime supporter of VGCC and other community organizations.

“The Watkins Family Foundation was created specifically for the education of underprivileged women,” Thompson added. “George and I appreciate Vance-Granville making Ed’s wish a reality.”

This new scholarship will be a “Presidential Scholar Award,” the college’s largest, most prestigious level of endowed scholarship.

“The Edward Tarry Watkins Memorial Presidential Scholar Award represents the lasting legacy of a generous man who never forgot his hometown and demonstrated the same dedication to service and philanthropy as other members of his extended family,” said Dr. Stelfanie Williams, the president of VGCC. “For generations to come, his vision will empower women to obtain the higher education they need to support themselves, their families and their communities.”

Ed Watkins, or “Bitz,” as he was called by his family, was born in Henderson in 1919, the son of William Thomas and Nannie Tarry Watkins. A 1940 Davidson College graduate, he joined the Army Air Corps after college and moved from North Carolina to Texas, serving as a bombardier flight instructor and also working with Minneapolis Honeywell to couple the Norden bombsight to the B-17 autopilot. Watkins retired from active duty in 1949 as a lieutenant colonel.

He and his wife, Hazel, moved to Houston in 1951, where he worked for Merrill Lynch before founding his own brokerage and investment advisory firm, Watkins & Company, Inc.

Active in his community and a supporter of many social and charitable causes, Watkins supported the Embassy Square Foundation in its development of the Perry Memorial Library in downtown Henderson. He and a friend also helped to establish a technical school for underprivileged children in Kun-Ming, China.

After passing away in July 2006 at the age of 87, he was buried in Elmwood Cemetery in Henderson.

Through the Endowment Fund, VGCC has awarded more than 8,800 scholarships to students since 1982. Scholarships have been endowed by numerous individuals, industries, businesses, civic groups, churches and the college’s faculty and staff. Tax-deductible donations to the VGCC Endowment Fund have often been used to honor or remember a person, group, business or industry with a lasting gift to education. For more information about the Endowment Fund, call (252) 738-3409.

–VGCC–

News 02/10/17

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NCDOL Warns Employers of Poster Scam

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NEWS RELEASE

Release: Immediate

Contact: Jason Tyson

Date: Feb. 9, 2017

Phone: 919-715-3233

 

Raleigh—The N.C. Department of Labor is urging businesses across the state to be on the lookout for suspicious correspondence, after the department recently received multiple reports of persons using scare tactics or threatening language in an attempt to sell labor law posters to employers.

“These scams surface several times a year and businesses will contact us,” Labor Commissioner Cherie Berry said. “The threats of fines are bogus and should be ignored. The Department of Labor provides free sets of labor law posters to businesses.”

The scammers will often pose as either government officials or as acting on behalf of a poster company, such as the North Carolina Labor Law Poster Service, a non-regulatory entity that does not operate under any government agency. Other names these companies are known to go by include Personnel Concepts and Labor Law Compliance. There have been reports of these companies threatening fines from $7,000 to as much as $17,000 for non-compliance. Mailings can often appear to be from an official source and request fees for posters that cost anywhere from $84 to $200. Businesses should be aware that scammers may also attempt to contact them by either email, text or by phone.

While labor law posters are required to be displayed at a workplace by law, NCDOL inspectors carry the most up-to-date versions of the posters in their vehicles and will distribute them free of charge. The N.C. Department of Labor will never fine a business that has older versions of the poster displayed.

The NCDOL will print new versions anytime a significant law is changed or updated by Congress. Businesses are not required to order a new poster each time a change is made.  Employers that wish to order new posters can visit www.nclabor.com/posters/posters.htm or can call 1-800-625-2267.

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News 02/09/17

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News 02/08/17

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Home and Garden Show 02/07/17

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H-V Recreation and Parks Department to hold Coaches Meetings

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February 6, 2017

To youth league baseball/softball coaches,

This is to inform you about the youth baseball/softball coaches meetings.  These meetings will take place at the Aycock Recreation Complex in the meeting room which is located on the second floor of the Baseball/Softball Concession Building.  These meetings are scheduled for the following dates and times:

  1. All Softball Leagues (8U/10U/12/U/16/U/18U) Monday, February 13 at 6:30pm
  2. Minor/Major/Junior/Senior Baseball Leagues Thursday, February 16 at 6:30pm
  3. Rookie Baseball League/T-Ball Co-Rec. League Monday, February 20 at 6:30pm

At these meetings we will distribute last year’s rosters so that you can call all of your players to remind them about registration.  Rules will be discussed, skill evaluation times, start of practice dates, and the start of the regular season dates.  At this meeting we will get you to fill out information that will be used to perform a background check.

You must be present at this meeting in order to reserve your team.  If for some reason you are not there, you must let us know by the day of your scheduled meeting.  If we do not hear from you and you are not at the meeting, someone else may be assigned your coaching spot.

If you are planning to coach please call me at 438-2670 or email: sosborne@ci.henderson.nc.us to let me know which league and team you are interested in coaching.  Please remember that a coach who coached last year has first priority for his/her team again this year.  Second priority goes to any assistant coaches of that team, third priority goes to coaches who are moving up or down, and last priority goes to newcomers.  You must also fill out a coach’s application and coach’s code of conduct even though you coached last year.  These are included with this letter.  If you have any questions please call me.

Thank you for your time.

 

Steven W. Osborne

HVRPD Program Superintendent 

Franklinton Man Allegedly Pours Gas/Sets Fire to Victim

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Press Release:

The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office Investigation Unit arrested William Thomas Hester, a Franklin County resident on February 5, 2017 and charged him with: First Degree Arson and Felony Assault Inflicting Serious Bodily Injury.

The incident is alleged to have occurred on February 5, 2017 at 17 Highland Way, Franklinton. The suspect, William Hester, is alleged to have thrown gasoline on the victim (Adrian Mayo) and set him on fire. Mr. Mayo is currently in the Burn Center at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Mr. Hester is currently being held in the Franklin County Detention Center under a $503,000 secured bond.

William Thomas Hester

17 Highland Way, Franklinton

11-07-1971

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Terry M. Wright

Chief of Staff

News 02/07/17

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Butterfield Re-Introduces Childhood Cancer STAR Act

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last week, Congressman G. K. Butterfield (D-NC), along with Congressman Michael McCaul (R-TX), Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), Congresswoman Jackie Speier (D-CA), Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Congressman Mike Kelly (R-PA), and Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA), re-introduced the Childhood Cancer STAR (Survivorship, Treatment, Access, and Research) Act, HR 820, in the 115th Congress.

The STAR Act would improve efforts to identify and track childhood cancer incidences, improve the quality of life for childhood cancer survivors, and identify opportunities to expand the research of therapeutics necessary to treat the approx. 15,700 children diagnosed with cancer in the U.S. every year.

Congressman Butterfield: “Childhood cancer remains the leading cause of death in American children and we need to take action. The Childhood Cancer STAR Act aims to give young cancer patients and their families better access to life-saving treatments and the support they need even after beating cancer.  I thank my colleagues for their continued partnership on this measure.  No parent should have to lose a child to cancer.  This Act moves us one step closer to seeing that it does not happen.”

Congressman McCaul: “I co-founded the Childhood Cancer Caucus because we need to do more in the fight against the number one killer of our children.  When I was in elementary school, my friend lost his battle to this illness, and this tragedy continues to be a far too frequent occurrence for children across the nation.  That is why we need to move legislation like the STAR Act through Congress this year, and prevent the worst outcomes from becoming a reality.”

Senator Reed: “With far too many children’s lives tragically cut short by cancer, it’s critical that we do all we can to help the brave young people who are fighting these battles.  The Childhood Cancer STAR Act will bring needed assistance to children with cancer and their families by expanding opportunities for research on childhood cancer and providing new strategies to help survivors overcome late health effects, such as secondary cancers.  It is my hope that these efforts will lead to life-saving treatments for children and bring us closer to our ultimate goal of ending pediatric cancer once and for all.”

Congresswoman Speier: “Childhood cancer is a nightmare for children and their families. And for many of these children, the fight does not end with remission,” Rep. Speier said. “That is why I’m proud to reintroduce the STAR Act and fight for its immediate passage in order to address the care and quality of life of the population of childhood cancer survivors, which is expected to reach 500,000 by the year 2020. The joyful news of remission should never be ruined by the serious threat of financial and emotional turmoil due to the on-going medical needs of these incredibly brave survivors.”

Senator Capito: “We must continue making advancements that can help save the lives of those battling childhood cancers. The Childhood Cancer STAR Act will contribute to new developments in research and treatment, and has the potential to positively impact tens of thousands of lives. I’m proud to reintroduce this very important legislation for patients and families in West Virginia and across the country.”

Senator Van Hollen: “There are unique barriers to studying childhood cancer that are slowing and preventing the next big breakthrough in treatment.  We need a strategy to give every child with cancer the hope of a long and healthy life, and the STAR Act is a bipartisan approach to delivering that hope. By taking action to better study this disease and improve the quality of life for survivors, this bill will ultimately save lives and get us closer to the day that no child has to face the diagnosis of cancer.”

Congressman Kelly: “No parent should ever have to hear the words, ‘Your child has cancer.’ I am so grateful to my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for coming together to introduce this crucial legislation to help make that dream a reality. The STAR Act will be a powerful tool in the fight to eradicate childhood cancer forever, and an ally to the survivors who have bravely fought and beat this disease.”

Senator Isakson: “It is extremely important that we increase research and treatment of the devastating effects of childhood cancer.  This critical legislation is a positive step forward to help find the right cures for our youngest patients.”

Background:

The STAR Act passed the U.S. House in the 114th Congress.

https://butterfield.house.gov

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