Tag Archive for: #hendersonnews
Contractor Moves Start of I-85 Lane Shifts in Vance/Warren Counties to Friday
RALEIGH – Motorists who travel through the work zone for the I-85 upgrade project now under way in Vance and Warren counties will be encountering a series of lane shifts and ramp closures over the next several weeks.
They will start about noon on Friday, Jan. 27, when I-85 South traffic will be shifting over to the northbound side between U.S. 158 Bypass West/Dabney Drive and U.S. 1. The southbound traffic will move to the inside of the northbound side, while I-85 North traffic will shift to the outside.
The move into the two-lane, two-way pattern will allow crews to safely work on the southbound side of the highway. That shift is expected to remain in place until November.
The eastbound U.S. 158 ramp to I-85 will remain closed through November as well, while the I-85 South on ramp from Parham Road will be closed, also until November.
By the end of the month, or in early February, traffic in Warren County will undergo the same shift, with I-85 South vehicles being moved to I-85 North to share those lanes between mile markers 224 and 229.
The timing of the shifts and closures is dependent on the progress of the prep work needed to get the roadways ready, as well as weather conditions.
It is all part of a five-year, $137.3-million project that is improving the interstate between Dabney Road in Vance County and the Virginia state line. In addition to repairing the deteriorating road surface, the work calls for replacing the bridges on I-85 and improving bridges over the interstate. That includes raising the clearance on several of those bridges to create safer conditions for tractor trailers traveling underneath them along the interstate.
The improvements are needed because of the expected increase in traffic volume on this key connector highway for travelers and commercial trucking that links cities of the Mid-Atlantic and northeast United States to Greensboro, Charlotte and Atlanta. Traffic is currently at about 37,800 vehicles a day, but is expected to rise to 60,000 per day over the next 20 years.
A project this big means considerable impacts for motorists with lane and ramp closures, traffic shifts and detours continuing through the end of the project in 2020. And it’s not just the interstate that will be affected, as roads such as N.C. 39 and Satterwhite Point Road, which provides key access to Kerr Lake State Recreation Area, will have lane restrictions and closings at times.
NCDOT staff works closely with local officials, towns, schools and emergency services to make sure everyone knows when their areas will be impacted. For more information about the project, you can contact NCDOT Resident Engineer Boyd Tharrington at btharrington@ncdot.gov or (919) 562-7000.
For real-time travel information, visit DriveNC.gov or follow NCDOT on Twitter.
***NCDOT***
Vance County Schools awarded Grant from Golden Leaf
Dr. Anthony Jackson, superintendent of Vance County Schools, announced at the Vance County Board of Education meeting January 18, that the school system has been awarded a $200,000 grant from the Golden Leaf Foundation for its “We Inspire” technology project.
The three-year grant will be used to fund training for educators throughout the school system. It also will be used to support teachers working with students to ensure effective use of latop computers and other technology as an enhancement tool for educational instruction at school and at home.
The “We Inspire” project involves an approximately 50-member team of local educators who are already receiving training on effective strategies to use in the classroom to better utilize technology in their daily instruction. The team is made up of school administrators, department directors, school media specialists, school system technology technicians, curriculum specialists, teachers and counselors. Training for the team began last summer and has been ongoing during this school year. The “We Inspire” cohort members also are facilitating training sessions for other educators in their schools.
The “We Inspire” project includes a close partnership with the Friday Institute at N.C. State University. Representatives of the Friday Institute have already led several training sessions with the “We Inspire” team and more trainings are planned.
Educators throughout the school system received new laptop computers at the beginning of this school year. The new laptops are being used as a focal point of the technology project. For effective use of the technology, ongoing training for all teachers and other educators in local schools is essential. The Golden Leaf Foundation grant funding will cover costs of the training over the next three years. To train all 500 teachers in the district, the school system will need to offer support to cohorts ranging in size from 75 to 100 teachers, each year. Those educators who have completed the training will lead sessions to offer refreshers to others not in an active cohort.
Students in the Vance County Early College High School and the STEM Early High School received new laptop computers this school year. The student laptops were obtained through a lease program. Students in additional schools are set to receive new laptop computers at the beginning of the 2017-2018 school year.
The “We Inspire” project is the catalyst for use of technology in Vance County Schools for years to come. The Golden Leaf Foundation grant to cover costs of training educators over the next three years is crucial to the success of teachers and students using technology as an educational enhancement tool.
Henderson Land Planning Committee to meet Thursday
The Henderson City Council’s Land Planning Committee will meet on Thursday, January 26, 2017 at 4:00 p.m. in the Large Conference Room at City Hall, 134 Rose Avenue. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss policy, ordinances and penalties associated with property within the City, along with issues associated with City owned properties. Other items may be discussed as a result of this discussion. The public is welcome.
Esther J. McCrackin
City Clerk – City of Henderson, NC
134 Rose Avenue
P.O. Box 1434
Henderson, NC 27536
Tel: 252-430-5705
Fax: 252-492-7935
Kerr-Vance Academy Students watch Presidential Inauguration
The fifth and sixth grades at Kerr-Vance Academy took time out today from their regular classes to watch the television broadcast of the Presidential Oath of Office and the Inaugural Address.
Language Arts teacher Anne Almand planned the lesson and said, “This is the first Inauguration that our students have been old enough to experience with an understanding of the significance of this event. As part of their study of the governmental structure of the United States, they have discussed the elements of the election process, and they have been witness to this controversial time in our American history. So that the students can feel a part of today’s ceremony, they have memorized the Oath of Office to repeat as administered to the new President.
As a class, our students are aware of the message of excitement and hope that Mr. Trump has communicated to the nation in his challenge to ‘Make America Great, Again.”
(From Headmaster Frank Wiggins)
VGCC Vanguards upset JV Tar Heels with 106-100 victory
The Vance-Granville Community College Vanguards men’s basketball team achieved one of the most stunning upsets in program history on Jan. 18, defeating the University of North Carolina junior varsity team by a score of 106-100 at the Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill.
This was VGCC’s second trip to Chapel Hill and the team’s first win over the JV Tar Heels, who were undefeated this season before the contest.
Henderson-based radio station WIZS 1450 AM provided live coverage of the game, just as in the first meeting of the two programs in 2016. “In what was going to be an incredible experience in and of itself for the VGCC Vanguards, they came out more ready to play than the Tar Heels,” reflected Kevin Bullock, who called the game for WIZS. “The Vance-Granville locker room was electric before the game, while the UNC JV locker room was all but silent.”
The Vanguards got off to a strong start, trading leads with the Tar Heels and settling on a 51-51 tie at the half. The back-and-forth continued through the second half toward a nail-biter of a conclusion. After taking a five-point lead and then falling behind by as many as five in the second half, the Vanguards fought back to tie the Heels with two minutes to go.
With 20 seconds left on the clock, the Vanguards pulled away from a 100-100 tie and never looked back, making four straight free throws to seal the victory.
Key to VGCC’s win was a balanced offense that featured six players scoring in double figures: NiQuan Cousins (30 points), TyQuon Reid (22), Chris Pernell (16), Jaylen Jones (11), Calvin Malik Manley (11) and Kenneth Finley, Jr. (10). Cousins was also the Vanguards’ leading rebounder (14). He leads the nation in rebounds per game (14.5) for NJCAA Division II. Cousins recorded three assists and three blocks, as well. Manley contributed seven rebounds to the winning effort. Jones led in steals (4).
The Tar Heels were led in scoring by Lucas Bouknight of Greensboro, with 21 points. An article in the student newspaper, the Daily Tar Heel, concluded that the JV “basketball team wasn’t just outplayed — UNC was outworked.” The article quoted Hubert Davis, the former Tar Heel guard and 12-year NBA veteran who coaches the JV squad, as saying, “Congratulations to Vance-Granville Community College. They earned it….I just felt like the entire game they were the tougher team. They were the team that worked the hardest, that wanted it more.”
Bullock, the WIZS sportscaster, concluded that “Carolina was hampered by poor free throw shooting and live ball turnovers. Vance-Granville was able to capitalize on those opportunities and shot the ball better than they had all season. It was the UNC JV team’s fourth game in nine days, which allowed the Vanguards to get out and run on Carolina and wear them down in the second half. NiQuan Cousins, Jaylen Jones, TyQuon Reid and the rest of the Vanguards will never forget the day they went to Chapel Hill and beat the Tar Heels.”
VGCC’s next home game is set for Saturday, Jan. 21, at 3 p.m., when the Vanguards face a conference opponent, Guilford Tech Community College, at Aycock Recreation Center in Henderson. Admission is free.
Old Vance County Animal Shelter Building Under Discussion
To the Press:
Please be informed that the county’s properties committee (Brummit, Kelly, Wilder) is scheduled to meet Thursday, January 26 at 4:00 p.m. to discuss the old animal shelter building. The meeting will be held in the administrative conference room.
All commissioners are invited to attend.
Thank you,
Kelly H. Grissom
Clerk to Board/Executive Asst.
County of Vance
122 Young Street, Suite B
Henderson, NC 27536
Phone: 252-738-2003
Fax: 252-738-2039
(Info received via email to the local press)