Tag Archive for: #vancecountynews

Three Graduate Mid-Year from AdVance Academy

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Vance County Schools: For Immediate Release

Congratulations to the mid-year graduates from the AdVance Academy at Western Vance High School.

Chris Alston, Krystyna Stallings and Jose Hernandez, shown from left in the accompanying photo, have successfully completed their high school education.

They were honored at the academy’s mid-year commencement ceremony on January 26.

Alston and Hernandez are going into the local workforce. Stallings will continue her education at Vance-Granville Community College.

Ken Lavigne to appear at McGregor Hall Tomorrow Night

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Joined by a four-piece ensemble, Ken Lavigne takes his audience on a riveting and enchanting journey, retelling his personal campaign to sing at Carnegie Hall with the New York Pops.

His performances are told with spectacular songs as well as entertaining and hilarious stories that showcase how Lavigne embodies the spirit of the underdog—audacity, tenacity and ultimately…triumph. Audience favorites include Loch Lomond, Danny Boy, Hallelujah, Bring Him Home and more.

Recognized early for the outstanding timbre of his lyric tenor voice as well as the ease and agility with which he sings, Ken’s career has taken many directions that include his current touring show, The Road to Carnegie Hall.

Since his Carnegie Hall Debut, Ken has regularly performed with multi-Grammy winner David Foster and has had the honor of performing for his Majesty Prince Charles last fall. All the while he continues to earn accolades with symphonies and orchestras internationally.

Show Date/Time: February 4th at 8:00 p.m.

–McGregor Hall

Corbitt Preservation Association to hold quarterly meeting this Sunday

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This is a reminder of the 1st quarter meeting of The Corbitt Preservation Association. It will be this Sunday Feb 5th at 2:00 pm at the Bennett H. Perry Museum (180 Church Street, Henderson) the home of the Corbitt Preservation Association. We look forward to seeing each and every one of you there.

We are going to have a great year hope you can join us in the fun.

Thanks again,

Ken Stegall

Treasurer and Archivist

The Corbitt Preservation Association

 

Vance County Schools Significantly Improves Dropout Rate

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The N.C. Department of Public Instruction has announced the 2015-2016 graduation rates and the 2015-2016 dropout rates for public school districts across the state.

Vance County Schools saw significant improvement over previous years in both areas.

With a four-year cohort graduation rate of 81.9 percent for the class of 2016, this is a record high for Vance County over the past five years. The class of 2015 had a four-year cohort graduation rate of 77.6 percent in Vance County.

Vance County Schools’ dropout rate for the 2015-2016 school year continues to improve as it has for the past six years. The dropout rate for the school system is 2.07 percent for the 2015-2016 school year, which is a 13-percent decrease from the 2014-2015 school year rate of 2.28 percent. This is a record low for Vance County over the past six years.

Improving the graduation rate and reducing dropouts are top priorities for Vance County Schools.  It is an ongoing and focused effort for the school system as we work to ensure that every student graduates prepared to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing local, regional and global economy.

Additionally, Vance County Schools currently provides students new and exciting opportunities for credit recovery through online and other non-traditional programs designed to help as many students as possible realize the goal of completion of high school with their peers.

The state data also reported that during the 2015-2016 school year our schools were among the safest in our region, with reportable incidents and student suspensions down or about the same as the previous year. We are pleased with these data and hope to see continued improvement.

As a school system, we will not be satisfied until all students, parents, staff members and community members feel safe coming into our schools; where all students are learning, expectations are high and students are graduating on time prepared to contribute positively to our community and be 21st Century global citizens.

We are excited to share this news with you and look forward to celebrating with our students and their parents in the future as we continue delivering on the promise that we will provide each student a high quality educational experience as we create a school system in which our community can be PROUD.  I am Vance County Proud … Are You?

Dr. Anthony D. Jackson, Superintendent

Vance County Public Schools

HPD Crime of the Month: Shooting into an Occupied Vehicle

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Press Release: February 1, 2017

On January 25, 2017 at approximately 9:21 PM officers with the Henderson Police Department responded to 518 Hickory Street in reference to a shooting into an occupied vehicle. Upon arrival, officers spoke with Jessica Howard who stated that while at the intersection of Lehman Street and Old Epsom Road a confrontation occurred that resulted in a handgun being fired into the windshield of her vehicle. There were no reported injuries resulting from the gun shot.

The investigation is being conducted by members of the Henderson Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division. If anyone should have any information related to this case, they are encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at 252-492-1925 or the Henderson Police Department at 252-438-4141. Crime Stoppers offers a reward of up to $2,000 for information that may lead to an arrest. Callers may remain anonymous.

Authority: Chief M.W. Barrow

HPD Crime of the Month: Another Domino’s Pizza Delivery Driver Robbed

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Press Release: February 1, 2017

On January 26, 2017 at approximately 8:50 PM officers with the Henderson Police Department responded to 156 Church Street (Vance County Sheriff’s Office) in reference an armed robbery. Upon arrival, officers found that a delivery driver for Domino’s Pizza had been robbed in the roadway of the 300 block of Gary Street for an undetermined amount of US currency and thirty-two dollars’ worth of pizza.

The investigation is being conducted by members of the Henderson Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division. If anyone should have any information related to this case, they are encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at 252-492-1925 or the Henderson Police Department at 252-438-4141. Crime Stoppers offers a reward of up to $2,000 for information that may lead to an arrest. Callers may remain anonymous.

Authority: Chief M.W. Barrow

Contractor Moves Start of I-85 Lane Shifts in Vance/Warren Counties to Friday

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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***

 

Kerr-Vance Academy Students watch Presidential Inauguration

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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

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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

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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)