“Pop The Hood” – Brakes

/by

— For our sponsor, Advance Auto Parts, as part of a paid radio sponsorship on WIZS.

It’s important that our vehicles go when we step on the gas, but it’s just as important that they stop when we apply the brakes.

Drivers who hear a scraping or grinding sound when braking should take heed: It could mean your brakes need some attention. Ignoring it could only make the problem worse, so Michael Puckett, manager of Advance Auto Parts on Raleigh Road, recommends getting it checked out.

Those sounds could mean the brake pads or shoes need replacing or the rotors need turning.

“It could be the brake pads have gone down to the metal,” Puckett explained, adding that if the rotors have been damaged beyond the point of being turned, they’ll need replacing.

If the vehicle pulls to the right or left, it could be a sign that the brake calipers need work.

A lot of times the configuration is brake shoes on the back with pads on the front, but if you don’t know exactly what you need, the team at Advance Auto can help. With just a little information about your vehicle, or the VIN, customers can find exactly the right parts for their project.

Many parts manufacturers are making brake pads and shoes from ceramic these days, which can mean they last longer.

The staff at Advance Auto keeps safety first, Puckett said, and will help educate customers about specific parts for specific needs. If you use your truck for towing, you may need a certain type of brake pad or shoe.

Once your vehicle repair has been made, it’s important to do a road test to make sure the problem has been resolved. Steps to ensure safety during a repair and afterward are what Advance Auto is all about.

Visit https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/ to learn about the complete line of parts and services available at Advance Auto Parts.

The information contained in this post and its associated audio is not advice from Advance Auto Parts or WIZS.  Safety First!  Always seek proper help.  This is presented for its informational value only and is part of a paid advertising sponsorship.

CLICK PLAY!

 

 

Home And Garden Show

/by

On the Home and Garden Show with Vance Co. Cooperative Ext.

  • If going on vacation have someone harvest vegetables for you,
  • PPE tip when using gas powered equipment: Eye protection guards against possible injury. Hearing protection guards against almost certain injury.
  • Harvest vegetables in the morning and refrigerate as soon as possible.
  • Learn to recognize invasive plants such as paulownia, tree of heaven, Chinese privet and others. Eliminate them when you find them.
  • Make sure weeds are actively growing before using weed control post emergence herbicides.
  • There are hundreds of species of bees and wasps in NC and the vast majority are non-aggressive and beneficial.
  • Watering your garden thoroughly once a week is much better than watering just a little each day.
  • Leave snakes alone. The majority are harmless and beneficial. Learn to recognize copperheads and leave them alone. Trying to move or kill them will likely increase your risk of getting bitten.
  • Check garden each day for harvestable vegetables ex Squash
  • Avoid spray drift. Don’t spray in windy conditions and set the nozzle to spray larger droplets.
  • Check the product label every time you use a pesticide.

Click Play!

 

The Local Skinny! Elder Abuse Walk To Be Held Thursday In Creedmoor

/by

Kerr Tar Council of Governments, Granville County Senior Services and Granville County Department of Social Services are hosting an Elder Abuse Awareness and Prevention Conference and commemorative walk Thursday, June 15. The event will be held at the Creedmoor Community Center on 108 East Wilton Street in Creedmoor, according to Kimberly Hawkins, regional ombudsman for the Agency on Aging and a key organizer of the day’s event.

The conference will include various workshops and information sessions on topics including avoiding scams, identifying and preventing financial abuse and much more, Hawkins said.

The walk is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. and lunch will be served about 12 noon. The activities will be held at the Creedmoor Community Center on 108 East Wilton St. in Creedmoor. The event will begin at 8:30 a.m. with registration and end around 1 p.m. There will be more than 30 vendors onsite from a variety of agencies that support the prevention and mistreatment of our disabled adult population.

This is a free event open to the public of all ages. The first 200 people will receive a free t-shirt, a tote bag and lunch will be provided. There will be a contest with prizes for 1st,2nd and 3rd place to the individuals that show the most “spirit” or express their efforts to support the prevention of elder abuse, Hawkins said.

Even if you can’t attend, please support this international opportunity by wearing purple and silver on this day.

Community partners are very supportive of the event, from sponsoring meals and providing t-shirts to donating space to hold the event.

“By doing all that we can to strengthen the social support structure, we can reduce social isolation, protect communities and families against elder abuse, and build a nation that lives up to our promise of justice for all,” Hawkins stated.

There will be presentations on Financial Abuse by the NC Attorney General Office and the Butner NCSECU branch, Fraud and Scams by the Creedmoor Police Department, Healthy living thru exercise by Ms. Rumsey and Elder Abuse Trivia Bingo hosted by Mr. Ed Wilson. Staff from our local Departments of social services and senior centers will be on hand to answer questions about their services, several Long Term Care facilities such as Louisburg Healthcare and Rehab, Roxboro Healthcare and Rehab, Warren Hills, and Kerr Lake Nursing and Rehabilitation centers. Medicare service vendors, NC DOI/ SHIIP and United HealthCare, Granville Medical Center, NCDHHS Services for the Blind, The Help Center, Warren County Health Department, Land Loss Prevention Project, NC PACE, VGCC, SafeKey Staffing and Respite care and more.

CLICK PLAY!

 

City of Henderson Logo

The Local Skinny! City Council Adopts 2023-24 Budget

/by

The Henderson City Council adopted the 2023-24 budget at its regular monthly meeting Monday evening, but it was not a unanimous vote. The budget was approved on a 3-2 vote, with three council members absent. Council members Jason Spriggs, Ola Thorpe-Cooper and Lamont Noel voted to approve the budget, with Garry Daeke and Mike Rainey casting a ‘no’ vote.

Council members Melissa Elliott, Sara Coffey and Marion Brodie Williams were not present at the meeting. Daeke said Monday evening to WIZS after the meeting that although he was in favor of raising revenues, he thought the 3.8 cent tax increase was too much. Rainey said that the upcoming revaluation would bring extra revenue to the city’s coffers as well.

Mayor Eddie Ellington said if he had been called to break a tie vote, he would have voted against approval of the budget.

“The city’s budget is of the utmost importance and will have major consequences for the following fiscal year,” Ellington told WIZS News. “I have expressed my concerns during the budget work sessions and I am against raising our city tax rate and placing the burden on our taxpaying citizens, especially during this time of uncertainty with a county wide property value revaluation already underway.”

The budget includes a 3.8-cent tax increase and sanitation fee increases, but as of now, no increases in water and sewer rates.

The tax rate in the new budget is .75, up from .71 per $100 valuation, and the sanitation fee will rise to $32, up from $29.

The $23.4 million budget calls for a $1,500 bonus for all full-time employees of the city in lieu of a COLA (cost of living adjustment), except members of the police department, whose salary increases were approved in March.

The council received the budget on May 8,  and had several work sessions and offered at least one public hearing since then. The increases in the tax and sanitation fees is expected to add more than $500,000 to the city’s coffers.

These proposed increases would be the first since 2014, and Blackmon said there could be a slight increase in the water rate in the near future, now that financing for the Kerr Lake Regional Water System has been secured.

“Additional revenues will help sustain a stable fund balance to balance the budget and to help meet increased costs related to salaries, utilities, supplies such as chemicals, and other expenses impacted by inflation,” Blackmon told WIZS last week.

Some of the capital outlay expenditures budget highlights include IT upgrades police vehicles and equipment, fire truck upfitting and redevelopment.

Capital projects include McGregor Hall signage, Food Truck Court and redevelopment through land purchasing initiatives.

The Council also voted unanimously 5-0 to approve the request for purchase of bulletproof vests. Police Chief Marcus Barrow said the vests have a five-year life expectancy. The department has just hired four new officers, and the vests, which are custom made for each officer, will be provided. Barrow said the department is hoping to get additional funds from the N.C. League of Municipalities to help defray the cost of the vests.

The city is a step shy of designating a “social district,” which allows for public consumption of alcohol within a specifically defined area of downtown. The council approved giving the city manager authority to say “yay” or “nay” when event organizers request permission for the public to consume alcohol during particular events, upon his first receiving a recommendation on the request from a committee comprised largely of public safety officials.

Council also approved a request from Recreation and Parks to pursue a $150,000 grant from Triangle North Healthcare Foundation as it continues with construction of the new park at William and Montgomery streets, on property that once was the site of the Vance Hotel.

CLICK PLAY!

 

June Blood Drives in Henderson and Oxford

/by

There’s just no way to say it any plainer: The American Red Cross needs donors to sign up and give blood. The need is great and ever growing.

June 14 is World Blood Donor Day, a day that focuses on raising awareness of the need for a safe, diverse and stable blood supply. This simply is not possible without blood donors.

Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs a blood transfusion.

The Red Cross collected 26,000 FEWER blood donations than it needed last month alone to meet patients’ needs. Platelets are especially needed at this time.

Please take a moment to find a donation site in your area and sign up to give the gift of life.

In thanks for taking time to help, all who come to give blood, platelets or plasma June 1-30 will receive a $10 gift card by email to a merchant of their choice. Those who come to give throughout June will also be automatically entered for a chance to win a backyard theater package. Details for both offers can be found at RedCrossBlood.org/June.

Download the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit RedCrossBlood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS 1.800.733.2767 to schedule a time to give now.

Upcoming drives are listed below:

Oxford

6/16/2023: 9 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., Oxford United Methodist Church, 105 W. McClanahan St.

Henderson

6/23/2023: 10 a.m. – 2:30 p.m., Maria Parham Health, 566 Ruin Creek Rd.

6/29/2023: 1:30 p.m. – 6 p.m., Kerr Lake Country Club, 600 Hedrick Rd.

Home And Garden Show

/by

On the Home and Garden Show with Vance Co. Cooperative Ext.

  • Check squash for squash bugs
  • Avoid hand watering.
  • If you have young children or grand kids let them help you in the garden teach them how plants grow.
  • Avoid excess mulch around trees and shrubs.
  • Continue your succession vegetable planting
  • Avoid herbicide applications on tall fescue lawns.
  • Watering your garden thoroughly once a week is much better than watering just a little each day.
  • Fertilize warm season lawns
  • Check garden each day for harvestable vegetables ex Squash
  • Shape up shrubbery

Click Play!

 

Perry Memorial Library

The Local Skinny! Perry Memorial Library Plans A Busy June For Kids

/by

Young patrons who come to Perry Memorial Library, check out some books or other materials and then leave are missing out on a bunch of fun programs and activities that all happen inside the library.

Melody Peters, the library’s youth services director, reeled off a good-sized list on Tuesday’s segment of The Local Skinny!

This summer’s reading program is called “All Together Now,” has its official kickoff from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, June 13.

There will be carnival-style games, snacks and some cool swag for participants, including creating an origami butterfly to add to a mural.

Beginning June 14 and continuing on Wednesdays in June and July (except the week of July 4), Cooperative Extension representatives are going to have a Lunch and Learn from 12 noon to 2 p.m. The program is for youth in grades 6-8 and they’ll learn to cook something different each week. Register for the program with an email to ndkearney@ncat.edu.

Mother Goose Story Time resumes next week as well, with activities for the little guys, Peters said. There’s a 10 a.m. slot that is opening up on Thursdays at 10 a.m. for groups like day care centers and others; the 11 a.m. story time is for the public, she said.

Later on Thursdays – from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. – the Lego club meets at the library. Summertime activities include special challenges for the builders, as well as a variety of team-building exercises, all while enjoying playing with Legos. This club is for children in grades K-8.

The library will become a movie theater for awhile on June 20 when library staff present “Up,” a Disney Pixar film that Peters said is a perfectly wonderful flick. The movie begins at 2:30 p.m.

On June 27, the Greensboro-based bang “Big Bang Boom” will perform at the library beginning at 11 a.m.

Teen patrons – those youth in middle and high school – haven’t been left out, Peters said. She has created a coupon book, which encourages them to complete activities and get vouchers for free stuff from local vendors.

“We want kids to come in,” Peters said, and enjoy the library. Some of the activities, in addition to reading books, include telling a librarian a joke and creating a chalk drawing on the sidewalk and snapping a pic to share with library staff.

The goal is to submit two completed coupons each week in exchange for the gift voucher. The completed coupons will be put in the mix for a raffle of ear buds at the end of the summer.

“The more coupons in the box, the better the chance to win the raffle,” Peters said.

Read about all the programs and services at Perry Memorial Library at https://www.perrylibrary.org/

 

CLICK PLAY!

 

City of Henderson Logo

Proposed City Budget Includes 3.8-Cent Tax Increase, $3 Hike In Sanitation Fees

/by

The Henderson City Council is expected to adopt the 2023-24 budget at its June 12 meeting, with a few adjustments that have been made since the proposed budget was presented on May 8.

Those changes include a 3.8-cent tax increase, a $3 increase in sanitation rate and 50 percent reduction in non-payment fees for water/sewer customers, from $50 to $25.

City Manager Terrell Blackmon said the tax increase would mean an extra $318,437 in additional revenue for the city. The increase in sanitation fees will add $196,200, Blackmon said.

Council member Lamont Noel told WIZS News Friday afternoon that the council had reached consensus on the changes over the course of a string of budget work sessions, the most recent of which included a public hearing that took place Tuesday, May 31.

No member of the public spoke for or against the proposed budget at the public hearing, and no member of the council said anything of substance during the May 31 meeting.

A June 5 budget work session that had been announced on the city’s website has been cancelled, according to information from Blackmon Friday afternoon.

The next chance for the public to comment on the budget will be during a public hearing scheduled to take place at the beginning of the June 12 City Council meeting.

ADVERTISEMENT

These proposed increases would be the first since 2014, and Blackmon said there could be a slight increase in the water rate as well, now that financing for the Kerr Lake Regional Water System has been secured. That increase hasn’t been determined yet and it’s still being studied.

“Additional revenues will help sustain a stable fund balance to balance the budget and to help meet increased costs related to salaries, utilities, supplies such as chemicals, and other expenses impacted by inflation,” Blackmon stated Friday.

He added that the Council has a policy of maintaining a 30 percent fund balance available in reserves during periods of declining revenues, to be used for emergencies and unforeseen expenses.

It may take a couple of years before the budget is “revenue neutral,” he added. The upcoming county tax revaluation will take effect in January 2024, so that could mean more dollars coming to the city coffers, which would keep the fund balance at a healthy level.

The Local Skinny! Pop The Hood: Belts and Hoses

/by

— For our sponsor, Advance Auto Parts, as part of a paid radio sponsorship on WIZS.

Getting ready for that annual vacation and you’ve made a mental to-do list before you pile in the car for that much-needed getaway:

Lights turned off and front door locked? Check.

Stopped by the bank for some cash? Check.

Grocery store for snacks and drinks for the ride? Check.

Popped the hood looking for cracked belts or bad hoses?

Umm, well, no.

Michael Puckett of the Advance Auto Parts store on Raleigh Road says if you see bubbles along hoses or cracking along your vehicle’s belts, it’s probably time to replace them. A blown hose or broken belt can leave you stranded, delaying your arrival to that vacation destination.

If you’re a do-it-yourselfer, Advance offers a loaner tool program to its customers to handle hose clamps and that all-important belt tensioner tool that helps you thread the belt in place.

Not a DIY-er? No problem.

“We have some local shops that we can recommend,” Puckett said, to send customers in the right direction.

It’s important to do a visual check of belts and hoses, but drivers also need to pay attention to those squealing noises coming from under the hood. It could mean a bad pulley or tensioner.

Paying attention to unusual sounds and looking for signs of wear are two good ways to avoid breakdowns and keep your vehicle running well and keeping you safe.

The information contained in this post and accompanying audio is not advice from Advance Auto Parts or WIZS.  Safety First!  Always seek proper help.  This is presented for its informational value only and is part of a paid advertising sponsorship.

CLICK PLAY!

 

Home and Garden Show

/by

On the Home and Garden Show with Vance Co. Cooperative Ext.

  • If tomato’s lower leaves are showing signs of leaf spot and tomatoes have set fruit you can take off those leaves below the small tomatoes .
  • It’s not too late for container gardening.
  • Continue your fruit tree spray regimen.
  • Check current references when doing any food preservation, especially canning.
  • Continue your succession vegetable planting
  • Learn the optimum harvest time for the fruits and vegetables you grow.
  • Your vegetables may need a topdressing
  • Protect yourself from ticks and mosquitos.
  • Check garden for pest and disease and ID the pest before purchasing a control.
  • What to do about moss.

Click Play!