TownTalk: Veteran Uses Wood Working To Help Combat PTSD

/by

Perhaps Walter Craig remembers his father’s admonition as he’s in his workshop building wooden toys for children and others to enjoy. Son, the carpenter and farmer would say, it takes a lifetime to grow a tree, but it only takes an idiot 15 minutes to screw one up.

Craig, a U.S. Army veteran, took up woodworking after finding himself in need of something to keep him out of the recliner and doing something good for others. Today, his toy cars, helicopters and more can be found in 14 states, as well as on Guam and in Australia.

But they’re not for sale. “Then whoever’s got a dollar can buy one,” Craig said. “I get to determine who’s worthy of getting one. He gives them away, sending them to fellow veterans and others who can use a little cheering up for one reason or another.

Craig talked about his time in the military, how it shaped his life after he retired and more on Thursday’s Town Talk, when guest host Phyllis Maynard joined John C. Rose for another program in a series about military veterans and PTSD.

Craig, a retired 1st Sergeant, spent 20 years in the U.S. Army and eventually became a master mechanic. He worked on Cobra, and then Apache, helicopters and was key in the development of the prototype of the “Hellcat” missile.

He credits an older brother – he had 11 siblings growing up – for his decision to enlist in the Army. He followed that brother around Ft. Hood in Texas for a couple of days in the late 1960’s, he said. But his brother was in an armored division and he suggested Craig go into aviation “because it was up and coming.”

Having the experience of being a helicopter mechanic helped Craig ultimately find woodworking. At the time, now retired from his civilian job as a prison employee, he decided he wanted a model of a Cobra helicopter. His search came up empty, so he decided to build one himself.

After that, he built a bunch of wooden toy cars for the local credit union’s toy drive. And from there, his new mission was up and running.

An online visit with an Army buddy prompted Craig to send him a wooden copter. “He was having PTSD problems,” Craig said. “If us vets don’t stick together – who’s going to help us if we don’t help each other?” That wooden replica is a reminder of all the things that he has gone through and survived, he added. It’s a way to say that what he’s going through now is “a piece of cake.”

Craig turned 72 earlier this month, but he celebrated his 19th birthday in Vietnam. Now, more than a half century later, he sees younger combat veterans returning home from tours in Afghanistan and Iraq.

“There is no doubt in my mind that the mistreated Vietnam vets are the driving force” behind making sure the latest veterans to return home don’t suffer the same fate.

The woodworking for me is a natural spinoff. Didn’t do anything for 3 years. After prison work.

“There are people out there that don’t really want a handout, what they want is a hand up.,” Craig said. “If I can help one man or one woman get over the hard spot they’re in, then it’s well worth it.”

 

 

TownTalk: Fight For Misty BBQ Oct. 2

/by

She’s done a lot of research since her diagnosis, and Misty Bailey says the heart condition she deals with daily affects 60 out of every 100,000 people in the U.S. That makes cardiac sarcoidosis relatively uncommon. There’s no quick fix, but there are treatments that can help make patients like Bailey feel better. Not well, but better.

Bailey takes upwards of two dozen pills each day and sees a team of doctors to manage her condition and the side effects of medication and the toll all of this takes on her body. She and her husband call those specialists “-ologists.” There’s the endocrinologist, the ophthalmologist, the neurologist, and, of course, the cardiologist, to name just a few.

All this care takes time – and money. And that’s where the “Fight for Misty” team kicks in. A barbecue fundraiser will be held on Saturday, Oct. 2 at Bailey’s church, Harriet Baptist Church, located at 1354 Ruin Creek Road. Pickup is from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The Baileys, along with Amy Bowling, were on Town Talk Wednesday to talk about the fundraiser and to increase awareness of the disease, which is described as a chronic inflammatory condition, which has no cure.

The barbecue is $10 per pound. There also are t-shirts, stainless steel tumblers and silicone wrist bands – all emblazoned with “Fight for Misty” – available for purchase. Tickets are available before the event, but drive-ups are welcome.

Bailey said she is humbled and honored to feel the support of people, some of which she doesn’t even know. When she sees folks wearing “her” t-shirt, it evokes emotions of appreciation and gratitude. It also keeps her motivated as she learns to live with a chronic health condition.

“They’re spreading awareness and they don’t know me personally – they want to support me (and) they want to help people that need the help,” Bailey said.

“Even for those who I don’t know that have supported me through t-shirt sales, BBQ, and donations, you all have made me feel special. I can’t tell you thank you enough and how much your support means to me,” she said.

In April, Bailey had a port placed so she could receive infusions every six weeks to reduce the inflammation around her heart. Her rheumatologist said this could continue for several years. Sometime within the next five years, she said “Afib will start showing itself,” so that will have to be dealt with. Afib refers to arrhythmia, when the heart doesn’t pump and beat in proper rhythm.

Dealing with all the side effects takes its toll, she said.

“The hardest part of this heart disease is when I am laughing and having a great time,” Bailey said. “Some people start to think, ‘She looks absolutely fine there. It doesn’t seem like she is in any kind of pain. In fact, she is going out having fun!’”

But, she said, she wants to reply, “Did you know that I had to save my energy all week long just to go out that one night?”

As she continues to manage the daily challenges she faces, Bailey said she feels like she is called to be a voice for this disease. “As long as I have the strength to do so, that’s what I will be doing,” she added.

“A lot of people don’t even realize they have cardiac sarcoidosis until it’s too late,” she continued.

“And I was almost that person.”

 

Click Play to hear Misty

CultureFEST Downtown Oxford on Saturday

/by

Downtown Oxford is the setting for Saturday’s CultureFEST, which will showcase a variety of multicultural artistic performances with a street fair vibe – food trucks, crafts and more await participants who visit Littlejohn Street between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Ajulo Othow and Oxford Mayor Jackie Sergent are among the event planners, and they talked with John C. Rose on Wednesday’s Town Talk about their hopes for the event, both in the short-term and in the long-term.

The John Chavis Historical Society has sponsored several multicultural festivals in the past few years, but Othow said new partnerships with the city of Oxford and with the Downtown Oxford Economic Development Commission have created new opportunities.

“It just felt like the best time to expand it and bring it into downtown Oxford,” she said, “making it more accessible to the entire community.” Othow said she is grateful to city leaders for making the opportunity available and being willing to partner with the Chavis historical society.

“For me, this is huge,” Sergent said. She has attended the previous multicultural festivals, and marveled at many of the performers, especially the Chuck Davis African American Dance Ensemble of Durham.

The dance ensemble will perform at CultureFEST, Sergent said.  But there will also be cloggers and Hawaiian dancers as well.

Whether you’re interested in Latino music or learning about the Procession of the Queen, CultureFEST has a little something for everyone.

“Too often, we’re in our own little worlds and we miss out” on experiencing food, music and dance from cultures we may not be familiar with, Sergent noted.

In addition to the Hawaiian dancers, some of the other performers include Mexican folk dancers Dance Ortiz, St. Cyprian’s Episcopal Church drummers, a storyteller from Chapel Hill and more.

After the festival concludes, a number of downtown restaurants will be open and serving some unique fare not usually on the menu. “They’ll be offering something that is a little out of the ordinary for them,” Othow said. Downtown Oasis is going to have spanakopita, for example, and Tobacco Wood Brewing Co. is going to offer Caribbean-style jerk chicken.

“We’ve gotten one festival figured out,” Sergent said, referring to the Hot Sauce Contest. “Now it’s time to get another one down – to highlight the talent, tastes, music…that other cultures bring to the table.” CultureFEST will be smaller than the hot sauce festival, but it has the opportunity to grow in the future, she said.

Call 919.693.9133 for more information.

 

Click Play

Town Talk Logo

TownTalk: DEA Issues Public Safety Alert On Fake Medication

/by

The federal Drug Enforcement Administration launched the One Pill Can Kill public awareness campaign Monday and issued a public safety alert as part of its effort to combat the growing availability of fake prescription pills containing fentanyl and methamphetamine.

DEA Administrator Anne Milgram issued a statement saying that the counterfeit pills are being illegally produced in mass quantities and deceptively marketed as legitimate medication. The pills, Milgram stated, “are killing unsuspecting Americans at an unprecedented rate.”

According to the DEA release, most of the pills that come into the U.S. are made in Mexico, with chemicals supplied by China to manufacture the fake fentanyl.

John C. Rose discussed the campaign launch on Tuesday’s Town Talk and shared some of the statistics contained in the DEA press release. A few highlights include:

  • More than 9.5 million of the counterfeit pills have been seized in every U.S. state and the District of Columbia so far this year – more than the last two years combined
  • There is a “dramatic” rise in number of counterfeit pills containing at least 2 mg of fentanyl – considered a lethal dose
  • A deadly dose of fentanyl can fit on the tip of a pencil
  • More than 93,000 people died last year of a drug overdose in the U.S.

All prescription medication should be purchased from a pharmacy, but fake medications are being marketed on social media and e-commerce platforms. This makes it easier for anyone with access to a smartphone to purchase the illegal drugs.

“We are alerting the public to this danger so that people have the information they need to protect themselves and their children,” Milgram said.

DEA analyses show that two out of every five illegally manufactured pills contain a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl. “DEA is focusing resources on taking down the violent drug traffickers causing the greatest harm and posing the greatest threat to the safety and health of Americans,” the statement continued.

Of course, prescription medications purchased from legitimate pharmacies, dispensed by licensed pharmacists, and prescribed by medical professionals are not included in this public safety alert. “Anyone filling a prescription at a licensed pharmacy can be confident that the medications they receive are safe when taken as directed by a medical professional,” the DEA officials stated.

Pills purchased outside of a licensed pharmacy are illegal, dangerous and potentially lethal.

Visit DEA.gov/onepill to learn more.

Click Play

TownTalk: Relay For Life Luminaria Ceremony To Light Up Garnett St.

/by

The Vance County Relay for Life is sponsoring a Luminaria ceremony on Oct. 23 that is shaping up to illuminate a portion of Garnett Street with little bags of light to remember or honor lives affected by cancer.

Like so many events affected by the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and safety precautions,  local organizers said they came up with a drive-thru event that people could participate in and enjoy while following social distancing protocols.

Christy Bennett talked with John C. Rose on Monday’s Town Talk and gave details about how to be involved.

It was somewhat of a challenge, Bennett conceded – how would they go from what had become a huge event with lots of people to an event that would satisfy the safety practices and still be a successful fundraiser?

Organizers Bennett, Carolyn Williams and Jeanette Brummitt “got creative,” she said.  “It was really a group effort to try to find something we could do that would work,” she added.

“We’re keeping it real simple. It’s a good way to light up downtown.” People can drive down Garnett Street to enjoy the luminaries or they can walk along the sidewalks, if they have their masks on.

Bags are $10 each and can be purchased on the day of the event, but they also are available ahead of time so they can be decorated with names of loved ones before being returned and placed along with all the others.

They’ve already sold more than 700 so far, but Bennett said “the goal is to sell as many as we can.”

Bennett said the city is expected to add some extra illumination to the event – the underpass will be bathed in a purple glow, and the newly installed fountains will show off their multicolor light show as well.

Luminaries sometimes need a little weight to stay in place, but Bennett and her crew have thought of that, too. They will use canned foods to anchor the paper bags, which will be donated to ACTS afterward.

Visit www.relayforlife.org/vancenc to learn more.

 

TownTalk: History of Kerr Lake, Part 2

/by

(Photo courtesy R.F. Timberlake – Kerr Lake Park Watch on Facebook and Shutter Art Gallery)

••••••••••••••••••••

Kerr Lake covers about 50,000 acres when it’s at normal elevation, but if the lake level were to reach its maximum elevation of 320 feet above sea level, the lake would more than double in size. In short, Kerr Lake is a BIG topic. So big, in fact, that Kerr Lake, Part 2, was the subject of Thursday’s tri-weekly history program on Town Talk.

Bill Harris and Mark Pace talked about what’s around – and under – the lake, which has 850 miles of shoreline and touches six counties in North Carolina and Virginia.

A plane that crashed into the lake in Clarksville was eventually removed, but there’s still a train submerged in Nutbush Creek, Pace said.

The plane crashed in 1962 and it took almost a month to find the right equipment to extricate it. The lake is between 90 feet and 100 feet deep in the deepest channels, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers didn’t cut down all the trees in the area that soon would be submerged. The plane, as it turned out, had gotten tangled up in that submerged forest. A barge equipped with a crane had to be transported from the coast to retrieve the wreckage.

As for the train, Pace said a forest fire scorched a wooden bridge over Nutbush Creek in the early 1900’s. A group of Townsville residents went together to start up a short railroad line that ran from Manson to Townsville. “It was a barebones affair,” Pace said, with two engines, a coal car and a couple of passenger cars.

When the train pulled into Townsville, there was nowhere for it to turn around, he said, so it had to go backwards on the return trip to Manson. The bridge was about 70 or 75 feet above the water, and it held up for the passenger cars and the coal car to cross. But the engine was too heavy, and the train plunged into the water “and basically impaled itself into the mud of Nutbush Creek,” Pace said. The engineer and the fireman were killed.

There are stories of picnics and church gathering being held near the wreck site years later and whoever could swim down to the wreckage and ring the train’s bell would get a prize.

The lake has a long history of providing recreational activities like picnics and church gatherings, as well as boating and camping, but there remain residual bad feeling toward the Corps, Pace said. “Most of what they bought was farmland, and not particularly good farmland,” he said. But it was still family land and the average price was only about $75 per acre. That amount would only be between $400 and $500 an acre today.

“Now there’s a strip of land that you’re not allowed to develop around Kerr Lake,” Pace said, to adhere to Corps restrictions. Fifty years ago, however, the shoreline would not have looked at all like it does today because it had been farmland and would have taken some years to become wooded.

 

 

Perry Memorial Library

Perry Memorial Library Open, Serving Community Including Special Programs

/by

 

 

 

Calling it a branch library may be a bit of a stretch, but Perry Memorial Library Director Patty McAnally invites the public out to Fox Pond Park Saturday to celebrate the grand opening of Story Walk, which features a storybook along one of the walking trails – a page at the time.

McAnally explained the concept of Story Walk and shared more library news on Wednesday’s Town Talk.

Kelly Starling Lyons, the state’s current Piedmont Laureate, will kick off the Saturday festivities at 10 a.m. in the Farm Bureau room at the library, she told John C. Rose. Lyons writes children’s books and will discuss the importance of reading and how to get started writing.  Then, at 1 p.m., there will be a ribbon-cutting at the Fox Pond Trail, where the Story Walk stations are located.

The books will change each month, she said, and the first selection Zip, Zoom – by Kelly Starling Lyons. There’s a page at each station, McAnally said, “so as you walk along the trail, you read a page.”

There also will be participation cards that, upon completion, can be redeemed at the library for a prize.

Perry Memorial Library is open Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Curbside pickup is available, and there’s free wi-fi in the parking lot between Breckenridge and Winder streets.

Another service the library now offers

Patrons, whether they come in to browse for books to check out or use the curbside service should take note of a new policy that was approved last week – overdue fines are permanently abolished!

The local library is following other libraries, large and small, to do away with overdue fines. “If that’s kept you from coming in, please come back and check us out again,” McAnally said. Fines, had been suspended during the pandemic, were seen to be a barrier, she said, adding that the return rate is the same, if not better.

Now, a book will be automatically renewed after it’s been out three weeks, she said. DVDs can stay out two weeks.

After 30 days, the book or other item will be marked “lost” until it is returned. “If you bring it back, we’re all good,” she said.

The library receives most of its funding from the city and the county, for which McAnally is grateful and appreciative. But other programs come about through grant funding, and McAnally mentioned a couple that the library has received in addition to the Story Walk project.

One grant, from the state library system, resulted in Story Cubes, which McAnally describes as “a little machine that spits out a 1- to 3-minutes story or poem – pre-programmed stories” for library patrons. Right now, there’s a Story Cube at the library – dressed up for Halloween – that will spit out a spooky story or poem for patrons.

Our local library is the first public library in North Carolina to have Story Cubes, she said, and there are plans to travel to schools and other locations to share stories. Now, the stories and poems are already-published works, but McAnally said she would like to have contests that would feature local writers’ works.

The most recent grant will help the library partner with NASA to provide STEM education. Perry Memorial is one of only two libraries in North Carolina to be awarded one of 60 grants. Although in preliminary stages of implementation, McAnally said she is excited to be working with NASA, which will result in tapping into NASA experts’ knowledge with topics like earth science and oceanography.

For more information about the library, call 252.438.3316.

 

Click Play

VGCC Logo

TownTalk: VGCC Offers 8-Week Terms To Adapt, Respond To Students’ Needs

/by

Whether they come to learn job skills or start their journey toward earning a college degree, students at Vance-Granville Community College have some interesting options when it comes to the length of time they take to complete a class.

It’s called “compressed learning,” and VGCC director of Advising & College Success Amy O’Geary discussed some of the options available for VGCC students with John C. Rose on Tuesday’s Town Talk.

A traditional college semester is 16 weeks long, but O’Geary said that, as students’ needs change – maybe they hold a full-time job while going to school – and the environment changes – think virtual learning because of the COVID-19 pandemic – the way school is organized needs to change, too.

“It’s hard for people to predict what they’re going to be doing for 16 weeks,” she said, adding that the shorter terms can more easily accommodate schedules and commitments.

The first 8-week term began in August, and registration is underway now for the second term, which begins Oct. 13. And then on Nov. 1, registration for Spring 2022 begins.

O’Geary said the shorter terms are designed to give students more valuable assignments for their learning – it’s not a matter of cramming more information into a shorter time-frame. Another benefit of offering two shorter terms, she said, is to keep students motivated.

“A lot of times, when students come to us, they’re ready,” O’Geary said, with emphasis on “ready.” They’re ready to get started right then, she said. “When they have to wait until January, sometimes they can lose their momentum.”

She said a lot of the major programs at VGCC have gone to the 8-week format, and even more will be offered for Spring 2022 and beyond.

Some of the classes O’Geary highlighted are keyboarding, intro to computers and public speaking, all of which provide essential skills for employees in today’s workplace.

Computers are used everywhere, and knowing how to properly use a keyboard, as well as the various software programs, are valuable to today’s workers.

But public speaking?

“A lot of people shy away from public speaking,” she said. “There aren’t many jobs that don’t require public speaking. (And) the more you do it, the better you get.”

Whether it’s a question of brushing up on computer skills or learning something entirely new, VGCC encourages students to start whenever they can and then just keep moving forward.

And for some, working in eight-week bursts instead of the traditional semester, may be a better option to keep moving forward.

Visit www.vgcc.edu to learn more.

 

For complete details and audio click play.

 

TownTalk: The Barefoot Movement Presses Onward

/by

Noah Wall apologized for her scratchy-sounding voice. “I sang all weekend,” Wall told Town Talk host Bill Harris Monday. “I’m exhausted – in the best way.”

Wall, lead singer and fiddle player for The Barefoot Movement, is just back from performing at MerleFest, a popular bluegrass-and-more festival in western North Carolina.

The band will perform at AmericanaFest in Nashville next, then come back to North Carolina for gigs in Holly Springs on Oct. 8 and then at the Kirby Theater in Roxboro on Oct. 9.

Visit Thebarefootmovementofficial.com to learn more.

The Barefoot Movement may have had a heavy bluegrass influence when it first formed more than a decade ago, but today it’s considered to have an “Americana” sound.

That label can include many types of music, from Celtic to Jimi Hendrix, and everything in between. Wall said she likes to think of Americana as any kind of music that incorporates roots music in the sound it produces.

Their new album is called “Pressing Onward,” and music fans may recognize the names of its producers – Chuck Plotkin and Hank Linderman – from their work with such groups as Chicago, The Eagles, Bob Dylan and The Boss himself, Bruce Springsteen.

The new album is the third full-length album that The Barefoot Movement has released. Their sound has evolved, Wall noted, since their first album, which was released a decade ago. Listeners will detect the addition of drums on the new album. And there are no instrumentals as there have been on previous albums.

Wall, the group’s primary songwriter, is joined by husband Tommy Norris on mandolin and Katie Blomarz on stand-up bass. “I’m very proud of the sound we got on ‘Pressing Onward,’ she said.

“When I put together the album sequence, it kind of gave me chills,” she said. Although the songs were pre-COVID-19, the coincidence of releasing the album amid the pandemic was not lost on her. “It is so pertinent,” Wall said, because a lot of the songs just tell the story of how to press onward, despite challenges.

Working with legendary producers like Plotkin and Linderman was special and Wall said one of her takeaways was an oft-used phrase of Plotkin, with regard to choosing songs for the album: If the answer to the question “Does it bear repeated listening?” is yes, then we’d done something right, she recalled.

Wall and Norris recently moved back to Granville County to be near family; Blomarz is still in Nashville, where she and her fiancé (also a bass player) are “livin’ the Nashville thing” and playing their music with a lot of different people. Just as so many other professions have done in the past 18 months or so, they have adjusted the way they practice and share music and, so far, it’s working. They will either arrive at a venue a day or so early to practice together, or Blomarz will fly to North Carolina and hop in the van to travel with Wall and Norris to the next performance.

The band is trying out different guitarists and drummers for the next little bit while they continue to produce and perform music across the country. Concert bookings have been sporadic, coming in fits and starts. But that’s ok, Wall said.

There’s a new music video set for filming, which will feature some Oxford images, she added.

And there are songs to write.

For complete details and audio click play.

 

TownTalk: Night Out Against Crime Event Coming To Downtown Henderson

/by

Like many other areas around the state and nation, Henderson and Vance County is no stranger to crime. Crime happens and law enforcement agencies need help to solve these crimes. That’s where Crime Stoppers comes in. They provide tips that can solve or even prevent crimes.

Cash rewards of up to $2000 are available if a tip results in an arrest and conviction. In order to make those rewards possible fundraisers need to happen.

The Night Out Against Crime here locally will take place on Breckenridge St. from 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, September 21.

Tonya Moore and Lorraine Watkins of Henderson-Vance Crime Stoppers told WIZS’s Trey Snide on TownTalk there is important information to pass along to residents who attend the free event but plenty of fun and entertainment is to be had as well.  Event organizers are expecting around 500 people to attend on Tuesday and will be treated to performances by the Vance County High School Cheerleaders, the Clearview Church Praise Team, the High Grass Bluegrass Band and the gospel choir Work in Progress. At the end of the program a drawing will be held for a big screen TV.

One of the focuses of the event is to reach young people “We really, really need to get in touch with young people to get them pointed in the right direction,” Watkins said. “Not a day goes by without a shooting or a robbery,” Watkins continued.

Watkins also addressed the need for the community to step up and provide local law enforcement with the information they need to help solve or prevent crimes but pointed out that people are afraid to talk or give information to law enforcement agencies.  Crime Stoppers uses the P3 app for cell phones to make tips completely anonymous. With the app users can supply pictures, video and other information to police departments or sheriff’s offices and the use is completely anonymous. A code is used as calls and texts are routed across the country before arriving back in Henderson so the tips can be investigated. Watkins said that if someone sees a crime about to happen the P3 app can be used and law enforcement agencies will be able to intervene before the crime ever happens. “Proactive is better than retroactive everyday,” Watkins said.

According to Moore, those interested in finding out more about Crime Stoppers should follow them on Facebook. Crime Stoppers is composed of volunteers and Moore and Watkins say it’s all about making Henderson and Vance County a better place.

Click Play