Tag Archive for: #hendersonnews

The Local Skinny! Assessing Your Shade Trees

/by

Shade trees are valuable additions to many yards and landscapes, but just because they’re big and strong, there are several maintenance tips that homeowners can perform – especially in the winter months – to ensure those trees remain healthy.

The roots of shade trees such as oak, poplar and maple extend out laterally well beyond the trunk, said Vance County N.C. Cooperative Extension Agent Paul McKenzie. A general rule of thumb is that the roots extend at least to the edge of the tree canopy. For large, mature trees that could mean a 50- to 75-foot circle around each tree.

“It’s important to protect the roots,” McKenzie said on Thursday’s segment of The Local Skinny!

And those roots are relatively shallow –  12 inches or so beneath the soil – since their main job is to take in nutrients and water for the tree.

Avoid trenching, grading or any kind of construction that could affect the roots of trees in the landscape. Placing excessive mulch on top of roots can also be detrimental, he said.

McKenzie said it’s often tough to grow grass in the shade – there’s simply not enough sunlight and grass doesn’t compete well against the extensive root system of shade trees.

He suggests letting nature take its course and let natural leaf litter build up under those trees. Now that most leaves have fallen, it’s a good time to walk around those trees to look for signs of damage.
“Make sure you don’t see anything unusual,” he said, including trunk damage from lightning strikes or isolated fungal growth.

And don’t forget to look up – “Look up at the canopy to see the branch structure for any broken or dead limbs,” McKenzie said.

The N.C. Cooperative Extension, the N.C. Forest Service or a professional certified arborist can help provide answers to questions about caring for shade trees in your landscape, McKenzie said.

Contact McKenzie at 252.438.8188 or paul_mckenzie@ncsu.edu for more information.

CLICK PLAY!

 

Cooperative Extension with Jamon Glover: Natural Consequences

/by

 

Listen live at 100.1 FM / 1450 AM / or on the live stream at WIZS.com at 11:50 a.m. Mon, Tues & Thurs.

Click Play!

 

TownTalk: Family Creates VGCC Scholarship For Students In CDL Program In Memory Of Loved One

/by

– information courtesy of VGCC Public Information Officer Courtney Cissel

Family members of a local man have established scholarships for Vance-Granville Community College students in the commercial driver license program to honor his memory and acknowledge the positive effects the program had on his life.

David Lee Chavis, Jr. was a victim of gun violence who died in March 2023. His sister, Tameka Holden, and his mother, Carrie Cheek, both of Henderson, have established two need-based scholarships that will award $1,100 to students pursuing their CDL.

Chavis, affectionately called “DJ” by those who knew him, built a successful career as a commercial truck driver in recent years. A native of Vance County, Chavis had once lived a very different life—but hard work, renewed vision, and a commercial driver’s license provided him with a fresh start and an honest means of supporting his family.

Holden witnessed firsthand how her brother’s whole life transformed when he began his driving career and started his own business, TYM Trucking. From her perspective, creating a scholarship that can free others from a cycle of poverty and crime is the perfect way to honor his legacy and demonstrate her personal motto: Reach one, teach one.

If these scholarships prevent another family from experiencing the loss that hers did, Holden feels the effort it took to establish them will have been worth it. “The streets don’t love you,” she stressed. “They only take you away from the people that do.”

The VGCC Foundation anticipates awarding the two CDL scholarships in January 2024. The contribution represents grassroots fundraising efforts from family, friends, and neighbors; VGCCF has set up an ongoing fund for the David Lee Chavis Jr. Memorial CDL Annual Scholarship so that donors can continue to support the college’s future CDL students.

Vance-Granville Community College recently announced that the cost of completing its 9-week CDL program will decrease to $1,200 in 2024, meaning that tuition and related fees will be almost completely covered for recipients of the David Lee Chavis Jr. Memorial CDL Annual Scholarship.

In addition to providing scholarships to deserving students, the Vance-Granville Community College Foundation supports a broad range of special projects involving education, training, and economic development in our community. Tax-deductible donations to VGCCF have often been used to honor a person, group, business, or industry with a lasting gift to education. For more information about the VGCC Foundation, contact 252-738-3264 or https://www.vgcc.edu/foundation/.

CLICK PLAY!

 

TownTalk: People

/by

The passing of Dr. Daniel Bernstein, a missing Henderson woman and battery safety for youngsters were discussed.

CLICK PLAY!

 

Henderson Police Searching For Woman Reported Missing On Christmas Day

/by

– information courtesy of Henderson Police Chief Marcus Barrow

***LOCATED***

Henderson Police are asking for the public’s help in locating a woman who was reported missing on Christmas Day.

Cora Ayscue, 45, was last seen in the vicinity of Lincoln Street on Dec. 14, according to information from Henderson Police Chief Marcus Barrow.

Police are provided information about Ayscue’s vehicle, which Barrow described as a 2008 dark blue Nissan Sentra with North Carolina plate KFM 256.

Anyone who has seen Ayscue or the vehicle is asked to contact police at 252.492.0202.

Cooperative Extension: Recycle Christmas Trees To Provide Refuge For Birds, More

/by

That live Christmas tree that has sheltered gifts under its needled boughs can have a second life once it’s served its purpose for the holidays.

N.C. Cooperative Extension Agent Paul McKenzie said those live trees – many of them probably Fraser Firs raised right here in North Carolina – can create useful habitats for birds and other woodland animals right in your landscape.

You’ll want to make sure all the decorations are removed, of course, but once that’s done, the tree can be placed out of the way in your yard – if it’s big enough – or in or near a wooded area.

The trees provide a wonderful refuge for birds and other furry mammals who may be looking for a safe spot to hide from predators, McKenzie noted.

For years, discarded trees have been used along the state’s beaches to add stability to the sand dunes along the coast.

And pond owners also know the benefit of submerging discarded trees to create a protective spot for fish and other water-dwelling creatures.

If none of those options work for you, McKenzie said the trees are considered yard waste, so they can be collected and then sent through the chipper to become compost.

 

 

The Local Skinny! Fire Safety During The Holidays

/by

It’s easy to get distracted during the holiday season when we’re off our regular routines – children are out of school and family or friends are visiting. We’re in and out of the house, juggling errands, cooking meals and still hoping to get a couple more days’ enjoyment out of the Christmas decorations. This time of year, it’s especially important to think safety first to avoid potential problems.

Perhaps the biggest safety post-Christmas household safety hazard are those live Christmas trees that have been decorated with strings of lights and other ornaments. In some cases, the trees have been inside – drying out – since Thanksgiving Day, for those of us who like to enjoy holiday decorating for a while before Dec. 25. Most likely, the tree that you bought in early December was cut in late November, so it’s been drying out now for a few weeks, despite your best watering efforts.

Take care to make sure those strands of lights are in good working order, and the extension cords that snake around from the tree to the nearest outlet.

Did you know that unattended cooking is the leading cause of home cooking fires?

Check – and double-check if you’re that type of person – to make sure that the stove and oven are turned off before you head off to run errands!

This time of year, folks like to use candles to add a festive aroma. That Balsam Cedar sure smells good, and so does the Holiday Peppermint.

Christmas is the peak day for candle fires – did you know? On Dec. 25 each year, there’s an average of 35 fires – about 2.5 times the daily average. Second highest day? Christmas Eve.

Over the course of a year, the NFPA said 33 percent of fires are caused by candles. In December, however, that number jumps to 46 percent.

In three of every five candle fires, the candle was too close to something that could catch fire.

Falling asleep without extinguishing the flame was a factor in 10 percent of home candle fires and 12 percent of the associated deaths.

Cooking is the leading cause of reported home fires (49 percent) and home fire injuries and the second-leading cause of home fire deaths.
Unattended cooking is the leading cause of home cooking fires.

Thanksgiving is the peak day for home cooking fires, followed by Christmas Day and Christmas Eve.

CLICK PLAY!

 

TownTalk: Christmas Traditions And A Visit From Santa

/by

You better watch out, you better not cry, you better tune in to WIZS.com, I’m tellin’ you why: Santa Claus was a special guest on Thursday’s TownTalk.

WIZS’s own Steve Lewis and Bill Harris spoke with the Jolly Old Elf himself, and learned, to their great relief, that their names are NOT on this year’s Naughty List.

“I believe you’ll both be very pleased with the outcome on Christmas morning,” Santa reported.

Santa spared a few moments for the phone call, but admitted that there’s still a lot to do to get ready for his global trek Sunday night.

“It’s a very busy time, very busy indeed,” Santa said, followed by the iconic “Ho, Ho, Ho,” which he practiced throughout the interview.

The reindeer, he reports, are “fat and sassy and ready to roll” but he did say that those reindeer stay in shape in the off-season with the help of some capable trainers.

Santa’s got his own personal trainer, too. “I’ve tried to stay as svelte and strong as possible,” he said, but every year he has to go on an eating binge to recapture that classic round holiday profile that makes for such a comfy lap for all the good little girls and boys.

Santa’s Workshop has really outgrown its greater North Pole location, sort of like urban sprawl, so “everything within the Arctic Circle is part of the Christmas world,” he said. With that expansion, the workshop has various CEOs and CFOs who help make things run smoothly. But Santa said he’s still the chairman of the board and president of the whole shebang – after all, he’s got a reputation to uphold.

We in the Northern Hemisphere are used to seeing Santa in his cold-weather duds because Christmas comes during our wintertime. But it’s summertime in the Southern Hemisphere and it’s warm, which presents a wardrobe dilemma for St. Nick.

“I start out with the fur-lined jacket and boots and end up with a rather attractive Aloha shirts, Bermuda shorts and sandals,” Santa explained, which make it “much more comfortable south of the Equator.”

No matter what side of the Equator you call home, Santa has one request:

“I would like to ask everyone to love one another and respect one another…and stay off the Naughty List.”

It’s a tough job to keep the Naughty List updated, and Santa would rather have more names recorded on the Nice List, but it’s a job he and his team are willing to do each year.

He said he’s got a big ol’ pile of coal up at the North Pole, just in case someone needs a gentle reminder.