Tag Archive for: #hendersonnews

Home And Garden Show

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

  • Check local nurseries and garden centers for gifts for Gardeners.
  • Shop for garden tools with improved ergonomics. Thicker handles, extended handles, less force required, etc.
  • Inventory your seed supply. Order newly released varieties now before they sell out
  • Consider getting a copy of the NC Extension Gardener Handbook for a gardener on your gift giving list.
  • Check moisture of holiday plants, especially Christmas trees
  • Yes, you can scatter wood ashes in your garden, but use them judiciously. They have liming properties, and you don’t want to over do it.
  • Review your garden journal about what was successful and even what didn’t do well so you can plan for next year.
  • Visit Public Gardens through the winter. You may be surprised at what you find in bloom.
  • Construct a cold frame to be able to grow your own seedlings for 2023
  • Monitor indoor plants through the winter for insect pests such as aphids, white flies and mealybugs. These are easily treated with insecticidal soap.

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TownTalk: St. Paul’s Lutheran Plans Food Ministry

 

St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Ridgeway is launching a food ministry to try to help residents in Vance and Warren counties who find themselves struggling with having enough food for themselves and their families.

The food ministry, modeled after the story in the Bible of feeding 5,000 with two fish and five loaves of bread, will have its first event on Saturday, Jan. 28 and will be held on the last Saturday of each month thereafter, said Corey Brooks, pastor at St. Paul’s.

The church fellowship hall will host the first several months, but as the weather warms, Brooks said the hope is to travel into different areas of the county to provide food.

Brooks spoke with John C. Rose on Wednesday’s TownTalk about how the idea for a food ministry got started.

“We still have a few minor details (to work out), but we’re excited to be kicking this off,” Brooks said. “It’s easy to say ‘let someone else take care of them,’” Brooks said, but added that we’re called to love all of God’s children.

Providing a hot meal through the food ministry is a way to show that love for one another.

There also will be a “blessing box” located near the Norlina post office that people can visit, whether it’s to take food or to donate non-perishable items.

The box will have food to nourish the body and plenty of Bibles to nourish the soul.

“Take what you need and leave what you can,” Brooks said.

The blessing box is a place where folks struggling with food insecurity can go in the time between the last Saturdays of the month, he said.

St. Paul’s belongs to the southeastern district of the Lutheran Church’s Missouri Synod, and pastors like Brooks receive mission insight reports that provide information about the area, from income levels to people’s beliefs about God. Through his service as a chaplain for first responders, he said he’s seen the need himself.

But food insecurity rose to the top as a concern in the area, so the church is trying to do something about it.

Brooks invites other churches to help out, too.

“It’s not just our church,” he said. “It’s a time for us all to come together as brothers and sisters in Christ to provide” for others in the community.

He acknowledged that transportation could be a challenge, so help in that area would be most helpful.

But most of all, Brooks said he wants to let folks know that regardless of their struggles, their walk in life that they are children of God. “We want to walk with you and help you carry your burden as best we can.”

 

 

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TownTalk: Does Anyone Want To Talk About The Jail?

No matter where you stand on the issue, the Vance County Detention Center is not an ideal facility, neither for staff nor inmates. Sheriff Curtis Brame has been vocal about the physical condition of the jail, which has racked up numerous deficiencies in recent state inspections.

The Vance County commissioners asked a Raleigh firm to conduct a facilities needs assessment, which County Manager Jordan McMillen is still in the early stages. The county is paying Moseley Architects more than $48,000 to complete the needs assessment.

“It is a comprehensive study,” McMillen told WIZS News via email Tuesday. “I would anticipate some results as we get into the spring” of 2023, but said commissioners may hear an update at the regular meeting in January.

Brame acknowledged that a cell phone video – aired Monday on a Raleigh television station – showed an inmate on the floor, surrounded by several other inmates who were hitting him.

In a brief written response to WIZS News Tuesday, Brame said charges had been filed in connection with the assault, but he provided no further details about the incident.

It is the latest challenge for Brame and county leaders, who seem to be at odds at times over what exactly needs to be done at the jail.

“The county has invested a good bit into the jail the past few years as the sheriff has requested items,” McMillen stated.

In fact, over the past five years, capital expenditures for the jail have increased almost $1 million – from $3.47 in 2018 to $4.34 million.

The 2023 budget is $4.86 million, which includes an extra $400,000 that commissioners approved in October that is designated for providing health care for inmates.

Brame has said he would like to see a new jail facility built for Vance County. Running the jail is the sheriff’s responsibility, and he has called for increased salaries for detentions staff.

According to McMillen, the new part of the jail was built in 1990 and comprises 32,355 square feet of space. The older part of the jail is smaller – about 2,400 square feet – and was also renovated in 1990 when the new portion was constructed.

The entire facility was renovated in 2010.

In addition to the needs of the physical plant are needs to have sufficient staff at the jail. Detention staff was included in a salary study the county put into place in July 2022 that raises hiring rates from $33,432 to $36,433.

“We are in a facility that has long outgrown its needs,” Brame told WIZS News back in August 2022. “Our detention center is antiquated and outdated,” he said, and noted safety issues – for staff and detainees alike – as a result of the condition of the physical plant.

Commissioners received the 9-page report at its August meeting, which detailed everything from non-functioning locks on food passage doors to dirty showers, as well as deficiencies in staff trainings and supervision.

But the overall physical condition of the jail, located at 516 Breckenridge St., looms larger for Brame. “Over 31 years ago the county decided to renovate the detention
center,” he said at the time, adding that the renovations do not meet current standards and needs and he maintains that the jail is unsafe for both staff and detainees.

 

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Cooperative Extension With Paul McKenzie What Works in the Garden

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

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The Local Skinny! Getting Your Packages Shipped For The Holidays

 

Remember the 1980’s slogan “when it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight?” As the calendar marches on toward Christmas in less than a week, Mike Moore at Postal Plus has a few suggestions for gift-givers who also must be gift-senders.

“It’s crunch time,” Moore said Monday, but he noted that anything headed up or down the East Coast should make it in time for Christmas Day.

But, as the week goes on, the price for that timely delivery is going to go up.

“We can overnight on Friday, the 23rd, and they have it – in some areas – on Christmas Eve,” Moore said on Monday’s segment of The Local Skinny!

That’s not the case for every location, and it gets more and more expensive as the days tick by, he noted.

Customers who want to send packages will be doing themselves – and Moore – a favor by dropping them off before 3 p.m. so he’ll have time to get the items packed properly and ready for pickup later in the afternoon.

Bring your own box or let the folks at Postal Plus provide the packing materials, Moore said. “We make sure they arrive in time and in safe condition,” he added.

In the 32 years Moore’s been in this business, he said he’s seen a little bit of everything get shipped out of the store, from Christmas gifts to barbecue and stew.

Technology has changed the way things get from one place to another, he said. The use of barcodes makes everything trackable, which allows the industry to handle much higher volume.

Customers shouldn’t wait too long, however, if they still have packages to send. Inclement weather can still put a damper on things, Moore said, which can affect deliveries.

The number one question he answers at this time of year?

That’s easy: “Is it going to be there before Christmas?”

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TownTalk: Stanley Takes On New Role At Kerr Lake

In his previous role as Superintendent 1 at the Kerr Lake State Recreation Area, Bill Stanley said his main focus was on the rangers and their development and making sure the other staff also was properly trained to do the wide assortment of jobs that take place across the various campgrounds, public access points and shelters with the park.

In his new role as lead superintendent, Stanley chuckled when he said there’s a lot more paperwork involved.

But the ultimate mission remains the same: “making sure Kerr Lake is moving forward in a direction for the future,” Stanley told John C. Rose on Monday’s TownTalk.
He’s got his sights set on three broad areas: conservation, education and safe recreation.

Those umbrella categories cover a wide range of projects, from prescribed fires to making sure all visitors can have an enjoyable lake experience.

“Prescribed fires are a big thing in NC state parks,” Stanley said. “It’s a good thing for the environment and a really good things for visitors also.” Prescribed fires help reduce leaf litter and help clear out the understory of wooded areas, which helps campers have a better lake view and reduces the chance of a campfire getting out of control.

But there’s the little detail of when to conduct a prescribed fire. “When there’s tons and tons of campers here, you can’t smoke ‘em out,” Stanley said.

There are 13 rangers that serve the entire recreation area, he said. They are law enforcement officers in addition to all the other duties that go along with the job. Some will be joining other local law enforcement officers in the “Shop with a Cop” event happening this week, he said. And they also do programs at schools and at Perry Memorial Library.

In addition to the ranger staff, Stanley said there’s the 15-member maintenance team stays busy with various improvement projects throughout the recreation area. Add 60 or so seasonal employees to keep grass mowed and bathrooms cleaned during the peak season and suddenly the staff becomes a small army.

Maintenance recently completed a renovation of 13 campsites at Hibernia. By doing the job themselves, the team was able to make the money go further, he noted.

He said visitors who use the campsites love the fact that they’re so close to the water. “They say they love our campsites,” Stanley said, adding that many have been camping at Kerr Lake for many years.

Whether you just want to enjoy the natural beauty of the lake or whether you’d prefer to be in a bass boat on the water, Stanley said Kerr Lake is the perfect spot.

“Kerr Lake is a great fishing lake,” he said and 2023 is shaping up to be another good year for fishing competitions here.

 

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Cooperative Extension with Wayne Rowland: Sheep & Goat Production

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

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Diabetes: Living With, Preventing Disease

Diabetes is a chronic health condition that affects how your body turns food into energy and causes blood sugar levels to rise to abnormally high levels. As the seventh leading cause of death, diabetes is one of the most common – and dangerous – health issues in the U.S. In fact, more than 37 million Americans have diabetes, and one in five who do have it are unaware of their condition.

There are three main types of diabetes: Type 1, Type 2 and gestational diabetes. Cheryl Hester, a registered nurse at Maria Parham Health, said diabetes can be treated with medication and its risks reduced by making a few key lifestyle changes.

Children as young as 1 year old have been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, a result of the body stopping production of insulin altogether.

Insulin is a hormone that helps your body turn food into energy and manages your blood sugar. Symptoms for Type 1 typically develop early and intensely, and this type is primarily diagnosed in children, teens and young adults. Those with Type 1 take insulin regularly to compensate for their body’s inability to produce it.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common iteration of the disease and usually occurs when your body has difficulty maintaining normal blood sugar levels as a result of an inability to use insulin properly.

Generally speaking, risk factors including unhealthy weight, age and a family history of Type 2 diabetes can contribute to a person being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.

Women with a history of gestational diabetes also are at a greater risk for a Type 2 diagnosis, as are people from higher-risk ethnic groups such as African-American, Hispanic/Latinx, American Indian and Alaska Native (some Pacific Islanders and Asian-Americans are also at higher risk).

Gestational diabetes occurs only in females and results when pregnancy-related body changes affect the ability to make sufficient inulin. It typically goes away after birth, but it can increase the mother’s and the child’s risk for Type 2 diabetes later in life.

A related condition is prediabetes. Prediabetes presents when blood sugar levels are high but not high enough to be diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. More than one in three American adults – around 96 million – have prediabetes, and more than 80 percent don’t know it. Diabetes can also lead to other, more serious health issues, like heart and kidney disease, vision loss and stroke. The good news is that Type 2 and gestational diabetes can be prevented. Eating healthy foods, engaging in regular physical activity and maintaining a healthy weight can help.

How do you know if you have diabetes? There are classic symptoms, including frequent urination, increased hunger and thirst, unintended weight loss, blurry vision, fatigue, abnormally dry skin, numb or tingling hands or feet, slow-healing sores and more infections than usual.

But you may not have any of the above-mentioned symptoms and still have diabetes. Your primary care provider can conduct a simple blood sugar test to determine whether you have diabetes or prediabetes. Being equipped with the knowledge of your status can empower you and your provider to work together on a treatment plan and lifestyle changes to improve and protect your health if needed.

For more information on diabetes, visit www.cdc.gov/diabetes and www.diabetes.org.

Need to make an appointment with a provider for a talk about diabetes and blood sugar testing? Call 800.424.DOCS or visit https://www.mariaparham.com/