Tag Archive for: #thelocalskinny

Christmas Tree Selection and Care

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

Choosing a Christmas tree can be a fun activity for the whole family to enjoy, whether perusing a lot full of cut firs and pines or whether venturing out to a tree farm where the perfect seasonal addition to your home décor awaits.

Wayne Rowland, Vance County Cooperative Extension’s  natural resources technician, has some suggestions to make sure consumers get the best bang for the buck. Tree prices, like so many other items, are higher this year.

Live, cut trees are completely recyclable. But they also are perishable. To make sure trees hold their needles through the Christmas season, they should get water regularly and stay in a cool spot.

Trees, of course, come in all heights, but they also receive a grade, depending on their shape and fullness. If your tree is going to be visible from all sides, you may want to purchase a #1, or premium grade tree; if you’re putting it in a corner with only a couple of sides visible, perhaps a #2 grade will suffice. Foliage density, color and fragrance are additional factors to consider.

A ball-and-burlap tree is another option for those in search of a Christmas tree – the tree’s roots are literally wrapped in burlap for planting in the landscape after being enjoyed over Christmas in your home. Rowland reminds consumers to make sure that the tree you select will survive in this climate.

The Local Skinny! Click It or Ticket Is Underway

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The Click It or Ticket campaign is now underway for the extended Thanksgiving holiday period and will be in effect through Sunday, Nov. 28.

During Click It or Ticket enforcement and education campaigns, law enforcement agencies increase the number of patrols and officers in an area, set up checking stations, and use local media to reach out to drivers.

The campaign, which runs from Monday, Nov. 22-Sunday, Nov. 28, aims to encourage motorists to buckle up through innovative and extensive enforcement and education, including seatbelt checks in all North Carolina counties.

Lack of seatbelt use is a primary contributor to fatalities and injuries in vehicle crashes. In 2021 in North Carolina, 450 people have died and 926 have been seriously injured in unbuckled crashes, according to information from the Governor’s Highway Safety Program.

Of course, wearing seatbelts is the law. Violators of North Carolina’s seat belt law​ are fined $180​​ (or $266 if a passenger under age 16​ is not properly restrained). That doesn’t include the potential cost of a lost life.

“The simple act of buckling your seatbelt in the front and back seats can drastically improve your chances of surviving a car crash without injury or death,” said Governor’s Highway Safety Program Director Mark Ezzell. “With many more motorists traveling for the holidays, it’s imperative that we all do our parts to keep ourselves, our passengers and others safe on the roads.”

North Carolina’s Click It or Ticket campaign was the first in the nation and is now used as the model by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Even with its success, more than 11,900 people have lost their lives since 1993 because they did not take a couple of seconds to buckle up.

Some other ways motorists can drive safely this holiday season include:

  • Buckling up – every seat, every time.
  • Obey all speed limits.
  • Never drive impaired, tired or distracted.

For more safety tips, follow @NCGHSP on Facebook and @NC_GHSP on Twitter and Instagram. For more information, visit www.ncghsp.org​.

Cooperative Extension With Jamon Glover: Holiday Rituals

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

 

The Local Skinny! What’s Happening In Downtown Henderson

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If the city of Henderson were to write a letter to Santa this year, you can bet that increased downtown economic development would be somewhere on the Christmas wish list.

City officials heard an update from Downtown Development Director Tracy Madigan recently about what’s going on downtown, and it sounds like some of those wishes could be coming true.

The Thursday edition of The Local Skinny! ran down a list of openings and re-openings that are happening now in downtown Henderson.

  • For starters, holiday decorations are going up Friday evening, just in time for the Christmas parade that will take place on Saturday, Dec. 4 at 4 p.m.
  • Did you know that a grocery store is planned for Horner Street? Madigan said she doesn’t have many details yet, but even a small retail grocery that neighbors can walk to would be welcome.
  • The Gear and Beer shop has opened
  • The former Screenmaster location is being converted to an all-inclusive office space.
  • Madigan told the council that the city will have to invest in new banners, because the brackets in place now on newly installed Duke utility poles won’t accommodate the existing banners.
  • The much-talked -about brewery in the former Falkner Coal and Oil building is making progress. Madigan said the owner is a “pay-as-you-go businessman,” so it could take a while to come to fruition.
  • Bombshell Nail and Spa has opened; the business has applied for a façade grant.
  • Citizens Pub, at the corner of Breckenridge and Garnett streets is set to reopen as an event center

In addition to the retail news, Madigan shared with council members several beautification projects in various stages of completion:

  • There are plantings outside McGregor Hall, courtesy of Franklin Bros. Nursery
  • Four more benches have been ordered for the downtown area and should arrive in the next month
  • Plans to have crosswalk art have been submitted to NC Department of Transportation for approval

Visit https://hendersonncdowntown.org/ to learn more.

 

Home And Garden Show 11-17-21

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

  • Wykia Macon, 4-H
  • Plant spring flowering bulbs (quality, P, planting depth)
  • Plant trees and shrubs
  • Plant pansies (soil prep, plant selection)

Click Play

 

Cooperative Extension with Paul McKenzie: What Works in the Garden

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

 

Cooperative Extension with Wayne Rowland: Spotted Lantern Fly

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

 

 

The Local Skinny! VGCC Helping Entrepreneurs

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Vance-Granville Community College’s Entrepreneurship & Innovation Center (EIC) is open for business.    Students and community members attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by the Granville County Chamber of Commerce recently to mark this momentous occasion.  The Nov. 9 event coincided with Global Entrepreneurship Week.

The EIC is located at VGCC’s South Campus in Creedmoor and serves all four campuses in the VGCC system.

The EIC supports VGCC’s mission of strengthening the state’s economy by helping students and clients living in rural areas achieve their entrepreneurial potential by exposing them to entrepreneurial thinking and entrepreneurial opportunities, according to a press release from VGCC.

By educating, inspiring and supporting a diverse community of learners to achieve professional and personal success, VGCC and the EIC help N.C. entrepreneurs succeed by offering them the training and learning opportunities that prepare them to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams and ideas. 

 This effort also enhances VGCC’s Small Business Center offerings of Ice House, Kauffman FastTrack and NC REAL Entrepreneurship training, among others. VGCC President Dr. Rachel Desmarais recently joined other community college presidents in signing the national Entrepreneurship Pledge.

“I think that the Center is a great opportunity for networking, gaining business skills, and preparing for the future in business,” said Tanya Weary, dean of business & industry solutions. “I am really excited for VGCC. This is the start of something that will grow and develop.  The opportunities this innovation environment will create are endless.”   

Serena Aycock, one of the members of the newly formed Vanguard Entrepreneurship Club, was on hand to take part in the ribbon cutting.  “I am absolutely inspired and honored to attend this great community college,” Aycock said. “I feel the energy of success in this room during this unforgettable ribbon-cutting event.”

The Center has had support from NC IDEA.  NC IDEA is an independent private, 501(c)(3) foundation whose vision is to help North Carolinians achieve their entrepreneurial ambition to start and grow high potential companies. NC IDEA fosters sustainable economic development with competitive grants and programs for entrepreneurs and funding to strengthen the North Carolina entrepreneurial ecosystem.  Thom Ruhe, President & CEO was present to support VGCC’s continued entrepreneurial efforts.   Also present were Dr. Rebecca Corbin, President & CEO of the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship; Alyssa Martina, Director of Doherty Center for Creativity, Innovation & Entrepreneurship for Elon University; and Dr. Rudi Colloredo-Mansfeld, Senior Associate Dean for Social Sciences and Global Programs, UNC Chapel Hill were present to support VGCC’s entrepreneurial efforts;  and representatives from the four counties that VGCC serves.

To learn more about VGCC’s entrepreneurial endeavors, contact Tanya Weary at wearyt@vgcc.edu or 252.738.3521.

The Local Skinny! Youth Interested In Showing Dairy Calves Can Attend Meeting Nov. 16 At Warren Armory

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Youngsters who want to learn more about the 2022 Dairy Calf project of the Warren County Extension 4-H program are invited to a meeting next week, according to information from Matthew Place, Warren livestock agent.

The meeting will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 16 at 6 p.m. at the Warren Armory Civic Center. The civic center is located at 501 US Hwy. 158 Bus E, Warrenton, NC 27589.

Participants do not have to live in Warren County; Place said he welcomes youngsters and their parents to the meeting to learn details.

The eight-week project will take place next summer. The 4-Hers will work with their assigned Guernsey calf weekly to get them ready for the Central Carolina District Junior Dairy Show.

The 4-H program is for young people ages 5 to 18.

For more information, contact the Warren County office of N.C. Cooperative Extension at 252.257.3640.

 

Cooperative Extension With Jamon Glover: Self Care

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