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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Tag Archive for: #thelocalskinny
The Local Skinny! Henderson Fruit And Produce Expands To Warrenton
It’s been a few years since Warrenton has had a grocery store, but Chris Fisher, owner of Henderson Fruit and Produce, is getting ready to change that – hopefully, by Saturday.
Stop by 140 S. Main St. in downtown Warrenton to check out Henderson Fruit and Produce of Warrenton.
People familiar with the Henderson location at 1215 Old Norlina Rd. may see some familiar items, Fisher said, but he described the Warrenton location as more of a butcher shop, deli and retail store and less of the bulk items that the Henderson store is known for.
Having two locations obviously means double the work, but Fisher is excited for the opportunity and said the fact that they’re only 10 or so miles apart makes it doable.
“I’ve got a great staff – they do most of the work,” he said on Thursday’s segment of The Local Skinny!
The new location has a prime spot in downtown Warrenton, and Fisher said customers can come in for fresh meats, produce, deli items and more.
Need to order for a special occasion? No problem. They can get pigs for pig pickin’s and keep ribeyes and tenderloins in stock. Most special orders are next-day deliveries, but if it’s a large order, it could take a couple of days.
Check out the weekend specials on their Facebook page, or give the Warrenton store a call at 252.879.0234.
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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.
Click Play!
Home And Garden Show
On the Home and Garden Show with Vance Co. Cooperative Ext.
- With forecasted heavy rain open rows to prevent flooding in your garden
- Plant tall fescue now.
- Check for crusting of soil where recently planted seed in your fall garden
- Think about how you could compost your fall leaves.
- Prepare for inclement weather now. Emergency Kit, Have A Plan for Inclement weather!
- Get ready to plant trees and shrubs.
- Order bulbs that you will plant this fall.
- Consider adding plants to your landscape that will add beauty in the winter.
- Keep your Garden Journal up to date. Take pictures of what you grew this spring and what you have planted in the fall garden for future reference.
- Avoid pruning.
- Take stock of leftover garden seed.
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The Local Skinny! Upcoming Events At Perry Memorial Library
The official first day of autumn is still a few weeks away, but fall programs at Perry Memorial Library are getting started this week.
Youth Services Director Melody Peters said things are shaping up for a wonderful fall at the library – come on in and have some fun!
Mother Goose story time is starting back up after a short end-of-summer break, Children 0-5 are welcome to come hear a few stories, sing a few songs and get some wiggles out, Peters said Tuesday on The Local Skinny!
Before children can read the words on a page, Peters said, they really need to hear the stories read to them.
Children pay attention to the voices as the stories are read aloud, she noted. All the senses are firing in a child’s first two years, so she takes care to choose books that are visually appealing written by diverse authors.
“It’s a fast, full 30 minutes,” Peters said of the weekly story time. “We’re not sitting still for this…we’re goint to have that song and move their bodies,” she said. They “practice” sitting while the stories are being read, but other than that, there’s a good bit of activity.
The story time uses themes and the first one is “On the Farm,” followed by “Apples” and “Fall.”
Story Time is all about “quality, not necessarily quantity,” she said. “You want to leave them wanting more.”
Speaking of more, that’s exactly what teens in grades 6-12 are getting in this season’s Life Hack series, Peters said. To kick things off, there’s STEM gaming fun in the Maker Space in September. From using the popular Wii system to learning about robots, tweens and teens can come together and just get used to coming to the library and using the creative space.
In October, they’ll have a chance to learn about electricity and actually have some hands-on learning by making electric circuits. Peters found a grant to purchase some kits filled with dozens of projects for the teens to learn with.
In November, a local bank representative is going to navigate youth through the ins and outs of personal finance. Although it’s pretty simple to wave your phone in front of a device to pay for something, the time will come when young people will need to be a little more tuned in to paycheck information, bank deposits and checking accounts.
Visit https://www.perrylibrary.org/ to learn about all the programs and services available for children and grownups alike.
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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.
Click Play!
The Local Skinny! Gain Computer Skills At VGCC Franklin Campus Training Hub
Vance-Granville Community College, in partnership with a Wake Forest company, has opened up a computer hub at its Franklin Campus to improve the community’s access to technology.
Not only will DigitalBridge provide classes to help individuals learn how to use technology, but the hub is a place where people can come in a get a document printed, for example.
Stephanie Tolbert, VGCC dean of Business, Applied Technologies and Public Services, said the training hub addresses three challenges underserved communities face when it comes to using technology: connectivitiy, affordability and workforce skills training.
The hub is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at the Franklin Campus, located at 8100 Hwy 56 just outside of Louisburg. Additional times and days are available by appointment, Tolbert noted during Monday’s TownTalk.
They had a ribbon-cutting recently and have placed signs outside and in to direct people to the hub.
“We are ready, willing and able to help,” Tolbert said. “Just come to Franklin Campus and walk right into the lab.”
Let’s say you received a document via email, but you need help printing it, Tolbert said. Stop by the hub and get help making a copy. Or say you want to add a certain technology certification to boost your resume – there are more than 130 courses available in a self-paced format, Erica Hixon said.
And it’s all provided at no cost to the participant, Hixon, DigitalBridge’s project lead, said.
The information is all tailored to the individual, depending on goals and skill levels, Hixon said.
“Training is offered in-person or remote,” she added, with career coaches available to guide their efforts.
Whether it’s learning how to print a document, complete an online application all the way up to learning to write computer code, there’s something for everyone. A simple assessment will help target skill levels, so students won’t have to sit through learning information they already know.
It’s all about helping people get jobs, or get better jobs, while they’re gaining confidence with using technology.
“DigitalBridge is an initiative that serves to meet people where they are,” said VGCC Public Information Officer Courtney Cissel.
The idea for the training hub began when VGCC President Dr. Rachel Desmarais was at a national community college conference on entrepreneurship, Tolbert said. Once Desmarais learned about the Wake Forest group, the links were established and the training hub is the result.
“We had to go all the way to a conference to be introduced to someone in our own backyard,” Tolbert said. Desmarais recognized the need for the community, she said, adding that it’s not just a good partnership for the institution, but also for the community.
Learn about all the services the hub can provide by visiting https://mydigitalbridge.org/ or by calling 919.246.5700.
Cooperative Extension With Wayne Rowland: Timber Sale Agreements
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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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.
Click Play!
Interim County Manager Explains Details Of Fire Study Process
Vance County Interim County Manager Scott Elliott has a unique vantage point as plans for the county’s fire services study makes their way from start to finish.
In his role as county manager, he’s responsible for providing guidance and support to county commissioners – the board voted to conduct the study – while making sure that the paid fire personnel are doing their job – he’s their boss, after all.
Elliott spoke to WIZS News Wednesday afternoon and acknowledged the fire services study has been the topic of some discussion in the community.
“It’s an issue that people are passionate about and have feelings about,” Elliott said.
Commissioners had discussion – rather heated at times – during their meeting last week, about whether the public safety committee should have oversight of the fire study.
Elliott recommended that this should be a matter for the full board, but most commissioners did not see it that way – the vote was 4-3 to have the public safety committee, the fire commission oversee the project, with Elliott’s input.
“They’re the decision makers at the end of the day,” he said, “We have to respect that.”
He said, however, that he and county staff have the responsibility of guiding the commission and leading them along the right path.
The path to a completed fire study is expected to take consultants AP Triton about four months to complete.
Elliott said he asked Vance County Fire Chief Chris Wright to direct any questions from the media to the county manager’s office instead of fielding the inquiries himself. That way, Elliott said, Wright can “focus on providing fire services he currently has on his plate.”
“Until we have results of fire study, we thought it’d be better … to not have county staff taking positions on things when we don’t know what the outcome of the study will be,” Elliott noted. Even once the recommendations are submitted to the full board, Elliott said there’s no way to know now if commissioners will implement them.
There are a lot of questions swirling around about what the fire services study will bring forth, but Elliott said he’s confident that it will be a comprehensive study of the existing system – including the Golden Belt Fire District and all the volunteer districts across the county.
“It shouldn’t be a complicated study or analysis,” he said. “They’re to give us their professional analysis of our system…and how to make it better.”