Tag Archive for: #thelocalskinny

Perry Memorial Library

The Local Skinny! Events At Perry Memorial Library

/by

Summertime is all about taking a little break from routines and schedules and doing something a little bit out of the ordinary – shake things up a bit.

But not too much.

With that in mind, Perry Memorial Library Youth Services Director Melody Peters has a little something for everyone, which includes regularly scheduled events like Lego Fun Club and Mother Goose Story Time, with a few off-site events thrown in for good measure.

On Wednesday, Aug. 7, Story Time will be held for the first time at the Vance County Regional Farmers Market, Peters said on Tuesday’s segment of The Local Skinny!

The month of August is when activities at the library take a hiatus, giving staff a chance to continue planning for fall.

“We’re using that opportunity so we can go out into the community,” Peters said.

The Story Time coincides with National Farmers Market Week, so naturally the theme is going to be Fruits and Vegetables. Story Time starts at 10 a.m.

But that’s not the only off-site event that library staff have planned. On Thursday, Aug. 1, bring the kids out to Satterwhite Point for a special Story Time, complete with popsicles! Park rangers will be on hand to talk about their jobs and to share details about the park’s wildlife. This event begins at 11 a.m.

“We’re hoping to do it outside like we did last year,” Peters said, but the Glass House will be the Plan B in case of rain. The park is located at 6254 Satterwhite Point Rd.

Visit www.perrylibrary.org to learn about all the programs this summer at Perry Memorial Library.

CLICK PLAY!

Cooperative Extension With Michael Ellington: Small Meat Producing Farms

/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!

 

Coop with Jamon Glover: When Your Child Gets In Bed With You

/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!

 

Home And Garden Show

/by

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

  •  Farmer’s Market
  • Keep Hydrated in hot weather
  • Irrigation
  • Harvest vegetables early in the morning
  • Tomatoes suffering in heat
  • Soil Samples
  • Harvest vegetables daily
  • Prepare for fall gardens

Click Play!

 

The Local Skinny! Teacher Pay And State Budget

/by

Gov. Roy Cooper signed a dozen or so bills into law on Monday, a couple of which involve education and educators. At a time when most area school children – and teachers – are enjoying their summer vacations, Cooper signed into law small pay raises for educators and extended grants to keep childcare centers open at least in the short-term.

In signing Senate Bill 357, Cooper stated that the legislation “provides critical but limited grants to help keep childcare centers open for the next few months.” He said legislators need to do more for parents, businesses and children to extend the grants through 2025 by

“investing in our nationally recognized NC Pre-K and investing more in quality early childhood education. Our children’s future and our economy depend on it,” Cooper stated.

As for Senate Bill 332, Cooper said it “simply restates the small pay raises legislators already gave public school teachers last year.”

Citing North Carolina’s rank of 38 among the 50 states in teacher pay, Cooper said the legislature should be paying teachers “significantly more.” That ranking, coupled with the fact that North Carolina invests nearly $5,000 less per student than the national average, Cooper said North Carolina should spend more for teachers and students. “Our state has the resources to make meaningful investments to help our public school students and now is the time to do it.”

CLICK PLAY!

 

Cooperative Extension with Michael Ellington: Tomatoes

/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!

 

Cooperative Extension with Wayne Rowland: Spiders

/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!

 

Vance County Logo

The Local Skinny! Commissioner Balks At City’s Reimbursement Request For Displaced Families

/by

In her report to the Vance County Board of Commissioners last week, County Manager C. Renee Perry said she had received a letter from Henderson City Manager Terrell Blackmon that formally requested $22,000 to reimburse the city for money it gave to families displaced when the place they were living in was shut down back in May.

Perry, however, reminded commissioners that county funds had been used to house the families to the tune of $26,905.67. “My recommendation is …there should be an offset to the cost that the county incurred,” Perry stated during the commissioners’ July 1 regular monthly meeting.

If the city and the county were to split all costs 50/50, the city and county would each pay $22,000 for the $2,000 vouchers provided earlier by the city to the displaced families AND the city would put up $13,452.84 to take care of half of the almost $27,000 that the county incurred while the shelter was in use.

According to Perry’s calculations, 8,547.16 is the more accurate number that should be considered – $22,000 minus the $13,452.84.

The commissioners ultimately took no action at the meeting.

Commissioner Yolanda Feimster expressed concern over the request. When the incident with (Motel) 121 occurred, the county provided the shelter, and all the things that went along with it – water and electricity – not to mention portable showers, toilets and overtime pay for law enforcement officers to make sure the area was safe.

“And we were never reimbursed, not one dime,” Feimster said.

She went on to call the $2,000 payment to the families who had to spend a week in the former Eaton Johnson gym-turned emergency shelter a “band-aid” approach that would have little long-term effect.

Feimster said she was sympathetic to those who had to move out of the motel that they called home, but she expressed concern that the city is asking for reimbursement for something that the county was not first consulted about.

CLICK PLAY!

Vance Co. Regional Farmers Market

Vance County Regional Farmers Market

/by

Calvin Adcock has been a vendor at the Vance County Regional Farmers Market for 27 years. He’s set up shop on William Street, the YMCA, the old Lowe’s building and now at the market on Southpark Drive.

Manager Pat Ayscue calls Adcock a “one-man band” because he’s got “a little bit of everything that everybody wants.”

He fills his corner spot with canned tomatoes, chow-chow relish and more. Everybody comes in to see what he’s got for sale, Ayscue said during a special segment of the WIZS Home & Garden show Wednesday.

Adcock was certified to can tomatoes back in 2004, he said during the show, which was recorded at the market.

“Few tomatoes taste better than his,” Ayscue said.

Whether it’s canned tomatoes, canned green beans or freshly picked produce from other gardens from across the county, customers have their pick of anything from watermelons to eggplant now as the vendors bring a wide selection to the market on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

G & G Farms is a recent addition to the market, and Gian Jefferson said she and husband Gregory are enjoying being market vendors. They have different chicken breeds that lay all colors of eggs, Jefferson said.

Vance County Ag Agent Michael Ellington said helping new farmers get established and find their markets like the Jeffersons have is a highlight of his job.

Bob Parks of Parks’ Blackberries out on Bearpond Road brings his Natchez blackberries to the farmers market this time of year. The newer variety of blackberry ripens a little bit later, Parks said, helping to extend the season. Snack on fresh berries or bake them in a cobbler or dumpling for a super sweet treat.

Adcock, who will celebrate his 86th birthday later this month, said he thinks this farmers market is wonderful. “I appreciate it and like it – it’s really helped the community,” he said.

“Most people have got most anything here you want,” he said.

Click Play to Hear the Full Special Broadcast from the Vance County Regional Farmers Market!

Perry Memorial Library

The Local Skinny! Events At Perry Memorial Library

/by

If you grew up in Henderson and you’re of a certain age, you may have fond memories of spending summer afternoons in the children’s section of the H. Leslie Perry Memorial Library. The children’s section was in the basement, and you could either go in at ground level or climb those impressive front steps and then head down the metal stairs just beyond the main Circulation Desk.

Either way, you ended up in a cool, quiet spot and peruse books to your heart’s content.

“Cool” is about the only similarity between the old library and the new Perry Memorial Library, however.

There are still plenty of books to choose from, and the AC is a welcome relief from the recent early-summer heat, to be sure.

But chances are good that there was NEVER an obstacle course set up for children to enjoy at the old library. It’s just one of the activities that Youth Services Director Melody Peters and team have planned, all in the name of summer fun.

The obstacle course, “Adventures in Imagination,” kicked off at 4 p.m. today, and Peters said she wanted to tap into children’s different learning styles. Some kids are tactile learners and like to touch and feel things to help them learn. Kinesthetic learners are active, so there’s a place for them to crawl and jump around as they progress along the obstacle course, picking their way across a river filled with crocodiles. This is where Peters stresses the word ‘imagination’ – the crocodiles, rocks and river are made of paper, she said.

The topic moves from imagination to science for the next couple of weeks, when participants will get to do some STEM activities with N.C. Cooperative Extension staff on Tuesday, July 9 and then on July 16 a geologist from the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences is going to come talk about rocks. There will be some geodes to crack, so if your kids have never done that before, bring them to the library that day.

Family Story Time takes place on Sunday, July 28 and Peters has planned a special version of the Olympic Games for that afternoon event, complete with edible medals – think Oreos and Twizzler ropes.

Visit https://www.perrylibrary.org/ to learn about all the programs and services available at your local library.

CLICK PLAY!