Cooperative Extension with Wayne Rowland: Goat Facilities
Listen live at 100.1 FM / 1450 AM / or on the live stream at WIZS.com at 11:50 a.m. Mon, Tues & Thurs.
Listen live at 100.1 FM / 1450 AM / or on the live stream at WIZS.com at 11:50 a.m. Mon, Tues & Thurs.
A case of shingles can really get on your nerves – literally. The viral infection causes a painful skin rash and accompanying nerve pain that can linger long after the rash has cleared up.
The shingles is associated with the childhood disease varicella, commonly called chickenpox.
Contracting the chickenpox as a 5- or 6-year-old was common and not seen as a big deal, as far as childhood diseases go.
But about 30 years ago, a vaccine was introduced to eliminate or greatly reduce the severity of the chickenpox in young children.
Shingles is not contagious, but it can be transmitted to someone who has not had chickenpox or who hasn’t had the vaccine against chickenpox, according to information on the CDC website.
Shingles is caused by varicella zoster virus, which is the same virus that causes chickenpox. It lies dormant and then reactivates – sometimes triggered by stress – and usually affects older adults or people with weak immune systems. The rash typically appears on one side of the face or body and lasts two to four weeks. But lingering effects of nerve pain, which can feel like tingling or that pins-and-needles feeling can last longer than the rash.
Thankfully, most people only have a single episode during their lifetime, but it is possible to have shingles more than once. The risk of spreading VZV to others is low if you cover the shingles rash. People with shingles cannot spread the virus before their rash blisters appear or after the rash crusts.
People with chickenpox are more likely to spread VZV than people with shingles.
Consult your health professional or primary care provider to learn whether you should get the shingles vaccine. The vaccine is recommended for healthy adults over 50.
Listen live at 100.1 FM / 1450 AM / or on the live stream at WIZS.com at 11:50 a.m. Mon, Tues & Thurs.
We’re almost one week into the New Year, but already in 2022, North Carolina weather is living up to its reputation of having a little something for everyone. Love milder temps in winter? Check. The high in Henderson was 75 on Jan. 1.
Prefer to have some snow in the forecast to make it feel like it supposed to feel this time of year? Check. A wet snow fell fast and heavy on Monday in the area, but it went as quickly as it came.
Jonathan Blaes with the National Weather Service says that this could be a pattern we can expect, at least for the next couple of weeks.
“It was a really neat storm,” the meteorologist said of the short-lived event that blanketed the area Monday.
Blaes said the dynamic storm system brought a bit of everything to the state, from high winds and at least one tornado in Harnett County and up to several inches of snow near the Virginia border. “A vigorous front will come through tonight (Thursday), and tomorrow will be a crazy windy, blustery day,” he said.
It’ll turn cold behind the next front, too, so it will feel like winter for the next week or so.
If you’re a snow lover, and the next 10 days or two weeks doesn’t do it for you, take heart, Blaes said. Historically, late January brings with it the chance of more wet snow.
From what he and his fellow meteorologists can tell so far from studying global weather patterns, it’s possible that over the next couple of weeks the area could have additional snowfall.
“It’s certainly going to be close enough so if a storm tracks close enough (to the area), we could get some snow.”
The messy mix of precipitation – rain, freezing rain, sleet, snow and then back to rain – is what this area is used to seeing. Meteorologists classify this type of storm as a “Miller A,” which indicates that the storm moves as a single low front tracking from the south. This week’s storm wasn’t a classic Miller A, Blaes said, but the area did see a changeover from rain to snow, back to rain before skies cleared and the sun reappeared.
“If you’re in the right spot, you’ll get clobbered,” from such a storm, like the areas around Washington, DC where almost a foot of snow fell and motorists were stranded overnight on I-95 near Fredericksburg, VA.
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On the Home and Garden Show with Vance Co. Cooperative Ext.
It’s no secret around WIZS that our Trey Snide likes to eat. So when we decided that a new segment of the Local Skinny was to be called “Vance Eats” the natural choice for a host was Trey Snide. Vance Eats had it’s inaugural segment with chicken wings from Yikky Wingz. Owner William Flye supplied Trey with five different types of wings. These included hot lemon pepper, jazzy honey mustard, Yikky buffalo, Yikky gold and garlic parmesan. Fresh carrots, celery and ranch dressing were also a part of the wings plate. “They blew up on social media,” Snide said of Yikky Wingz on the program today. They season and prep each item and, according to the Yikky Wingz Facebook page, the trick to their delicious wings is the secret sauce.
In addition to wings, Yikky Wingz has deep fried pineapple, chicken tenders, gizzards and more. Yikky Wingz is located in the Citgo Service Station at 1208 Andrews Ave. across from Biddie’s Grill. They are open Monday through Saturday 12noon to 8pm.
To check out their entire menu visit their Facebook page. In coming weeks Trey will be sampling many different restaurants around the area both large and small. Vance Eats can be heard as part of the Local Skinny! on WIZS. The Local Skinny airs Monday through Thursday at 11:30am on WIZS 1450AM, 100.1FM and online at wizs.com.
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 Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce continues to work to bind the business community and the community at large together through human resource efforts, economic development efforts and through its own participation.
When an entity like a chamber can boast that only a handful of its board members ever miss meetings, it provides evidence to others outside, who are looking in, that the organization believes in itself.
Upcoming, the H-V Chamber will present its membership meeting and banquet, in person, at Vance-Granville Community College. The latest edition of “Envision Vance” will soon be published. And opportunities continue for businesses and individuals to involve themselves with an evolving, growing and relevant chamber of commerce.
Board Chairman Ronald Bennett told The Local Skinny! broadcast Tuesday at 11 a.m. on WIZS that the theme for the chamber this year is “A Year of Community.” He said, “A community made up of businesses, which is our main focus, but also made up of local city, county government, our educational partners, our healthcare partners, nonprofit organizations, our churches, law enforcement, fire, rescue, EMT, first responders and everyone that makes up our community.”
The priority, he said, is to be relevant to members and to “add value to them to help grow their businesses and organizations and connect with our partners.” The goal is to grow the entire community. He said, “Grow, Connect, Prosper. Three words found in the new Chamber logo that we feel are so important as we move forward.”
Chamber President Michele Burgess praised the board of directors and said she was really proud of the “inclusion and diversity that we share on our Chamber board.” She said, “When our nominating committee gets together, we’re very cognizant of that need, and we want it to reflect our community and our business community … and I am just excited about the degree of leadership that we have.”
Burgess explained how the chamber was growing, especially over the last five years. She said, “We have really built up our chamber, our influence, our leadership, and just our involvement from the board.”
The Chamber will celebrate and have its meeting and banquet at VGCC on January 27. Invitations are out to member businesses by email at this time. The deadline to nominate a citizen for the Citizen of the Year Award has been extended to this Friday, Jan. 7. Call 252.438.8414 or email michele@hendersonvance.org to get a nomination form.
The Chamber will soon celebrate having the latest edition of “Envision Vance” as well. Burgess said, “Our Envision Vance magazine is a tool for recruitment of industry, new business, small business, doctors, lawyers, new teachers.” It also features a business directory and is a great resource.
Bennett pointed out a new feature of the Chamber that Burgess added in 2021 – the human resource council. Bennett said it works with all local businesses. “Everyone has an opportunity to be a part of that and come to the table and talk about what we do to improve our workforce, what we can do through Vance Granville and through our schools to prepare our workforce more as we go into 2022 and beyond. So, you know, the HR council is just a great way to get involved,” Bennett said.
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The Henderson Police Department could have a new tool in its complement of resources to help law enforcement officers as they work to keep the community – and themselves – safe. Chief Marcus Barrow said the remote-control robot would be something that other agencies in the region would be able to use, too.
He and the department are always looking for new tools to help mitigate situations, and when he saw a grant opportunity to pay for it, he applied. “So far, everything’s looking good,” he said. If all goes according to plan, Barrow said the robot could be ready for use in early spring 2023.
The grant, from the Governor’s Crime Commission, would cover $24,500 of the $25,500 price tag for the Vantage robot, which has climbing capability, a camera that can live-stream and an arm that can manipulate objects. If the department is awarded the grant, the city would have to find the additional $1,000.
Its most practical use, Barrow said, probably would be in a hazardous materials situation. “We take hazmat courses every year,” he said, “and we’re warned about the stuff that travels up and down I-85 and in our city.” Having a robot that could be sent close a wreck scene, for example, would help keep officers from being exposed to harmful materials.
With any other piece of equipment, the timeline would involve training and getting handlers used to how the robot works. “I would like it to be here and deployable as quickly as possible,” Barrow said, adding that it would be an added benefit to other agencies in the region, not just for the city’s use. He said once multiple people are trained on using it, the robot would be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
Technology increasingly plays a role in the work of law enforcement, and Barrow said a recent grant for body-worn cameras was awarded to the department. But it’s a 50 percent match, and now he’ll be looking for that match. It’s a big expenditure, and Barrow said he “didn’t feel our local citizens should foot that bill” for the entire amount. But with matching grant funds identified, he said the body cameras may be something on the horizon for local police officers, and he added that he planned to go before the city council shortly to request those matching funds.
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Michael Lassiter has been working at Bullock’s Engraving for 34 years. That’s a long time and it’s even more impressive when one considers that Lassister is only 42 years old. That means he started with the business when he was 8 years old.
Ron and Grace Bullock started the business in 1973 and were located for many years in the Henderson Mall. Lassiter’s dad worked for the mall and that meant the younger Lassiter spent a lot of time there. Additionally, the Bullocks were Michael’s God Parents. “I was always in the store anyway,” Lassiter said on Monday’s Local Skinny! program. He apprenticed under Ron Bullock for many years learning all he could about engraving and the business.
He now owns the business but Grace Bullock can still frequently be found at the business lending a hand as needed. Lassiter says that all engraving is done on site and includes engravable gifts, awards and more. If it can be engraved, Lassiter says they can do it.
While there may be other businesses that do engraving work in the area, Lassiter says none have been around as long as Bullock’s. The business has had three locations over its 49 years: The Henderson Mall, Corbitt Hills, which is where B B & T is now located and Corbitt Depot at 1630 Parham Street.
Lassiter says the moves have been the toughest part of his 34 years. “Most people think you’ve gone out of business,” Lassister said when the store has moved. They’ve now been at the Corbitt Depot for about 17 years and he plans on keeping the store in its current location for as long as possible. “Henderson has potential,” Lassiter said.
Bullock’s Engraving has a showroom that is open Tuesday through Friday from 10am to 4:30pm and at other times by appointment. The phone number is 252-492-7011, and they are on Facebook at facebook.com/BullocksEngraving and the web at www.bullocksengraving.com.
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