Tag Archive for: #wizsnews

The Local Skinny! Timberlake Keeps An Eye On The Lake

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For more than 10 years now, Frank Timberlake has been keeping an eye on Kerr Lake parks and camping areas. And he says there are some spots that haven’t changed since he was a kid.

For some, that may seem like good news. But Timberlake said he and others in Kerr Lake Park Watch don’t see it that way.

Timberlake and others formed Kerr Lake Park Watch in 2010 as a way to monitor and support improvements in the park facilities on Kerr Lake. Their online presence includes a webpage and a Facebook page where campers and other park users can read reviews or reactions to what’s happening – or not happening – at the various campsites around the lake.

From the online booking surcharges that campers pay when they reserve a campsite to the physical layout of the sites, Timberlake and the group have opinions.

He spoke with John C. Rose on Thursday’s The Local Skinny! segment and acknowledged that some would consider him a “feather ruffler” when it comes to the lake’s camping areas.

“We want to protect, promote and improve the parks,” Timberlake said. Although there are still some tent campers who visit, more visitors bring their RVs. Those vehicles require a relatively flat surface for parking, so when you have campsites, with as much as a 20-degree slant, it’s a challenge for RVers.

When COVID-19 was in full swing, all the trashcans were removed from the camp areas, which Timberlake said created significant cost savings. But none of that came back to the campgrounds, he said.

And there are several openings for rangers across the system of camp areas, which Timberlake said makes it difficult for campers to get information they need when they’re out at the lake.

“We need to get staffed up here,” Timberlake said of the ranger positions. “Rangers should be sitting at that entrance station, focused on customer service. They need to be there in the parks, not riding the roads.

He said he’s personally shown first-time visitors to their campsite because there was no one else around to help.

Help is all he and his group want to do, he said. Help others enjoy the lake and its recreational opportunities, while “improving a place that is wonderful…to protect it and improve it.”

Visit http://kerrlakeparkwatch.org/home/ or find the group on Facebook.

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TownTalk: Shriners To Hold 58th Annual Fish Fry

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It’s not too soon to think about the upcoming Shriners Fish Fry, which will take place on Wednesday, May 18.

This is the 58th fish fry and local Shriner Donald C. Seifert spoke with John C. Rose on Thursday’s Town Talk about how the event has evolved over those almost six decades as it continues to raise money for local causes as well as for Shriner’s Children’s Hospitals.

The annual event has been held in numerous spots over the years, many of them at the old Henderson Armory. Patrons had a chance to eat in or take out, as well as visit with friends from across the community.

“It’s been reshaped a bit over the last several years,” Seifert said. The fish fry is held at what he called “the Slaughter building,” located between Mako Medical and Serv Pro on Industry Drive.

Local Shriner Sherby Slaughter provides the site for the fish fry, and Seifert said last year’s take-out option proved successful.

“We just don’t have the space inside to serve patrons,” he said, “and we miss that. We do have the drive-thru set up and it’s worked well.”

Lots of planning goes into the annual fundraiser, well in advance of the event date, which traditionally is the third Wednesday in May. The gates open at 11 a.m. and the goal is to sell about 2,000 plates by the time the fish fry is over about suppertime.

Thanks to some coordination with the nearby Salvation Army, Seifert said there should be no problems with having enough fish. “The Salvation Army has agreed to let us have some reserve product in their kitchen,” he said. “If we start to run low, we’ll have easy access and have plenty of fish.”

Like many organizations, the Shrine Club isn’t as large as it once was, and members rely on volunteers to help keep things rolling on fish fry day, whether it’s delivering plates of 10 or more to area businesses or cooking and packing the food into containers, volunteers play a key role, for which Seifert says his fellow Shriners are grateful.

“My hat’s off to our volunteers,” he said.

The fish fry is a highlight of the club’s year, and its proceeds help support local causes like First Responders and >> as well as the children’s hospitals that the Shriners are associated with.

“There are so many good causes around, especially local causes that we feel like we’d like to help,” Seifert said. “Of course, the hospitals get a nice donation…but we try to share as best we can.”

Tickets are $10, but you don’t have to have a ticket in advance – just follow the line of traffic out to Industry Drive, pull in, pick up a plate and get a great big “Thank You” from a Shriner.

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Cooperative Extension with Jamon Glover: Tools For Parents

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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.

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Warren Announces New Community Services Hire, Will Serve As Recreation Director

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The Warren County Board of Commissioners voted to approve the appointment of Bonnie Fitz as the new assistant director of community services.

Fitz is scheduled to begin work on May 16, 2022, according to a press release from Charla Duncan, senior assistant to County Manager Vincent Jones and the community & economic development director. Fitz’s primary role will be to serve as the county’s recreation director. Her annual salary will be $71,500.

Fitz brings more than 20 years of experience in the parks and recreation industry to her new role in Warren County. Most recently, Fitz was the parks and recreation manager for York County, Virginia. Her recreation background spans multiple local government organizations in South Carolina and Fitz has received multiple awards in her past roles, including the National Association of Counties Parks and Recreation Achievement Award in 2019 and 2020 in her role with York County.

“We are excited to diversify and grow our recreation programming,” said Commissioner Victor Hunt, who serves on the Parks and Recreation Commission. “We are confident Ms. Fitz will take us in the right direction.”

TownTalk: Powerful Tools For Caregivers

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Providing care to family members when they need it for a short-term recovery period is one thing, but being a caregiver for someone with a chronic health condition requires stamina and patience, with a generous done of humor thrown in for good measure.

And although caregivers can be really good at making sure they’re doing the very best for those in their care,  they may not be so great at taking care of their own needs. But a class offered through the Kerr-Tar Area Agency on Aging may be just the thing to help caregivers take those all-important steps to learn how to be good to themselves, too.

Powerful Tools for Caregivers is a six-week course offered via Zoom for caregivers to learn about self-care as they also learn about resources available in the community, said Susan Tucker, an administrative assistant at KTCOG who also has provided care to a family member. The class begins Tuesday, May 17 and continues on Tuesdays through June 21. The class is from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Tucker told John C. Rose on Wednesday’s Town Talk that she was unprepared for her role as a caregiver to her mother back in 2016. When she took this course she said she learned how to “not just survive, but to thrive as a caregiver.”

So much so, in fact, that she became an instructor for the course.

Michael Patterson, KTCOG’s family caregiver specialist, also is a course instructor. “It’s a six-week opportunity to learn not only about caregiving but to learn about themselves,” Patterson said. The course is designed for those who are actively caring for an aging adult. Each session builds on the previous session, so it’s important to try to carve out that 90 minutes each week to log in and participate, Tucker said.

In fact, that’s an important point for caregivers to remember, Tucker and Patterson said – making time to do things just for yourself. It’s not selfish; rather, it’s necessary to maintain a semblance of balance between daily life and being a caregiver.

Burnout is a real issue among caregivers, Patterson said. “It’s impossible to pour from an empty cup,” he said.

The class will help caregivers learn how to manage emotions, reduce stress and cope with the issues and demands that go along with providing care to someone with a chronic condition.

John and Linda Sigmon took the class and they said it helped them with feelings of being overwhelmed and frustrated while caring for a loved one.

“You’re fighting not only the disease but your inability to deal with it,” John said, adding that the course increased his understanding and helped him manage his emotions so he didn’t “get totally wiped out.”

Linda said she looked forward to the 90-minute sessions as “a little oasis of time” in her week, during which she learned things that she could adapt and apply to her own situation.

John said he found the instructors to be humorous and witty, but also compassionate. “They’ve been there, too,” he said; the class instructors also have been caregivers themselves, he said.

Patterson said the class teaches breathing techniques and meditation, as well as understanding emotional triggers.

“They learn what ways they can make a difference in their daily living to improve themselves – which will improve them as caregivers,” he added.

To register for the class, contact Tucker at 252.436.2040. Visit https://www.kerrtarcog.org/ to find more information.

 

 

Home And Garden Show 05-04-22

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

  • Select vegetable varieties that have disease resistance. Ex Celebrity, Early Girl Tomatoes
  • Use heavy duty chemical resistant gloves any time you handle or apply pesticides.
  • If you have weeds in your pond bring Cooperative Extension a sample we can identify the weeds and suggest how to control those pond weeds ex Duckweed, Water Meal.
  • Find out the full grown size of any trees or shrubs you plant and make sure they have room to reach that size.
  • Try electric fence if wildlife are eating your garden.
  • Shrubs with significant dieback will rarely recover to an attractive form. Consider replacing them with a different species of plant.
  • Vegetable gardens need at least 1 inch of rain or irrigation per week.
  • Be cautious with herbicides that provide long term control, as they can damage trees and shrubs through root uptake.

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The Local Skinny! ‘Step Back In Time’ Event Planned For May 14

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The Franklin County Historic Preservation Commission invites you to “Step Back in Time” at the historic Hudson Manor in Louisburg on Saturday, May 14 for a day filled with activities, food trucks and fun for the entire family – all for a good cause.

Hudson Manor owner Melissa Cogliati is teaming up with the county historic preservation commission to raise money to publish a book documenting the historic architecture of Franklin County, according to commission Chair Bill Harris. Harris, usually the person asking the questions as he interviews guests on WIZS, was the person providing the information on Tuesday’s The Local Skinny! segment with John C. Rose.

“We hope it’s going to be a great event,” Harris said, adding that there is a lot of excitement gathering in the area as the date approaches.

The event will run from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Harris said, and will give folks a chance to see a variety of antique tractors and other vehicles – including “Maude,” a lovingly restored antique fire truck that served Louisburg for many years.

Bring a lawn chair to relax in while you enjoy traditional bluegrass music performed by Shannon Baker and Sometime Soon and the Birdsong Bluegrass Band; The Baldwin Storytellers also will be on hand to weave stories of years gone by.

A tractor-powered grist mill will be on hand for demonstrations, as well as various artisans and craftspeople who will share everything from doll making to wool spinning. Local historian and historical reenactor Mark Pace will be present as John Penn, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.

Members of the Haliwa-Saponi tribe will demonstrate native dances and there will be a silent auction of antique items as well, Harris said. And Tim Fisher of Franklin County’s Portis Gold Mine will have a panning sluice on the grounds for those who may wish to try their hand at panning for gold.

The organizers have worked hard to create a day filled with interesting activities and Harris said the ultimate goal is to get the book published. In 2017, Franklin County underwent a census of sorts to document the historic architecture throughout the county. Harris said the culmination of this inventory is the publication of the book, which will be chock full of information, photos and more to chronicle the county’s history.

And the book also will include the names of anyone who makes a donation of $100 or more.

Public libraries in Louisburg and Oxford have informational brochures about the work of the commission, and also will be available at Hudson Manor on May 14.

Anyone interested in participating in the program should contact Melissa Cogliati at 919.219.9139.

Hudson Manor is located at 908 Moulton Rd., Louisburg. To learn more about the venue and the event, visit https://www.thehudsonmanor.com/special-events.

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One Drug Arrest Made In Julia Avenue Investigation On April 29

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A local woman was arrested late last week on drug charges, according to Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame.

The Vance County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance provided by the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation, executed a search warrant at the residence of Ruby Cooper, 2006 Julia Ave., Henderson. The warrant was served shortly before 6:00 pm.

The warrant, served just before 6 p.m. on Friday, Apr. 29, was issued as part of an ongoing investigation into illegal drug sales in and around the Julia Avenue area, Brame said in a press statement that WIZS News received today (Tuesday).

Cooper, 56, was arrested and faces charges of possession with intent to sell and deliver heroin and cocaine, felony possession of heroin and cocaine and one felony count of  maintaining a dwelling which was resorted to by persons both using and selling controlled substances, according to the press statement.

Members of the Vance County Sheriff’s Office “located and seized approximately 110 dosage units of heroin, a Schedule 1 controlled substance, approximately 35 dosage units of cocaine base, a Schedule 2 controlled substance and an additional 6.5 grams of cocaine base,” the statement read.  Various other items, including money, also were located and seized.

 Brame said more arrests are anticipated related to this investigation.

No information was available on whether a bond was set or whether the suspect remains in custody.