Wally Decker
Friday News for June 30, 2023
Widespread HAZE: ‘Code Orange Air Quality Action Day for the Piedmont Triad
Summer Safety Tips
Keep hydrated. Drink plenty of fluids (water is BEST)
Stay out of the sun during the hottest part of the day.
Reminder: Never leave young children and pets unattended in vehicles
Paw alert: Keep pets off of ‘hot surfaces’ during extreme heat.
Protect your skin while outside this summer.
Apply sunscreen 15 to 30 minutes BEFORE you go outside. *Re-apply every two hours.
Sunscreen 101 – EWG Healthy Living App
Find out more about a cool APP that compares sunscreens (and much more)
Source: Environmental Workers Group https://www.ewg.org/sunscreen/
Buc-EEs coming to Mebane? Buc-ee’s has filed a preliminary site plan with the town of Mebane – to build a 75,000-square-foot ‘travel plaza’ on 32 plus acres along I-40 / 85 in Alamance county. The plan has to come before the planning board and city council- if or when approved. Buc-ee’s, headquartered in Jackson, Texas, is a bigger than life convenience store with up to 120 gas pumps. https://alamancenews.com/buc-ees-eyes-mebane-for-first-n-c-location/
A Lowe’s Home Improvement Outlet Store is now open in Greensboro.
The Lowe’s Outlet Store carries dented or scratched appliances, discontinued and out-of-season items (up to 75% savings) normally carried in traditional Lowe’s Home Improvement centers. The outlet store – the first in North Carolina – is located at the former SteinMart location in Brassfield Shopping Center in Greensboro. www.journalnow.com
Do you enjoy the sound of birds chirping outside your window? You’re not alone.
A recent study confirms that ‘seeing and hearing birds chirping’ is associated with an improvement in mental well-being – that can last up to eight hours.
The results published in Scientific Reports found that it (also) improved the mental well-being of people struggling with depression.
Utility alert from the City of Winston-Salem…
Online and phone bill payment options (to pay your water bill) will be temporarily unavailable from late this afternoon until midday on Saturday, July 1.
To make a payment during this time, you may use the 24-hour drop box at the side door of the Stuart Building. https://www.cityofws.org/AlertCenter.aspx?AID=1257
Major Re-Paving Project in Downtown Winston-Salem.
Portions of Fourth Street are CLOSED between Liberty and Broad Streets over the next 2 weeks (weather permitting). Detours will be posted.
Fifth Street will be closed in two phases beginning July 10: from Research Parkway to Broad Street. https://www.cityofws.org/3411/Downtown-Street-Repaving
New ‘pro-life’ laws to go in effect July 1st.
Governor Roy Cooper signed into law significant changes to the state’s recently passed 12-week abortion ban, just hours before it is set to take effect this Saturday, July 01, 2023. Earlier this week, the state’s Republican-controlled legislature advanced House Bill 190 – an unrelated measure focusing on the Department of Health and Human Services – with the last-minute changes to the abortion law (Senate Bill-20).
NOTE: Cooper’s signature comes as a federal judge is considering whether to temporarily block certain parts of the new abortion law from going into effect on July 1. District Court Judge Catherine Eagles has said she will issue her ruling on the temporary restraining order by noon on Friday.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/29/politics/abortion-law-changes-north-carolina-cooper/index.html
Breaking News: US Supreme Court rulings this morning…
In one of the most anticipated decisions of its current term, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down President Biden’s sweeping ‘student debt relief plan’ that would have eliminated some or all federal student loan debt for tens of millions of Americans.
*Regardless of the court’s decision, payments are coming due for borrowers. Student loan interest begins accruing on Sept. 1 and payments resume in October.
The U.S. Supreme Court: A Colorado graphic designer who wants to make wedding websites does not have to create them for same-sex marriages, in a landmark decision for First Amendment rights. In a 6-3 decision issued Friday, the high court ruled in favor of artist Lorie Smith, who sued the state over its anti-discrimination law that prohibited businesses providing sales or other accommodations to the public from denying service based on a customer’s sexual orientation.
US Supreme Court rulings from Thursday…
The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld protections for workers who ask for religious accommodations, basing its ruling on the case of a Christian mailman in Pennsylvania who requested NOT to work on Sundays due to his religious convictions. In a unanimous decision, the justices made clear that workers who ask for accommodations, such as taking the Sabbath off, should get them unless their employers show that doing so would result in “substantial increased costs” to the business. www2.cbn.com/news/us/landmark-victory-supreme-court-backs-religious-workers-case-christian-mailman
The Supreme Court also ruled against affirmative action in college admissions on Thursday, saying race cannot be used to decide which students are admitted and which ones are denied access. In a 6-3 decision, the court overturned admissions plans at Harvard and the University of North Carolina.
Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the majority saying that the two programs violate the U.S. Constitution’s equal protection clause.
https://www2.cbn.com/news/us/supreme-court-deals-big-blow-race-based-college-admissions
