Verne Hill
Friday News July 24, 2026
Today is Friday, July 24 = 5 months till Christmas Eve. That means that Saturday (July 25) = 5 months till Christmas day!!!
Today is Drive Thru Day…Cousins day…and Tell an Old Joke Day
Reminder: If your windshield wipers are on your headlights must be on. It’s state law (plus, other drivers can see you better!)
Local law enforcement is searching for an inmate who escaped THIS morning from the Forsyth Correctional Center. Raymond Warren is 35 years old; a white male, 5 feet 4 inches tall and about 160 pounds, with numerous tattoos on his neck and face. He has a Davidson County connection. Anyone with information is asked to call 911.
https://www.facebook.com/CatawbaValleyNewsAndWeather
What about all of the recent rainfall? The majority of the state is still facing drought conditions. The rain has not made up for double-digit precipitation deficits that have been building since last fall. **We are all encouraged to conserve water as the long-running drought continues to impact water reservoirs and water supplies.
Summer Blood Supplies are Extremely LOW
American Red Cross: Local blood drive for Friday. July 24…
St. Matthews Episcopal Church in Kernersville = 10:30am – 3pm
Schedule your blood donation appointment TODAY at https://www.redcrossblood.org/give.html/
Download the Red Cross Blood Donor App or call 1-800-RED CROSS
The Carolina Panthers have lost outside linebacker Nic Scourton for the season due to a torn ACL on the first day of training camp on Thursday.
https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nc/triad/news
All flags remain at half-staff through sundown today to honor 1st Lt. Tyler Feehan and Sgt. Michael Swinton, two Fort Bragg soldiers who died recently while serving on active duty in the Middle East. Continue to pray for their families.
May their memories be a Blessing to all that knew them.
Today is Drive Thru Day (celebrating the convenience of any drive thru).
When it comes to fast food drive thru…
Taco Bell is the fastest drive-thru in the country for the 5th consecutive year, with an average service time of 257 seconds (about 4.3 minutes), per QSR Intouch Insight’s 2025 Drive-Thru Study. *KFC and Tim Hortons follow closely behind.
The annual report shows that while speed matters, Chick-fil-A and Dutch Bros were tops for customer satisfaction and friendliness!
https://www.aol.com/articles/chain-fastest-drive-thru-america-100100781.html
Join WBFJ…
Back-to-School ‘Fun Fest’ this Saturday 10am – 1pm at Unity Baptist Church
(145 Fishel Road in Winston-Salem)
FREE school supplies while they last…Free vision screening
Free food (Hotdogs, Lemonade and Freeze Pops).
Family fun time! Look for the WBFJ Mobile Music Machine.
Vote for 5. Five, 12-foot-tall yellow dandelion bouquet sculptures (similar to the bouquet on the Church Street bridge over Salem Parkway in downtown Winston-Salem) will be placed in neighborhoods across the city. The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Public Art Commission (PAC) needs your help selecting the five locations where the bouquet sculptures will be installed. From the seven options, choose your top five locations
Voting Friday! https://www.cityofws.org/3686/Dandelions
Cyclospora cases in North Carolina have risen to more than 500 statewide as the cause of the growing outbreak still remains a mystery (as of Monday, July 20).
State health officials hosted a virtual media briefing earlier in the week.
Fact: Cyclospora does not spread person-to-person.
Fact: Simple tap water rinsing, alcohol-based hand sanitizers, and standard chlorine washes do not reliably kill or remove Cyclospora spores.
Detailed information from the State Health Department in Raleigh on the News Blog.
https://www.dph.ncdhhs.gov/blog/2026/07/14/cyclosporiasis-north-carolina-what-it-and-how-stay-safe
Top safety tips: https://www.wxii12.com/article/what-kills-cyclospora-produce-safety/73193208
Twin XL Bed sheets need. Please drop off new Twin XL sheet sets at the Salvation Army’s Center of Hope Family Shelter on N Trade Street in downtown Winston-Salem.
(Monday – Friday between the hours of 8:30am – 4:30pm)
*This is their donation item for the month of July.
Gas prices have jumped to over $4 dollars a gallon for that nationwide average. https://apnews.com/article/gas-prices-iran-war-4-gallon-4b82825734ec3ded192351e53a4be69e
AAA: Statewide average for a gallon of regular unleaded = $3.81 (Fri)
https://gasprices.aaa.com/?state=NC
Regal Summer Movie Express. Enjoy family friendly movies for just $1 dollar at participating Regal Cinema locations Tuesdays and Wednesdays thru Aug 6. www.regmovies.com/promotions
Come tour the new Forsyth County Cooperative Extension facility in Tobaccoville.
Open House planned for this Tuesday (July 28) from 10am – 1pm.
No registration necessary. https://forsyth.ces.ncsu.edu/news/forsyth-county-open-house/
Headline of the week…
‘Cut the number of choices you make each day. Your brain will thank you’
Experts suggest that we become paralyzed by too many choices…
