Verne Hill
Monday News for December 15, 2025
6 days till Winter: Winter Solstice falls on Sunday (Dec 21), the shortest day of the year.
10 days till Christmas day
Today (Dec 15) is Gingerbread Latte day, Cupcake day, Herding cats day…
Today is ‘Bill of Rights’ Day
There have been 27 amendments to the US Constitution, beginning with the Bill of Rights – the first 10 amendments – ratified December 15, 1791. The Bill of Rights guarantee fundamental individual rights like free speech, religion, and due process.
https://constitutioncenter.org/education/classroom-resources-by-topic/bill-of-rights-overview
Temperatures in the teens this morning from Asheville to Wilmington!?!
Below normal temperatures through Tuesday…
Bundle up: Wear extra layers of clothing when going outside.
Home: Keep portable heaters at least 3 feet away from furniture and drapes.
Pets: Good rule of thumb: “If it’s too cold for you, it’s too cold for them”.
Safety Tip: With bitter cold temperatures, many of us are using small space heaters.
If so, DO NOT plug them into a power strip. Multi-plug power strips are not designed to handle the energy load of a space heater and can overheat – causing a fire hazard https://www.weather.gov/rnk/NCWinterWxPreparedness2024
American Red Cross: Local blood drive for Monday (Dec 15)…
Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist (Internal Medicine)
Westchester Drive in High Point = 10 – 2:30pm
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
2-Hour Delay this morning for Randolph County and Asheboro City schools
*North Stokes High School, Piney Grove Middle School, Germanton Elementary and Stokes County CLOSED today after a power outage.
Reminder: Holiday Shipping Dates (recommended deadlines to arrive by Dec 25)
First-Class Mail – this Wednesday (DEC 17)
Priority Mail – this Thursday (December 18)
Priority Mail Express – this Friday (December 20)
Sunday (Dec 14) we lit the 3rd candle of Advent (Joy)
Matthew 2:10 (NIV) “When they (the Magi or wisemen) saw the star, they were overjoyed”
Matthew 2 describes the moment the Magi (Wise Men) after a long journey saw the star which lead them to the newborn King (a baby, Jesus) in Bethlehem.
*Embracing Hope, Love, Joy and Peace during the Advent season and beyond.
The word “Advent” is derived from the Latin word adventus, meaning “coming.” Remembering the arrival (birth) of Jesus and anticipating the eventual ‘second coming’ of Christ for his church.
Traffic Alert in Winston-Salem
Most of Griffith Road near West Clemmonsville is CLOSED to thru traffic today due to a water main break. Work is estimated to be completed by 5pm.
Traffic should avoid the area. SOURCE: CityLink cityofws.org/citylink.
NEWS
Update: Actor Rob Reiner’s son (Nick) has been arrested after his parents were found stabbed to death in their Los Angeles home on Sunday.
Detectives are treating the investigating as an “apparent homicide.” Rob Reiner was 78.
https://www.newsnationnow.com/crime/rob-reiner-son-nick-reiner-arrested/
(Providence, Rhode Island) A manhunt continues in the deadly mass shooting at Brown University after a person of interest detained in connection with the attack was released. The shooting on Saturday afternoon left two students dead and nine others injured at the Ivy League school, where classes and exams have been canceled.
These have been at least 75 school shootings in the US this year.
https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/brown-university-shooting-manhunt-12-15-25
Death toll rises in Australia. At least 15 people were fatally wounded and 27 injured after gunmen opened fire on a crowd celebrating Hanukkah at Sydney’s Bondi (BOND-eye) Beach. A “heroic” bystander who wrestled the gun from one attacker is recovering in the hospital. This is Australia’s worst mass shooting in almost 30 years.
https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/bondi-beach-gunshots-reported-12-14-25
Spotify is giving the “all clear” after more than 30,000 users reported issues with the streaming-music service around 9:30am this morning, according to the outage tracker DownDetector. https://www.newsnationnow.com/business/tech/spotify-says-service-restored-after-30000-users-report-outages/
Salvation Army Red Kettle campaign continues through December 24.
To Ring those bells (locally) go to Register to Ring.com https://www.registertoring.com/
Support the Angel Tree program https://southernusa.salvationarmy.org/winston-salem/christmas
FREE coat giveaway Thursday mornings at the Winston-Salem Salvation Army location on North Trade Street in downtown Winston-Salem. The next giveaway is Dec 18 (10am – noon).
Visitor Restrictions are now in place at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist and Cone Health for individuals 12 and under at their hospitals and affiliated medical facilities.
There has been a bump in Flu and respiratory virus cases across the Triad in December.
*Most children 12 and under will not be allowed to visit patients.
https://journalnow.com/life-entertainment/local/wellness/article
Study: One in four US households is living paycheck to paycheck…
www.cnn.com/2025/11/13/economy/job-prices-debt-economy
If you or your family are in immediate need of food resources, call 2-1-1…
or visit nc211.org to find a food pantry near you. https://nc211.org/search/
‘Hanukkah’ began at sundown on Sunday (Dec 14) and continues thru Dec 22.
The 8-day Jewish ‘festival of LIGHTS’ is celebrated with the lighting of the menorah, traditional oil-rich foods as well as games and gifts. Hanukkah celebrates the re-dedication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem during the second century B.C.
*When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12
