Verne Hill
Thursday News for January 08, 2026
Today is Winter skin relief day (month?)…Bubble Bath Day. Today is also Argyle day (socks, sweaters?)
BTW: Today would have been Elvis Presley’s 90th birthday!
Warm January. The average HIGH this time of year is 49 degrees in the Triad. Our area ‘tied’ the record HIGH temperature of 71 degrees on Wednesday afternoon at PTI Airport, according to the National Weather Service. Expect above-normal temperatures through Saturday with a cool down beginning Sunday into early next week.
American Red Cross: Local blood drives for Thursday, January 8…
The Crossing Church-North Main Campus (Kernersville) = 2pm – 6:30pm
Stokes Family YMCA in King = 1:30pm – 6pm
Emerywood Baptist Church in High Point = 2pm – 6:30pm
The Mill: Coffee & Community in Thomasville = 2pm – 6pm
Clemmons Presbyterian Church = 2:30pm – 7pm
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
New federal ‘guidance’ for healthy eating.
Eat more whole foods and protein. Consume LESS of the highly processed foods and less added sugar. “My message is clear: Eat real food,” stated Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during a White House briefing on Wednesday.
The guidance also advises Americans to “consume less alcohol for better health.”
A ‘clean’ car is a safer car? Experts with Consumer Reports stress the need to keep our vehicles clean – on the outside, especially newer model vehicles. Newer cars have advanced safety systems and rely on CLEAN sensors (and cameras) to work properly.
College Hoops: The Hurricanes defeating the Deacs last night at the Joel (81-77).
Up next: Wake Forest vs UNC in Chapel Hill this Saturday. Tip off at 6pm.
https://godeacs.com/sports/mens-basketball
New this morning: Tarheel quarterback Gio Lopez is now a Demon Deacon vis transfer portal.
Wake Forest has signed Gio Lopez for the upcoming 2026 season. The Deacs coming off their fourth nine-win season in program history after winning the Duke’s Mayo Bowl last week.
https://journalnow.com/sports/college/wfu/football/article_258adfd7-93be-4c76-9c61-75a840f8baed.html
Still looking for healthcare coverage options for 2026?
Visit HealthCare.gov to update your information, review your plan options, and find the plan that fits your needs. Reminder: January 15 (next Thursday) is the deadline for coverage starting February 1.
A portion of ‘South of the Border’—the iconic roadside attraction on I-95 at the North Carolina / South Carolina border—is officially up for sale.
The listing – priced at $2.8 million dollars, includes 30 acres with several closed attractions: Pedroland amusement park, the Convention Center, a motel, a mini-golf course, vacant land and a former casino. What’s NOT for sale: The sombrero observation tower, reptile lagoon, main hotel and campground, and souvenir stores and restaurants remain open and operating. Have you ever stopped at ‘South of the Border’??
https://www.wunc.org/term/news/2025-12-01/south-of-the-border-pedroland-for-sale
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/
DO NOT toss those tangled or broken string lights into the recycling bin.
Instead, carefully bag and place them in your curbside garbage cart.
If you have old lights that still work, consider donating them to a local charity.
*A message from the City of Winston-Salem
Doctor visits for flu-like symptoms have reached the highest levels in nearly 30-years nationwide, according to the CDC.
Visitor Restrictions in place at all area hospitals due to a surge of the Flu.
Children 12 and under will not be allowed to visit patients. *There are some exceptions. Restrictions do not apply to children seeking medical care. Face coverings are recommended, but not required. *Press release(s)
BTW: Wash your hands frequently. And if you are sick, stay home!!!
NFL: Wildcard game (Saturday)
Carolina Panthers hosting the LA Rams. Kick off 4:30pm
The Carolina Panthers are in the NFL playoffs for the first time since January 2018.
https://www.wral.com/sports/panthers-postseason-ticket-prices-nfl-wild-card-rams-january-2026/
Just weeks after inflammatory text messages sent by NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps were revealed in court documents, the racing executive is resigning. Phelps, who joined NASCAR in 2005, will transition out of NASCAR by the end of the month.
Praying for all involved.
Winston-Salem Police are still investigating an accident that claimed the life of an elderly bicyclist on Wednesday afternoon after being struck by a tractor-trailer on Akron Drive.
No charges have been filed, according to the Winston-Salem Journal.
Tensions flared in the Minneapolis area, as protesters and law enforcement clashed this morning after an ICE agent fatally shot Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year old mother in her van on Wednesday. Minnesota’s attorney general claims that federal officials are blocking state from investigating the ICE shooting incident. Praying for calm and healing in our country. https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/minneapolis-ice-shooting-01-08-26
