Wally Decker
Thursday News for June 29, 2023
‘Poor’ Air Quality concerns again this morning for most of the Piedmont Triad. https://www.airnow.gov/?city=Winston-Salem&state=NC&country=USA
More than a third of the US population is under air quality alerts due to smoke from Canadian wildfires. Officials are urging people to take safety precautions.
Over 120 million people are under the alerts in more than a dozen states from the Midwest to the East Coast. Canada is seeing its worst fire season on record…
https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/27/us/canada-wildfire-smoke-great-lakes/index.html
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 (and pre-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/
Don’t leave THESE items in your HOT car?
–Medications: Heat exposure can change the effectiveness of your medications.
–Sunscreen: Heat causes sunscreen to break down.
–Bottled water: Heat causes chemicals to leach out of a regular plastic water bottle.
https://www.wfmynews2.com/article/news/local/2-wants-to-know
Over half of Americans (54%) can’t swim or don’t have basic swimming skills.
Source: The American Red Cross
What is disrupting flights across the US?
Well, the FAA is blaming the severe weather. Airlines blame the FAA for lack of staffing. *In the Northeast there were more than 2,000 cancellations, and 7,000 delays on Tuesday. Meanwhile, extreme heat in Texas and smoke from Canadian wildfires are back and could add to travel problems as the pre-4th weekend approaches.
Debris recovered from that ‘mini sub’ with 5 people onboard that imploded while on a voyage to see the Titanic wreckage last week contained “presumed human remains,” so says the US Coast Guard. An investigation continues…
Simone Biles is back. The seven-time Olympic medalist plans to return to competition this August, at the U.S. Classic outside Chicago, her first event since the pandemic-delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Biles has taken most of the last two years off – after her decision to remove herself from multiple events to focus on her mental health.
The 26-year-old Biles recently got married to NFL player Jonathan Owens this spring.
BTW: The U.S. Classic typically serves as a warm-up of sorts for the national championships. Biles kinda ‘hinted’ at the Paris 2024 Olympics…
‘Digging deeper’. Ever wanted to really study the New Testament?
Bible based Cedarville University is offering a unique learning opportunity for adults to take its New Testament Literature class without charge. The New Testament class is part of the Bible minor offered by the university. The online courses are self-guided and you can access them at www.cedarville.edu/bibleminorproject.
Bringing God’s Word to those with limited internet service.
The mobile Bible app “YouVersion” has launched an app that does not require an internet connection, allowing millions of people to now have access to the Word of God.
The Bible App Lite gives users access to key features like audio Bibles, verses of the day, and prayers all the while keeping phone storage space light. The app is designed for users in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia and can be used entirely offline.
The Bible App Lite has reached the TOP 10 in the Google Play store in 17 African countries, and #1 in Kenya, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to Christianity Today.
YouVersion partnered with Biblica, a global Bible ministry, to create the Bible App Lite.
Since its creation, more than four million people have downloaded the app.
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 Friday (June 30) 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. ‘We apologize for the inconvenience’.
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
The Carolina Disco Turkeys will make history this weekend…
The local summer collegiate baseball team will play the first organized baseball game at Bowman Gray stadium in Winston-Salem – where WSSU plays college football each Fall and racing happens during the summer!
A three-game series will be played at ‘a transformed’ Bowman Gray stadium…
Sunday (July 2) at 4pm vs the Uwharrie Wampus Cats
Monday (July 3) at 6:30pm vs the Uwharrie Wampus Cats
Tuesday (July 4) at 6:30pm vs the Winston-Salem Moravians 😊
Details and ticket info at https://www.discoturkeys.com/
The Disco Turkeys give college players from around the area a chance to stay sharp in the summer months. Among the colleges being represented on the team are Wake Forest, Western Carolina, Winthrop, N.C. A&T, Carolina University, Mars Hill and UNC Pembroke.
