Verne Hill
Thursday News: JUNE 22, 2023
Summer Solstice: Today is the first FULL day of Summer
A ‘Flash Flood Watch’ continues for the Piedmont Triad through tonight.
National ONION RING day 😊 Americans consume 20 pounds of these deep-fried rings per person annually. Crisco profiled ‘Onion rings’ in an ad in the New York Times back in 1933.
https://icebergdriveinn.com/blogs/news/fun-facts-you-may-not-know-about-onion-rings
Today is also ‘Chocolate éclair’ day. The name is French which means “flash of lightning”, because they were originally eaten in a flash, or very quickly.
Update: The Green Swamp Nature Preserve ‘wildfire’ is now 65% contained (as of Wednesday). The wildfire, which started as a control burn, has burnt over 15,000 acres.
The Green Swamp wildfire is still causing smoke, road closures and air quality issues in Brunswick County.
“Recent rainfall has helped (fire crews) gain better control of the fire…” states Mike Malcolm, Operations Sections Chief of the North Carolina Service Office. www.wmbfnews.com/2023/06/16/code-red-air-quality-alert-issued-brunswick-county-due-wildfire-green-swamp-game-land/
Carowinds has landed in TripAdvisor’s Top 25 water parks and amusement parks in the US. Carowinds, which opened on March 31, 1973, remains the only amusement park occupying two states. Carowinds is celebrating 50 years this year! www.carowinds.com/
It’s official: Amazon’s Prime Day(s) sale will take place on July 11 and 12.
As in previous years, Amazon’s Prime Day (2 day event) is offered to Prime subscribers only. https://www.cnet.com/tech/amazon-prime-day-2023-announced-48-hour-sale-kicks-off-july-11/
Buyer Beware: The Federal Trade Commission is suing Amazon, alleging the company tricked millions of consumers into signing up for its Prime subscription service. The lawsuit marks the FTC’s most significant step yet against business practices the agency says harm consumers by luring them into and keeping them trapped in subscriptions using psychological gimmicks.https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/21/business/ftc-sue-amazon-prime/index.html
College Baseball World Series in Omaha.
Wake Forest coming up short against LSU last night (5-2).
The Deacs play LSU (again) tonight at 7pm. A must win for the Deacs.
Update: At noon, the US Coast Guard reporting a ‘debris field has been discovered near Titanic submersible search area’. It is unclear if this debris field is connected to the missing mini-sub with a 5-person crew onboard last heard from on Sunday.
FYI: The US Coast Guard will hold a press briefing at 3pm (Eastern).
The small sub was last heard from on Sunday during a dive to explore the wreckage of the Titanic south of Newfoundland in the North Atlantic.
BTW: The Titanic sits at the bottom of the ocean nearly two miles below the surface southeast of Newfoundland, Canada.
https://www.cnn.com/americas/live-news/titanic-missing-sub-oceangate-06-22-23
Shocking: California is no longer America’s most expensive state for gas?
Washington state has the most expensive gas prices in the US.
Mississippi some of the lowest. Interesting fact: Washington state’s average gas price is nearly $2 a gallon more than in Mississippi!
https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/21/business/california-no-longer-most-expensive-gas/index.html
Notable ‘namings’ this week…
“Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium”
That’s the new name going up on Wake Forest’s football stadium – soon. Allegacy is based in Winston-Salem. The Deacs home opener will be Aug. 31 at Allegacy Stadium against Elon (6pm). https://journalnow.com/sports/college/wfu/wake-forests-football-stadium-has-a-new-name—allegacy-stadium/article
And the baby giraffe’s name will be…’Fenn’.
The latest baby giraffe born at the North Carolina Zoo last month (May 20) will be named ‘Fenn’ – in honor of the founders of the Giraffe Conservation Foundation, Julian and Stephanie Fennessy. More than 100,000 people voted.
https://www.nczoo.org/news/giraffe-calf-named-world-giraffe-day
After an 18-month search, Michelle Merrill has been chosen as the new music director with the Winston-Salem Symphony.
Merrill will be the first woman to lead the symphony in its 76-year history.
In addition to music conducting, Michelle has a master’s degree in music education. . Her first concert performance with the Winston-Salem Symphony will be Sept. 23 at Reynolds Auditorium.
Is that Maestro? Conductor? Conductress? 😊
Being on a game show can be hazardous to your health?
A (recent) contestant on “The Price is Right” dislocated his shoulder while celebrating after he won the Bonkers game during a taping of the show.
The contestant, Henry, into a frenzy – jumping up and down in celebration-
after Bonkers. Later in the show, when it was Henry’s turn to spin the wheel in order to advance to the Showcase Showdown, host Drew Carey revealed that Henry’s wife, Alice, would spin the wheel for him – ‘due to an injury’.
She proved to have quite the magic touch, too, spinning a 95, showing that she can definitely shoulder the load. 😊
*”Henri won a trip to Hawaii and a trip to the ER”, the show posted on its official Instagram page last week.
www.today.com/popculture/tv/the-price-is-right-contestant-dislocates-shoulder-rcna90123
