Verne Hill
Wednesday News: Nov 16, 2022
8 days til Thanksgiving.
AAA: More than 54 million people in the US are expected to travel over the Thanksgiving holiday period. Note: If you have a flight booked in the near future, travel analysts recommend reserving airport parking spaces beforehand and allocating extra time for longer-than-usual TSA lines at airports.
https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/thanksgiving-travel-forecast-aaa-holiday-airfare/index.html
Disney World will increase ticket prices (again).
Magic Kingdom will cost anywhere from $124 to $189 for one day – most expensive around the nine days closest to Christmas and New Year’s. If you’re planning on going to Walt Disney World in 2023, you can still buy next year’s tickets at current rates until December 8. That’s when prices on most ticket types will be increasing, including single-day tickets, multi-day passes and annual pass renewals.
https://www.yahoo.com/now/disney-world-raising-prices-second-173558853.html
The downside of debt. At least a half-dozen major retail credit cards — including those for Kroger, Bloomingdale’s, Macy’s, Shell, Exxon Mobil and Wayfair — recently bumped up their maximum APRs to more than 30%. Example: For someone who carried a balance of $1,000 on a credit card with a 30%+ APR and made only the minimum payments, they’d be in debt for 51 months and pay $775 just in interest.
Source: LendingTree https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/15/economy/credit-card-30-percent-apr-debt/index.html
FORMER President Donald Trump will make a (third) Presidential run in 2024.
https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/15/politics/fact-check-trump-announcement-speech-2024
Former Trump VP Mike Pence is distancing himself from his former boss, saying “we’ll have better choices in the future” referencing a ‘possible’ 2024 run himself.
*Mike Pence blames Donald Trump for endangering his family “and all those serving at the Capitol” on Jan. 6, 2021, in his new memoir titled “So Help Me God.”
https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/end-pence-book-details-split-trump-93322953
Partisan politics is driving a wedge into America, including the church.
Polls reveal that ‘polarizing partisan politics’ is among the top three reasons pastors want to ‘walk away from ministry’. Among the reasons why pastors are contemplating leaving the pulpit, stress, loneliness and political division.
*Barna survey has revealed that within the last year, 42% of American pastors have given serious consideration to quitting full-time ministry, up 13% from January 2021. https://www.barna.com/research/pastors-quitting-ministry/
Are you a fan of the popular faith-based series “The Chosen”?
The first two episodes of Season 3 will premiere in theaters this Friday, Nov 18.
Every 4 seconds someone is diagnosed with dementia.
Even more shocking: 40% of caregivers will ‘pass away’ before the person they are caring for. Biggest factor…stress. November is National Family Caregivers month
*Learn more about a local support group called ‘Caregivers Wellbeing’ facilitated by Dr Ann Hiatt on the News Blog. Dr Ann Hiatt will encourage ‘caregivers’ this week on Sunday @ 5 on WBFJ!!
New Restrictions: Area health systems are ‘asking’ that children 12 and under NOT visit patients who are in the hospital (due to the surge in respiratory viruses such as RSV and flu among young children).
Hospitals include: Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, Novant Health, Cone Health.
*Children seeking treatment at area hospitals are not subject to the restriction.
Masks are still required for visitors.
Health officials strongly encourage people to stay home when sick.
Continue ‘healthy hygiene’ such as hand washing and covering your nose and mouth when sneezing or coughing. Also, experts recommend getting vaccinated against flu and COVID – to best protect against illness heading into the holiday season.
Source: Press Release
*Vaccines protect against severe cases of Covid-19 and Flu.
Local shot sites: https://covid19.ncdhhs.gov/
Employees with the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools will be getting (another) $1,500-dollar bonus. The bonuses will be given to all full-time staff employed as of Dec. 5 who are committed to staying in their position until the end of the school year. WS/FC school board members unanimously approved spending $12 million in federal COVID-relief money for 8,000 eligible employees. https://journalnow.com/news/local/education/1-500-in-new-bonuses-approved-by-school-board
Poll: Most North Carolinians believe their health insurance provider DOES NOT have their best interest in mind. Nearly 24% of participants said health insurance companies are more responsible for the ‘rising costs of healthcare’ than any other part of the healthcare network. NOTE: The latest Meredith College poll released Tuesday, involved 1,012 respondents — all over age 18 — surveyed by either phone and online from Oct. 17 to Nov. 2.
https://journalnow.com/news/local/do-north-carolinians-trust-their-health-insurers-survey-says-no/
Atrium Health’s mega deal is back on track. An Illinois health board unanimously voted on Monday to approve ‘an application related to plans to combine health care giant Atrium Health with Advocate Aurora Health (an Illinois- and Wisconsin-based hospital system). The deal would create the fifth largest health system in the country.
Note: Other key regulatory hurdles still loom.
https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/business/article268731322.html#storylink=cpy
AAA: Prepping for ‘COLD’ weather
Wear extra layers of clothing when going outside in cold weather.
Don’t forget your hat and gloves (ear muffs, masks to keep the cold air out?)
Vehicle: Check your tires. Make sure they are properly inflated.
If your car battery is close to 3 years old, have it checked, even replaced.
Home: Never leave portable heaters unattended.
Keep portable heaters at least 3 feet away from furniture and drapes.
More information: News Blog at wbfj.fm and on our Facebook page http://emergency.cdc.gov/disasters/winter/beforestorm/supplylists.asp
http://exchange.aaa.com/safety/roadway-safety/winter-driving-tips/
Good rule of thumb if you have pets (especially if they stay outside)…
“If it’s too cold (outside) for you, it’s too cold for them”.
