School Is In! Don't Forget to be Extra Cautious!

It is already August - time for the kids to head back to school. Please remember to be extra cautious around school zones!

Do You Know the Signs of Heat Stroke?

It is hot and humid outside, and we all have to be careful. This is the time to take extra precautions to avoid the dangers of heat exhaustion, stroke, and sunburn.

A Crime Prevention TIP For Everyone

Be careful how you list names on your cell phone!

Reward Offered for the Mountain's Most Wanted

You could be eligible for a cash reward if you provide information that leads to an arrest! The following subjects are currently wanted by local authorities.

Rabies Shots

Make sure your pet is up to date on its shots! Don't miss out on these low-cost shot clinics! Rabies is just $6!

Designing & Maintaining a Healthy Landscape - Series

Everyone wants a home landscape that not only looks good, but also is low maintenance and environmentally friendly.

The Organic Way: Insecticidal Soap

One of the safest choices for controlling certain insects in the garden is insecticidal soap.

Pet Picture of the Week

Congratulations to Marie Woody of Enka for the picture of her cat, Hissy.

Recipe of the Week - Spinach Frittata with Creole Sauce

Congratulations to Jesse Lail of Swannanoa for her Spinach Frittata with Creole Sauce recipe!

Children need a minimum of 60 minutes of physical activity everyday. Walking or riding a bike to school, and even the short walk to the bus stop can be a great way to help your child be active and to teach them important safety skills. Children who walk or bike to school arrive alert, having burned off a little energy, and are more ready to learn. Regardless of how your child gets to school, here are a few tips to them arrive safely.

Let’s start with basic safety tips all children should know:

1. Always stop, look and listen, especially while crossing. Look left; look right; then left again, before stepping past any curb or edge.
2. Be seen!
3. Don’t cross behind a bus, van or large SUV.
4. Walk, don’t run!
5. Know what traffic signs and signals mean and follow them.
6. Choose the best place to walk:
   1. Face traffic.
   2. Use the sidewalks, and
   3. If your school has designated routes for walking, use them.

When biking:

1. Always wear a helmet and make sure it is fastened.
2. Always check your bike using the ABCs. A for air in the tires, B for brakes and C for the chain and pedal crank.
3. On the road, always ride in the same direction as traffic; a car is not looking for an oncoming bike on the wrong side of the road.
4. On the sidewalk, check for cars before you cross a side street.
5. When pulling out of a driveway, always stop; look left; right; then left again before you enter the street.

As parents, make sure your child knows the basic traffic rules and hand signals as well as the rules your child’s school has for walking, biking, and riding the bus.

Children up to 10-11 generally don’t have the skills to handle traffic and should be supervised. Their physical differences also present safety challenges.

• They are short, making it difficult to see motorist and be seen especially around obstacles such as parked cars or buses. This is a big problem in front of schools during drop-off and pick-up.
• Their peripheral vision is much narrower than an adult, so they won’t see an approaching car from the right or left as early as you will.
• They have difficulty judging a cars speed and often believe a car can stop instantly.
• They also often believe that if they can see the driver, the driver can see them!

As an adult, be a good role model and use good pedestrian and bicycle skills. This includes always wearing a bike helmet when riding.

And a few words to motorists:

• Observe the speed limit. The faster the car is driving the more serious the injury to a child will be. 25 mph means 25, not 30.
• Around school zones, playgrounds and neighborhoods drive as though you expect a child to dart into the road. 
• When turning left at a green light or making a right on red, always look for pedestrians as well as cars. Remember, pedestrians always have the right of way in crosswalks and intersections. You are required by law to stop.

For more information on safely walking and biking to school go to: http://www.saferoutesinfo.org/guide/education/key_messages_for_children.cfm 

Ornamentals: Bagworms on all needled evergreens. It is too late to spray, so remove bags by hand. Thrips on roses and other flowers; spider mites on flowers and shrubs; lacebugs on pyracantha, pieris and azaleas. All may need to be treated with appropriate insecticide if significant damage occurs.

Vegetables: Bean beetles, squash beetles and squash bugs can be especially prevalent this time of year. Control measures include hand removal (drop them into a bucket of soapy water), or spraying with carbaryl (Sevin), malathion, pyrellin or pyrethrin. Several species of worms become prevalent on cabbage family crops. Bacteria sprays should be effective.

For more information, call Buncombe County Cooperative Extension at 255-5522.

Are you ready for some football? It’s time to get off the couch and get some exercise while having fun playing flag football.

Join Buncombe County Parks and Recreation Services for the first year of Five on Five Adult League Flag Football. Anyone interested needs to register by August 17th.

For more information, see the complete story or contact Jay Nelson at jay.nelson@buncombecounty.org or 250-4269.