What's Happening In Buncombe

We've had several Hurricane teasers lately. Maybe they are preparing us for what could be on its way. Are YOU ready?

Buncombe County has begun an ad campaign to create a pool of ready applicants to fill Social Worker vacancies in Family and Children Services at the Buncombe County Department of Social Services.

Use The Ingles Advantage™ Card and help one of our own county agencies.

A presentation of the plans for the I-26 Connector will be held on September 16.

Everyone loves eating out. It’s fast, it’s easy, and most of all you don’t have to clean the dishes after the meal! However, have you ever wondered...just how clean is my favorite restaurant?

Bring out your inner ham and share books with children. Training rescheduled to October 9th.

The NFL Pepsi Punt, Pass & Kick program is a national skills competition for boys and girls between the ages of 8-15.

Can you give a dog a home? Or a cat? How about a kitten? These animals need your help.

Congratulations to Claudia Hampton of Asheville for her Cinnamon Banana Oatmeal recipe!

Gallstones -- those pesky, painful pebbles that plague some people's gallbladders -- are no fun. But could a muffin keep you feeling fine?

Maybe. If it's an oat-bran muffin. Studies show that a diet high in magnesium-rich foods may reduce the risk of gallstones. Oat-bran muffins fit the bill.

The Moderate Muffin
One medium oat-bran muffin will serve up anywhere from 50 to 90 milligrams of magnesium, depending on ingredients. Just don't go eating so many muffins that you turn into one yourself. One of the biggest risk factors for gallstones is extra weight. (Find out who's most likely to get gallstones.) And you'll want a muffin recipe that doesn't go overboard on fat and cholesterol -- a diet high in either has been linked to gallstones, too. Here's a lovely, moist, low-fat muffin recipe that uses oat bran: Spiced Apple Butter Bran Muffins.

Magnificent Magnesium
Why magnesium? Without enough of the mineral, triglycerides can soar and HDL levels can drop -- a combo that's linked to cholesterol-packed gallstones. Just about any whole-grain food will boost your magnesium intake better than white-flour products, so check labels closely and make the swap. Here's what to look for.

Source: RealAge.com

Many perennial weeds are effectively controlled by glyphosate (Roundup and others) in late summer or early fall. When deciduous plants are getting ready to go dormant, they are translocating sugars from the leaves down to the root system, so good movement of the herbicide to the root system occurs.

Unfortunately, when plants are drought stressed they do not absorb herbicides well through the leaves. However, cut stump treatments should be effective. So if you have invasive plants such as Oriental bittersweet, kudzu, honeysuckle, multiflora rose, privet, Paulownia, etc., the best treatment would be to cut the stem close to the ground and immediately treat it (within minutes) with concentrated glyphosate. Refer to the label for “cut stump treatment” for mixing.

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

Join Buncombe County Government employees for "Christmas in September!" Let's remind the men and women that are serving our country that we appreciate them! You can drop off much needed items at your local library, in the Courthouse, or at the Board of Elections.  The troops will receive the goods before Christmas and it will give them a little taste of home.

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Buncombe County Parks, Greenways and Recreation is now accepting applications for their Home School PE program. The program will be held September 18th – December 4th on Thursdays from 10-11am.

• Location: Buncombe County Sport Park, Field #8
• Cost: $12 per child for a total of 12 days of programming
• Register: Up until the start of the program. Mail payment to: Buncombe County Parks and Recreation Services, 59 Woodfin Place, Asheville, NC 28801

Children will have as great time as they learn Soccer, Flag Football and enjoy going swimming. 

Contact Jay Nelson at 250-4269 for more information.