Here’s a check of the latest from WataugaOnline.com.
Fire Prevention Week runs Oct. 4–10 with the theme “Charge into Fire Safety: Safe Charging Is a Superpower.” The Boone Fire Department and the Watauga County Fire Marshal’s Office are urging residents to take care with lithium-ion batteries in phones, tablets, laptops, e-bikes and scooters, which can overheat or catch fire if damaged or charged the wrong way. Their tips: use the cord and charger that came with the device, charge on a hard, flat surface rather than a bed or couch, unplug it once it is full, and stop using any device that gets very hot, swells, smokes or smells strange. Larger items like e-bikes and power tools should be charged outside and away from exits. Local departments will also visit elementary schools and day cares throughout October.
Dr. Howard Neufeld’s Oct. 4 report says trees along the Blue Ridge Parkway are coloring up rapidly, with tulip poplars and birches turning yellow and sourwoods, dogwoods and blueberries adding red accents, though the landscape is still mostly green. He recommends coming up any time now, even though color is still ahead of peak, and expects the next two weekends (Oct. 9–11 and Oct. 16–18) to be great for viewing, with the second closer to peak, from Linville Falls to Doughton Park and other mid-level spots. Boone’s urban maples are about a week from peak. A heat wave in the next week could slow things down. Grandfather Mountain’s guided Fall Color Rambles began Oct. 3.
The Watauga County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents about scams that use phone calls, texts, social media and even artificial intelligence to look legitimate. Sheriff Len Hagaman’s list leads with law enforcement and court impersonation, in which callers posing as deputies or court officials threaten arrest unless you pay immediately. Also on the list: missed jury duty and fake warrant scams, fake DMV and traffic-ticket texts, fake parking and toll notices with QR codes, bogus rental listings, fake job offers, investment and crypto scams, grandchild emergency calls, bank impersonation, and AI deepfake scams. “WCSO will never call and demand immediate payment over the telephone to avoid arrest,” Hagaman said. His advice: stop, hang up and verify using a published phone number. Suspected scams can be reported to the N.C. Department of Justice at 1-877-5-NO-SCAM.
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— WataugaOnline