🗞️ What can the kids do this summer? A Kernersville July guide

🗞️ The Macy Grove Extension is almost done, and it should ease Kernersville traffic

🗞️ Living with COPD doesn't mean slowing down, a Kernersville doctor says

🗞️ When summer screen time becomes a mental-health risk for teens

🌤 Mostly sunny, stray afternoon storm | High: 89°F | Low: 70°F

A mostly sunny, warm Monday with just a slight chance of an afternoon shower or thunderstorm. A good day to get outside, with water and sunscreen on hand.

School is out, the days are long, and the question every parent knows is back: what are the kids going to do today? The good news is that Kernersville has plenty to keep young people busy this July, from camps and the pool to free programs at the library and downtown.

For active days, Kernersville Parks and Recreation runs summer camps and programs for a range of ages, and the Kernersville Family YMCA community pool is a reliable way to beat the heat. You can see current camp options and registration on the KV Parks camps page, or call Parks and Rec at 336-996-3062 to ask what still has openings.

The Paddison Memorial Branch Library is one of the best free options going. July brings teen favorites like LEGO Club on July 6 and STEAM: Ottobot Robotics on July 13, plus the library's summer reading program. For the creative crowd, The Open Studio downtown hosts a family-friendly July Art Party on July 11.

And do not forget the Fourth. Kernersville's Fireworks and Concert at Raiders Field is free and made for families, with music, food trucks and face painting, and the Rotary Club 4th of July 5K is a fun way to start the holiday. Pack water, plan for the heat, and you have a full month of summer right here at home.

Relief may be near for one of Kernersville's traffic headaches. The Macy Grove Extension, part of the larger Kernersville loop, is nearly complete after more than two years of work by the North Carolina Department of Transportation. The new stretch will connect Piney Grove Road to Main Street and is expected to cut several minutes off local commutes.

"We've been waiting for a year for this. We're very anxious to get it finished," said Karen Hughes, who lives on Piney Grove Road and says the new connection will shorten everyday errands like grocery runs. Right now, she said, backups can add 10 to 15 minutes to a trip.

The slowest part of the job was literally set in stone. Resident NCDOT engineer Nicholas Librandi said crews had to remove a roughly 40-foot rock hill, a blast that produced more than 20,000 tons of stone that all had to be hauled away. Crews are now finishing curb, gutter, the median island and final paving. NCDOT designed the extension with Kernersville's expected growth in mind, and the road is set to open to the public soon.

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A diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, can change the rhythm of daily life, but it does not have to define it. That is the message from Dr. Subhas Sitaula, a Novant Health pulmonologist who treats patients at the Novant Health Cancer Institute in Kernersville. COPD is a chronic lung disease that limits airflow, and shortness of breath, fatigue and a persistent cough are common challenges, but Sitaula says those symptoms do not mean giving up the activities that matter most.

The disease is progressive but manageable. The first step is understanding what is driving it: smoking remains the leading cause in the U.S., and quitting is the single most important way to slow it down. From there, care focuses on helping people breathe easier and stay active, through medications, pulmonary rehabilitation, and practical lifestyle changes. Even small amounts of regular physical activity help strengthen the muscles used in breathing and can ease symptoms over time.

For many patients, the key is learning to pace themselves, deciding which tasks to prioritize and when to rest, and finding new ways to stay engaged rather than giving things up. "Living well with COPD is absolutely possible," Sitaula said. "It just takes the right tools and support to get there."

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Summer means more free time for teens, and usually a lot more screen time. Writing in Psychology Today, psychologist Lance Garrison notes that social media is not inherently harmful, and for many teens it offers connection and community. The risk comes when the normal vulnerabilities of adolescence meet algorithms built to maximize engagement through likes, streaks and endless scrolling, which can chip away at sleep, mood and self-worth.

Rather than counting hours, Garrison says the better question is how screen use affects a teen's daily functioning. Warning signs include irritability after going offline, disrupted sleep from late-night scrolling, dips in self-esteem, anxiety tied to online interactions, pulling back from in-person activities, and compulsive checking that crowds out family time.

His advice leans on structure, not surveillance. Set predictable device-free windows around sleep, meals and family time, and protect sleep as its own mental-health tool, since teens need 8 to 10 hours a night. Build in rewarding offline alternatives like jobs, sports, reading and community activities, and trade "How much are you on your phone?" for curious questions like "How do you feel after using that app?" The goal is not to ban technology, but to help young people build a healthier relationship with it.

If you or a teen you love is struggling, support is available any time by calling or texting 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

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