CityView Magazine

CityViewNC.com | 17 Cease the Grease. Keep Wipes outta' Pipes. Grease, fat and oil – as well as wipes and other items – should never be poured or flushed down drains or toilets. They can block sewer lines and cause wastewater to back up. The overflow can damage our water supply, harm the environment and even cause costly damage to your home. Protecting our Pipes Items you should never flush: • Hand or baby wipes – even if they're labeled "flushable"! • Paper towels • Diapers and feminine hygiene products • Dental floss and Q-tips ® • Kitty litter • Medical waste • Hard objects in general Guidelines for Grease • Let it cool, pour it into a disposable container and put it in the trash. You can request a free "Fat Trapper" from PWC. (Covered cooking grease collection containers) • Wipe grease from pans before you wash them. • Never put meat scraps down the drain and compost or throw away vegetable scraps. For more information, see the Environmental section of our website. Subscribe to the CityView Newsletters Award-winning local legends bring their decades of experience to your inbox every week! PRESSBOX The Receive the latest in local sports news from Earl Vaughan Jr. SUBSCRIBE: TEX T PRESSBOX TO 22999 The Insider SUBSCRIBE: TEX T CIT Y VIEW TO 22999 Read Bill Kirby Jr.'s thoughtful insights every Tuesday And with the global pandemic keeping people at home more in the last year, board games in general have become more of a family go-to than ever. But even before "Queen's Gambit" and the need for social distancing guidelines, chess was growing in popularity, albeit more quietly. According to the authoritative chess. com, 605 million adults play chess regularly, "a number comparable to regular users of Facebook." Retired neurosurgeon Dr. Menno Pennink is his family's resident grandmaster, having learned the game as a boy in his native Indonesia from his father. "It's a fascinating game," he said. "Very challenging." He taught the game to his sons, Michael and Andrew, who are both good players. "He used to beat our butts, and he still does," Andrew Pennink said. "I get a win on him every now and then." Dr. Pennink, who is helping 6-year- old grandson Brooks begin to learn the basics of the game, stays sharp with regular competition. "He has three or four games going all the time with people all over the world," said Pennink 's wife, Suzanne. at's a perk of being part of the worldwide chess.com network. "You have the chance to play people from China, Australia, all over the place," Dr. Pennink said. "You earn a rating and play against people of a similar rating. You win a game, and you move higher up." Chess, in particular among games of strategy, helps sharpen young minds, even those of children who won't eventually go onto become grandmasters or to even participate on high school or college teams. "Chess is one of the really good mind- stretching games," said Diane Helfrich. "It's going to build the same centers of the brain that math does." Helfrich's son Ian, 28, and daughter Anna, 24, both learned to play chess as homeschooled students. Helfrich was a homeschool parent for 14 years and serves on the board of North Carolinians for Home Education.

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