Board says no to relaxed flood areas

In a somewhat confused vote series Tuesday night, the Wake Forest mayor and commissioners decided not to relax the town’s definitions of flood hazard areas as proposed by the town’s planning department. At issue was text amendments to the Unified Development Ordinance which would have allowed building in some that are now off-limits to development, areas with the potential for flooding in some cases. “I think we have to be very careful about flood hazard areas,” Mayor Vivian Jones said, adding that she knows the relaxed rules will be approved by the Environmental Protection Agency at some future time. The reason for changing the town’s rules about flood protection is that it “takes too long for the EPA.” With Commissioner Brian Pate absent because of illness, the first vote to approve the changes was 2 to 2 with Commissioners Greg Harrington and Bridget Wall-Lennon voting no, Liz Simpers and Anne

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Make it a green Christmas: Recycle your tree

The Town of Wake Forest is encouraging residents to make recycling a holiday tradition by recycling their Christmas trees. Beginning Monday, Dec. 31, the town will collect and recycle live Christmas trees from residential homes according to its normal yard waste collection schedule. The trees will be ground into mulch and made available for free to residents upon request. All Wake Forest residents whose yard waste is collected by the town may participate in the “Treecycling” program. To recycle your Christmas tree, please remove all decorations, tinsel, nails, stands and bags from the tree and set it behind the curb for collection. Residents are reminded that artificial trees cannot be recycled. By recycling Christmas trees, Wake Forest saves valuable space at the landfill. Orders for mulch are currently being accepted. For more information about Christmas tree recycling or to request mulch, contact Betty Pearce at 919-435-9570 or bpearce@wakeforestnc.gov<mailto:bpearce@wakeforestnc.gov>. For more information

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Get tickets now for 2019 State of the Town Dinner

Mayor Vivian Jones will deliver her 2019 State of the Town Address on Monday, Feb. 18, at 6 p.m., during the 11th annual State of the Town Address and Dinner. Presented by the Wake Forest Rotary Club, the event will take place at the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre at 405 Brooks Street. During her remarks, Mayor Jones will highlight the town’s key accomplishments in 2018 and outline the goals Wake Forest will strive towards in 2019. All area residents are invited to attend. Tickets are $15 per person in advance and $20 on the day of the event and include a catered meal. Dress for the event is business casual. Tickets can be purchased online with a Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover credit card at www.wakeforestnc.gov/state-of-the-town.aspx<http://www.wakeforestnc.gov/state-of-the-town.aspx>. Tickets may also be purchased at the Renaissance Centre Box Office with cash, check or credit card. A processing fee will be added

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Christmas holiday schedules

The Wake Forest Town Hall and other administrative offices will be closed Monday, Dec. 24, through Wednesday, Dec. 26, for the Christmas holiday. Police service will not be interrupted, but the Town’s bus service and sanitation schedules will be affected. Town offices will re-open Thursday, Dec. 27, at 8 a.m. Bus Service The Wake Forest Loop will operate on Monday, Dec. 24, but the Wake Forest-Raleigh express will not. Neither bus service will operate on Tuesday, Dec. 25, but both will resume their normal schedules Wednesday, Dec. 26. Garbage & Recycling The collection of garbage and recycling for the week of Dec. 24 will change as follows: Monday’s route will be collected according to the normal schedule. From that point forward, the week’s collection schedule will operate one day later than normal and extend into Saturday. So, for example, Tuesday’s route will be collected Wednesday and Friday’s route will be collected Saturday. Bulk Waste Bulk pick-ups will be

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Three charged in unlocked vehicle thefts

Wake Forest police have charged three Wake Forest residents in connection with 25 vehicle break-ins between Nov. 30 and Dec. 2. All the vehicles were unlocked at the time the crimes occurred. Glendale Shavon Moody of 409 East Spring Street and Ke-Land Carlek Williamson of 524 East Nelson Avenue turned themselves in to Wake Forest police without incident on Tuesday, Dec. 18, after the department issued a news release saying the two men were being charged. The third person is a 15-year-old juvenile. Moody was charged with 37 counts of breaking and entering a motor vehicle, 27 misdemeanor larcenies and four felony larcenies. Police charged Williamson with 33 counts of felony breaking and entering a motor vehicle, 23 misdemeanor larcenies and four felony larcenies. Charges against the juvenile will include 37 counts of breaking and entering a motor vehicle, 27 misdemeanor larcenies and four felony larcenies.

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Murder Mystery Dinner Theater Feb. 2

Tickets are on sale for the Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre “Death by Disco” on Saturday, Feb. 2, at the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre for the Arts at 405  Brooks Street. If you enjoy the theater intertwined with a good murder mystery, then you’ll love “Death by Disco” performed by the Triangle-based theater troupe “It’s A Mystery.” It’s A Mystery’s interactive comedy mysteries offer fresh, creative and fun entertainment. The group’s original scripts, played out by talented actors, will challenge your brain and tickle your funny bone! “Death by Disco” will be performed by It’s A Mystery’s professional troupe of accomplished actors who will bring to life exciting characters with colorful backgrounds and questionable motives. The sophisticated plot that ensues will provide the audience with clues to help you pin down the perpetrator or perpetrators of a dastardly deed. It’s 1978, and it should be a night of disco, dancing and

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Magic Pipers heads up bands for FNOW

The Town of Wake Forest is pleased to announce a power-packed band lineup for the 2019 Friday Night on White concert series. The Magic Pipers will once again kick off the series on April 12, followed by Sleeping Booty on May 10; Love Tribe on June 14; The Soul Psychedelique on July 12; Big Love on Aug. 9; and Crush on Sept. 13. For more information about each band, including videos of band performances, visit www.wakeforestnc.gov/band-line-up.aspx<http://www.wakeforestnc.gov/band-line-up.aspx>. Presented by White Street Brewing Co., Friday Night on White takes place along South White Street on the second Friday night of each month from April through September. Each concert begins at 6 p.m. and ends at 9 p.m. Volunteers are needed for a variety of roles during Friday Night on White. Volunteers must be at least 18 years old and will receive training and a commemorative t-shirt. Civic groups and community organizations are

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Holloway completes Leading for Results program

Public Works & Utilities Director Magda Holloway has successfully completed the Leading for Results program at the UNC School of Government as a Local Government Federal Credit Union (LGFCU) Fellow. Holloway was among 50 individuals from across North Carolina identified as emerging leaders in local government and was selected in a competitive process from among 140 program applicants. Leading for Results is an intensive program with an emphasis on organizational leadership. Participants are introduced to models of leadership as well as management and leadership tools and strategies. As part of the course, LGFCU Fellows gain insight into their individual leadership styles and strengths and practice ways to increase their effectiveness within their respective organizations. Holloway joined the Town of Wake Forest in March 2018. She holds a bachelor’sd egree in textile management. She is a NC Roads Scholar, Advanced Roads Scholar and most recently became one of North Carolina’s first

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Walston wins TERT certification

The Wake Forest Police Department is pleased to announce that Telecommunicator Susan Walston has earned her Telecommunicator Emergency Response Team (TERT) certification from the NC Division of Emergency Management. The mission of TERT is to provide trained telecommunicators to assist in mutual aid response in the aftermath of disasters. TERT-certified telecommunicators help shoulder the burden of local 911 centers throughout our state and beyond by coordinating and responding to emergency calls and handling dispatching operations during times when resources are limited and stressed. TERT training includes 40 hours of classroom instruction and practical exercises. The curriculum includes subjects such as legal liability, limits of telecommunicator authority, the telecommunicator’s role in public safety, interpersonal communications, customer service, interaction with the news media, stress, ethics and confidentiality, responder safety, basic fire dispatch, state emergency operations plans, criminal justice information systems, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, first aid training, emergency medical dispatch and special needs callers.

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Use SeeClickFix for problems, town says

Wake Forest officials are urging residents to use SeeClickFix to report street light outages as soon as they notice them. Residents often express their frustrations about street lights not working for extended periods of time. Officials say town crews cannot repair a faulty street light, unless they know about it. By reporting the outage immediately through SeeClickFix, citizens can help ensure a prompt resolution to the problem. The town introduced SeeClickFix in 2014 as a simple, yet effective way for residents to report quality of life, non-emergency issues. Since then, the Town has addressed hundreds of citizens’ concerns, ranging from damaged sidewalks and potholes to graffiti and malfunctioning traffic signals. Wake Forest’s SeeClickFix website is available at www.wakeforestnc.gov/report-a-problem.aspx<http://www.wakeforestnc.gov/report-a-problem.aspx>, while the mobile platform is offered as a function on the Town app. By utilizing the online or mobile reporting platform, residents can report non-emergency issues (damaged sidewalks, street light outages, graffiti,

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