Job loss, reduced work hours and illness related to COVID-19 have caused many households in Wake County to struggle to make rent. To help them catch up on late payments and avoid eviction, the county today launched the House Wake! COVID-19 Eviction Prevention Program. “Eviction is a harsh reality that many in our community are facing right now due to no fault of their own,” said Wake County Board of Commissioners Chairman Greg Ford. “Through this new program, we can mediate relationships with landlords and help more than 3,000 households remain in their homes.” The House Wake! COVID-19 Eviction Prevention Program consists of a three-step process: Eviction Prevention Through a partnership with the Telamon Corporation, the county will help tenants and landlords cover rent shortfalls, resulting from a loss of income due to COVID-19. Eviction Mediation Services Through a partnership with Legal Aid of North Carolina, the county will provide free legal support for tenants

People who live and work near Wake Forest now have a new, convenient way to get tested for COVID-19. Wake County is contracting with clinical laboratory Radeas to provide free testing this week. “We want to make sure that anyone who needs a COVID-19 test can get one safely and easily,” said Wake County Medical Director Dr. Kim McDonald. “This testing site will help us reach residents in northern Wake County who may not have been able to take advantage of other opportunities to get tested for the virus.” This new drive-thru testing site will run from Wednesday, Sept. 30 – Saturday, Oct. 3. Radeas is located at 907 Gateway Commons Circle in Wake Forest. Appointments can be made online in half-hour intervals from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The service is free, but people must sign up at wakegov.com/testing to secure their spot. Tests are reserved for those who: Have COVID-like

Yesterday, Sept. 29, boards of elections in Wake County and across the state of North Carolina began examining the first batch of returned mailed ballots and then processing them – opening them and running them through the tabulators. It is a process they will repeat every week up to and including Election Day, Nov. 3, and until Thursday, Nov. 12. The local election boards have to canvass and certify the results of the elections on Friday, Nov. 13. Gary Sims, the director of Wake County elections, said Wake County has sent out 176,484 ballots to voters and received 40,676 of those. He said he had no idea how many more absentee by mail ballots would be requested but suggested that since early voting begins Oct. 15 there might not be many more. The last date to request a mail-in ballot is Oct. 27. There were 384 incomplete ballots because of

You may not have noticed, but those once-ubiquitous boys and girls selling popcorn outside of the hardware store, grocery store, or Walmart are absent this year. With the current pandemic, major chains in cities around America are no longer allowing Cub Scouts to fundraise out front. It’s understandable; there can be an awful lot of contact handling cash payments and delivering products in person. Instead, the company that supplies popcorn for the Cub Scouts is pushing hard for online direct sales. The customer places an order entirely online, and it’s delivered to his or her home. But where do the Cub Scouts fit in? What new skills are they learning from this? In Wake Forest, our own Pack 500 Scouts have been rising to the challenge in creative ways. In-person and storefront sales taught youngsters about persuasive techniques, how to approach strangers, how to gracefully accept rejection, and to step

The Town of Wake Forest and Wake Forest Power  are joining more than 2,000 not-for-profit utilities in celebrating Public Power Week October 4-10. Although this year’s Energy Expo and other in-person customer appreciation activities are canceled due to COVID-19, Wake Forest and WFP will commemorate Public Power Week by offering a special online trivia contest and utilizing the WFP Facebook page to celebrate the benefits of public power and salute the folks who keep our lights on. Wake Forest Power residential customers can enter to win free electricity in October by participating in the Public Power Week Trivia Contest available at http://bit.ly/WFPublicPowerWeek. All of the answers to the trivia questions can be found on the Town of Wake Forest website. Every customer that answers all 10 questions correctly will be entered into a drawing for free electricity. On Friday, Oct. 9, at 3 p.m., the names of three winners will be drawn during