The Town of Wake Forest is partnering with WakeMed and the Wake County Public Health Department to host a free webinar on COVID-19 vaccinations on Thursday, Aug. 19, from 6 to 7 p.m. “COVID-19 Vaccines: Separating Fact from Fiction,” will feature research-based presentations by local health experts, including Dr. Chris DeRienzo, System Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President of Quality at WakeMed Health and Hospitals. Attendees will learn about how COVID-19 vaccines were created and work, vaccine safety and efficacy, the Delta variant, and local resources. The session will also include a 30-minute question-and-answer period. “We understand there’s still a lot of vaccine hesitancy out there,” said webinar organizer and Wake Forest Commissioner Adam Wright. “We want to make sure people have the information they need to be able to make the decision to move forward to get the vaccine — or at least to better understand it.” Community

On Aug. 20, back in 2003 This is the third in what is hoped is a regular feature about Wake Forest in 2003 when the Wake Forest Gazette began publication. *Town board says yes to Bridges’ rezoning request Opponents brandishing hand-lettered cardboard signs and a banner rose from their chairs and stood Tuesday night while four Wake Forest commissioners stated their reasons for approving Bob and Sarah Bridges’ request to have their home and 2.4 acres rezoned to neighborhood business. Before the meeting, 20-some men, women and children from the Riverstone subdivision and other subdivisions along Jenkins Road unfurled the banner and signs for television cameras and chanted, “No retail in the watershed” and “Protect our kids.” After the 4 to 0 vote, some of the rezoning opponents angrily denounced the decision. One threatened to unseat planning board member Sue Holding, apparently unaware planning board members are appointed not elected.

Or at least the dump trucks hauling dirt for the construction of Holding Village south of the bypass has been accomplished. A fence was breached and the trucks began moving the dirt last week. Meanwhile, there are three traffic-impacting construction projects associated with the Holding Village subdivision underway or complete. The largest and with the most impact on traffic will be the connection of the new section of South Franklin Street to the N.C. 98 Bypass from the south and conversion of that intersection to a reduced conflict intersection, a superstreet. You can see examples of that around Wegman’s. There will be traffic delays while that superstreet is built. There will be the usual traffic cones and workmen directing traffic. Drivers are advised to find other routes if possible during this construction. That new section of South Franklin Street is under construction as are all the streets in that area

The Wake Forest Woman’s Club was honored Tuesday evening on its 60th anniversary at the beginning of the Wake Forest Town Board’s meeting. Commissioner Liz Simpers, acting as mayor in the absence of Mayor Vivian Jones, read a proclamation as club members watched and then were applauded. The club has been a community asset since its beginning in 1961, when one of its first civic actions was to hold card parties in the Community House to raise money for the town’s first library. Wake County voters had rejected a county-wide library system; Wake Forest voters who wanted one decided to do it themselves. Through the years, if there was a good idea that would help the town, everything from picking up roadside trash to the children’s art and games after the Fourth of July Children’s Parade, you have found the Wake Forest Woman’s Club at the forefront, ready to help.

The N.C. Department of Transportation needs volunteers to help clean up trash along roads during the Adopt-A-Highway Fall Litter Sweep from Sept. 11-25. Each April and September, NCDOT asks volunteers to help remove litter from roadsides. Volunteers from local businesses, schools, nonprofits, churches, municipalities, law enforcement and community groups play an important role in keeping North Carolina’s roads clean. Joining this effort is easier than ever before as volunteers can now sign up by way of a convenient online form. “Since this year began, NCDOT and our partner organizations have picked up more than eight and a half million pounds of litter,” said State Roadside Engineer David Harris. “We need everyone’s help to keep that momentum. The Litter Sweep is a great opportunity to get outdoors with family and friends and work alongside NCDOT to ensure North Carolina remains a beautiful place to live and work.” Volunteers can request clean-up supplies