Safeways, a firm which sells home safety equipment, recently sent out a list of the 10 safest cities in North Carolina in 2021. Wake Forest comes in number four on the list, after Holly Springs, Elon, Pinehurst and before Davidson, Cary, Wendell, Winterville, Fuquay-Varina and Morrisville. Five of the 10 are in Wake County. Safeways says: “We use FBI crime statistics data to rank cities in each state and across the country. To add extra insight and depth to that assessment, we include demographic information and the results of our proprietary State of Safety research study. The “safest” cities rankings are intended to highlight cities with low crime rates and ignite conversation and action around how to make all cities and communities safer. For the purposes of city ranking reports, the terms “dangerous” and “safest” refer explicitly to crime rates as calculated from FBI crime data—no other characterization of any

The Wake Forest Community Council is seeking award nominations of local individuals and organizations that have contributed exemplary volunteer efforts to our community. The submission deadline is noon on Wednesday, Nov. 3. Since 1965, the WFCC has annually presented the Citizen of the Year, Organization of the Year and the Peggy Allen Lifetime Achievement Award. Information about each of these awards, including their respective online nomination forms, is available on the Town website at https://bit.ly/WFCCVolunteerAwards. Anyone submitting the online form will receive an email confirmation upon receipt. Anyone choosing not to complete/submit the online form may pick up a hard copy at the Information Desk in the lobby of the Wake Forest Town Hall, 301 S. Brooks St. Completed nomination forms may be dropped off at Town Hall or mailed to WFCC, PO Box 1003, Wake Forest, NC 27588, but must arrive before the noon November 3 deadline. Award recipients will be honored

Make plans now to help us ring in the holiday season and launch our annual donation drive during the inaugural Wake Forest Cares Holiday Kickoff on Saturday, Nov. 13. Presented by the Wake Forest Mayor and Board of Commissioners, this free family-friendly celebration is scheduled from 1 to 7 p.m. in downtown Wake Forest. Promising fun-filled activities for both children and adults, our Holiday Kickoff will feature an artificial ice-skating rink in the Depot Parking Lot, 110 S. White St., award-winning ice carvers, roaming street performers, including an Ice Princess Stilt-Walker and Jack Frost Juggler, and a variety of performances from 1 to 4 p.m. in Centennial Plaza, 301 S. Brooks St. A high-energy concert by ACE Party Band along South White Street from 4 to 7 p.m., and a dazzling 10-minute Holiday Laser Light Show at the conclusion of the performance will offer a fitting climax to the day’s festivities. Food and refreshments

The Wake Forest Fire Department is seeking dedicated volunteers to join its family of firefighters. The WFFD is a combination department which means both career staff and volunteers are needed to operate. Although volunteers do not earn a salary, they are an integral part of the department’s community protection efforts and may receive a stipend per shift depending on their qualifications. As a result, serious, dedicated men and women are needed. Responsibilities of volunteer firefighters include fighting fires, providing medical aid, assisting at emergency scenes, participating in training, and providing administrative support. Both certified and non-certified candidates are eligible, and there are no residency requirements, but volunteers must be willing to commit a minimum of 24 hours of duty crew each month. For more information, or to complete a volunteer application, visit www.wakeforestnc.gov/fire/fire-department-jobs

Updated October 13, 2021 and partly based on the Wake Forest Planning Department’s September monthly report of plans under review as well as the town manager’s report. Plans under review at the Wake Forest Planning Department During September E. Carroll Joyner submitted the plan for the development of the former Wake Forest Country Club to the Wake Forest Planning Department. The plan calls for 249 single-family lots and 137 townhouse lots. The plan is not yet on the active development map in the planning department so many details are not yet available. No date has been set for the public hearing before the planning board and town board. Also there were the additions of three infrastructure improvements connected with the Kinsley subdivision on both sides of North Main Street. Those improvements are the widening of North Main, off-site water line extension and the extension of the Richland Creek sewer to

The Town of Wake Forest is partnering with Aging Care Matters and the Northern Wake Senior Center to host a free webinar on Adult Day Care Programs & Services for Seniors on Thursday, Oct. 28, from 6 to 7 p.m. The webinar will feature a presentation by Advanced Professional Aging Life Care Manager Carla Payne who will highlight adult day care options in our area and assistance programs available to local caregivers. The session will also include a 30-minute question-and-answer period moderated by Wake Forest Commissioner Adam Wright. “I am often asked about adult day care and the availability of community resources,” said Wright. “This webinar is intended to make sure that residents who are caring for adults and need assistance know what help is available to them.” Community members are asked to register in advance at https://bit.ly/WFAdultDayCareWebinar. When registering, you will also have the opportunity to submit questions in advance. After registering, you will receive a

The Wake Forest Woman’s Club is hosting its first Scholarship Poinsettia Fundraiser during the month of October. These beautiful red poinsettias with green container covers are locally grown by Homewood Nursery and will be available for pick up in Wake Forest on Nov. 18 from 3 to 7 p.m. at the United Methodist Church, 905 South Main Street. The 6 1/2” pots, 16-20″ tall, with six to eight blooms per pot are offered for $15.50 each – please see their website to order online by October 28. Proceeds from this fundraiser will go to support an annual scholarship awarded to a Wake Forest student each spring. For more information about the club and to order and pay for your poinsettias today, please visit www.wake-forest-womans-club.com. #  

The Town of Wake Forest and the Local Government Federal Credit Union will celebrate “America Recycles Day” on Monday, Nov. 15, by co-sponsoring a drive-thru paper shredding event. Free and open to the public, the shred event will take place rain or shine in the parking lot of the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre, 405 S. Brooks St., from noon to 6 p.m. – or until the two paper shredding trucks are full. The occasion will offer area residents and businesses the opportunity to protect themselves from identity theft and dispose of confidential documents in an environmentally responsible manner. All paper will be shredded on-site, then recycled. Participants are urged to help reduce contamination by removing all non-paper materials in advance, such as plastic binders, plastic folders and metal tabs. In addition, items that can damage the equipment will not be accepted, such as wet or moist paper, hanging file folders,

From November 22 to December 5, the Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department will host a Virtual Bass Fishing Tournament for ages 13 and older and a Virtual Youth Fishing Tournament for ages 12 and under. Over this two-week period, local anglers are encouraged to visit any public fishery in Wake or Franklin County to try and catch the biggest fish. Participants in the Youth Fishing Tournament may catch any species of fish, while anglers in the Bass Fishing Tournament will be limited to bass only. Online registration for both tournaments is available through Thursday, Nov. 4, at  https://wakeforestnc.recdesk.com/Community/Home. The cost to participate is $10 for the bass tournament and $5 for the youth tourney. Participants in the bass tourney will receive a fishing scale to be used in the competition, while contestants in the youth tournament will receive an “Early Fisherman” packet. Fishing scales and “Early Fisherman” packets

Fight identity theft by getting rid of your sensitive documents at a drive-up Shred-a-thon benefitting the Wake Forest Purple Heart Foundation on Saturday, Oct. 30. The fundraising Shred-a-thon is 10 a.m.-1 p.m. in Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary’s Patterson Hall parking lot, 101 N. Wingate St., Wake Forest. Shredding is $10 per box or $25 for three boxes (standard banker box or paper grocery bag; limit five per person). Cash preferred, but check and credit cards accepted. Leave the boxes or bags in trunk or back of your vehicle and volunteers will remove them. Accepted items include old tax returns, bills, receipts, financial statements, cancelled checks, medical records, etc. Cannot accept garbage, three-ring binders, cardboard, credit cards, magazines, newspapers, CDs or hardcover books. All proceeds benefit the Purple Heart Foundation, which hosts an annual banquet saluting military veterans wounded in action. More details at WakeForestPurpleHeartFoundation.org or email events@wfphf.com. #