COVID situation in NC remains mixed

George Shaw Summary The COVID-19 situation in our state remains mixed. New cases grew for the second consecutive week at the state level while hospitalizations and deaths rebounded.  New cases also grew in Wake County and two of the three local zip codes.  However, deaths were down to three across Wake County during the last seven days.  An additional death was reported in zip code 27596. Deaths in North Carolina are predicted to increase through mid-December and then decline through mid-January.  Modest growth in fatalities is forecast to resume through the end of February. North Carolina North Carolina’s ratings remain better than most states.  It improved from the 21st lowest number of cases per capita to the 19th in the last week.  It remained the 14th lowest for deaths as well as the 28th highest rate of tests. The number of tests increased by 0.1% in the last seven days, compared to

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Unemployment rate and the ‘misery index’

George Shaw Summary The unemployment rate nationally, for North Carolina and for Wake County, all continued to decline.  The rate for Wake County dropped from 3.7% to 3.1% in September, the most recent data that has been released. Overall employment continues to rebound at all levels.  Wake County’s employment grew 1.4% in October led by an increase of more than 4% in Leisure & Hospitality, the lowest paying job category. North Carolina continues to outperform most states in both its unemployment rate as well as the mortality percentage from the virus.  The Tar Heel State has a combined rating of 78% of the national average which is lower than all but 12 of the states. National The three main sources of data on employment tracked by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics continue to give conflicting signals.  This is because they measure different things for different purposes.  There are currently

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This and that

This week the town had a glut of turkeys – or maybe an overabundance of giveaways. It began Saturday, Nov. 20, when turkeys and Subway subs were given away at Hope House at 334 North Allen Road, the Northeast Community Coalition announced. Then on Monday, Nov. 22, Tri-Area Ministry Food Pantry held a turkey giveaway. When it came to Tuesday, Nov. 23, and time for the Wake Forest Police Department’s annual giveaway at the Community House, the cupboard was not bare but there were far fewer turkeys to be distributed than usual – 500 from the monetary donations and 150 actual turkeys that were donated as compared to the 800-plus that the department has seen in past years. But that was balanced by fewer people in need coming to the Community House. Faced with a surfeit of turkeys, Chief Jeff Leonard and his officers decided to distribute what they had.

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Just a little history: The early years of the WF Fire Department

(I could not find this article in time to post it last week when the fire department, now part of town government, was named as one of 18 Class 1 fire departments in North Carolina with six of them in Wake County. The rural fire department served by the Wake Forest Fire Department was at the same time advanced from a Class 5 to a Class 3, meaning the entire county now has exceptional fire service.) Wake Forest began as an educational institution, first with manual labor part of the day, then the college, and it took 40-plus years before there were enough people in town that a town government was organized. Of course, it was probably spurred to do because Forestville, half a mile to the south, was chartered as the Town of Forestville in 1879. A year later, in 1880, the village that grew up around the college,

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Lighting of Wake Forest kicks off the holiday season

Area residents are invited to experience the wonder and magic of the holiday season at the annual Lighting of Wake Forest on Friday, Dec. 3, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Sponsored by Holding Village and presented by Wake Forest Downtown, Inc., the tree lighting will take place in Centennial Plaza, 301 S. Brooks St., the gateway to the Wake Forest Town Hall. Mayor Vivian Jones is scheduled to light the Town’s 26-foot-tall Christmas tree at approximately 6:15 p.m. The evening’s festivities will include musical performances by Heritage Middle School’s Patriot Pride Honors Chorus, the Heritage High School Jazz Ensemble, and Project Destiny, a local band comprised of Duke Health Systems employees. The Lighting of Wake Forest will also feature Santa Claus’ exciting arrival aboard a Wake Forest Fire Department fire truck, a children’s craft activity (sponsored by the Wake Forest Woman’s Club), and “Pictures with Santa” in the Town Hall lobby. Nomad Beverage Co. will be on-site selling

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WF Youth Ballet presents The Nutcracker Suite

The Wake Forest Youth Ballet is thrilled to present the highly-anticipated return of The Nutcracker Suite, featuring select numbers from the beloved holiday classic The Nutcracker, scored by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and performed by the leading youth ballet dancers in the Triangle area. The Wake Forest Youth Ballet (WFYB) is a non-profit professional performance platform for dance students in the preparatory ballet program at Destiny Dance Institute in Wake Forest and provides dancers with a vehicle to perform both classical and contemporary ballet productions. Led by DDI Founder Patty Ogden and Artistic Director Terry Lehman, DDI’s high caliber ballet program for young dancers is recognized as one of the top ballet instructional programs in the Triangle area, and through a commitment to hard work, quality training, and excellence in production, offers a rigorous pre-professional instructional track to develop the technique and skill of its dancers. WFYB and DDI are widely

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Holiday Festival at the Wake Forest Historical Museum

 Embrace the holiday season and experience the charm of historic Wake Forest during the “It’s a Wonderful Wake Forest Historic Holiday Festival” on Saturday, Dec. 4. Free and open to the public, the event is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Wake Forest Historical Museum, 414 N. Main St. The Historic Holiday Festival will feature the Calvin Jones House decorated for the holidays and open for tours, along with the museum and exhibit hall. As a special treat, the favorite holiday film, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” will be screened at 10 a.m. and noon in the museum auditorium. Please Note: In accordance with Wake Forest University’s COVID policy, masks are required inside the Wake Forest Historical Museum and Calvin Jones House. Parking will be available along North Main Street and side streets in the vicinity of the Historical Museum. Historic District Walking Tours have been scheduled as

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Tri-Area says, ‘We have much to give thanks for’

We give thanks to our extraordinary community which continues to bless us.  Through your food and financial donations we provided turkeys, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie filling to more than 800 families this week. Throughout the year, more than 25,000 individuals haven’t had to worry about where their next meal comes from because of YOU. Thank you to our supporters, large and small.   We give thanks to our outstanding volunteers. This valiant team toils outdoors in the rain, heat and cold to distribute more than 2 tons of food every week. We truly could not do what we do without YOU. Thank you to our volunteers, one and all. We owe a special thank you to Sandy Matthews, our indefatigable operations director. Sandy volunteers her time – 40+ hours a week – to keep our pantry running. We are in awe of the organization and efficiency she brings

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Registration opens for Calls from Santa

A phone call from Santa Claus is on every child’s wish list. The Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department is making those wishes come true by offering “Calls from Santa” to kids ages 3 to 9 on Thursday, Dec. 2, from 6 to 8 p.m.   Registration forms will be available online Saturday, Nov. 27, at http://bit.ly/WFCallsfromSanta and at the Joyner Park Community Center, 701 Harris Road, and Wake Forest Town Hall, 301 S. Brooks St. Completed forms must be submitted online or received at the Joyner Park Community Center or Town Hall by 5 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 1. Telephone registrations will not be accepted. There is no cost to participate, but all calls must be local. For more information, call 919-435-9560 or email Recreation Program Superintendent Monica Lileton at mlileton@wakeforestnc.gov. #

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Holiday Artisans Market will be held Saturday, Dec. 4

ARTS Wake Forest will present its Fifth Annual Holiday Artisans Market on Saturday, Dec. 4, from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre, 405 S. Brooks St.  Free and open to the public, the Holiday Artisans Market will be offered in conjunction with the Downtown Wake Forest Holiday Open House. Featuring more than 60 vendors, the Holiday Artisans Market is a unique shopping experience featuring a variety of arts and crafts in a wide range of prices. Conceived as a showcase for local craftspeople and artisans, the market is centered around handmade items from potters, fine artists, photographers, woodworkers, fiber artists, furniture makers, jewelry artists and more. For complete details, visit https://artswakeforest.org. For a complete listing of Wake Forest’s holiday events, visit http://bit.ly/WFChristmasEvents. #  

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