A tale of two hearings in one night

The neighbors of the former Wake Forest Country Club came to the Wake Forest Town Hall last Thursday night, March 23, prepared to attack a plan by the new owner, E. Carroll Joyner, and the McAdams engineering firm on at least six fronts. The plan for houses and townhouses had, after all, been turned down by the Wake Forest Planning Department five times. The McAdams personnel – Joyner was not at the hearing – meanwhile pursued the goal their formal request had set out, which was to amend a Special Use Permit from 1999 by removing about 125.79 acres from the SUP which was also part of the Planned Unit Development Joel Young had town approval to place on the site he then owned. Later that year, in December of 1999, the then-town board refused to accept the request or consider it. The town had to defend its decision not

Read More »

Opinion: How we get gun safety laws

By Mark Harmon Published in The Pulse, a blog supported by NC Policy Watch Nashville-based writers on this site already have written movingly about the tragic gun crime at Covenant School, yet another school shooting — this one took the lives of three children and three adults. Let me add this perspective from only a modest distance away, my adopted home of Knoxville is less than a 3-hour drive east of Nashville. You see, I am a survivor of a hate crime involving blasts of gunfire. My church, Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist, was having a special service on July 27, 2008; it was a children’s play, a condensed version of Annie. A gunman came into our sanctuary early in the play, took out a modified shotgun hidden in a guitar case and blasted away. My friend and an usher that day, Greg McKendry, tried to stop that gunman. Greg’s burly

Read More »

Just a little history: When Wake County fenced itself in

By Carol Pelosi One of my favorite books is “Cattle: An informal social history,” which talks at length about the differences between farming in New England and much of the South, differences largely based on the origin of the people in those regions. Northern farmers came largely from Britain, where farming was highly controlled and fences and hedges separated farms and the areas in a farm. It was people from the Celtic areas of Scotland and Ireland who came to the South with a heritage of large and small cattle “farms” where the cattle ranged free. That brought to mind the Kelly Lally’s description of farming in Wake County in the later 1800s when both black and white farmers turned to the tenant system except those who owned their own small farms. Only a few had large acreages. The entire farming economy was depressed with prices for crops low. Because

Read More »

DuBois to host Block Party April 15

The historic DuBois Campus at 536 North Franklin Street will be transformed with food trucks, games, music, vendors and more from 1 to 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 15, the same day as Forest Fest in downtown Wake Forest. Make a day of it by going to both. The block party is sponsored by DigitalBridge, Black Friday, the Town of Wake Forest and the Historic DuBois School established in 1922. ###

Read More »

Pre-party will begin WF Easter Egg Hunt April 1

The Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department will host its annual Easter Egg Hunt Saturday, April 1, at E. Carroll Joyner Park, 701 Harris Road. This year’s event will begin with a first-of-its-kind pre-party at 10 a.m. Featuring music, fun and games, and a visit from the Easter Bunny, the pre-party festivities will take place in the Joyner Park Amphitheater. The egg hunts will get underway at 11 a.m. with over 15,000 eggs containing prizes and candy hidden across four locations. Children ages 3 and younger and ages 10-12 will hunt for eggs at separate locations beginning at 11 a.m.; ages 4-6 and ages 7-9 will begin in separate areas at 11:30 a.m., while the egg hunt for children with disabilities will begin at 11:45 a.m. A downloadable map of the egg hunt areas is available at http://bit.ly/WFEasterEggHunt. Children participating in these egg hunts should bring their own

Read More »

Half marathon coming to Wake April 15

While the flowers are blooming and the weather is perfect, come out and be a part of the inaugural Wake Forest Historic Half Marathon. This is the first ever half marathon to run through downtown Wake Forest and neighborhoods that make up the rich history of the area. There is a distance for everyone, from the Half Marathon, 3 mile run or 1.3 mile walk. While doing something good for yourself, you’ll be doing something good to benefit our community too. Proceeds from the Historic Half will benefit the Wake Forest Chamber Foundation and the Wakefield Schools Foundation – Their vision is to provide academic and enrichment opportunities that propel students to future academic and career success, and that the schools represent the heart of a diverse, welcoming, and engaged community. Date: Saturday, April 15th Time: 7:30 am start Where: Wake Forest, NC 27587 How to register: RRLoader – Don’t

Read More »

‘Cover the Cruiser’ for Special Olympics

The Wake Forest Police Department (WFPD) is inviting residents to “Cover the Cruiser” to raise money for Special Olympics in North Carolina (SONC). The special event will take place Friday-Saturday, April 7-8, at the Wake Forest Sam’s Club, 11460 Royall Cotton Road. Over those two days, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. each day, Wake Forest Police officers will be at Sam’s Club selling “Cover the Cruiser” stickers for $5 each. Anyone who purchases one or more stickers can write their name on the sticker(s), with the goal of completely covering a WFPD ‘cruiser.’ “This is a simple, but effective way we can all work together to raise money for Special Olympics of NC,” said Cpl. J.L. McArthur. “We’re excited to see one of our cruisers covered in stickers with people’s names on them showing our community’s support for Special Olympics.” Officers will also be selling 2023 Special Olympics NC

Read More »

Dance Attic owner Wanda Lynam-Percise honored

As local dance studio, The Dance Attic, Inc., celebrates 35 years of success, it only feels appropriate to shine a spotlight on the tremendous accomplishments this woman-owned and operated business has garnered under the direction of Wake Forest native, Wanda Lynam Percise. A true Wake Forest native, Lynam-Percise was born in the original Wake Forest Hospital. She danced and cheered her way through Wake Forest Elementary, Middle, and High schools, before splitting time during her senior year between Wake Forest Rolesville High and Enloe High School to be able to dance at a school with a magnet program. Lynam-Percise drew the attention of her then principal, Bill Fisher. He saw her passion and desire to become a dancer and worked to help her make this a reality during a time when something like this was unthinkable. Percise continued her dance education when she attended East Carolina University earning a bachelors

Read More »

Six Sundays will return in late April through June

Wake Forest’s popular Six Sundays in Spring concert series will return to E. Carroll Joyner, 701 Harris Road, on consecutive Sundays from April 30 through June 4. Sponsored by the Town of Wake Forest and ARTS Wake Forest, the performances get underway Sunday, April 30, at 5:30 p.m. with the local Beatles tribute band, “Revolution.” Featuring free, live musical entertainment, Six Sundays in Spring offers residents the opportunity to enjoy a variety of local and regional performers in a beautiful outdoor setting. The concerts will be offered rain or shine from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Joyner Park Amphitheater, 701 Harris Road. In addition to Revolution, other acts scheduled to perform this year include Big Bang Boom on May 7, Miss Mini and the Sandman Band on May 14, Conjunto Breve on May 21, The Magnificents on May 28, and Sensory Expressions on June 4. A variety of food

Read More »

WFPD lists six most dangerous town intersections

The Wake Forest Police Department recently announced the top six high-risk intersections in Wake Forest based on the number of accidents that occurred in these areas from 2021-2023: 1. Capital Boulevard (US 1)/South Main Street/New Falls of Neuse Road – 61 2. Capital Boulevard (US 1)/Agora Drive/Wake Union Church Road – 40 3. Capital Boulevard (US 1)/Dr. Calvin Jones Highway (NC 98 Bypass) – 39 4. Capital Boulevard (US 1)/Burlington Mills Road – 32 5. Dr. Calvin Jones Highway/South Main Street (US 1) – 30 6. Capital Boulevard (US 1)/Stadium Drive/Jenkins Road – 25 Failure to reduce speed, inattention, and distracted driving were the most often cited contributing factors in these accidents. Police officials are taking this opportunity to urge motorists to be alert and proceed with caution through these and all intersections. To try and make the intersections safer, officers will continue conducting enforcement campaigns in and around these

Read More »