WF Voting Precinct 19-12 split in two

Just another indication of Wake Forest’s growth: Precinct 19-12 had grown to over 8,000 voters and has been split into two, Precincts 19-22 and Precinct 23. During its regular meeting on May 2, 2023, the five people on the Wake County Board of Elections voted to split Precinct 19-12 into two parts, new Precincts 19-22 and 19-23, with a roughly equal number of voters. Precinct 19-23 is the larger, stretching from the NC 98 Bypass down to the Neuse River in a rough long rectangle bounded on the west by South Main Street and to the east by a small stream called Hatters Bridge Creek., according to a staff member at the Wake elections office or Smith Creek according to a knowledgable election official. All of Holding Village is included. Precinct 19-22 is also bounded by South Main and then by Wait Avenue to the north. It stretches across and

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Editorial: Abortion bill makes NC women second-class citizens

“…that any group of men should undertake to settle a scientific fact by majority vote in any assembly is a travesty on the intelligence of our race and we ought not to stand for it.” — Dr. William Poteat on the occasion of his retirement in 1925 as president of Wake Forest College The General Assembly Republicans, plastic stethoscopes dangling around their necks, could be the health-care judges for every pregnant woman in North Carolina if they succeed in overturning Governor Roy Cooper’s certain veto. In effect, along with the Dobbs decision by the United States Supreme Court, every woman in this supposedly free state is in thrall to judges and politicians once they become pregnant, making us second-class citizens whether we are 8 or 86. We cannot control our own bodies in the most intimate of decisions. HOW DARE THEY? They dare because through the last decade, they have

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This and that

The other day a woman got in touch with the Gazette by email, saying she had a POW bracelet that belonged to James F. Bell, a Navy captain and pilot who spent seven and a half years in captivity in Vietnam after his plane was shot down. The woman said she was trying to get in touch with one of his sons, Thomas Bell, who The Washington Post in 2014 said lived in Wake Forest. The Gazette has been unable to get in touch with Thomas Bell and will be grateful to anyone who can help. The Gazette can give him the woman’s telephone number and email address so he can recover that memento of his father. To contact the Gazette, use cwpelosi@aol.com or 919-556-3409. **** One of the interesting parts of last week’s Wake Forest Town Board’s work session concerned the tree that is the town logo. There was

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Holding Park Aquatic Center will open Saturday, May 27

Holding Park Aquatic Center at 133 West Owen Avenue will open for the season Saturday, May 27, at 9 a.m. Daily admission fees for Wake Forest residents are $1 for children ages 2 and under; $4 for children ages 3-13; and $5 for patrons ages 13-59; and $4 for ages 60 and over. Daily admission fees for non-Wake Forest residents are $2 for children ages 2 and under; $6 for children ages 3-13; and $7 for patrons ages 13-59; and $6 for ages 60 and over. Open swim times are scheduled in three-hour blocks, with 30-minute breaks in between to allow staff to clean and sanitize the facility, including deck chairs, door handles, handrails, and other high-touch areas. A maximum of 200 patrons will be allowed inside the facility during each session. To help ensure an enjoyable experience for everyone, patrons are strongly encouraged to register and pay online in

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Faith Cross announces as town board candidate

Faith Cross, a newcomer to town politics, announced her intention to run for a seat on the Wake Forest Town Board where there will be three vacancies in November. Commissioners Chad Sary, Adam Wright and Jim Dyer have served one term. Wright announced a few weeks ago he would seek a second term, and Joe Kimray announced months ago. “I view this as an opportunity to serve my community,” Cross wrote in her announcement. “The voice of our residents calling for more carefully considered growth needs to be heard. I am committed to listening to our residents. Without careful planning and measured growth, the community will see an inevitable increase in our taxes due to a need for additional essential services (police, fire, EMS) and new schools.” In addition to carefully considered growth, Faith would also like to focus on increased transparency in our local government, making it easier for

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Touch-A-Truck for Special Olympics on Saturday, June 17

The Wake Forest Police Department will host a Touch-A-Truck fundraiser for Special Olympics of NC on Saturday, June 17, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at The Factory, 1839 South Main Street. Families and children of all ages will be granted an all-access pass to police cars, fire trucks, a helicopter, boat, Humvee, military vehicles, and more. The cost is $5 per person and $20 per family of any size. All proceeds will benefit Special Olympics of NC. Throughout the day officers will also be selling 2023 Special Olympics NC Torch Run T-shirts for $20. The T-shirts feature the WFPD badge in recognition of the department’s Top 10 ranking among NC law enforcement agencies for Special Olympics fundraising in 2022. In addition to trucks and vehicles, Charlie’s Kabob Grill and Two Roosters Ice Cream will be onsite selling food and sweet treats. For more information, contact Cpl. J. McArthur at

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Family Movie Nights at Joyner Park begin on May 27

The Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources (PRCR) Department will host a free, monthly outdoor movie series from May through August at E. Carroll Joyner Park, 701 Harris Road. The first in the series of Family Movie Nights at Joyner Park will feature the film “Lady and the Tramp” on Saturday, May 27, at 8:30 p.m. Family Movie Nights will feature a variety of family-friendly film favorites and genres, including comedies, dramas, and thrillers, all projected on a 26-foot inflatable movie screen in the park’s amphitheater. Future film screenings are scheduled on the following Saturdays: June 17 (Encanto), July 22 (Zootopia), and August 5 (Spider Man: No Way Home). Showtime for each event is 8:30 p.m. Anyone planning to attend is urged to arrive early as viewing space may be limited. Family Movie Nights are free and open to the public. Each will also include a movie-related pre-show activity

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Registration is continuing for 5K/3K walk/run

The Recreation Advisory Board will host a family-friendly 5K/3K walk/run as part of National Trails Day on Saturday, June 3, at E. Carroll Joyner Park, 701 Harris Road. Check-in on the day of the event starts at 7 a.m., and the races begin at 8 a.m. Online registration is available at http://bit.ly/WFNationalTrailsDay. The National Trails Day 5K/3K is a timed walk/run for children and adults. A loop of the paved trails throughout Joyner Park will comprise the 3.1-mile course for the 5K and 1.8-mile course for the 3K. Strollers are welcome but will be placed at the back of the pack to allow runners a clear start. The entry fee for the 5K is $30 through May 14; $35 from May 15-June 1; and $40 the day before and day of the race. The entry fee for the 3K is $25 through May 14; $30 May 15-June 1; and $35

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Parks & Rec hosting two fishing tournaments in May

From May 15 to May 28, the Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources (PRCR) Department will host a Bass Fishing Tournament for ages 13 and older and a Youth Fishing Tournament for ages 12 and under (non-competitive). Over this two-week period, local anglers can 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, April 27, at https://wakeforestnc.recdesk.com/Community/Home (search “fishing”). 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 will

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WFPD lists the six most dangerous intersections in town

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

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