During its regular meeting this week the Wake Forest Rotary Club presented a check for $10,698 to its partner, WakeMed Health & Hospitals, that will pay off the cancer-related medical debt for 26 residents or families who live in the 27587 ZIP Code. The money was earned from the club’s Cars and Carnivores Street Festival held in March of this year. ###

“The Gun Lobby’s interpretation of the Second Amendment is one of the greatest pieces of fraud – I repeat the word fraud – on the American people by special interest groups that I have ever seen in my lifetime. The real purpose of the Second Amendment was to ensure that state armies – the militia – would be maintained for the defense of the state. The very language of the Second Amendment refutes any argument that it was intended to guarantee every citizen an unfettered right to any kind of weapon he or she desires.” — The late Supreme Court Chief Justice Warren Burger

The Town of Wake Forest is now accepting applications for its second annual Citizen’s Academy. The online application is available at www.wakeforestnc.gov/citizens-academy through Friday, July 14. The Wake Forest Citizen’s Academy is a seven-week course designed to offer participants an educational and interactive experience on the workings of Town government. The curriculum will cover current Wake Forest programs, services, and procedures, and offer an inside look at several departments, including Public Works, Police, Fire, Communications, Finance, Planning, Engineering, Wake Forest Power, Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources, the Renaissance Centre, and Downtown Development. (Editor’s note: This is the year when we will elect three town commissioners. The academy would be an excellent way for any candidates who have not served in a local elected office to learn about the town and be more prepared if elected. There are now three announced candidates: first-term Commissioner Adam Wright, Joe Kimray and Faith Cross.

Area residents are invited to the official grand reopening of the Northern Wake Senior Center (NWSC) on Wednesday, June 14, at 10 a.m. Delayed for over three years – first by COVID, then by a fire – the reopening celebration will include a dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony, brief remarks by Mayor Vivian Jones and other Town officials, tours of the facility, class demonstrations, and light refreshments. In June 2018, construction on the new and improved 18,000-square-foot facility began. Located at 235 E. Holding Ave., the center reopened on February 3, 2020, only to close a few weeks later in response to the COVID pandemic. After reopening to the public in early 2022, the facility was forced to close again in July 2022 due to smoke and fire damage caused by a lightning strike. Although the building was closed during this period, classes and activities continued virtually and at various Town

The Wake Forest Fire Department is asking for the community’s help renovating and restoring a “Smoke Trailer” used to teach children important lessons about the dangers of fires, how to prevent them, and ways to escape a burning home. Donations of money, labor, and materials are needed to renovate and upfit the trailer, so it functions as a mobile classroom. Once the renovations are completed, the Smoke Trailer will be used at schools, camps, and community events to teach kids what to do if a fire breaks out at home. The unit will be specially equipped with appliances, smoke machines, and heaters that can create conditions mimicking the signs of danger. “Fire education and prevention are cornerstones of our operations,” said Firefighter First Class Glenn Ebron. “We’re excited to partner with our community to renovate the Smoke Trailer and make our mobile classroom a reality.” Online donations are accepted at