The Wake Forest Police Department is again urging residents to guard against becoming the victim of fraud following recently reported phone scams involving Venmo and Apple Pay. Residents who were recently involved in a traffic accident have reported receiving calls from someone posing as a Wake Forest Police officer who claims they owe money for missing a subsequent court date. According to various reports, the caller says a warrant has been issued for their arrest, or soon will be, but they can pay a fine now via Apple Pay, Venmo, or some other form of electronic payment and avoid being arrested. Neither the WFPD nor any other government agency make such calls, nor would they ever ask anyone to make a payment via Apple Pay, Venmo, Cash App, PayPal, Green Dot cards, store gift cards, Playstation/Xbox cards, Apple iTunes gift cards, Bitcoins, or any other electronic payment app. These types

Former Wake Forest Commissioner and current Wake Forest Area Chamber of Commerce President Liz Simpers was recognized as a 2023 NC Main Street Champion during the 2024 NC Main Street Awards Conference on March 14 in Goldsboro, NC. Simpers was one of 40 individuals and organizations from across the state to receive the honor in recognition of their commitment to downtown revitalization. This year’s group of Main Street Champions brings the total number to 415 since champions were first named in 1980. Other recent Wake Forest Main Street Champions include ARTS Wake Forest, Lisa Hayes, the Wake Forest Garden Club, Doug Pearce, Carter Harrell, and James Warren.  “We are so pleased to recognize the people that are making a difference in Main Street communities,” said Liz Parham, Director of the N.C. Main Street & Rural Planning Center. “Main Street Champions come from all walks of life, but they share common

The Town of Wake Forest and several local veterans’ organizations will resume their monthly flag-raising ceremonies in Town Hall’s Centennial Plaza on Monday, April 1, at 11 a.m. The 52nd Wake Forest Memorial Flag-Raising Ceremony will honor David Cooke, who served our nation in the US Marine Corps. Members of Cooke’s family have been invited to participate in the ceremony, which will include patriotic songs, special remarks, a memorial wreath laying, and the ceremonial flag-raising. During the service, the Wake Forest Fire Department Honor Guard will raise the American flag and the U.S. Marine Corps service flag in recognition of the military branch in which Cooke served. Both flags will fly in Centennial Plaza throughout April. Photographs and other remembrances of Cooke will also be displayed in Centennial Plaza during the ceremony, then in the Town Hall lobby through the end of the month. Presented by the Town of Wake Forest and

Save the date! Join us on Sunday, May 5, for the Second Annual Preserve the Connections event. This is an event that aims to bring together vendors, artisans, neighbors, and charities. The idea behind this event is to strengthen the connections within our communities. Regina Jones and Kimberly Wieberg, both residents of Preserve at Smith Creek and small business entrepreneurs, have teamed up to organize an event that you just can’t miss. Regina, from OnWire Real Estate, says that she is “excited to connect with community members, entrepreneurs, and the two amazing charities that will benefit from this wonderful event.” This year we have added a three level sponsorship opportunity.  Hearth Counseling & Consulting ( hearthcc.com ) is the first to agree to support the event by being a vendor sponsor.  Vendor Sponsorship is set up into three levels to fit any size of company/vendor/organization: Bronze Level: $100 or more  donation receives social

Well, my friends, the local numbers are in for February 2024, and I am sure that you have been hearing the news about the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) settlement of a class action lawsuit. As far as the NAR settlement goes, how this will impact our local market is yet to be determined. I will clarify a couple of things that have been highlighted by the media and are misleading. Now for some local Real Estate news: Here is an update for the end of February: A year ago, the average sale price of a single-family home in the Triangle was $461,271 and increased $28,562 to $489,833 by the end of February. That is a 6.2% increase. To be accurate, it has not been a steady increase. In fact, sale prices peaked in July at $528,051 for a 14.5% increase over February of last year. Over the last 6