Obituaries

Jean Cash Preddy, 88 of Louisburg passed away on Sunday, June 23 2024 at her residence.   Jean  was born in Franklin County to the late Lela W. Cash and E. Burton Cash and  grew up in the Flat Rock community area of Youngsville.  Jean worked hard from the time she was a young girl helping her family farm.  She learned her work ethic early and always did her best in anything she attempted.  Jean retired from Aerotron of Raleigh where she  worked for over 30 years.  She was a kind hearted person who made many friends in her lifetime.   She  enjoyed cooking and doing things for others.  Jean was the widow of the late Herbert Landis Preddy to whom she was his faithful wife and partner of 67 years.   She is survived by their only daughter Melody Hedgepeth, son in law Craig Hedgepeth and grandchildren Colin Hedgepeth and Sarah Hedgepeth, sister in law Doris Wheeler , niece Janice Arnold

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The Growth Rate

Based on the March 2024 Monthly Development Report, WF Planning Updated May 29, 2024 Hooray! The March 2024 Monthly Development Report is available on the Wake Forest Planning Department page — and it is a bit of a disappointment. Only one new project — the special use permit for a Whataburger on the NC 98 Bypass in the Wegman’s project — and one deletion — the Christ Our Hope church under construction on North White Street. The updated Wake Forest population as of July 1, 2023 was 56,681. That figure included the new homes which were approved for occupancy. When all the currently approved apartments, townhouses and single-family homes are built the population will rise to 69,956. The town keeps a running tally of approved projects with counts of those completed. The best inspections current estimate is that between seven and eight people move to town each day, moving into

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Crowd asks board to cancel Pride Fest

Tuesday night, June 18, 2024, an overflow crowd filled the second-floor meeting room in the Wake Forest Town Hall and part of the first-floor lobby. Most of the crowd was there to protest Pride Fest, a celebration licensed by the town for Saturday, Oct. 5, and to ask or demand that it be cancelled. They used a public comment section of the town board’s regular agenda. There was some tension because of the large crowd of potential speakers and their supporters or family. Mayor Vivian Jones, before the hearing opened, said she expected everyone would be respectful and would refrain from clapping, applauding or any other expression and warned those who did that they would be “escorted” out of the room by the police officers present. Wake Forest Pride, a group of LGBTQ people, was organized this year, too late to get an event license for June — Pride Month

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Both budget and nondiscrimination passed

Tuesday night’s town board meeting came in different, unrelated chunks, beginning with the first act when Commissioner Nick Sliwinsk moved to take the agenda item — the second reading for the proposed Friday Night on White curfew — off the agenda and everyone agreed. Sliwinski said his was the only vote against tabling the ordinance at the work session. He continued to reflect on what other commissioners said then, and had a few “informal conversations” about the curfew. Immediately afterward, the board went into a closed session to consult with their attorney, Hassan Kingsberry, but it only lasted about six minutes. There was no explanation afterward. Then there was a public hearing about the former nursing home on South Allen Road — long abandoned — where Stacy Woodhouse with GWP Developers of Warrenton plans to renovate the building and lot and turn it into apartments for veterans and others 62

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There were no dancing fools on this campus

100 years of history In the 1920s, the Wake Forest Town Board regulated the playing of Victrolas on Sundays. If you have Victrolas, you have music, and people, particularly young people, want to dance. Dancing, not just the Charleston but the Lindy Hop, the two-step and the tango, was the rage. Edward, the Prince of Wales who danced the night away in London, visited the United States in 1924, inspiring the song, “I Danced with a Man who Danced with a Girl who Danced with the Prince of Wales.” The 600 or 700 young men on the Wake Forest College campus knew what was happening around the country. They had radios; they went to the movies. Wake Forest had two theaters, the Collegiate where Shorty’s is now and the Forest across the street where Fidelity Bank stands. There had been movies in town for years; in 1915, H.E. Joyner was

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Four people charged with numerous car break-ins and one car theft May 30

On Thursday, June 13, Wake Forest Police obtained arrest warrants on the following individuals in connection with several vehicle break-ins and a car theft on May 30: All will be charged with seven counts of felony breaking and entering a motor vehicle, felony larceny of a motor vehicle, felony larceny, and felony conspiracy; four counts of misdemeanor larceny; and one count of misdemeanor conspiracy. Police say most of the vehicles targeted on May 30 were unlocked. As a result, officials are again urging residents to consider adopting the “9 PM Routine.” The 9 PM Routine is a national campaign that encourages residents to create a nighttime routine consisting of basic safety measures, including locking your doors, closing your garage, making sure no items are left visible in your car, and turning on your porch lights. Most cars that are broken into are unlocked. Criminals walk through neighborhoods, trying vehicle door

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Find your annual flood water fee

When you get your annual property tax bill from Wake County later this fall, you will see a new fee, either $44, $121 or $231, for the new Wake Forest utility, Stormwater Management. To learn about the new stormwater office in town government and the fee, do the following: go to the town website — https://www.wakeforestnc.gov, click on the Engineering Department, click on Stormwater Management, while there click on Stormwater Utility in the box at the left, and scroll down on the stormwater utility page to see the fee schedule. This is how the new fee is assessed: “The fee is based on the amount of impervious surface on a property, such as roofs, driveways, and parking lots that contribute to the generation of stormwater runoff.  “An ‘impervious surface’ is a hard surface on a property that does not allow rain to soak into the ground such as, but not

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Fireworks and much more in July

Wake Forest has been celebrating our nation’s birthday for 51 years, and this year’s events will equal those before it. It begins on Wednesday evening at the Heritage High School stadium. The gates open at 5:30 p.m. The entertainment begins around 6, when the Tyson Brothers will take the stage followed by the Band of Oz at 7. The fireworks cannot begin until darkness, so there will be a wait until 9:30 or so, but the music and other entertainment will fill the gap. The Children’s Parade down North Main Street and around to Holding Park begins with the lineup at 10 a.m. Dawn Nakash and the Wake Forest Optimist Club are the organizers of this year’s parade. At Holding Park the Wake Forest Woman’s Club and the Wake Forest Fore Department will provide refreshments and entertainment. ###

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Touch-A-Truck fundraiser June 22

The Wake Forest Police Department will host a Touch-A-Truck fundraiser for Special Olympics NC on Saturday, June 22, from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at The Factory, 1839 S. Main St. 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 NC. Throughout the event, Wake Forest Police officers will also be selling 2024 Special Olympics NC Torch Run T-shirts for $20, and Two Roosters Ice Cream will be onsite selling sweet treats. For more information, contact Sgt. J. McArthur at 919-554-6150 or jmcarthur@wakeforestnc.gov. ###

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Free car seat check Saturday, June 29

The Wake Forest Police Department (WFPD) and Wake County Health & Human Services are partnering to make sure small children are safe in the car by offering a free Car Seat Check & Installation Event on Saturday, June 29, from 9-11 a.m. at the Wake Forest Library, 400 E. Holding Ave. Certified Car Seat Safety Technicians will be on hand to answer questions and assist parents and caregivers with the proper installation of their child’s car seat. Technicians will also let you know if your children are in the right seats for their ages and sizes and explain the importance of registering car seats with the manufacturer, so you can be notified if there is a recall. No appointment is necessary. For more information, email diana.browndiaz@wake.gov or call 919-250-3989. Anyone who is unable to attend the June 29 event but would like assistance installing their child’s safety seat can set up an

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