Two federal grants that would help the North Carolina Department of Transportation build the first leg of a Raleigh to Richmond high-speed rail line called the S-line and rebuild the track, signals, bridges and underpasses between Wake Forest and Raleigh ($1.1billion) and a more recent grant of $13.2 million to build a new railroad station in town are now on hold, suspended by the Trump Administration. Monday night during the State of the Town Dinner at the Renaissance Centre Mayor Vivian Jones said she knew both projects had been put on hold by President Donald Trump and multi-billionaire Elon Musk. Tuesday she emailed: “I have no new information other than to say that Sen. Tillis’ rep, Sen. Budd’s rep, and Congresswoman Ross’ rep were all at the State of the Town last night and all told me they are working on the funding issues and feel confident that these projects

About 220 people filled the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre Monday night for the State of the Town Dinner, though only 85 people actually bought tickets. The other 135 or so were either officials at other towns, representatives of our state or federal officials or members of the town staff, including three police officers and Interim Police Chief Julius Jefferson. Recently retired police chief Jeff Leonard was presented with the Vivian A. Jones Peace Award by Shipman Northcutt, president of the Wake Forest Rotary Club, which has sponsored the dinner for ten years. Mayor Jones Speech Thank you all for being here tonight. Thanks especially to the Wake Forest Rotary Club for your continued support of this event. We appreciate the opportunity to partner with you and thank you for the work you do in our community. I also want to say a personal thank you to all the elected officials

After another public hearing on Tuesday, January 18, 2025, the Wake Forest Town Board unanimously approved the Church Street Company plan for the Harris tract on Harris Road across from Joyner Park. The plan for the 68 acres includes preserving 30 acres for conservation to protect the pristine bluffs, plants and stream at the back of the tract. It is an agreement reached between Angela DiPaolo’s Joyner-Harris group and Church Street. The plan does not include a master plan for the 400 or so dwelling units. They and the streets, utilities and other large details will have to meet the requirements in the Uniform Development Ordinance. Earlier, during the public hearings, one man said the town was giving the developers “a blank check” and other speakers questioned the number of dwelling units and the increase in traffic congestion on a two-lane road. A large part of the meeting was taken

Hello to active members of this group. Due to serious family health issues which has me necessarily in a full-time caregiver role, I am resigning as one of the admins for this group, effective immediately. A few years ago, this group was launched as Wake Forest Against Reckless Growth (ARG!) and grew to over 500 members. This group, in partnership with the JHFC group, has had some positive results. In my opinion, we influenced the 2023 BOC elections, and the TOWF has the best BOC in many years. We also constantly focused on open space and this may have influenced the planning staff to document numerous mentions of open space throughout the draft UDO. Otherwise, we, the existing residents, some of whom moved here to a quaint little town many years or decades ago, often to get out of the city, have almost always been disappointed with the results of

The Wake Forest Human Relations Council (HRC) will host the 2025 Minority & Women-Owned Business Expo Saturday, Feb. 22, from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre, 405 S. Brooks St. The event is free and open to everyone. According to a 2023 report, of all US businesses, only 2% are Black-owned, just 6% are Hispanic-owned, and only 5% are women-owned. The HRC’s Minority & Women-Owned Business Expo is designed to increase recognition and opportunities for minority and women business owners in the Wake Forest community. More than 35 local businesses are scheduled to participate, including Aging Care Matters, Ataraxis Travel, Brookfields Indoor Golf & Lounge, Divine Holistic Wellness, Kwench Juice Café, Remarkable Regenerating Waves, The Makery, White Street Market, and Where in the World Vacations. To view the complete list of participating businesses, visit https://bit.ly/WFMinorityWomenOwnedBusinessExpo.  The 2025 Minority & Women-Owned Business Expo promises to bring enterprising professionals

The Wake Forest Fire Department (WFFD) is selling custom “Autism Awareness” T-shirts with puzzle lettering for $25 each through Saturday, March 15. Available in a variety of youth and adult sizes, the T-shirts may be ordered and purchased online via credit card at www.wakeforestnc.gov/marketplace.  For every T-shirt sold, the WFFD will donate $3 to the Autism Society of NC.  The cost of each T-shirt includes a $6 shipping fee. All shirts will be shipped out at one time after March 15 with an estimated shipping date of approximately two to three weeks after the closing date of the sale.  For more information, email Firefighter Brice Strickland at bstrickland@wakeforestnc.gov. ###

The Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department is coordinating a comprehensive lighting system upgrade at several Town facilities resulting in better lighting with less energy consumption at a lower cost.  A 2022 Wake Forest Bond Referendum initiative, the Relamp Project includes replacing metal halide light fixtures with more energy efficient and effective LED light fixtures at the following locations: *Flaherty Park pickleball/tennis courts, 1226 N. White St. *Flaherty Park fields 1, 2, and 3, 1100 N. White St. *Heritage High Park baseball/softball fields and tennis courts, 1150 Forestville Road.  The initiative also includes the installation of a new LED lighting system at Tyler Run Park, 830 Pineview Dr. The work has been completed at the Flaherty Park tennis/pickleball courts and baseball/softball fields, is underway at Tyler Run Park, and will begin later this year at the Heritage High Park baseball/softball fields and tennis courts.  The LED lights produce significantly greater

The Town of Wake Forest will accept applications for the 2025 session of Wake Forest Planning 101 (formerly known as the Citizens Planning Academy) Monday, Feb. 10, through 5 p.m. Monday, Feb. 24. Wake Forest Planning 101 is designed to educate residents of Wake Forest and its extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) on fundamental topics in planning and development in Wake Forest, with an emphasis on hands-on learning. Participants will explore a variety of topics pertaining to planning and zoning, including the framework for local regulations established by state law, trends in growth and land development in Wake Forest, adopted Town plans, land development considerations and processes, the Town’s development regulations, public hearings, and more. Participants will be expected to attend four sessions on consecutive Wednesdays from April 30-May 21 (April 30, May 7, May 14, and May 21). Each session is scheduled from 5:45-8:15 p.m. at Wake Forest Town Hall, 301

Tickets are on sale and going fast for two performances of TheaterWorks USA’s “Pete the Cat” on Saturday, April 26, at the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre, 405 S. Brooks St. The morning show begins at 11 a.m., while the afternoon show gets underway at 3 p.m. TheaterWorks USA has been delighting audiences young and old for nearly 60 years. In this New York City-based touring production, the groovy blue cat, Pete, meets The Biddles and has the whole family rocking, except for young Jimmy. Jimmy is the most organized second grader on planet earth. Before long Pete and Jimmy team up on an adventure of friendship that helps Jimmy conquer second grade art. Advance tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for ages 16 and under and can be purchased online at https://bit.ly/WFRenCenTix, in person at the WFRC Box Office, or by calling 919-435-9458. Recommended for Pre-K to third graders, this

The Town of Wake Forest and the Wake Forest Historical Museum are partnering to offer free Black History Month Walking Tours of the Northeast Community every Friday in February at 1 p.m. Pre-registration is required by completing the online sign-up form at https://bit.ly/BHMWalkingTours. Space is limited to the first 15 participants to sign up for each tour. Please note: The February 7 walking tour is full. Led by staff from Historic Preservation Planning and the Wake Forest Historical Museum, the tours will include Olive Branch Baptist Church, Alston-Massenburg Center, the newly restored Ailey Young House, the African American Cemetery, and more. Along the way, each group will discuss the developmental and architectural history of the area, along with the significant men and women who shaped the Northeast Community. Tours are outside only and will not include the inside of individual homes or buildings.  Each tour is approximately 90 minutes and will begin