Brief bits

There is some good news and a correction for last week’s article and editorial about the nighttime anonymous axe attack and removal of a Little Free Library in front of a local South White Street business, Heritage Florist.

One of the owners, Christopher Batts, called the Gazette to correct its statement about the books in the library erected by a troop of local Girl Scouts. The library did not have books about transsexual, lesbian or gay people, Batts said, but “. . . were just regular children’s books and cook books.”

He said the amount of local bigotry was a contributor to the attack because people thought Batts and his husband were trying to introduce local youth to a different sexuality and had said so as part of the flood of hate telephone calls they received. The lead article in this week’s Gazette shows that criminal but straight men are the real threat to children and teens here, charged with attempting to rape one child or teen and others trying to lure them into prostitution.

The store owners plan to erect a new Little Free Library soon, one made with a steel post and metal box. They started a Go Fund Me page to raise money for the new library and so far have raised a little over $4,000. When the editor noted that amount of money showed the Wake Forest community is not all bigoted but indeed supports them, Batts agreed.

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The 76th Wake Forest Community Dinner was held Monday, Dec. 2, at The Forks and was well attended.

Michael Burger, chairman of the Tri-Area Ministry Food Pantry, was named Citizen of the Year; the Wake Forest Rotary Club was named Organization of the Year, and Tilda Caudle was awarded the Peggy Allen Lifetime Achievement award.

Greg Harrington, a retired police chief and longtime volunteer in town, sent in a correction about the different duties of the Wake Forest Community Christmas Dinner Committee and the Wake Forest Community Council. Harrington said in an email, “The Wake Forest Community Christmas Dinner Committee sponsors the annual Wake Forest Community Christmas dinner. The committee undertook this responsibility in 2011.

“The Wake Forest Community Council still accepts nominations from the public and the members of the Community Council and votes for the award winners. Matter of fact, the Wake Forest Community Christmas Dinner committee received the Organization of the Year award in 2021.” Thank you, Greg.

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Just an update on the drought situation — we were in a moderate drought through last week and the water level at Falls Lake dropped to 248 feet, losing a tenth of a foot Saturday. Then came the rain Sunday afternoon and night. The lake level rebounded to 248.13, an increase of 0.14 feet.

But the really good news came a day later. As of Monday, the lake level has risen by 0.66 feet to 248.79. And there is rain in the forecast for the weekend.

At our house, the rain gauge near the back door with tree and roof overhang collected 3.16 inches and the one in the open back 40 had 3.74 inches.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers try to maintain the lake at 252 feet, and full pool — the highest level it can reach before excess water begins running down that spillway to the north of the dam — is 265 feet above mean sea level.

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