Apply for seven-week Citizen’s Academy about the town

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.

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Cops and firefighters offer Public Safety Camp in June

The Wake Forest Police Department and Wake Forest Fire Department are partnering to host a Public Safety Camp Monday through Wednesday, June 26-28, at E. Carroll Joyner Park, 701 Harris Road. Geared for ages 13-15, the three-day camp will include sessions on basic first aid, CPR, fire extinguisher usage, and firefighter tactics, as well as Police K9 and tactical team demonstrations, a mock crime scene investigation, and discussions about careers in public safety. The cost of the camp is $35 and includes lunch each day. In addition, all campers will receive a Public Safety Camp T-shirt. A limited number of spots are available. Online registration is underway at https://bit.ly/WFPublicSafetyCamp. For more information, contact Firefighter Glenn Ebron at 919-556-1966 or gebron@wakeforestnc.gov or Police Community Outreach Officer Robert Wilkinson at 919-608-8472 or rwilkinson@wakeforestnc.gov. ###

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Voter ID required, but questions remain

(The following is taken from a News & Observer front page article dated May 31. The information about mail-in ballots very likely will change in the next weeks; additional information is also expected for new forms of ID. The Gazette will make the changes and highlight them when they happen.) BY KYLE INGRAM kingram@mcclatchyservices.com This election season voters will be required to present a photo identification at the polls following a landmark decision last month from the state Supreme Court. Now that the dust has had some time to settle from the ruling, the State Board of Elections has issued some guidance on how this requirement will be implemented. The first elections in which voters will have to show ID will be the 2023 municipal elections held between September and November. (In Wake Forest the election for three town commissioner seats will be held November 7; filing for candidates is

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Capital Blvd. plans to be aired at open house June 21

The NC Department of Transportation will host a combined open house public meeting and public hearing for the proposed Capital Boulevard North Upgrade (Raleigh to Wake Forest) improvements Wednesday, June 21, at Living Word Family Church, 10520 Star Road. The public meeting is scheduled from 4 to 6:30 p.m. with the public hearing to follow at 7 p.m. This meeting will be about only one of the four planned sections, the one from U.S. I-540 to the Durant Road/Perry Creek Road intersection. The other sections would advance the road to Burlington Mills Road, then to the NC 98 (Durham Road) intersection and finally to the Purnell Road/Harris Road intersection. That last section has not been funded yet. NCDOT proposes to convert US 1/Capital Boulevard to a controlled access highway from I-540 in Raleigh to Purnell Road (S.R. 1909) / Harris Road (S.R. 1931) in Wake Forest. A controlled-access highway is

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Love Tribe will be on stage for June 9 FNOW

Local favorite “Love Tribe” will headline Friday Night on White this Friday, June 9. The free outdoor concert will take place from 6-9 p.m. along South White Street in historic downtown Wake Forest. Food & Refreshments Food and refreshments will be available for purchase at several downtown restaurants. A variety of food and dessert trucks will also be on site in the Depot Parking Lot, 110 S. White St., and along East Owen Avenue. Food and dessert trucks scheduled to participate on June 9 include Virgil’s Jamaica, Cousins Maine Lobster, VFW Chuck Wagon, Charlie’s Kabob Grill on Wheels, Lumpy’s Ice Cream, Cocoa Forte Cheesecake, Waves Shave Ice, Baton Rouge Cuisine, Crispy Gyoza, Empanadas RD, Warehouse BBQ, How ‘bout Burger, and La Katrina Tacos. Menus for these food trucks are provided on the Town website at https://bit.ly/FNOWFoodTrucks. Beer & Wine Sales · No outside alcohol or coolers are permitted during FNOW,

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Your input needed for upgrades to Miller Park

The Town of Wake Forest is initiating a study to identify potential upgrades for Miller Park, 401 Elm Ave. The initiative will also propose greenway improvements and address water quality and erosion issues involving two streams within the two-acre park. A wooded oasis in the heart of downtown Wake Forest, Miller Park features picnic tables and a half-mile of paved trails that loop throughout the park. Citizen input is the cornerstone of the Miller Park Upgrades & Stream Restoration Study, so we want to hear from you. Residents and visitors to Miller Park are invited to visit https://engagewakeforest.org/miller-park-upgrades-stream-restoration and provide their input via an online survey. Available through Friday, June 30, the survey takes less than five minutes to complete. For more information, email CIP Manager Steve Meyer at smeyer@wakeforestnc.gov. This project is supported by a grant from US Treasury as part of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Coronavirus

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Apply now: two planning board seats are empty

The Town of Wake Forest is inviting residents who live in Wake Forest and its extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) to apply for two vacancies on the Planning Board. One seat must be filled by a Wake Forest resident, while the other is reserved for someone who lives in the ETJ. Applications will be accepted through Friday, July 28. The online advisory board application is available on the Town website at http://bit.ly/TOWFAdvBoardApplication. Anyone without computer access is invited to complete the application by using a computer kiosk in the lobby of Town Hall, 301 S. Brooks St. Hard copies are available upon request by contacting Deputy Town Clerk Ella Dowtin at 919-435-9436 or edowtin@wakeforestnc.gov. Planning Board candidates will be introduced to the Board of Commissioners during its regular meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 15. Appointments to the Planning Board will also be announced during this meeting. The new terms will commence immediately following

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WF Rotary Club donates to Wake Med for WF residents

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. ###

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Editorial: A quote from a Supreme Court Justice

“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

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Learn about your town through Citizen’s Academy

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.

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