Editorials, columns, letters to the editor
A petition is currently circulating through the social media feeds of Wake Forest parents, gathering signatures at a rapid clip. Notably, this isn’t just a random outcry; it was started by Nicole Lewis, the President of the Wake Forest Elementary Schoolâs Parent Teacher Association (PTA). It calls for an immediate fix to the heating system […]
Mayor Ben Clapsaddle delivers his inaugural State of the Town address, centered on the theme “We Move Forward Together.” The phrase is a translation of the motto Katchi Kapshida, which he adopted from his time as a strategic planner with the Third Republic of Korea Army. On Monday night, the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre was
A notification from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services officially disapproving the UNC Health Rex Wake Forest Hospital proposal. If you drove down Capital Boulevard this morning, you sat in it. The gridlock. The red lights. The absolute nightmare that is our daily commute. Now, imagine doing that drive while having a
There was a time when local politics was defined by tangible disagreements: zoning variances, drainage assessments, and paving schedules. The stakes were real, but they were local. You might disagree heatedly with your town commissioner, but you didnât accuse them of being part of a sinister national conspiracy. That era is over. Since 2016, we
The snow had largely retreated by Tuesday evening, leaving behind the grey, slushy evidence of a winter storm that had paused the pulse of Wake Forest for the better part of a week. The roads were clear, the power was on, and the town was slowly waking up from its icy hibernation. But as the
For the first time in over two decades, the Wake Forest Board of Commissioners is preparing to fill a vacancy that will not just complete a term, but cement a new political order. With Ben Clapsaddleâs landslide victory in the mayoral race last November, ousting 24-year incumbent Vivian Jones by a stunning 41-point margin, his
This map distinguishes between the Town of Wake Forest’s established Corporate Limits (shown in dark green) and its Extra-Territorial Jurisdictions (highlighted in light green) A few days ago, a reader dropped a comment on our piece about Chesterfield Village and the Neuse North Plan that stopped me in my tracks. “I believe that the numbers
This is a victory for the Wake Forest right to know. Last week, a judge in Franklin County, North Carolina, dismissed a no-contact order filed in connection with my reporting in âNo Fear, No Retreat, No Surrender.â The court reviewed the facts and determined that the allegations did not meet the legal statute, finding no
The Imperial Boomerang: How the tactics of foreign wars and colonization became the machinery of domestic control. Every year on the third Monday of January, America engages in a polite, sanitized ritualâone that ignores the power of the MLK Beyond Vietnam speech. We quote the âI Have a Dreamâ speech. We post black-and-white photos of
Standing for liberty and justice in Wake Forest. This past weekend, the true spirit of Wake Forest was visible on the sidewalks at the intersections along Main Street, including at Ligon Mill, Rogers Road, and 98 Bypass. Over 100 residents gathered each day, the largest group on sidewalks in the public right of way in
If you drive in Wake Forest, you have almost certainly been âread.â A map of the Wake Forest “Digital Fence,” showing the geographical distribution of surveillance cameras at nearly every major entry point into the town. Source: https://deflock.me/map#map=12/35.964530/-78.524780 According to documents obtained through public records requests, the 25 solar-powered Automatic License Plate Readers installed by
We are blessed in Wake Forest. When you see a Wake Forest Police officer on Friday Night on White, or responding to a wreck on Main Street, you arenât seeing an occupier. You are seeing a neighbor. Our local department does an outstanding job. They are approachable. They are kind. They are warm. When you
Wake Forest local politics reform starts with understanding the forces that shape our community. Part of my familyâs story is the story of the global supply chain. For three generations, we have built it, filled it, and patrolled it. My grandfather was drafted at 18. He arrived in the Philippines during the final violent push
If the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) is a window into the soul of the townâs bureaucracy, then the view for 2026-2031 is expensive. Tonight, (January 6), the Board of Commissioners will review the Updated CIP for FY 2026-2031. Last year, the townâs âidentified needâ in the 2025-2030 Capital Improvements Plan (CIP) Update had hit a
The weight of the oath sits heavy under the shadow of the Capitol. Five years later, the broken glass is gone, but the cracks in our foundation remain visible. In 2010, I was deployed to Baquba, Iraq, during the parliamentary elections. By dawn, the city was already shaking. Insurgents were striking polling stations and election
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