Early voting ends Saturday in Orange County

Early voting for the 2020 Presidential Preference Primary ends Saturday in Orange County. All six early voting sites will be open Friday night until 7:30 p.m. and on Saturday from 8 a.m.-3 p.m.

Same-Day voter registration is available during the Early Voting period at all Early Voting sites. If completing Same-Day Registration, one must bring a valid form of government ID (does not need to be a photo ID, but must show residence in Orange County) and must vote during Early Voting rather than on Election Day.

Election Day

Sample ballots are available on Orange County website. Polls will be open on Election Day (Tuesday, March 3) from 6:30 a.m. - 7:30 p.m. Voters must vote at their precincts on Election Day. Use the state's Voter Lookup tool to find your polling place.

Aging Department accepting nominations
for 2020 Direct Care Worker Awards

Orange County Department on Aging and the community group, Senior Health Advocacy and Resource Partners of Orange County (SHARP), are hosting the sixth annual SHARP Direct Care Worker Awards.

Nominations will be accepted from March 2 – April 17, 2020. A recognition ceremony will be held for award winners on Thursday, May 14.
This event honors Direct Care Workers (nurse aides, personal care aides, companion caregivers, etc.) who affect their clients’ lives on a daily basis and make a difference in the Orange County community.

In recognition of the outstanding service provided by direct care workers, the Department on Aging and SHARP will present awards in the following categories: Client Impact, Longevity, Leadership, Going the Extra Mile, and Rising Star. One person will be chosen as the “Direct Care Worker of the Year.”

For more information about the awards and to nominate a direct care worker, please complete the online nomination form.

Census invitations to arrive beginning in two weeks

Households will begin receiving official Census Bureau mail with detailed information on how to respond to the 2020 Census by mid-March. While April 1 is considered the official Census Day, you don't have to wait until then to respond.

For the first time, you will have three options for responding:

Online (my2020census.gov)
By phone
By mail

The website and telephone options will be available when the Census invitations are sent.

Each person included in the Census brings more than $1,800 per year in state and federal funds to your community to support schools, hospitals, roads, public works and other vital programs. Do you part and Be Counted.

To learn more, visit 2020census.gov or the Orange County website.

Orange County receives third positive rabies test

Orange County Animal Services has received its third positive rabies test result of the year, according to the North Carolina State Laboratory of Public Health. This incident involved a skunk and occurred in the vicinity of Walnut Grove Church Road and NC-86 in Hillsborough, NC. The county recorded a total of 6 positive cases last year and 4 the year before.

The case originated on Tuesday, Feb. 25, when a Hillsborough resident discovered that her dog had killed a skunk in his outdoor enclosure. The resident called Animal Control, who arrived and removed the skunk for rabies testing.

Skunks that become rabid in this area are likely the victims of the “spillover effect.” When an animal other than the dominant reservoir species, which is the raccoon in North Carolina, contracts the virus, it is called “spillover.” The other species that are most susceptible to getting rabies from raccoons are dogs, cats, groundhogs and foxes.

The other host species of rabies in our own region and others is the bat. Of the few cases of rabies in humans in our country in recent years, most have been traced to bats. If there is any possibility of exposure from a bat, it is critical that citizens immediately contact their animal control program. If an incident involving a bat – or other rabies vector, such as a raccoon or skunk – should occur outside regular hours of service, an Animal Control Officer should be reached right away through Emergency Communications (9-1-1).

OCAS receives grant for innovative training program

Orange County Animal Services has been selected by The Jackson Galaxy Project (JGP), a Signature Program of GreaterGood.org, to participate in the 2020 class of Cat Pawsitive, a life-saving initiative that introduces positive-reinforcement training to cats in shelters and rescues. Supported by the Petco Foundation, this innovative training program for cats aims to increase feline adoption rates and maintain cat “mojo.”

Jackson Galaxy (star of the television show My Cat from Hell on Animal Planet, and founder of JGP) developed Cat Pawsitive with a team of feline behavior experts. Highlights of the program include:

Maintaining cat “adoptability” and feline social skills by enriching cats’ day-to-day lives
Increasing adoptions
Decreasing length of stay
Engaging and empowering volunteers and staff
Showing potential adopters that cats are cool and can even be trained!

The Cat Pawsitive program is designed to keep adoptable cats mentally and physically active in a shelter or rescue environment. The focus is on fun, positive reinforcement-based training sessions that go beyond playtime-as-usual to help cats maintain their mojo and connect more quickly with potential adopters. From teaching high fives and head bumps to “sit” and “come when called,” caregivers at Cat Pawsitive participating organizations engage with cats in a brand new way to really help cats to “click” with adopters.

"Cat Pawsitive is an outstanding addition to the enrichment we are providing for our shelter cats," said Bob Marotto, Director of Animal Services. "It is especially welcomed because cats are so susceptible to stress and provides a great opportunity for staff and volunteers to help them show their 'meow-jo.'"

Since 2016, more than 1,200 cats have been adopted during Cat Pawsitive semesters, with hundreds more benefiting from being in the program and continuing their training on the road to adoption. To date, a total of 174 animal welfare organizations have participated in Cat Pawsitive programs and conducted over 20,000 training sessions, with over 1,100 staff members and volunteers taking part.

More information about Orange County Animal Services can be found at www.orangecountync.gov/animalservices or by calling 919.942.7387.

www.orangecountync.gov