OC Veterans Memorial to host special event on Veterans Day

The Orange County Veterans Memorial Committee will host a celebration (live) on Wednesday, November 11, at the Veterans Memorial site adjacent to Seymour Center Chapel Hill at 2501 Homestead Road. The event kicks-off at 11 a.m. Online viewing will be available through Orange County Veterans Memorial Facebook site.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office Honor Guard, with Commander Charles Blackwood, Sheriff, will present the colors.

Orange County Commissioner Renee Price will offer remarks and special guest speaker, Lt. Colonel Daniel Hurd, U.S. Army, will speak about service to and by Veterans. Hurd graduated from the United States Military Academy in 2003 with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and was commissioned as an Infantry Officer.

Following the Infantry Officer Basic Course and Ranger School, he served as a Rifle Platoon Leader, Company Executive Officer, and Company Commander in 2^nd Battalion, 14^th Infantry Regiment, in the 10^th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, NY.

Dan has spent over 40 months deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. His awards and decorations include the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Combat and Expert Infantryman’s Badges, Senior Parachutist Badge, Air Assault Badge, and the Ranger Tab. He and his wife, Molly, have two sons, Samuel and Benjamin.

This event is free and open to the public. MASKS REQUIRED AND SOCIAL DISTANCING EXPECTED AND RESPECTED.

For a complete schedule of events, see ocveteransmemorial.com/events/

Related Events
Following the ceremony members of the American Legion Chapel Hill Post 6 will gather at the former site on Legion Road and caravan to the new site, 3700 NC-54, Chapel Hill, NC 27516, via Rosemary Street, and give small group tours to new members. For details on how to tour American Legion or arrange a site visit, contact: (919) 537-8703 or email Regina Merritt, queenmerritt@gmail.com

For information: https://www.chapelhillpost6.com/

Health Department offers free COVID tests daily on weekdays

The Orange County Health Department (OCHD) has begun offering daily weekday COVID-19 testing in Hillsborough.

The testing is offered 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday in the parking lot in front of the Whitted Human Services Center, 300 W. Tryon St., Hillsborough. Pre-registration is encouraged and may be done online. Be sure to select Orange County when registering.

Regular testing events offered in the county are:

Daily - 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Whitted Human Services Center in Hillsborough.
Every Wednesday - Alternating each Wednesday between two sites in Chapel Hill: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the R-7 Parking Lot, 725 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. or 3 to 7 p.m. at the Nash Parking Lot on Wilson Street. See the county’s COVID-19 Testing page for each week’s location.
Third Saturday of each month - 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Lattisville Grove Missionary Baptist Church, 1701 Jimmy Ed Road in Hurdle Mills.
Fourth Saturday of each month - noon to 4 p.m. at St. Thomas More Catholic Church, 940 Carmichael St. in Chapel Hill.
First Sunday of each month- 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at McDougal Middle School, 900 Old Fayetteville Rd. in Chapel Hill.

Testing is drive through or walk up. Anyone can receive a test regardless of whether they are showing symptoms or are a close contact of someone positive for the virus.

Registration is offered on site, and the nasal swab tests are billed to insurance or provided free to those without insurance.

OCHD is partnering with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to offer weekly evaluative testing to university employees and on- and off-campus students at the Wednesday events in Chapel Hill.

For up-to-date testing information, see the county’s COVID-19 Testing page.

November is National Novel Writing Month

Do you have a novel inside you? November is NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). Click the graphic for resources in the Orange County library to get you started on a writing journey.

Orange County COVID-19 Updated Data Nov. 6, 2020

The Orange County Health Department has provided the following information about COVID-19 cases in Orange County as of 9:00 a.m. today:

TOTAL CASES: 3,236
TOTAL DEATHS: 59

Data Considerations:
1. Any demographic groups with very small numbers have been suppressed to protect
patient confidentiality.
2. We are missing race and ethnicity data for between 30-40% of confirmed cases.
3. We don’t know who may have COVID-19 that wasn’t able to get tested, and we don’t know what groups the patients with missing data fall under.
This data should not be used to make generalizations about who may or may not have higher rates of infection.

Click here to download the entire release.

Orange County to host presentation on personal reflections during COVID

The Orange County Department on Aging and the Project EngAGE Mental Wellness Senior Resource Team invite the public to attend a virtual presentation, Personal Reflections: How are You Finding Peace During COVID on Nov. 12.

As we all continue this journey through finding our own personal happiness and peace during COVID, we want to know what has inspired you. Join us for a virtual presentation as we present inspirational pieces shared by local residents. At the end of the presentation we welcome participants to share their personal stories or work and how it has helped them find joy and gratitude during this difficult time. Tips and resources for creating positive mental wellness will also be provided by Kimberly Knight, OCDoA Social Worker. This event is hosted by the Project EngAGE, Mental Wellness Senior Resource Team.

The event will take place on Thursday, Nov. 12, from 4 – 5:15 p.m. via a virtual platform.
For link information, please contact Shenae McPherson at shmcpherson@orangecountync.gov.

If technology assistance is needed please contact Shenae McPherson at 919-245-4243 by Wednesday, Nov. 11.

Click the link for more information and to register.

Orange County DSS to host food drives in November

Orange County Department of Social Services will host two food drives in November. The drive-thru distributions will be held at Cedar Ridge High School (1125 New Grady Brown School Road, Hillsborough) on Thursday, Nov. 12, and at Carrboro High School (201 Rock Haven Road, Carrboro) on Thursday, Nov. 19.

The events begin at 9:30 a.m. and are open to the community on a first-come, first-served basis. Limit of two households per vehicle.

Mebane and Orange County explore Economic Development District

The City of Mebane and Orange County are encouraging residents to participate in a virtual open house meeting on Nov. 10 at 6 p.m. for input and information on an area plan exploring economic development at the area surrounding Buckhorn Road and West Ten Road. The City of Mebane and Orange County have embarked on a planning project for the area. The plan will develop recommendations to guide future City and County decisions and community priorities regarding future land uses.

The meeting will be available on a livestream on the City of Mebane’s YouTube channel and will be recorded for future reference. Those wishing to participate in the Zoom teleconference can register at this link or contact us directly at planning@cityofmebane.org. Area maps and draft plans will be available for review any time at www.ptrc.org/Buckhorn.

Following the recent annexation and rezoning of parcels south of West Ten Road, a Buckhorn Area Plan is being completed to provide guidance for similar economic development future requests. The planning study of future land use for the potential utility service area identifies similar properties that could be zoned for non-residential purposes and best support the economic development use of the available utilities.

The City of Mebane and Orange County are working together with the Piedmont Triad Regional Council (PTRC) to complete this Area Plan. The PTRC Planning Department is dedicated to providing professional regional and local planning assistance to our member governments and the public. PTRC planning services address a wide range of planning issues related to the environmental, social, and economic well-being of the Piedmont Triad Region.

The Buckhorn Area Plan will be presented to and considered by the Mebane Planning Board at their Nov. 9 meeting, and at a public hearing before the Mebane City Council on Dec. 7.

Family Trivia Night

Join the Orange County Public Library for this virtual Family Trivia Night! Test your knowledge of pop culture, books, music and more. Click the graphic to register.

Take advantage of the Medicare Annual Election Period from Oct. 15-Dec. 7, and you may save money

The Orange County Department on Aging and the N.C. Seniors’ Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP) invite Medicare beneficiaries to review their 2021 Medicare Drug Plans and Medicare Advantage Plans.
Medicare plans change each calendar year. Your medication costs can increase significantly if your plan changes their drug list and pricing as of Jan 1. Many people save hundreds and even thousands of dollars by switching plans, but most can only change during Medicare’s Open Enrollment Period: October 15 – December 7. The Orange County Seniors’ Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP) provides free and unbiased assistance.

Meet with a certified counselor for an Annual Medicare Review. You can choose an in-person appointment at the Seymour Center in Chapel Hill or the Passmore Center in Hillsborough. Or choose to schedule a Zoom video chat.
To schedule an appointment, visit our website at www.orangecountync.gov/ocncSHIIP or call 919-245-4274.

www.orangecountync.gov