Buc-ees withdraws project from Orange County

Buc-ee's, a Texas-based chain of large gas stations that had proposed building a location in Orange County, has withdrawn its application for what was known as the Efland Station project.

Stan Beard, the Director of Real Estate for Buc-ee's, sent a letter to the Planning Department Feb. 5 announcing the company's decision to withdraw its application. The Board of Commissioners will formally accept the letter at its Feb. 16 meeting to close the process.

Health Department Continues to schedule vaccines for groups 1, 2

The Orange County Health Department is currently only scheduling individuals in either Group 1 or 2 for vaccine appointments. These groups are (1) health care workers, long-term care residents and staff and (2) older adults ages 65 and up. NCDHHS recently expanded Group 1 to include people who are not medical professionals but who provide regular medical care in a home setting to medically fragile children and adults.

Please wait until your phase of the vaccination process opens to schedule an appointment or to complete the vaccine interest form.

To schedule an appointment with the Health Department, complete the vaccine interest form or call 919-913-8088 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. seven days per week.

Orange County will provide an update each week on Tuesdays with how many allotments the health department received for that week .

Vaccine waitlist
If you have received a vaccine waitlist message, this confirms you are on the COVID-19 vaccination appointment waitlist. There is no need to follow up with the Health Department.

When an appointment becomes available, the Health Department will notify you by email or by phone for people who do not have an email address. The department has no estimate at this time of when you will be contacted. Vaccine supply remains limited.

To ensure you do not miss a chance to schedule an appointment, check the spam, junk or clutter folders in your email and set up voicemail on your phone to receive phone messages.

Orange County COVID-19 Updated Data

The Orange County Health Department has provided the following information about COVID-19 cases in Orange County as of 9 a.m. Friday, Feb. 5:

TOTAL CASES: 6,992
TOTAL DEATHS: 85

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.

Health Department Recognizes Local Businesses with Contest

The Orange County Health Department would like to recognize local businesses that have been vigilant in ensuring that their staff and customers feel safe, secure and well-served during the COVID-19 pandemic. Recognition for these businesses will happen through a contest where Orange County residents can vote.

Click here for more information.

COVID vaccine – Let’s review the rollout of plan

The Orange County Department on Aging is sponsoring two virtual sessions to provide updates and a short review of the state and local vaccine rollout plan. Individuals 65 and over are currently eligible to register for a vaccine appointment. Staff from the Orange County Health Department will discuss how to make an appointment and do’s and don’ts for making an appointment.

Basic Information about the COVID Vaccine
Speak with Donna King, director of Health Promotions and Education Services with Orange County Health Department, to help you make an informed decision about the COVID Vaccine.
Register by: Wed, Feb 19 – email - Lbrown@orangecountync.gov
Fee: Free
Date: Tues, Feb 23 (343081-04)
Time: 10 am
Phone#/Link: Provided after registration

Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett, an Orange County native who played a key role in developing a COVID vaccine, will speak at the 23rd annual Orange County Ag Summit.

Orange County's 23rd Annual Ag Summit to go virtual

Coronavirus won’t stop the Orange County Ag Summit. The 23^rd annual event will be held virtually from Feb. 8-10. Registration is now open.

For those who don’t have access to the Internet, a limited number of seats are available for viewing the sessions at the Southern Human Services Center in Chapel Hill and the Cedar Grove Community Center. You must pre-register for each day and bring your ticket. Physical distancing and face masks will be required at all times within the two locations. No one will be admitted without a ticket or face mask.

The first day will include sessions that examine the impacts of COVID on various aspects of agriculture, including farm and food workers, food supply chains and the impacts on restaurants and grocers.

The second day will feature a COVID update from Orange County Health Director Quintana Stewart and Dr. Kizzmekia S. Corbett, an Orange County native who helped develop one of the vaccines. Sessions that day will focus on farm safety beyond COVID and managing stress during the pandemic.

The final day will focus on growing specialty vegetables, including how to identify niche markets, and marketing and bookkeeping strategies to maximize profits.
Each day will run from 8:30 a.m. to closing remarks at 11:30 a.m.

Participants can register for just one day, two days or all three days.
Registration and more information is available at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/orange-countys-23rd-agricultural-summit-registration-137980195479

Demi's The Greatest Treasure Puppet Show graphic

Puppet Show Inc. presents a re-telling of Demi’s “The Greatest Treasure,” a folktale from China. A craft is available on our Virtual Branch. Register by clicking the graphic or calling 919-245-2525. Only one registration per household needed.

Orange County Community Climate Action Grant program awards funds to six projects

The Orange County Board of Commissioners approved six projects on Feb. 2 to receive funding from the Orange County Community Climate Action Grant program for 2020-21. The grant program provides funding for climate action projects that will benefit Orange County residents both socially and financially.

The grant program is funded by a quarter-cent of property tax revenue each year, with $478,657 available for FY 21.

The Community Climate Action grant program received seven applications from a variety of non-profit and public organizations whose total requests add up to more than $1.2 million. While staff fielded some questions from prospective applicants from the private sector, no private sector applications were received, said Brennan Bouma, Orange County Sustainability Coordinator.

Following scoring and eligibility guidelines approved by the Board of County Commissioners, the applications were reviewed and scored by the Commission for the Environment (CFE) and the Human Relations Commission (HRC). The Human Relations Commission scored the applications on the Social Justice and Racial Equity criterion, as this pertains to their expertise and because the racial representation of the CFE as a whole does not reflect the racial diversity of Orange County.

The HRC and the CFE discussed the scoring process and reviewed application materials in three monthly meetings. On Dec. 14, each of these commissions approved their final scoring and comments on each application to be presented to the BOCC.

Click here to read more info about the projects chosen.

Ariana Debose, Mandolin Orange, Branford Marsalis, Mike Wiley to perform March 11

Local Arts Organizations Join Forces to Rally Financial Support for the Arts

After nearly a year of closures and cancellations, the arts have suffered disproportionately from the destructive impact of the pandemic. For the first time ever, arts councils from Chatham, Durham, Orange and Wake Counties are joining forces to enlist support for the arts through a live event – Big Night In for the Arts. The regional fundraising initiative will broadcast live on WRAL and livestream online on March 11 at 7 p.m.

It will boast a super-star line-up, including Ariana DeBose, Tony-nominated actress/singer/dancer and Raleigh native; Mandolin Orange, nationally acclaimed folk music duo based in Chapel Hill; Branford Marsalis, three-time Grammy Award^® winner and internationally renowned saxophonist based in Durham; and Mike Wiley, nationally acclaimed actor and playwright based in Chatham County. Additional national and local artists from each county will be announced.

In partnership with WRAL-TV, Big Night In for the Arts will address the impact of COVID-19 on the arts, and highlight the missions of the four organizations that lead and support the Triangle’s local arts infrastructure. The fundraising event, taking place about a year after the first stay-at-home orders were implemented, marks a critical step forward in helping local artists and arts/cultural organizations begin their path to recovery. Dollars raised will go toward arts programming, initiatives for equity in the arts, and artist/arts organizations’ relief.

Arts supporters can join the effort prior to the event as sponsors or donate live during the event. Audiences and arts enthusiasts who have enjoyed the arts across the Triangle for years can make a gift to benefit the four counties collectively or designate which specific county they would like to support. Every dollar helps ensure the arts in the Triangle will survive and thrive long after this pandemic has lifted.

"The arts are the character and spirit of the Triangle region and a primary reason this is such a wonderful place to live," said Katie Murray, Director of the Orange County Arts Commission. "We are excited to join forces with our regional arts councils so we can give back to an industry that has given us so much."

For more information on the talented artists headlining this event, sponsorship opportunities, or to donate prior to the event, go to BigNightIn.org.

Nominations being accepted for 31st Annual Pauli Murray Awards

The Orange County Human Relations Commission is accepting nominations for the 31st Annual Pauli Murray Awards, which are presented annually to an Orange County youth, adult, and business that have served the community with distinction in the pursuit of equality, justice, and human rights for all citizens.

The Pauli Murray Awards are presented to those who embody the attributes and spirit of Pauli Murray by encouraging diversity in the workforce, promoting and participating in community activities related to social justice issues, or demonstrating positive roles in human relations.

Nominations may be made online: www.orangecountync.gov/ThePauliMurrayAward

Nominations are due by 5 p.m. on Friday, February 12, 2021. Individual (over 18) and Youth (full-time student in grades 6-12 or a college student 18 or younger) nominees must reside in Orange County. Business nominees must operate or conduct business within Orange County. For additional information, contact the Human Relations Commission at (919) 245-2487 or Human_Relations@orangecountync.gov.

The author of Workers on Arrival: Black Labor and the Making of America, Joe William Trotter, Jr., will deliver the Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture and History 2021 Diaspora Lecture,

Black History Month events in Orange County

February is Black History Month, a time to honor the contributions of prevalent Black Americans to our society and their impact on the course of our history as a nation. In Chapel Hill and Orange County, it is a time to hear and learn about the past and present, as presented through lectures, poems, presentations and theater throughout the month.

Click here for a directory of events from the Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau.

Journey through 318 years of Black-American Indian Culture with author Beverly A Scarlett. In celebration of Black History Month, this book read is sponsored by Friends of Russell Rosenwald School, Hillsborough NC and facilitated by Phyllis Mack.
Photo by Jessica Gladdek

Aging, Project EngAGE to host presentation on green burial options

The Orange County Department on Aging and the Project EngAGE End of Life Choices Senior Resource Team invite the public to attend a virtual presentation, A Case for Green Burial on Feb. 11.

The Project EngAGE End of Life Choices Senior Resource Team welcomes you to join Anne Weston, founder of Green Burial Project, to hear about alternatives to conventional burial. She will present information regarding the NC laws, local resources, costs, as well as the three tenets of green burial. Green Burial Project is a 501(c)3 educational nonprofit with no product to sell. Its sole aim is to educate the community about the environmental, financial and spiritual benefits of returning our bodies to the earth in a manner consistent with our values and our heritage.

The event will take place on Thursday, Feb. 11, from 4 – 5:15 pm via a virtual platform. The room will accept entry beginning at 3:50 pm to assist with any questions or issues with using the platform prior to the start of the program.

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 Monday, Feb 8.

www.orangecountync.gov