Orange County announces closings for Good Friday
Orange County Government administrative offices will be closed Friday, April 15, in observance of Good Friday. Please note the following exceptions.
Recycling will be picked up as normal on Friday. Please have carts and bins out by 7 a.m. The landfill and waste/recycling centers will also be open Friday and Saturday. The Landfill/Disposal Center will close at noon on Saturday. All facilities will be closed Sunday.
The Orange County Public Library and Orange County Senior Centers will be closed on Friday but will operate as normal on Saturday, with the Seymour Center open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Passmore Center is not open on Saturdays.
Orange County operations will resume its normal schedule on Monday, April 18.
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Increased tax benefits available for low, moderate income familiesUnder President Biden’s American Rescue Plan, more money is available to families and/or individuals with low to moderate incomes. Filing your taxes is how you can claim benefits like the Child Tax Credit and the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). Families can now receive an increased Child Tax Credit ($3,000 or $3,600, depending on child/dependents age), and more people with low incomes are eligible for a larger EITC. “The Earned Income Tax Credit benefits families and communities by providing economic support and security for eligible workers with children,” said Orange County Vice Chair Jamezetta Bedford, who is a CPA and works at a local firm doing tax work for small businesses, trusts and estates, nonprofits and individuals. “These EITC dollars are returned to the local economy as residents use their tax credit to pay for necessities like food, rent, utilities, medical expenses, etc. The EITC especially benefits children and is aligned with higher educational and better health outcomes. Many of those eligible do not know to claim this benefit. This tax credit along with the child tax credit are important anti-poverty tools for families.” Claiming the credit can reduce the tax you owe or give you a larger refund, and the amount of your credit may change if you have children or other dependents, are disabled or meet other criteria. “The EITC is a great resource for these families,” said Orange County Department of Social Services Director Nancy Coston. “We encourage everyone who is eligible to claim the credit on their tax returns.” Receiving these benefits will not impact eligibility for other federal benefits (UI, Medicaid, SNAP, SSI, SDI, TANF, WIC, Section 8 or Public Housing). Even if you did not earn enough to file taxes, you are eligible for the Child Tax Credit and potentially thousands of additional dollars in benefits. Orange County Department of Social Services can offer access to computers and help taxpayers with navigating to the sites to file taxes online, but staff are prohibited from helping residents file taxes or providing tax advice. The Orange County Skills Development/Career Center (100 Europa Drive, Suite 101, Chapel Hill) and the Orange Works Employment and Training Center (113 Mayo Street, Hillsborough) have public computers available Monday thru Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The deadline to file 2021 income taxes is Monday, April 18. For more information and to learn how to get free assistance with filing your taxes, visit www.ChildTaxCredit.gov.
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Department on Aging to host presentation
on retirement and mental wellness
The Orange County Department on Aging and the Project EngAGE Mental Wellness Senior Resource Team invite the public to attend a virtual presentation, Retirement and Mental Wellness, on May 3. The Project EngAGE Mental Wellness Senior Resource Team welcomes you to join Lydia Arnold, AT/VC 55+ Specialist, Carl Nordgren with Being Better than Before, Mike Komives, Employment Specialist and Alison Smith, VC 55+ Volunteer Coordinator for a discussion about challenges associated with the new transition of retirement and how they can impact our mental wellbeing. You’ll learn more about discovering your creative renewal, becoming involved, overcoming these challenges and embracing this new chapter. The FREE virtual event will take place on Tuesday, May 3, from 4-5:30 pm. To register, please use this link: www.orangecountync.gov/Retirement-MentalWellness. If technology assistance is needed, please contact Lydia Arnold at 919-245-4276 by Friday, April 29. |
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OCAC, CJRD present Our Lens, Our Voice
The Orange County Criminal Justice Resource Department in partnership with the Orange County Arts Commission announce the opening of Our Lens, Our Voice, a photography and emotional expression project that reframes and refocuses narratives of justice-impacted youth. The photography exhibit will open to the public on Friday, April 29 from 5-8 p.m. at the Orange County Courthouse (106 E. Margaret Ln.) as part of Hillsborough’s Last Fridays ArtWalk. In addition to the exhibit, attendees will enjoy live music and spoken word artists.
In September 2020, Criminal Justice and the Arts Commission, together with photographer Emily Baxter and artivist Soteria Shepperson, created Our Lens, Our Voice, where justice-impacted youth used photography and poetry to create a series of anonymous photographs using meaningful words and phrases as prompts. All cameras and supplies were provided, thanks to the generosity of community members. The exhibit will feature the final photographs together with named emotional experiences by each participant.
Growing positive outcomes have led to creative expression becoming a more commonly used tool for engaging justice-involved individuals. A study by the California Department of Corrections showed six months after release, rates of parole violation for arts-in-corrections participants were 15 percent lower than nonparticipants; after two years, this difference climbed to 30 percent1. Seventy-five percent of program participants had fewer disciplinary infractions than nonparticipants.
Involvement in the arts is also critical for student outcomes. Students engaged in arts learning have higher GPAs and standardized test scores and are two times more likely to graduate college4. Low-income students who participate in the arts, both in school and after school, have a dropout rate of just 4 percent—five times lower than their peers. Participation in after-school arts programs causes juvenile crime to fall by 4.2 percent on average, and slightly more (5.4 percent) in lower-income cities.
- Click here for information about the artists.
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Register of Deeds to host Passport Fair on April 23
The Orange County Register of Deeds office will resume offering passport services fulltime beginning Monday, March 20. Hours of service will be from 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. The office will also host a passport fair on Saturday, April 23, from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., walk-ins ONLY, at the office located at 228 S. Churton Street, Hillsborough. For more information about what is required to obtain a passport, visit our website at https://www.orangecountync.gov/771/Passports or call (919) 245-2681. The Register of Deeds now offers fraud alert protection service to provide email notifications whenever a document is recorded in the Register of Deeds office that matches your name. You can enter up to five names per email address. If a document is recorded in either of the names you submit, you will receive an email notifying you. To sign up for the service, visit this website: https://fraudalertme.com/ORANGENCNW/FRAUDDETECTION.ASP.
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Upcoming activities at the Orange County Senior Centers
Conversation Project Workshop PART I:
In small conversation groups, patterned after the Conversation Project, Project EngAGE End of Life Choices SRT members will coach participants how to engage their loved ones in end of life care conversations. Attendees will receive the Conversation Starter Kit from The Conversation Project and a free copy of The Five Wishes Booklet.
Passmore Center Date: Tuesday, April 26 4-6 p.m. Fee: FREE Max in-person attendance: 12.
Register by: Friday, April 22 at 919-968-2070 |
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