Photo from Orange County Job Fair showing man at Census booth

Hundreds turn out for Job Fair

Hundreds of Orange County residents seeking a job or a change of careers turned out for the Orange County 2019 Fall Job Fair on Wednesday. The event was held at the University Place Mall and attracted more than one hundred potential employers from Orange and surrounding counties, including government and private entities.

Orange County Department of Social Services sponsors a job fair in the spring and fall of each year. Check out a video recap from this year's event made by the Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitor's Bureau.

Why the Census matters?

Next year, residents of Orange County will be asked to participate in the 2020 Census. It is important for all residents to complete the census, because the framers of the Constitution of the United States chose population to be the basis for sharing political power, not wealth or land.

“Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers…”

- The Constitution of the United States, Article I, Section 2.

The census asks questions of people in homes and group living situations, including how many people live or stay in each home, and the sex, age and race of each person. The data collected determines the number of seats each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives (a process called apportionment). Federal funds, grants and support to states, counties and communities are based on population totals and breakdowns by sex, age, race and other factors.

Your community benefits the most when the census counts everyone. Responding to the census helps your community get its fair share of more than $675 billion per year in federal funds spent on schools, hospitals, roads, public works and other vital programs.

Businesses use census data to decide where to build factories, offices and stores, and this creates jobs. Developers use the census to build new homes and revitalize old neighborhoods. Local governments use the census for public safety and emergency preparedness. Residents use the census to support community initiatives involving legislation, quality-of-life and consumer advocacy.

The census will require counting an increasingly diverse and growing population of around 330 million people in more than 140 million housing units. The goal is to count everyone once, only once, and in the right place.

For more information about the census, please visit census.gov.

BOCC to host Orange County Summit on WCHL on Oct. 16

The Board of Commissioners will host its second annual Orange County Summit on Wednesday, Oct. 16, from 3-7 p.m. The event will be broadcast live on WCHL and will feature panel discussions on many key issues facing the county, including affordable housing, transportation, education, tourism, the arts, workforce development and business recruitment.

Aaron Keck of WCHL will moderate the event, and each member of the board of commissioners will participate, along with officials and elected representatives from Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Hillsborough and the two public school systems. Other expected panelists include Carrboro Alderman Damon Seils, Hillsborough Town Commissioner Jennifer Weaver, Chapel Hill Town Council Member Michael Parker, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education Chair Joal Broun, and Orange County Schools Board of Education Chair Will Atherton.

The event will take place in the commissioner's meeting room at the Whitted Building and is open to the public.

List of topics

Board of County Commissioner's approach to social justice (3-3:30 p.m.)
Affordable Housing (3:30 – 4 p.m.)
Public Transportation (4-4:30 p.m.)
Tourism/Arts (4:30-5 p.m.)
Education: K-12 (5-5:30 p.m.)
Workforce Development (5:30-6 p.m.)
Industrial recruitment (6-6:30 p.m.)
Small business services (6:30-7 p.m.)

Department on Aging to host ‘W(Heel) to Hill’ cycling events

The Orange County Department on Aging is inviting the public to participate in the inaugural W(heel) to Hill – Cycling Event! Orange County Senior Games will host 12.5-mile, 25-mile and 50-mile bicycle rides between the two Orange County Department on Aging’s senior centers, the Seymour Center in Chapel Hill and the Passmore Center in Hillsborough (and back).

The event will kick-off at 1 pm on Sunday, Oct. 27, at the Seymour Center, located at 2551 Homestead Road in Chapel Hill. Check-in will be at noon.

The event is a casual bike ride for adults to raise awareness and funds for the year-round Senior Games program.

Registration forms are available at the Passmore Center, Seymour Center, Carrboro Recreation & Parks, Chapel Hill Parks & Recreation, Orange County Parks & Recreation, and online at www.orangecountync.gov/198/Senior-Games

Fee: $15 preregistration/$20 on day of event

For more information about the event, please email Myra Austin, Orange County Senior Games Coordinator, or call 919-245-2020.

Business Planning for Farmer Entrepreneurs Class Begins Oct. 17

Orange County Cooperative Extension and SCORE of Chapel Hill are offering a Business Planning class for current and aspiring farmers beginning Oct. 17, 2019. Students who participate in the class will also have an opportunity to work with a SCORE mentor who will help teach and guide novice business owners along their entrepreneurial journey.

Most farmers’ primarily think about production issues, but running a successful farm business is about much more. Writing a business plan is a great first step in educating business owners about all aspects of their business and being prepared for unexpected issues that will assuredly occur.

This class is part of the PLANT Beginning Farmer program run by Orange County Cooperative Extension that started in 2008. It will meet for five sessions lasting from 6 to 9 p.m. on Thursday nights from Oct. 17 through Nov. 21 (no class on Halloween night). The class will meet at the Cooperative Extension office at 306-E Revere Road, Hillsborough.

This class costs $100 per student. To register, please click here. The registration deadline is October 11th.

Anyone interested in this class or any aspect of the Beginning Farmer Program can call Mike Lanier at 919/245-2063 to discuss their interest.

www.orangecountync.gov