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MLK and Vaccine Edition
From the Council Office of Steve Rao
January 16, 2021
Life Science Innovation Update:
Marius Pharmaceuticals for continues to make progress on oral testosterone drug.
Himanshu Shah is the founder and executive chairman of Marius Pharmaceuticals. "This is the culmination of over a decade of meticulous research and dedication and is just the beginning for Marius, as our deep pipeline will continue to further the research and development in this important therapeutic area,” says Himanshu about Marius' new drug, Kyzatrex. Himanshu is a Founders Circle member.  

Learn more about the great work Marious is doing at:  
Alerts
USCIS Immigration Service suspending in person visits Jan 19-Jan 20.


Wake County Schools News
Wake County Schools will remain fully Virtual for PreK- 12 until February 9th

Western Region Food Security Distribution at 11:30 am at Morrisville Elementary School.  
(1519 Morrisville Parkway, Morrisville, NC 27560)
NC DHHS is allowing Vaccination for those over 65 and setting up large vaccination events across 23 counties.
(See Vaccine Section for how to set up appointments)
National Political News Alert
Biden wants to offer $1.9 trillion Covid Relief Package

Trump Impeachment will begin after he is President.

Celebrating our Moral Jedi, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King
My Message:

As we are living through some very dark and uncertain times.  I have been reminding our youth, that throughout the course of human history, the most positive change has come from ordinary citizens, who were not willing to accept a divided and unjust society.   

Leaders, who during our darkest times in history, lit up the world with hope, who changed their communities, their nations, by refusing to sit back and accept oppression, fear, and violence. Ordinary citizens united around a purpose larger than themselves, were able to change the world and their communities.

Gandhi, Thurgood Marshall, Rosa Parks, Dr. Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela John Lewis, Ruth Bader Ginsberg are just a few examples of these type of leaders.

A free India, a free South Africa, a desegregated America, one of the greatest civil rights movements in the history of the world, voting rights ending sex discrimination, all made possible, by ordinary citizens, whose marches for these causes were marathons, not sprints.

Like the Jedi in the Star Wars saga, they awakened this divine force within their fellow citizens to make the world a better place. They brought light to the world, through their inspiration, and by fighting so bravely for the causes they believed in.

This weekend, we celebrate one of the greatest Moral Jedi, who lever lived, Dr. Martin Luther King. 

I ask that we not only remember his inspiring speeches, his brave struggle in the midst of a storm, but challenge ourselves to live our lives like him during these very divisive times.   We need to get a little uncomfortable, to make sure we are lighting up a dark world, with hope, with the belief that we can change the world and stand up for peace, justice and quality for all.   

Long Live the King Dream and His Legacy.  May the Force Always Be With Us!
Important Updates:
MLK TOWN OF MORRISVILLE STAFF FOOD DRIVE!
Town of Morrisville employees still have an opportunity to donate items “contact free” to the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina as a part of our Staff Food Drive until Jan 18th.  

We need your help to reach our goal of 1,000 items. To take part in this Town staff service project, gather some of the food bank’s most needed items(see attached flyer and image below) and drop them in a conveniently located bin at 1 of 6 locations around Town. 

Bin Locations
  • Admin
  • Fire
  • Public Safety
  • Planning
  • Public Works
  • Parks Admin
NOMINATE A SERVANT LEADER!:
In honor of MLK day, the Town has been seeking nominations for Servant Leaders.  The deadline was Jan 13th but still go ahead and email the name, photo on anyone you know who leaves the community better than than they found it along with information on how they help us Live Connected and Well in Morrisville.  Email us at information@townofmorrisville.org.  

Servant Leaders will be recognized on Monday at the Town of Morrisville Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/TownOfMorrisville/.
UPCOMING EVENTS
USINPAC EVENT
Join us Saturday at noon for USINPAC Leaderspeak Hour to Discuss the Trump impeachment, Joe Biden inauguration and a disrupted democracy.

Jan 16 - 11 am Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Dr. King with Special Guest Floyd McKissick and other Leaders! 
Morrisville Town Council Member Steve Rao hosts a Virtual Fireside Chat with Former NC State Senator Floyd McKissick. Join us on Saturday, January 16, 2021 starting at 4:00pm EST.

How can we build bridges and stronger communities during such a disruptive time in our nations' history? What can we learn from Dr. King in the way we live our lives and how we pass on a better nation to our children.

We will be joined by Floyd McKissick to learn about the legacy of his father, who fought alongside Dr. King and other community leaders.

VIRTUAL TRIANGLE MLK EVENTS https://trianglemlk.com/
Kick off the MLK Day at 7 am on WRAL for the Triangle MLK Interfaith Virtual Prayer Breakfast, a Noon Observance, and an evening Musical Celebration.  
Check out the Triangle MLK Facebook and You Tube Pages for these events!
Town of Cary Dreamfest!
Jan 16 - 10 am Town of Apex MLK Social Justice and Reform Event.
Jan 16 Town of Apex MLK Social Justice and Reform Event.  10 am  

Jan 19th Morrisville Covid 19 Memorial event 5:30 pm.
On Tuesday, January 19, at 5:30 p.m., the Town of Morrisville will participate with other U.S. cities, towns and local governments in a COVID-19 memorial to honor lives lost to the virus. To commemorate the occasion, the Town plans to leave the lights on all night inside several Town buildings including Town Hall, Connector, PSMS, Fire Station No. 1 and Fire Station No. 2.  A ceremony (involving lights) will be held in D.C., at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, on the 19th.

View the event in Raleigh, and other cities at bit.ly/2XFdS71.  
URGENT COVID 19 VACCINATION INFORMATION
NC DHHS is now allowing 65 and older can to get Vaccinated:
Call Covid 19 Hotline at 1-877-490-6642, visit https://covid19.ncdhhs.gov/findyourspot or contact the local health department or hospital to set your appointment and expect waits and delays as State is low on vaccine supplies.

Durham County: To schedule an appointment, medical providers and individuals age 65 and older can call (919) 560-HELP (4357) to make an appointment.  Expect Long waits.

Wake County:  Starting on Jan 19 at 8:30 am, if you are 65 or older, you can call the Wake County Vaccine Line at (919) 250-1515 or use the on-line form.  https://covid19.wakegov.com/wake-county-public-health-vaccine-request-form/

NC DHHS will hold large scale vaccination events which will vaccinate 45,000 across 23 counties.  (See Vaccine Section for more detail)
NC DHHS TO HOST MASS VACCINATION EVENTS
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is partnering with health systems, local health departments and community health centers across the state to host large community vaccine events for people currently eligible to be vaccinated. More than 45,000 vaccines are expected to be given through these events.

“The state will continue to support our local health departments and hospitals to get shots in arms faster,” said NCDHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen, M.D. “These partners were selected because they were able to rapidly increase the number of vaccines they could deliver as part of this effort.”

Partners were selected based on their ability to administer a large number of vaccine doses or to provide access to vaccine doses to marginalized communities. NC Emergency Management and the National Guard are also providing support in some locations. Vaccine events will be held in the following counties:  
  • Bertie County: Bertie County Health Department (Albemarle Regional Health Services)
  • Buncombe County: Buncombe County Health Department in partnership with Western North Carolina Community Health Services, and Western Carolina Medical Society 
  • Cabarrus County: Atrium Health
  • Camden County: Camden County Health Department (Albemarle Regional Health Services)
  • Chatham County: UNC Health 
  • Chowan County: Chowan County Health Department (Albemarle Regional Health Services)
  • Currituck County: Currituck County Health Department (Albemarle Regional Health Services)
  • Durham County: Duke Health 
  • Forsyth County: Forsyth County Department of Public Health 
  • Gates County: Gates County Health Department (Albemarle Regional Health Services)
  • Guilford County: Cone Health 
  • Henderson County: Blue Ridge Community Health Services, Henderson County Department of Public Health, Mountain Area Health Education Center, Pardee Hospital (UNC Health)
  • Hertford County: Hertford County Health Department (Albemarle Regional Health Services)
  • Johnston County: UNC Health 
  • Madison County: Hot Springs Health Center, Madison County Health Department, Mountain Area Health Education Center 
  • Mecklenburg County: Atrium Health 
  • Orange County: UNC Health 
  • Pasquotank County: Pasquotank County Health Department (Albemarle Regional Health Services)
  • Perquimans County: Perquimans County Health Department (Albemarle Regional Health Services)
  • Pitt County: Vidant Health 
  • Wake County: UNC REX Healthcare, Duke Raleigh Hospital, and WakeMed in partnership with community-based physician practices, Advance Community Health, NeighborHealth and others

Some locations are providing the vaccine by appointment only. To learn more about the events, visit the websites of the providers listed above. Their websites can be found, listed by county, at covid19.ncdhhs.gov/findyourspot.   
Radio / TV
Radio Mirchi
Join me Sunday 4 PM on Radio Mirchi for another update on local issues.

99.9FM HD4, 101.9 FM and 1490 AM!
IBM TV
Join me Monday at 10 am on International Broadcast Media TV for a global for World Edition, an update on global politics.

My Weekly Update:
NC Covid Dashboard:

Wake County Covid 19 Test Sites: https://covid19.wakegov.com/testing/
  • For latest Covid 19 information, please dial 2-1-1 or 888- 892-1162.  
  • Get Updates by texting COVIDNC at 898211.    
  • For unemployment insurance, please visit NC Dept of Employment Security at https://des.nc.gov/.    
  • 1,409,520 NC citizens have applied for UI Benefits, 947, 033 have been paid benefits, and $9.2 billion of benefits have been issued.  Appeals of denied jobless benefits are taking many months.  
  • Apply for Wake Forward program at https://covid19.wakegov.com/wakeforward/

There were 8,914 new cases of COVID-19 in North Carolina in Friday's report from the state Department of Health and Human Services. In the past two days, 28 new outbreaks were reported.

The number of hospitalizations dipped to 3,916, a decrease of 74 from Thursday's record of 3,990. There were 96% of hospitals in the state that reported data.

There were 108 more COVID-19 -related deaths reported, bringing the total since March 2020 to 7,933. On Thursday, 80 deaths were reported.

The state's percent positive testing rate was a tick higher, 11.2%, than Thursday's mark of 11.1%.

CASES:
8,914 New Cases   
+ N.C. = 659,840 Cases (Deaths = 7,933)
+ 11.2% Positive Rate
+ Wake County = 54,979 Cases (Deaths = 374)
+ US = 23.4 million Cases/389K deaths
+ Worldwide = 93.3 million/2 million deaths
+ Completed Tests: 7,874,642
+ 3,916 Hospitalized
Office Hours
Council Member Rao holds office hours on Friday from 12:00-1:00 PM by appointment only at 100 Town Hall Drive in Morrisville. 

For more information or to schedule a time to speak with Council Member Rao, please email SRao@TownofMorrisville.org and copy Town Clerk Eric Smith, esmith@townofmorrisville.org, 463-6150.
Council Member Steve Rao
Town of Morrisville
Dedicated to transforming Morrisville into an ideal place to work and raise a family!
Learn more at: SteveRao.com