My MLK Message: (Read my MLK Blog at the end of Newsletter)

Visit www.unclaimedcredits.com to learn about how you can apply for Employee Retention Credits under the Cares Act, and you can still claim in 2022.  

I have joined WRAL Techwire as an Opinion Writer. Send me your ideas on topics. Check out my Blog on Jobs in Morrisville

Winter Storm Alert: 

Please visit www.townofmorrisville.org and follow us for updates on Facebook.

A special thanks to Marty Clayton and his team for their Storm Updates. 

Heavy ice on trees, branches, power lines 

Ice buildup on trees and branches that causes them to fall on power lines is usually the main culprit behind power outages during a winter storm. Specifically, ice buildup of a quarter-inch or more is often

the threshold amount that causes trees and branches to topple. 

 

The heavy weight of significant ice buildup directly on power lines themselves can sometimes cause the lines to fall or sag, as well. Heavy, wet snow of six inches or more also can cause trees and branches to fall on power lines. 

 

After the storm, as conditions permit, crews will begin assessing the extent of damage – a process that can take 24 hours or more following storms that cause widespread damage and hazardous driving conditions. 

 

Damage assessments determine the types of crews, equipment and supplies needed to restore power.  

 

Power restoration crews will begin working immediately after the storm as soon as it’s safe to do so.

Restoration efficiency improves as damage assessment information is available to ensure the right workers and materials are dispatched to each power outage location. 

 

Customers who experience power outages should call Duke Energy's automated

outage-reporting systems for their respective utility: 

 

Customers may also report an outage or view current outages online at www.duke-energy.com/outages or text OUT to 57801 

Duke Energy will also provide updates on its social media channels to keep customers informed if significant outages occur: 

You may have noticed some shiny new All-America City banners, with organizational logos, as you drive throughout town. More than 30 local organizations recently joined the Morrisville community banner program to show their civic pride and support of Morrisville as an All-America City. Each organization purchased the banners through a program offered by a vendor connected with the National Civic League.

Thanks to everyone who participated

Town staff met with NCDOT and Prestonwood Country Club representatives on November 23 to discuss the issues and concerns related to the crossing. NCDOT staff offered options for addressing the concerns; Prestonwood Country Club staff is going to take those options to their Board for discussion and further consideration. Town staff will continue to support the discussion and will engage as necessary to support both short-term and long-term solutions to enhance safety at the crossing

Thank you for joining us on Radio Nyra for our MLK edition interview with Floyd Mckissick!  99.9FMHD4, 101.9 FM and 1490AM! 

www.radionyrausa.com.

Join us on Monday at 10am for POD TV WORLD EDITION for as we host special guest Former Senator Floyd McKissick for our MLK special program!   Live Stream at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08NbBGZYanM and at https://www.facebook.com/steve.s.rao.

Town of Cary Dreamfest: https://www.townofcary.org/recreation-enjoyment/events/holiday-events/dreamfest

Town of Apex MLK Commemoration Weekend: https://www.apexnc.org/1657/Martin-Luther-King-Jr-Weekend-Events.

Raleigh King Day at Chavis Park: John Chavis Memorial Park, at 505 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Raleigh, is hosting King Day: A Celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Birthday on Monday, January 17th, 2022, from 12 to 3 p.m.

This free event will showcase Dr. King’s work and the history of the national holiday. There will also be arts and crafts for children and an outdoor civil rights scavenger hunt and more. Food trucks will be on site.

Town of Fuquay Varina MLK March at St. Augusta Missionary Baptist Church, 605 Bridge Street, Fuquay-Varina, at 10:15 a.m.

For a listing of all 2022 Triangle MLK events, visit https://triangleonthecheap.com/mlk-day-events-triangle/.

For the 42nd Annual Triangle MLK events, visit www.trianglemlk.com!

Start MLK Day with the 42d Annual Triangle Interfaith Breakfast at wral.com at 7 am!  There is also a noon prayer service( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YC13bdk9K-o&t=485s) and an evening musical celebration ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFsk5z6uf-A&t=1500s)

Nonprofits around the Triangle call upon volunteers to serve during the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, and Activate Good has extended this to a week of service called Dignity Week 2022. Opportunities shown on this page are a collection of volunteer projects taking place on dates between Friday, January 14 and Sunday, January 23.

Find an Americorps Day of Service https://www.americorps.gov/newsroom/events/mlk-day.

During this pandemic, I have been able to watch almost every movie in the Marvel Universe with Komal and Rayan, and of course, our favorite, is the Avengers Series.  We all need to feel that we have the strongest heroes, to inspire us, to help us get through tough times.

Forget the Marvel Movies for now. Throughout history of mankind, there have been real Avengers, real heroes, living among us.

These Leaders, during our darkest times in history, lit up the world with hope, changed their communities, their nations, by refusing to sit back and accept oppression, fear, and violence. They had no special powers.  They were ordinary citizens united around a purpose larger than themselves, were able to change the world and their communities.

This weekend, we have the chance to honor and celebrate such a hero, such an Avenger, the inspiring freedom fighter Dr. Martin Luther King, who joins the likes of other human heroes such as Gandhi, Mandela, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

A free India, a post Apartheid South Africa, the right for black Americans to vote, desegregation were all made possible by the marches to freedom led by such heroes.  At the time, many of the causes they fought for were not even popular or accepted, but they had to get out of their comfort zones, and fight for change.

Today, we honor such a hero, the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King.

We must 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.  His march for racial equality in America was a marathon, not a sprint.

At each mile marker, he and his colleagues, experienced ridicule, humiliation, intimidation, and often imprisonment, but they never lost sight of their finish line, a nation, free from any discrimination where all citizens were treated equally under the law.  John Lewis took so many beatings in Selma, so Black Americans could vote, but we still have more work to do.

We have come so far:

We have come so far but we still have not crossed finish line. We have more work to do.

Let us never forget that positive change in America has come from ordinary citizens, who were not willing to accept a divided and unjust society.

In the words of Freddy Mercury, The Show Must Go on.

Long Live the Dream.

This information is provided for COVID-19 testing sites in Wake County and please visit https://www.wakegov.com/covid-19-information/no-cost-covid-19-testing. 

New sites continue to be added in Wake County through partnerships with the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services and other community testing providers. 

Baptist on Mission ( 3901 Capital Hills Drive, Raleigh )will be moving its testing site from Southbridge Fellowship Church in Raleigh, to Summit Church – Capital Hills Campus in Raleigh. It will operate Monday through Friday from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. No appointments necessary, no out-of-pocket costs and insurance accepted but not required. 

This site joins these other NCDHHS and community testing sites: 

WakeMed Soccer Park (101 Soccer Park Drive, Cary NC 27519): Monday–Friday, 7 a.m.–4 p.m.

This site will be open Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. until the end of January. Results in 24-28 hours. Preregistration will be required. There are no out-of-pocket costs for testing at this site. They will ask for insurance information if you have it, but insurance is not necessary.

PNC Arena (home to the Carolina Hurricanes): Monday–Friday, 7 a.m.–4 p.m. (hours are 7 a.m.–noon on game days or event days) 

Five County Stadium (1501 NC-39, Zebulon, NC 27597) home to the Carolina Mudcats):Monday–Friday, 7 a.m.–4 p.m. 

Highland Baptist Church in Garner at 8524 Crowder Road. It will operate Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Results are received within 24–48 hours. Pre-registration is required. There are no out-of-pocket costs for testing at these sites. While staff will ask for insurance information if you have it, insurance is not necessary.   

Hindu Society of NC: Drive thru testing in HSNC parking lot. Do not step out of your car . You will be provided with instructions for registration. No prior appointment is required. Testing is being performed by: Ottendorf Laboratories, LLC. Monday thru Friday - 8 to 5 pm Address: 309 Aviation Parkway, Morrisville, NC 27560  

Registration can be done with the QR code:

Steverao app can be downloaded at Apple App store by searching for "Steverao" app in Apple store and Google Play store.

Other Way to download the app is by below scan for Apple store scan code and Google Play store link.

Below are two links to download app from Apple App store and Google Playstore.

The Town of Morrisville administrative offices will be closed Monday, Jan. 17, in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The Morrisville Smart Shuttle will not be in operation. Police, fire, and rescue services will remain available. For life-threatening or in-progress emergencies, call 911. Trash and recycling pickup service routes for residents will occur per the regular schedule. For details, click here.

The Town of Morrisville and the Morrisville Police Department advise pedestrians not to walk on either side of Morrisville Carpenter Road between Town Hall Drive and Misty Groves Circle. This section of the road is an active construction zone area and does not have a sidewalk and is not safe for pedestrians. Please observe the posted sidewalk closed signs.

For Morrisville Carpenter Road Project updates Visit https://bit.ly/mcrcp1

As concerns surrounding COVID-19 and the Omicron variant continue to grow in our area, we have made some important updates to our facility's current protocols and procedures to help stop the spread and keep you safe. The changes you need to be aware of and abide by are listed below:

The Town of Morrisville will be conducting two virtual public information sessions on Jan. 18 (6:30 p.m.) and 19 (1 p.m.) to inform residents about the Morrisville Town Center project as the project moves from a concept to design and construction.

Additionally, residents and businesses are invited to complete a Town Center Project survey and offer feedback on what amenities they would like to have considered as part of the Town Center.

To join the information sessions, take the survey, or for additional information about the Town Center Project, click here.

Spring Little League Baseball registration is open! Ages 5-12 can register for league play with practices beginning tentatively in late February.

Additionally, we will take information for participants that are interested in participating in softball from ages 9-12. We are looking to begin softball league development this spring and hope to form teams in the coming months. Volunteers for tee ball, baseball and softball can reach out to Bryan Rhea at brhea@townofmorrisville.org for more information.

The Winter Basketball league through the Morrisville Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department is currently pausing its games until the week of January 17 as a safety measure for both volunteers and participants. Practices will continue to take place as information is reviewed.

Town of Morrisville residents are invited to complete a short survey on Morrisville’s tree canopy preservation, common open space, and landscaping sections of the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO), which regulates these items. This survey will assist Town staff in developing amendments to the UDO and will be active until Jan. 21. Click here to take the survey.

Built from public feedback, peer analysis, and industry best practices, the Master Sustainability Plan will contain the goals, strategies, and actions the Town will take to make Morrisville even more sustainable. Join the Town of Morrisville on Wednesday, Jan. 26, at 6 p.m. for a virtual town hall presentation on the development of the Master Sustainability Plan. For details and to join the meeting, click here.

Nervous to jump into one of our group fitness classes? Build a strong foundation first by taking one of the “how-to” group fitness classes on Saturday mornings in January and February at the Morrisville Aquatics and Fitness Center. The 30-minute instructional sessions are followed by the full one-hour version of the class, allowing participants to sign up for both and apply their skills. Reserve your spot now via SignUp Genius (Fitness Class Sign-Up tab).

The Town of Morrisville has launched a Recycling Participation and Contamination Reduction Program (RPCR) to increase our residential curbside recycling participation and reduce recycling contamination. The goal is to increase the recycling participation rate from 55 to 70 percent. A Recycle Right refrigerator magnet with a list of “dos” and “don’ts” for your recycling bin was mailed to residents at the end of 2021. Click here to help Morrisville Recycle Right!

Morrisville’s winter 2021 disc golf course will be located at Cedar Fork District Park, 228 Aviation Parkway, from December 3, 2021 to January 18, 2022. Residents and area park users can practice throwing discs for their mid-range game. The course is designed for all levels of play. For details, including hours, a course map, and rules, click here.

The Morrisville Aquatics and Fitness Center’s 2022 Virtual Marathon Month registration is now open! This marathon is a great way to start the new year. Registration is open to everyone. Participants may choose from a full (26.2 miles), ultra (50 miles), or mega (100 miles) marathon. Set your goal, log your mileage, and win awesome prizes. Watch our how-to video here, and then click here to register.

The Morrisville Smart Shuttle, the Town’s newest public transit service, allows riders to request a pick-up or drop-off from one of 15 nodes, or stops, located around the Town using the Smart Shuttle application on their smartphone.

Watch this short video on how to use the Morrisville Smart Shuttle App by clicking here!

The service runs seven days a week, from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, and from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday. Additional details on the Morrisville Smart Shuttle visit TownofMorrisville.org/SmartShuttle

Starting Dec. 4, the WWFM is shifting to winter market hours, 9:30 a.m. to noon. Visit http://wwfm.ag/ to see a complete list of local vendors and shop local!

Please watch for the Black Issues Forum on UNC-TV!  Fridays at 7 pm and Sundays at 4 pm!

Thank you for joining me for the Black Issues Forum today 4 pm to talk Voter Rights Legislation, the Filibuster and Maya Angelou on Coin.

https://www.pbsnc.org/watch/black-issues-forum/.

Jan 28th NC Tech Association Outlook for Tech.

Register at

Feb 1 Morrisville Chamber Annual Meeting at Prestonwood Country Club from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm.

Award Applications are open!

Join us every Friday on World Edition at 10 am for the Great America Project Panel where we discuss how we rebuild Americas' image with leaders from around the country and world.

Public Open Dialogue TV is a worldwide multilingual, multi-demographic network focused on inspiring, educating and entertaining the global community. We provide unique programming in areas not covered by traditional media, and provide a platform for the audience to engage with those shows. Formerly IBMTV.