School Safety Alert: 

Wake County Public Schools will address Safety and Security Measures this afternoon at School Board Meeting at 3:30 pm. 

https://www.youtube.com/user/wakecountyschools

Spy Balloon

Chinese Spy Balloon spotted and shot down in Western NC.

https://abc11.com/china-surveillance-balloon-spotted-in-nc-western-charlotte/12770022/

Ambassador Nikki Haley

Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley will announce for President next week. 

https://www.npr.org/2023/02/01/1153082534/nikki-haley-president-2024

Vice President Harris

Vice President Harris visits Raleigh last Monday to talk about the importance of Minority owned Small Businesses. 

(See NC News Section)  

Council Retreat A Success!

Last weekend, our Council enjoyed a very productive retreat in Wilmington where we brainstormed on the budget, economic development, and we came back very excited about this being another very productive year in Morrisville.  

I will share the recording in my next newsletter, and please, send your ideas and provide us feedback as we begin our budget discussions!  

Cedar Fork District Park Closed Feb 8th. 

Public Works will be applying a pre-emergent herbicide (used to prevent weeds) across the park and on fields.

Morrisville Fitness and Aquatics Center is closed Feb 6-Feb 24 

February 6 – 24, MAFC Pool closed for maintenance to keep our pool beautiful. We hope you will use this time to expand your fitness activities.

For participants that want strength training besides the weight room, try our early morning classes, Hard Core 30, Next Level strength, or Interval Training. Our Spin classes can provide the cardio output you may be looking for.

For participants that are looking for a low-impact option, we have added additional Silver Sneakers classes, Low Impact Cardio Strong, and Low Impact Group Equipment Orientation. Don’t forget that Tai Chi is great for balance, coordination, memory, and stabilization.

Remember to sign up for classes at www.tinyurl.com/signupmafc

March 16 Small Business Town Hall

with Congressman Wiley Nickel, and SBA Southeast Director Allen Thomas   

4:30- 6pm at the Frontier RTP!  

Details coming in next newsletter!   

My Black History Message: 

https://www.facebook.com/steve.s.rao/videos/867198664508806

This month, we kicked off Black History Month, a time, when we can reflect on the remarkable contributions that Black Americans have made to our nation in all walks of life.   

This years’ Black History Month theme is” Black Resistance,”exploring how "African Americans have resisted historic and ongoing oppression, in all forms, especially the racial terrorism of lynching, racial progroms and police killings," since the nation's earliest days.  

I never would have imagined that in the year 2023, we would continue to see brutal beatings of black men like Tyre Nichols at the hands of our police officers.  I cannot think of a better time than now, then to support our black brothers and sisters during these difficult times, as our struggle for equality and resistance continues.  

During this month, I challenge each of us to reflect on the injustices African Americans have faced, and to be inspired by their resilience to persevere in the face of adversity. 

Please share with me any Black Leaders or individuals that we should recognize this month and I will highlight a few every week until the end of the month, both on Social Media and in my next few newsletters.   

Equality vs. Equity and Leveling the Playing Field:

https://wraltechwire.com/2022/06/27/rao-equality-v-equity-and-leveling-the-playing-field-for-minority-owned-businesses/

During Black History Month, I will be visiting Black owned businesses as a part of my Small Business Tour in 2023.  

I enjoyed my small business visit with Mo Davis, owner of Mo’s Barbershop in Morrisville, and we were so glad he is in Morrisville.  

WHAT IS BLACK HISTORY MONTH? 

Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history. Also known as African American History Month, the event grew out of “Negro History Week,” the brainchild of noted historian Carter G. Woodson and other prominent African Americans. 

Since 1976, every U.S. president has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month. Other countries around the world, including Canada and the United Kingdom, also devote a month to celebrating Black history.

“What do the masses mean when they say Black Power? The masses simply mean that that we’re going to control our own show. We’re going to call our own shots. We’re going to set our own goals and we are going to determine how we are going to accomplish these goals and determine our own priorities.”

Floyd B. McKissick, UCLA 1968

Floyd McKissick was a close friend of Dr. King and was a very active leader in the Civil Rights Movement, and spoke at the March on Washington in August 1963 and participated in the March to Freedom at Meredith College in Raleigh in 1966. 

McKissick was denied admission to the UNC Chapel Hill law School because of the color of his skin. With the help of NAACP lawyer Thurgood Marshall, who would one day distinguish himself as a Supreme Court justice, McKissick sued the college and won. He went on to become the first African American student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Law School, and the first to graduate with a degree in law.

As a lawyer, Floyd McKissick successfully challenged several all-white schools in Durham, North Carolina. He also quickly became an ad hoc lawyer for CORE, defending demonstrators who were brought to trial on charges of sitting at lunch counters and in theaters marked "for whites only." At one point in the early 1960s, McKissick's law firm was handling 5,600 cases simultaneously, and the zealous lawyer was traveling throughout the United States  

When Floyd McKissick became the President of CORE (Center of Racial Equality) on January 3, 1966, he led the organization from an interracial integrationist civil rights agency pledged to uphold nonviolence into a militant and uncompromising advocate of the ideology of black power. 

In 1970 McKissick won federal funds from the New Communities Act to build a whole new town, Soul City, in rural North Carolina. Fired by visions of a black-run metropolis with business and industrial opportunities for minority enterprises, McKissick and his family became pioneer residents of Soul City. McKissick predicted that the community would have more than 40,000 residents by the turn of the century.

His plans never materialized; additional government grants did not arrive, and by the end of the 1970s the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development foreclosed on its multimillion dollar loan to the city. In 1991 it was estimated that Soul City had a population of about 200, all living in homes built by the federal government. Although the community has a health clinic and several small industries, retail shopping facilities are lacking. The nearest grocery store is 15 miles away, and the children must travel long distances to school by bus.

I encourage you to visit the Floyd McKissick Exhibit at the Hayti Center in Durham.  His son, Floyd McKissick Jr. is a close friend, and serves on the NC Utilities Commision and serves in the NC Senate for a number of years. 

MORRISVILLE BLACK HISTORY SPOTLIGHT: Shiloh Community 

During Black History Month, I will be highlighting both the past and present of the Black community in Morrisville.   

Mayor TJ and I attended the Sunday service, and presented our Town Black History Proclamation to Reverend David Jones on Sunday.   

The community of Shiloh was originally settled in the late 1820s by freeborn African Americans and freed former slaves. By 1870, it had grown into a self-sufficient community with a public school, social clubs, a co-op store, and a church.

Learn more about the history of the Shiloh Community during a 1.7 mile walk on the Shiloh Greenway. Visit https://bit.ly/3sfdSJO

#MorrisvilleBlackHistory

My Insights on Hayti:

https://www.facebook.com/steve.s.rao/videos/582025203780033

As we celebrate Black History Month, I wanted to highlight a historic African American neighborhood in Durham, Hayti.  I attended the Black History Lecture, last week at the Floyd McKissick exhibit and ran into my Roku TV colleague, Marc Lee.  

The Hayti District was established after the Civil War and was once home to the world-renowned Black Wall Street, which thrived in the late 1800s until the 1960s.  For decades, Hayti was the social and cultural center of Durham’s black community and a model for self-sufficient African American communities in the South. The neighborhood formed after the Civil War when freed men and women moved to Durham in search of work and opportunity. They adopted the name Hayti for their new home after the independent black nation of Haiti. 

Hayti’s culture of independence was built on two pillars, education and entrepreneurship.

Urban renewal and the Durham Freeway demolished much of the area in the 1960s, displacing Black businesses and family homes.

Angela Lee is executive director of the Hayti Heritage Center, which is dedicated to preserving the history of the district. 

“Durham was created in the shadow of Stagville, which was one of the largest plantations in the United States, where over 900 people were enslaved at emancipation,” Lee said. “After that time, many of the folks who had been on that plantation stayed and formed a community, and Hayti was the result.”

The community was born in the midst of Jim Crow segregation and thrived until the urban renewal project decimated it.

Today, the Hayti Heritage Center is one of the cornerstones of the Hayti community, still offering year-round programming and educational opportunities.

What was once the sanctuary was renovated to a performance hall, which is home to core programs, including music, dance, a poetry slam group, film festival and a next level film series.

Enjoyed our Radio Nyra Interview with Bob Phillips from Radio Nyra.

https://www.facebook.com/steve.s.rao/videos/1917301445271106/?t=20

ROKU TV HINDU HERITAGE INTERVIEW:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIkw4q3VJMQ

Critical Conversations Podcast

Made by Debut on the Podcast Critical Conversations with Kenia Thompson.

https://www.facebook.com/kenia.c.thompson/videos/2135504183293818

88.1 FM Geet Bazaar

Wonderful interview with Secretary of State Elaine Marshall on 88.1 FM Geet Bazaar!  

https://www.facebook.com/steve.s.rao/videos/454623026620604

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Now Hiring: Join the Public Works Team

The Town of Morrisville Public Works Department has exciting career opportunities available now. Join one of only three North Carolina municipalities with an American Public Works Association (APWA) accredited Public Works Department. For more information, click on the following links:

Streets Maintenance Supervisor

• Check out additional employment opportunities in the Town here.

Attended VP Harris event with Allen Thomas and Mike Arriola

Insights from SBA SE Director Allen Thomas:

https://www.facebook.com/steve.s.rao/videos/2212726709116614

Caught up with Sig Hutchison at RTA Annual Meeting!

Wonderful Time at Chinese Lunar New Year Event! 

Great time at NC Tech Conference in Charlotte with Brooks Raidford and Vice Provost of UNC Charlotte!

Small Business Visit with Kramden Institute: https://www.facebook.com/steve.s.rao/videos/711669793754823

Inspired at the People’s Medical Care Gala!  Thanks to Dr. Vinod Jindal and his team! 

Presented Town of Morrisville Black History Proclamation to Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church!

Yeet Street Disc Golf

Visit with Yeet Street Disc Golf at Cedar Fork District Park! 

CW Dressings

Visit with CW Dressings at Farmers Market on New Years Eve!

Visit with CW Dressings

https://www.facebook.com/steve.s.rao/videos/560396405942913

Swagat

My last small business drop in of the year at Swagat!: 

Small business drop in at Swagat

https://www.facebook.com/steve.s.rao/videos/682338516771303

Insights from the Vice President:

https://www.facebook.com/steve.s.rao/videos/743154200289828

Vice President Kamala Harris spoke about the Biden Administration's commitment to small businesses on Monday.  I was honored to attend the Reception before her talk, and was able to meet her briefly.  

She landed at Raleigh-Durham International Airport around noon and headed to Fletcher Auditorium at Duke Energy Center to talk about the role of small business owners in the American economy.

"They are not only business leaders, they are community leaders, they are civic leaders, they are role models," Harris said.

She also stressed the importance of community banks in helping small business owners get what they need.

"They sit down and take the time because they understand the value of the person that is sitting across that desk in terms of who they are in the community and what they can bring to the community," Harris added.

Harris stressed the importance of Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), which you may know by another name: credit unions. She said the Biden administration was taking extra efforts to invest in CDFIs -- investments she believes quickly find their way into local communities.

"What's the money is going to do? We're going to be able to provide 1 million loans in the life of this loan that the administration has given us to provide $30 billion in loans that we can provide to the community," Vicky Garcia with Latino Community Credit Union said.

On Harris' way back to the airport after her event at Duke Energy Center, she stopped at Panadería Artesanal, a Latina-owned bakery in Raleigh. It is owned by Jessica Karina Barahora and employs 17 additional staff members. Barahora began the business with a loan from the Latino Community Credit Union, which she used to purchase the vehicle out of which she ran the business until it became profitable enough to rent its current brick-and-mortar storefront.

NC DEMOCRATS WILL CODIFY ROE V WADE and UPHOLD COOER VETO 

Every Democrat in North Carolina's legislature has signed onto a pair of identical bills that would codify Roe v. Wade, House and Senate Democrats announced in a release Tuesday.

• Why it matters: Democrats' show of unity is a signal that the party intends to remain united on abortion, even as moderate Democrats face pressure to back the abortion restrictions Republicans propose this session.

Context: Gov. Roy Cooper is expected to veto any restrictions — beyond the state's current 20-week ban — that come across his desk.

• But Republicans won an "effective" supermajority in the legislature in November and would need only the help of one Democrat to override his veto.

Worth noting: The legislation would also codify Planned Parenthood v. Casey and block the state from restricting abortion before fetal viability.

What they're saying: “Democratic lawmakers across our state know how critical it is to protect your right to privacy and choice,” said Senate Democratic Leader Dan Blue. “We stand united in protecting reproductive health care — a right that the majority of North Carolinians support.”

NC BILL BLOCKS GENDER TREATMENT FOR MINORS 

A bill filed late Wednesday in the state House would ban hormone treatments and surgeries for anyone younger than 18 and make it illegal for medical professionals to help a minor “present or appear in a manner that is inconsistent with the minor’s sex.”

Doctors would be prohibited from surgically removing any healthy or “nondiseased” body part or tissue. Those who violate the proposed restriction could lose their license and would face a penalty of up to $1,000 for each violation.

The bill includes exceptions for children who were born with ambiguous sex characteristics.

Similar legislation introduced last session did not advance.

North Carolina Republicans grew their margins in the November elections but fell one seat short of a veto-proof supermajority in the General Assembly. Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper said after the election that he would continue advocating for trans residents.

Confidence in police has dropped after the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols.

• What to know: Americans are more doubtful that police officers are properly trained to avoid excessive force or treat White and Black people equally, a Post-ABC poll found.

• Why it matters: The poll suggests last month’s beating of Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, by Memphis officers has affected overall views of police.

• Who’s changing their minds? It mainly appears to be White and Hispanic Americans.

A suspected Chinese spy balloon was spotted flying over the U.S.

• Where? It was seen in the skies over Montana this week, U.S. officials said yesterday. The Pentagon briefly considered shooting it down before deciding it was too risky.

• Why it matters: The balloon’s flight path goes over “a number of sensitive sites,” an official said, and the incident comes at a time of peak tension between the world powers.

• What else to know: The U.S. announced yesterday that it will get access to four new military bases in the Philippines to help counter threats from China.

Republicans kicked a Democratic congresswoman off a House committee.

• Who? Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota. Republicans yesterday voted to remove her from the House Foreign Affairs Committee after an angry debate on the House floor.

• Why? Republicans said it was because of past antisemitic comments. But Democrats said it was payback after two Republicans were similarly punished in 2021 for violent social media posts.

An “epic, generational arctic outbreak” is hitting New England today.

• What that means: Wind chills in northern Maine could approach minus-60, the lowest in decades. That’s cold enough to cause frostbite within 5 minutes.

• Advisories also cover much of the northern Plains, Upper Midwest and the remainder of the Northeast (south of New York).

Restaurants can’t find workers because they’ve found better jobs.

• What to know: Restaurants, bars and hotels are short about a million workers nearly three years after the coronavirus pandemic upended the labor market, recent data shows.

• Where they’ve gone: A lot of people have moved to office work, where they are more likely to have increased flexibility, stability and better pay.

The Grammy Awards are this weekend.

• What to know: Beyoncé leads the way with nine nominations. Bad Bunny’s “Un Verano Sin Ti” is the first all-Spanish-language record up for album of the year.

• The ceremony: Comedian Trevor Noah is hosting, with performances by Harry Styles, Bad Bunny, Mary J. Blige, Sam Smith, Lizzo, Brandi Carlile and more.

• How to watch: The show is Sunday at 8 p.m. Eastern on CBS and Paramount Plus.

Netflix gave people an accidental preview of its password-sharing crackdown.

• What to know: It inadvertently updated its site in some countries this week to say users will have to reconnect every 31 days to confirm their primary location.

• We’ve known this is coming: Netflix said last fall that you’d soon have to pay a fee to share your account with someone who doesn’t live with you.

• When will the change actually happen? Netflix plans to roll it out more broadly over the next couple of months.

Feb 18th Town of Cary Black History Panel at 9 am with Tru Pettigrew.  

Cary Arts Center 

Feb 23 Tie Carolinas Venture Investing Social

at Fortnight Brewery at 1006 Southwest Maynard Road, Cary, 27511.  

5:45 pm to 8:15 pm 

MARCH 18th Green Day at CHURCH STREET PARK AT 8 am!

March 18th Town of Morrisville Holi Noon to 3 pm!