Wake County Food Distribution is today and next week Saturday from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm at Morrisville Elementary!

1519 Morrisville Parkway, Morrisville, NC 27560

Thanks for coming out today and see you next week!

Biden addresses nation on Anniversary of Capitol Insurrection and states the “Way forward is the truth.”

Thanks to the Hindu Society of NC for providing free Drive Thru Covid Testing. (See Vaccination and Testing for Details.  

Check your child’s Bus Route at https://www.wcpss.net/busupdate. 

10% of all public companies in North Carolina are headquartered in Morrisville.  With the economic development momentum of the past year, I am confident that this list will grow in the very near future.  

List by Market Capitalization in 2020 by Triangle Business Journal.   

In addition, we are home to Credit Suisse, Fuji Film Diosynth, Microsoft, Oracle, Cisco Systems, and many other market leading companies, bringing in over 50,000 workers per day in the Town before Covid.If we can invest in our infrastructure, we have a great economic opportunity to get these workers to work, live and play in Morrisville. 

Jan 6th was the first anniversary of the violent attack on the Capitol, by a mob of Donald Trump’s supporters who were trying to prevent Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s election. The mob smashed windows and threatened the vice president and members of Congress. Seven people died as a result of the attack, including three police officers. Never in my lifetime did I ever imagine that I would see such violent attacks take place in our nation.  

The Jan. 6 attack is part of a larger, growing anti-democracy movement in the U.S. In the year since, the movement — which is now closely aligned with the Republican Party — has changed some laws and ousted election officials, with the aim of overturning future results. The movement’s supporters justify these actions with lies about voter fraud. 

 

The anti-democratic movement is following a playbook used by authoritarians in other countries, both recently and historically. The movement is trying to use existing democratic laws — on vote counting and election certification, for example — to unravel democracy. We have seen so called Democracies like Venezuela, Tunisia, Sudan, Afghanistan, and Hungary literally become Dictatorships after so called free and fair elections.  

Many of us were excited about the rise of many of these democracies in the nineties, but saw them dissolve very quickly when a strong state did not respect the rights and will of the governed.  

The experience of other countries does offer some lessons about how to defeat anti-democratic movements. The most successful approach involves building coalitions of people who disagree, often vehemently, on many issues but who all believe in democracy.

This is why it is so important for Liz Cheney and the rare other elected Republicans to confront their own party on this issue. If the fate of American democracy becomes a partisan contest between Democrats and Republicans, democracy could lose and our nation will never be the same.  

In our closely divided and highly polarized country, each party is likely to hold power at some point in coming years. But when the Republican Party does, it may change the rules to ensure that it remains in power, as Trump tried in 2020 and as Viktor Orban has done in Hungary.  A precedent can be set for even Democrats to do the same in coming years.  Our Democracy can break if we are not more aware of an ever increasing threat to stable democracies.  

Only a cross-ideological coalition is likely to prove strong enough to prevent this outcome. A coalition makes it easier for Republican officials across the country to beat back future attempts to overturn elections; when the Cheney family is standing up for democracy, it does not look like just another liberal position.

 Liz Cheney, Mitt Romney, the Bush establishment network and other conservatives (as well as major business leaders and Christian leaders) need to publicly join and support a fusion ticket with the Democratic Party.

I know that many Democrats will recoil at this idea. Some anti-Trump Republicans will, too. It has real downsides and could forestall progress on other important issues, starting with climate change. I also know that some progressives believe that Liz Cheney and her father have helped create the radicalized Republican Party and are themselves part of the problem with American democracy.

Opposing abortion, gun control and environmental regulation is well within the bounds of this country’s democratic traditions. So is — uncomfortable as this may be to acknowledge — starting a disastrous foreign war, as George W. Bush and Dick Cheney did in Iraq, or playing hardball over vote counting, as they did in Florida in 2000. Democratic presidents have done those things, too.

Violently attacking the Capitol is not consistent with American democratic traditions. Nor is trying to airbrush the horror of that attack, as many top Republican officials have. Nor are flamboyant, repeated lies about election results — and promises to act on those lies in the future.

During this pandemic, we have spent much time debating and discussing vaccinations, boosters and tests so we can be healthy and get on with our lives.   However, another disease we face is the decay and disruption of our own Republic taking place before our own eyes.   

Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman inspired us with these words at the Biden Inauguration:  

There is no shot, no pill, no quick fix to resolve the painful divisions our nation is experiencing.  One thing is certain.  The time has come to do something about it, not as Republicans, or Democrats, but as Americans.  It is time to repair and rebuild our Republic, now and for future generations

During the Pandemic, we have seen an unprecedented acceleration of jobs announcements in Morrisville, in the life sciences sector, following the announcements of Apple, and the Microsoft announcement in 2019 (500 jobs and $47 million investment).  We are transforming to be the destination in the United States for life science and technology innovation and the best place to live, work, and play!  I credit this to our highly educated workforce/residents, an increasingly diverse community, and world class parks and restaurants!  

I do believe that we need to make sure that our schools and transportation infrastructure can keep up with this growth, which is why I would prefer to stick to the zoning we approved in our Land Use Plan last year.  Any Development or company investing in Morrisville must also invest in our transportation and parks infrastructure.  I have never approved any development in Morrisville, which did not make significant investments in these areas. 

At the same time, we need to execute our Affordable Housing Plan in Morrisville and work collaboratively with any developer or company in Morrisville to invest in our transportation/parks infrastructure. 

A joint venture between Starwood Capital Group and Trinity Capital Advisors has announced plans to develop Spark LS, a $1 billion life sciences campus located within North Carolina’s Research Triangle in Morrisville.

The 109-acre development will be located at the intersection of McCrimmon Parkway and Airport Boulevard, four miles from Raleigh-Durham Airport and five miles from Apple’s new $1 billion office campus.

The 1.5 million-square-foot project is set to include 12 to 15 buildings with lab and bio-manufacturing space, green spaces, restaurants, retail, a STEM education and amenity center, and several multi-use outdoor recreation areas.

Architectural firm Hanbury has been tapped to design the campus, with Doug Cook and Suzanna Nichols of Cushman & Wakefield heading up leasing efforts for the project. A timeline for the development has not been announced.

Starwood and Trinity have acquired or developed 5.1 million square feet of office and life sciences space totaling $1.1 billion of investment since 2015. Currently, the partnership owns 1.6 million square feet across two properties in the Research Triangle submarket.

Miami Beach, Fla.-based Starwood Capital Group is a private investment firm with a focus on global real estate. The company has $105 billion in assets under management.

Trinity Capital Advisors is a value-add real estate investor with a focus on acquiring and developing office, industrial and mixed-use properties across the Southeast. The company has two offices: one in Charlotte, and the other in Raleigh.

Finally, it was our final approval of the Land Use Plan last year, which could enable the Town to secure such a game changing investment which can allow for a combination of residential, restaurants community centers, and provide for a destination for market leading research and innovation in life sciences.  In January 2021, John Kane announced his plans for a $1 billion Life Sciences Innovation District.  

A year after his announcement, we will have one in Morrisville! 

250 jobs and $1.5 million of investment 

A publicly traded clinical research and testing company, Science 37, will be moving its headquarters to Morrisville, creating some 250 new jobs in the next several years.

The Department of Commerce’s Economic Investment Committee approved more than $4 million in tax incentives to secure the firm’s $1.5 million investment. The move adds to North Carolina’s pioneering leadership in what has become a global contract research and testing sector.

The company has been operating from dual headquarters in the Los Angeles suburb of Culver City and in Raleigh, employing some 94 people at the North Carolina site. Now it plans to bring all the headquarters activities to Morrisville, including administration, human resources, information technology and some clinical activities.

Science 37 began trading on the Nasdaq Global Market with the ticker symbol “SNCE” in early October after completing a business combination with LifeSci Acquisition II Corp., which had been trading on the Nasdaq under ticker symbol “LSAQ”. The deal netted Science 37 about $235 million, the company said.

While salaries will vary based on job roles, the average wage for all the new jobs will be $114,400, which is above the Wake County average of $68,317. The total payroll impact from this project on the region is expected to reach more than $28 million, each and every year.

Science 37’s project in North Carolina will be facilitated by a Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG) approved by the state’s Economic Investment Committee earlier today. Over the course of the 12-year term of this grant, the project is estimated to grow the state’s economy by $783 million. Using a formula that takes into account the new tax revenues generated by the new jobs, the JDIG agreement authorizes the potential reimbursement to the company of up to $3,336,750, spread over 12 years.

State payments only occur following performance verification by the departments of Commerce and Revenue that the company has met its incremental job creation and investment targets. JDIG projects result in positive net tax revenue to the state treasury, even after taking into consideration the grant’s reimbursement payments to a given company.

Partnering with the North Carolina Department of Commerce and the Economic Development Partnership of N.C. on this project were the North Carolina General Assembly, the North Carolina Community College System, the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, the Capital Area Workforce Development Board, Wake Tech Community College, Wake County, the Town of Morrisville, the Morrisville Chamber of Commerce and Wake County Economic Development, a program of the Raleigh Chamber.

374 jobs and 114.6 million investment

San Francisco-based medical genetics testing company Invitae is investing $114.6 million to bring its wide-ranging test manufacturing capability to Morrisville, adding 374 life sciences jobs to the Research Triangle area. The 374 employees Invitae intends to hire during the next five years at the Morrisville location will receive minimum annual salaries of $91,176. That compares to the 2020 Wake County average of $63,966. State incentives for the company include a $6.8 million Job Development Investment Grant and $673,200 in community college workforce training support

The company, whose name is pronounced “in-VEE-tay,” is moving into the rezoned and renovated 25-acre site of the former Morrisville Outlet Mall on Airport Boulevard, now with 245,000 square feet of Class A office and lab space and renamed The Stitch. The company said it chose the North Carolina site as its East Coast lab and production facility over competition from Frederick, Maryland.

Invitae has already provided medical genetics information to more than a million people. The company’s tests include direct-to-consumer screening of saliva samples for common cancers and cardiovascular disorders, as well as physician-ordered tests to assess whole blood, cell-free DNA, DNA, post-mortem specimens, embryo biopsies, and other sample types for diagnostic data, reproductive health, and preventive medicine.

The company’s test menu is one of the broadest in the industry, including panel testing for thousands of genes associated with hereditary cancer, neurological disorders, cardiovascular disorders, pediatric disorders, metabolic disorders, and other hereditary conditions. It also has the ability to quickly create custom testing panels.

Besides the technical support from NCBiotech, those partnering with the North Carolina Department of Commerce and the Economic Development Partnership of N.C. on the Invitae project include the North Carolina General Assembly, the North Carolina Community College System, the Research Triangle Foundation, North Carolina Central University, North Carolina State University, Wake Tech, the Capital Area Workforce Development Board, the Town of Morrisville, Wake County, the Morrisville Chamber of Commerce, and Wake County Economic Development and Triangle Diversity Equity and Inclusion Alliance, programs of the Raleigh Chamber.

Invitae’s new lab and office complex is owned and developed by Equator Capital Management and OCS Capital, and managed by CBRE|Raleigh.

3000 Jobs/$550 Million Investment 

Apple announces plans to invest $1 billion in North Carolina and build a new campus in the Research Triangle, very close to Morrisville.  The global tech giant plans to hire at least 3000 people at an average salary of $187,000.  Apple’s new campus and engineering hub at RTP will accommodate the company’s growing research and development and engineering teams.  It will measure more than 1 million square feet and initially house 3000 employees working in machine learning, artificial intelligence, software engineering, and other cutting edge fields.  Apple also says it will establish a $100 million fund to support “schools and communities” in North Carolina and will contribute more than $110 million to 80 of the state’s poorest counties to help fund critical infrastructure like “broadband, roads and bridges, and public schools

The campus will run on 100% renewable energy.  

Amgen (Life Sciences): 355 jobs, $550 million investment    Holly Springs 

Fujifilm Diosynth (Life Sciences) : 725 Jobs/$2 billion investment Holly Springs 

Gilead (Life Sciences) : 275 Jobs/$5 million investment Raleigh 

Ineos Automotive (Advanced Man): 50 jobs/North American HQ Raleigh 

PennyMac (Financial Services): 322 Jobs/$4.3 million investment Cary 

The U.S. government set up the ERC to help those businesses that maintained employees during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The ERC is a grant, not a loan that a business can claim. It was established by the CARES Act and is based on w-2 wages paid to employees.

You most likely qualify if you meet any of the following criteria.

Visit https://www.unclaimedcredits.com/ to set up an appointment with an expert to see if you qualify. 

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.

Jan. 11 - 6 p.m. Town Council Meeting (Virtual)

Jan. 12 - CANCELED Performance Measures Advisory Committee

Jan. 12 - 6:30 p.m. Environment & Stormwater Committee (Virtual)

Jan. 13 - 6 p.m. Senior Advisory Committee (Postponed to Feb. 10)

Jan. 13 - 6:30 p.m. CANCELED Planning & Zoning Board

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 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

You are invited to come out on Thursday, Jan. 13, at 5:30 p.m. at the Cedar Fork Community Center, 1050 Town Hall Drive in Morrisville for a remembrance and to celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The event will include “I have a dream” from kids, interesting facts about Martin Luther King, Jr. and a Word Wall.

Spring Little League Baseball Registration is scheduled to begin the on January 10, 2022. Ages 5-12 will begin registering 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.

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, to take the survey, or for additional information about the Town Center Project, click here.

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.

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!

I attended in person On Monday at Fletcher Theater and gained great insight from some of the top Raleigh business leaders as they spoke to trends and predictions for our region in 2022! We learned how our region is recovering from the pandemic and trending upwards in economic development, growth, commercial real estate, talent, and entrepreneurship.  

Highlights were to hear from NC Commerce Secretary Machelle Sanders, Pendo CEO, Todd Olsen and entrepreneur Cindy Eckert, CEO, Pink Ceiling. 

Watch Presentations at https://www.wral.com/raleigh-chamber-of-commerce-hosts-launch-2022/20062594/

It was nice to see everyone at Prestonwood Country Club for the Cary Chamber Economic Forecast with Dr. Michael Walden!  He is always so informative!  He sees the Fed increasing rates to fight inflation and cites worker shortages as a key concern moving forward but our region continues to grow and do well!  

Pictured with Cary Chamber Board Chair, Rick Stephenson and Incoming Chair, Wendy Cloure Coulter.  

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

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

Jan. 9th Radio Nyra Interview with Wake County Commissioner Vice Chair, Shinica Thomas at 4 pm!

99.9FM HD4, 101.9 FM , 1490 AM and www.radionyrausa.com

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.

Covid-19 Drive-thru testing in HSNC parking lot

Time: 8 to 5 pm (New Timing)

Address: 309 Aviation Parkway, Morrisville, NC 27560.

Note: Please 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: Ottendrof Laboratories, LLC

Registration can be done with the below QR code: 

The Durham County Department of Public Health (DCoDPH) will expand COVID-19 vaccination eligibility beginning Monday at its vaccination clinic to begin offering booster doses of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines for all people ages 12-15, and third doses of Pfizer vaccines for children ages 5-11 who are moderately to severely immunocompromised. Additionally, booster vaccinations will now be available for all people 12 and older five months after they complete a primary Pfizer vaccination series, reducing the waiting period from its previous length of six months.

All vaccinations for people ages 5 and older are available at DCoDPH by walk-in or appointment. To schedule an appointment, call 919-560-9217, or visit the DCoDPH COVID-19 vaccination clinic at 414 E. Main St., Durham during our walk-in hours Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays 9:a.m. to 4 p.m. and Tuesdays, 9 a.m. to 5:40 p.m.