SILER CITY — The Hispanic Liaison (El Vínculo Hispano) will host its 3rd Annual Legal Fair at Jordan Mathews High School, 910 E. Cardinal St., Siler City, on April 6. The event will be from 1 to 5:30 p.m.; registration begins at 11:30 a.m.
The Legal Fair is free and open to the public. Presentations will be in English and Spanish. Mike Dasher, Chatham County Chairman of the Board of Commissioners, will open the event with a welcome.
Recent immigration raids in our region have caused widespread fear in our community, Liaison officials said. At the Legal Fair, Hispanics and other immigrants will learn about their rights and have the opportunity to consult with immigration attorneys.
Planned activities include a dialog with the Siler City Police Chief and the sheriffs of Chatham and Lee counties, workshops on immigration, tenants’ rights, family law, youth mental health, and a session for allies on immigration issues. The Fair will also offer free consultations with immigration attorneys and free DACA renewals, available on a first-come first-serve basis. The Fair will also feature a Legal Services Expo with attorneys, agencies and the consulates of Mexico and Guatemala.
For questions or if would like to become a sponsor or volunteer, visit www.hispanicliaison.org or call 919-742-1448.
PITTSBORO — Chatham County Solid Waste & Recycling is hosting its annual Earth Day event on Saturday, April 27.
The event is open to all Chatham County residents (no decal needed) and will feature free document shredding, free “take back” of unwanted medications, compost bin sales, household hazardous waste collection, raffle prized, and give-a-ways.
The event will be at the Solid Waste & Recycling Main Facility, 28 County Services Road, about six miles west of Pittsboro, off Highway 64. The event will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and includes:
Document Shredding
Free paper document shredding is available. Chatham residents can bring up to three boxes or bags of paper from their household. The service provides a post-tax season opportunity for residents to safely destroy and recycle old tax records, credit card statements, and other personal documents. No business waste.
Household Hazardous Waste Collection
The Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) facility will accept household hazardous waste items such as cleaners, solvents, gasoline, motor oil, stains, oil-based paint, and electronics of any size from Chatham residents. No trash and no businesses accepted. A full list of accepted items is available at www.chathamnc.org/hhw
Medication Take-Back
The Chatham County Sheriff’s Office will conduct a medication “take back” as a safe way for residents to dispose of unwanted medications. No needles, sharps, or liquids will be accepted.
Compost Bins for Sale
Backyard compost bins will be sold for $45. Composting is a great way to reduce your waste at home! Staff will be onsite to answer questions. Cash, checks, Visa, MasterCard, and Discover are accepted.
Give-a-ways and Raffle Prizes
County staff will have free give-a-ways and are available to answer any questions you may have about solid waste and recycling services. Residents can also enter to win one of several door prizes, including a compost bin, tree, garden supplies, and more.
The Earth Day event coincides with the county’s usual Saturday Mulch Sales which is from 7:30 am to Noon. Mulch is $5 per scoop, which is approximately one cubic yard. A large scoop will be used for dump trucks and is $10 per scoop. County staff will load the mulch and don’t forget to bring a tarp to secure the load. Cash or checks are accepted.
For additional event information, visit www.chathamnc.org/recycle or contact Solid Waste & Recycling at 919-542-5516.
PITTSBORO — Two of life’s greatest pleasures — a good meal and helping neighbors in need — will come together Saturday, April 6 in Pittsboro.
Son Shine and Blessings (SS&B), a Chatham County non-profit organization that helps county residents in various states of need, is sponsoring a fund-raising pancake and bacon breakfast that day from 7 until 10 a.m. at Highway 55 Restaurant on US 64 East.
Tickets are $5 and are available by calling SS&B at 919-542-5436. Don’t have a ticket? Don’t worry; just walk into Highway 55 that morning for the same deal.
SS&B is a faith-based ministry concentrating on care for the elderly and needy population of Chatham County by providing transportation, shopping trips, respite care and similar services regardless of ethnic or religious background. Clients are served without charge.
In addition to those services, SS&B also offers music lessons to underprivileged and home-schooled children, as well as to adults. Lessons are currently offered in piano, guitar, flute and banjo.
SS&B was incorporated in 2003 as a 501( c )(3) organization, meaning gifts are fully tax-deductible. The mailing address is 298 Lindo Johnson Rd., Pittsboro, NC 27312. More information is also available through email at joyce@sonshineandblessings.com.
“SS&B is always seeking more volunteers and more clients,” says executive director Joyce Frank. “If you have a desire to serve your community, consider becoming a part of the effort and use the gifts God has given you.
“The rewards are truly amazing and you’ll get more out of your gift of time than you give.”
Approximately 50 wounded military veterans are registered for the 5th Annual Jordan Lake Top Shelf Fishin’ Festival, set for Thursday, April 4 but for all of them to get a day on the water there’s still a big need.
That need is boats...and host boaters willing to spend quality time with a wounded American warrior for a day of fishing, fellowship and good food as a way of saying “thanks” for the service of the veterans.
The Festival is sponsored by Operation North State (ONS), an all-volunteer organization whose only aim is to provide a good day in the outdoors to wounded military veterans. ONS is the brainchild of Terry Snyder, a Winston-Salem businessman who, along with some friends, hatched the idea of the organization several years ago after wondering what could be done to thank the veterans.
“We were talking about why there isn’t more for the vets,” Snyder recalls, “when it hit us and we said well, why don’t we do something about it.” That “doing something” became ONS, which now sponsors fishing festivals across the state at locations including Badin Lake, Randleman Lake and even at the N.C. coast.
“We need another dozen or so host boats for Jordan Lake,” Snyder says, “to make sure we’ve got enough for the guys – and sometimes gals – who want to go fishing.”
The upcoming local event, which will hit the water at 8 a.m. at the Pinnacle Access Ramp at 605 Farrington Point Road, like all ONS events which also includes trips to professional baseball and football games, is funded entirely by donations and volunteers. Less than one percent of funds ONS receives goes for administrative costs, with most of that being for mail services.
“We’re so fortunate,” Snyder says, “to have not only some major sponsors but an amazing grass roots effort to be able to pull these off. It takes it all and hats off to the local folks who pitch in and make it happen.”
Case in point is the Jordan Lake festival, which includes not only the day on the water looking for “the big one” but also provides prizes, awards and a bountiful meal prepared by local churches that will be held at nearby Mt. Carmel United Methodist Church after the day on the water ends with weigh-ins around 3 p.m.
“There’s nothing else like these Fishin’ Festivals in the country,” Snyder says. “The wounded warriors and disabled veterans are so excited to have the opportunity to fish and likewise our host boaters tell us how honored they are to be a part of the Festival and give something back to the vets for all they’ve given.
More information on the upcoming Festival, to register as a host boater, to make a contribution or for information on ONS and its work is available by contacting Snyder at 336-764-5967. The mailing address is Operation North State, 151 Windemere Ct., Winston-Salem, N.C. 27127. Registration to be a host boater, which is free of charge, can be made by contacting Snyder at mailbox@operationnorthstate.com.
Interested persons should provide their name, email address and telephone number.
RALEIGH — The N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles is giving people more opportunities this spring to get their N.C. REAL IDs quicker.
REAL ID Express Days have drawn more than 700 customers to offices in Fayetteville, Jacksonville and Charlotte. Now, the NCDMV will open driver license offices for REAL ID Express Days in a host of other locations. The next batch of REAL ID Express Days will be from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. in select driver license offices on the following Saturdays:
• March 30: North Main Crossing, 801A North Main St., Kernersville
• April 13: Avent Ferry Shopping Center, 3231 Avent Ferry Road, Raleigh
• April 27: East Greensboro, 2527 East Market St., Greensboro
• May 4: Hendersonville, 125 Baystone Drive, Hendersonville
During REAL ID Express Days, people can convert their current driver license or ID cards to REAL IDs. Anyone with an expiration date six months before the REAL ID date will be eligible to renew their license or ID card during their visit. Duplicates and first time ID cards will also be available.
With services geared toward REAL IDs, customers have been able to transact their business quickly. In Charlotte, for instance, customers did not wait in line and their transactions were completed in 10 minutes.
People will also be able to get their REAL IDs at the North Carolina Azalea Festival April 6-7 in Wilmington and the Got to Be NC Festival May 17-19 in Raleigh. The NCDMV plans to station mobile driver license units at both spring festivals.
Starting in October 2020, people will be required to have a REAL ID or valid U.S. passport for flying, entering federal facilities and visiting military installations. Some military installations already require REAL ID. To obtain a REAL ID, residents will need to bring the following documents (no photocopies) to the driver license office: One proof of identity/date of birth: certified birth certificate or unexpired U.S. passport; one proof of full Social Security Number: Social Security card, W-2 or 1099; two proofs of current physical address: driver license, vehicle registration card, voter registration card, utility bill, cable bill, bank statement; proof of name change (if applicable): certified marriage license, divorce decree and/or court document indicating the name change (number of documents depend on number of name changes).
More than 1 million North Carolinians have obtained a REAL ID since its debut in May 2017.