July 15 - 21, 2016
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Family grateful for response of firefighters, friends and neighbors A fire on the evening of July 8 destroyed their home, but the outpouring of kindness from friends, neighbors and the firefighters who tried to save it has been “amazing,” family says. OAK RIDGE – Even while standing across the street and watching the flames shooting from the roof of her home, Lori Miller says she was amazed at the effort firefighters expended to save it. “They were lined all the way to N.C. 68. They fought so hard, it broke my heart,” she said. On the evening of July 8, Lori and her husband, Steve, were with friends and neighbors just two houses down the street from their home on Trolley Court in River Oaks when a thunder and lightning storm came rolling through. “All of a sudden our friend’s coffee grinder starts grinding on its own,” Lori said. After seeing a bolt of lightning, another friend exclaimed, “Did you see
that? That lit up the whole neighborhood!” Soon afterward Steve, who hadn’t been feeling well and has surgery scheduled for next week, decided to head on home. Within just a few minutes he came back and shouted for someone to call 911 because their house was on fire. “I can’t believe how fast they got there,” said Lori. “I had just run down in front of our house and we could already hear sirens.” In the earliest moments of what would be a long battle to save their home, Lori said she not only watched her house burning, but the firefighters who gave their all to save it. Many had already been out
Veterans helping veterans
Photo by Patti Stokes/NWO
Every 65 minutes, a veteran commits suicide. In response, some veterans are taking steps to promote awareness of the veteran suicide rate and of PTSD, and to encourage education within families and communities. On the morning of July 7, Summerfield resident Terry Sharpe (left), aka “the Walking Marine” and veteran Michael Boncek walked together along N.C. 150, where Sharpe had joined Boncek on a leg of Boncek’s 2,200-mile trek across North Carolina and beyond, which he plans to complete by the end of August. The trek is part of Boncek’s commitment to bring light to the struggle of many of his fellow veterans, and to let them know they are not alone. To learn more about Boncek’s mission and how you can help, visit www.walkbyfaith.today.
responding to other storm-related emergencies, and some were in the process of moving fallen trees from the roadways. Others were off-duty and at home or out enjoying an evening with their families. Eventually, firefighters from 10 different fire departments, including those in Stokesdale, Summerfield, Colfax, Greensboro and two in Forsyth County, responded to the call.
“They were so organized,” Lori said. “They had all their different crews – it was something to see. I have the greatest respect for them.”
Oak Ridge Fire District’s Chief Steve Simmons was out of town, but has spent time over the last few days talking to his department staff and volunteers and going over reports of the fire. He confirms that at one point in time there were about 80 responders. Of those, not all were actively engaged in fighting the fire; five of them were fire inspectors and at least 20 were performing roles that weren’t firefighting, such as handling water supplies, command, etc. Unfortunately, Simmons said the fire
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IN THIS ISSUE News in Brief ...................... 3 Your Questions ................. 4 Oak Ridge Town Council 8 Business Notes ................. 10 NWO Real Estate ..................11 Real Estate Briefs .....................13 Tour of Remodeled Homes ......14 Real Estate Transactions.............19 Facebook comments................21 Crime/Incident Report .......... 22 Community Calendar .......... 23 Grins & Gripes ....................... 25 Bits & Pieces .......................... 26 Classifieds ............................... 27 Index of Advertisers ...................31