Union County residents have the opportunity to review the 2020 Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER) for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program period of July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021. The 15-day public comment period will begin on Wednesday, Oct. 13 and will close on Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021.

Beginning Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021, Mecklenburg County residents will be able to review the 2020 Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER) for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program period of July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021.

Centralina Regional Council and the Centralina Economic Development District (EDD) recently hosted the Regional Recovery Summit. The Summit was the first of three fall virtual workshops that will be held by the Regional Resilience Collaborative. Started by Centralina Regional Council and the Centralina EDD, the Collaborative will assess the viability and resiliency of emergency management plans and coordinate resources so the region can pursue greater efficiency in responding to current and future natural and man-made disasters. “It’s vital to know how we recover from these disruptions in a way that moves our communities forward and leverages the strengths of government and non-government partners,” said Geraldine Gardner, Executive Director of Centralina Regional Council.

On September 30, the end of the current federal fiscal year, President Joe Biden signed into law a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government through December 3. The CR funds the federal government at current levels, averts a government shutdown and allows Congress more time to reach an agreement on FY22 appropriations. The U.S. House of Representatives has passed nine of the 12 annual spending bills, but the U.S. Senate has yet to pass any.

At the same time, negotiations reached a stalemate over the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the massive $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation. The budget reconciliation plan, known as Build Back Better, is a tax and spend package covering 10 years for social programs and climate action that is part of President’s Biden domestic agenda. Using the budget reconciliation process allows it to pass with a simple majority, without Republican support.

The annual Centralina Area Agency on Aging (AAA) Conference has been a popular and successful event for more than 20 years. The 2021 Aging Conference was no exception even though it transitioned to a virtual format. Centralina AAA Director Linda Miller explains, “We had to cancel our 2020 Conference due to COVID and we wanted to ensure we wouldn’t have to cancel this year, so we decided to offer the 2021 conference virtually.” Despite this change, the conference boasted more than 300 attendees on Friday, Oct. 1, with people joining the online event from as far away as Maryland, Denver and even Nevada.