All posts by Joe Garza

Break-in on 3100 block of Oxford

July 19, 2016Crime Watch UpdatesJoe Garza

A break-in has been reported to the Durham police on Monday July 18.

The estimated time of the event was between 12:30 PM – 6 PM. Entrance was gained through the back door from the deck. The door was kicked in and destroyed. The home was ransacked while electronics, jewelry and other valuables were taken. Interestingly a package was dropped of at the front door at 5:50 PM and it was not taken. Neither did the driver report the open door to the police.

Prints were taken by Durham police.

Please be on the lookout for any suspicious or unfamiliar cars in the neighborhood as there seems to be an uptick of break-ins occurring.

30 Days Until National Night Out

July 2, 2016Upcoming EventsJoe Garza

Aloha Neighbors!!!

Pull out your hula shirts and spruce up those grass skirts as it is near time for the 2016 National Night Out neighborhood get-together. This year we are promoting NNO “Big Island” style with the NNO neighborhood potluck luau.

Date/Time:
We will gather on Tuesday, August 2nd at the Epworth Church Pavilion from 6:30 – 8:30 PM

Come meet your new and long time neighbors to help make your neighborhood strong against crime.

Food/Drink:
Neighbors are requested to bring either an entree dish or a side dish to the potluck luau to share with your neighbors. Lemonade/water refreshments and chips will be provided**.

**To honor a special request from our hosts there will be no alcoholic beverages allowed on the premises.**

Entertainment
We have some special entertainment for our luau that we know you will enjoy.

Come taste the many flavors of the Big Island Hawaii Shaved Ice food truck that will be serving over 21 different flavors of Hawaiian shaved ice.

We are not done yet. We are thrilled this year to bring you the mastery juggling skills of JuggleBoy! (aka Chris Fowler). You may have seen JuggleBoy on a weekend at SouthPoint Mall entertaining the crowds or even on a TV commercial for the SC Lottery.

Chris is a co-world record holder in juggling.
Placed as the #1 ranked U.S. juggler on ESPN.
Over 15 years of experience entertaining family events.

And as always Durham’s Fire Department will bring their shining fire truck for the kids to visit.

Volunteer and Donations
Our NNO event is successful each year due to the hours of volunteer work before and during the event. We will be in need of some volunteers during the event if you can help. Look for the volunteer sign-up slots when you RSVP.

To help cover costs for our annual event we graciously receive private monetary contributions from generous neighbors. If you would like to contribute to this year’s event please contact this year’s NNO coordinator.

RSVP
To RSVP for the event please select the “Sign Up!” button below or go to the address:

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090c49a5a62aa1fc1-national

Power Outage on University Dr. / MLK areas

July 2, 2016General NewsJoe Garza

There are several traffic lights out and a road closure – possibly due to a fallen tree.

There is a road closure on Old Chapel Hill Rd between Winding Way and Knightsbridge Ct.

The traffic lights are out at the following locations:

· Old Chapel Hill Rd at Garrett Rd
· Martin Luther King Jr Blvd at University Dr
· University Dr at Westgate Rd
· University Dr at Shannon Rd

There are currently stop signs at most of these intersections and Duke Power estimates the full return of power by 6:00 p.m. Please use caution and avoid these areas if possible.

There are some police directing traffic at some locations but not all.

Possible Rabid Fox in Dixon Rd. Area

June 20, 2016General NewsJoe Garza

Greetings Neighbors! A resident of the University Estates area was visiting a family member who lives in the Dixon Rd. area when he was advised that they had noticed a fox that was acting very peculiar. The fox was running in circles and barking at dogs. They called Animal Control but by the time they had arrived the fox could not be located.

Please be aware of the possibility if you notice a fox especially in daylight hours that it could be rabid. To call for Animal Control services please contact the Durham County Sheriff’s Emergency Communication Center 919-560-0900.

National Night Out Kick Off Planning Meeting

May 30, 2016Upcoming EventsJoe Garza

National Night Out for 2016 is on Tuesday August 2nd at the Epworth Church Recreation Pavilion. A kick off meeting for planning the event will be held on June 7 at the home of Joe and Jeff, 2807 Bexley Ave., at 7:00 PM.

All neighbors who would like to participate in planning a successful event are encouraged to attend. If you are unable to attend this meeting but would still like to be involved please contact Joe at joegz9101@gmail.com.

We succeed as a community by engaging with our neighbors.

Introducing UED Forums for the University Estates Durham Website

May 19, 2016General NewsJoe Garza

We are happy to announce a new feature for the University Estates Durham web site, the UED Forums.

The UED community forum is a user forum for posting questions, announcements or just general information on topics that may not be a best fit as an entire neighborhood news posting or crime alerts.

The forum allows for neighbors to post directly to the forum and everyone who visits the UED forum will be able to view the posted topics under several different categories.

The categories for the UED forums to start with are:

Gardenology – A forum for asking advice and giving tips on gardening.
Lost and Found – A forum for announcing lost or found items.
Neighborly Ideas – A forum for neighbor suggested activities for other neighbors to join.
Questions and Answers – A catch all Q&A forum.
Recommendations – A forum for recommendations of home service contractors or services.

Participating in the Forum

The link to the UED Forum can be found under the “Community Link” menu.

As a starting point for this new feature all visitors to the forum are allowed to post new topics and responses with no additional registration required. As usage of the forum increases we will evaluate whether registration changes will be necessary.

Posting New Topics

To post a new topic under one of the forum categories:

Select the forum that best fits your topic.
Scroll past the existing published topics and find the “Create New Topic in…” section.
You will be required to enter your name and email address as a minimum to post your new topic. Your email address will not be published in the topic.
Type in your title for the new topic.
Type in your text for the new topic.
Click on Submit.

Responding to Topics

To add a response to a published topic:

Select the topic of interest.
Scroll down to the “Reply To…” section.
Enter your name and email address (email address is not published).
Enter your response text.
Click on Submit.

If you would like to learn more about using the UED Forum and read the FAQ please visit the forum and view the “User Guide” document.

https://universityestatesdurham.com/ued-forums/

Alert – IRS Phone Scam

May 11, 2016Crime Watch UpdatesJoe Garza

Please be aware of scammers threatening to arrest people or put liens against property for failing to pay past tax debts.

Scammers frequently say things the IRS would never say over the phone. Knowing what the IRS won’t say can help you quickly spot an IRS phone scam. The IRS will never:

• Call about money owed without first mailing you a bill
• Demand immediate payment by phone
• Demand payment without allowing you to question or appeal the amount
• Ask for your bank account or credit card information
• Require that you pay taxes in a certain manner, like with a prepaid debit card
• Threaten to send the police to arrest you

If you get a phone call by someone claiming to be from the IRS:

• Don’t talk to the caller or give out any information
• Hang up immediately
• Report the call to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, either online at IRS Impersonation Scam Reporting or by phone at 800-366-4484

University Estates Wins National Night Out Award in 2014

August 28, 2015General NewsJoe Garza

Your National Night Out (NNO) team is thrilled to announce that University Estates, for a 4th consecutive year, has won a national award for our outstanding participation in the NNO 2014 crime, drug, and violence prevention program this past August.

This year’s event involved 38.5 million people in over 16,000 communities from all 50 states, US territories and military bases worldwide. We were one of 20 communities/neighborhoods selected among the nation’s best to receive this honor. We are both humbled and energized by this recognition. It is our hope that this degree of success will empower and inspire other communities in building and growing their neighborhood watch programs, and participating in this annual event.

The NNO celebration serves as one of our core neighborhood watch activities that keep us focused in unity with local law enforcement to make our city and neighborhoods safe and crime free, and improve the quality of life for all.