CITY Holiday Tree TRADITION No season brings a greater sense of hope than the holidays. It’s a time that calls forth pleasant memories of family gatherings, warm meals, and, perhaps, the promise of something special wrapped in festive paper just for you. Even the grumpiest of grinches give way as familiar, cheerful tunes envelop the experience of grabbing a coffee and shopping in Uptown Westerville. It’s with this sense of optimism that the City is endeavoring to light the 2021 tree on Friday, Dec. 3 at 7 p.m. in the Westerville City Hall Courtyard (21 S. State St.) “The 2020 tree lighting event was just one of many canceled because of COVID-19. By that time, we had already weathered eight months of the pandemic and wanted to be celebrating the end in sight. But COVID-19 had other plans,” said Derrick McPeak, Westerville Parks & Recreation Program Supervisor. With an eye on the delta variant and faith in steadily rising vaccination rates, the City is pushing forward with plans to light the tree in December 2021. Much is still up in the air, but all attendees can count on being encouraged to wear masks and social distance while visiting the tree. Public Health experts at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Protection (CDC) agree that masks are greatly effective in hindering the transmission of the virus, especially important considering the highly contagious nature of the delta variant.
2021 WESTERVILLE TREE LIGHTING Friday, Dec. 3 7 p.m. Westerville City Hall, 21 S. State St. www.westerville.org/treelighting
MASKS ARE REQUIRED. PLEASE SOCIAL DISTANCE, EVEN IF VACCINATED.
A light atop an evergreen is still a beacon and smiles exchanged safely behind masks are still smiles. In a time when community connection is needed more than ever, and until pandemic concerns subside, that will have to be enough. Find plans for activities and updates about the Westerville Tree Lighting at www.westerville.org/treelighting.
Did you Know? The City sources its annual holiday tree from residents each year. If you have a fir or spruce that is at least 25 feet tall that you’d like removed in the fall, call the Urban Forestry team at (614) 901-6591.
Santa and Mayor Kathy Cocuzzi light the 2020 Holiday Tree during the filmed virtual tree lighting.
Scam Victim continued from page 12 Kenneth Yeager, Ph.D., Director of The Ohio State University Stress, Trauma and Resilience (STAR) Program says scammers count on panic and fear. “Scammers play off the person’s fear by acting as if they can protect the person,” he said. “When the person experiences fear this takes the logical aspect of the brain offline. With the cerebral cortex offline there is no logic, only survival. The survival brain is quickly overwhelmed and the person is looking for a safe way out. It is not until the person is able to step back and regain their bearing and bring the cerebral cortex back online, it is usually too late.” Jane contacted her financial institutions and reported the fraud. “This could truly happen to anyone,” said Ofc. Pentecost. “What we can learn from this is to trust no unknown caller or information. If you’re ever in doubt about someone calling and saying your identity is compromised, call us. We can help at the beginning rather than the end.”
Chief Chandler says scammers often involve international callers so there is not a clear investigative path forward for victims. WPD can help provide official documentation, but it’s up to the victims to make the phone calls notifying banks and changing security settings on their devices. Victims can share their experience with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at reportfraud.ftc.gov. The FTC does not investigate the reports individually, but shares them with law enforcement agencies to help aid in broader investigations. “The bottom line: do anything you can to not allow yourself to become wrapped up emotionally if you receive one of these calls. Take a moment and hang up so you can investigate and consult a third party. If the person on the other line tries to prevent you from hanging up, that is suspicious behavior,” said Ofc. Pentecost. WPD is making resources available to help residents learn about common scams at www.westerville.org/scams. *Name of victim changed to protect her privacy
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