Stone Creek Greenway was reopened June 29 after two fox attacks led the town of Cary to close it for more than a week.

A fox had attacked Salvatore Randazzo, 70, three times that day. A fox also attacked a five-year-old boy in his backyard adjacent to the greenway.

Cary Animal Control had set up two traps to catch the fox, but the fox was never caught, said spokeswoman Susan Moran.

She said animal control officials felt comfortable opening the greenway without capturing a fox because it had been several days since the attacks.

"If the fox were rabid, the fox would be dead by then," Moran said.

Daniel Glover, owner of Trapper Dan's Wildlife & Pest Control in Raleigh, set up a fox trap in Preston after a dog was attacked in the neighborhood May 18.

Glover said he has trapped one fox so far but is still trying to trap the rest of the foxes that have been sighted in Preston.

The trapped fox was euthanized.

Council vacancy likely to remain

From Staff Reports

Former Cary councilman Erv Portman signed on to the Wake County Board of Commissioners, leaving an empty spot on Cary's governing board.

Town rules allow the remaining council members to decide how and when to replace Portman. State law requires that towns fill open seats but does not set a timeline.

With the election about three months away, a replacement is unlikely, council members said.

The council hasn't scheduled a specific time to discuss Portman's departure, but could address the issue as early as its July 14 meeting.

Two council members have left their seats in the last ten years. Glenn Lang left an at-large seat when he won the mayor's race in 2003, and Michael Joyce resigned his seat in 2007.

Councilwoman Jennifer Robinson replaced Lang, and Portman replaced Joyce. In both cases the council allowed citizens to nominate themselves and then chose a new council member from those nominees.

But that process often takes "quite a bit of time," said town spokeswoman Susan Moran. The 2006-era council took about six months to nominate Portman.

Mayor Harold Weinbrecht doubted that a majority of the council would choose to appoint a successor for Portman. But he liked the idea of putting the winner of the next election in office several weeks early via appointment.

Apex road section closed for months

From Staff Reports

Contractors will temporarily close a section of Jenks Road in Apex beginning Monday to build a road for a new bridge over the N.C. Turnpike Authority's Western Wake Freeway.

Jenks road will be closed between Roberts Road and Green Level Church Road for four to six months.

A detour will route traffic on Roberts and Green Level Church roads back to Jenks Road.

For information about the Western Wake Freeway project visit www.westernwakeinfo.com.