🗞️ Students can apply to many NC colleges for free next week

🗞️ Forsyth County's early voting is off to a record pace

🗞️ WS/FCS warns its annual audit could be late again

🗞️ Your Friday in Kernersville: one more warm day, then a chilly weekend

☀️ Sunny | High: 85°F | Low: 51°F

Enjoy it while it lasts. Friday is sunny and warm with a high near 85 and a southwest breeze that could gust past 20 mph. A cold front arrives tonight, bringing a 50% chance of showers after 8 p.m. and a low around 51. Saturday morning may start damp, then clears to a much cooler, blustery afternoon with a high near 60, and Saturday night drops to about 39. Grab a jacket for anything outdoors this weekend.

High school seniors in Kernersville and across North Carolina get a weeklong break on college application fees starting Monday, ABC45 reports. During College Application Week, Oct. 19 through 25, many colleges and universities will waive their application fees for most students who apply through College Foundation of North Carolina, better known as CFNC.

"October is when Countdown to College kicks off for students interested in college," said Dan Harrison, executive director of the North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority, which sponsors CFNC. "The ability to submit college applications for free, coupled with an improved and easy-to-complete FAFSA makes this the perfect time for students to apply."

The free week is a popular one. Last year, more than 25,000 applicants sent more than 66,000 applications through CFNC, and almost 51,000 more went in through the Common App. The full list of participating schools is at CFNC.org/apply, and adults heading back to school can find their own list at CFNC.org/adults.

The timing pairs well with this year's FAFSA, which most students can now finish in under 15 minutes and which tells them right away whether they qualify for federal aid such as the Pell Grant. The FAFSA also serves as the application for the Next NC Scholarship, which guarantees an award for most students from households earning $80,000 or less who attend a UNC System school or a North Carolina community college.

"Students sometimes count themselves out when it comes to college because they think they can't afford it, but in North Carolina we're dedicated to making sure students know help is available," Harrison said. Families at Glenn, East Forsyth, Bishop McGuinness and NC Leadership Academy can also turn to their school counselors for help with applications and the FAFSA.

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Early voting got off to a busy start in Forsyth County on Thursday, FOX8 reports. More than 5,000 people had cast ballots by Thursday afternoon with several hours of voting still to go. On the first day of the 2022 midterms, 5,067 people voted all day, and Elections Director Tim Tsujii expects this year's midterm turnout to set a new record. The ballot includes the U.S. Senate race and the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Board of Education race.

The lines are moving, too. FOX8 timed two voters during the after-work rush at about 11 and a half minutes from the time they walked in until they walked out. Tsujii says the first two days and the final day are usually the busiest, so midweek is the best bet for shorter waits. Voters need a photo ID and can use any early voting site in the county, including the Kernersville Recreation and Event Center, Paddison Memorial Branch Library and Walkertown Branch Library. Early voting wraps up Saturday, Oct. 31, with hours that day from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

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Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools, which runs Kernersville's public schools, may turn in its annual audit late for the third year in a row, the Winston-Salem Journal reports. This time the problem is a new accounting software system. Interim Chief Financial Officer Kim Forbes and Patti Gillenwater, a member of the district's new external audit advisory committee, shared the news at a school board work session Tuesday. The audit is due Dec. 31.

Gillenwater said the software switch has been harder than expected and staff received little training, leaving thousands of transactions still to be entered before the auditors can finish. "There's no way to know how long that is going to take," she said. Board member Alex Bohannon called the news "problematic to hear." The 2023-24 audit was not turned in until March, the first public sign of the district's financial crisis. Interim Superintendent Randy Bridges said getting it right comes first: "I want the audit to be correct, based on what we've gone through."

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Friday hands us one last taste of summer before a cold front changes the whole feel of the weekend. Here's what to know.

Last warm day for a while. Expect sunshine and a high near 85, with a southwest breeze that could gust past 20 mph. Showers are possible after 8 p.m., and Saturday tops out near 60 with gusty north winds. Saturday night drops to about 39, so bring a jacket to anything outdoors.

Friday night football. All three Kernersville teams are on the road tonight with 7 p.m. kickoffs: East Forsyth at Northwest Guilford, Glenn at North Forsyth and Bishop McGuinness at Chatham Central.

Now hiring in local classrooms. WS/FCS is holding a hiring event for teacher assistants in exceptional children's classrooms on Wednesday, Oct. 21, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Education Building, 4801 Bethania Station Rd. in Winston-Salem. Attendees should register ahead of time at bit.ly/wsfcsecta26.

Tonight and this weekend. Next Stop Comedy takes the stage at Breathe Cocktail Lounge at 7 p.m. tonight, and karaoke at The Kettle starts at 8 p.m. On Saturday, the VFW 5352 Auxiliary Vendor Event raises money to take local veterans fishing from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the Triad Baptist Church Family Fallfest runs from 4 to 6 p.m. On Sunday, Union Cross Baptist Church celebrates its 70th homecoming at 11 a.m., and the Welden Village Picnic at the Park runs from 1 to 5 p.m.