I am writing to you in this, the latest time of uncertainty to befall us, our friends, family members and colleagues.  

Apparently, despite the promises of a cure, or at the very least a vaccination, neither of which are yet a reality, Covid is apparently on the rise here and elsewhere, back for a second bite at the apple that is our shared comfort in our seasonal routines.

Where we normally are heading into the holiday season right about now, transitioning from the lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer to the ghosts, goblins and pumpkin spice lattes of Halloween, Thanksgiving and eventually Christmas, this shared pandemic has thrown all of these beloved routines out the window.

For NOCBA, this has led to the cancellation of our annual Summer Soiree, of our in-person meetings and of our annual Holiday Gala, the singular event that for many of us marks the start of the Christmas Season.

In an attempt to keep the sense of community alive, we have moved our monthly meeting to virtual space through our series of ZoomCasts.  Besides solving the safety issue, the Zoomcasts have made it possible for our members to continue to collect their needed MCLE’s while listening to speakers as diverse as Mental Health Advocate, Jess Rodriguez, Legal Cannabis pioneer, Chris Glew, and Child Education advocate, Meldie Moore.

Going forward, I am happy to announce that NOCBA has booked it’s first bonafide TV star!  Kudos to our Treasurer, Lorrie Walton, for landing CeCe Moore, the star of  ABC television’s hot docuseries “Genetic Detective,” to be our featured guest on this month’s NOCBA Zoomcast!  Ms. Moore will speak on familial DNA and break down for those in attendance the part Genetic Genealogy played in solving over 100 cold cases, many of them well known.  She will also discuss the roll that Genetic Genealogy played in capturing the infamous Golden State Killer. 

It is my sincere hope that you will join us and “tell a friend” to tune in as well! This way they can take advantage of the COVID membership special of $50 for the year, which ends on November 1st.

In other news, we now have new meaning for the expression “bringing down the house.” As most of you already know, the North Justice Center has been closed due to structural issues. Initially, we were told the closure would last through October 9th, but Judge Slaughter has since amended that with November 9th being the new expected reopening.  Personally, however, I think that estimate is still optimistic.

In the meantime, NOCBA will continue to publish updated court reassignments by email, NOCBA.org, the NOCBA Facebook page, and the NOCBA Instagram account.

Finally, in closing, I wish you health, physically, financially and psychologically as we navigate through these unprecedented times and I look forward to when we can gather once again in the physical world.

Sincerely,

Jeff Kent