Oak Level UCC Hosts Community Program Saturday

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Oak Level United Church of Christ in Manson is hosting a program on Saturday, Nov. 11 for the community to come out and learn about how to help young people stay safe from gangs, drugs and gun violence.

It’s called “Around the Table – Substance in the Community,” and Rayenna Wimbush said the two-hour event is free to attend and will begin at 10 a.m.

Guest speaker is Debbie Scott, who will share strategies to help those struggling with addiction, as well as identifying gangs in the community and putting a stop to gun violence.

Plan to be entertained with song, praise dance and more, Wimbush said.

Refreshments will be served.

The church is located at 5631 Jacksontown Rd., Manson.

TownTalk: Elliott Wins Runoff For Henderson

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Henderson voters have elected Melissa Elliott to be the city’s next mayor, creating a historic moment on two fronts: The Mayor-Elect will be the first woman and the first Black to lead the city.

Tuesday’s runoff election was the last piece of the puzzle that provides a complete picture of city leadership; four City Council members were elected in the Oct. 10 nonpartisan municipal elections, but the mayor’s race was undecided until Tuesday’s runoff.

Traditionally, the new Council members and the mayor will be sworn in at the December meeting, which is set for Monday, Dec. 11.

As Elliott said in an interview with WIZS News Tuesday evening, she will only move one seat to the left in December; until she takes the mayor’s chair, she represents the Ward 3 at-large seat on the City Council.

New Council members elected on Oct. 10 include:

  • Ward 1: Geraldine Champion
  • Ward 2: Sam Seifert
  • Ward 3 at-large: Michael Venable
  • Ward 4 at-large: Tami Walker

Almost 10 percent more voters turned out for Tuesday’s runoff election than in the Oct. 10 municipal election, which included four City Council seats in addition to the mayor’s race.

As WIZS reported Tuesday night, Elliott got 1,527 votes (56.35 percent) to Etheridge’s 1,183 (43.65 percent).

Yesterday’s turnout was about 29 percent, compared with about 20 percent in the October election. A runoff was called for when no candidate received the 50 percent plus 1 vote needed to claim the win outright.

Middleburg re-elected its mayor to another term Tuesday. Ray Bullock was elected with 25 votes. He ran unopposed. Shirley Bullock got 18 votes, Hazel Baskett got 11 votes and Mamie Turner got 14 votes to fill three seats on the Town Council.

But Kittrell Mayor Jerry Joyner was upset in Tuesday’s election by Gene Pulley who got 16 write-in votes, according to information Wednesday from Vance County Board of Elections Director Jennifer Cocklin.

Susan Pulley got 25 votes, Mary Jo Floyd got 19 and Robert Tunstall got 17 votes to fill the three City Council seats.

Cocklin said the election results remain unofficial until the canvass is completed on Nov. 17.

Find a link to all election results at https://er.ncsbe.gov/

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Melissa Elliott Makes History As First Female, First Black Mayor

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Henderson voters have elected Melissa Elliott as their next mayor, making her the first female and the first Black to lead the city.

Elliott, a member of the Henderson City Council, defeated political newcomer Greg Etheridge in Tuesday’s runoff election by 344 votes.

WIZS News called the race just before 8:30 p.m., an hour after the polls closed. Elliott garnered 1,527 votes, compared to Etheridge’s 1,183 votes from the city’s nine precincts.

Elliott joined WIZS News in the studio shortly after 9:15 p.m. to discuss the historic win.

“I’m elated…overwhelmed with joy,” Elliott said, of the election outcome.

She thanked her opponent for what she called a “high-spirited campaign,” and she thanked those who voted for her.

“I am a servant leader,” Elliott said, and she plans to serve the community at-large and all people.

“Everyone was so wonderful…so much encouragement,” she said. There were “so many people that wouldn’t allow me to quit. I’m thankful for this historic moment in time,” but she said she also looks to the future for the city.

When reached by phone after all precincts had reported, Etheridge said he was disappointed with the outcome.

“The voters have spoken,” he told WIZS News in a telephone interview.

He said he and his supporters handled themselves respectably during the campaign, but added that he hasn’t “seen a sense of urgency to have any plan whatsoever on how to make things safer (or) more affordable for anybody” in the city.

His vision for the city is still alive, he said. “How we accomplish it is just going to be a little different.”

TownTalk: Maria Parham Health Seeks To Bolster Nursing Staff

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Are you a nurse looking for a change of scenery? Or maybe you’re a nursing student who is looking ahead for employment after the classwork is complete. Then again, if you feel like nursing is your true passion and you’re ready to make a career change, there’s an event coming up on Thursday, Nov. 16 just for you.

Ryan Randall, market Human Relations recruiter for Maria Parham Health and Person Memorial in Roxboro was a guest on Tuesday’s TownTalk and shared details about the upcoming nursing social recruitment event.

Current nurses, CNAs and CMAs are invited to come to Maria Parham Women’s Care, 1209 S. E. Industry Dr. next week from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. to learn about employment opportunities offered at Maria Parham in Henderson, Maria Parham Franklin in Louisburg and Person Memorial Hospital in Roxboro.

“There are numerous opportunities – both clinical and non-clinical roles,” Randall said. Visit the hospital websites to find current job postings.

Whether you’re a nurse with lots of experience, or a student looking for that first job after completing a nursing program, the possibilities are out there, Randall said.

Representatives will be on hand during the event to share information about salaries, sign-on bonuses, tuition assistance programs and more.

No matter the industry, Randall said “there is a massive need for people that have incredible talents.” Nursing is no exception.

But Randall wants prospective employees to know about Maria Parham Health. “This place is truly special,” he said, “and we’re just trying to get the word out.”

 

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Perry Memorial Library

The Local Skinny! Events At Perry Memorial Library

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The “mitten tree” at Perry Memorial Library will be up soon, providing some holiday cheer as a wintertime decoration as well as a resource for those in need of mittens and hats during the cold months ahead.

Last year’s tree was a success, but it was also funded with a “Kindness” grant, said Melody Peters, Youth Services director at the library. “We gave away over 200 items,” she said on Tuesday’s The Local Skinny!

“This is the first year we’ve asked for donations,” Peters added. Patrons are invited to drop of new or even gently used mittens, gloves and hats at any of the desks in the library.

If you’re shopping for yourself, consider grabbing an extra pair to donate, she said.

Peters said she’ll enlist the help of local knitters to whip up a few pairs as well when they’re at the library for their regular club gathering.

And who knows, maybe the newly formed Crochet group will help, too. The group of a dozen or more tweens and teens who are learning how to create with hook and yarn will meet again on Nov. 21 at 4 p.m. as part of the Survival Skills series.

“We have room for extras,” Peters said. “We have room to grow…we can open the doors to the Makerspace…(and we) can spill out into the teen area.” The library provides the crochet hooks and the yarn that the participants can take home to practice with.

Another program for youth is the Life Hacks series. The Nov. 14 program is titled “Fun With Finance,” and Peters said a local bank representative will be on hand to share some practical information that teens should know about money. The program, designed for high school students, begins at 4 p.m.

Not everything can be done with a swipe or a tap on your phone, Peters said, and she wants young people to know about things like rent, mortgages, checking accounts and more.

This program helps get them started on the path to financial literacy by “just getting them to understand the basics,” she said.

Learn more about Perry Memorial Library and its programs and services at https://www.perrylibrary.org/

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Maria Parham Gets Another “A” Grade From Leapfrog For Patient Safety

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-information courtesy of MPH Marketing & Communication Coordinator Donna Young

 

Maria Parham Health has received a third consecutive “A” Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit upholding the standard of patient safety in hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers. This national distinction celebrates Maria Parham Health’s achievements in prioritizing patient safety by protecting patients from preventable harm and errors.

“Maria Parham Health is proud to offer our community and region ‘A’ level care for the third consecutive review period,” said Bert Beard, Maria Parham Health CEO. “We feel it speaks to our commitment to excellence in the services we offer, and is a testament to the engagement of our team of caregivers.”

The Leapfrog Group, an independent national watchdog organization, assigns an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D” or “F” grade to general hospitals across the country based on more than 30 national performance measures reflecting errors, accidents, injuries and infections, as well as the systems hospitals have in place to prevent harm.

The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is the only hospital ratings program based exclusively on hospital prevention of medical errors and harm to patients. The grading system is peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public. Grades are updated twice annually, in the fall and spring.

To see Maria Parham Health’s full grade details and to access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit  https://www.leapfroggroup.org/  on Twitter, Facebook and via its newsletter.

 

 

Mayoral Runoff Election Tomorrow, Along With Kittrell, Middleburg Contests

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Close to 2,000 Henderson residents voted during the early-voting period for tomorrow’s mayoral runoff election between Melissa Elliott and Greg Etheridge.

If you were NOT one of the 1,940 who has already voted in the runoff election, Election Day is tomorrow – Tuesday, Nov. 7. The polls open at 6:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m.

Registered voters should be prepared to show a photo ID.

And we’ve done the math for you: 9,358 registered voters in Henderson minus the 1,940 who cast their votes early leaves 7,418 potential ballots to be cast in the 13-hour election day window across the city’s precincts.

Voters will cast ballots in the towns of Kittrell and Middleburg Tuesday, as well, said Vance County Board of Elections Director Jennifer Cocklin.

In Kittrell, incumbent Jerry C. Joyner is seeking another term as mayor and is running unopposed. The three candidates running for Town Council, also incumbents, are Mary Jo Floyd, Susan Pulley and Robert Tunstall.

Middleburg Mayor Ray Bullock is running unopposed for another two-year term, Cocklin stated. According to a list of candidates on the board of elections website, the candidates for Middleburg town commissioner are Hazel Baskett, Shirley Bullock and Mamie Turner.

Visit https://www.vancecounty.org/departments/board-of-elections/ to learn more.