Mayor Hardy wins AARP NC Inspiration Award
Kinston/Jones Free Press (kfp)
For his outstanding leadership in the Coastal region, AARP has selected Kinston Mayor Dontario Hardy as the 2020 AARP NC Inspiration Award recipient.
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, AARP will hold a virtual celebration for Hardy and 23 others from the AARP NC Coastal region of 33 counties on Friday, Feb. 19, at 7 p.m.
WWAY TV co-anchors Donna Gregory and Ramel Carpenter will present the awards from Wilmington on Zoom. People are asked to RSVP at 877-926-8300 or register online at: https://aarp.cvent.com/AARPINSPIRATIONAWARDS2020. It s a distinguished honor to have been recognized out of 33 counties in the East, Hardy said. I just want to be an inspiration to everyone I encounter, encouraging anyone I m connected to to become passionate leaders no matter what position they hold.
Kinston/Jones Free Press (kfp)
As she led by a mere nine votes in the city council race almost four years ago, Kristal Suggs had no idea she would soon help make history in the City of Kinston.
Suggs not only became the third Black woman to be named a Kinston City Council member, she joined Felicia Solomon, Sammy Aiken, Joe Tyson, and Robbie Swinson, creating Kinston’s first all-Black city council on December 4, 2017.
“It honestly did not occur to me that the makeup of the council would be all Black until well after the election,” Suggs said. “While I’m proud of the historical significance we’ve brought to our community, we are simply representatives that should be categorized by the decisions we make not the color of our skin.”
Mayor Hardy among six who receive vaccine first in Lenoir County
Kinston/Jones Free Press (kfp)
Not one, but six people were the first to receive the Pfizer vaccine in Lenoir County to develop immunity to COVID-19.
Three physicians, a critical care nurse, a pharmacist, and a security guard, who also serves as the mayor of Kinston, rolled up their sleeves to get the vaccine Thursday, Dec. 17, at UNC Lenoir Health Care.
Kinston Mayor Dontario Hardy, Dr. Rob Gallaher, Dr. Claire Paris, Dr. Varun Chukka, pharmacy operations manager Jessica Cunningham, and director of critical care Brandy Burd were selected to be the first recipients among the 901 front line employees at UNC Lenoir, who will all receive the vaccine, fighting against the coronavirus.