May Spotlight
Team N Salo compete in RAW hair competition
Dubbed “not-your-granny’s-beauty-parlor,” Downtown Wilmington’s N Salo won a spot in a North American salon competition aimed to encourage new, young talent. All seven of the final salon teams are comprised of stylists under the age of 30. Each team is sponsored by a styling product brand such as Aveda, Goldstein and Tigi, which is sponsoring N Salo.
The competition called RAW will be held in Orlando, Fla. on June 3. Each salon will produce a five-minute fashion show. The judges include renowned hairstylist Ken Paves and Oprah Winfrey Show producer Ellen Rakeiten. The public will be able to text in their votes. The winner will receive a $10,000 cash prize.
Coach Cooper-Dyke heads back to Texas
UNCW women’s basketball coach CYNTHIA COOPER-DYKE accepted a position last month as head women’s basketball coach at Texas Southern University, a historically black college located in Houston. She will return to work for her former athletic director, Charles McClelland, for whom she worked as head coach at Prairie View A&M University in Texas prior to coming to Wilmington. -by Alison Lee Satake
Miss New Hanover County pageant returns
After being dormant for over a decade, the Miss New Hanover County Organization has revived this historic pageant. The Miss NHC Queens serve as representatives throughout North Carolina during their reign, focusing on leadership and volunteerism. Their official platform is Women of Hope, a local charity that supports cancer victims and survivors in the Wilmington community.
“The pageant was missed by many people who wanted to see its return,” said Sandye Hicks, who now owns the pageant with her husband Tommy.
This year’s ambassadors were chosen based upon their reputation in the community and how well they exemplify the values expected from NHC Queens. The first actual pageant will be held in January 2013. -by Samantha Freda
Wilmington forensic scientist named to N.C. board
Wilmington Police Department Crime Laboratory manager BETHANY PRIDGEN was recently appointed to the North Carolina Forensic Science Advisory Board. As a board member, she will give recommendations for new scientific protocols and methods of testing and maintaining the qualifications for scientists operating in the state crime lab.
Pridgen, who began her career in California as a chemical analyst and expert witness in forensic toxicology, will serve a two to four-year term with 16 other board members. In 2009, she was responsible for enabling Wilmington’s police department to be the only agency in southeastern N.C. that can perform in-house testing for blood-alcohol and drug analysis. Her lab provides this testing to nine law enforcement agencies in New Hanover and Brunswick counties.
“There seems to be a gap between what the state lab and local labs are capable of,” Pridgen said. “I think that serving on this board will be a good opportunity to open the lines of communication between local departments and the state, sharing information and resources so that we can help bridge that gap.” -by Samantha Freda
Local anthology introduces The Help
Following the bestselling novel, The Help, two local women have published Meet the Help, a collection of true stories about men and women in domestic service. Journalist Rhonda Bellamy and community leader and author Bertha Todd compiled the narratives from 40 different people across 10 states. The book is available at The Sterling House in Hanover Center and http://meetthehelp.webs.com/. Meet the authors on Monday, May 7 at noon at the Hampstead Friends of the Library Spring Authors Lunch at Daddy Mac’s Beach Grille located at 108 N. Shore Drive in Surf City. Tickets are available at the Topsail Township Library in Hampstead or by calling (910) 270-4603. -by Samantha Freda
