Community Briefs
MeCrory announces more DMV customer
conveniences for 2016
Gov. Pat MeCrory has announced customer serv
ice improvements for the North Carolina Division of
Motor Vehicles (NCDMV) for 2016. The improve
ments are aimed at reducing wait times, particularly
for obtaining new driver licenses and identification
cards, as well updating online features at the DMV
portal. New self-service kiosks will provide customers
with touch screen access to online services in busy
NCDMV offices. Customers will be able to use their
credit cards and print out receipts for their service at
the kiosks which will reduce wait times at these
offices.
Automated Teen Driving Logs that can be com
pleted online by teen drivers and their parents will be
available in January. The new logs make it easier for
learning drivers to enter their driving practice times
and road conditions in preparation for their final tests
at the DMV office.
The Division's MyDMV portal enables customers
to view their driver license and vehicle registration
details in one online location. These new features have
been added to existing online services that offer vehi
cle registration renewals, duplicate registration cards,
ordering personalized and specialized license plates,
duplicate driver license and ID cards, requesting driv
ing records, and various liability insurance payments.
Citizens with questions about these new features
can visit its website at www.ncdot.gov/dmv or call its
customer service helpline at (919) 715-7000.
Twin City Diner to close after 28 years on First
Street
Twin City Diner, a landmark restaurant located at
1425 West First Street in Winston-Salem since 1988,
will close December 23. Owner Chris Karahalios said
that Twin City Diner, which served approximately 3
million meals during its 28-year history, has enjoyed a
life cycle like that of many other diners.
"We had a good run for years, but now it's time to
move on to a new chapter," Karahalios said. "I appre
ciate the loyalty of the Twin City Diner staff, many of
whom have been with us for years, and I'm working
with them to try to find replacement jobs. I also thank
the loyal customers we've had over die years, particu
larly those who have become close friends.... Above
all else, the thank you letters that we received from our
customers meant the most to us. Twin City Diner
thanks the local community for 28 great years."
Governor MeCrory honors Howard Lee for
public service
Governor MeCrory honored lifetime achiever in
public service Howard N. Lee with the North Carolina
Award for Public Service during the annual North
Carolina Awards ceremony in Raleigh, held in
November. It is the highest civilian honor the
Governor of Noith Carolina can give. Howard Lee
may be best known as the first African-American to be
elected mayor of a predominantly white southern town
since Reconstruction, but
other firsts were to fol
low. He was the first
African-American to be a
cabinet secretary, as sec
retary of the N.C.
Department of Natural
Resources and
Community
Development, and the
first to chair the State
Board of Education. Lee
has demonstrated a life
long commitment to edu
cation and while in the
state Senate was co-chair
of the Senate subcommit
Ue
tees on education policy
and appropriations. In each of these roles he served the
public, including creating a transit system and public
housing in Chapel Hill, mentoring disadvantaged
youth while employed at Duke University, managing
all education reform enacted by the legislature from
1997-2000, and overseeing creation of the state's
mountains to sea trail. In 2011 Lee founded the
Howard N. Lee Institute for Equity and Opportunity in
Education with a focus on African-American males.
First African-American promoted to general in
' N.C. Air National Guard
The North Carolina Air National Guard recently
promoted Sanford, N.C., resident Clarence Ervin to
the rank of brigadier gen
eral, making him the first
African-American gener
al officer in the NC Air
Guard's (NCANG) 67
year history.
Ervin pinned on the
rank during a ceremony
at the North Carolina
National Guard Joint
Force Headquarters in
Raleigh on Friday, Dec.
18.
Originally from South
Carolina, Ervin enlisted
in the United States Air
Force in 1979 as a fuels
specialist and transferred
Ervin
to the NCANG in 1985. He earned his officer's com
mission in 1988 when he graduated from the Academy
of Military Science at McGhee-Tyson Air National
Guard Base near Knoxville, Tenn.
Ervin has served as NCANG's chief of military
equal opportunity, commander of the 145th Services
Flight and the 145th Mission Support Group and as
vice commander of the 145th Airlift Wing, all units
located at the NCANG base at Charlotte Douglas
International Airport in Charlotte. Since 2013, Ervin
has served on active duty as the NCANG director of
staff at the Guard's Joint Force Headquarters in
Raleigh. In his new role. Brig. Gen. Ervin will serve as
the NCANG chief of staff. In civilian life, he is the
Assistant Chief for Acute and Home Care Licensure
and Certification with the North Carolina Department
of Health and Human Services.
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New Year's Eve dance party
Plan to ring in 2016 at a New Year's Eve Dance Party
with Denver and The Mile High Orchestra. The party will
be at First Christian Church, 1130 N. Main St,
Kernersville, on Dec. 31 from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. Bring your
friends for a fun evening of music, dancing, hors d'oeu
vres and door prizes. Tickets are $25 per person. Purchase
tickets at itickets.com or at fccministries.com.
Call for entries for sixth annual 10-minute play
competition
Winston-Salem Writers is now accepting entries for
their 10-minute play competition through Jan. 5, 2016.
The contest is open to North Carolina residents only,
including full-time students in a North Carolina school.
Entries must be original and previously unpublished.
Three winning plays will be chosen and stage read on the
evening of Friday, April 1, 2016 at the Hanesbrand
Theater in Winston Salem. Entry fee for nonmembers of
Winston-Salem Writers is $20. More information and
complete rules can be found at www.wswriters.org under
the "Contests" tab.
Shepherd's Center to offer classes at Peace Haven
Baptist
The Shepherd's Center of Greater Winston-Salem will
hold the following classes and workshops at Peace Haven
Baptist Church, 3384 York Road, beginning in January:
""Writing Stories From Your Life, Mondays from 10
a.m. to noon. Must pre-register. Call Diana at 336-768
6168. \ ?
""Beginning yoga, Mondays, 4:00 p.m. $2 donation per
class. Call 336-748-0127 to register.
?A Matter of Balance: Fall Prevention. Eight-week
class at no charge. Information session will be held on
Monday, Jan. 11,1:00 p.m. Class begins Jan. 18,1 - 3:30
p.m., through March 7. Must pre-register as class is limit
ed to 16. Call 336-748-0217 to register.
?First Thursday Craft Club with Joyce Treadway. $5
supply fee. Class limited to 20. To register, call 336-748
0217.
?Living Healthy with Chronic Disease, Feb. 25 -
March 31,1 - 3:30 p.m. Call 748-0217 to register.
Forsyth County 4-H club forming
Forsyth County 4-H is forming a new 4-H club for
youth ages 8-11. Meetings will be held the first Thursday
of the month at 3:30 p.m. beginning Jan. 7 at the Forsyth
County Extension Center at 1450 Fairchild Road. Call
Tara Cuello, 4-H Leader, at 336-934-7468 or email her at
tlcuello@yahoo.com for more information.
City holding Small Business Plan Contest
The city is holding its Small Business Plan Contest in
2016 and will hold an information meeting Jan. 7 for
entrepreneurs interested in participating. The meeting will
be held at 6 p.m. in Room 530 of the Stuart Municipal
Building, 100 ?. First St., Winston-Salem. The
Community and Business Development Department is
sponsoring the contest to promote small business and job
creation by helping entrepreneurs develop sound business
plans. The two winning business plans will each receive a
$5,000 grant for start-up costs and up to $5,000 in a poten
tial matching micro-loan.
Eligible submissions must be for micro-businesses
(five employees or less) located within the Neighborhood
Revitalization Strategy Area, which includes downtown
and portions of the northern, southern and eastern quad
rants of the city. The business must also create low- to
moderate-income jobs or benefit low- to moderate-income
residents. Staff from the department's Business
Development Division will be available to provide assis
tance throughout the contest.
Following the information session on Jan. 7, two-page
business proposals must be submitted by Feb. 4. All sub
mittals will be reviewed and the top finalists will have the
opportunity to submit completed business plans in May.
The finalists will be judged by the Small Business Loan
Committee and the winner announced in June.
All entrepreneurs entering the contest are eligible to
receive guidance on how to improve their business plan
and how to apply for the city's Small Business Loan
Program.
More information is available at CityofWS.org/CBD,
or call Ken Millett at 747-7472
Remembering John Biggers
The Winston-Salem Delta Fine Arts
presents"Remembering John Biggers," an exhibition of
prints and drawings by Dr. John T. Biggers (1924-2001),
an African-American muralist, painter and educator now
through Jan. 30,2016 at Delta Arts Center, located at 2611
New Walkertown Road. The exhibit features works from
Winston-Salem Delta Fine Arts' permanent collection and
the works from private and public collections across the
state. Biggers, a native of Gastonia, came into prominence
after the Harlem Renaissance and was often called "a can
vas master of the human condition." Visit
www.DeltaArtsCenter.org or call 336-722-2625 for more
information.
Night to Shine Prom
Night to Shine Prom, sponsored by the Tim Tebow
Foundation, will take place on Feb. 12, 2016 at First
Christian Church Ministries, 1130 N. Main St.,
Kemersville, from 6 to 9 p.m. The prom will include a red
carpet entrance. The honored guests receive either a crown
or a tiara to serve as a reminder that they are all kings and
queens.
If you know of someone with special needs who would
like to participate, please register at http://www.fccmin
istries.eom/#/night-to-shine-prom/register-to-attend.
Ongoing
American Legion Post 128 fish fry
A fish fry is held every Thursday evening from 7 to 9
p.m. at 4817 Old Rural Hall Road to support and serve the
community. The funds also support the Post.
*
Karaoke
Karaoke Night is every second Friday of the month
from 8 to 10 p.m. at Camel City Elks Lodge on 1405 N.
Patterson Ave. There will be cash prize winners judged by
the audience from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. Music by DJ R.M. and
sponsored by the Magnificent Seniors Social Club.
Food and Clothing Giveaway
Love Community Development Corporation serves
those in need of food and clothes every Monday,
Wednesday and Friday from 1 to 3 p.m. JobLink is also
available Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
for those needing resumes or who are looking for a job.
Love Community Development Corporation is located at
3980 N. Liberty St. For more information, call 336-306
8119.
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The deadline to have all calendar items in to the news
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your calendar items to news@wschronicle.com. You can
also drop them off, Monday through Friday before 5 p.m.,
or mail your items to Winston-Salem Chronicle, 617 N.
Liberty St., Winston-Salem, NC 27101; or send them via
our website, www.wschronicle.com.
Commercial banker, bank win awards
SPECIAL TO
THE CHRONICLE
HIGH POINT - Tina
Greene, commercial
banker with Bank of North
Carolina, recently won
Best Banker in the Go
Triad Readers' Choice
Award 2015.
Greene, a vice presi
dent with over 20 years of
experience in banking, is a
1995 graduate of High
Point University.
Her office is in High
Point, where her primary
focus is around enhancing
the experience for the busi
ness customer, while build
ing new relationships in the
area. A surprise celebra
tion was hosted for Greene,
so that her award could be
shared with her customers
and the community. Bank
of North Carolina won the
award of Best Bank, as
well.
The Readers' Choice
Awards recognize various
businesses and individuals
in the areas of Food &
Spirits, Shopping and
Services, People and
Personalities,
Entertainment, and Health,
Beauty, & Fitness.
About BNC Bancorp
and' Bank of North
Carolina
Headquartered in High
Point, BNC Bancorp is the
parent company of Bank of
North Carolina, a commer
cial bank with total assets
in excess of $5.4 billion
subsequent to the purchase
of the branches from
/
CertusBank, N.A. Bank of
North Carolina provides a
complete line of banking
and financial services to
individuals and businesses
through its 64 current
banking offices in Virginia,
North and South Carolina.
The Bank's 19 loca
tions in South Carolina and
nine locations in Virginia
operate as BNC Bank.
Bank of North Carolina is
insured by the FDIC and is
an equal housing lender.
The Company's website is
w ww.bncbancorp .com.
What is Healthy Beginnings?
A free case management program for women
who need a support system throughout
their pregnancy and during the first two years
of their child's life.
Group & Individual Services Include:
V Peer Support, Mentoring & Goal Setting
V Breastfeeding Education & Support
? Family Planning Counseling
? Nutrition & Exercise Education
? Care Management of families
? Transportation available
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Call 336-703-3183
For mora Information