A group of special boys and girls joined together to participate in the first ever MLK Pageant at Williston Middle School in Wilmington.  The organizers including Evelyn Bryant and Hollis Briggs of the MLK committee in southeastern North Carolina say they are continuing to work and honor the actions of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. through various activities and events.

Thirteen contestants competed on November 18 for the new title as the Martin Luther King Jr. king and queen.  But it was about more than just winning the crown.  The pageant was hosted by the MLK Celebration Committee.
Their purpose is to honor the work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., improve racial relations within communities and educate especially our youth.
This pageant was one of the first events working towards commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of Dr. King’s death.
The committee’s goal is to build on this event for upcoming celebrations until April of next year.
But until then, it is all about the fun contestants had competing for the crowns.
“It’s not all about winning, it’s about having fun and just hanging out with your friends during the pageant,” contestant Aamere Montgomery said.
Even though only two could be named king and queen, it was a moment everyone could be proud of.
WWAY’s Amanda Fitzpatrick was also at the event and presented an award.

The WWAY team worked hard with the Salvation Army to raise money and stock their pantry this holiday.  By the way, in 2016 we set a record by collecting more than 25,000 pounds of food and nearly $700 in cash.
That record no longer stands. Maj. Mark Craddock with The Salvation Army says the community came together and donated 33,100 pounds of food to restock shelves for 2017. That’s 16.55 tons of food and tens of thousands of donuts given out as a thank you!

On November 11th WWAY was awarded Best Special Report for our Commercial-Free Election Night coverage by the Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas.  It was an honor to be recognized by our peers for our work in local news. 

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I was fortunate to co-anchor the election night coverage with Daniel Seamans and we were joined by a hardworking group of reporters, analyst and production crew.

I'm very proud that we are being recognized for our work as a team, because it says a lot about what we can do together.

The awards luncheon was held at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord and Tom Llamas from ABC was the guest speaker.

Check out that one time my co-workers tried to scare me and let's just say it didn't go so well!  2004 WCSC flashback throwback Halloween scare tactic caught on camera!