Advocates 4 Atkinson to hold fundraiser for Safe Haven of Pender

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The Media of Record for the People of Pender County www.postvoiceonline.com

Nearly 25 years since Cat 3 Hurricane Fran

Getting ready for the next big wind storm

By Andy Pettigrew Post & Voice Publisher Pender County has seen its share of hurricanes during the past few years, with Matthew and Florence being the most recent storms

Election filing closed; some candidates are unopposed

that brought damage to the county. But Matthew and Florence were largely flood events with moderate to mild wind damage associated with the storms.

Hurricane Fran dropped about 16 inches of rain on

brought widespread destruc-

“That was the last time we saw a true wind event. tion to our area. Many current residents were not here All these other storms were flood events.”

Pender County EM Director Tommy Batson in 1996 when Hurricane Fran

Pender County, while Florence was more than twice that amount.

It has been 25 years since Pender County has experienced a hurricane that

made landfall as a Category 3 storm with sustained winds

Advocates 4 Atkinson to hold fundraiser for Safe Haven of Pender

Cool ice and hot music

By Lori Kirkpatrick Post & Voice Staff Writer

From Staff Reports With filing closed for the 2021 November municipal elections, candidates are set for the ballots. A number of town board members running for reelection across Pender County are running unopposed.

In Surf City, council members Teresa Batts and Jeremy Shugarts will be on the ballot unopposed. Topsail Beach commissioners Morton Blanchard, Frank Braxton, and Tim Zizack will also be unopposed on the November ballot.

Burgaw will see a race for mayor as incumbent Kenneth “Pete” Cowan will face challenger Olivia Dawson. On the town council, three candidates will vie for two open seats. Incumbent Jan Dawson will seek reelection, along with challengers James R. Malloy and Brent A. Springer.

In Atkinson, two candidates have filed for the mayor’s job – incumbent Elton Wendell Newkirk Sr. will face a challenge from Bryan Stewart.

For town commissioner, four candidates are seeking two seats. Incumbents Denise Lewis and Dee Turner face challenges from Penny Stith and Crystle Dunning.

Watha mayor Needham C. Hall is running unopposed, while three candidates – Kenneth Fountain, Samuel Stadsvold, and J. Craig are seeking the two open seats on the board.

The election will be held November 2.

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Continued on page 13A

Staff photo by Andy Pettigrew

Charli and Kammy Strickland with Sunset Slush of the Southeast seved Italian Ice at the Summer on the Square concert last Thursday in Burgaw. See more photos on Facebook and Instagram.

In the wake of Atkinson resident Brandy Price’s death, a local nonprofit will hold a fundraiser to raise awareness of domestic violence and to benefit Safe Haven of Pender. Safe Haven provides shelter and services to victims and survivors of domestic violence in Pender and Duplin Counties. The public is invited to attend the event, sponsored

by Advocates 4 Atkinson. It will be held July 24 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 304 West Henry Street in Atkinson.

At least 20 local vendors and agencies are expected to participate in the event. Party band “Jen and Tonic” will be performing throughout the day, offering a mix of various music genres from the 1970s to

today. There will be a community yard sale, raffles, and hot dogs and snacks for sale.

“After everything that happened with Brandy Price, it was eye opening for me,” said Crystle Dunning from Advocates 4 Atkinson. “I didn’t personally know Brandy except for where she worked. I would run into her sometimes, and she was always such a sweet person. So it was quite a shock

Continued on page 14A

New Pender Fire Marshal brings experience, skills to the job

By Andy Pettigrew Post & Voice Publisher Usually, it’s the other way around. Pender County loses good, promising employees to the larger counties and municipalities across the state.

But this time, Pender County turned the tables.

Robert Benfield, the new Pender County Fire Marshal, is a veteran firefighter and administrator from the Wilmington Fire Department. Benfield is a Pender County resident and a 23-year veteran with the WFD. “I rode a truck for 15 years and for the last eight and a

half years I’ve been in the Fire Marshal’s Office,” said Benfield. “I want to bring my 23 years of experience in fire service to the job and continue what Fire Marshal Batson has started here.”

Former Fire Marshal and current Emergency Management Director Tommy Batson says the job is important for Pender County with three major aspects – planning and review, investigations, and inspections.

“New construction and planning review is probably the number one responsibility.

We have record building activity in the county – residential

and commercial. The Fire Marshal signs off on residential and commercial development,” Batson said.

Fire investigations are another aspect of the job. Batson says the county conducts about 200 investigations a year, as well as emergency management calls. The Fire Marshal’s office also conducts inspections to ensure compliance with fire codes and regulations.

Coming from a city fire department, Benfield says it will a learning experience working with a combination of municipal, as well as rural

Continued on page 14A

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Staff photo by Andy Pettigrew

Former Fire Marshal, now EM Director Tommy Batson (right) passes the badge to new Fire Marshal Robert Benfield.

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Pender-Topsail Post & Voice, Thursday, July 22, 2021, Page 14A

Safe Haven Continued from page 1A

when that happened to her and I learned that it was tied to domestic violence.”

Dunning said that she ended up pairing up with one of Brandy’s good friends, and they started discussing the idea of doing something in support of the local domestic violence shelter. She did some research and found out about Safe Haven of Pender. The goal of the event is to raise awareness of domestic violence and to let people know that there is help available. Advocates 4 Atkinson began reaching out to local businesses and community members to encourage them to get involved -whether it is to donate items for the raffle or the yard sale, to participate as vendors, or just to come out and be a part

of the event. .

“We have lots of great items to raffle off. People have been very generous, including Texas Roadhouse. I would like to give them a shout out because they have been the first national chain to step up in a big way. They donated a stack of gift cards, as well as 300 free appetizer cards. They also donated a huge box of peanuts and offered to give us bags if we wanted to sell them.”

Dunning said that the small local businesses have been incredibly supportive, as well.

She has received donations from Rosie’s Rescue, Coldwell Bankers, and local farmer John Spine with Funny Farm.

24 backpacks and school supplies will be donated to Safe Haven, as well.

“It’s going to be great. The participation from the community really shows how people just come together when it is

for such a great cause. We are going to spread awareness because it is necessary. We need resources like Safe Haven of Pender, and we need people to know that they do have someone to turn to and people to ask for help,” said Dunning.

Anyone who would like to donate to the yard sale, the raffle, or to Safe Haven’s wish list should contact Crystle Dunning at advocates4atkinson@gmail.com. Wish list items include: ground coffee, sugar, variety of drinks, individual packs of snacks (grahams, cookies, crackers, chips, apple sauce, Ramen noodles, canned fruit), luggage/duffel bags, Clorox wipes, composition books, colored pencils, diapers (sizes 5 and 6), and hypoallergenic baby shampoo and wash.

Safe Haven of Pender’s domestic violence crisis line is available 24/7 at (910) 259-8989.

Fire Marshal Continued from page 1A volunteer departments, and Pender EMS and Fire.

“We have volunteer stations, we have combination stations, we have Pender EMS and Fire fulltime stations. It’s a huge difference from the city where everything is done the same way,” said Benfield. “My goal is to come and be an asset to all the departments in Pender County.

I’m here to be a resource when they need me.”

Benfield is a Level 3 Fire Inspector, which is the highest level possible.

“He brings eight years of investigative knowledge and the certification as well. He brings ideas and ways to make the office more efficient. We want to do things better and be more efficient,” Batson said.

“We want to be open-minded and look for ways to do things better to serve the people of Pender County.”

Batson says Benfield has more training and certifications than what would normally be expected for a new hire in this position for Pender County.

“This was a prime opportunity for the county to invest in an employee that brings the experience and requirements for the job and has that up front,” said Batson.

Staff photo by Katie H. Pettigrew

The music of Rivermist Thursday night on the Square in Burgaw provided the opportunity for some dancing.

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