Learned that former Western Tidewater resident Brandy Wheeler was promoted to patient financial services manager for MedWest-Harris, MedWest-Swain and MedWest-Franklin. All are medical facilities in North Carolina.

The daughter of Lynn and Don Blythe of Franklin and the late Tommy Leggett, Brandy handles patient accounts and billing for the three facilities. She also is responsible for system administration duties for patient financial services, which includes ensuring that all systems are functional, reference files are up to date and electronic information is transmitted efficiently.

Brandy has worked at the Harris campus for 10 years. She started as a part-time outpatient-billing clerk and moved to home health and Hospice billing.

A 1995 Franklin High School graduate, Brandy has lived in the Sylva/Balsam, N.C., area since 2001.

• Graham Pulley of Courtland recently celebrated his 81st birthday.

Pulley is the retired president of Nottoway House Furniture in Courtland and spent much of his summer fishing at Lake Gaston.

• The Space Walk of Suffolk Courtland Franchise donated three bounce houses for four hours to help raise money and collect canned goods for the Cover 3 Foundation first Cover 3 Community Day at Walmart on Aug. 18.

Cover 3 Founder and Chief Executive Officer Greg Scott said nearly 1,500 canned food items and $175 were donated for its Kid’s Meal Program.

Space Walk owners, Mr. and Mrs. Lamar White and their employees and family members donated their time to supervise the bounce houses.

• From Nansemond-Suffolk Academy, seniors Kaitlin Jefferson and Sheila Williams over the summer participated in the Virginia Commonwealth University STARTALK Academies on the Monroe Park Campus.

Kaitlin participated in the Russian academy and Sheila was in the Portuguese academy. Both reported they had an exciting cultural experience during their three-week stay.

Also from NSA, Spectrum, which is the Upper School literary magazine, received a silver medal from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association for its 2012 edition.

Editors were 2012 graduates Janaki Barot, Tatvam Barot, Danielle Kerr, Nicole Turner, Kela Bogaard, Tyler Ames and Cole Barclay; seniors Katelyn McCracken, John Rector and Alexa Scott; and juniors John Wade and Alexa Scott. Advisors are Ronda Bailey, Jessica Broadus and Laura Dobrin.