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Margaret: Sweet Dreams Not Made of These

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Tuesday, 08 September 2026

Written by Margaret Dickson

It is a cheesy question, but it resonates with me.
What keeps you up at night?
Like everyone else, I worry about my family and friends, what I did not get done on any given day, where my car keys might be, the dog who needs walking as does the owner, and all sorts of mundane but nevertheless real concerns.
I also worry about the really big problems staring all of us in the face from all over the world.
The horror that befell Nepal along its border with Tibet, bringing a stunning but unknowable death toll, is almost impossible to process. It is also almost impossible not to blame ourselves for ignoring climate change. Who could have ever envisioned walls of rushing water and mud bearing down on human beings at speeds between 70 and 120 miles an hour? Science may well find ways to mitigate rising temperatures and expanding seas, but we and those who come behind us will likely never experience our world the way it was before we of the 20th and 21st centuries heated it through fossil fuel use, clearing forests thousands of years old, industrial farming and livestock practices, and large-scale water consumption.
AI keeps me tossing and turning as well.
I use AI. It answers my questions on all sorts of topics, both serious and frivolous, and even wrote a Christmas story for my grandchildren with family members as characters, including the dog. But I, and I suspect millions of my fellow Americans, simply do not know what we do not know about AI, and that is profoundly dangerous. Think drones that hunt down other drones, and drones that choose their own targets. Is a drone that shoots to kill as morally accountable as a human being who does so? Is it moral for a parent supporting a family to lose employment to AI which has no family and no heart? How about the robot who won a race against human champions but who did not have enough “sense” to stop before it crashed into a wall? Will AI, like most other world-altering changes, be a force for good or for evil or for both?
And then, of course, there is the toxic and vicious political climate that is tearing—or has already torn—our nation apart. Millions of us no longer think of “us” as one country but as various collections of “us” and “them.” We now practice “never the twain shall meet,” much less talk civilly with each other. It is as if, in our 250th anniversary year, we have discovered the Biblical “tower of babel” where we hear other people’s voices but have no clue what they are talking about. Our national allies since World War II are no longer our close friends and may be edging toward adversaries as the whole world rearranges itself in part because of our almost incomprehensible political situation, leaving some Americans bereft and some who could not care less.
Do I have solutions for all that faces us? Are there solutions to all that face us, and, if so, are we willing to do the hard work that is necessary and which requires us to look beyond ourselves, our own experiences and opinions?
You and I do not have the solutions, and neither do the candidates who will be on our ballots in less than 60 days, no matter what they have said on the campaign trail.
The only course is to vote for the candidates who recognize and care about these issues, the ones who are willing to confront them, and who will address what ails us with clarity and courage.
We have learned the hard way that elections have consequences.

A story from Grimm's: No good deed goes unpunished

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Tuesday, 01 September 2026

Written by Pitt Dickey

Today we venture into a darker corner of the forest of Grimms’ Fairy Tales. Consider the story of Faithful Johannes, a servant who went beyond the call of duty. Once upon a time, an old King was on his deathbed (likely purchased during the Labor Day Mattress sales). He called his faithful servant Johannes to his side for final instructions. He told Johannes to guide his son through the royal castle, showing him everything except for the room which had a portrait of the Princess of the Golden Roof. If the Prince saw the portrait, he would fall in love with her and bad things would follow. The King then expired. On the castle tour, the new King demanded to enter the forbidden room. When the new King saw the portrait of the Princess of the Golden Roof, he fell in love and passed out.
On regaining consciousness, the King demanded to be taken to see the Princess to woo her. Johannes told him that the Princess loved everything gold and that might tempt her to marry him. The King had his goldsmiths fashion a ton of gold into beautiful objects. They loaded the golden trinkets in a boat. They disguised themselves as merchants and sailed to the Princess’ country. Johannes took a sampling of the trinkets to the Princess. She wanted to buy the whole lot. She went to the boat and became dazzled by all the golden objects. The King ordered the ship to sail away without telling the Princess. When she finally realized they were far at sea, she demanded to be taken home. The King refused, telling her that he loved her. She was so smitten by the gold, she agreed to the marriage.
Johannes had the ability to understand bird language. While on the deck, Johannes heard two seagulls talking about troubles to come. Gull #1 said when the King gets her home, a horse will run up to meet them. The King will get on the horse, which will carry him away forever. Gull#2 said the only way to prevent that is if someone takes a pistol and kills the horse, but he cannot ever tell why he did it or his legs will turn to stone up to the knees. Gull#1 said if the King does get to the castle, he will find a wedding robe that looks like it was made of gold and silver. When he wears the robe, it turns to Sulphur and will burn his body to a cinder. Gull#2 said to prevent this, someone will have to throw the robe on a fire to burn it up but never tell why. If he tells, his body will turn to stone up to his heart. Gull#1 said at the wedding, the Princess will turn pale and die when the dancing begins. Gull#2 said to prevent this, someone will have to bite the Princess, draw 3 drops of blood, and spit it out. Then the Princess will return to life. If the person tells why, his whole body will turn to stone.
All of these things happened. Johannes performed his life-saving tasks. The King got really torqued off because Johannes would not give his reasons. He ordered Johannes to be executed for his insolence. At the gallows, Johannes used his last words to explain why and how he saved the King. Then he turned to stone. The King spiraled into grief at what he had done. He put the statue of Johannes in his bedroom and wept whenever he saw it.
Time passed and twins were born to the King and his Queen. One day when the Queen was away, the King looked at the statue and said “If only I could bring Johannes back to life.” The statue suddenly spoke and told the King, “If you cut off your children’s heads and sprinkle the blood on me, I will come back to life.” The King freaked out but did so. The statue came back to life, though the children were dead. The King was devastated by grief. Johannes then put the children’s heads back on their bodies. The children came back to life as if nothing had ever happened.
When the Queen came back from church, the King told her that he brought back Johannes to life by killing their twins. The Queen was horrified but agreed that they owed it to Johannes to do so since Johannes had been so loyal. At that, the King brought out Johannes and the twins, much to the relief of the Queen. And they all lived happily ever after.
Author’s note: No horses, servants, wedding robes, Princesses, or twins were harmed during the composition of this column. You are now free to roam about the forest.

(Illustration by Pitt Dickey)

Carolina Job Growth Beats National Trend

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Tuesday, 08 September 2026

Written by John Hood

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, North Carolina experienced no net job growth in July. Indeed, employers as a whole reported 3,000 fewer people on the payroll in July than in May.
Year-to-year, our state’s job-growth rate was just 1%. While employment figures over the 2021-24 period were skewed by COVID, North Carolina routinely experienced 1.5% to 2% annual growth in employment before the pandemic.
Should we be worried about this? It depends on how you define the subject of that question. If by “we” you mean Americans as a whole, I’d say yes. To be sure, unemployment rates remain low by historical standards. Our population is aging, with more people choosing to retire rather than remain in the labor force. And since the start of 2025, the Trump administration’s tougher approach to immigration enforcement has both reduced inflows of foreign workers and motivated some illegal residents to “self-deport,” in both cases reducing the number of new positions required each month to absorb job seekers. Partly as a result of these factors, America’s labor force participation rate has been shrinking for the better part of a year.
But less-robust job growth also translates into less-robust economic growth. Even in our age of automation and artificial intelligence, enterprises still need people to deliver the goods and services customers demand (including all those retirees!)
The reason North Carolina leaders, in particular, ought not panic is that these employment trends are general, not particular. Even at 1% year-to-year growth, our job-creation rate exceeds that of most other states and far exceeds the national average of 0.2%. Over the longer term, mid-2016 to mid-2026, North Carolina posted a 17.3% increase in employment, larger than the national average of 9.9% and the employment gains of our neighboring states of South Carolina (17%), Tennessee (13.7%), Georgia (13.6%), and Virginia (8%).
Moreover, while the constant churn of heightened competition, technological innovations, and shifting consumer preferences have resulted in the elimination of some well-paying jobs across our state, other positions have been created. Please note that the statistics I cited earlier were net employment changes. Every week, thousands of preexisting jobs disappear. During the fourth quarter of 2025, in fact, North Carolina companies eliminated more than 400,000 positions! Why don’t we recall that period as some sort of economic Armageddon? Because during those same three months, companies added nearly 450,000 new positions.
The net effect wasn’t just more employment. North Carolinians as a whole have enjoyed income gains, not income losses. From the first quarter of 2016 to the first quarter of 2026, for example, the average weekly wage rose by 18% after adjusting for inflation. We also experienced a 20% real gain in personal income per North Carolinian over the past decade, again beating the national average and most of our neighbors.
I don’t discount the disappointment and dismay experienced by those whose jobs go away. Over the years, I have had friends and family members displaced by the economic churn I’m describing here. They’ve had to refocus, reskill, and in some cases relocate. Public policy has a role to play, from financing education and training programs to reforming regulations that inhibit entering new occupations, building new enterprises, and creating new jobs.
What public policy cannot do is arrest such changes in labor markets or the broader economy, Attempts to do so invariably hurt far more than they help.
During North Carolina’s first century as a state, the vast majority of its residents worked on farms. It wasn’t until the early 20th century that agricultural jobs fell below 50% of total employment. Around 1950, manufacturing surpassed agriculture as the largest employment sector and rose to a high point of about 35% by 1970. Employment in services overtook manufacturing in 1970 and now accounts for most North Carolina jobs.
Specific figures and time periods vary, but other states — and industrialized countries — have exhibited essentially the same trend. North Carolina has handled these changes better than most.

Editor’s Note: John Hood is a John Locke Foundation board member. His books Mountain Folk, Forest Folk, and Water Folk combine epic fantasy with American history (FolkloreCycle.com).

State of Community: From potential to momentum

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Tuesday, 01 September 2026

Written by Kirk deViere

Kudos to the Greater Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce and CEO Nat Robertson for presenting the most important and relevant event of the year: Fayetteville and Cumberland County's State of the Community Luncheon, which took place at the Crown Coliseum Complex on Tuesday, Aug. 25.
It featured an impressive lineup of speakers, including Congressman Richard Hudson and North Carolina State Auditor Dave Boliek. Each speaker delivered a fact-driven, relevant message to the hundreds of businesses and organizations in attendance. However, the most significant message running through the entire event was that Fayetteville and Cumberland County have many wonderful, energetic, economically driven projects and achievements benefiting our community—yet the news that our region is growing and thriving economically doesn't seem to be getting out.
Kirk deViere, Chairman of the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners, did an excellent job of defining that problem: "Stop defending Fayetteville and Cumberland County, and start describing it."
He was right on the mark. We must stop allowing other people and communities to define our narrative. Up & Coming Weekly took on that task 30 years ago and has been successful doing just that. From Cape Fear Valley Health System to Public Works Commission, Fayetteville Technical Community College, Methodist University, Fayetteville State University, the entire arts and cultural community and dozens of local nonprofit organizations, we have been proud to tell Fayetteville’s stories.
Believe me, these stories are important, and we are not doing a good enough job telling them. This requires a true multimedia effort—we cannot simply rely on social media or what I call "winking in the dark," where we check a box to make an announcement. We need to rally around broadcasting our achievements, accomplishments, and the good things happening in this community. We need to start defining who we are and stop letting outside agencies and communities define our narrative.
Below is Kirk deViere's impactful message. You should read it and heed it. He makes a great point. The leadership he provides, along with our other dedicated city and county leaders, makes all the difference in how we will define Fayetteville, Cumberland County and our future for generations to come.
Thank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly, Fayetteville's hyper-local community newspaper.
—Bill Bowman, Publisher
Last year, I quoted Tony Chavonne's challenge to our community from 25 years ago: "It's time to roll up our sleeves and improve our community's economic health." But I left out the second half of his sentence. He also said we must work "to restore our rightful place as an economic influence in the region and the state."
Tony gave us two assignments. Roll up your sleeves. And take your place.
For 25 years, progress has not always happened at the pace we hoped for. We have faced real challenges. Population growth flattened.
Median income lagged behind our neighbors. Investments in infrastructure and schools did not always materialize. For a long time, the word people used to describe Cumberland County was potential.
But potential is the word you use for a place that is not moving. What we are experiencing now in Cumberland County is momentum. Over the last two years, our county has begun to look very different from the Cumberland County of decades past. In just 24 months, we have:
• Opened the first new independent medical school in North Carolina in 40 years, a partnership between Methodist University and Cape Fear Valley Health.
• Welcomed a $26 million Army innovation outpost at Fort Bragg.
• Emerged as a statewide leader in cybersecurity workforce development, with Fayetteville Technical Community College leading the Carolina Cyber Network.
• Connected the XVIII Airborne Corps with Fayetteville State University for research and training.
• Attracted a major drone manufacturer that chose Cumberland County for its U.S. production facility.
• Begun construction on FCEDC's Defense Innovation Center to connect industry with local skilled talent.
• Broken ground on 325,000 square feet of industrial space in our Military Business Park, developed by an out-of-state firm investing on speculation.
Meanwhile, Cumberland County is investing three-quarters of a billion dollars in our public school system and a quarter-billion dollars in water and sewer infrastructure. We have also lowered the tax rate, making us more competitive for business and lighter on the families who live here.
Individually, any one of these achievements would merit a ribbon cutting, a photo op, or a press release. Taken together, they become something far more significant.
They become an ecosystem. Education. Research. Health care. Cybersecurity. Defense technology. Advanced manufacturing. Infrastructure. And one of the most consequential military installations in the world.
These are the elements beginning to connect here. And that matters, because companies are no longer looking simply for land or a building. They are looking for talent, research partners, testing environments, supply chains, and communities capable of helping them move from idea to testing to production.
Cumberland County is becoming that kind of place. There is one word that describes what all of this creates. Signal. Signal is not what a community claims about itself. It is what a community can prove when industry and opportunity come looking.
I see this every time I travel for this county. In Raleigh. At conferences. Across the table from companies. People are surprised by what is happening here. Not because they disagree with it, but because the Cumberland County in their heads is years out of date.
Our reputation has not caught up with our reality. That is something every one of us can help change. A press release from Cumberland County is not the signal. You are.
Nearly everyone reading this will sit in a room this year where Fayetteville, Fort Bragg, or Cumberland County comes up. You may be the only person there who can describe what is actually happening.
So describe it. Start with our challenges. We have them, and we all know what they are. Then explain what we are doing about them. Talk about the investments being made, the new medical school, the expansion at Fort Bragg, the innovation emerging from our colleges and universities. Share the stories of companies choosing to invest here and the infrastructure being built to support what comes next.
We do not have to oversell Cumberland County. We simply have to tell our whole story.
For too long, we have allowed others to tell that story and define our narrative. It is time the rest of this state, and this country, heard it directly from us.
My son Grey is nine. In 25 years, he will be 34, building his career and perhaps deciding where to raise a family of his own. He, along with every child in this community, will inherit the decisions our leaders are making today. The schools we build. The infrastructure we invest in. The industries we attract. The opportunities we create. And the reputation we leave behind.
I want them to inherit a Cumberland County that did more than talk about its potential. I want them to inherit a county that realized it.
That work is happening right now. We are focused on building a community that competes for the best talent, investment, and innovation. A place where ideas become companies, where technology moves from concept to capability, and where the talent connected to Fort Bragg strengthens a thriving private-sector economy beyond its gates.
A Cumberland County ready to take its rightful place as an economic influence in this region and this state. Cumberland County has momentum, and the rest of North Carolina needs to know it. They do not just need to hear it from me. They need to hear it from all of us.
Let's roll up our sleeves. Let's stop defending Cumberland County and start describing it. And let's take our place.

Editor's Note: Kirk deViere is Chairman of the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners.

(Photo: Kirk deViere addresses the attendees at the State of the Community Address held by the Greater Fayetteville Chamber on Aug. 25. Photo courtesy of Cumberland County NC's Facebook page)