Ever since a raid that targeted ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi last month, military working dogs have been in the spotlight. A Belgian Malinois, whose name was later declassified and revealed to be Conan, was slightly hurt while taking part in the mission that cornered Baghdadi in Syria. But Department of Defense leaders said he was recovering and had already returned to duty after the raid.

There are hundreds of military working dogs across the service branches serving day-in and day-out alongside our service members. Their missions include drug and explosive detection, subduing fleeing suspects and search and rescue missions. U.S. war dogs, as they are called, and their handlers from every military service, are deployed worldwide. About 1,600 dogs are either in the field or helping veterans, the military said.

On July 27, 2013, the first bronze statue of a Special Operations Force K9 was unveiled on the grounds of the Airborne & Special Operations Museum in Fayetteville. Over 2,000 people gathered to honor brave K9s and remember what they have done for our country. The statue depicts a life-size Belgian Malinois wearing his full deployment kit. SOF dogs are called super dogs. They parachute from planes with their handlers and can track enemy forces in difficult conditions.

Most U.S. military war dogs are German and Dutch shepherds and Belgian Malinois breeds, said Army Col. David Rolfe, director of the Defense Department’s Military Working Dog Program. That’s also true of K9s involved in police work. The Fayetteville Police Department’s dogs are bred and initially trained in Europe. The Belgian Malinois, in particular, is high-strung, “very aggressive, very smart, very loyal and very athletic,” Rolfe said.

Master Sculptor Lena Toritch has created several K9 military dog statues for different branches of the U.S. Military. The statue at the ASOM is a bronze monument depicting a life-size Belgian Malinois wearing his full deployment kit. The monument is a symbol of respect and mourning for SOF dogs that have died in the line of duty. Each of those dogs is represented by a paver that is placed at the base of the statue and includes the dog’s name and the year and theater in which it was killed.

The SOF bronze statue by Toritch was the first monument in the world depicting this type of a military dog. SOF super dogs are trained to jump out of planes and float to the ground with their partners. They can track and seize the enemy in the most difficult conditions. The SOF K9 Memorial Foundation continues its work by helping K9 Handlers remember their canine partners by assisting with the purchase of memorial plaques, photos, headstones or anything else the handler would like to memorialize his partner.

Once upon a time in a land far away, a 20-year-old college student waited tables for the summer at a tony private club on a New England island. The six-person wait staff was all college students, including three from North Carolina, among them the Tar Heel girl who won the flip among the wait staff to see who would service Uncle Walter Cronkite and his wife lunch. Deploying her Southern accent, much enhanced for the summer, our college student once received a $50 tip for hamburgers for two from a visiting New Yorker apparently charmed by the Southerness of the belle.

That young waitperson was I, and that tip — far more in today’s dollars — instantly brought home to me both the importance of tipping in the service industry and the inherent unfairness of that system. It turned me into a routine tipper, even for mediocre service, and sometimes a big one. Tipping is what puts food on the table, clothes on the children, pays the utility bills of your servers of all sorts — wait staff, cabbies, hotel housekeepers and the like — because their employers do not pay them a living wage.  

Not all countries treat service providers the way the United States does, but overhauling our gratuity system would be a colossal task with massive opposition from all sorts of service industries, including restaurants and hotels. Prior efforts to move to a no-tip system have failed, and restaurants that automatically add tips to bills risk significant consumer blowback once they recover from the added 20% sticker shock. Tipping remains a cruel and capricious system, dependent on the whims of service consumers, but it is what we have. It is instructive to look at our system in all its ugliness.

New York Times writer David Brooks took a recent look at our gratuity system, referencing the perceived pros — tipping rewards excellence, and the cons — it discriminates based on gender, age, race, even appearance. Brooks relies on research by Michael Lynn, a Cornell University business professor, who finds that quality of service does not have much to do with the size of the tip.

Research finds the same sorts of bias in tipping as in other areas of American life. Young, blond women servers get bigger tips than brunettes. One survey found that Uber drivers get 12% higher tips from men passengers if the driver is a young woman. African-American and Latino servers can expect smaller tips across the board. Servers in upscale restaurants can make a good living from tips, surely because their customers have more disposable income, while people who work in the back of the house do not. Servers in more downscale establishments can expect to struggle more financially. In short, tipping has much more to do with the tipper than the server.

Brooks said he cheers on efforts to reform our gratuity-dependent system but is not holding his breath. In the meantime, he has several suggestions aimed at taking bias and capriciousness of the system.“Tip 20% when the meal is over $25 and 30% when it is under.

“Always, always, always leave a tip in a hotel room.

“To combat implicit bias when tipping drivers and others, commit to a percentage for all rides and stick to it.

“Understand that the advantages you enjoy are products of both your individual effort and privileges you didn’t earn. Tip accordingly.”

I never waited tables for pay again after my New England summer job, but the lessons I learned at that fancy-dancy club remain with me. Brooks’ last bullet sums them up perfectly. Our tip-for-service model does not reward excellence. It can even punish it and the hard-working people who practice it.

Tip accordingly, indeed.

Christmas is my favorite time of the year. One of my fondest childhood memories is sitting and watching the lights on the Christmas tree while listening to The Temptations’ “Silent Night” on the radio. Some traditions will never get old as I continue to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas. A Temptations Christmas with Dennis Edwards’ Temptations Revue featuring special guests national jazz artist Reggie Codrington and the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra will take place Saturday, Nov. 23, at 7 p.m. in Seabrook Auditorium on the campus of Fayetteville State University. 

“I was asked to be a part of the show and, of course, any time we have a chance to be a part of people who have gone down in history and left a lot of great music, I’m always honored to be a part of that,” said Reggie Codrington, Mandate recording artist and jazz saxophonist.

“I am going to play some of my music and do some Christmas, too.”

Codrington added he only has 45 minutes to play. So he can’t do a whole lot, but he is going to leave the audience wanting more.

Grammy Award winner and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductee Dennis Edwards Jr. was best known as the frontman in The Temptations. He began singing at the age of 2 in his father’s church. He joined the Temptations in 1968. In the mid-80s, he went solo and scored in 1984 with the hit “Don’t Look Any Further,” featuring Siedah Garrett. During the 90s, Edwards began touring with his group, The Temptations Revue featuring Dennis
Edwards. To honor and keep the late Dennis Edwards’ legacy alive, the group continues to  perform to audiences around the world.

“I have a band playing behind me and we are going to go out there and make the audience  feel good and get it hot for The Temptations,” said Codrington. “We encourage everyone to get their ticket because if you don’t, you will miss something great.”    

Doors open at 6 p.m. Ticket cost is $35, $45, $60 and $70. They can be purchased a www.etix.com. Please help by donating nonperishable food items to the show to assist our local food bank Second Harvest. For more information call 910-672-1724.

Cape Fear Valley Health System has received a $1 million Duke Endowment grant to help grow its new psychiatry residency program. Launched in 2018, the program’s mission is to train new psychiatrists, who will hopefully practice in more rural areas of the state. The nation’s rural communities are struggling to attract new psychiatric specialists as older physicians retire out of the workforce.

Samuel Fleishman, M.D., is Cape Fear Valley’s chief medical officer. He said there are entire counties in the health system’s six-county coverage area that do not have local psychiatrists. “The need for behavioral healthcare and psychiatrists has always been a big issue for our region,” he said. “Our psychiatrists have long been challenged with an overwhelming community need.” The Duke Endowment grant will help offset the program’s start-up costs for the first three years.

The program launched with just four residents but will have 16 by 2020. That number will grow to 24 in 2022 when a Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship is added. The program’s residents train by providing psychiatric care at Cape Fear Valley Health inpatient and outpatient facilities. “These residents help take care of those suffering from mental illness and substance abuse in our community,” said Scott Klenzak, M.D., Cape Fear Valley’s psychiatry residency program director.

Lin Hollowell, Director of The Duke Endowment’s Health Care program area, said funding programs like Cape Fear Valley’s is important because the need for psychiatrists will only grow in coming years. “The shortage of psychiatrists is particularly dire in rural regions,” he said. “The program at Cape Fear Valley Health will expand access to quality care for people in need and lay the groundwork for providing important services in the future.”

Cape Fear Valley CEO Mike Nagowski said he is grateful the Duke Endowment chose to invest in Cape Fear Valley’s fledgling residency program and its mission.

“We are so excited about this new partnership,” Nagowski said. “The Duke Endowment understands the importance of the psychiatry residency program to our region, as well as the funding challenges that come with starting these kinds of programs.”

Based in Charlotte, the Duke Endowment has distributed more than $3.6 billion in grants since its creation in 1924 by industrialist and philanthropist James B. Duke. The private foundation’s mission is to strengthen North Carolina and South Carolina communities by nurturing children, promoting health, educating minds and enriching spirits.

Cape Fear Valley Health is a 950-bed health system serving a region of more than 800,000 people in Southeastern North Carolina. The not-for-profit system is the state’s eighth-largest health system and made up of 7,000 team members and 850 physicians, eight hospitals, and more than 60 primary care and specialty clinics. Cape Fear Valley Health offers residencies in emergency medicine, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, psychiatry and general surgery as well as a transitional year internship in affiliation with the Jerry M. Wallace School of Osteopathic Medicine at Campbell University. For more information, visit www.CapeFearValley.com.

Former South View High School defensive coordinator Melvin Braswell used to say the best measure of the value of a defensive player to his team was how far he was from the player with the ball at the end of a play.
Bruce McClelland, head coach at Terry Sanford, hasn’t handed out those kind of grades for his defense, but if he did, the marks for middle linebacker Jackson Deaver would be high.

“He’s one of the guys in the biggest games who always makes plays,’’ McClelland said of Deaver.

Deaver recently earned a name for himself in the school’s record book by breaking the career record for tackles held by his former teammate, Dante Bowlding.

Through the final regular season game with Pine Forest, Deaver’s career total is 439 tackles.

He has 125 tackles for his senior campaign. That includes 12 tackles for loss and two sacks.

He’s also had a pair of interceptions, caused four fumbles and recovered two.

Deaver’s performance hasn’t gone unnoticed by others. He’s a team captain for the second year in a row and has twice been named to the Patriot Athletic All-Conference football team.

This is Deaver’s fourth year in the Bulldog football program. Early in his career, when Terry Sanford was awash with good linebackers, he was briefly moved to defensive line, but he’s spent the last three seasons anchoring the defense from the middle linebacker spot.

“He’s obviously a great athlete and great player,’’ McClelland said. But that’s not the only reason Deaver has been so successful on the football field.

“The biggest thing is preparation,’’ McClelland said. “He’s second to none with any player I’ve ever coached on the defensive side.’’ McClelland puts Deaver in the same company with former Bulldog greats Mark Gilbert and Isaiah Stallings.

“This guy does a ton of film prep,’’ McClelland said. “He can tell you every position we are lining up in, what our defense is before our coaching staff does. His ability to get everybody else on defense on the same page is remarkable.’’
Playing defense is a challenge for a lot of players today because of the growing concerns about keeping head contact out of the game. There was a time in football years ago when defenders would use their helmet as a weapon and try to make contact with it when tackling opponents. The concerns that that contact leads to concussions, which some studies show is linked to the possible of permanent brain injury or disease, has caused football coaches to change the way they teach tackling to their players.

McClelland thinks it’s been a change for the good, seeing new tackling techniques focusing not just on taking the head out of the game, but on getting players to wrap an opponent up and make a more sure tackle. “The biggest thing I see is an improvement in the tackling of defenses week to week,’’ McClelland said.

Deaver, who began playing youth football at the age of eight, said all the instruction he’s received since being in high school has focused on eliminating head tackling. “Even though there have been a lot of changes to tackling, the grand scheme of things is to get the guy down on the ground,’’ Deaver said.

Deaver feels he and the rest of the Bulldog defenders have done a good job of that this year.

As this story is being written, Deaver and Terry Sanford were preparing for their state 3-A playoff opener against Wilson Fike on Thursday, Nov. 14, at John Daskal Stadium at Reid Ross Classical School. “Defensively I could not be happier with our guys,’’ Deaver said. “Our run defense is phenomenal. I think if we keep doing what we’re doing and stay focused, we should make a good run.’’

Deaver is hopeful that when his Terry Sanford career ends, he’ll be playing at the college level, but he’s not sure if it will be football or baseball.

He’s talented in both, and he’s already courting football interest from UNC-Pembroke, Wofford and Limestone. “They may put a little more weight on him and put him at middle linebacker,’’ McClelland said of Deaver’s college future.
Currently Deaver said he’s about 6-feet tall and weighs 225. “I’m not leaning toward anyone,’’ Deaver said. “I’m looking for somewhere I can call home for the next four years, somewhere I’ll feel happy and like I’m part of a family.’’

Pictured: Jackson Deaver

“Noises Off!” is a play within a play. A farce filled with physical comedy. A witty production written by British playwright Michael Frayn. It will be at Givens Performing Arts Center for two nights only — Nov. 14 and 15.

Jay Reume portrays Frederick Fellowes in “Noises Off!” and Fellowes plays Phillip Brent in “Nothing On,” the play within “Noises off!”

“It is a funny play,” said Reume. “It is a comedy where all these people come together to put on a play.  It goes in a lot of different directions and goes wrong in every way you can imagine. It is also a lot of fun to watch.”

Olivia von Opel plays Brooke in “Noises Off!” and her character has the part of  Vicki in “Nothing On.” “Brooke is a bombshell. I am using Marilyn Monroe as my inspiration for the role,” said von Opel. “I see her as ambitious. I think others see her as a dumb blonde. I think she is intelligent in her own way, and she is trying hard.”

Both Reume and von Opel agree that one of the challenging yet rewarding things about the production is the physical comedy. 

“I love physical comedy,” said von Opel. “Getting to do that has been a dream of mine. To do something where it is all about throwing props and slamming doors and climbing out a window is a dream come true. If you do it correctly, it looks easy.”

Reume added, “The more work actually comes from the physical perfection the show needs to have. It is almost like a dance. There are so many entrances and exits and pants falling down and things being thrown around. You have to do it well and on time. The playing two characters is the fun part. … The real labor is the dance of the show.”

“Noises Off!” includes local talent as well. “We have two students in the cast,” said von Opel. Chelsea Williams is a sophomore and Jamonte Madison is a senior. “We get to collaborate with them, and they can work with us and we can show them what it is like to be a professional actor. They are super talented. We are enjoying working with Jonathan  (Drahos, the director) and his wife Carolanne.(Marano). Jonathan is a professor (at UNC-Pembroke) and has been on Broadway. All of us are understudied by a student as well, so we have that additional layer of student involvement.”

As for the performance,  Reume promises a lot of laughs. “If you’ve never seen live theater and just laughed and laughed and been around others laughing, you have not experienced good theater. This piece really has the potential for that. If you have experienced that, then you know what kind of show this is.”

The show starts at 8 p.m. each night. For tickets and information, call 910-521-6000 or visit https://www.uncp.edu/resources/gpac/professional-artist-series/noises.

That’s not all GPAC has in store this month. Nov. 22, UNCP hosts its 11th Annual Holiday Extravaganza at 8 p.m. University choirs, ensembles and more will perform holiday favorites and family singalongs. Come early and take in “Tuba Christmas,”  a mini-concert in front of GPAC, at 7:30 p.m. Call 910-521-6230 or email music@uncp.edu for more details.

Nov. 24, GPAC presents “The Nutcracker Ballet” by Dance Alive National Ballet at 4 p.m. The company hosts a roster of award-winning international dancers and is the official State Touring company of Florida.

Veteran Fayetteville City Councilmen Ted Mohn and Jim Arp suffered upset election losses Nov. 5. Both served for 10 years. They were defeated by novice politicians Courtney Banks-McLaughlin and Yvonne Y. Kinston respectively. Another newcomer, Shakeyla M. Ingram, was elected to replace Dan Culliton in District 2. He chose not to seek election after being appointed to council a year-and-a-half ago. Three African-American women are replacing three white men. Chris Davis won the District 6 election replacing longtime councilman Bill Crisp, who did not seek re-election. Incumbents Kathy Jensen and Tisha Waddell won re-election, bringing to five the number of women on the new city council, which is a record. Incumbent members Johnny Dawkins, D.J. Haire and Larry Wright were unopposed and easily won their races. Mayor Mitch Colvin was re-elected without opposition.

Hope Mills Mayor Jackie Warner won a fifth two-year term Nov. 5 defeating Mayor Pro Tem Mike Mitchell. “We’re going to have a great team and we’re going to work together, and all the negativity is going to be gone,” Warner said.
The Board of Commissioners was divided by internal feuding and personal attacks on social media. Without naming them, Warner’s reference clearly was to Mitchell and incumbent commissioner Meg Larson, both of whom vigorously opposed Warner the last two years. Incumbent board members Pat Edwards, Jerry Legge and Jessie Bellflowers were re-elected. Kenjuana McCray and Bryan Marley won the seats vacated by Mitchell and Larsen. McCray becomes the first African-American to be elected to the Hope Mills Board of Commissioners. She was the top vote-getter. “I’m humbled. we made history tonight,” McCray said.

In Spring Lake, Mayor Larry Dobbins won re-election to a second term, defeating newcomer Jami Mclaughlin. Incumbent Town Alderman James Christian lost his re-election bid by one vote to incumbent Sona Cooper. Mayor Pro Tem James O’Garra and Alderwomen Frederika Sutherland and Jackie Lee Jackson won re-election. Newcomer Taimoor Aziz replaces Christian in December.

This year’s local election oddity was in Stedman where Mayor-for-life Billy Horne found himself in an initial tie with challenger Jordan Stewart. Each of them received 30 votes. A third candidate, Jeremy George was just one vote behind them with 29. Totaling all the Cumberland County municipal elections, less than 10% of the registered voters went to the polls.

Now it’s time for the real change to happen. If you’re wondering about the timeline when newly elected officials will get to work, city council members in North Carolina take office at different times between early December and Jan. 1. Local councils are chosen in what are called off-year elections, usually in odd numbered years. This year, the new Fayetteville City Council will be sworn in Monday, Dec. 2. Members will then select the mayor pro tem, which is typically the top vote-getter. But there are no official rules for the procedure. The inauguration will be held at Seabrook Auditorium at Fayetteville State University at 6 p.m.

I am starting this column Thursday night, Oct. 17. This is the 12th day of 14 days of vacation in New Bern, North Carolina. My time is being spent staying in a house where the back porch overlooks an amazingly beautiful stream surrounded by trees and still green grass. This setting, and the far slower pace than is mine in Fayetteville, have allowed me, caused me, to focus more intently on God and all the good that comes to us by way of a relationship with Him through Jesus Christ.  

In this peaceful atmosphere, it rang out more clearly than ever for me that we are chasing the wind while missing the solution. The Urban Dictionary defines chasing the wind as: “A task that is meaningless. Void of purpose or virtue. A circular path, leading to no particular destination.”

Looking at that stream, and all that surrounds it, has been a daily reminder that our only hope for correcting the course of our troubled, hate-filled country is being committed to, and guided by, the ways of God. For me, that view is a reminder of God’s power as creator and of all that he offers us because of his love for us.

The bottom line is that all of us will have our moral bearing shaped by what we are exposed to. There are only two providers of experiences — God and the world. What the world exposes us to, and calls us to, is counter to the will and way of God. Our situation in America is that the world is winning. In great part, the world is winning because it does not play fair and has control of most of the assets that allow for power and influence over people.

Here is an example of what I mean: As part of my research for writing this column, I read 10 articles that appeared in The Fayetteville Observer regarding Rev. Franklin Graham’s “Decision America Tar Heel State Tour″ that started with a stop at Fayetteville’s Festival Park Oct. 1. Of the 10 articles I read, seven included some claim that Graham was carrying on a political effort in support of President Donald Trump. In my estimation, this charge was made as something he should not do and that it was abhorrent.

In “Evangelist Franklin Graham talks about tour, Trump, gay people,” by Michael Futch, Graham said, “I want to go from the coast to the mountains telling people how to have hope. And people are searching for hope today. Our country is such a mess. All the hatred. The lies that are told. People have just lost hope. In our political system, people have lost hope in the future. They just are looking for answers. There’s no one who can solve a person’s problems, individual, or solve the problems of this country collectively. Only God can do that. Jesus can solve problems and needs in a person’s life. So that when this life is finished, we can be in heaven for eternity. We’re going to the coast all the way to the mountains.”

Then this from an Observer editorial titled, “Our View: If past is a guide, politics will weave its way into Graham’s ‘Decision’ tour”: “But if Tuesday’s event is anything like Graham’s 50-state ‘Decision America’ tour, it will be a scarcely-veiled political nod to Donald Trump’s reelection and conservative candidates for the 2020 election. Just as he did in 2016, Graham plays down the political angle even though he remains a strong supporter of Trump, as he was in 2016.”
For me, focusing on and trying to prevent Graham from addressing political matters is a way of keeping people from being influenced in their political thinking by religious beliefs and values. The same strategy is employed in addressing societal issues. Yes, Graham speaks out in opposition to acceptance of the homosexual lifestyle. His position is consistent with Scripture, but the world’s view is that this behavior is acceptable. Consequently, Graham, and those who share his belief, are protested against and ridiculed by the world.

The question to be answered honestly is has America come to a point where people of faith will not be allowed to have the beliefs and values of their faith guide them in day-to-day decision-making across the length and breadth of who they are as human beings? The world’s answer is a resounding “Yes.” And because of that, we are chasing the wind while missing the solution... a relationship with God.

Tuesday night, Oct. 15, I watched all of the Democratic presidential debate. As I sat there listening to the back-and-forth regarding various issues, I was not surprised that nothing of substance by way of solutions came out. It was just circular talking and arguing... chasing the wind. That was especially the case when the topic of mass shootings was addressed. There was the age-old call for stricter gun control. Mental health might have been mentioned in passing.

However, nobody on that stage mentioned how the source for the formation of moral standards has shifted from relationship with God and teachings of Scripture to the ways of the world. Those ways of the world are antithetical to all that God calls us to by way of a moral code. The world’s code has a way of allowing people to think that the conduct, so harmful to some, is acceptable.

I mentioned Democrats in that preceding paragraph, but be assured, wind-chasing is rampant in America. It is, by no means, limited to Democrats.

Not only do purveyors of this worldly code of conduct verbally attack proponents of God’s way, they do not hesitate to pursue punitive policies. A prime example of this is reflected in a widely reported recent incident. Senator Thom Tillis, R-N.C., speaks to it in an opinion piece published Oct. 18. Here are a couple of paragraphs from that piece: “Last week, presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke went on national television and called for eliminating the tax-exempt status for any church or religious institution in America that does not recognize same-sex marriage. O’Rourke’s proposal was met by cheers and thunderous applause from the audience.

“... While some other Democratic presidential candidates are claiming they do not support eliminating the tax-exempt status for religious institutions, we have been here before. We have seen the pattern of fringe, far-left proposals gaining traction over time. Many of these fringe proposals are now mainstream Democratic Party positions.”

Tillis sees what is happening in regard to challenges to religious liberty. Thankfully, Attorney General William Barr sees it, too, and understands that we are chasing the wind and why that is the case. On Oct. 11, Barr delivered remarks to the law school and the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture at the University of Notre Dame. The following is from his prepared remarks that are available at https://www.justice.gov/opa/speech/attorney-general-william-p-barr-delivers-remarks-law-school-and-de-nicola-center-ethics (combined for space): “This is really what was meant by ‘self-government.’ It did not mean primarily the mechanics by which we select a representative legislative body. It referred to the capacity of each individual to restrain and govern themselves.  But what was the source of this internal controlling power? In a free republic, those restraints could not be handed down from above by philosopher kings. Instead, social order must flow up from the people themselves — freely obeying the dictates of inwardly-possessed and commonly-shared moral values. And to control willful human beings, with an infinite capacity to rationalize, those moral values must rest on authority independent of men’s will — they must flow from a transcendent Supreme Being.”

Later, Barr says: “On the one hand, we have seen the steady erosion of our traditional Judeo-Christian moral system and a comprehensive effort to drive it from the public square. On the other hand, we see the growing ascendancy of secularism and the doctrine of moral relativism. By any honest assessment, the consequences of this moral upheaval have been grim. Virtually every measure of social pathology continues to gain ground.”

Simply put, I join with Tillis and Barr in contending that religious liberty is under tremendous attack in America, and further, with Barr, that there is a serious turning from God that is proving destructive in America. We are chasing the wind while missing the solution — God.

Pictured: Rev. Franklin Graham

The “Citizens have Spoken!!  No Civil War museum!” That was the subject of an email sent to Fayetteville Mayor Mitch Colvin and state Rep. Elmer Floyd this past Saturday. Penned, of course,  by an anonymous source who didn’t want to man (or woman) up to the subject matter.

The message was anti-North Carolina Civil War & Reconstruction History Center and stated that the results of the Fayetteville elections Nov. 5 was a mandate against the project because most of the pro-Civil War History Center council members lost their seats, proving that the majority of Fayetteville citizens oppose and reject the project and want nothing to do with having this “toxic and controversial” project in our community. Mr. or Ms. Anonymous declared that “A clear statement has been made by the voters.”

I wish we knew the name of Anonymous so I could address the topic directly. Calling this statewide Civil War History Center an “expensive ridiculous Civil War project” only confirms the lack of knowledge and understanding this person has of its benefits and remarkable opportunities our community will have to improve the quality of life of all our citizens, increasing our prestige and notoriety throughout the state while increasing pride, education and understanding of generations of our North Carolina heritage. Not taking advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity by moving forward with the project will leave an indelible mark of ignorance and naivety on future generations residing in the Fayetteville/Cumberland County community.

There is no doubt in my mind that Anonymous, when asked, could not articulate how our community would benefit from this state-operated $60 million facility as it will create nearly 200 jobs and attract 160,000 visitors while generating $20 million a year in revenues for our community.  Would this not be a great asset to Fayetteville and Cumberland County? Not embracing this project is the kind of toxic thinking and leadership that stifles a progressive and growing community like ours. It demonstrates no wisdom, logic or vision — three things that will be missed when Ted Mohn exits his role as city councilman of District 8.

 All the newly elected council members must waste no time getting orientated and up to date on current city business and basic issues or run the risk of being collectively blamed for every failure and misstep that takes place in the city during the next two years. From where I sit, only Chris Davis has dedicated the time and effort to prepare himself for the task at hand. With tens of millions of dollars at stake and several major issues currently confronting the Fayetteville community, there will be no do-overs.

This is why losing conscientious city representatives like Mohn will make moving the community forward even more difficult. Mohn’s honesty, his calm, consistent demeanor, common sense, logic, insights and remarkable vision have served as the stalwart of most important city decisions and actions. His response to this situation and the mayor’s upcoming Nov. 14 public hearing on the History Center is the near-perfect example of Mohn’s logic and vision. Within hours of receiving a copy of Anonymous’s email to Colvin and Floyd, Mohn sent a heartfelt recommendation to Colvin strongly suggesting that he cancel the Nov. 14 public hearing. Mohn felt the mayor would run a risk of damaging his credibility and reputation since knowledgeable sources on social media were already beginning to question the intent, timing and purpose of such a meeting since the 2020/2021 state budget allocating the $46 million to the museum project has not yet been approved. In addition, he warned a premature meeting would appear to be a blatant “appeasement public hearing” and not an actual or practical public hearing where all 10 City Council members were present and relative to the process since future discussions or decision-making authority concerning the city’s $7.5 million contribution to the museum was in the future city budget.

If the meeting is held, Mohn will be there, but it is senseless since the incoming council’s strategic planning retreat is in February. In addition, and equally important as planning, Mohn pointed out that councilmembers Johnny Dawkins and Bill Crisp will not be present that day. Dan Culliton of District 2 has already voluntarily vacated his position and Jim Arp is also on his way out. His points are all well made and beg the question: What would be the purpose of such a meeting?

Mohn genuinely cares about the city, Colvin and the perception of both. The optics of this are just not good. Mohn went on to suggest the public hearing be postponed until the new year — after the new council has been installed and the status of the $46 million and intentions of the North Carolina General Assembly are known. 

 There’s not much to disagree with here. This Civil War History Center project started over a decade ago. By who? People with vision. Community leaders. People who care about the future of Fayetteville and Cumberland County and preserving and improving our quality of life for generations to come. We agree with Mohn.

We also recognize that City Councilwoman Tisha Waddell of District 3 is having a community meeting Friday, Nov. 15, at Simon Temple AME Zion Church from 6-8:30 p.m. to discuss important city-related issues and to solicit unfiltered feedback on topics like the condition of city streets, the Civil War History Center, stormwater, sidewalks, safety etc. This is real leadership. This is real community involvement. This is real vision. This is looking into the future and demonstrating a responsible, sincere and heartfelt passion for constituents. We applaud and support her efforts and the efforts of those elected officials that share her values. 

Doing the right things for the right reasons have never failed to have the right results. Thank you, Ted, for your service and wisdom. To Councilwoman Waddell, we say, “Go git em!” You are what this community needs. Let’s hope the newly elected city council shares the same vision.

 Thank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly.

Picture 1: Outgoing District 8 City Councilman Ted Mohn

Picture 2: District 3 City Councilwoman Tisha Waddell

Fayetteville Regional Airport “is the window through which nearly 500,000 people a year view our community,” said Robert Van Geons, president and CEO of the Fayetteville Cumberland Economic Development Corporation. Up & Coming Weekly interviewed him about the airport’s importance to greater Fayetteville’s economy. “Our Airport has a growth-oriented vision for Fayetteville and our region,” he added.

Van Geons said residents are one connection away from over 160 national and international destinations, yards away from dozens of technology-driven companies and surrounded by one of the best marketing assets in our community’s arsenal.

Fayetteville Regional Airport is just that, a small airport with a dozen flights a day, 40% of whose customers are military members and their families. Bradley Whited has been the airport director for 20 years. He spent the last 10 years working to secure federal funds to upgrade the facility. His hard work paid off with $47 million in Federal Aviation Administration grants being allocated for renovations and expansion, “the objective being to improve the customer experience,” he said.

The airport is “a powerful economic engine that we are aggressively working to grow,” Van Geons said.

The airport staff is attempting to attract new flights. American Airlines and Delta currently serve the airport. Phase one of the development was a $20 million effort to elevate and expand the original concourse A. It was built at ground level 50 years ago. Passengers had to board planes in the open air. The new concourse A is now accessible on the same level as concourse B. A large circular atrium connects them. Both concourses have modern, new jet bridges.

Phase two of the renovation will include completing the new restaurant. Escalators will be moved to the front of the building, so customers arriving at the airport can check-in at the airline ticket counters and then go upstairs. Baggage carousels will be upgraded, and a full-length canopy will stretch across the exterior roofline. The third-floor mezzanine will be eliminated, and administration offices will be moved to the ground level. Restrooms are being renovated throughout, and a fire control sprinkler system will be installed.

Whited says construction should be completed in two years — a year-and-a-half after Whited retires. He said he will move to the Charlotte area where he has family. He hopes he’ll receive an invitation to the ribbon-cutting when the improvements are finished.

Is it officially fall yet? Not by the calendar, but by the way it looks, feels and smells outside? I truly love all weather — the world just seems to be ablaze in color, there's a certain crispness in the air each morning, and the afternoons bring a little jacket weather before the winter officially sets in to send us on daily trips to the woodpile.

The fall weather is more than beauty and comfort, though. It's a sign. A signal to us all that the time for gathering as family and friends is just ahead. It's a season for gratitude and thoughtfulness, where the coolness of the air outside is perfectly countered by a warmth that seems to grow within us all.

We started a new fall tradition in my family a couple of years ago, and I thinks it's a good exercise in humility. The gratitude pumpkin. Maybe you've done this, too, or at least heard about it. The concept is simple: get a pumpkin, place it where it's easily visible to your family and guests, and use a permanent marker — or paint, for the really artsy among us — to write down things you're grateful for.

It doesn't take long to get past the cool stuff and start writing really simple things like health, family or a home, and that's where the gold is. Realizing how immensely blessed we are in our everyday lives. Life — even abundant life — isn't about money or cars or possessions. It's about the relationships we build. It's about the joy we get from, or bring to, others. There is an undeniable joy in the laughter of a toddler, or the tender moments with a newborn. There is joy and much to be thankful for all around us. It just takes us pausing long enough to recognize it.

The gratitude pumpkin at our house was so filled with the thankful thoughts we wrote on it last year you could hardly tell it was ever orange at all. And that's how I want to live. I'm ready for the negativity and the pain and the ugliness we see in this crazy, divided world to give way to a sense of gratitude for what we have. There is freedom in that place. There is joy in that place. And there is love in its truest form in the place where gratitude lives.

From now through Dec. 15, citizens of Hope Mills who would like to be more involved in the goings on in their town are invited to apply for membership on any of several official town committees.

Anyone interested in applying for committee membership who has never served must fill out an application that can be picked up from the clerk’s office at Town Hall on Rockfish Road. Anyone who has applied in the last 12 months does not have to submit a new form.

Members who are currently serving on a committee and wish to continue do need to contact the town and make it known they’d like to serve again.

In addition to getting applications at Town Hall, they are also available on the town website, www.townofhopemills.com. Any questions should be directed to town clerk Jane Starling at 910-426-4113 or by email at jstarling@townofhopemills.com.

The town reloads its committees every two years in line with the town election cycle.

Once all the names of candidates have been received next month, a nominating committee will go over them and make assignments to the various committees. A full list of all the committees can be found at the town website as well, along with current members of the committees.

Hope Mills mayor Jackie Warner said the committees are like advisory boards for the town.

“When special interests or special projects are brought to the town, they go to whichever committee they would apply to,’’ she said.

Each committee also has a member of the town’s Board of Commissioners that serves as a liaison between the committee and the board.

“That member reports back to the board what took place in the meeting,’’ Warner said. “Sometimes they make recommendations for things they’d like to see and for concerns they’ve heard.’’

One body that’s a little different from the others is the town’s Historical Commission.

Town commissions can have a budget and spend money. They can also make decisions that don’t require approval of the full Board of Commissioners.

There are also certain criteria for members of a commission that require the members have specific expertise in the field the commission works, not just a personal interest.

If more people ask to be on a committee than spots are available, the nominating committee uses a ranking system based on which people submitted their request to be on a committee first, so it’s important to apply as soon as possible before the Dec. 15 deadline.

Warner said there have been discussions of limiting the amount of time someone can serve on a committee or rotating people between various committees. Neither idea has been approved.

Warner said it’s feared that any limits placed on serving could cut the number of people interested in volunteering.

“We get what we hope is a good representation of the community, so we are getting their opinions,’’ Warner said. “It keeps us informed and gives us the opportunity to have input on the decisions we make.’’

Falcon Children’s Home & Family Services’ annual Harvest Train Parade and program is back again this year with the first showing of the program on Saturday, Nov. 23, and the regular program and parade on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, Nov. 26.

 In 1949, the Falcon Children’s Home’s doors almost closed for good. “They couldn’t get funding, they couldn’t get food, they had a difficult time meeting their needs,” said Joseph Leggett, the chief executive officer and superintendent of the home.

But the home, whose slogan is “where love makes the difference,” was determined to stay afloat. With the help of churches of the International Pentacostal Holiness church, women’s auxiliary and ministry groups and the director at that time, the home invited the community to come to an event and bring various commodities. “The first letter said, ‘Bring your ham hocks, bring your collard greens.’ Those kinds of things. ‘And we’ll do a program to say thank you,’” said Leggett. The event was initially called the Santa Claus Train, and in the 50s, it was renamed the Harvest Train Parade and program.

As many people are involved in the event and support the children’s home, in past years, little time was left over with all of the festivities to thank everyone who supported the home.

Additionally, because Tuesday is a work day and many people already have Wednesday, Thursday and Friday off of work for Thanksgiving, not everyone who wanted to come to the usual event on Tuesday could. Leggett hopes that people who have wanted to attend in prior years but haven’t been able to, can attend the Saturday night program.

“A lot of people are looking forward to coming on Saturday because they can’t on Tuesday because they work. A lot of our alumni can’t because they work on Tuesday,” Leggett said.

The program isn’t just a play; it’s a full-blown production, complete with music and a choir, dancing and acting. Buck Hodge, the minister of music at Northwood Temple, wrote the program. Kids and staff at Falcon Children’s Home start preparing for the event in early September.

The story might feel familiar to some —  particularly to attendees from the Eastover area — because the story is true. It is about J.P. Patterson, who sponsored a child at Falcon Children’s Home’s Christmas event that they have at a Round-A-Bout Skating Center every year. The story tells how Patterson got involved and of the friendship he had with one of the boys, Prince. Tragically, Patterson died in a hunting accident a couple of years ago. Ever since, his friends have put on a golf tournament each spring to support the home. Prince, the young man that J.P. supported for all of those years, is an adult now and a graduate of Fayetteville State University. Prince and Patterson’s family will be at the program.

“You will laugh and you will cry,” said Leggett. “And there’s no cost to you.”

Founded in 1908, Falcon Children’s Home has been serving children in the community for over a century. “We’ve estimated that in that time, we’ve either directly or indirectly touched 20,000 children’s lives,” Leggett said. In addition to the residential children’s home, Falcon offers a variety of services.

“We’ve gone from being a residential children’s home to having a mothers and babies program, a maternity program, foster homes, an adoption agency,” Legget explained. “We also have a transitional living program in an apartment-like setting that teaches valuable life skills like cooking, cleaning and balancing a checkbook, for instance.”

The staff at Falcon saw how the children struggled with transitioning to different schools, so Falcon also has its own private school on campus, too.

“What I try to tell our staff is, ‘If a problem affects the young people and we could do something to make a dent in that or to help in that situation, we need to try to develop a program that can do that,’” Leggett said.

As the old saying goes, it takes a village to raise a child. Leggett agrees. “We are only as good as the community we serve,” he said.

There are over 10,000 foster children in North Carolina. There are over 1,000 in Cumberland County. With that being the case, Falcon tirelessly works to help the children throughout the state. They have even opened a second Falcon Children’s Home in Turbeville, South Carolina.

With new legislation coming to North Carolina, the home may see new challenges. The Family First Prevention Services Act will only pay for children to be in group homes for two weeks, unless they are 18 years of age, have been caught in sexual trafficking or are mothers with babies. Although Falcon Children’s Home has high standards for how it runs and is certified and licensed by the state, it, along with other homes, would be affected by the legislation. Since some of the children are 18 and Falcon has a program for mothers and babies, not all children would be affected, but Falcon is working with the state on alternative legislation for programs that would be affected, as well as other group homes that fill important needs in North Carolina communities.

The continued support of community donors and volunteers is a great help to the home. Whether a person is offering to mentor or tutor a child, help with projects on campus with skills like painting or carpentry or even donating commodities, the effort of supporters is invaluable.

“It means a lot to the students at Falcon Children’s Home to see that people care because a lot of times, they feel like people don’t. A lot of times they don’t think we care and say, ‘Oh, you get paid to take care of us. This isn’t real.’ So when they see people who give of themselves, just to be giving their time, it means a lot,” Leggett said. 

The first Harvest Train production of the year will be on Nov. 23 at 7 p.m. The regular parade and production will begin at 7:45 a.m. on Nov. 26. The parade will begin at Falcon Town Hall, and the program will be at the J.A. Culbreth Auditorium. For more information, call (910) 980-1065.

Picture 1: Falcon Children’s Home has been serving children in the community for over a century.

Picture 2: The Harvest Train Parade and Program will have an extra night this year to say “thank you” to the community.

There are modern inventions I love. On cold mornings, I can remotely start my car from inside the house. A few minutes later, I go outside and get into a nice warm car. The seat is heated and so is the steering wheel. As I wrap my hands around the wheel, I take a deep breath and thank God that one of the blessings of growing up in these times is some of these modern inventions. I look outside at the already-defrosted windows, and I head out to start my day.

On a motorcycle, we can get the same comfort to stay warm.

Before you head out, check the local hourly temperatures. If you are going out of town, check the weather for various locations along your route. Remember to give additional attention to elevation changes
For a planning factor, subtract three degrees for every 1,000 feet of elevation and bring extra layers.

Here are some ideas that will keep you warm. A full-face helmet is a start. The face shield should have pin-lock and lens inserts. Pin-lock inserts will prevent your face shield from fogging up. To help keep the head, neck and face warm, use a balaclava helmet or ski mask hood. The body loses a lot of heat around the neck, especially on bike, where the wind and air are blowing around your neck, and where there is little body fat for insulation.

For your chest, wear layers. A good base layer is a shirt that provides odor resistance, warm and cold reactive temperature regulation, comfort and breathability to wick away the sweat from your body. For the midlayer, wear something a little looser. For frigid weather, I have a North Face jacket that is nice and warm and another North Face rain jacket. Both are great for using as casual wear when you are off the bike. For the outer layer, I have a few different jackets. They all have back, shoulder and elbow protection pads.

For the legs, I have a base layer that does the same job as the chest base layer. I have an inner layer of waterproof/windproof pants and outer layer Gore-Tex protective pants with hip and knee protection.

Protect your feet with a thin pair of Polypropylene socks, layer them with a pair of wool socks. My boots are Gore-Tex to help keep the moisture away from the feet. Any boot will work, but cold feet make for a stiff ride.

Hands are always a struggle for me. I have a medical condition called Raynaud’s phenomenon, which causes decreased blood flow to the fingers. For the winter, I carry what I call a mid-thick glove, a heavy glove made of Gore-Tex and glove rain covers. Once your gloves get wet, it is hard to get them dry again in cold weather. In a pinch, I have seen people use surgical gloves and dishwashing gloves. Whatever works, right?

Of course, going electric is pretty impressive on those really cold days. I have an electric jacket and gloves. You can wire them into the bike's electrical system or buy a battery system. Mine is hardwired. I have a dual thermostat. One thermostat controls the temperature of the jacket and another one for the gloves. They also make pants and boot inserts.

Lastly, having heated hand grips and heated seats are great any time of the year. For some bikes, this is standard, and for others it is optional. There are also plenty of aftermarket products out there that are easy to install.
No matter how you stay warm, take lots of breaks and ride safe!

If there is a topic that you would like to discuss, you can contact me at motorcycle4fun@aol.com.

If there was such a thing as a hall of fame for being a caring person who reached out to all fellow human beings, Rex Perry would be a unanimous choice for induction.

Perry, 58, a friend to many and a familiar figure in Fayetteville and Cumberland County athletic circles, died on Oct. 25 at the Hock Family Pavilion in Durham after a lengthy illness.

An athlete at Pine Forest High School, he played on the highly successful football teams of the late Trojan head coach Gary Whitman.

Since 2006, he was employed at Fayetteville Technical Community College as the coordinator in the student activities office. In 2017, he added the role of Student Activities Technician.

One of his coworkers at FTCC is Billy Gaskins, the school’s head baseball coach for the past two seasons.

Gaskins had known Perry on and off since 2006 when he got involved in coaching high school baseball locally.

“He was one of the nicest guys I ever met,’’ Gaskins said. “He was always willing to help, even during his struggle the last couple of years. He was the type of person who led by example.’’

Gaskins said even at the height of his poor health, Perry would continue to try and show up for work as often as possible. He was always enthusiastic and helpful, regardless of how he felt, Gaskins said.
Whenever Gaskins brought baseball recruits to the FTCC campus, he’d always stop by Perry’s office in the Tony Rand Center and introduce them to Perry.

“He stood up, shook their hand and had a conversation with them,’’ Gaskins said. “He had a little pep in his step when I walked in with a recruit.’’
In addition to his work at FTCC, Perry was also an athletic official, working for the Southeastern Athletic Officials Association in sports like football and softball.

“Rex was just a likable guy,’’ said Neil Buie, regional supervisor of football and baseball officials for the SAOA. “There was never a nicer person, a guy that was easier to get along with. Truly a good human being.’’
Ronnie Luck was one of Perry’s first coaches, instructing him in football when the two were together at Spring Lake Junior High in the mid-1970s. “He was a good kid,’’ Luck said. “Never caused any trouble. Easy-going, soft-spoken. He always gave you the best he had.’’

Luck said Perry had an incredible memory for people, places and things and could recount detailed stories about things that happened years ago.

Shortly before Perry passed away, he and Luck spoke briefly and Perry told Luck he was okay. “He touched my life,’’ Luck said. “I hope I did some positive for him in his younger years. But as a man, he certainly touched mine.’’
Luck said Perry was respected by his peers, both in the athletic and professional arenas. “He was very selective in what he said and when he said it,’’ Luck said. “He was one of the good guys.’’

Pictured: Rex Perry

The months of sacrificing time off during the summer to devote to off-season practice is showing dividends for the Gray’s Creek soccer team.

This year the Bears swept the regular season and tournament titles in the Patriot Athletic Conference, and opened play in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association 3-A state playoffs with a 4-2 overtime win against Asheboro.
At this writing, Coach Bryan Pagan’s team, 19-5, is waiting to find out who it will play in the second round of the NCHSAA playoffs, either Wilson Fike or Pittsboro Northwood, in a game that was tentatively scheduled for last Saturday.
Pagan thinks, as far as chemistry is concerned, the Bears have reached their stride offensively. He feels the strength of this year’s team is being able to possess the ball.

“We pass really well,’’ he said. “Our Achilles heel the whole year has been finishing. For whatever reason things are starting to click. Guys are moving in the right positions, staying onside.’’

The Bears have struggled with a variety of injuries during the season, but some of the ailing players have healed, and Pagan has been able to plug in less experienced players in key positions who have stepped up, like sophomores Connor Boyle and Vancy Ruiz.

Another key performer is veteran goalkeeper Ryan Dukes, a senior. Through Nov. 2 according to the statistics at NCPrepSports.net, he had recorded 94 saves while allowing 16 goals. “He’s done an amazing job for us as well,’’ Pagan said.

Offensively, Pagan feels a strength of his team is it doesn’t rely on one player to score all the goals. Eric Chavez is the team leader in goals through Nov. 2 with 16.

“It really takes a lot of the pressure off,’’ Pagan said of being versatile scoring. “People take a little more ownership when they know it’s collective rather than one or two individuals.’’

Two players who play a critical role in helping distribute the ball for the Bears are James Faatz and Seth Wallace.

Pagan describes Faatz, a center-midfielder, as a player crucial to maintaining possession of the ball.

“If it gets to him he knows where to get it to,’’ Pagan said. “He’s calm on the ball, makes good decisions for us and is kind of a catalyst. Anything we need to bail out or need somebody to facilitate the middle he’s a great option for us.’’
The other key performer is Seth Wallace, who plays on the wing. “He’s done a great job winning stuff on the outside and serving stuff into the box in dangerous areas,’’ Pagan said.
“He’s inspiring, super, super athletic and you’re not going to beat him off the dribble. He’s a strong kid.’’
Faatz agrees with Pagan that chemistry is a strong point of this Gray’s Creek team, with communication and good passing also being key.

He thinks the key to success in the postseason is intensity. “I think if we come in hot in the first half, the first ten minutes, and pop a few goals in we can be dangerous against any school in the playoffs,’’ he said. “We can show that Cumberland County has some pretty good soccer schools.’’

While Cumberland County doesn’t have a public high school with a rich state playoff tradition in soccer, Wallace thinks the Bears have the potential to make some noise.

”A Gray’s Creek team like this could surprise some people and have some future upsets,’’ Wallace said. ”We were kind of rocky at the beginning of the year with our finishing. We’ve definitely had some people step up and other people growing into roles because of injuries.

“We’re not a one-man team. Everyone has a role.’’

Looking to the remainder of the state playoffs, Pagan said he’s learned the postseason has a lot to do with seeding and tackling each matchup.

“I like our chances this year because we are more well-balanced than we’ve been in the past,’’ he said. “I feel like we can hold teams to low scores and score when we need to.

“Our strength is in the middle of the field and in our possession. That gives us a fighting chance to match up against anybody. If we stay uninjured we have a chance to make it pretty deep in the playoffs.’’

Picture 1: James Faatz 

Picture 2: Seth Wallace

Shawn Healey
Jack Britt • Football/wrestling/lacrosse • Senior
Healey has a weighted grade point average of 4.22. He is the starting center for the football team. He is active in the Information Systems Technology Academy and enjoys doing volunteer work in the community.

Alyssa Norton
Jack Britt • Volleyball/softball• Junior
Norton has a 3.8 grade point average. As a freshman she was a starter in the outfield for Jack Britt’s state 4-A champion fastpitch softball team. She’s a member of the Key Club and the honor guard. When not involved in sports she enjoys spending time with her family. She plans to enter college and then pursue a career in the military.