Recently, the world watched as President Donald Trump delivered his second State of the Union address. In his speech, the president highlighted important accomplishments of his first two years in office and showed a desire to work together to address the difficult issues our nation continues to face. As we enter into a divided Congress, I thought Trump struck the appropriate tone when he said, “Together we can break decades of political stalemate. We can bridge old divisions, heal old wounds, build new coalitions, forge new solutions and unlock the extraordinary promise of America’s future.”

While there are some who continue to sow divisiveness in our country, the president asked us all to “choose greatness” and called on Congress to work together for the common good of our country and our constituents. From my first day in Congress, I’ve worked hard to find bipartisan solutions, and I remain committed to working with anyone — Republican, Democrat or Independent — to provide for the brave men and women at Fort Bragg, improve care for our veterans and lower the cost of health care and improve access for all Americans.

One reason I’m hopeful of the work we can do is because we’ve already accomplished quite a bit over the last two years. We’ve rebuilt our military from years of devastating cuts, combated the opioid epidemic to help our friends and neighbors, cut taxes for working families, reformed the Department of Veterans Affairs to give our veterans better care and more choices, and ignited the economy so more jobs are coming back to America instead of going overseas.

In January, we were greeted with a nationwide unemployment rate of 4 percent after adding 5.3 million jobs since the 2016 election. This is the 11th consecutive month with an unemployment rate at or below 4 percent. As more people head back to work, we have seen historic lows of unemployment across almost all demographics, including among African-Americans, whose unemployment rate is the lowest since 1972.

And, come April 15, the increased Child Tax Credit will allow parents to get an extra $1,000 on their tax returns — double the credit from 2017. If that’s not real progress, I don’t know what is.

As a voice for veterans and a representative of Fort Bragg, I was also glad to see Trump highlight the importance of a strong national defense and re-up his commitment to our troops and their families both during and after their service.

Finally, the president laid out a strong stance on immigration, calling for Democrats and Republicans to come to the table in a bipartisan manner during his State of the Union. I think it’s just plain common sense that we must do everything we can to stop human trafficking, the flow of drugs and illegal immigration across our border. This is an issue that Republicans and Democrats have put off for 30 years — the time to act is now.

The American people are counting on us to deliver on our promises on these issues and much more. Together as a nation we can — and must — choose greatness. And while there are a lot of issues that divide our country, I will always believe that we can come together for the good of the nation.

  I was born in Charlotte, North Carolina. But I grew up in rural Mecklenburg County. There used to be such a place — and, indeed, quite a few such places still exist in our increasingly urbanized state.

My family lived on 40 acres, mostly forest with a freight-rail track running through it. When the train came by, the engineer waved. We waved back, even after we had piled rocks and coins on the track to see what would happen. We planted beans and shucked corn and picked blackberries. We fished the pond on the other side of the cow pasture. For part of my childhood, we had a box on a rural route, not a street address.

I now live in suburban Wake County— sort of. My neighborhood is bordered on all sides by farms and stables. It’s not unheard of for me to look out my window and see folks riding by on their horses. Our German shepherd snarls and barks at the riders, as if to shout, “How dare you? Don’t you know you’re in the suburbs?”

North Carolinians have been talking for years about the rural-urban divide, and we ought to be. But we don’t really live in rigidly separated “rural” places and “urban” places. And the largest share of North Carolinians live in places they and others would call suburban.

I spend much of my time doing political analysis, where oversimplification is commonplace. When politicians and reporters say “urban areas vote Democratic” and “rural areas vote Republican” and “the real battleground is the suburbs,” they are saying things that are true, in a sense, while not saying all that is true about those things.

For example, in 2016 Donald Trump won North Carolina with about 2.4 million votes. Hillary Clinton got about 2.2 million votes. She won almost all counties classified as “urban” while Trump won most counties classified as “rural.” But what does it mean to “win” a county? Based on how exit-poll respondents described their own neighborhoods, as opposed to how others describe their counties, about 620,000 urban North Carolinians voted for Trump. Nearly half a million rural North Carolinians voted for Clinton.

And, by the way, Trump won a somewhat larger share of the suburban vote than he won of the rural vote. Did you know that? Pesky details — they’re always spoiling things.

The Institute for Emerging Issues, based at North Carolina State University, is all about “spoiling things,” to the extent those things are preconceived notions and faulty definitions that divert or obstruct us from addressing our state’s biggest challenges.

The institute has developed a project called ReConnect NC, anchored by a series of six Emerging Issues Forums on the overall topic of strengthening the ties that bind us all together. The second such event, held Feb. 11 in Raleigh, focused on bridging rural, urban and suburban North Carolina. How are they different? What do they have in common?

Indeed, a major theme of the day was that these labels can both inform and misinform. As my personal story illustrates, but other speakers explained with reams of data, our lived experiences often differ in ways that don’t align well with county lines or other jurisdictional boundaries. For example, many North Carolinians commute daily from rural or suburban to urban, from one city to another, from one suburb to another or some other way. Traffic in freight, information and ideas also tie seemingly disparate people and places together in powerful, and sometimes even improbable, networks.

The institute’s Raleigh forum made the usual news, with legislative leaders talking about emerging needs in rural broadband and school construction while Gov. Roy Cooper pitched an expanded Teaching Fellows program and other educational initiatives. But what was transformational, I think, was the overarching theme of rejecting rigid categories and simple explanations of complex problems.

What comes next? The next forum is Oct. 15 in Charlotte. I’ll be sure to stop at the Hood homestead on my way to put a penny on the railroad track.

 There is a dangerous, but tremendously effective, political approach being employed in America. It could be called “thought deprivation.” It’s conditioning people so they do not think with depth regarding the issues that face us as a nation. Sadly, allowing this thought deprivation approach to become routine and embedded in the political process has brought us to a point of real danger in the governing, and very survival, of this nation. Many actions that should reasonably be taken are not taken. Other actions are taken that adversely impact the wellbeing of Americans. Gridlock is a frequent consequence of this political approach; nothing is done regarding important matters affecting the people of our country.

The examples of how politicians and political practitioners use thought deprivation to win elections and wield power seem endless. A prime example shows in the substantial support that Democrats are generating for Medicare for all. In a future column, I will explain my contention that the support being voiced by citizens is, in great part, the result of expertly executed thought deprivation. In this column, and others leading up to the examination of support for Medicare for all, I discuss my observations regarding the process by which thought deprivation is developed and sustained.

My observations as to how thought deprivation is developed and sustained in a person, by others, can be summarized as follows:

1. Tremendously lessen, if not demolish, the capacity for critical thinking.

2. Lead citizens to focus on identity as members of a group based on race, ethnicity, economic standing, religious affiliation, etc.

3. Promote tension between groups or groups of groups.

4. Contend that some groups are victimized, mistreated, discriminated against, etc.

5. Convince a target group, or groups, that they are entitled to certain benefits.

6. Promise to deliver the benefits to which people have been convinced they are entitled.

7. When the promised benefits do not materialize, blame others.

The opening step of lessening or demolishing the capacity for critical thinking might seem to be an exaggeration. However, consider the meaning of critical thought as it appears at www.criticalthinking.org: “Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action.”

Pause and mentally list the times in the last month when you, in media, in political speech or conversation, in social media, observed what is defined above as critical thinking. My guess is that your list is very short or lacking any entries at all. I do not post very often on Facebook, but I do read the posts of other people. I am amazed and saddened by the scarcity of critical thinking that is present in most posts. There are mostly emotiondriven rants that present no facts or thoughtful analysis of whatever topic is being discussed. This is especially true where political or social issues are addressed.

Another section of the information presented at www.criticalthinking.org provides a possible explanation as to why critical thinking might be so scarce in American society: “Critical thinking varies according to the motivation underlying it. When grounded in selfish motives, it is often manifested in the skillful manipulation of ideas in service of one’s own, or one’s groups’, vested interest. As such, it is typically intellectually flawed, however pragmatically successful it might be.”

I contend that we have become a nation where selfishness is disavowed as a general condition of our society, but our overall conduct cries “selfishness.” In this atmosphere, the truth of the quote above shows. The thinking that happens, limited as it might be, is too often intellectually flawed. That is the case because individuals and groups are encouraged to focus on what is good for them, without considering the impact on others; even further, serious collection and examination of facts and the honest defining and consideration of outcomes hardly ever happen.

My comments to this point might leave the impression that what I am describing only applies to the general public. That is not the case. This thought deprivation condition is very much present in the American political class, in politicians. If you doubt that to be true, watch some congressional hearings or listen to some politicians as they address challenging issues during televised interviews. There is hardly ever a sliver of genuine, critical thought. Their failure to model critical thought contributes to the scarcity of it in the general population.

With critical thinking lessened or demolished in individuals, the next step is rather easy to accomplish: leading citizens to identify as members of a group based on race, ethnicity, economic standing, religious affiliation, etc. When there is little or no focus on facts and thoughtful analysis of facts, people do what is natural.

An article by Nayef Al-Rodhan, “Divisive Politics and the Brain: Primordial Determinism vs. Responsible Egalitarianism,” speaks to our natural response process in identifying with a group. In part, Al-Rodhan writes: “Furthermore, the urgency to barricade oneself against ‘others’ — immigrants, ethnic and religious minorities, etc. — stems from ancestral predispositions that associate belonging to one’s tribe or group as critical to survival.

“Using noninvasive methods, neuroscientists have identified that the neurocircuitry of tribal behavior that separates ‘us’ from ‘them’ occurs in the prefrontal cortex. Without much reflexivity, and within 170 thousandths of a second from the moment we first see them, we already distinguish between members of the in-group and those of the out-group. Our brains have inherited this hardwiring from our ancestors, but there is another interesting fact.

“While this basic bias is subconsciously formed, our exact definition of what constitutes ‘us’ and ‘them’ is learned. We may be hardwired to distinguish between us and others, but the actual definition of the other is not internally hardwired; it is something we are socialized into throughout our lives.”

I hold that what Professor Al-Rodhan explains addresses our natural tendency of identifying with groups and separating ourselves from other groups. The critical piece of the process is in deciding which group, or groups, we identify with and which ones we see as separate and apart from us. Those separate and apart groups constitute “them” and are normally people who are treated as the enemy. Our defining of “them” is, based on Al-Rodhan’s explanation and my observations across many years, the result of socialization. Socialization is the process of learning to behave in a way that is acceptable to society.

Therein lies the great challenge: individuals needing to make choices that produce fair and positive outcomes even while having one’s “us” and “them” defined by a person’s dominant societal influences. Given that we live in a country, even a world, where critical thinking is rare, individuals and groups easily influence people’s thinking in ways that adversely affect individuals, their primary group and even society in general. It is in this atmosphere, under these conditions, that politicians, joined by politically active individuals and groups, are able to manipulate citizens for political gain.

Next time, more on steps to developing and sustaining thought deprivation.

  The North Carolina General Assembly is back in session, with its biggest task being crafting a budget for fiscal years 2019-20. This will involve compromise, as it always does, with the legislature and the governor having different spending priorities between Democrats and Republicans and among legislators of the same political stripes. As is true in so much of political decision-making, one person’s must-have is often another’s boondoggle.

One reality is certain. Education — public schools, community colleges and universities — will gobble up more than half of state spending, garnering $13.5 billion of the current $23 billion state budget. Expect plenty of controversy as education spending is decided.

The Cumberland County Board of Education plans to ask legislators for a change that does not involve state allocations. Our local school board, along with many others across the state, want more flexibility in setting school calendars. They should all have it.

Until 2004, local schools set their calendars to suit local conditions. Western counties, for example, typically built in more snow days. School boards established teacher work days and holidays as recommended by administrators.

Local calendar control changed when legislators bowed to the will of North Carolina’s tourism industry and set hard start- and stop-dates for all state public schools. Tourism interests in both mountain and coastal areas demanded that children have longer summer breaks so families could vacation longer, and the General Assembly acquiesced.

It was a reprehensible kowtow to business interests over the interests of North Carolina’s school children. Changes have been made over the last decade and a half, but flexibility is still granted and taken away by legislators, not on-the-ground education officials who understand the needs of their communities.

There are all sorts of good reasons to return calendar flexibility to local schools.

These include the reality that students in most other developed nations have longer school days and longer school years than we do in North Carolina. It is therefore no surprise that students in many of those nations outpace our students.

Flexibility would also allow more opportunity to align public school calendars to community college calendars, meaning that high school students could take more community college courses. This could give high schoolers a leg up in whatever higher education or career they pursue.

Both parents and educators attest to the reality of summer learning loss. Schools have to begin the school year with several weeks of review that takes time away from learning new material. This is a phenomenon that disproportionally affects minority and low-income students, increasing educational disparities. Research shows that shorter times away from school work to reverse disparities.

Generations ago, school calendars followed agricultural

cycles. Children were needed to work in the

fields, so school was in session during slow growing

months. Today, only a small percentage of North

Carolinians make our livings working in the fields,

and child labor is prohibited in most instances.

There is no longer a reason for school calendars to

accommodate agricultural cycles.

Overlying all arguments is Mother Nature. The school year in Murphy is likely very different from the school year in Manteo. The mountains must contend with snowy weather while coastal areas face hurricanes. Students in Pender County were out of school for six weeks after Hurricane Florence blew thought last fall. While that was unusual, coastal school systems need the flexibility to deal with increasingly severe storms.

The General Assembly will deal with many school issues this session. Bills have already been filed to increase school safety through various grants, provide statewide mental health screenings for students and require teaching civic responsibility and good citizenship. All of these would require local or state expenditures, perhaps both.

Returning school calendars to local school boards costs only the tax dollars local communities choose to invest. It gives control back to local decision makers, not legislators from hundreds of miles away who very likely have never set foot in our community. It puts our children before the profits of private companies.

It is time — past time — to do just that.

  At first, I thought artificial intelligence was the panacea for stupid people. Nope — although heaven knows we need one. Read the headlines of any newspaper or tune in to any radio news cast and you would swear we are living in Bizarro World.

For those who are not familiar with Superman comics of the ’40s and ’50s, Bizarro World was a fictional universe where people, places and situations were weirdly opposite of their normal posture or expectation. Sort of like Pitt Dickey’s articles on any given day. Just kidding, Pitt.

Seriously, it should concern all Americans when the truth becomes subjective and elusive. It should concern all Americans when wordsmithing becomes a finely tuned skill used to redefine justice and when it becomes an instrument used to sidestep the truth.

Social media is probably the mother of fake news and the worst thing to happen to humanity when it comes to communicating and disseminating trust and integrity. And, unfortunately, it’s here to stay — regardless of consequences.

Today, we spend way too much time on social media. Computers, iPads and iPhones rudely intrude on our lives so frequently that we are becoming conditioned to it. Last week, I attended the funeral of a dear friend. The church was filled with friends and family. The service was beautiful and touching. Then, the benediction was interrupted by not one, not two, but three cellphone alarms going off simultaneously. You could feel the collective sense of embarrassment. That’s the world we live in.

For many, social media has, unfortunately, become their sole source of information. They scan, read, like, comment and then share like mindless robots that are void of critical thinking and coerced into being a participant in the cycle of misinformation.

It’s this misinformation that shapes our opinions, manipulates our actions and influences our decisions. This should concern us all.

Fake news manipulates our point of view, influences our values and compromises our morals. Recently, I found out there are companies that specialize in developing AI that can create fake news, making it difficult — if not impossible — to fact-check content. Fake news is becoming an unregulated, profitable, dirty business.

So, this begs the question: who can you trust? Well, I don’t have that answer. I, for one, will advocate for laws that forbid and punish the perpetrators of any proven manipulative and illegal actions disseminated via social media.

And, since you are reading this article, I can only assume you have keen critical thinking skills and are a remarkable judge of character. So, this being the case, thank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly. No fake news here — and we are surely not anonymous.

  For nearly 61 years, Better Health has helped the medically underserved in Cumberland County — free of charge. For 22 of those years, it has also entertained the county with an “Evening of” fundraiser, which has evolved tremendously over the years. “It was initially held at the Cameo Theatre downtown,” said Amy Navejas, executive director and CEO of Better Health. “And then it evolved a little more and became a live theater event.” Soon after its beginning, the gala began to adopt a new theme every year. This year’s theme is “Evening on the High Seas,” to take place Thursday, Feb. 28.

Navejas is excited for the public to experience 2019’s nautical theme. “We were just playing around with some ideas, and this seemed different and fun,” she said. “It’s flexible, and you can interpret it as a fun and silly cruise or a formal captain’sdinner- type cruise.”

As it pertains to attire, anything goes. “Everybody has a different idea of what they want to wear,” Navejas said. “I would say most individuals will be in cocktail attire, but it can be interpreted any way. That’s how a cruise is — you’re not out of place in resort attire, and even bathing suits are okay for a party at the casino.”

Speaking of a party, the casino will make a reappearance this year. “Each year we bring back a casino, and it seems like everybody just loves it,” Navejas said. The casino is sponsored by the Cobb Tilghman Group at Merrill Lynch, and the Wine Café and Morgan’s Chop House sponsor other beverages.

Elite Catering will provide a variety of food for the event, to include pork and beef tenderloin, crab cakes, mini Salisbury steaks and more. “Every event I’ve been to that they’ve catered has been exceptional,” Navejas said of Elite. “They do such a phenomenal job.”

There’s more to this event than food, however. “We also have a silent auction,” Navejas said. “We’ve worked really hard this year to bring some packages from local businesses and donors and supporters.” She added that there will be a returning casino game in which the player wins a cruise if their dice rolls spell the word “Harley,” of Harley-Davidson. There are several opportunities to win.

“We’ve had winners every year,” she said. “It’s a lot of fun for people to do.”

Overall, the “Evening of” gala is Better Health’s largest fundraiser. “It used to be our only fundraiser event,” Navejas said. “It’s just a really fun way for people to come together and support a wonderful nonprofit that is doing a lot of good. Without (this fundraiser)... Better Health would be a in a really difficult position.”

According to Navejas, the gala’s dinner and entertainment is not too formal. “It’s not a seated meal. We are hoping to incorporate some skits and some songs, as well as a DJ.”

Besides the silent auction and casino games, attendees should expect a few brief interruptions during dinner for some cruise-themed fun, along with more information about Better Health.

Better Health’s backstory

Ruth Peters created Better Health in 1958 when she noticed that several of the ill members of her community were unable to pay for their prescribed medications. “Initially, we were started to address the need for medications for the uninsured,” said Navejas. “That meant that we were going to the ER to give them those emergency medications.”

The county health care systems couldn’t afford to take care of these sick individuals who were not getting better, creating a cycle of sickness and poverty. As a solution to this problem, Peters established The Better Health Foundation of Cumberland County.

In 1991, The Better Health Foundation evolved into what is now Better Health of Cumberland County, Inc., a fulltime nonprofit organization that has become invaluable to the low-income individuals of our community. “We’ve definitely grown quite a bit,” said Navejas. “It can be a challenge for a nonprofit, but the clients that we help are so incredibly grateful.”

Navejas isn’t alone in this opinion. One anonymous patient described her experience with Better Health: “I’d waited for at least 1 1/2 years trying to save enough money to have (a) tooth pulled. Did my best to keep it from getting infected with the Lord’s help. I wasn’t getting anywhere until The CARE Clinic told me about Better Health. You will never know how much Better Health helped me, and I will do whatever I can to help you guys.”

Today, Better Health works to provide health care and assistance to low-income residents of Cumberland County, whether that be by education, referral or direct assistance. After two years, Better Health became a United Way Affiliate Agency. Since then, Better Health has created the first free Diabetic Monitoring and Education Clinic, along with the first free Medical Equipment Loan Closet. Navejas explained more about Better Health’s programs: “We have diabetes education and clinics throughout the week, child obesity programs, and more.”

In 2017, Better Health assisted 405 individuals at its diabetes center, 1,607 individuals at its clinic and 1,064 people who visited its exercise program. The organization experienced 100 percent patient satisfaction with its Medical Equipment Loan Program.

“Evening on the High Seas” takes place Thursday, Feb. 28, from 6-10 p.m. at the Cape Fear Botanical Garden, located at 536 North Eastern Blvd. To purchase tickets, or for more information, call 910-483- 7534 or visit www.betterhealthcc.org. Sponsorships are also available.

Sara Baxley

Terry Sanford • Bowling • Senior

Baxley has a 4.63 grade point average. She’s a three-year starter for the Bulldog bowling team. In addition to serving as the team’s captain, Baxley is a member of National Honor Society as well as Health Occupations Students of America at Terry Sanford. She also works as a Cape Fear Valley Junior Volunteer.

Tommy Cooney

Terry Sanford • Bowling/Baseball • Junior

Cooney has a 4.09 grade point average. He is a three-year starter for the Bulldog bowling team. Tommy has also led the Terry Sanford Marching Band as its drum major for the past two years and is a pitcher for the Terry Sanford baseball team. Tommy is also involved in the Kiwanis Club’s Clean Up Streets and Parks group.

  Jack Britt’s Madajah Trapier and Pine Forest’s Anamaria Bailey were part of North Carolina high school athletic history recently.

Trapier and Bailey were among a handful of female wrestlers from Cumberland County to take part in the first official statewide invitational tournament for female wrestlers.

They were the only two from Cumberland County to stand atop the awards platform at the end of the competition; Trapier won the 152 pound championship while Bailey placed second in the combined 160-170 pound category.

Trapier got her start in wrestling in middle school at Anne Chesnutt but didn’t return to competition until this year when she tried out for the team at Jack Britt.

“My dad wrestled in high school but never got the chance to go to state,’’ Trapier said. “I wanted to wrestle and continue his legacy.’’

In North Carolina, there’s been no separate division for girls to wrestle head-to-head, so they have to compete with boys in their own weight class.

“I like the fact that girls are underestimated,’’ Trapier said. “I can show that technique beats strength any day and girls can do just as good as guys.’’

At the state tournament, there were only three girls in Trapier’s weight class, two from Hoke County and one from Overhills. Instead of being paired up in brackets, the four girls wrestled in a round robin format.

Trapier beat Hoke’s Melanie Jones and Madeline Ramallah and Jasmine Davis of Overhills, winning all three matches by fall to take the championship.

“I got a chance to watch their moves,’’ she said of her three opponents. “I saw what technique they were using, and I was able to depict what I could use when it was my turn to go against them.”

Trapier said it took a few days for her to realize she had won a state championship — the first one for high school girls in North Carolina history.

“I was really happy and proud of myself,’’ she said. “I’m hoping I (can) go to nationals in Texas and get the opportunity to wrestle in college.’’

Bailey, a junior at Pine Forest, is no stranger to rugged sports, having played rugby before an injury forced her to stop. Her brother and his friends talked her into giving wrestling a try. She’s in her third year wrestling with the team at Pine Forest.

“It was definitely a challenge, but I think it made me better,’’ she said. “When I started wrestling, it helped me challenge myself not only physically but mentally.

“Without wrestling, I wouldn’t have the right discipline to put me on the path to greater things.’’

After a first-round bye, she won by fall over Ashley Boggess of Pisgah. But she lost by fall to LaSean Boyd of Overhills in the championship match.

Despite the setback, Bailey is already looking ahead to her senior year at Pine Forest.

“Everybody wants a better record and to be able to win more,” Bailey said. “That’s what my thing is ‑ let them know I was a better wrestler than last year.’’

In addition to Trapier and Bailey, the following Cumberland County female wrestlers took part in the recent state tournament but did not finish in the top four in their weight class: Tina Silva, South View, 113; Emmaline Morgan, Terry Sanford, 113; Andrea Moore, Jack Britt, 120.

Photo: Madajah Trapier

  After two years away from coaching high school basketball, Bill Boyette quickly returned to what he does best, building championship squads that focus on defense and fundamentals.

That’s the case with his first team at Fayetteville Academy, which has compiled a 23-3 record as it prepares for a postseason run that includes the top seed in the upcoming North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association 2-A basketball tournament.

According to the MaxPreps rankings from Monday, Feb. 11, the Academy is the No. 6 rated boys basketball team among all public and private schools in North Carolina and holds the No. 1 ranking among NCISAA 2-A teams.

Fayetteville Academy opens the playoffs at home Thursday, Feb. 14, at 6:30 p.m. against either Wayne Christian or Rocky Mount Academy.

It’s not surprising that with the success the Eagles have enjoyed this year, Boyette said he found it pretty easy to shift from coaching public school basketball most of his career to returning to the game at the private school level.

“Basketball is basketball for me,’’ Boyette said. “The private school sector is a little bit different. I’ve learned those ropes and learned something new every day.’’

Boyette said Fayetteville Academy athletic director and former Eagle basketball coach Chip Bishop helped him make the adjustment. For Boyette, it was just a joy to get back into the game after being gone from Terry Sanford High School the past two years.

“It’s something I missed,’’ he said. “Physically, those two years I sat out I didn’t even feel like myself. It’s been a great experience for me and I’ve really enjoyed it over here.’’

Boyette saw the potential early on for the Eagles to have a good season. “We’ve taken baby steps,’’ he said. “We have gotten better as the season progressed. They have seen things working in game situations that we try to stress every single day in practice. I think right now we are playing our best basketball, which is what you want to be doing at the end of the season.’’

Two players who have had a big role in the Eagles’ success are point guard John-Michael Wright and power forward Wills Onyeodi.

Boyette called Wright the best finisher at the rim he’s ever had, despite the fact Wright barely stands 6 feet tall. “He’s athletic and he knows the game,’’ Boyette said. “He’s smart, very humble, and he’s averaging about 22 points per game. He could score more if he wanted to, but he’s very team-oriented.

“He’s done everything we’ve asked him to do from the point guard position.’’

Wright was recently honored at an Eagle home game for scoring 2,000 points in his career.

Onyeodi, a senior like Wright, is a native of Nigeria and has been in the United States the last four years.

“He’s skilled in a lot of ways and brings a lot of life and personality to the team,’’ Boyette said of Onyeodi. He called him and Wright “treasures to coach.’’

Onyeodi called Boyette a passionate coach. “I was very privileged to be one of his players,’’ Onyeodi said. “He really helped us grow as a team, grow as individuals.’’

Onyeodi quickly learned about the emphasis Boyette puts on playing defense. “It’s the No. 1 thing he teaches,’’ Onyeodi said. “We just love it. We have to play defense to win games.’’

Wright felt it took the Eagle team a couple of practices to pick up on what Boyette was trying to teach them. “We got along quicker than we thought,’’ Wright said. “The way he taught it makes it easier.’’

Wright said his only concern approaching the postseason is how committed Fayetteville Academy will be to playing four quarters of defense.

“Some games we’ll play two quarters, take off a third and teams will make a run,’’ he said. “We’ve got to be able to finish and play all four quarters.’’

Wright said he will focus on continuing to be the team leader and not crack under pressure.

“That’s about it,’’ he said. “Staying a leader and keeping my team intact.’’

Boyette’s biggest challenge will be finding out something about the teams Fayetteville Academy will likely see in the postseason.

Assuming the Eagles get the top seed, they’ll have a bye in the first round, then a maximum of two home games before advancing to the semifinals at Cary Academy and the finals at Raleigh Christian.

“We’re a confident team right now,’’ he said. “I like our chances of progressing in the tournament.’’

Assuming the Eagles get the No. 1 seed in the tournament, their first home game in the state playoffs would be Thursday, Feb. 14, versus an opponent yet to be determined.

Photo: John-Michael Wright

Meetings

For details about all meetings and activities, including location where not listed, call Town Clerk Jane Starling at 910-426-4113. Most meetings take place at Town Hall or the Hope Mills Parks and Recreation center.

• Historic Preservation Commission Wednesday, Feb. 13, Parks and Recreation Center

• Board of Commissioners Monday, Feb. 18, Luther Meeting Room, Town Hall

• Board of Commissioners Tuesday, Feb. 19, Luther Meeting Room, Town Hall. Special meeting to discuss proposed Donut Hole annexations and recommendations from Town of Hope Mills Plan Review Committee.

• Parks and Recreation Committee Monday, Feb. 25, 6:30 p.m., Parks and Recreation Center

Activities

• Hope Mills Parks and Recreation Senior programs at the Parks and Recreation Center. The Senior programs for people ages 55-plus who are residents of Cumberland County have resumed. The rec center was closed in mid-September after Hurricane Florence. Various activities are now back and are scheduled Monday through Friday throughout the day. For details on times and days, check the schedule at www.townofhopemills.com, call the rec center at 910-426-4109, or email Kasey Ivey at kivey@townofhopemills.com.

• Hope Mills Area Kiwanis Club at Sammio’s, second Tuesdays at noon and fourth Tuesdays at 6 p.m. For details, call 910-237-1240.

Promote yourself

Email hopemills@upandcomingweekly.com

  When Dr. Bob Kretzu leaves Hope Mills United Methodist Church in June, the town of Hope Mills will be losing more than a pastor.

At least that’s the opinion of Hope Mills Mayor Jackie Warner, who’s a member of Kretzu’s congregation at the church.

“He has been an asset to the town of Hope Mills,’’ Warner said. “He went out and helped organize events during the lake festival. He was very involved not only at the church but in the arts and cultural events.

“That was the other plus, his willingness to serve. He will be sorely missed.’’

Kretzu, 66, is planning to retire from congregational ministry and relocate his family to the Asheville area. This did not come about suddenly, he said, adding he has been thinking about it as far as 10 years back.

A father of four, with children ranging in age from 43 to 33, Kretzu said he’s ready to spend more time with his extended family while still being active in the United Methodist Church in the Asheville area.

From his earliest days at Hope Mills, Kretzu felt the need to follow in the footsteps of his predecessor, Rev. Dennis Sheppard, who followed the teachings of Methodism’s founders by stressing something called social holiness.

“I think most Methodist ministers feel responsible for relating to the other Christian churches in the area and being involved in the community,’’ Kretzu said. “Dennis had done a great job of that, being involved in the community, reaching out to other pastors. He headed the clergy association and asked if I wanted to continue that, and I said absolutely.’’

Kretzu took things a few steps further by getting involved in the Lake Festival Committee and helping organize activities, including Church at the Lake and Jazz and Art at the Lake.

“Because of my art background, they invited me to provide leadership in Jazz and Art at the Lake,’’ Kretzu said. “I had been involved in arts councils before in different communities. I really enjoyed that.’’

Kretzu said he will miss the small-town atmosphere in Hope Mills and its trademark events like the annual Fourth of July and Christmas parades.

“That’s wonderful,’’ he said. “That’s wholesome North Carolina.’’

Something else he said he will miss is the area’s large military presence, the largest he’d ever ministered to as a pastor.

He encourages whoever follows him at Hope Mills to get involved with community leadership and the lives of other pastors in the community.

“This church has been involved in the ALMSHOUSE from the beginning,’’ he said. “That’s a wonderful local cooperative ministry.

“You need to be intentional about blocking time for devotions and getting out in the community, getting to know the neighbors, serving the community. I see a lot of pastors who don’t seem to have time for that.’’

As for his retirement plans, Kretzu said he loves being a pastor and there are specific areas of ministry he’d like to focus on. Those include discipleship, small group work, evangelism, mission work and teaching.

“The bishop in the western conference is a former district superintendent of mine,’’ Kretzu said. “I feel like I’ve got connections there. We’ll see what doors the Lord opens up.’’

Photo: Bob Kretzu

 EDITOR’S NOTE: Since this story was written, a number of the senior programs that were indefinitely suspended have resumed. Please contact the recreation staff at 910-426-4109 or Kasey Ivey at kivey@townofhopemills.com for the most current information on what senior programs have resumed.

After an absence of nearly five months, senior programs are back at the Hope Mills Recreation Center.

“We serve hundreds of seniors a month with a variety of programs, fitness classes and creative arts programs,’’ said Kasey Ivey, senior programs supervisor.

But the various programs have been completely shut down since mid-September when Hurricane Florence damaged the recreation center and forced its closure. The town was unable to provide an alternate location for the senior programs to be held, forcing those programs to be suspended until the recreation center reopened Monday, Feb. 4.

Part of the challenge, Ivey said, was to make sure everything was organized and ready to go. There were also a few amendments that had to be made due to changes in the schedules of some of the outside instructors.

One of the biggest changes involves a popular course in chair exercise, which draws as many as 40 participants twice a week.

“Because of schedule changes, that teacher is not returning,’’ Ivey said. Ivey, who has experience in teaching fitness and fitness for seniors, will be taking over the chair exercise program. Those classes will now be held at the recreation center on Mondays and Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m.

Another class that is still undergoing change is yoga. The yoga classes are limited to a maximum of 30 people because of the space available for participants.

When the recreation center opened for seniors Feb. 4, unexpected, last-minute changes forced postponement of the resumption of a number of senior activities. These include yoga, Zumba, Strong Bones and Fun and Fit.

Ivey said all of these activities are postponed indefinitely. The recreation department will make an announcement as soon as any or all of those activities resume.

Ivey encouraged all seniors planning to attend any activity at the center to look over the revised calendar of activities compiled by the recreation department.

It can be viewed here (left) or at www.townofhopemills.com. Print copies are also available at the recreation center.

All who sign up to take part in the senior programs are asked to leave an email address so the town can send them the calendar via email.

Ivey added that newcomers to the senior program must first fill out a recreation center registration form, which is required of anyone who uses the center.

All participants in the senior program must be age 55 or over and reside in Cumberland County.

Ivey said there was a good turnout for the first day of resumed senior activities. There were between 15 to 20 participants in line dancing, 34 in chair exercise and 15 in a program where seniors make sleeping mats from plastic grocery bags for the homeless.

“We’re looking forward to it,’’ Ivey said of getting the senior programs back to full speed. “I’m sure the folks are too. They make friendships here.’’

Those with specific questions about senior programs can call Ivey at 910-426-4109 or email her at kivey@townofhopemills.com.

  The High School Connections program at Fayetteville Technical Community College experienced a record-breaking year for the 2018-19 academic year. Well over 1,000 high school students (public, private and homeschool) are taking college classes this spring at FTCC through the HSC program.

The HSC program at FTCC provides seamless dual enrollment for high school juniors and seniors with tuition-free, college-level classes. Students can choose from programs that lead to accelerated college certificates, diplomas and associate degrees for higher education or access to entry-level job skills.

In 2018, many students graduated with certificates, and some even earned an associate’s degree. While every student’s achievement is widely celebrated, it is especially exciting to see a student graduate from high school and simultaneously receive an associate’s degree.

FTCC is now spreading the word to current high school sophomores, juniors and their families about the upcoming 2019-20 school year HSC opportunities. Students can choose from two tracks.

Career and Technical Education: Students can complete the CTE pathways within an academic year when the program is started during the fall semester. CTE pathways programs fit well with their associate degree counterparts, should students wish to pursue a degree after completion.

Earning FTCC certificates can lead to an entrylevel skilled job. FTCC offers more than 35 certificates, including Early Childhood, Criminal Justice, Nurse Aide, Business Foundations, 3D Animation, Welding and more. This fall, HSC is expanding available certificates to include Cisco Entry Networking, Electronics Engineering, IOS Development Using Swift, Mechanical Maintenance, and SAS Programming.

College Transfer Pathway: The design of the Arts, Science, and Engineering Pathways programs provides students with general education classes —math, English, history, psychology, sociology, political science and more.

These pathways offer a valuable opportunity for students to receive a head start on earning a four-year degree with considerable financial savings. Students who complete classes with a grade of C or higher receive a guarantee to transfer to University of North Carolina institutions.

High school students interested in taking classes through the HSC program at FTCC can reach out to their high school counselor for more information. FTCC hosts Parent Nights throughout the spring semester, which provide students the opportunity to learn more about what HSC has to offer. Students can ask their high school counselor about when FTCC will visit their schools.

During Parent Nights, students can begin creating their HSC enrollment packets. Afterward, students should follow up with their high school counselor to confirm the submission of their completed packets.

FTCC is excited to continue the HSC partnership with local high schools in Cumberland County. For more information, visit www.faytechcc.edu/academics/ high-school-connections. Contact the HSC staff at FTCC at 910-678-8542 for more information.

  North Carolina’s most important emergency is not the next federal government shutdown. Nor is it a fake national emergency on the nation’s southern border.

Our state’s real emergency is a real threat to its dominant position in the world of barbecue.

Forget for a moment about our family spat about whether it is Eastern- or Lexingtonstyle barbecue that is better. We can fight cheerfully among ourselves about that question forever. But, according to barbecue expert John Shelton Reed, there is not much difference between the two, especially if it is real barbecue. Real barbecue, he says, must be cooked and smoked over real wood coals. Otherwise, Reed says, it is not real. It is rather, using the French word for false or fake, “faux ‘cue.”

The immediate challenge to our favorite food comes from CBS’ “The Late Show” host Stephen Colbert. He is a South Carolina native who usually makes his living coming up with new ways to make fun of President Donald Trump.

Last month, however, he resurrected his barbecue war against us.

Making a joke about the good news that a missing 3-year-old Craven County boy had been found, he said the bad news was that the boy was now condemned to a lifetime of eating North Carolina barbecue. He has called our barbecue “a sauceless, vinegar- based meat product” and compared the vinegar to toilet cleaner.

Back in 2004, Colbert grossly chewed a plug of tobacco. When he spit it out, he said he was adding it to “my chaw juice or, as they call it in North Carolina, barbecue sauce.”

He held up a plate, which he said was “as close as we can get to North Carolina barbecue, it’s just shredded cardboard soaked in vinegar.”

Responding for North Carolina, Gov. Roy Cooper tweeted, “Those are fighting words. Vinegar and tomato have their place — y’all have a mustard problem.”

An unsigned comment from BH Media in the Winston Salem Journal cleverly summed up Colbert’s situation with North Carolinians: “You’ve pulled North Carolinians in, Colbert. You may have stepped in some pit.”

But Colbert says he is ready for our attacks. “I welcome your vinegar-stained letters, you poor flavor deprived bastards.”

If you want to send him a vinegar-stained electronic message, write him at www.fastnote.com/stephen-colbert.

Or, you could write him a thank you note. Tell him we appreciate the attention. Even his crazy nonsense helps spread the word. And we welcome the competition. If folks from South Carolina and other states driving home on I-95, I-85 or I-40 stop at some of our classic barbecue eateries and sample the product, I think they will forget about the Colbert craziness.

But there is a problem.

We are losing some of our best barbecue places.

Last month, the massive Bill’s Barbecue near I-95 in Wilson closed after more than 55 years in business. Its founder, Bill Ellis, retired in 2015 and died in 2017. Even when Bill’s 850 seats were full, visiting its bountiful buffet was like a warm family meal. But keeping it going proved to be too much for his widow.

A few weeks earlier, Allen & Son near I-40 and I-85 north of Chapel Hill shut its doors. For many years, owner Keith Allen worked early and late to chop the hickory wood and manage the slow-cooked fire that brings pork shoulders to perfect eating condition. Southern Living praised Allen & Son and made it one of its “Top Picks” in Southern barbecue joints.

Colbert’s sassy comments might annoy us, but the loss of these classic barbecue institutions and the threatened loss of other treasured restaurants is our real crisis.

Visit the David McCune International Art Gallery at Methodist University to take in the works of artist Andy Warhol at “gallery goes POP: Warhol,” on display until April 12. The exhibit, which opened Feb. 7, features 34 of Warhol’s silkscreen paintings from his various art series. The McCune gallery provides an intimate setting for viewing a sampling of works by the famed artist and pop icon.

“This really is a great exhibition that lends itself to not only adults, but obviously children as well,” said Silvana Foti, director of the gallery. “We’re trying to get school children involved.”

Warhol, an American artist, is nearly synonymous with the term “pop art,” an art movement that gained ground in the United States in the late 1950s. Warhol used his background in commercials and advertising to transform everyday items into iconic art recognized by millions.

Although Warhol died in 1987, he remains one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. In just one example of his lasting impact on pop culture, the 2019 Burger King Super Bowl ad featured Warhol eating a Whopper while touting the “have it your way” slogan by telling people to #EatLikeAndy.

Most people are familiar with Warhol’s famous works: Campbell’s Soup Cans, Coca-Cola bottles and Marilyn Monroe. But this exhibit goes far beyond that. Yes, there are some of the expected iconic paintings of subjects like Grace Kelly and Ingrid Bergman. But there are also many surprises.

Prints of other American pop culture figures grace the gallery, including a classic Santa Claus, the Wicked Witch and Superman, which are part of Warhol’s “Myths” series.

Twelve pieces from his “Cowboys and Indians” portfolio are also on display. They pay homage to Western lore and include John Wayne, Annie Oakley and Geronimo as they’ve never been seen before. There are also works from Warhol’s “Flash” series and more.

A lively twist at the exhibit is its sound accompaniment. Methodist University musician and music department employee Yaroslav Borisov created a soundtrack collage that features commercials and sound bites from characters and movies to match the art on display. This soundtrack helps to the viewer connect with the art on another level.

Nicole Dezelon, assistant director of learning at the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, travelled to Fayetteville to conduct educational workshops with visitors earlier this month. She said, “I hope visitors to the exhibition will take away that same sense of wonder and intrigue about the ‘everyday’ that Warhol had. He erased the boundaries between high and low art and made art accessible to the masses."

Dezelon continued, “Warhol said, ‘Once you ‘got’ pop, you could never see a sign the same way again. And once you thought pop, you could never see America the same way again.’

“Once visitors see this exhibition, they will never see Warhol in the same light again. …It tells you a whole different side of who you may think Andy Warhol is. Somebody who misses this exhibition will really miss something spectacular.”

The 34 silkscreen images in this show are on loan from The Cochran Collection, a private collection based in Georgia, and the Ackland Museum at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

David McCune International Art Gallery is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and Saturdays from noon until 4 p.m. It will be closed March 4-11. A donation of $10 per person is suggested to help cover the cost of the exhibit.

To learn more, visit davidmccunegallery.org.

  Kiwanis is an international organization more than 550,000 members strong with a presence in 80 countries. The goal of Kiwanis is to improve the lives of children one community at a time. Locally, there are four Kiwanis clubs working to make life in this community better for kids. Friday, Feb. 22, and Saturday, Feb. 23, the Kiwanis Club of Cape Fear is set to host its 44th Annual Pancake Sale at the Greek Orthodox Church and Hellenic Center in downtown Fayetteville.

“The Kiwanis Club of Cape Fear has two major fundraisers every year, this being one of them,” said Bill Drewry, the club’s president. “Between the two events, we raise between $60,000-$70,000 each year that we give out to organizations that help kids in the community. Our other big fundraiser it our golf tournament.”

For just $6 per person, the public gets all you can eat pancakes and sausage. Coffee is included; orange juice and milk are available for a fee. Bring friends and family and eat in, enjoying time together without the hassle of making a meal and doing the dishes. Or, take the food to-go.

“We have a good time cooking,” Drewry said. “It is a lot of fun and does a lot in the community. We start at about 4:30 in the morning and go until 2-3 p.m.”

Mike Karaman has been part of the Kiwanis Club of Cape Fear for three years. He joked that it was his friends who convinced him to join, but he loves it so much he’s stayed and is serving as the president elect this year.

“I always knew I wanted to give back to the community,” Karaman said. “And joining a civic organization was a good way to do that. Then it becomes a fun thing when you are doing it with friends.

“This event is fun because you get to do something for other people and you get to see other people in the community you may not see all that often. We also do a lot of things as a group, so we build friendships within the organization, too.

“So this doesn’t feel like a chore. It is a fun event for us.” 

Money raised by the Cape Fear Kiwanis helps fund the Bringing Up Grades program, Better Health of Cumberland County, Boys and Girls Club of Cumberland County, Boys and Girls Home of North Carolina, Cape Fear Valley NICU, The CARE Clinic, Catholic Charities, the Child Advocacy Center, Dolly Parton Imagination Library, E.E. Smith High School mentoring program, Five Sparrows, Habitat for Humanity, Homeworks, five key clubs, Lewis Chapel Builder’s Club, the New Parent Support Diaper Program on Fort Bragg, Operation InAsMuch, the Police Activity League, Safe Kids, the Salvation Army, four scholarships, Scholastic Books, Second Harvest Food Bank, Fayetteville Urban Ministry, the USO, the Vision Resource Center and the Westminster Eyeglass program.

“The goal is to help children in the community, and we have a good time in the process,” Karaman said.

The pancake sale runs from 7 a.m.-1 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 22, and Saturday, Feb. 23. The Greek Orthodox Church and Hellenic Center is located at 614 Oakridge Ave. Call Bill Drewry at 910-627-1079 for tickets and for more information.

  Downtown parking expert Jon Martens of Walker Consultants told City Council his firm counted just more than 2,500 public parking spaces within a five-minute walk of the minor league baseball stadium under construction on Hay Street. Now, he said, the city must decide how to manage the parking, especially the 400 spots in the city’s center.

“Finding public parking is difficult for visitors,” Martens told City Council. Making the public aware of available parking is a major challenge to be undertaken by city government. Many people he spoke with didn’t know there’s a parking garage on Franklin Street — within walking distance of the stadium.

Martens recommended paid parking, noting that Fayetteville is the only major city in North Carolina that doesn’t require paying for parking downtown. He suggested $1 an hour would be a practical charge.

Old-fashioned parking meters are not in the scheme of things. Martens envisions the placement of more than 50 kiosks, conveniently located every other block along Hay, Franklin and Russell Streets, plus Bow Street and Maiden Lane. They would accommodate cash and credit card transactions. The latest technology includes phone apps.

Half a dozen companies provide parking kiosks. Parking Panda sets itself apart by partnering with professional sports leagues and stadiums to help people find available parking spots.

To better serve families who don’t know their way around downtown, Martens said wayfinding is the key. Pole signs with recognizable logos would be used to locate off-street parking lots. Martens also said the city should hire a parking manager to keep tabs on issues that might arise. Currently, the city retains a firm to oversee its parking lots.

Accommodating disabled people continues to be a concern for City Council. Councilman Bill Crisp noted Walker Consultants has not made specific recommendations for handicapped parking.

“I do have concerns for the elderly and handicapped,” Councilmember Dan Culliton said. Downtown Fayetteville is part of District 2, which Culliton represents.

The city did not approve an idea offered by Cool Spring Downtown District and the city’s transit system for trollies to shuttle visitors around downtown. A five-month pilot project in which two trolleys would circulate in the downtown area would have cost the city $53,000. Council members were opposed to spending tax money for a project they said should be offered by private business. CSDD said it would put $35,000 toward the program.

The proposal was to operate trollies on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays during the baseball season. Councilman Jim Arp, who was not present but participated by telephone, said he was concerned that people would hop on a trolley to go to games but would not patronize local businesses before and after the games.

It was not clear what the city’s next step will be. The first ballgame in the new stadium is scheduled in April. The cost of the 4,700-seat facility has reached $40 million. Initial estimates placed the cost at $33 million. Mayor Mitch Colvin said at the beginning of the stadium project that the property tax rate would not be increased, and he repeated the pledge to Up & Coming Weekly last month

  The city of Fayetteville has experienced significant growth over the last 15 years. In 2004, Fayetteville’s western city limit was extended to the Hoke County line. This so-called “Big Bang” annexation included 28 square miles and 43,000 people. The city’s population exploded overnight to more than 200,000. The North Carolina Department of Commerce estimated Fayetteville’s 2015 population at just more than 208,000.

In 2000, the U.S. Army Airborne & Special Operations Museum was opened on what used to be the 500 block of Hay Street. It served as a catalyst for the revitalization of downtown Fayetteville. Business and local government began investing in the inner city as never before. In 2007, a new City Hall and adjoining police headquarters opened in the 400 block of Hay Street.

Fayetteville City Council believes the time has come to consider replacing City Hall and the police administration building. City Hall is directly across the street from the former Prince Charles Hotel, which is being renovated into 60 apartments.

The police station is across from the baseball stadium, which is now under construction. That makes both properties valuable areas for retail development, which is one of the reasons officials say it is time to make a move.

It’s been less than 12 years since City Hall was built, but it’s already overcrowded. Three years ago, the city spent more than $1 million renovating the third floor for executive offices. Public parking is at a premium. During their annual planning retreat, council members decided the city should develop a centralized government campus.

That’s an idea Cumberland County Commissioners conceived 30 years ago when they purchased the former Coca-Cola bottling plant property on Ramsey Street. Since then, county social services and public health office buildings have been consolidated on the site. “We’ve got staff all over the city in various locations,” Councilman Bill Crisp said during the retreat.

City departments occupy the Festival Park Plaza building as well as buildings on Lamon and Alexander Streets.

Officials believe a five- or six-story structure is needed to house municipal offices that should be consolidated in City Hall.

But just where should the city relocate its offices? It may be that this project justifies a consultant’s study.

There isn’t a lot of available property in the downtown area. East Person Street has potential as does the southern end of Murchison Road. Revitalization of Murchison Road between Fayetteville State University and the new Grove Street bridges has been given priority emphasis by the city.

There are a lot of unanswered questions for continuation of economic development of the city center. And, as City Councilman Jim Arp noted, that’s the point of all that is underway now between the railroad tracks on Hay Street. Already, planned projects budgeted at more than $100 million are underway. The potential availability of unoccupied property where city government buildings now stand would pave the way for future business expansion.

 The Army said active-duty soldier suicides were up in 2017, according to service statistics. Since 2012, active-duty numbers have fluctuated. The Army reported 165 active-duty suicides in 2012. They dropped to 121 the following year but rose to 126 in 2014. The following two years suicides dipped, but active-duty self-inflicted deaths swelled to 138 in 2017, Defense Department statistics show. It’s the last year for which information is available.

“Like the rest of America, the Army continues to grapple with the loss of too many of our people to suicide,” spokeswoman Col. Kathleen Turner told Army Times in a statement. “The loss of any soldier or Army family member to suicide is a tragedy.”

Suicide information is closely held information at the Department of the Army. The Criminal Investigation Division, where officials said investigations continue, takes media inquiries about suicides.

“We must continue to ensure commanders have the policies and resources they need to prevent suicides, that all leaders have the tools to identify soldiers who are suffering … and that all soldiers view seeking mental health care as a sign of strength,” Turner said.

Communications firm wins stadium naming rights

The Fayetteville Woodpeckers have announced the firm that has won the naming rights for Fayetteville’s minor league baseball stadium. It will be known as Segra Stadium.

The city of Fayetteville and the Woodpeckers “have entered into a long-term agreement with Segra, one of the largest independent fiber bandwidth companies in the United States,” said Woodpeckers President Mark Zarthar. “Segra will serve as the stadium’s Official Communications Services Partner.”

He added that last spring, EQT Partners completed the purchase of a majority stake in Spirit Communications and announced it would combine with the assets of Lumos Networks, which was acquired in 2017.

Lumos Networks and Spirit just last month rebranded their company as Segra. Zarthar did not disclose what Segra paid to earn the naming rights.

Pre-school education opportunities available

Parents interested in enrolling their young children in NC Pre-Kindergarten must have their applications in by March 29. The NC Pre-K program provides free, quality prekindergarten education for families who qualify.

NC Pre-K classrooms are available in several locations, including Cumberland County Schools, private child care sites and Head Start sites. Children must be 4 years old by Aug. 31, 2019, to qualify for the program.

NC Pre-K gives priority to families who meet income eligibility. Additional consideration is given to families whose children have been diagnosed with developmental disabilities. Also given additional consideration are military dependents of active-duty service members or military service members who have been seriously injured or killed while on active duty and have limited English proficiency or chronic health conditions.

The Cumberland County Partnership for Children can provide additional information about NC Pre-K applications. Find out more at CCPFC.org

Professional baseball game start times released

The Fayetteville Woodpeckers, Class A Advanced minor league baseball affiliate of the Houston Astros, has released game start times for the inaugural 2019 baseball season. Local game times for April 18-June 4 are as follows: Monday-Friday, 7 p.m.; Saturdays, 5 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m. For June 10-Sept. 4, game times are Monday-Friday, 7 p.m.; Saturdays, 6 p.m.; Sundays, 6 p.m.

“The start times provide enough time to get home from work and make it downtown for the game, said David Lane, Woodpeckers general manager. “We have earlier start times on weekends so that families can enjoy an afternoon at the stadium.”

The Woodpeckers have sold more than 1,700 advance full- and half-season tickets. Additional flexible ticket packages are now available for purchase.

The Houston Astros own the Fayetteville Woodpeckers, having agreed to a 30-year lease of the stadium now under construction in downtown Fayetteville.

Hope Mills street widening

Two congested streets in the heart of Hope Mills are scheduled for widening. The Fayetteville Area Metropolitan Planning Organization requested that the North Carolina Department of Transportation widen sections of Rockfish and Golfview roads. The town of Hope Mills supports the need to improve these streets, which serve the police and fire departments, town hall, municipal park, a public library and a recreation center.

The proposal is to widen both streets to four lanes with raised medians. The section of Rockfish Road to be improved is between Golfview Road and North Main Street, which is also N.C. 59. The section of Golfview Road is between Rockfish Road and North Main Street.

Maps of the proposed plans were displayed at an open house Feb. 12. DOT project team members were on hand to answer questions and receive feedback. The public can submit comments through March 15. The DOT will consider the comments when finalizing the design. Contact NCDOT project engineer Sean Matuszewski at 919-364-0603 or P.O. Box 1150, Fayetteville, NC, 28302.

Local bank employee promotion

CresCom Bank, the second largest community bank in the Carolinas, has announced the promotion of Kayla Strickland as mortgage loan originator at the Green Street branch in Fayetteville. A native of Lumberton, Strickland has more than 12 years of banking experience. She will be responsible for originating and coordinating the closing of residential and construction mortgage loans.

“Her knowledge of the community and experience in the banking industry will be an asset to our team,” said David L. Morrow, CEO of CresCom Bank.

Before taking on her new role at CresCom, Strickland was a customer service representative.

   Remember the good old days when you could have a Coke and a smile? Our buddies down at the Chemours plant have a bit of a public relations problem — how to make their leftover Gen X more people-friendly and convince folks that it is dandy to have it in their drinking water. Chemours is the company by the Cape Fear River that produces Gen X, which is the replacement, more or less, for Teflon. Turns out, chemical cooties are hard to get rid of.

As part of the process for producing Gen X, Chemours has gotten Gen X in the water and the air. However, Gen X may not be good for humans — or other living things.

Folks around Grays Creek for months to avoid their wells, which have been infiltrated with Gen X. People in Wilmington enjoy Gen X in their water supply drawn from the Cape Fear River. Kindly don’t drink the iced tea while at Wrightsville Beach.

Naturally, some folks have gotten riled up about being possibly slowly poisoned by Gen X. But look on the bright side, isn’t it better to be slowly poisoned than quickly poisoned? The glass is not half full of Gen X, it’s half empty of Gen X. Doesn’t that make you feel better?

The latest interesting factoid about Chemours hit the news in January. It turns out that Chemours has been sending Gen X waste to the Netherlands for disposal. The Netherlands then sent the Gen X cooties to Italy to a company called Miteni SpA. But things went poorly for Miteni SpA. The Gen X cooties ended up in the groundwater near Miteni SpA’s plant. The local Italian citizens were not happy.

Miteni SpA declared bankruptcy and stopped taking Gen X. Oops. The Netherlands then started shipping Gen X back to the Fayetteville Works Plant in Bladen County for disposal. Yep. Bladen County is now a dump for Gen X leftovers from Holland. Kind of makes you feel a bit of solidarity with the Third World as we are currently serving as a dump for chemical cooties in the same manner as Bangladesh, India.

Gen X residue is treated as a hazardous waste in Europe but not in the good old U.S.A. It’s cheaper for Chemours to send Gen X on a cruise on the Love Boat to Holland and then bring it back again to be disposed of in Bladen County.

Chemours’ recent report to the Environmental Protection Agency said that in 2019 it will import from Holland to Bladen County no more than 90 metric tons of what Gen X calls “sludgy liquid,” from which it will remove “Gen X salts.”

Remember the Environmental Protection Agency? It used to protect citizens and not corporation profits. But I digress. If 90 tons of rejected toxic waste sounds bad to you, cheer up. It could have been 100 tons of goo. All of this tends to present Chemours in a bad light. What to do?

Fortunately, Madison Avenue has an answer for every public relations disaster. The usually unreliable sources have revealed that Chemours is considering hiring advertising “Mad Men” superstar Don Draper of Sterling, Cooper, Draper & Pryce to come up with a way to make Gen X in your water and air a desirable result. The proposed advertising campaign will make you thirsty for Gen X. You can be proud to be a guinea pig in an EPA and corporate experiment to determine the long-term effects of drinking and bathing in cootie water.

The campaign is trying several slogans. Vote for your favorite: Taste that beats the others cold — Gen X pours it on. Gen X — It’ll pickle your innards. Have a Gen X and a Smile. Gen X: I’m Lovin’ it. Gen X: Finger lickin’ good. Gen X: Taste the rainbow. Gen X: Your intestines will go Snap, Crackle, Pop.

Gen X: It will give you angel wings. Gen X: The most misunderstood soft drink. Gen X: Because we’re worth it. Gen X is forever. Gen X: Just drink it. Gen X: It keeps going and going and going.

Take the Gen X challenge. Gen X tastes good — like recycled sludge should. Gen X: Come to where the flavor is. Gen X: Drink responsibly. North Carolina runs on Gen X. Gen X: Come thirsty, leave happy. Gen X: Delightfully tacky, yet refined. Gen X: Have it our way. It takes two stomachs to handle a Gen X. Gen X: Drink like you mean it. Gen X: We do sludgy liquid right. With Gen X, no one can hear you scream. Leave the gun, take the Gen X. A man who doesn’t spend time with Gen X can never be a real man.

After Don Draper gets through with his campaign, you will believe that Gen X is good for you. Just when you thought it was safe to drink the water, you’ll want a cool, tall glass of Gen X. And the winning slogan is: “I’d like to teach the world to drink/ In perfect harmony/ I’d like to buy the world a Gen X/ And keep it company/ That’s the real thing.”

Drink up. Trust, but don’t verify.

 North Carolina has taken some hard knocks on the national front in recent years. Most infamous may be the so-called “bathroom bill,” which made our state the laughing stock of the nation with comedians, both television and online, and cost millions in business development and tourism dollars. Now, North Carolinians and the rest of the nation are awaiting the disposition of the last remaining congressional race in the nation, which should have been decided over three months ago along with the other 434 House seats.

The outcome of North Carolina’s 9th Congressional District race remains uncertified because of possible election fraud. At the end of election day, the Republican candidate led by just over 900 votes with more than 282,000 votes cast. Both the state elections board and state courts have declined to declare a winner, as criminal inquiries into election fraud continue.

Our 9th Congressional District is a long, snaky gerrymander that runs from Charlotte to Fayetteville and on to parts east. Voting irregularities involving absentee ballots and a Republican political operative alleged to have handled them illegally are under investigation in Bladen and Robeson counties, with no resolution in sight. It is difficult to imagine that we will ever know what happened. He said, she said — you get the picture.

The only way to get this straight is a new election. It will involve eight counties, and it will be expensive.

There is no other satisfactory option. If the Republican were to be seated, critics would say he won the election through fraudulent voting. If the Democrat were seated, critics would say he stole the election from the winner. Either way, the people of the 9th district — more than three quarters of a million of them — would not be sure that the person representing them is the person who rightfully won the voters’ confidence.

Meanwhile, as investigators investigate and election board members debate and ponder, the people of North Carolina’s 9th District remain voiceless in the “people’s House.”

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The only thing certain in life is change, of course, but many Americans, including this one, worry about the diminution — some would say the demise — of hard news at the local and state levels. We all see how local daily newspapers have become shadows of their former selves.

The main reason for this is the migration of advertising dollars from print to digital, many of those involving national outlets. Not only does this shift translate into more national news and fewer stories about what local city councils, county commissions, school boards and legislatures are up to, it means that local dollars are heading out of town to places as far away as Silicon Valley.

What we don’t know can — and does — come back to bite us.

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My favorite news story this week involved Amazon CEO, Jeff Bezos. He’s said to be the richest person on the planet with a net worth at least a googol of more than $136 billion. That is surely more money than he could spend even if he tried.

Not so much to his credit, Bezos admits to having an affair while married, an affair that involved body part selfies. Some of these photos made their way to the tabloid The National Enquirer, which allegedly threatened to print them if Bezos, who owns The Washington Post, did not call off Post reporters working on a story about the tabloid and its unusual media practices.

To his credit, Bezos not only did not flinch at the threatened embarrassing exposure, he accused The Enquirer of extortion. Since then, Ronan Farrow of The New Yorker magazine has also accused The Enquirer of blackmail.

It takes self-confident and strong people to stand up to bullies, whether in person or in print. As Theodore Roosevelt might say if he were still here, “Bully for Bezos and Farrow.”

  It doesn’t make any difference whether you are white, black, Hispanic, Asian, gay, straight, Democrat, Republican, Libertarian or a young budding snowflake, you should be aware and concerned that our government at all levels is spiraling out of control.

From wasting tens of millions of dollars on futile investigations and Russian collusion theories to the threat of another government shutdown to ignoring our nation’s commitment to the safety and security of its citizens by refusing to secure our southern borders, we are in a tailspin.

And now, we face the Green New Deal with its socialist agenda and concerns over the first world’s carbon footprint and its toxic effect on the survival of our planet. It’s crazy!

We have a government that’s full of radical assumptions, accusations and condemnations yet void of solutions or concrete plans to accomplish anything. No answers, no remedies and no leadership.

When did pettiness, jealousy and greed take priority over fairness, decency and the overall welfare of humanity? When did government start defending lawlessness, condemning and penalizing success, rewarding criminals and passing state laws that allow a child to be born only to have its life terminated on its birthday? This is sad, scary and true.

It’s the age-old good versus evil dilemma, and it looks like evil is the predominant influence. We see this trend of nonproductive, negative behavior at all levels of government.

It’s sad but not hopeless. Americans are sensible and passionate human beings. We are and will continue to be the leaders of the free world. I’m confident that at some point someone will step up in a leadership position that will get our priorities back in line so the generations that follow can enjoy the American dream — not the nightmare that is forming today.

Let’s all hope that logic and civility will prevail and become our highest priorities so that in the end, we may again enjoy a less contentious way of American life.

Thank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly.

 It can be hard to imagine what goes through a person’s head as they put together an amazing season of entertainment, much less 27 of them in a row. That’s how long Community Concerts Attractions Director Michael Fleishman has been putting together top-notch entertainment for Fayetteville. He and the volunteers at Community Concerts do it every year, and each concert season, the only goal is to be better than the previous year. They consistently pull it off, bringing top performers to Fayetteville at great prices. Friday, Feb. 22, Three Dog Night takes the stage for a night of rock and roll that will have the audience singing along and dancing in the aisles.

“Three Dog Night is an incredible show,” Fleishman said. “We had them here years ago. It was incredible then, too. It is still one of the most successful groups of all time. … With this show, it is hit after hit. You will know every single song.”

The group’s set list is extensive, with many of their songs appearing in commercials and major motion pictures. A few crowd pleasers include “Mama Told Me Not To Come,” “Black and White,” “Shambala” and “One.”

The band includes founder and lead vocalist Danny Hutton along with Michael Alsup, Paul Kingery, Pat Bautz and David Morgan. Their achievements include 21 consecutive top 40 hits, including three No.1 singles and 12 gold albums. Three Dog Night has hits in pop, rock and country genres across the world.

After a strong start with Michael McDonald’s “Season of Peace” concert in November, Three Dog Night is the second in Community Concerts’ rockfilled five-concert season. “Last year was more song and dance with a touch of magic,” said Fleishman. “It had a more Broadway-esque feel. This year we wanted more concerts. More rock and roll.”

“Choir of Man,” the next show in the Community Concerts series, is set for Feb. 27. Part of the inaugural North American tour, this show has been a hit at music festivals around the world. “Choir of man is a show that is highly regarded,” Fleishman said. “Don’t let the name fool you. It is a stand-up-and-sing show. It has a working set with a piano and a working bar. The audience can go up prior to the show; it is very participatory. ‘Choir’ is a misleading name. This show is on fire.”

Friday, March 15, The O’Jays — Rock & Roll Hall of Famers — bring more than 50 years of electrifying energy to the Crown.

Band members Walter Williams and Eddie Levert first met when they were the ages of 6 and 7, respectively. As teenagers in Canton, Ohio, they formed a band originally consisting of Levert, Williams, William Powell, Bobby Massey and Bill Isles. In 1963, the band took the name The O’Jays in tribute to Cleveland, Ohio, radio disc jockey Eddie O’Jay. While several members have changed, Levert and Williams continue to lead the group.

“Backstabbers” is one of the band’s early hits. From there, this group topped music charts with various pop and R&B singles, including “Love Train,” “Put Your Hands Together,” “For the Love of Money,” “I Love Music,” “Darlin’ Darlin’ Baby (Sweet, Tender, Love),” “Livin’ for the Weekend” and “Use Ta Be My Girl.”

The O’Jays were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2005. They were also inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2005 and honored with BET’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009. In 2013, of Fame. Today, the songs of The O’Jays are still used in many movies, commercials and TV shows.

“The O’Jays are an iconic group of performers,” said Fleishman. “Tickets for their show are available now. But don’t wait too long. The phone has been ringing off the hook.”

While the concert series is underway, Fleishman noted that there are still options available for season tickets to cover the remainder of this year’s concerts — at an attractive price, too.

The season concludes Thursday, April 4, with America. The group has six gold/platinum albums. Founding members, Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell, along with former bandmate Dan Peek, met in high school in London, England, in the 1960s and quickly harmonized their way to the top of the charts with their signature song, “A Horse with No Name.”

Almost 50 years later, they are still making music together and thrilling audiences around the world with their timeless sound.

Their best-known tunes, which also include “I Need You,” “Ventura Highway,” “Don’t Cross the River,” “Tin Man,” “Lonely People” and “Sister Golden Hair” dominated the ’70s and have become rock standards.

Community Concerts has been a part of the Fayetteville arts landscape for more than eight decades. It set the standard for what great performing arts organizations can and should do to help a community thrive artistically. Beyond a dedicated team of volunteers and a commitment to bring the best music available to this community, the organization’s passion has spilled over into other beneficial music related programs.

In 2008, Community Concerts decided to create a way to celebrate and honor those who have brought musical distinction to the community. As a result, each year, at one of the season’s concerts, new inductees join the distinguished members of the prestigious cohort in the Fayetteville Music Hall of Fame.

In addition to recognizing locals for their musicrelated achievements, Community Concerts helps aspiring musicians chase their dreams by awarding scholarships to local high school graduates. The program started in 2004. To date, nearly 30 students have received scholarships.

There are other ways Community Concerts supports local artists. One example is its local artist showcase program, which puts local performers onstage during regular season shows. Local performers to participate in the local artist showcase include Voices of the Heart, which opened for Gladys Knight; students from Linda Kinlaw’s School of Dance, who performed with Martina McBride; and Trae Edwards, who performed at the Ricky Skaggs Show.

Community Concerts also provides free concert opportunities to select groups. Some of the groups who have already benefitted from this program include the Vision Resource Center, Fayetteville Urban Ministry, The Sunshine Center, members of local fire and police departments, high school theater art classes and members of the military.

For tickets and information, visit community-concerts.com/about-us.