Fayetteville Woodpeckers Announce “Woodpeckers Sports Fund,” Available to Cumberland County High School Athletes

The Fayetteville Woodpeckers recently announced the establishment of the Woodpeckers Sports Fund, in partnership with Cumberland County Schools. This opportunity will be open to high school athletes in the Cumberland County School District, playing fall and spring sports.

Courtesy of the Fayetteville Woodpeckers’ Community Leaders Program, the Woodpeckers Sports Fund will distribute a total of $10,000 per school year to high school athletes in need of assistance for sports fees, uniforms, or other costs associated with participating in their school’s sports.

Athletes may apply for assistance through the Woodpeckers Sports Fund later this summer for the fall semester and late fall for the spring semester.

The Woodpeckers Sports Fund was announced May 5, during the Second Annual Jackie Robinson Showcase, which brought six local Title I high school baseball teams to Segra Stadium. The Woodpeckers and Community Leaders Program partners are proud to support young athletes by providing the resources they need to develop physically and mentally into future leaders in our community.

For more information about the Fayetteville Woodpeckers, please visit www.fayettevillewoodpeckers.com.

Cape Fear Valley Health Foundation is able to provide outings for cancer-affected families with children through the Karen Parker Allen Memorial Endowment. The purpose of the grant from Cumberland Community Foundation, Inc. is to give patients the opportunity to enjoy normal family activities without focusing on their cancer diagnosis. The intention is that the activities will also allow a child to feel like a child during a difficult time.

Karen Parker Allen passed away in 2016 at age 55 after a valiant five-year battle with stage 4 colon cancer. She is survived by her husband and nine children. She is best known for her incredible love for her family and her passion for living. In that spirit, her family established the Karen Parker Allen Memorial Endowment of Cumberland Community Foundation in her loving memory.

“Cape Fear Valley Health Foundation and the Friends of the Cancer Center are very grateful for the endowment and the Cumberland Community Foundation for making this program possible,” said Vice President of Cape Fear Valley Health Foundation Sabrina Brooks. “Once the patients are identified, the Friends of the Cancer Center Advisory Council works directly with each family to plan an outing of interest.”

The program creates a day of activities for the entire family to have fun experiences together, such as a day at museums or parks, outdoor activities, special learning opportunities, sporting events, or other activities.

“We want families to have a day to enjoy normal family activities without having to focus on cancer treatment schedules or other things that may be associated with the cancer diagnosis,” Brooks said.

Activities have included going to the movies, the North Carolina Zoo, a Marksmen hockey game, trampoline park, going out to dinner and more.

To make their voices heard before the Fayetteville City Council, residents must now sign up to speak at the council’s monthly public forums by 5 p.m. the day of the meeting.

Previously, residents could sign up until the beginning of the meetings, which usually start at 7 p.m. The City Council holds public forums monthly during its meetings on the second Monday of each month.

The City Council approved the change May 8 by a vote of 5-4; council members Derrick Thompson, D.J. Haire, Kathy Jensen, Brenda McNair and Mayor Pro Tem Johnny Dawkins voted for the change. Council members Mario Benavente, Shakeyla Ingram, Courtney Banks-McLaughlin and Deno Hondros voted against it.

Mayor Mitch Colvin was not present at the meeting because of a family emergency. Jensen, whose committee spearheaded the change, argued that the new sign-up process is more efficient and allows city officials to better assist residents who wish to speak.

“If the person has a question, we can make sure that we take care of it,” Jensen said.

Haire pointed out that residents can still sign up by email or phone if they can’t do so in person by 5 p.m. Benavente said he is concerned the new policy could exclude people who prefer the in-person sign-up.

“Some people don’t go online, and some people just would rather be here and hear it themselves or take some of the agendas that are printed out for them in person,” Benavente said.

“Those folks who are not on the computer all the time may not be tech savvy, who still want to participate in the public forum,” Benavente continued. “Should they arrive during the day of the meeting where we have public forums, (they should) have a way to sign up. I think eliminating that without any real evidence of harm in the way that we currently do things, it’s just a sort of unnecessary restriction on people’s ability to participate in the public forum.”

The deadline to sign up for public hearings, as opposed to public forums, will not change. State law requires a public hearing for certain municipal policy changes such as the term extension proposal debated by the City Council weeks prior.

The deadline to sign up for those hearings will still be until the start of the meeting. Council member Ingram said the difference in policies could cause confusion.

“It doesn’t make sense to have two different times to be able to sign up for anything,” Ingram said.

The Spring Lake Board of Aldermen has applied for a rural transformation grant to revitalize Main Street, the board said at its May 8 meeting at Town Hall.

Mayor Kia Anthony also announced that the N.C. Local Government Commission is in full support of the town seeking the funding and that the town is capable of properly overseeing the award for downtown development. That is a turnaround from when the commission took control of the town’s finances amid concerns of budget deficits, fiscal disarray, and missing money.

“As you know, we are under Local Government control, and we have been since October 2021. While we were writing this grant (application), we needed to get approval from the LGC to apply for funding. Not only did they give us approval, but they also gave us a glowing letter of support,” said Anthony.

Susan Edmundson, secretary of the Local Government Commission and a deputy treasurer of the state and local government finance division of the Department of the State Treasurer, submitted the letter of support on behalf of the Local Government Commission.

In the letter, she wrote that the commission has worked closely with the board and town officials to improve the town’s budget discipline and business practices.

Edmundson reported that the town is in a much better fiscal position and the finance staff is working toward a positive audit, expected to be complete by late summer.

The town is seeking $478,000 for downtown revitalization efforts through the North Carolina Department of Commerce. Those efforts include curb and gutter improvements, pedestrian walkways/sidewalks, gateway signage, landscape improvements and moving utility lines underground. The project is expected to take two to five years to complete and will have multiple phases. This is the initial application for the first phase. The town plans to submit more applications over the next few years to complete the project.

New police officers

In other news, Police Chief Dysoaneik Spellman introduced four new police officers including Detective Antoinette Hurtt and patrol Officers Cornell Causey, Malik Passmore and Paulo Paulo.

“We have been filling vacancies and slowly but surely have been chipping away at it,” said Spellman as he introduced each officer to the board.

Interim Town Manager Jason Williams, who also is the town’s fire chief, lauded Spellman for hiring the new officers.

“People are feeling safer in Spring Lake,” said Williams.

Williams added that the town is working with national phone service T-Mobile to mount cameras to help with crime prevention and record illegal dumping.
The board also gave unanimous support to create a special events committee to work with departments including fire inspections, medical services, police, vendor permits, traffic services, solid waste, street maintenance and health inspections.

One of the first events the committee will coordinate is First Friday on Main Street. The town is also planning two more events through the Military and Veterans Affairs Committee.
The Spring Lake Veterans Day ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. May 26 at Spring Lake Veterans Park at Main and Ruth streets.

Alderman Marvin Lackman said the committee is looking to host a Veterans Day ceremony to serve the community’s growing veteran population on Nov. 5 at Spring Lake Recreation Center. He said the committee is seeking veterans service organizations to participate.

The next regularly scheduled work session of the town board is scheduled for 6 p.m. May 22.

Again, Rep. Richard Hudson attempts to convince the people of North Carolina that he actually works for the people of North Carolina, when reality is showing otherwise.

In 100 Days under the so-called leadership of Kevin McCarthy, the Republican Party claims accomplishments that in reality have barely gone beyond the U.S. House of Representatives.
Not one piece of legislation they have wasted time and millions of taxpayer dollars on has become law — not one. Only one bill managed to get through the Senate, where it was promptly vetoed by President Biden.

Are we missing something, Rep. Hudson?

Rep. Hudson claims they “defunded” the incoming new IRS hires meant to assist with taxpayers and to tighten up enforcement. According to recent articles in Washingtonexaminer.com and usnews.com, not only are new agents being hired, they are undergoing training now.

So, nothing has been defunded, Rep. Hudson. Soon, millionaires and billionaires will be paying their fair share of taxes whether you like it or not.

House Republicans, including Rep. Hudson, are trying to preach “fiscal responsibility” to the nation while, at the same time, are wasting MORE of our taxpayer dollars on frivolous investigations of the social platform Tik Tok, Hunter Biden, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. What are these “investigations” uncovering?
ZERO. ZILCH. NADA. BIG FAT GOOSE EGG.

Now, McCarthy, Hudson, and the House GOP are attempting to hold the American economy hostage with a debt ceiling bill that does nothing but heap more misery on the American people.
President Biden made it clear in his State of the Union speech that Social Security and Medicare, two programs millions of Americans depend on, were off the table in regards to
budget cuts.

Obviously, House Republicans blatantly ignored that message. Not only are they callously targeting Social Security and Medicare, they're also targeting Medicaid, SNAP, and other vital programs.

And, House Republicans are aiming to cut veterans benefits.

Also, House Republicans have been posting their lies and rhetoric all over Twitter, claiming “This is for America.” Guess what? A most recent poll shows that American voters do not support this. So again, Rep. Hudson, who are you trying to fool?

One thing is certain: This bill will not go any further as written. The U.S. Senate has already declared it dead on arrival.

Now, Rep. Hudson, if you truly care about North Carolinians, especially our veterans, you and Kevin McCarthy will go back to the drawing board and deliver a clean debt ceiling bill. Now.

If America does go into default, a real possibility, then the consequences will be borne solely by the Republicans, not the Democrats, not By President Biden, and history will clearly show this.

So, if the Republican Party wants to test the will of the American voters, they had better be prepared for some bad news in 2024!

— Keith Ranson
Fayetteville

Editor's note: Keith Ranson refers to a column by Rep. Richard Hudson appearing in the May 3 issue of Up & Coming Weekly. It can be read at www.upandcomingweekly.com/views/9735-republican-party-showing-results-in-congress.

“I go on the principle that a public debt is a public curse and in a republican government more than in any other.” — James Madison

House Republicans made a commitment to deliver an economy that’s strong and a government that’s accountable.

With our nation now staring down a debt crisis as a result of years of reckless spending, yet again, we are following through on our promise.
The days of President Joe Biden’s out-of-control spending in Washington are over. Last week, we delivered for the American people with the passage of the Limit, Save, Grow Act.

It will responsibly address the debt crisis while also limiting Washington’s spending, saving your tax dollars, and growing the American economy. Washington Democrats have tried to mislead you about the legislation, even saying it would cut funds for the VA or veteran benefits. You know me — I would never support something like that. The left are using our nation’s veterans as a political football to spread lies and instill fear to gain political advantage.

The truth is this legislation does not cut benefits but simply freezes spending at 2022 levels — levels once praised by President Joe Biden. It also reclaims billions in unused COVID-19 tax dollars, defunds Biden’s IRS army of 87,000 agents, and requires single, childless adults to look for work while on welfare programs — all while preventing the U.S. from defaulting on its debt and protecting your hard earned money.

You and your family deserve answers and strong leadership, and House Republicans have delivered a responsible plan that would save $4.8 trillion over the next 10 years, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

We have done our job. If President Biden and Senate Democrats don’t like the plan we passed, they can offer an alternative and we can negotiate. President Biden, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer all have a long history of engaging in and supporting similar negotiations in the past.

In fact, as Vice President, Biden led debt limit negotiations in 2011. Debt ceiling negotiations are nothing new, and recent polling showed an overwhelming 74% of Americans want President Biden and Chuck Schumer to negotiate with Speaker McCarthy.

Instead of presenting a tangible alternative, Senate Democrats and the President have wasted critical time and are placing our country’s credit on the line.

You deserve better from your elected leaders, and are too smart to fall victim of their political games.

While many in Washington play games with your tax dollars, I will always stand up for you and your family and stay focused on working across the aisle on common sense solutions to improve our community, state and nation.

In North Carolina, Medicaid expansion is a foregone conclusion. The General Assembly approved the necessary legislation. Gov. Roy Cooper signed it. While expansion is contingent on the passage of a state budget, no one doubts that’ll happen. So, the governor finally secured his highest legislative priority.

Republican leaders got a few reforms of the certificate-of-need system, which will break up some of our state’s medical monopolies. And hundreds of thousands of uninsured North Carolinians will be enrolled in a health plan for which they’ll pay nothing.

All gain, no pain? Of course not. Medicaid expansion isn’t “free.” Every time a state says yes to federally financed expansion, America’s federal budget gets further out of whack and America’s taxpayers are plunged deeper into debt. And every time a state offers residents “free” health care, demand goes up — including in emergency departments — while the supply of medical facilities and professionals lags behind.

That’s why Phil Berger and other leaders of the North Carolina Senate included in their Medicaid-expansion plan several measures to expand supply. Cooper and the House gave a partial yes to one of them, CON reform. Unfortunately, they gave a flat no to another supply-side change: allowing advanced-practice nurses to operate more independently.

The term of art here is “scope-of-practice” reform. It allows nurses to provide the full array of services for which they are licensed without having a physician take a cut of their fees. Limiting the scope of nursing practice has the effect of raising prices and limiting services to patients, especially in sparsely populated or impoverished areas where it may be uneconomical for doctors to set up shop.
Advanced-practice nurses have gone beyond undergraduate degrees to obtain additional education and training. Some, nurse practitioners, provide generalized or family care. Others specialize in a category of care, such as nurse midwives and nurse anesthetists.

Physician organizations are, not surprisingly, skeptical if not openly hostile to scope-of-practice reform. While the prospect of losing revenue to advanced-practice nurses is one of their concerns, I’ve talked with enough doctors to know that many also sincerely believe patients with serious conditions will be poorly served by nurses practicing on their own — that some patients will be misdiagnosed, provided incorrect or inadequate treatment, and perhaps even die as a result.

This objection isn’t a frivolous one. It deserves serious consideration. Because there’s a significant variation in how states regulate the practice of nursing, however, this objection can be tested with real-world data. Do places where nurses are allowed to practice independently up to the level of their licenses exhibit higher rates of medical accidents, chronic disease, or mortality?

In a paper just released by the National Bureau of Economic Research, Emory University scholars used two measures — malpractice awards and adverse action reports involving advanced-practice nurses — to look for harmful effects of scope-of-practice reform on medical outcomes. Here’s what they found: states that have granted full practice authority to their nurses have seen no such increase in patient harms.

Indeed, the economists concluded that “physicians may benefit from the law change in terms of reduced malpractice payouts against them.”
This is hardly the first study to reach a similar conclusion. Some years ago the National Governors Association published a comprehensive survey of peer-reviewed research on advanced-practice nursing. The studies generally found that nurse practitioners “provided at least equal quality of care to patients as compared to physicians,” and in particular that they “rate favorably in terms of achieving patients’ compliance with recommendations, reductions in blood pressure and blood sugar, patient satisfaction, [and] longer consultations.”

If patients prefer to visit a physician, they should have every right to do so. But if they’re comfortable with a nurse practitioner — and don’t want to drive a long distance to wait at a doctor’s office — shouldn’t they also have that right?

Scope-of-practice reform didn’t make it into the Medicaid-expansion deal. But there’s still plenty of time left in the 2023 legislative session to rectify that mistake.

The Gilbert Theater has been a cultural fixture of Fayetteville since its humble beginnings. In 1994 Lynn Pryer founded the Gilbert Theater in the basement of his home. Eventually, it settled into its current location on the second floor of Fascinate-U Children’s Museum on Green Street, in the heart of historic downtown Fayetteville where it continues to captivate audiences.

After three decades of producing numerous plays and musicals, the theater is proud to announce its 30th Season.

When asked what he attributed Gilbert’s staying power to, Lawrence Carlisle III, Artistic Director of the Gilbert Theater, commented with “Tenacity. Creative honesty. Love. These are a couple of the reasons for the Gilbert’s staying power. I took over three months before the pandemic started and decided then that this would not be the thing that brought down the theater. That tenacity in the face of so much uncertainty is a testament to the Gilbert’s strength as an arts entity in this town.”

The Gilbert Theater’s 30th season is set to be an exciting one, with four productions from the past being revisited and one brand new play being performed on the Gilbert stage for the first time.

The four classic productions will include “The Rocky Horror Show,” “A Christmas Carol,” “In the Blood” and “Assassins.”

Alongside these classics, the theater will be showcasing a brand new work, “Ivories,” from up-and-coming playwright Riley Elton McCarthy.
Whether you’re a long-time fan or a newcomer, the 30th season of the Gilbert Theater is sure to be one to remember!

“For the 30th I wanted to reproduce four shows from our past, and I didn’t really have any specific criteria beyond that,” said Carlisle. “I tried to pick things with wide appeal, and name recognition. I wanted to choose pieces that, hopefully, the audience would remember the Gilbert’s previous production of and that they would be excited to come back and experience it again.”

Here is the 2023-2024 30th Season line-up:

“The Rocky Horror Show” (Oct. 6 to 22) is a cult classic for sure and the perfect show for the October slot. “The Rocky Horror Show” is a must-see! This musical pays homage to classic sci-fi and horror B movies and takes the audiences on a journey with newly-engaged couple Janet and Brad, seeking shelter from the rain. What they find is a world of madness and chaos led by the eccentric Dr. Frank-N-Furter. Don’t miss the chance to dress up and “participate” in this cultural phenomenon.

“A Christmas Carol” (November 24 to Dec. 17), an adaptation from Charles Dickens’ most beloved story, “The Christmas Carol,” is a holiday favorite. Ebenezer Scrooge, with the help of three spirits, is compelled to acknowledge his mistakes and reevaluate his outlook on life. By Christmas morning, Scrooge is filled with gratitude and ready to spend the day with those he holds dear. Let this uplifting classic help you celebrate the joy of family around the holidays.

“In the Blood” (Feb. 2 to 18, 2024) is inspired by Nathaniel Hawthorne’s classic novel, “The Scarlet Letter.” “In the Blood” is a modern-day narrative of a woman seeking to improve her children’s lives while being condemned by her peers. Drawing on many of the same motifs as Hawthorne’s book, such as sexuality, social guilt, and a female’s endeavor to outrun her past, “In the Blood” additionally deals with motherhood, race and poverty. Written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks, the production of “In the Blood” will most likely trigger many powerful dialogues well after the curtain falls.

“Assassins” (March 8 to 24, 2024) is a Tony-winning musical written by Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman. It will captivate its audience with its exploration of the lives of nine individuals who attempted to, or succeeded in, assassinating one of the Presidents of the United States. Captivating and haunting, “Assassins” is considered the most controversial musical to ever exist. Expect to be shocked and enthralled in equal measure with original, daring and humorous content.

“Ivories” (April 26 to May 12, 2024) follows Sloane, a playwright, who has gone back to her hometown with her spouse to look after her grandma, who appears to be inflicted with dementia. The longer she stays, and with each passing day, more of her childhood trauma and mysteries begin to surface. Is there something far more diabolical lurking underneath?

So, looking ahead to the next 30 years, what can we expect to come? Carlisle and the staff at the Gilbert Theater hope to see the theater become an outlet for those looking to express their creativity and take risks.

“I hope the Gilbert will continue to be a safe space for the more off-beat shows,” said Carlisle. “I hope the Gilbert remains a relaxed atmosphere, conducive to collaborations. And lastly, I hope the Gilbert inspires people to go after their dreams, fight the good fight, and realize that their creative expression matters.”

We all look forward to more quality productions from the Gilbert Theater for the next 30 years. We celebrate the theater’s dedication to keeping theater in downtown Fayetteville alive and thriving.
The Gilbert Theater is located at 116 Green Street in Fayetteville.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.gilberttheater.com.

All photos by Jonathan Hornby.

Mother’s Day is upon us, and Fayetteville and surrounding areas have some unique and fun options for everyone. Here is your list of ideas to celebrate love for your mother or a mother in your life.

Mother’s Day Carriage Rides

Surprise your special someone with an intimate carriage ride through the Cool Spring Downtown District. They will bring their beautiful Queen Victoria Carriage to the district and provide private carriage rides on May 13, from 1 to 9 p.m. at the Cool Spring Downtown District’s office (222 Hay Street). Each private carriage ride will take you on a scenic 15-17 minute ride through the district in 20-minute intervals.

Private carriage ride tickets will be a flat fee of $75 per private carriage ride. Tickets can be bought online at bit.ly/416768F. If you have any questions before you purchase your tickets, please call the Cool Spring Downtown District’s office at 910-223-1089.

Wine & Candle Design Brunch

Scented Wicks Candle Bar will be hosting a brunch event you don’t want to miss. This unique candle making experience will include a delicious brunch catered by Mo’Flava. The menu includes: fresh fruit, turkey or pork bacon, scrambled eggs, chicken & waffles and deviled eggs topped w/cajun shrimp. This brunch will take place on May 14 from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. at 3109 N. Main Street in Suite 102 in Hope Mills. Tickets are $80 a person and can be bought at scentedwickscandlebar.com. If you have any questions, call 910-339-1137.

Pampering in the Park

Celebrate the special women in your life with brunch at the Cross Creek Park, 200 Green Street. This event is catered by Elegant Catering service GloCity Event and includes a variety of food choices from breakfast to dinner. Treat Mom to a meal where she can relax and not have to clean up afterwards, where she can enjoy her special day with the ones she loves. There is one seating. Be sure to get your tickets because this will sell out. This event will be on May 14 from 1 to 4 p.m. Tickets prices are $10, $45 and $75. The $10 ticket will allow entry to the event, free samples from the vendor, and an event passport. Tickets can be bought online at bit.ly/3HIGBzl.

Brunch on Base

Join Fort Bragg for an all-you-can-eat brunch to celebrate mom! This brunch will take place on May 14 at the Iron Conference Center from noon until 2 p.m. The event will feature family style seating. Reservations are required. To make a reservation, call 910-907-2582 by May 11 at 4 p.m. This event is open to the public. Adult tickets are $29.95, children ages 5 to 11 are $15; children 4 and under are free.

Mimosas & Macarons

You are invited to join 2313 Glitter Ave Boutique on May 13 for Mimosas & Macarons, a Mother’s Day Celebration Shopping event. Come and shop new arrivals in sizes small to 3X.
There will be light refreshments, a flower bouquet bar by Downtown Market and a Free gift with a $30 purchase. Come down with your Mom, bring your bestie, spend time with your daughter or pop in by yourself and have a girls day! The event will take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 1009 Marlborough Road.

Moms & Mimosas

Moms & Mimosas is a day that is catered for moms to do something just for them! Come relax, paint, sip on mimosas and enjoy taking time to just “let go.” Have to bring the kids? There will be a separate room with kids crafts, movies and snacks to keep them thoroughly entertained while moms can go and enjoy something for themselves. This event by The Chamber of Hues, 4001 Fayetteville Road in Raeford, takes place on May 13 at 11 a.m. Tickets are $45 and can be bought at thechamberofhues.com/products/moms-mimosas-5-13-23.

Downtown Brunch

Join Huske Hardware Restaurant for their Simply Southern Mother's Day Brunch in beautiful Downtown Fayetteville! Brunch favorites include their Signature Salmon and Huske Benedicts, Steak and Eggs, Biscuits and House Sausage Gravy, Country Fried Steak and Eggs, Chicken and Waffles, and other dining favorites. They will highlight their Stella Rosa Mimosas that include flavors such as Peach, Berry, Blueberry, Pineapple, and a traditional Moscato Mimosa! Their full bar will be open, and will be serving brunch from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Reservations are highly recommended and can be made by emailing events@huskehardware.com. Reservations are held for 15 minutes before the table is released. All parties must be present to be seated.

Wildflower Hike and Craft

Moms, bring your little one out to Carvers Creek State Park for some one-on-one bonding time on Mother’s Day! There will be a 1-mile StoryWalk and a fun craft to remember the evening. The event will take place on May 14 at 4 p.m. Meet at the park office at the Long Valley Farm Access in Spring Lake. Sign up for this program by emailing carvers.creek@ncparks.gov or by calling 910-436-4681.

North Carolina has its own Old Testament prophet. Maybe you remember from Bible study those prophets who preached about the people’s responsibility to care for the poor.
Elijah stood up to the authority of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel and the prophets of Baal. (I Kings 18).

One of the most famous prophets is Micah, known for his oft-quoted direction to “do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8). He also condemned those who mistreated the poor.

Jeremiah condemned those who “oppress the poor and needy and deprive them of justice.” (Jeremiah 22:3).

Amos condemned those who “trample on the poor and force them to give you grain.” (Amos 5:11).

In his new book, “Lessons from North Carolina: Race, Religion, Tribe, and the Future of America,” Gene Nichol takes on the role of North Carolina’s prophet. He writes about the abuses by those in power. He writes most eloquently about the poor and North Carolina’s exploitation and inattention to them, condemning ways the powerful oppress the powerless.

Nichol is a professor and former dean at the UNC Chapel Hill Law School. He served as law dean at the University of Colorado (1988-1995) and was president of the College of William & Mary (2005-2008). He served as the director of UNC’s Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity until it closed in 2015.

In Chapter 1, “Rejecting the American Promise, The Reembrace of Racial Supremacy,” Nichol attacks the actions of the state legislature for having “blown through” the barriers which had seemingly been set in stone. They included “the right to vote, majority rule, free and fair elections, freedom of speech and religion, equal protection of the laws, unnecessary separation of powers, and an independent judiciary to keep the channels of democracy open and guarantee the rule of law.”

In Chapter 2, “Politics, Tribe and (Unchristian) Religion,” Nichol asserts that “the chasm between the political agenda of most white Christian evangelicals and the teachings of Jesus is wide — beyond wide.”

In Chapter 3, “Politics and Poverty,” Nichol, like the Old Testament prophets, points out that North Carolina has some of the developed world’s highest rates of poverty, child poverty and child hunger. He mourns that this terrible situation “triggers no meaningful, majority-sponsored, state anti-poverty initiatives.”

In Chapter 4, “Destroying a Priceless Gem,” Nichol details examples of intervention by political figures in the operation of the university, including closing of the Poverty Center at UNC Chapel Hill, which he had led, in retaliation for his critical newspaper articles.

In Chapter 5, “Movement vs. Partisan Politics,” Nichol opens with “It is no exaggeration to claim that, over the last dozen years, the North Carolina General Assembly has waged one of the stoutest wars launched by any American state in the past half century against poor people, people of color, the LGBTQ + community, public education, the environment, and even democracy itself.”

In Chapter 6, “The Limits of Law,” Nichol mourns the takeover of the U.S. Supreme Court by the “originalist adventurism” of former Justice Antonin Scalia and the current Supreme Court justices.
In his final chapter, Nichol addresses “Democracy, Equality, and the Future of America.” Speaking of the choices before the legislature, he writes “if they have to choose between white ascendancy and the Declaration of Independence’s commitment to the equal rights of humankind, then apparently, it’s an easy choice. Power, not democracy, is what matters.”

Like the prophets of old, Nichol stirs the pot. Maybe too much. Maybe not enough.

The field of Information Technology is growing and evolving. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment, as many as 70,000 openings are projected every year. The job market is constantly growing.

Having an Information Technology knowledge base opens the door to pursue a vast number of different careers within the field. The demand for technology specialists is high, as new advancements are continually on the horizon and the financial reward is great.

Technology is becoming more and more prevalent in our lives, so why not become a part of helping to build and maintain it? The Information Technology PC Support & Services program at FTCC introduces students to just about all areas of the IT discipline.

Students take courses in networking, programming, and security with a focus on hardware and software. Students learn the necessary troubleshooting techniques to save the day when technology issues arise.

I am often asked about the math requirements for studying Information Technology, and my answer is always the same. Outside of the general education requirements all associate degree students must take, you don’t have to take another math class another day in your life unless you choose to do so.

The beauty of the field of IT is that there are many different areas you can study.

I also often hear from individuals who say that they do not like computers. When I ask them why, nine times out of 10 their answers include some level of being intimidated by computers. Working with computers is challenging, but I’m here to persuade you not to be intimated by computers. At Fayetteville Technical Community College, we’ll teach you everything you need to know to be successful, and I promise you that you will not be overwhelmed by math-related questions.

We have students from all walks of life who come to us to earn a skill and then go off to be successful in their careers. Whether you just graduated from high school, are coming back to school for a career change, or are not quite sure which direction to turn, you can find many program areas to choose from at FTCC.

We offer everything from certificate programs, which can be completed in one semester, to associate degree programs whose credits transfer to various four-year universities.

There is an expression, “money makes the world go ‘round.” Being an IT professional and educator, I’d like to add to that expression that it’s data that makes the money that makes the world go ‘round. You’ve also heard the expression, “the world runs on Dunkin” but in my view, the world runs on data.

Data molds everything we do, so it is vital that data be managed properly, kept secure, and made accessible. The Information Technology Database Management program at FTCC prepares graduates for this purpose. FTCC has avenues to make pursuing a 4-year degree with transfer of FTCC credits a seamless process.

For more information, please contact sobersto@faytechcc.edu or 910-678-7365.

As another successful season comes to an end, the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra welcomes the community to their final concert of the 2022-23 season — a Fayetteville Celebration.

The family-friendly concert will be held at Huff Concert Hall on Methodist University’s campus on Saturday, May 13. Featuring Fayetteville’s beloved symphony orchestra and several gifted collaborators, the Fayetteville Celebration will be a night of amazing talent and beautiful music.

“We’re closing this season with my personal favorite,” said Meghan Woolbright, Marketing and Office Manager for the FSO. “Our mission is to educate, entertain and inspire our community. No matter where you come from or who you are — we want you to come and enjoy symphonic music.”

Including their seven concerts this past season, the FSO has made good on their “music for everyone” initiative with their popular Symphony Movie Nights and free community concerts throughout the year.

Educational programs such as their upcoming summer camps and youth orchestras keep the symphony connected to the community while building the next generation of musicians in Fayetteville.
The community-oriented nature of the organization makes this last concert especially profound, as it’s a collaborative effort between the FSO and others who strongly uphold the arts in Fayetteville.

The Cape Fear Regional Theatre, along with trumpeter Kris Vargas, Ukrainian opera singer Alina Cherkasova, and the Con Fiero Vocal Experience, are all scheduled to perform.
Selected pieces for the Fayetteville Celebration include “Four Seasons of Buenos Aires” by Astor Piazzolla featuring Concertmaster Fabián Lopez on violin, Jose Moncayo’s “Huapango,” and “An Orkney Wedding” by Peter Maxwell Davies, to name a few.

“There will be so many different types of music,” Woolbright shared. “There will be some gospel from Con Fiero and a little bit of jazz from Kris Vargas. This is such a diverse group of collaborators — we’re really excited.”

The Fayetteville Celebration begins at 7:30 p.m. and will run about 90 minutes long. For those looking to make a night of it with dinner and drinks downtown, a trolley service departing from 310 Green St. at 6:30 p.m. will drop off concertgoers at Huff Concert Hall free of charge, no reservation necessary.

Tickets are available on the symphony’s website or at the door on the night of the concert. Children under six years of age may attend for free. Tickets for those 6-18 are $5. Discounted tickets for seniors, veterans, Cumberland County School employees, and Methodist University faculty are $25. Tickets for college students are $8, and adult general admission tickets cost $32.

The FSO is already planning the 2023-24 season, and full-season tickets will be available for purchase at the Fayetteville Celebration concert.

“We’ve got a really exciting season lined up for next year,” Woolbright said.

To purchase tickets or learn more about the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra, visit www.fayettevillesymphony.org/.

The North Carolina General Assembly is bustling with activity. Lawmakers are considering a dramatic increase in parental control over the education of their children, major changes in school governance and the structure of state government, pro-consumer reforms of the state’s energy policies, an acceleration of pro-growth tax cuts, huge investments in public buildings and infrastructure, tighter restrictions on abortion, and dozens of other high-profile measures.

Even if none of these passed, the current session would be notable for the passage of Medicaid expansion, which brought more than a decade of rancorous debate to a close. But many other consequential bills will pass.

Here’s hoping the 2023 session will be remembered in part as the “affordable housing session.”

Because North Carolina is an attractive place to live and work, prices would be rising across many of our housing markets even if Washington policymakers hadn’t bungled their way into an inflation crisis.
What’s making it much worse, however, is the extent to which local regulations unnecessarily raise the cost of building, selling, and renting homes to willing consumers.

Lawmakers have filed several bills to address the problem. One of them, House Bill 409, recently passed that chamber with a gigantic 106-7 margin and now awaits action in the North Carolina Senate. It confirms the right of North Carolinians to build accessory dwelling units, known as ADUs, on their property even if it’s currently zoned for single-family housing.
ADUs — sometimes called granny flats or tiny houses — are already allowed on single-family lots in many communities. And H.B. 409 doesn’t prevent a locality from regulating certain aspects of their construction or use. But it does prohibit localities from requiring that only family members may live in such units, for example, or from imposing minimum parking requirements.

Another measure, Senate Bill 317, would offer property-rights protection in a different situation: when developers purchase large parcels of land (at least 10 acres) and designate at least 20% of the homes they build as “workforce housing,” most of which must be sold to households of modest means. By meeting these conditions, developers would receive exceptions from some costly local regulations.

“This bill is a targeted free-market response to our housing crisis,” said one of the primary sponsors, Sen. Paul Newton, “and it is intended to ensure houses get built.”

I agree. Still, there are passionate critics of these bills, and of others that seek to curtail the regulatory power of counties and municipalities. They argue that localities possess the authority to impose housing and zoning codes for good reason — that people who already live in or near the affected communities ought to have a say in what’s built there.

Now, just to be clear: in North Carolina, at least, the relationship between local governments and the state isn’t comparable to the relationship between state governments and Washington. In the latter case, delegates from already sovereign state governments met in 1787 to fashion a new federal constitution. It was then ratified through a state-by-state process. Subsequent amendments, starting with the Bill of Rights, were also ratified by a process in which states were represented and after which a requisite number of state electorates had to approve.

By contrast, North Carolina localities have only the power granted to them by the legislature. I do think localities should retain some regulatory authority over land development, though primarily to ensure proper connections to adequately provided infrastructure.

But they shouldn’t be able to use housing or zoning codes to enforce some residents’ preferences over others — including future residents who don’t yet live in a given jurisdiction and whose interests are represented by those who aspire to build and sell homes to them.

This distinction is simple to state but, admittedly, challenging to implement. I see legislation such as H.B. 409 and S.B. 317 as striking a better balance between the legitimate powers of local governments and the legitimate rights of property owners.

The result is likely to be more-affordable housing for North Carolinians.

Currently the First Amendment right to freedom of speech, together with the democracy to which it is foundational, has increasingly become an endangered species. It is under attack by calls for censorship coming from both the Left and the Right.

From the Left it takes the forms of political correctness that has a stranglehold on many of our colleges and universities with its proscribing certain words and of the pernicious movements of so-called “wokeism” and cancel culture. An example of politically correct ideology run amok was Stanford University’s banning the use of the term “American,” though, after the predictable outrage, they backed down saying that they had intended merely to discourage the use of the word. An egregious example of cancel culture was the removal of a statue of Thomas Jefferson from New York City Hall’s Council Chamber because a council member felt “uncomfortable” with it.

From the Right it takes the forms of banning books from libraries, forbidding the teaching of certain topics like gender, critical race theory, and racism. A frightening statistic from a recent survey is that 62% of college students said it is “at least sometimes acceptable” to shout down a speaker, and one in five students said that using violence to stop a campus speech is “sometimes acceptable.”

What motivates all these calls for censorship is that the speech objected to may give offense to some. Thus, some Muslims at Hamline University took offense at an alleged image of Mohammed that a professor showed in his class which they thought blasphemous even though no one knows what Mohammed looked like. Had the image borne an inscription that did not identify it as Mohammed there would have been no problem. That professor was summarily fired.

Books have been removed from school and public libraries because only a single parent has deemed them offensive — a tyranny of one! There is no end to this madness. These are echoes of 1984. The 11th Commandment of these self-appointed zealots and scolds is, “Thou shalt not offend!” But why shouldn’t we? We have an unwritten right to offend by our speech if we wish, though we may be impolite or imprudent in doing so, but we have no God-given right not to be offended. Indeed, we are sometimes justified in giving offense. Thus, Socrates rightly gave offense to the Athenian leaders as Jesus did to the religious authorities.

Nevertheless, our exercise of free speech is in some cases justifiably restricted and sanctioned by law. These are cases when the speech actually or potentially harms others. These restrictions are justified by what the nineteenth-century English philosopher, John Stuart Mill, calls the “harm principle.” It was anticipated by Thomas Jefferson in his comment advocating the right of freedom of conscience: “The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. It does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.” It was later articulated more fully by Mill in his classic defense of free speech, On Liberty: “the sole end for which mankind are warranted, individually or collectively, in interfering with the liberty of action of any of their number, is self-protection. That the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others.”

The limits that Mill places on our actions are determined by our duties to society among which are “not injuring the interests of one another; or rather certain interests which, either by express legal provision or by tacit understanding, ought to be considered as rights.”

Note that Mill distinguishes between generic interests and those that “ought to be considered as rights.” Individuals have an interest in material things like food and shelter necessary for their self-preservation, and no less an interest in immaterial things like peace of mind for their psychological well-being.

Furthermore, the public has an interest in ensuring its safety, and the state has an interest in maintaining its security — these interests may or may not conflict with those of the individual. These are generic interests. But individuals also have interests in their opportunity to speak freely, to assemble peacefully, and to exercise their conscience by worshiping, or not, as they choose. These interests are rights.

What Mill says about actions in general applies particularly to speech insofar as speech is a form of action. Speech ought not to injure either the generic interests of others or their rights. Speech injurious to the generic interests of others includes blackmail, perjury, libel, or false alarms like yelling “Fire” in a crowded cinema when there is no fire.

Examples of speech injurious to the rights of others include the press’s publishing information that would compromise the defendant’s right to a fair trial, or someone’s making public another’s medical history in violation of their right to privacy. Unquestionably, these kinds of speech do not qualify for protection under the First Amendment and are outlawed — no one has either a moral or legal right to such speech.

Should, then, offensive speech also be restricted? I think not. My reason is that offensive speech, unlike libel and incitements to riot, are not injurious to either others’ generic interests or their rights and so do not violate the harm principle. Offensive speech does not cause material harm to anyone: it neither injures nor kills them, deprives them of their wealth, nor damages their reputation. It merely offends one’s sensibilities; taking offense is a form of indignation. As the saying goes, sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never
hurt me.

I cannot imagine that the Muslim students offended by the depiction of Mohammed or the council member discomforted by Jefferson’s stature were so psychologically devastated that they consigned themselves to psychiatric care.

People have been fired from their jobs for offensive speech such as making racist or homophobic remarks. But the only justifiable grounds for firing them is their inability or unwillingness to do their job.
However, such people should be censured if not censored. Mill distinguishes between legal and social penalties. Legal penalties, for example, would be those imposed by the courts on libelous speech. Social penalties, on the other hand, would be those imposed by the court of public opinion and would in some cases be appropriately imposed on offensive speech.

Mill again: “The acts of an individual may be hurtful to others, or wanting in due consideration for their welfare, without going to the length of violating any of their constitutional rights. The offender may then be justly punished by opinion, though not by law.”

Thus, the appropriate penalties for personnel making offensive remarks in the workplace would be their being shunned or remonstrated against by their colleagues.
In conclusion: We ought to enjoy to the maximum the right of freedom of speech, foundational to democracy, unless it materially harms others.

The U.S. Army Special Operations Command conducted a Change of Responsibility ceremony on Meadows Field at USASOC Headquarters on Fort Bragg May 1.

Lt. Gen. Jonathan Braga, USASOC commanding general, officiated the ceremony by bidding farewell to Command Sgt. Maj. Michael R. Weimer and welcoming Command Sgt. Maj. JoAnn Naumann as the incoming command sergeant major.

“It’s a special day for USASOC,” Braga said. “I’m honored to be part of this phenomenal opportunity to mark Mike’s achievements and dedication to our team and also privileged to welcome JoAnn and her family here today.”

The change of responsibility ceremony is steeped in military traditions and serves the dual function of rendering honors to the departing senior enlisted leader and providing official transfer of authority to the incoming command sergeant major.

“Welcome back to the USASOC family,” Weimer addressed to Naumann and her spouse, Sgt. Maj. Thomas Baird, during the ceremony. “Neither of you are strangers to this formation, and I couldn’t have been more excited... when the commander made the decision that you were the best athlete to replace me. I have the utmost confidence in your ability to continue the high standard of leadership required to shepherd this amazing formation with its current missions but also evolving it for 2030 and beyond.”

Naumann previously served as the Special Operations Command-Korea’s command senior enlisted leader. She enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1996 as a voice language analyst, completing the Arabic Basic Course at the Defense Language Institute and Advanced Individual Training at Goodfellow Air Force Base. Naumann’s assignments include serving as the Joint Special Operations Command J2 senior enlisted advisor, command sergeant major for the 15th Military Intelligence Battalion (Aerial Exploitation), and JSOC Intelligence Brigade.

“Thank you for the opportunity to serve the men and women of ARSOF (Army Special Operations Forces),” Naumann said.

“It is my honor to be a part of this team. I’m excited to be back at Fort Bragg … You’ve managed to invest in people while driving the mission forward, and you’ve certainly done that during your time here at USASOC. I know well how much you invest in people because you’ve done that for me. I can’t imagine a more exciting time to be joining the USASOC team.”

“Our nation and the world are at an inflection point,” she said. “We’re challenged by new adversaries and rapidly advancing technologies, yet ARSOF is absolutely leading the way, and that is because we have the best people. To the men and women of ARSOF, you are the most talented professional, and dedicated people I know.”

Weimer has been serving as USASOC’s senior non-commissioned officer since August 2021. His next assignment is serving as the 17th Sergeant Major of the Army.

The Cape Fear Botanical Garden’s upcoming event, A Garden Gathering, Farm-to-Table Dinner, will raise awareness and support for Cape Fear Botanical Garden’s mission. The event is scheduled for May 17, from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m.

The Cape Fear Botanical Garden’s mission is to transform people’s relationship with plants and the natural world. Further, according to the Garden, their vision is to create and sustain a national caliber institution with gardens and programs of exceptional quality.

Cape Fear Botanical Garden is a premier destination in the region for people to connect with nature and to expand their horizons through educational and cultural programs.

The Garden Gathering is presented by Mercedes-Benz of Fayetteville, and all proceeds from this event go towards sustaining the gardens and the various programs at Cape Fear Botanical Garden.
The Garden Gathering, Farm-to-Table Dinner event starts at 5:30 p.m. with the Floating Cocktail Hour in the garden, followed by opening remarks at 6:45 p.m.

Then, at 7 p.m. is the Cape Fear Eye Associates Stroll followed by an al fresco casual Farm-to-Table dinner prepared by Elliot’s on Linden featuring locally sourced ingredients and sustainably grown cuisine served on the Snow's Pond Lawn. The event will also feature live music, raffles, an auction, and more.

The Cape Fear Botanical Garden is a nonprofit founded in 1989 and situated on 80 acres. It was founded with the dual purpose of providing a learning environment for the horticulture students at Fayetteville Technical Community College and offering a resource for the local horticulturists. It is a conservation and exhibition site for plant species and communities native to the Cape Fear River basin.

The garden features diverse landscapes, including nature trails, a natural amphitheater, steep ravines showcasing unique plant life, and more. Additionally, Cape Fear Botanical Garden hosts a range of events, such as weddings, military balls, ceremonies and business gatherings.

This event is sure to delight and inspire. Explore Cape Fear Botanical Garden and learn about the diverse plant life that thrives there while enjoying their commitment to local culture and environmental sustainability.

There are a number of ticket options. One ticket is $150, including dinner, open seating and non-valet parking.

The 4-ticket package is $690, including a Household Garden Membership (valued at $90), reserved seating for 4, dinner and valet parking for the ticket holders. The 8-ticket package is $1,450, including a Patron Garden Membership (valued at $250), reserved seating for 8, dinner, and valet parking for the ticket holders. The valet parking will be provided courtesy of Valley Auto World.

Cape Fear Botanical Garden is located at 536 N. Eastern Boulevard in Fayetteville. For more information visit www.capefearbg.org/.

Fayetteville Technical Community College announced that Tammy Thurman will be the keynote speaker for the College’s 61st Annual Commencement exercises.

Graduates will be recognized in two ceremonies at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on May 12 at the Crown Coliseum. Thurman will deliver the keynote address at both events. The public is welcome to attend.
Thurman is the Senior Community Relations and Government Affairs Manager for Piedmont Natural Gas, where she seeks to build sustainable relationships with community stakeholders and groups. She is also a member of the FTCC Board of Trustees, a position she’s held since November.

Thurman has been dedicated to community service, serving in various capacities for a number of years. She attributes her desire to encourage and help people in part to her own experience of surviving Stage 2 ovarian cancer.

She is a member of the Board of Visitors at Fayetteville State University; the Advisory Board for the North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities; and the Board of Trustees at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center.

She is the immediate past chair of the Board of Directors of the Greater Fayetteville Chamber and chaired its CEO/President search/nominating committee.
She is also a member of the chamber’s Military Advisory Council and has chaired the SIM (Spouses in Military) Conference for the Chamber and the USO of North Carolina at Fort Bragg.

Thurman is a previous member of the United Way of Cumberland County’s Board of Directors, has co-chaired the Go Red for Women campaign by the American Heart Association, served as an event judge for Ethics Bowl competition, and been a member of The Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County’s “True to Yourself” Black History Month committee.

She has been recognized numerous times for her service. Thurman is the recipient of the 2019 Governor’s Award for Volunteer Service, the 2020 Chairman’s Award, the 2022 Woman-Owned Business of the Year Award and the United Way of Cumberland County’s Loaned Executive of the Year award. She has also been nominated for the Athena Award twice.

Thurman, who is a native of Dunn, holds a Bachelor of Arts from St. Augustine University. She is an author of the book “Women Crushing Mediocrity.”

Let us go then, you and I, where famous quotes are misinterpreted and spread out against the sky, like a patient etherized upon
a table.
Apologies to T. S. Eliot for grinding the opening lines of his epic poem, “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” into this affront on English literature. You can decide whether to read it or use it to wrap fish.

Today we shall examine the event horizon of collected quotes to see what harm we can do to their meaning. One would hardly think someone named J. Alfred Prufrock would have a love life. However, Prufrock children are proof that Mr. Prufrock looked good to Mrs. Prufrock.

There are many profound quotations just waiting to be ingested into wisdom. This column will ignore all of those to focus on the frivolous instead. If you are expecting anything other than my usual drivel, please stop reading and turn to the crossword puzzle. This is just more of the same random typing. Today’s quotations deal with lots of things: Pessimism, the human condition, inspiration and robots.

Let’s look at pessimism first. One of my personal favorites is “It’s always darkest before the storm.” Who can forget the scene in “Apocalypse Now” when the Cajun soldier gets out of the boat and is nearly eaten by a tiger? In fear he yells: “I didn’t get out of 8th grade for this!” Classic.

“The arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward chaos.” That is the yin to the yang of Reverend Martin Luther King’s famous quote.

“The beatings will continue until morale improves.” Sounds like a plan.

“The ax forgets. The tree remembers.” Precious memories, how they linger.

Aristotle said: “Envy is the pain caused by the good fortune of others.” A couple of thousand years later, Gore Vidal echoing that cheerful thought said: “Every time a friend succeeds, I die a little.”

Speaking of death: “After you are dead, how would you like to be remembered? Answer: Occasionally.”

Emily Dickinson reminds us: “Because I could not stop for Death/ He kindly stopped for me/.”

Don Marquis, creator of Archie and Mehitabel, foreseeing TV Preachers, explained: “A Pharisee is someone who prays publicly and preys privately.” Religiosity at its finest.

Next up, the human condition: An Arab proverb says: “It is good to know the truth and speak it, but it is better to know the truth and speak of palm trees.”

A Chinese proverb intones: “When a finger points at the moon, the imbecile looks at the finger.”

Dorothy Parker’s back handed compliment: “This wasn’t just plain terrible. This was fancy terrible. This was terrible with raisins in it.”

Rod Stewart on humility: “Think of me and try not to laugh.”

Cheery Russian proverb: “If you wake up and you’re not in pain, you know you are dead.”

Motto on a T-shirt in Asheville: “I do not intend to tiptoe through life only to arrive safely at death.”

Mark Twain on the afterlife: “Go to Heaven for the climate. Go to Hell for the company.”

Huck Finn on deciding to help Jim escape slavery: “All right, then, I’ll go to Hell.”

John Prine marveled at another man’s potential saying: “He’s got muscles in his head that ain’t never been used.”

Inspiration: Jack London summed it up saying: “You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.”

George Will on aging: “One of the consolations of old age is the knowledge that one isn’t going to die young.”

Tennessee Williams on creativity: “What is talent but the ability to get away with something.”

Andy Warhol echoed this saying: “Art is what I can get away with.”

Our old buddy Voltaire getting three sheets of music to the wind, reminds us: “Life is a shipwreck, but we must not forget to sing in the life boats.”
Undoubtably, the greatest philosopher of all time is Ernest T. Bass of Mayberry, USA. The importance of being Ernest cannot be overemphasized. Ernest unselfishly shared his wisdom. Ponder Ernest’s quotes to guide your life accordingly.

Mr. Bass on love: “I’m a little mean, but I make up for it by being real healthy. Say you’ll be mine. Say you’ll be my Beloved.” On courtship of Charlene Darling: “First I wrote her a love note asking her to go on out with me. And then I tied it on the prettiest rock you ever did see. And then I give it the prettiest toss ya ever did see right through the front window.”

“And if you wonder who I be, It’s me, It’s me. It’s Ernest T.- Whoo hoo!” If we were all more like Ernest T. Bass, the world would be a better place.
In conclusion, let us never forget the famous words said to Gort the Robot in “The Day the Earth Stood Still” — “Klaatu, Barada, Nikto.”

Three years ago, the world came to an unexpected halt with the onset of COVID-19 and the subsequent efforts to stop its spread.

Three years later, the world has come back to life — but at a cost — or so it seems to Pastor Robert James of First Baptist Church and other worship leaders in the Fayetteville community.

“We haven’t really come back,” James explained. “The world is not the same. There’s still a dark cloud — a need to come together and call God for help. We need to be revived.”

With a revival in mind, Pastor James and leaders from Hay Street United Methodist, One Church Covenant Fellowship, First Presbyterian Church, and Luke AME have come together to create the first-ever “Revive All” in Fayetteville. From Sunday, May 14 through Sunday, May 21, First Baptist Church will host a city-wide revival to restore the community’s heart, mind and spirit.

“This is the church’s response to the reality we find ourselves in post-COVID,” James said. “If anyone has a background in hope, resurrection and renewal — it’s Christians. Our entire faith is based on belief in bringing back what has died.”

The event’s name, “Revive All,” is less a clever play on words and more a comment on the scope and objective of the project. While worship, prayer and the ubiquitous revival tent will be present — if a revival has “rules,” then the “Revive All” seeks to break them.

While an annual revival is a typical event in the Christian faith, what Pastor James and his co-sponsors are attempting to do is unique. Five ministers of different churches and denominations will spend each night of the “Revive All” focused on a specific spiritual element in need of revitalization.

“We’ve been forced to retreat into ourselves for so long, people have missed a sense of community … they don't realize how much they need each other,” said James.

“Every night of the ‘Revive All,’ we’re asking God to revive just one thing.”

Starting Sunday, May 14, the “Revive All” will each day revolve around themes such as joy, family, grief, and commitment to bring unbroken focus to the elements of spirituality and worship that really matter. The inclusion of different denominations is an attempt to erase ideological division, which can so often keep people from coming together in faith.

The “Revive All’s” aim is to remind the people of Fayetteville that irrespective of faith-based traditions, “we still need each other. We all need a community of people to care for,” said James.

“At the end of the day, we’re united in our faith,” James continued. “All of our reasons and traditions may differ — but we are the same at the core and root. The needs in our community are larger than one church or denomination.”

Due to the influx of cultures, religions, and beliefs into the area, Fayetteville has been a receptive site for this groundbreaking initiative.

“It seems to be seeped into the ground here,” James said. “It [The Revive All] has not been a hard sell. We’ve gotten amazing contributions … people believe in what we’re trying to do.”
Ultimately, the “Revive All” is a community-wide celebration of things both lost and remembered, a rallying cry for the faithful to take up arms against the chaos and uncertainty of the past few years.

Each night’s thematic focus is the church’s holistic attempt to heal what’s broken by reviving each part of the spiritual body to save the whole.

Schedule of Themes

• Sunday, May 14: Revival of Joy in Worship at 6 p.m.
• Monday, May 15: Revival of Faith and Family at 5:30 p.m.
• Tuesday, May 16: Revival of Community and Church at 6 p.m.
• Wednesday, May 17: Revival of Grief and Hope at 6 p.m.
• Thursday, May 18: Revival of Christian Unity at 6 p.m.
• Friday, May 19: Revival of Repentance and Commitment at 6 p.m.
• Saturday, May 20: Revival of Missions and Service at 8 a.m.
• Sunday, May 21: Living Revived Lives at 11 a.m.

Each theme has a related activity to bring the community together in worship. A family-oriented service will include hot dogs, snow cones, games, and a bounce house on Monday.
Tuesday, “Revive All” worshippers will hear testimony and a message from guest speaker Bishop John Godbolt, co-pastor of One Church Covenant Fellowship, on the importance of community.

Wednesday, a special memorial service led by Rev. Marvin T. Clowney, chaplain for Cape Fear Valley Medical Center, will be held. Thursday, five worship leaders from different churches and denominations will preach jointly on the question, “Why, Jesus?” Friday, a community-wide Communion service. Saturday, worshippers will go out into the community to spread love through acts of kindness and service.
Sunday, congregants will return to their traditional houses of worship, and all participating pastors will preach the same sermon: “How to Live a Life Revived.”

“This is a chance to not just go to church but be the church,” James said. “I’m consistently scared and excited. God trusts us a lot to put something like this together. I don’t know what will happen — I just know what I hope.”

First Baptist Church is located at 201 Anderson Street in downtown Fayetteville. Except for May 17, when the service will be conducted in the sanctuary of First Baptist, all services will be held in a tent at the rear of the First Baptist building at the corner of Anderson Street and Maiden Lane.

The “Revive All” is intended to be the combined efforts of churches across Fayetteville and surrounding areas. If any pastor or church member would like to join the effort, contact Rev. James at 910-728-6880.

Chances are your mama, like mine, advised not talking about politics, religion, or sex in polite conversation. My mama told me I could never go wrong by keeping my thoughts on those topics to myself. It has been like skiing uphill.

I have long since violated her admonition regarding politics, both in many a conversation and in print on this very page. Now I am tackling religion with the expectation that not everyone wants to hear “just the facts, ma’am,” but here goes.

The secularization of western society that began in our peer European nations in the 19th century seems to have arrived and accelerated in the United States. The Gallup organization reports that church, synagogue, or mosque membership was at 73% when it was first measured in 1937 and held fairly steady until the late 1990s when it took a nosedive. By 2020, Gallup found that less than half of us, 47%, reported organized religious membership. The Wall Street Journal and researchers at the University of Chicago recently found that while 62% of Americans said religion was very important to them in 1998, only 39% agreed with that in 2023.

All of that said, many Americans still hold religious beliefs and pray regularly even though we may not belong to a house of worship. Mark Chaves, a Duke Divinity School professor put it this way, “The decline in religious belief and interest is much slower than the decline in organizational participation.” University of Chicago research finds a small percentage of people, 7%, who identify as atheists

The founders of our United States were largely Protestants from the Church of England, itself established for a decidedly secular reason. King Henry VIII wanted a divorce so he could marry his girlfriend. Whatever their religious backgrounds, our founders were so adamant that government and religion be separate matters that they wrote separation of church and state into our Constitution. The words “under God” were not added to our pledge of allegiance until 1954, and it has been the subject of many lawsuits over the years.

That separation has been a tough standard from our beginning.
Americans of all sorts have used religion to articulate their own beliefs on all sorts of political, social, and cultural issues, including alcohol and drugs, slavery, abortion, civil rights, women’s rights, gay rights, immigration, race, and the list goes on and on. We invoke religion to justify why we support laws and governmental policies that discriminate against people who are different from us, people we perceive as “other” in some way. This is not new, and pundits describe the current outbreaks of religious justification of all manner of discrimination as “culture wars.”

Thomas Jefferson, a Christian, contributed enormously to the framework of our nation, and he put it this way. “I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should ‘make no law respecting the establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,’ thus building a wall of separation between Church and State.”

In other words, each of us is free to practice any religion we choose and are free to choose none at all. What we are not free to do is use the power of government to impose our religious beliefs on our fellow Americans.

And, not to worry. I will not be sharing my thoughts on sex any time soon.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III will deliver the 2023 undergraduate commencement address at Fayetteville State University on May 13, according to the university’s communications office.

The ceremony will be at 9 a.m. May 13 at the Crown Coliseum. Austin, a retired Army four-star general, is the nation’s first African American secretary of defense, according to a news release.
Additional information about FSU's commencement and graduate programs can be found on the university's website. The ceremony will be held at 9 a.m. May 13 at the Crown Coliseum.

“We are honored to have Secretary Austin deliver this year’s commencement address commemorating an auspicious occasion for our students, their families and our entire Bronco community,” said Chancellor Darrell T. Allison. “His leadership and selfless commitment to service of country is undeniable. As a strong partner with the military-connected community and the No. 1 HBCU in the nation that enrolls military-connected students, this historical moment of having Secretary Austin inspire our FSU graduates is greatly validating.”

Sworn in as the 28th secretary of defense on Jan. 22, 2021, Austin previously served a tour as the Army’s vice chief of staff. He concluded his uniformed service as commander of U.S. Central Command, responsible for military operations in the Middle East and Afghanistan, according to the news release. In that assignment, he led U.S. and coalition efforts to battle ISIS in Iraq and Syria.

Austin retired from active duty in 2016. His 41-year career in the Army included commands at the corps, division, battalion, and brigade levels, the release said. He was awarded the Silver Star for his leadership of the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division during the invasion of Iraq in 2003. In 2010, he became commanding general of U.S. forces in Iraq, the release said.

A native of Mobile, Austin was raised in Thomasville, Georgia. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point with a bachelor’s degree and a commission in the Infantry. He holds a master’s degree in counselor education from Auburn University and an MBA in business management from Webster University, the release said.

Austin is also a graduate of the Infantry Officer Basic and Advanced courses, the Army Command and General Staff College, and the Army War College. He is married to FSU alumna Charlene B. Austin, Class of 1979.
Since retiring from military service, Austin has served on the boards of Raytheon Technologies, Nucor and Tenet Healthcare, the release said.

Methodist University celebrated more than 250 undergraduate and graduate students during its 60th spring commencement exercises Friday and Saturday, May 5 and 6.

“I am so very proud of your accomplishments,” said Methodist President Stanley T. Wearden. “Not only have you completed challenging and important degree programs, but you have done so during a difficult time in human history. I hope you see in yourselves what I see in you — a deep reservoir of strength, character and compassion. These are qualities that will serve you for a lifetime of success.”

The university celebrated “Commencement Weekend” with three ceremonies for the Class of 2023 over two days: a graduate commencement and Baccalaureate service on campus on Friday and an undergraduate commencement at the Crown Coliseum on Saturday, according to a university news release.

Friday’s graduate commencement welcomed hundreds of family members and friends to Huff Concert Hall as more than 60 students received master’s and doctoral degrees. Methodist offers 10 graduate programs, including business administration, physician assistant studies, occupational therapy and physical therapy.

Mike Nagowski, chief executive officer of Cape Fear Valley Health, was the keynote speaker. Nagowski helped create a partnership between Methodist University and Cape Fear Valley Health to establish a medical school at Methodist.
Nagowski was presented an honorary doctor of humane letters degree recognizing his service to Fayetteville and the region.

“Adapting and overcoming the challenges that you were presented with was something few others have had to overcome,” Nagowski said in his keynote speech. “As the world and your job markets change — and they will change — you have learned to adapt and change. This is what will make you stronger and more valuable to yourself, your family, the work you choose to do, and your community. … Go forth with all that you have learned, adapt fearlessly to challenges of the world around you, and make a lasting impact in your communities.”

Before receiving their diplomas onstage, the graduates participated in a hooding ceremony, a long-standing tradition at Methodist. Someone selected by each graduate — often a parent, spouse, child, professor, or friend — hoods the graduate to mark academic achievement. Afterward, Wearden stood with graduates as they received their diplomas onstage.

The Baccalaureate service was held in Matthews Chapel to recognize the graduates. Ashleigh Adamson, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in music performance, performed along with the university chorale. The Rev. Clay L. Barrow, senior pastor of Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Greensboro, spoke at the service.

On Saturday morning, family and friends filled Crown Coliseum for the undergraduate commencement. Former university board of trustees Chairwoman Mary Lynn Bryan was the keynote speaker.

Bryan was the co-chair of the Building Excellence Capital Campaign, which raised a record-breaking $42 million that funded construction of McLean Health Sciences Building, Matthews Ministry Center, and Union-Zukowski Lobby and Gallery.

Bryan was presented a University Medallion in recognition of her contributions. She then addressed the graduates with a call to action in their post-graduation careers.

“Graduates, I hope your experiences at MU have been all you have imagined they would be — challenging, surprising, fun, and, most of all, mind-opening,” said Bryan. “After you leave Methodist University, be sure to look back with thanks and pleasure. Take the Methodist University values with you and incorporate them into your personal lives. The times and challenges are great, but you are MU graduates. You have an education and the skills to make a positive difference in our world. Go forth and make MU proud.”

Several students were recognized for their time at Methodist, including Karma Choki, the first person from Bhutan to graduate from the university. She earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing. She waved her homeland’s flag onstage, and it will now hang in Berns Student Center, bringing the number of countries represented by MU graduates to 125.

The Algernon Sydney Sullivan and Mary Mildred Sullivan awards were presented to a student and two members of the university community to recognized commitment to service.

They are graduate Sean Coleman. who received a bachelor’s degree in engineering with a minor in mathematics and business administration, as well as university President Emeritus M. Elton Hendricks and his wife, Jerry A. Hendricks. During their 27-year tenure, they lived by the principle that a quality education is essential for fostering a life of virtue, according to the recognition.

Later in the service, Hendricks hooded his grandson, Tanner Hendricks, his third grandson to graduate from Methodist. It was during Hendricks’ term as president that both the hooding ceremony and the presentation of international flags at commencement began.

Tanner Hendricks, who majored in social work, was also this year’s Lucius Stacy Weaver Award winner. Voted on by the faculty, the award recognizes the student who best exemplifies academic excellence, spiritual development, leadership, and service.

Valeria Matute was name this year’s Distinguished Graduate. She was among five students in her undergraduate class with the highest GPA and was chosen to speak at commencement by her peers. Matute, who is from Venezuela, received a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a minor in professional tennis management.

“There were many moments when today may have felt unreachable or that it could not come soon enough,” Matute said. “But as we say in my country, ‘No hay que ahogarse en un vaso de agua’ or ‘Don’t drown in a glass of water.’ Sometimes, looking from the inside, semesters have felt as long as it takes to swim across the ocean, sharks and all. However, from the outside, it’s nothing more than a few gulps. … If we’ve learned anything from our time here, we should have learned how to keep our experiences in perspective.”

After Matute spoke, nearly 200 graduates participated in the hooding ceremony and received their degrees from Wearden, who left them with a final message during the symbolic moving of the tassels.

“Congratulations, graduates, family members, and friends. This is a significant achievement, and it will change your lives in many ways both tangibly and intangibly,” said Wearden. “Stay in touch, share your accomplishments with us, and stay involved.”

More than 250 undergraduate and graduate students will receive their degrees at Methodist University’s commencement on Friday and Saturday, May 5 and 6.

The graduate ceremony will be at 2 p.m. Friday in Huff Concert Hall on campus, according to a news release. More than 60 students will complete one of the university’s 10 graduate programs.

At 10 a.m. Saturday at Crown Coliseum, about 200 graduates of undergraduate programs will receive their degrees.
A baccalaureate service is planned at 4:30 p.m. Friday in Matthews Chapel.

Provost Suzanne Blum Malley said the two ceremonies will replace a single commencement that was held in years past, the news release said.

“The faculty, staff, alumni, and friends of Methodist University are looking forward to celebrating the accomplishments of our graduates throughout Commencement Weekend,” said Blum Malley. “We know our graduates will carry a commitment to Methodist University’s mission and values as they embark on their next journeys as lifelong Monarchs.”

Both ceremonies will be live-streamed online. To access the live videos, go to the university’s event page for the graduate commencement and/or the Crown Coliseum live-streaming page for the undergraduate commencement.

More information on parking, tickets, venue policies, and more is at the undergraduate or graduate commencement pages.

The keynote speaker at the graduate ceremony will be Michael Nagowski, chief executive officer of Cape Fear Valley Health, the release said.
Nagowski played a pivotal role in the partnership between Methodist University and Cape Fear Valley Health to establish a medical school.

“Even with the challenges that came with the pandemic, these graduate students have worked hard to achieve this milestone,” Nagowski said. “I hope to inspire and encourage them as they embark on the next journey in their careers and remind them of their opportunity to make a difference.”
University President Stanley T. Wearden will hand graduates their diplomas on stage.

Among the Class of 2023 undergraduates is Valeria Matute, who was selected as this year’s Distinguished Graduate. Matute is among five students in her class with the highest GPA and was chosen to speak by her peers. The native of Valencia, Venezuela, will receive a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a minor in professional tennis management.

Nursing major Karma Choki, a native of Bhutan, will be the first from her country to graduate from Methodist. As part of a long-standing tradition, the Bhutan flag will be permanently displayed in Berns Student Center along with the 128 flags from other countries across the world, the release said.

The keynote speaker for the undergraduate ceremony will be Mary Lynn Bryan, who chaired the university’s board of trustees from 2012 to 2017 and is a board member dating back to 1997. Bryan has lived in Fayetteville since 1983.

Friday’s baccalaureate will recognize this year’s graduates with a more personal service in Matthews Chapel. It will feature music by the MU Chorale and senior Ashleigh Adamson, who is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in music performance.

The Rev. Clay L. Barrow will speak on “A Charge to Keep I Have.”