Angelo Aldoph, a seventh grader at Max Abbott Middle School, is the winner of the Cumberland County Schools' Championship Spelling Bee. Saint Patrick Catholic School seventh grader Emily Staneata won second place honors.

Julia Lim, a fifth grader at Cumberland Academy K-5 Virtual School, was the third place winner. Fifty-nine students competed in the Preliminary Level II Spelling Bees, which concluded Feb. 10 with the championship competition at the Educational Resource Center. Parents, teachers, fellow students and staff eagerly watched the group of participants one-by-one step up to the microphone and demonstrate their 'spelling power' to the crowd.

Nine students competed in the Championship Spelling Bee after winning their school’s level I and district’s level II competitions. Angelo correctly spelled "crustaceans" to capture the win. Courtesy of CCS, Angelo will go on to compete in the 2023 Scripps National Spelling Bee this summer in the Washington, D.C. area. The semifinal and final competitions will take place on May 31 and June 1, respectively, and will be televised on the ION and Bounce networks.

In addition to qualifying for the national competition, Angelo won the following prizes:

• The Samuel Louis Sugarman Award, a 2023 United States Mint Proof Set provided by Jay Sugarman, chairman and CEO of iStar Financial, in honor of his father
• The Britannica Online Premium, a one-year subscription for the premier online resource from Encyclopedia Britannica
• The Merriam-Webster Unabridged Online, a one-year subscription for the official word source for all levels of competition for the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

At the start of the competition, students were welcomed and encouraged to "B-E-G-I-N" spelling by School Board Chairwoman Deanna Jones. The competition, which involved nine public and private local school spellers, lasted 13 rounds. CCS' Psychological Services Coordinator Lisa Craver served as the pronouncer for each of the 10 spelling bees during the competition.

The district and The Fayetteville Observer provided judges for each Bee. The Fayetteville Observer's Opinion Editor Myron Pitts; Food, Dining and Business Reporter Taylor Shook; and Production Manager Kiffany Cain were tasked with tracking every word and verifying spelling accuracy for the Championship Bee.

At the close of the competition, CCS Chief Academic Officer Dr. Stacey Wilson-Norman commended the students on their resilience to keep going no matter what!

“Today’s competition is a demonstration of our students’ determination and hard work," said Superintendent Dr. Marvin Connelly, Jr. "I know we will see these spellers in the future as our leaders!”

Congratulations, Gentle Readers! Always wanted to be like Mike? Michael Jordan, Carolina’s greatest basketball player of all time?

What? You can’t dunk the ball? Well, no matter, you can be like Otzi the Iceman who enjoyed pancakes 5,300 years ago.

Now is the most wonderful time of the year — the 49th Annual Cape Fear Kiwanis Pancake Festival. It occurs March 3 and 4 from 7 a.m. to noon at the Greek Orthodox Church and Hellenic Center conveniently located at 614 Oakridge Avenue.

For only $7 it’s all you can eat pancakes, sausage from local pigs, and coffee plus the thrill of seeing your friends and neighbors enjoying a sugar high while covered in maple syrup.
Don’t miss out on this exciting event. Dine in or take out. These delicious pancakes are selling like hot cakes.

You interject: “How can I, a mere resident of early 21st Century America, be like Otzi the 5,000-year-old Iceman?”

First, a bit of history how Otzi fits into the pantheon of pancake lore. Then some pancake factoids to whet your appetite for Kiwanis pancakes.

Once upon a time, back at the end of the Copper Age, some 5,300 years ago, Otzi left his wife Harriet back at the cave. He began a hike across the Italian Alps to seek his fortune.
Unfortunately, Otzi came across a band of brigands who were up to no good. After 53 centuries, the trail has gone cold as to exactly what happened to Otzi. It is clear he came to a sudden and tragic end.

In 1991, two German hikers walking across a snow field in the Alps came upon Otzi’s body half buried in the ice.
Initially, the authorities thought Otzi was the remains of a recent lost climber. After further examination, it turned out Otzi was over 5,000 years old. He was older than the pyramids, older than Stonehenge, even older than Joe Biden.

When Mr. Science got hold of Otzi, he did what scientists always do: Autopsy our man. Otzi had an arrowhead embedded in his shoulder and multiple stab wounds. The bad guys had done him in.

Overall, for a guy who had been dead and a frozen mummy for 5,000 years, Otzi was in surprisingly good shape.
He still had his bear skin hat, clothes, some weapons, and his AARP card. Fun Fact: Otzi had 61 tattoos.

Mr. Science examined the contents of Otzi’s stomach which contained most of his last meal. The autopsy determined Otzi had consumed the Copper Age equivalent of pancakes at breakfast of his last day.
Gentle Reader, even if you can’t be like Michael Jordan, you can be like Otzi. Come enjoy pancakes at the Cape Fear Kiwanis Festival without the need to be shot by an arrow, stabbed by bad guys, or frozen for 5,000 years. All you have to do is show up at the Greek Orthodox Church to dig in to the world’s finest pancakes and sausages

As promised, some colorful facts about pancakes. Pancakes have many aliases: hoe cakes, buckwheat cakes, johnny cakes, journey cakes, griddle cakes, and flap jacks.
Pancakes have been around even before Otzi. Archeologists have found evidence of pancakes in 30,000 year old ashes of ires of Stone Age Dudes and Dudettes.

Ancient Romans probably invented the modern equivalent of pancakes in the First Century by mixing up milk, flour, spices and eggs.

William Shakespeare wrote about pancakes in his play “As You Like It” in a conversation when Touchstone tells Rosalind: “Of a certain knight that swore by his honor they were good pancakes, and swore by his honor that the mustard was naught. Now I’ll stand to it, the pancakes were naught and the mustard was good, and yet the knight forsworn.”
Why anyone would want to put mustard on pancakes is anybody’s guess. If people were putting mustard on pancakes back in Shakespeare’s time, it is no wonder they are all dead now. What a waste of a good pancake.

The French version of pancakes, Crepes Suzette, was invented by accident in 1895 when a Paris waiter accidently set pancakes on fire while preparing dessert for the future English King Edward 7th.

Wonder why we eat pancakes on Shrove Tuesday before Lent begins? During Lent Christians are supposed to think about Easter and avoid eating rich foods. Shrove Tuesday was the last day for Christians to use up eggs and fats by making pancakes before the Lenten fasting period. Shrove Tuesday’s alias is Mardi Gras for those keeping score.

Shrove Tuesday Pancake Races are big in the United Kingdom. The contestants race carrying a frying pan while flipping a pancake three times. The origin of the race allegedly began on Shrove Tuesday in 1445 when a lady was making pancakes and heard the church bell ringing. She left her house and ran to the church still carrying her frying pan with pancakes in it.

So, what have we learned today? Finally, something worthwhile. Head over to the Kiwanis Pancake Festival at the Greek Church for some mighty fine eating with your friends.
Happy Belated Shrove Tuesday.

Should businesses weigh in on political controversies? According to a recent Gallup poll, the general public is closely divided on the question, with 48% in favor and 52% opposed. Not surprisingly, young people are friendlier to the idea — but even their preferences are more nuanced than a single yes-or-no question can convey.

That’s one of the findings of a new study from Wake Forest University’s Center for the Study of Capitalism. Coauthors Christina Elson and Kylie King worked with YouGov to survey 2,000 people aged 18 to 41. In generational terms, that classifies the respondents as either Millennials or Gen Z.

When Gallup asked young people whether “businesses in general should take a public stance on current events,” most said yes. But the Wake Forest University study revealed more subtleties. “Businesses in general” is obviously a broad description, and the phrase “a public stance on current events” could mean different things to different people. One respondent might be thinking about a multinational manufacturer and another about the sign shop down the street. And one respondent might be thinking about race relations or LGBT rights while another might want businesses to weigh in on transportation, tax policy or school reform.

To get more specific, Elson and King tested this proposition: “The CEOs of big businesses should be more involved in solving social problems.” A plurality of young people (43%) liked the idea while 29% were opposed and 31% described themselves as neutral. The professors also tested this one: “People should keep their personal views on social issues out of the workplace.” Most Millennial and Gen Z respondents actually said yes (56%), with 19% against and 26% neutral.

Moreover, when it comes down to choosing where they want to work, most young people quite sensibly say salary and benefits are the most important considerations (64%), with another 20% picking flexibility of work schedule, 11% opportunities for advancement, and only 5% citing a prospective employer’s “involvement in social issues important to me.”

Both surveys confirm that older folks with conservative views tend to be the least in favor of business leaders involving themselves in public issues. I’m a conservative in my 50s, so you might guess that’s my view. But it isn’t — at least not precisely.

In today’s world, I suspect it is simply impossible to maintain a strict separation between politically charged debates and the workplace. I’ve also spent much of my career encouraging business executives to be more vocal in support of free enterprise, infrastructure reform, and other critical issues that shape the business climate.

We don’t need silence from our civic leaders, be they in the public or private sectors. We need prudence.

One prudent practice is to stay in one’s lane. It’s rarely going to be constructive for the head of a tech company to spend company time or resources lecturing the rest of us about abortion or the war in Ukraine. But it would be entirely appropriate, and probably instructive, to hear from that CEO about the quality of science education or how housing affordability affects her ability to hire talent.

As for hot-button social issues, while they are best discussed outside the workplace, leaders can through counsel and example help their employees and customers accept the inevitability of good-faith disagreement when such issues do come up. Across a wide range of subjects, it is possible for two people to reach different conclusions without either being ignorant, stupid, or evil.

Our public discourse has become coarse, unproductive, and deeply unfulfilling. One reason is that we’ve over-politicized so many aspects of our lives, including the workplace. Prudent leaders can help change that by speaking both more constructively and less frequently.

Just like our great nation, the State of the Union address has a unique history surrounded by traditions and pageantry. In 1913, President Woodrow Wilson gave the first in-person address since the 18th century.

President Harry Truman’s address was the first to be broadcasted on television in 1947. In 1982, President Ronald Reagan invited the first guest to sit in the gallery and be referenced in his speech. The State of the Union has evolved from an address only given to leaders within our government, to one that incorporates and is delivered to you, the American people.

Regardless of politics, I always look forward to the State of the Union. It is the only time when members of the House of Representatives, Senate, Supreme Court, President’s Cabinet, Diplomatic Corps, and our nation’s top military leaders are all in the same room. The press box is buzzing with members of the media. The House Gallery is full of special guests invited by members of Congress and the White House. Sitting in the House Chamber surrounded by the bright lights brought in by television networks, you feel like you are on the set of a Hollywood movie or at the Super Bowl. The air in the room is electric as everyone is on the edge of their seats waiting for the President’s arrival.

As I was waiting for the speech to begin last week, I was thinking about you. I was thinking about you and your family and the struggles you have faced over the past year. I hoped President Biden would lay out real solutions on how to reduce inflation, tackle Washington’s out-of-control spending, solve the crisis at the Southern border, and stand up to adversaries like China. Instead, the President’s speech sounded like a lot of recycled rhetoric.

What the President doesn't understand is that families in North Carolina are hurting. Inflation has cost the average household an extra $10,000 over the last two years. What could you have done with that money in your pocket or savings? Additionally, energy prices this winter are the highest they have been in 15 years, while a record amount of Americans say they are worse off financially since Biden took office.

One of the major drivers of inflation is Washington’s reckless spending and inability to tackle our national debt. The greatest threat to our future is our growing national debt, which has surpassed levels that have not been seen since World War II. Unfortunately, the President did not lay out any strategy to tackle our debt or reduce spending.

Raising the debt limit without making reforms is not the answer to fixing our current debt crisis. Think about your own children, grandchildren, or other teenagers you know. When a child maxes out a credit card, you don’t simply raise the card’s spending limit and allow their spending to continue. You make changes so they know the importance of creating a budget and sticking to it for the future. As we stare down another debt limit increase, Republicans are ready to work with the President on a new budget framework focused on fiscal restraint and responsibility.

Instead of addressing the state of our border and national security, President Biden told the American people that the border is secure. Ignoring this crisis has been the strategy of the Biden administration since the beginning, which has led to nearly 5 million illegal migrants and thousands of pounds of fentanyl to enter our nation over the last two years.

Furthermore, the President failed to address China in a meaningful way — especially following the spy balloon incident. A Chinese spy balloon was able to travel freely across our nation and near sensitive national security sites, including Fort Bragg. The balloon caused air space over our state to be closed for a period of time before it was finally shot down. Yet the fact that the balloon entered U.S. airspace at all is unacceptable. On Thursday, I was proud to stand with my House colleagues and vote to condemn and denounce the Chinese Communist Party’s use of a spy balloon to collect intelligence on our country — a direct violation of our sovereignty.

From the economy to the border to national security, the State of our Union continues to be challenged under President Joe Biden and hardworking American families like yours are paying the price. Washington Democrats’ inability to address these ongoing crises directly impacting the wallets and safety of you and your family is inexcusable. America is the greatest nation on Earth and our state of the union should always be strong. I believe our country is at a turning point where we have the opportunity to come together to address these problems you and your family face every day.

Challenges to our economy and national security have certainly set us back, but rest assured House Republicans have solutions to set our country on the right track. As your Congressman, I will never stop working to make sure you, and our union, are strong, prosperous, safe and free.

New N.C. Supreme Court Justices Trey Allen and Richard Dietz have eight years to prove their dedication to limited constitutional government.
An early case involving felon voting rights suggests they have a good chance of passing the test.

Allen and Dietz joined their five state Supreme Court colleagues on Feb. 2 for oral arguments in Community Success Initiative v. Moore. In that case, plaintiffs argue that all felons who have completed active prison time should be allowed to vote in N.C. elections.

A decision in the case is weeks or even months away. But questions and comments from both Allen and Dietz suggest they are approaching the case from a proper constitutional perspective.
Article VI, Section 2(3) of the N.C. Constitution deals with “disqualification of felon.” It says no felon “shall be permitted to vote unless that person shall first be restored to the rights of citizenship in the manner prescribed by law.”

The General Assembly writes the laws. The current law for re-enfranchising felons dates back to 1973. It says felons regain voting rights once they complete all aspects of their sentences, both inside and outside prison.

That 1973 law marked a liberalization of the re-enfranchisement process. Prior to its passage, N.C. felons had to jump through additional hoops to regain the right to vote.
Yet many left-of-center activists oppose the current rules. They believe any felon who has completed active prison time should be able to vote.

Rather than pursue that goal through the General Assembly, the body that has the power to write new laws, some activists went to court. They argued that the felon voting standards violated the state constitution.
It’s noteworthy that the Community Success Initiative case didn’t challenge Article VI, Section 2(3). It would be hard to claim that a section of the state constitution violates the state constitution.

Instead, opponents took on the 1973 law. They called it racially discriminatory. Two members of a three-judge trial-court panel agreed. The panel struck down the law, then took the unusual step of declaring that all felons who had completed active prison time would be able to vote in upcoming elections.

The N.C. Court of Appeals delayed implementation of that change. But a split 2-1 appellate panel allowed felons outside prison walls to register and vote in last November’s election. Advocates have said the ruling applied to roughly 56,000 people.

The state Supreme Court must decide whether trial judges got the decision right. Felon voting advocates answer yes. Legislative leaders say no.
During oral arguments, Dietz outlined a key problem with the felon voting activists’ case. If the 1973 law violates the state constitution, that doesn’t open the door to more felons voting.

“Isn’t the remedy under our constitutional doctrine that we would declare the act of the General Assembly unconstitutional? It’s a nullity,” Dietz said. “And the General Assembly must re-enact a constitutional version of the statute.”

Dietz later questioned the notion that judges could rewrite felon voting rules from the bench. “It seems that our constitutional doctrine is pretty clear that in North Carolina we don’t try to get into the minds of legislators,” he said.

“We declare something unconstitutional and then tell that other branch of government, ‘You need to try again. You enacted a law, and it was unconstitutional. Enact one that is not unconstitutional.’”
A Washington, D.C.-based lawyer arguing for felon voting responded that such a ruling could “wreak havoc” on North Carolina’s elections. It would eliminate voting for any felon who ever has had his rights restored.

Yet that is the only way a court could address an unconstitutional law. Judges cannot invent a new law to replace the old one.

Allen made that point when he followed Dietz’s commentary.

“Here’s my basic concern with the remedy,” Allen said. “The constitution in Article VI says felons shall not vote unless their rights have been restored in the manner prescribed by law.”

“The default is no felon voting except in the manner prescribed by law,” Allen said. “Where is the law that prescribes that felons can vote — or may vote — simply upon being released from incarceration?”

“The trial court seems to have imposed a remedy that’s beyond the authority of a court,” Allen added.

“The courts can’t grant the restoration of voting rights to felons. The constitution expressly provides that those rights can only be restored by law. The authority to adopt such a law rests with the General Assembly, not with any court.”

It’s unclear whether a majority of the court will find fault with the 1973 law. If so, Allen and Dietz’s comments suggest they will not be inclined to have the state Supreme Court rewrite the law on its own. That’s a job for legislators.

Voters elected Allen and Dietz last November to eight-year terms on the state’s highest court. They will have plenty of opportunities in the years ahead to demonstrate their judicial philosophies.
In this early case, they have signaled an adherence to reading what the N.C. Constitution says and following it where it leads.

St. Ann Catholic Church in downtown Fayetteville will host a blood drive Saturday, Feb. 18.
The drive will be from 9 a.m. to noon at the church, 357 N. Cool Spring St.

Donors are advised to each a healthful meal before giving blood, according to a news release.

The also must present a photo identification.

To sign up, text Don Bennett at 845-216-1242 or email at dfbennettjr@gmail.com,

Donors will receive a free T-shirt or toboggan while supplies last.

Each year Christians embark on spiritual journeys that culminate with Easter celebrations.

Easter is preceded by a period of six weeks that begins on Ash Wednesday in Western churches and ends the Thursday before Easter Sunday. In Eastern churches only, Lent begins on the Monday of the seventh week before Easter and ends on the Friday nine days before Easter.

During Lent, some Christians participate in fasting, repentance, self-denial, spiritual discipline and other preparations for Easter. According to the resource Learn Religions, the Lenten season was established to serve as a time for reflection on Jesus Christ, particularly to be more aware of His suffering and sacrifice.

On Ash Wednesday, some Christians mark their foreheads with ashes made from palm fronds, as symbols of sorrow and mourning for their sins.
Periods of fasting and abstinence also are part of Lenten observances. The fasting likely serves as an imitation of Jesus Christ’s fasting in the wilderness for 40 days and nights before beginning his public ministry.

During that time, Christ was tempted by Satan and wrestled with temptation.

During Lent, individuals also prepare simple meals and avoid ingredients that would be considered luxurious. In accordance with that, Fridays during Lent are set aside as meat-free (including poultry) since meat long has been considered an indulgence.

Furthermore, people often “give up” something they enjoy, whether it’s sweets, alcohol or celebratory behaviors. For some, Sundays throughout Lent are excluded from the fasting and abstinence requirements because they are times to enjoy Mass, which is a celebration. Therefore, if one gave up chocolate for Lent, he or she can enjoy it on Sunday.

Lent is supposed to be a time of repentance, but not shame. Instead, sinners seek cleansing from their sins and contemplate what the Lord did when He sacrificed Himself on the cross.
Protestants also take part in Lent, but Catholic churches are particularly associated with the more well-known Lenten requirements.

Parishioners may notice that Mass is different during Lent. The Gloria, a prayer normally used after the penitential rite near the beginning of the service, is omitted. Furthermore, suppression of the word “Alleluia” also occurs, and any hymns containing the word “Alleluia” are avoided.

In 2023, among Western churches, Lent begins on Wednesday, Feb. 22 and ends on Thursday, April 6. Easter will be celebrated on Sunday, April 9.

February is known for Valentine’s Day, but it is also a month for heart health awareness.

In the U.S., heart disease ends in mortality approximately every 40 seconds. In 2022 there were more than 356,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests nearly 90% percent of which were fatal.
The leading factors for heart disease are high blood pressure and low density cholesterol or LDL, which is known as the bad cholesterol that builds up plaque in our coronary arteries.

There is a second type of cholesterol known as the good cholesterol, HDL, that assists in cleaning out the bad cholesterol and keeping the arteries balanced.
Cholesterol is a fatty wax substance produced in our liver and found in certain foods. It is important in building cells, making hormones, and an important contributor to making vitamin D. When you eat too much food containing cholesterol, trans fats, and saturated fats the liver begins to make more cholesterol than it needs and begins to clog our arteries

When we flip over the package and read 0% cholesterol, we may think that is okay if we eat this bag of chips. But read on to see the amount of fat, sugar and salt contained.
Fat falls into the category of trans and saturated fat. Trans fat has been mostly eliminated in foods, but saturated fat is still present in many of the foods that we eat.

Saturated fats are solid at room temperature and they come in the form of butter, cheese, coconut oils and red meat with a high amount of saturated fat.

A recent challenge that involved a 5k with a leading doughnut maker encouraged the participants to eat a dozen doughnuts in the mid part of the race and then finish. One of these doughnuts has no cholesterol but out of 190 calories that person consuming a dozen doughnuts has consumed 2,280 calories with 132 grams of fat and 60 grams of saturated. The recommended allowance per day for fat intake in a 2,000-calorie diet is less than 65 grams of fat and less than 20 grams of saturated fat. Although it may be an isolated incident, the amount of fat that we eat each day mounts up.

We are not always what we eat but the question is who, how and why we are at risk for potential heart disease. Genetics may be one of the reasons we may have an inherited risk for heart disease if we have parents or siblings who have had heart disease. Men fall into the category of age younger than 55 and women 65 with genetic cholesterol issues.

Factors that increase the risk of high blood pressure, cholesterol and metabolic syndrome are diabetes, smoking, a sedentary lifestyle and our diet.
We cannot do anything about our genetics but we can be aware of our diet and what foods can increase our risk of heart disease since sugar, salt and fat are part of the everyday American diet, especially in processed food.

Healthy comes in all sizes but a large amount of weight gain results in visceral fat around your organs which results in an increased effort for your body to keep up, putting strain on your heart which can result in heart disease.

Live, love life and be healthy.

Whether you’ve spent a lifetime operating your business or have just recently taken the reins, when it comes time to sell, you want the experience to go well and achieve a successful transaction.
And by going well, people typically mean without a lot of headaches, and, of course, financially capitalizing on your time and hard work. Achieving those goals becomes much easier when you enlist the aid and support of an experienced business broker or advisor.

Business advisors are experts in the field, offering help and insights for every step of the sale. They typically have years of experience to offer you during the process so that you achieve all your goals.
While the reasons for opting to work with a qualified broker are many, here are the top five:

Valuing your business

The first reason that you should consider working with a business advisor is they evaluate your business and determine a probable sale price.
You want to value your company realistically, of course, but there are numerous factors that go into determining not only a fair price but one that is in line with the current market. This includes advising you on the best time to sell and marketing your business for sale to maximize profits.

Finally, a business advisor is a great source of advice and guidance on all aspects of business, as the following reasons demonstrate.

Preparing the business

Next on the list of reasons you should consider working with a business advisor to sell your company is they will help you get all the business’s legal and financial records in order.

Business advisors have a network of professional partners that they can recommend for all manner of experts that may be required during the sale of your business, such as accountants, lawyers, financial advisors, and property and equipment appraisers.

Additionally, because business advisors have assisted in numerous other business sales, they can manage your expectations of the process, ensuring that all aspects of the sale run smoothly and identifying potential pitfalls and addressing them before they potentially kill the deal.

Finding the right buyer

For many entrepreneurs, a big concern revolves around vetting potential buyers for their business. A qualified business advisor can assist in that process. This includes helping you market your business to find the best buyer. In line with vetting concerns, many business owners hope to keep the sale of their business as confidential as possible to avoid issues with their employees, suppliers, and clients.
Brokers also make every effort to market a business’s sale and conduct the process confidentially.

Managing the details

When you need your car worked on, you go to a trained mechanic because you want someone who understands cars and is experienced in making repairs.

It’s the same when it comes to selling your company. Brokers are experts in selling a business, with an understanding of all the financial ins and outs of a sale.
Deciding to part ways with a company you created can be an emotional process and a business advisor is an objective partner that can guide you.

Getting the best price

The final reason to work with a business advisor is to maximize your profit. Brokers have experience negotiating with buyers when it comes to selling a company. They know how to take advantage of all relevant opportunities to get the best price for your business and avoid potential deal killers during the sale process.

Last, but not least, a business advisor can also serve as a valuable resource to help you plan for your next steps once the sale of your business is finalized. Just because you are selling one company doesn’t mean that you are walking away from the business world after all. A business advisor can assist you in taking on whatever your next challenge may be.
There is a lot involved in selling a business. Having a professional to guide you can help ensure the sale goes smoothly and you maximize your profit. Business advisors are available to help facilitate the process. Many offer a free consultation today to get you started.

Editor’s note: Ashley Kelsey is a Business Broker at Transworld Business Advisors of Eastern North Carolina. For more information call 910-302-6447 or visit www.transworldeast.com.

From finding the right house to getting the best performance out of mortgage lending, home buying is the biggest purchase of many people’s lives. Unfortunately, the process can be overwhelming.
On Feb. 18 at 9:30 a.m., Bill Snuggs of Be Snugg At Home Realty (powered by EXP Realty) and Susan Zeiber of Mortgage Source of Fayetteville, Inc. welcome home buyers and sellers to their home buying seminar at the West Regional Library, located at 7469 Century Circle on the west side of Fayetteville.

This seminar has been designed with the customer in mind, the perfect opportunity to learn about the home buyer’s market from realistic, experienced and trustworthy players.

“We want to help people realize” that they shouldn’t be afraid of buying a home, Susan Zeiber explains. “In fact, we can help you rehabilitate less-than-perfect credit.”

Since 1998, Zeiber has been the owner of Mortgage Source of Fayetteville, Inc. Known primarily for Veteran’s Administration loans, she is equipped to meet whatever loan program suits your needs.

“We’re not here to judge anybody,” she says. "We’re here to help [you] buy a house.”

Susan practiced mortgage lending for 20 years at banks and lending institutions in Fayetteville before opening Mortgage Source.

“Home ownership is the key to a stable,” wealth-building life, Snuggs says matter-of-factly. If you live in a house, you pay a mortgage.

“The difference is it’s either “your mortgage or your landlord’s mortgage,” he quips. Known for his no-nonsense approach to customers, Snuggs has been a realtor in Fayetteville since 2008.
Owning a home is building personal equity that can be used “to pay for college for your kids, or you can use that equity to subsidize your own retirement,” he says.

Snuggs served in the Air Force for 20 years and in the federal civilian sector for 11 more, attaining the position of Budget Officer for the National Labor Relations Board.
In the home buying business, finding somebody that you trust makes all the difference in the world, he says. He and Zeiber work together to do right by the clients.
Since 2010, they have built a business relationship when Zeiber was able to close three loans that were deemed impossible to finance by Snuggs' old mortgage department.

“That’s what I wanted to say about Bill,” Susan says. “Bill has integrity, and, you know, integrity is what you do when nobody is looking.”

This home buying seminar is free, it’s open to everybody, and there will be coffee, biscuits and door prizes. The seminar is roughly three hours long.

“Buying or selling a house is stressful enough,” Snuggs says. “Susan and I try to” take out as much stress as possible.
The realtor and loan officer plan an informal seminar “because it makes us approachable,” Zeiber explains. “People are afraid to talk. They think that they’re being judged . . . and they feel like their entire life is on somebody’s desk.”

“Even though homebuying is scary, it’s doable, and we will be there for you every step of the way,” she adds.

In honor of Black History Month, the Fayetteville History Museum is highlighting Saint Joseph’s Episcopal Church. The church was officially chartered in 1873, which means it is celebrating its 150th anniversary.

Saint Joseph’s Episcopal Church, located at 509 Ramsey Street, is the second oldest Episcopal congregation in Fayetteville and the oldest African American Episcopal congregation.

According to Saint Joseph’s, in the late 1860s, several founding members were also involved in the founding or operation of the Howard School, which evolved into the first State Normal School (teachers’ school) in North Carolina. This later became Fayetteville State University. Saint Joseph’s parochial school was separate and one of the first local schools for people of African descent.

The church later was the space that held USO and NAACP meetings for Black residents of Fayetteville.
Heidi Bleazey, the Historic and Natural Resources Manager at the Fayetteville History Museum, says the church was vital to the community.

“There’s this beautiful nestled church in this corner of a busy, busy Ramsey Street that so many people drive by. And then you consider 150 years of not only building a faith community on that space but building a community and bringing to the needs of that community,” Bleazey said.

The church has survived three fires. The first fire was in 1917, which destroyed the first rectory and parish house. The second fire in 2005 destroyed their large gazebo.

The most recent fire in 2015 severely damaged the quarter of the church nearest the main entrance and the entire sanctuary was damaged due to water from the fire. The church was restored in 2017.
The church is known for its Queen Anne-style architecture, the stained windows from Tiffany & Co., and a pipe organ that was built in 1857. The organ was damaged in the 2015 fire but has been restored and now uses electricity.

The church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

“These old buildings are register buildings, they’re seen as spaces where time is frozen, and this is a unique space where time continues to move, and people continue to live and breathe life into that space. But it's also a snapshot into the past at the same time there,” Bleazey said.

“But here are people that are doing daily church business there. And suddenly, it’s the longevity of the community, and the congregation are why that building and that congregation have reached the age that they have,” she said.

“That’s why they're celebrating 150 years, and their commitment to service and the community is kept active and kept them functional and kept that building of importance.”
Saint Joseph’s will be celebrating 150 years as a parish on May 26 through May 28. They will be preparing an Anniversary Book to commemorate this historic occasion.

“We plan to do a mayoral proclamation for the Sunday that’s closest to the 28th,” Bleazey said. The celebration is ongoing, and the Fayetteville History Museum exhibit will be up for a year.

She added that the parish of Saint Joseph’s intends to celebrate all year long as well. The Fayetteville History Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is free to the public. The Fayetteville History Museum is located at 325 Franklin Street in downtown Fayetteville. The museum is part of the Historic and Natural Resources of Fayetteville Cumberland Parks and Recreation.

For more information, visit www.fcpr.us/historymuseum or call 910-433-1457.

It’s time to dust off the VHS of “Sixteen Candles,” “Ferris Bueller's Day Off,” and time to grab neon-colored items for an 80s party at Cape Fear Vineyard & Winery on Feb. 25.

The winery’s Totally Bodacious 80s Glow Party may be the flair to spark anybody’s week. The event has a $10 cover charge that can be pre-purchased on the winery’s website. Guests will be able to purchase their own drinks from the bar using cash or a credit card.

According to Derrick Rice, the winery’s events director, guests can expect to have a great time as they enjoy music from a DJ, and drink specials and refreshments from the 80s.

“The purpose of the Totally Bodacious 80s Glow Party is to bring a pit of nostalgia and fun to those who remember the 80s as the best musical and outrageous fashion era,” Rice said.
He said it is an event for people to let loose and enjoy themselves.

This enjoyment may come from attendees dressing up for the two contests — Best 80s Movies Costume and Best 80s Costume. He explained how the two differ from each other.

“One is for the overall 80s costume and the other is for an 80s movie costume where the guests can depict their version of some popular 80s movie or television characters,” Rice said.

The event would not be an 80s event if dancing was not involved. Attendees can learn the “Thriller” dance while there.

“There will be a professional dance instructor on hand to teach the moves to Michael Jackson's “Thriller” music video,” he said.

Cape Fear Vineyard & Winery is located at 195 Vineyard Drive in Elizabethtown. For more information call 910-645-4291 or visit https://www.capefearwinery.com/

The goal to find more local foster families has not only failed for Cumberland County’s Department of Social Services, but it has become a bigger focus.

Last year, Cumberland County and the Department of Social Services collaborated on the “Not Perfect … Just Willing” campaign. This campaign aimed to create more awareness for families and adults in Cumberland County to take an interest in being a foster family. The goal was to raise the number of foster families from 51 to 115.

That number is currently 47 — a step backward for the department, according to Delores Long, the Division Director of Children's Services for Cumberland County’s Department of Social Services.

According to Long, 585 children were needing some care. That includes the young adults who aged out (ages 18 to 21) but still received some services.

According to Long, at the end of December, 208 children were placed in family foster homes. Eight were placed in family foster homes of a relative, three were placed in adoptive foster homes, and 134 were placed in other home settings.

But there still isn’t enough room to fit all those children. That means 197 children are being placed out of the county, and 19 are placed outside North Carolina.

“The only children who could be in those 47 licensed homes are children who have no identified mental health or behavioral health needs. So that's why it’s called family foster homes. So they are the only ones who will qualify for those homes. If children have been identified as having higher needs, they wouldn't qualify to be in those family foster homes anyway. They would have to be in therapeutic homes,” Long said.

Last year, Long told the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners that 275 children were placed out of the county and 42 were placed outside of the state.

“Due to the limited number of placements that children have available to them now across the state, I don’t see any time soon that stopping. We will probably always have a need for kids to go outside of the state, even outside the county, just because of treatment facilities. Cumberland County doesn’t have an abundance of treatment facilities. So when it comes to that, children will always have to go outside the county and sometimes outside the state just because their needs are so severe that we cannot find them placements within the state,” Long said.

One positive for Long is the fact that unlike many in the rest of North Carolina or in the country, children are not sleeping or staying at the Department of Social Services. Cumberland County’s DSS owns a residential group home facility that is certified. That facility, Safe Landing Group Home, has room for six children at a time.

“We do allow those children to reside there while they are awaiting placement so that they have a home-like environment to be in,” Long said.

The typical wait time in the residential facility varies depending on the needs of the child. According to Long, level two and level three children tend to have longer wait times, even as long as six months. Children who need to go to a Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility may have the longest wait.

There is another building that can be used to house children if Safe Landing Group is filled, but that is an office building and not a certified home.
In 2022, over 10,000 children were in the foster care system in North Carolina, according to iFoster, a nonprofit foster care resource organization.

Not Perfect … Just Willing

In order to be a foster parent with Cumberland County, you must be at least 21 years old, get fingerprinted and have a criminal records check, complete a TIPS-MAPP course, complete an application, be reviewed by the NC Division of Social Services, complete foster home licensing, have no prior abuse or neglect reports, and re-license every two years.

Another issue for foster families is that in Cumberland County, many families move due to work and the large military population here, and licenses don’t transfer over state lines.

The campaign to get more foster families that launched last year in the county, and this year across North Carolina, keeps emphasizing that you do not need to be a perfect person to become a foster parent.
You do not have to own a home or have a certain amount of income to be a foster or adoptive parent. You can be single, partnered, married, divorced or widowed. They are asking for people to provide children with stability, connection and time.

“I think the biggest thing about foster care is that foster care is a temporary living arrangement, so it is not designed to be long term. Ideally, we work to try to reunify children with their parents that first 12 months of them being in custody. So we need homes that understand that this is a temporary arrangement, but they're willing to be truly temporary parents to our children,” Long said.

“We want people who are going to have these children in their homes and treat them as if they're their own children. However, understanding that it can be short-term. And so that’s just the biggest thing. We don’t want children just to be housed somewhere. We want them to actually be part of the family’s home.”

While reunification is the main goal for the Department of Social Services, that rate was 36.84% at the end of their fiscal year, June 30. Long says a lot of that has to do with the justice system. Once children are separated from their parents, it is up to a judge to make that final determination to reunite families.

For more information on becoming a foster parent, visit the Cumberland County Department of Social Services online at https://www.ccdssnc.com/child-services/.

A Fayetteville City Council discussion on the cost of gun violence locally appeared to get personal during a work session at City Hall on Feb. 6.

Councilman Mario Benavente and Councilwoman Courtney Banks-McLaughlin had requested that the council direct city administrators to “quantify the economic and societal costs associated with gun violence in the city.” Benavente told his fellow council members that he wants the staff to analyze gun violence in the years 2012 to 2022.

“Our community has struggled with the fact that homicides have increased 9% in Fayetteville, reaching a new high in 2022 with 44 lives lost,” Benavente said. “This is, of course, in stark contrast to other types of crimes in the city that are trending downward. While we know gun violence nationwide has become a growing issue, now is the time to better understand our unique situation by getting the data we need to implement informed prevention strategies.

“While we do get some information from the police regarding gun violence, we can put a number on the number of intentional, interpersonal violence incidents,” he continued. “We can put a number on how many intentional self-harm incidents there are, and we can put a number on unintentional injuries. However, just knowing these numbers does not reach the surface of the issue of gun violence in Fayetteville. I want us to arm our new police chief with the data that he needs developing his department’s priorities.”

Benavente encouraged fellow council members to review the results of a study by the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation Prevention Institute, which addressed gun violence in Santa Clara County, California, over a 20-year stretch.

Gun deaths in that community were 60% self-inflicted, according to Benavente. A third were young people between ages 18 and 34. In nonfatal shootings, he said, two-thirds of emergency-room visits were by patients ages 18 to 34. All in all, he concluded, the cost of gun violence in Santa Clara County was $100 million a year, according to the study.

“So how much in Fayetteville?” he asked rhetorically. “Experts around the country have had success when they treat gun violence as a public health crisis. And it truly is. A public health approach to gun violence is what Prevention Institute is offering to cities across the country, and our community deserves to know we are ready to do what is necessary to keep them safe. So, conducting this study will be a huge step forward in this regard.”

Banks-McLaughlin then said she supports the idea.

“It’s needed,” she said. “We need to find out how much it costs, how many individuals lost their lives, the background and research for it, so we can come up with solutions. I mean, this hits home for me. I just lost my daughter four months ago. And that affected my family. And not just my family, but the community. Other families have lost their children and loved ones. So, I definitely support this effort. I think this will help figure out a way — preventative way — to decrease these numbers of crimes being committed, especially (among) our youth. I hope we can receive support from council.”

Banks-McLaughlin has said little in public about her daughter's death.

Coryonna Young, was 15 and a 10th-grader at Seventy-First High School. She was found with a fatal gunshot wound in the 2000 block of Maitland Drive on Oct. 21, Fayetteville police said. The people involved were juveniles who knew each other, authorities said. The shooting happened inside a residence.

Banks-McLaughlin and Benavente are pushing for a collection of data on fatal and nonfatal gun violence and gun possession in the city over a decade.
Like other places nationwide, Fayetteville has seen an uptick in gun violence and homicides. The Fayetteville Police Department has implemented initiatives to address the issue.

But some of the numbers have continued to rise.

Councilman Derrick Thompson said he initially opposed a study similar to the one in Santa Clara because he said it was Monday when he received an information packet on the proposal. But after Banks-McLaughlin spoke, he said, he changed his mind during the work session.

“Sometimes, it touches you,” Thompson said. “It makes you change your mind. Councilman Banks-McLaughlin, as our counterpart, has lived with this. So, I’m going to support this motion to do a study.”

Benavente noted that the Santa Clara study was gathered over 20 years, but he recommended 10 years for a similar Fayetteville study “because it made sense for us.”
Mayor Pro Tem Johnny Dawkins said there are few similarities between Santa Clara and Fayetteville.

“What I recommend you do is what they did. They went to the district attorney,” said Dawkins. “They went to their county commissioner group. I recommend that you go before the county of Cumberland. We’re talking about, yeah, we can do another study. We’ll all read it, and then it’ll go on a shelf.”

Dawkins said he would recommend that the council consult with the Cumberland County school board because dealing with gun violence “starts with better education.”

“Invest in school structurers. Invest upfront. I just want to remind the council that we want to spend money and save the world and help people, and that’s great. But this is not our responsibility,” Dawkins said.

“This, I think, starts with the county, which is your health, education and welfare.”

Dawkins said Cumberland County gets funding that the city does not get to address issues such as gun violence.

“It starts with schools,” he added. “Encourage the adoption of gun safety policies.

“At some point, it takes personal responsibility. So, if you want to protect your family in your home, you’ve got to make sure that a gun is not available for a child or a young person to get or play with. Because consequences occur,” Dawkins continued.

“I’m not going to support another study … just to make ourselves feel good. I’m not going to do it.”
Ingram responded.

“To say that we don’t have any type of responsibility as it relates to gun violence, our police officers are responding, and our Fire Department is responding. They have to clean it up. That is a budget that we have to pay for. So, it is costing the city a hefty amount of dollars,” she said. “To say our city has no responsibility to help with the gun violence issues, that’s just disrespectful, and it’s wrong.”

Mayor Mitch Colvin said that whether the council likes it or not, gun violence impacts the city.
Councilwoman Kathy Jensen said a Fayetteville study on gun violence could be “part of our toolbox. … We really need to think about this.”

Banks-McLaughlin then addressed Dawkins’ comments.

“I’ve got to take a deep breath,” she said. “First, I do want to say that everyone is entitled to their own vote. So, we all know that. But what I am going to do is correct the individual who you all know is the mayor pro tem. For you to make those comments, which is so disrespectful to me as a mother who lost her child … (and) other family members who’ve lost their loved ones; to put the blame on the family members, that’s ridiculous.

“It does fall on the city,” she said. “We oversee public safety. So, it is our job to ensure that we do everything we can do to protect our city.”

The council voted 9-1, with Dawkins the lone dissenter, to move forward with the study.
Because the council cannot take formal action at a work session, the matter will be taken up again at its regular meeting on Feb. 13.
After the meeting, Dawkins said that his comments were misinterpreted.

“They were starting to say what I didn’t say,” he said. “All it is is a conversation for staff to come back to council to say what it costs. It will be hundreds of thousands of dollars. I also want to say to other members (that) I’m sorry they misunderstood me.”

Methodist University is adding to its already-successful menu of online degree programs — offering five additional online programs beginning this fall.

MU’s online programs strive to bring excellence and affordability together. Not only do they provide the same high-quality instruction as its on-campus programs, but the online programs also deliver a cost-effective, flexible option for working adults, active duty military, their families and anyone else looking to advance their careers.

Each MU online course is taught by the same expert faculty as its on-campus offering, a sharp contrast to many other online programs in the nation that are taught by online-only faculty. Like on-campus students, online students also have access to a dedicated enrollment counselor who can guide them throughout the entire process.

With fall registration in full swing, now is a perfect time to consider one of Methodist University’s 22 online programs. Among them are five new online programs, which MU handpicked using extensive market research of future job opportunities along with faculty expertise.

Among the additions are one undergraduate program and four graduate programs (which are pending approval by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges):

• Bachelor of Science in Exercise and Sport Science
• Master of Education in Educational Leadership with a Specialization in Instructional Technology
• Master of Criminal Justice
• Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
• Doctor of Nursing Practice: Executive Leadership

Methodist University is also adding five minors to its online offerings: Computer Information Technology, Criminal Justice, Health Care Administration, Psychology and Social Work.
Interested students are encouraged to apply for the new undergraduate and graduate programs immediately with a deadline of July 31 for the fall semester. Visit the website to get started https://online.methodist.edu/how-to-apply/.

“The new online graduate programs and undergraduate program will allow students who are unable to complete a face-to-face program due to family, work or military commitments to pursue a fully online program and prepare for successful careers,” said Beth Carter, MU’s vice provost for Online & Extended Learning.

Along with the new programs, MU also offers online degrees in areas like Social Work, Accounting, Business Administration, Computer Information Technology, Health Care Administration, Marketing, Psychology, and much more. To see the full list, visit https://online.methodist.edu/programs/

About Methodist University

Methodist University is an independent, four-year institution of higher education with approximately 2,000 students from across the U.S. and more than 50 countries. MU offers more than 80 undergraduate and graduate degree programs (including doctoral-level options) on campus and online. MU has been named the “No. 1, Most Diverse University in North Carolina,” To learn more about Methodist University, please visit methodist.edu.

According to the agenda for the Hope Mills Board of Commissioners meeting on Monday, Feb. 6 Town Manager Scott Meszaros was supposed to be recognized with an award from the International City/County Management Association in honor of 25 years of service in local government.

Instead, Mayor Jackie Warner announced that Meszaros had resigned effective immediately. Neither Warner nor Town Attorney Dan Hartzog Jr. would comment on the resignation, citing personnel policies.
Meszaros, whose family moved to Hope Mills from Alaska, became Hope Mills’ town manager on June 1, 2021.

Meszaros signed a contract that provided a base salary of about $129,000 a year and promised an increase and health insurance. Meszaros’ contract was set to expire in June. On Nov. 7, the commissioners voted to increase Meszaros’ pay by $5,000 a year.

Warner said that Chancer McLaughlin, the town’s director of planning and economic development, will be the interim town manager “until such time as we can go through the process to hire a town manager.”

In a statement to the board, McLaughlin said: “I appreciate your confidence, and I will proceed with a very clear version of transparency between our board and our staff. And I look forward to working with the board and town of Hope Mills.”

Meszaros could not be reached for comment Monday night.

In other town business, the board voted unanimously to:

• Authorize the town manager to negotiate with CHA Consulting Inc. on an agreement for professional design services related to the Hope Mills Sports Complex.
• Change a board policy to mandate that anyone who wishes to add to the council’s agenda must submit the request to the appropriate department.
• Accept a request from Mauricio Melgar Andrade to annex 1.2 acres known as Park Garden Court.

The board met for a closed session for an hour and 13 minutes at the opening of the meeting, citing personnel business.

The Friends of the Cumberland County Public Library will host their next book sales event on Feb. 20 for members only and Feb. 24 to 26 for the public at the Headquarters Library, 300 Maiden Lane.

Cash, credit cards and checks are accepted and the money earned at the book sales helps to fund library programs.

Besides early admission to the book sales, members also receive early notices of future book sales and author events at the library. Individual memberships start at $15 per year.

Members can also join the team of volunteers who prepare for book sales, work at sales, serve on the board and attend events.

The Friends of the Cumberland County Public Library, Inc., is a nonprofit. For more information or to become a member of Friends of the Library, visit their website https://cumberlandcountylibraryfriends.com/home-2/ or call 910-483-7727, ext. 1304, and leave a message.

The Cumberland County Board of Commissioners on Feb. 6 heard a presentation telling them of new services planned for the county library system.
Library Director Faith Phillips updated the commissioners on library system operations, programs, and services based on a community assessment from 2019 and 2020, staff conversations and community feedback.

At the Headquarters Library, Phillips told commissioners, the plan is to align with the federal emphasis on STEAM — science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics.
The West Regional Library will have a space for teenagers, seating areas, and a storytelling area.

The East Regional Library will have a teen space, and the Bordeaux branch will have a children’s area.
Service initiatives will include an internship program with ServiceSource — a nonprofit agency that serves people with disabilities and other barriers to employment — and Cumberland County Schools for students in the Works for Me occupational program.

And in a partnership with ServiceSource, the library will open a coffee shop at the West Regional Library, for which people with disabilities will be hired.
The emphasis will be workforce development and job skills training, Phillips said.

The library also will partner with Alliance Health to provide adult mental health first aid to all library staff in March and April.
Training will be provided in coding, robotics, cybertechnology, and vocational and career development, as well as financial aid preparation for college.

The “problem” with freedom is that other people may do things that trouble, annoy, or even anger you. In a free society, you have no legitimate authority to stop them.

Strictly speaking, that’s not a problem. It’s a solution. Throughout human history, much suffering has derived from a lack of freedom.
One faction obtained government power, wielded it to impose its values on others, and then either successfully or unsuccessfully made its imposition stick with violence or intimidation.

Another faction, aggrieved, eventually obtained power of its own, and the cycle of strife recurred.
Freedom is necessary for living together peaceably in a world of conflicting values — which is, in fact, the only world we’ve got.

If you are free to worship Baal and I am free to worship God, one of us is likely to be in dire moral peril. But at least I am not also fearful of being tyrannized or killed for acting on my beliefs, and you can say the same.

Moreover, in a free society I have more than just the right to worship as I please. I also have the right to attempt to evangelize you, just as you have the right to try to sell me the full Baal-Believers benefits package, complete with free Ginsu knives for ritual sacrifice (did you know they can cut through these tin cans as easily as through a ripe tomato?)
Of course, in a free society, there’s nothing that says one has to listen. Therein lies the “problem.”

In my experience, liberty lovers fail to appreciate how difficult it is for most human beings to handle not being listened to, and to be confronted with the fact that others are doing something self-destructive or wrong but can’t be enjoined from continuing.

Such psychic pain is also an inalienable facet of human nature. It can be excruciating.

Yielding to the temptation to use government coercion to make this pain go away is wrong — no less than yielding to other kinds of injurious temptations — but surely one can understand why it happens.
It has become fashionable in modern society to attribute this behavior primarily to religious conservatives, typically portrayed as puritanical busybodies or hypocrites. But I find at least as much willingness among groups on the political Left to use governmental coercion to impose their beliefs.

On public university campuses, they restrict free speech and require participation in tendentious diversity training.
In legislative bodies and regulatory agencies, they seek restrictions on advertising, either because they don’t like the products being sold or they don’t like consumers are smart enough to understand the claims made.

They claim the right to impose restrictions on wages, prices, working hours, and other conditions of employment regardless of what the parties to an employment contract may seek or think is fair.
They think it’s okay to force taxpayers with strongly held moral or religious views to fund obscene art or social-justice activism but think it’s outrageous that taxpayer money goes to educational institutions and social-service nonprofits that teach or adhere to traditional views.

Freedom isn’t easy. It requires us to be grown-ups, to settle for living in a society in which some people, no matter how hard we try, just aren’t going to do what we say or believe what we believe.
It requires hippies to respect the rights of fundamentalists, and those with less to respect the rights of those with more, and gays to respect the rights of straights, and pacifists to respect the rights of hunters. Yes, it also means the reverse in each case. It works both ways.

Yielding to the temptation to coerce inevitably creates a more serious problem than the problem of learning to live with daily annoyances and outrages — just as yielding to a strong temptation to drink or overeat can make one feel good in the short run but cause severe harm in the long run. I guess it’s time for a new 12-step program.

The Homeless Highlight National Issues

We all see homeless people among us, a sad and shocking reality in the United States, boasting the world’s largest economy.
Some of them will get back on their feet, but others, many of whom suffer from serious mental illnesses, will not.

The cold, hard truth is that the United States, including North Carolina, does not have a working mental health system.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams shocked his city and the nation late last year when he announced that police and medical officials would round up and involuntarily provide “care” to unsheltered people deemed to be in “psychiatric crisis.”

As far as I can tell, New York City is the only locality attempting such detentions, although homelessness among the mentally ill is common across our nation, especially in our cities.
Individuals in crisis whether talking to themselves and others, whether behaving erratically and/or aggressively can make us feel uncomfortable, even frightened.

But they are human beings with rights, and hauling them off without their consent should make us equally uncomfortable.
The underlying problem is that beginning in the mid-20th century, communities across America began dismantling large, often state-run mental institutions for a concept called community care.
Decades into this, it has become clear that with a few exceptions, there is no such thing as community care. People with serious mental illness may get a bandage here and there, but true, effective treatment does not really exist.

If Mayor Adams has done nothing else, his edict to round up mentally ill homeless people has shown the spotlight on one of ugly failures in modern American life.

Telling Tales

U.S. Representative George Santos (R-NY) is nothing if not a top contender for the title of King of the Whoppers.

So far, he has lied about where he attended both high school and college; said that he was a star volleyball player on a team that never existed; said that his mother lived through 9-11 in New York when she was actually in Brazil; claimed false marriages; and lied about forming a charity for animals and apparently cheated a disabled vet out of medical treatment for his vet dog.
Whew!

My eastern North Carolina grandmother had a special word for lies. She called them “teewaddies,” as in grabbing a little girl by her shoulders, looking her squarely in the eye, and hissing, “Margaret Dawson, don’t you ever tell me a “teewaddy” again.

George Santos should have had such a grandmother, but — oops! — he said she died in the Holocaust.
She did not.

Considering a Tattoo?

Longtime Up & Coming Weekly readers may remember that for quite some time this columnist had a “thing” about tattoos.
Coming from a non-tattoo generation, she simply did not understand them or why one might want one. She has since mellowed a bit, but still no personal tatts. Nonetheless, she recently found some helpful hints for those considering body ink, and here are a few.

Research your tattoo artist’s work before lying down on the bed. Do you like his/her style? Are the designs and colors you want available?
Are the materials used safe for you or are you possibly allergic? Can the artist test your skin with the various inks? Are you vaccinated against Hepetitis B?

Some tattoos are more painful than others, depending on where they are on your body. Are you prepared for that and for tattoo aftercare?
Will you regret your tatt in 10, 20 or 30 years? Tattoos mark a specific moment in time, and we all change and evolve.

Will the 50-year-old you love what the 20-year-old you did?
Do you know that tattoo removal is expensive, painful and does not always work?

All good questions to ask before you hand over your skin to an “artist.”

A parade of teachers and activists stood in front of the long table of senators Monday night, Feb. 6, labeling parents as abusive, volatile, unsafe adults whose involvement in their children’s difficult journeys in self-discovery would lead to suicide, self-harm and death.

The militant message boldly asserts that parents are the enemies, and secrecy between schools and children should be ordained by the state.
During the Senate Rules Committee hearing about the Parents Bill of Rights, Democrat state Sen. Julie Mayfield said children face “withering inquisitions from parents” about their gender confusion, painting parents as berating outsiders instead of concerned family members.

Senators were asked by activists to trust schools as secret keepers of “affirming spaces” and that asserted any attempt for parents to be informed about pronoun changes was “policing queerness.”
Sen. Amy Galey, the Republican bill sponsor, reminded attendees that SB 49 makes provisions for rare instances where children might be subject to abuse if parents learn about their child’s chosen identity. But that provision wasn’t quite enough to satisfy anti-parental rights activists, who want parents left out in the cold while school employees usurp the moral and emotional guidance of other people’s children.

In the last two months, there have been 13 documented sex crimes by North Carolina school employees, one charge for larceny, four for assault, one for being drunk while teaching, and another for child pornography. Considering the number of crimes, with the majority being sexual and assault charges, the school system and their activists are in no position to claim moral authority over parents.

In fact, between the sexual assault by school employees, the bullying, violence, and drug use, it seems schools are one of the least safe spaces for children.
Speakers in favor of SB 49 gave shocking examples of why transparency is needed, detailing graphic sexual storylines in books offered in schools and gender confusing books aimed at kindergartners.

A retired Orange County school teacher of 16 years said in a statement to the committee, “these books in media center would make grown people blush… We are supposed to protect our children, not harm them.” She added that being asked to use alternative pronouns contributed to her decision to retire early.

NC Values Coalition executive director Tami Fitzgerald told the committee that Charlotte Mecklenburg School District started using “Welcoming Schools” in 2016, a teacher development program directing teachers to incorporate sexual orientation and gender identity into lesson plans.

Sen. Amy Galey has been the “mom representative” for many — she speaks on behalf of most moms in the state. Very plainly, Galey said in a press conference, “It baffles me to think that this bill could be divisive, quite frankly. I cannot understand why it would be controversial to say that children 5-6-7-8-9 years old should not be taught about sexuality or sexual activity in a public school classroom.”

The campaign to shut parents out while school administrators provide pornography, keep secrets, and indoctrinate children is indeed baffling. It’s especially troubling that the pattern follows grooming tactics, which include gaining access, trust development, isolating children from parents, and desensitizing children to sexual material by slowly exposing it to them. If you reference the Pavement Education Project’s website at www.pavementeducationproject.com/ you can see examples of pornography and books on gender ideology by county and school in North Carolina.

As one speaker put it, there is no academic value in teaching children about gender fluidity or showing them sexually explicit material. Schools should stick to academics and leave cultural issues to the family.

None of this happens suddenly; it’s been a slow drip of agenda-driven curriculum brought to parents’ attention largely during COVID shutdowns. The activists paint themselves as victims of parents who are in the wings, waiting to violently abuse their children because of gender confusion.

Teachers who spoke positioned themselves as necessary parental surrogates, the first adults who should rightfully respond to students’ personal struggles.
The character assassination of parents is simply a way to gain exclusive access to children, cutting out parents to influence an agenda.

Thankfully, the Senate passed S.B. 49. As the House considers a response, I hope members will consider the harmful toll educational agendas have taken on our children.
While test scores continue to fall, mental health problems and gender confusion continue to rise. Schools are failing in their mission to provide a solid education that will prepare students to become productive, educated members of society.

They should leave moral and personal matters to families.

Greater Life of Fayetteville is hosting a monthly program aimed to produce positive outcomes for parents and their children. The next workshop is Feb. 23.

The vision of Greater Life of Fayetteville is to provide a community that guides and assesses the needs of program participants. GLOF commits to supporting and encouraging positive interactions with school officials, teachers, adult volunteers and staff, through youth mentoring programs.

Along with programs for kids, GLOF also has programs and supportive tools for parents. GLOF’s parent programs are designed to help parents navigate educational, community and family dynamics. Parents also have the chance to acquire basic financial information/classes.

These programs are free to the community.

The upcoming workshop, which is parents only, will target finances. According to Georgeanna Pinckney, president and CEO of GLOF, this session will give parents insight on where their financial positions are and how they want to move forward.

William Neill, author and financial coach, will be speaking at this workshop to discuss the do’s and don’ts of controlling your personal finances. This session will be held on Feb. 23 at 600 Orange St. in Fayetteville from 5:30 to 6:45 p.m.

At the end of the monthly workshop, there will be a celebration for the parents who completed their monthly goal. Parents will receive a graduation certificate, gifts and be able to share their success story.

“What this does is it gives support from one another to see how they reach their goals. To some, it is like a community family support group because your idea may help someone else meet their goal or vice versa,” said Pinckney.

Other workshops will be held in March, April and May. For more information about the parent workshops, visit www.greaterlifeoffayetteville.org or call 910-364-9531.

CSX Corp. will temporarily close multiple railroad crossings downtown this week for routine railroad maintenance, according to a city news release.
Six railroad crossings will be closed affecting Hay and Russell streets. Blount Street will not be affected.

More than 15 railroad crossings will be closed on the “Vander Spur” affecting Hay Street and all intersections on Russell Street, the release said. Multiple closures are necessary because the work will be done in close proximity at about the same time.

In total, more than 20 crossings will be closed across the city through Feb. 18.
CSX plans to move farther east, requiring closings on several of state secondary routes, such as Sunnyside School, Sids Mill and Old Vander roads as well as N.C. 53 and N.C. 210 east of Interstate 95, the release said.

Other closings will be on Whitfield Street southeast of Robeson Street; Moore Street between Orange and Chatham streets; and Cumberland Street north of Ramsey Street.
Detour signs will direct traffic around the closures.

The track closures will last approximately two days. Drivers should expect delays and longer commutes, the release said.
For more information, contact CSX at 800-232-0144 or csx.com.

Cumberland County Public Library will host a Cape Fear Valley Blood Donor Center blood drive on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, from 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. at Headquarters Library, located at 300 Maiden Lane in Fayetteville.

This event is open to the public. Donors are urgently needed as blood levels dropped to historic levels during the pandemic and are still recovering.

Donors will receive a free T-shirt, one AMC movie ticket, and candy (while supplies last). Bring a form of photo identification and remember to eat a nutritious meal before donating blood.

To sign up, contact Traci Cardenas at tcardenas@cumberlandcountync.gov or 910-483-7727, ext. 1347. Walk-ins are also welcome.

For more information about giving blood and donor requirements, visit capefearvalley.com/blood/index.html.

For more information about the library, please visit the library’s website at cumberlandcountync.gov/library or visit them on social media.