Santa and his elves are coming early this year, thanks to the Fayetteville chapter of the Jack and Jill of America Foundation.

The organization’s second Pop-Up Pictures With Santa Just Like Me fundraising event will take place on Nov. 19 at Honeycutt Recreation Center from 1 to 4 p.m.
Big kids, little kids and believers of all ages are invited to enjoy hot cocoa and cookies with a few elves and have their picture taken with a Santa Claus of color before the holiday season gets fully underway. It’s the perfect time to get a jump start on holiday cards while celebrating diversity.

A team will be ready to greet visitors upon arrival, available to answer questions about the organization and opportunities to get involved.
Proceeds from the event will benefit Fisher House Foundation Inc. and Raeford Cares Mentoring Movement. Additionally, P3 Weddings and Events will sponsor five families identified by Raeford Cares to have their photos taken.

Up & Coming Weekly spoke with Ericka Whitaker, foundation chair of the Fayetteville chapter of the Jack & Jill Foundation of America, about the event and its intended impact on the community.

“We just want to get a jump start on all the other Santas,” Whitaker joked.

On a more serious note, Whitaker shared the foundation’s hope to increase visibility and representation in the African American community for leaders and heroes that look like the children and families they serve.

“What we have historically seen is that children of color don't often see Santas that look like them,” Whitaker explained. “We want to make sure our children are aware of their culture.”

"The desire to promote images of positivity and success within the Black community is at the heart of the Jack & Jill Foundation of America's mission to “transform African American communities one child at a time.”

Comprised mostly of African American mothers, the national organization represents over 242 chapters and 40,000 family members. Jack & Jill of America Foundation is dedicated to “stimulating children’s growth and development through educational, cultural, civic, health, recreational, and social opportunities,” particularly for African American children aged two to nineteen.

Established in 1938 by Black socialite and civic organizer Marion Stubbs Thomas, the Jack & Jill of America Foundation has spent the last eight decades cultivating leaders with a strong sense of duty and integrity, which led Whitaker to join the Fayetteville chapter seven years ago.

“I wanted my daughter to be involved in giving back to the community,” Whitaker shared. “I wanted her to understand there are professionals that look just like her. I believe the Jack and Jill Foundation has a strong impact because we really invest in our children's education and leadership. This organization is another tool in our toolbox to develop her as an individual.”

The Fayetteville chapter, which falls under the mid-Atlantic region, serves 23 members and families locally. The local chapter is involved in several programs within the community, like serving meals, partnering with local schools to provide needed resources, and volunteering with local food banks. The goal is to focus on and inspire children to become well-rounded individuals with a practical understanding of their culture.
While promoting positivity within the African American community, Whitaker emphasized that the Pop-Up Pictures With Santa Just Like Me event is for everyone.

“We aren’t just inviting children of color," she clarified. “We want the entire community to come out if they can.”

Digital photograph packages are priced as follows: one shot/$30, two shots/$45, and three shots/$60; only cash and Cashapp are accepted.

Honeycutt Recreation Center is located at 353 Devers St. in Fayetteville.
To learn more about the Jack & Jill Foundation of America, visit www.jackandjillfoundation.org/.

Of the 89 public and 36 private schools in Cumberland County, only one is solely dedicated to providing a holistic education for autistic students — the School of Hope: the “perfect place to wonder, learn, and grow.”

Situated in Fayetteville, the small but sunny private school opens onto a beautiful mural of the school's logo: a puzzle-piece schoolhouse of primary colors upheld by two loving hands.
For the past six years, the School of Hope has been a haven and, for some, the last stop on a long road to quality education for their exceptional children. Rob and Amy Sparks, co-founders of the School of Hope, understand that journey all too well.

As parents who struggled to access free and appropriate education for their autistic son, Jarred, the Sparks filed and won a lawsuit against Fort Bragg Schools, which ended in federal district court in 1997.

“We fought hard for our son because we wanted him to be educated, not babysat,” Sparks expressed with passion. “These students have a right to an education, and that’s exactly what we fight for here. The School of Hope is built from the heart — it’s not about money, it’s not about numbers — it's about quality.”

While Sparks, a former primary school teacher for Cumberland County, and Rob, retired Air Force, always dreamed of opening a school for children with autism, it wasn’t until the passing of their son, Jarred, in 2011, that the reality of the school began to take shape.

“I loved [teaching], but I made a promise to my son,” Sparks shared. “I said to him: ‘Jarred, I promise I will never let your death be in vain — we will open the School of Hope.’”

Reminders of Jarred are found throughout the school, and it seems no part of the space is untouched by his influence. A beautiful quilt made of his clothing hangs from the wall outside the office. A display case of his athletic accomplishments greets visitors as they walk inside. A handsome young man posing with his family, a strong swimmer standing with medals around his neck — his face stares back from several framed photos around the office. It’s clear the hands holding up the little painted schoolhouse belong to him.

“This school is so personal to me,” Sparks expressed. “Jarred is my son, and I want him to be proud of me.”

In honor of Jarred’s beautiful spirit, the Sparks have made it their life's mission to offer children on the spectrum a place to feel safe, loved, and educated.

“This is a very unique school,” Sparks shared with Up & Coming Weekly. “We know our students, and we love each and every one of them.”

An institution like the School of Hope couldn't come at a more crucial time. According to the CDC, around 1 in 44 children are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. A mere 20 years ago, the numbers were around 1 in 500. The sharp increase in diagnosed cases creates questions about best practices when serving the varying needs of children and students within this very specific population, particularly regarding education.

Many families of children with autism have indeed found success within the public school system through Individualized Education Plans, caseworkers and self-contained classrooms. Many others are frustrated with a system that, even before COVID, often struggled to meet the needs of students with autism spectrum disorder.

It is precisely due to these challenges that the School of Hope has gone from a student body of five to around 52 in the last six years. The K-12 school offers all the standard subjects, small class sizes, and an emphasis on life skills and socialization. Unlike public institutions, the School of Hope allows Personalized Education Plans, on-site ABA therapists and Registered Behavior Technicians, making them a highly sought-after choice for families moving into the area. As their renown spreads and their services become more necessary, the need for School of Hope’s expansion becomes increasingly urgent.

To make their dreams of building a bigger school a reality, the School of Hope has initiated their Hope 200 campaign, which seeks to raise $500,000 to purchase a modular building with eight classrooms that would allow them to take in 160 more children.
The Sparks, in particular Amy, as the school’s charismatic leader, have hit the fundraising trail to bring their story, message and dream for the school’s future to the community and even those outside Cumberland County.

“When you hear Amy speak about her son and the goals for this school, you immediately want to raise money for this cause,” shared Sandy Holland, an organizer of a recent fundraiser on the school’s behalf.
The “Roaring 20s” themed fundraiser/luncheon held in October, coupled with outside donations from the community and out-of-state benefactors, raised nearly $10,000 toward the school's Hope 200 campaign.

“God was laying it on my heart that our group needed to do this,” Holland explained. “The ladies of our church — so many of them have children and grandchildren on the spectrum, and we know their struggles. Several children at our church are on the spectrum — you see the need.”

It’s a need the Sparks hope to impress upon as many people as possible as the school creeps toward its goal.

“No donation is too small,” Sparks admitted. “Until autism touches people’s lives, they don’t think about it. Most people who give have a personal story they want to share. When people come to this school and see what's happening, they’re touched.”

As for Sparks, her dreams for the school extend far beyond her lifetime; ultimately, she and her husband are working to build a legacy.

“I dream that one day when I’m no longer here on this earth, the School of Hope will forever help children with autism and will continue to go on.

I hope that thousands of lives will be touched and when I get to heaven, Jarred and I can have our first conversation, and he'll say to me: ‘you did it, Mom.’”

The School of Hope is located at 111 Burns Street in Fayetteville. To learn more about the School of Hope or to donate to the Hope 200 Fund, visit www.theschoolofhope.net/,
or call 910-339-5683.

A brand new coffee shop will be opening soon in Cumberland County, and this coffee shop plans to put purpose into every cup. Miller’s Brew, operated by Kim Molnar and Miller’s Crew, is planning a soft opening in December.

Molnar worked at Cumberland County Schools for almost three decades as a speech-language pathologist and specialist. She noticed that children with developmental disabilities, particularly high school students, weren’t given much-needed resources to qualify for jobs in the community. She saw this within the schools and with her son, who is autistic.

The first goal for Miller’s Crew, named after Molnar’s son, Miller, was to create vocational work labs in high school special needs classrooms. Miller’s Crew met their initial goal in just three and a half years. Now they have installed or helped donate fully functioning training labs in ten different high schools across three counties.

Phase two was the Miller’s Crew food truck, which launched last year.

The Cooking With The Crew food truck was established with the goal to provide job training, apprenticeship programs and employment opportunities for young adults with developmental disabilities.
It has become a staple at many events around Cumberland County. The food truck serves hot dogs, fries, grilled cheese, and tried and true food favorites, offering simple but delicious lunches.

“With the food truck, we are able to take adults with special needs and train them with skills that they can use in some kind of employment,” Molnar said. “We use our food truck as a training lab. We serve really good food, and we love being out in the community.”

Since the food truck launched, there has been a sharp increase of interest from families and individuals who could benefit from the work Miller’s Crew does. Molnar tells Up & Coming Weekly that when they launched, they were working with two crew members. Now, 15 families are interested and wanting to be involved.
The plan was always to find a hub for Miller’s Crew, but the large amount of interest from the community hurried the timeline.

“We really wanted that phase three could accommodate more adolescents and more adults with special needs to carry on with that skill set and then pipeline them to the businesses that we partner with,” Molnar said.

That dream was still a few years away. But with the success of the food truck and the large amount of interest from not just families, but also the community, phase three is coming a lot earlier that Molnar was planning.
When the building they were looking at in the Haymount area became available to rent, Molnar said that they jumped on the opportunity.
The new hub will be a coffee shop, called Miller’s Brew. Their tagline: Purpose in Every Cup.

“We believe everything they do in that building at that particular time with the training that we're providing, you know, there is purpose and they are learning a task that’s going to carry over to something meaningful, whether it’s in our coffee shop or in another coffee shop or another place of business. Everything we do while they’re there is teaching and training,” Molnar said.

Molnar said she hopes families can see their training center, see their crew members, and know that their loved ones with learning and developmental disabilities will be okay.

“It’s my goal and my passion and my belief that if a family walks into our training company and gets a cup of coffee, talks to a speech therapist, but sees Miller at 23 years old making a cup of coffee, interacting with customers, learning how to do things that, you know, at three years old, we never would have dreamed that he would have done. Our training center will be the visual pathway for those families that they can look and go, ‘Oh, he has autism or he has Down syndrome, or he has another developmental disorder. The future is not going to be so bad that I have to keep working,’” Molnar said.

“We are hyper focused — we train and we teach to the caliber of what somebody would get if they're going into a 30 minute or 45 minute or an hour PTO/speech session. When they come in to see the staff at our training company, that’s what they’re getting. They’re getting really good opportunities to grow and learn.”

The coffee will come from a roaster in Aberdeen. They will be serving basic coffee drinks, pastries and their famous food truck smoothies.
There is a plan for a soft opening in December and a grand opening to the public in January.

The shop is located on the corner of Olive Road and Morganton Road, where the old BB&T bank was located.
To find out more about Miller’s Crew, where you can find their food truck, or how to get involved, visit their website at www.millerscrew.com.

Two years ago, cases of RSV plummeted dramatically across the nation as the COVID-19 pandemic shut down schools, daycares and businesses.
Once restrictions started easing in the summer of 2021, physicians are said to have seen an alarming increase in what is a normally fall and winter virus.

RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, is a common respiratory virus that usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most people recover in a week or two, but it can be very serious, especially for infants and older adults, the CDC says.

The virus has rebooted, and it’s back again.

As a result, doctors have concerns about the possibility that RSV, flu and COVID-19 could combine to stress hospitals.
The adult and pediatric emergency departments at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center have experienced higher than normal patient volumes. Doctors cite a rise in flu and RSV as the cause.
Dr. Jennifer Green, the Cumberland County health director, said that the county has been seeing a surge in flu and RSV just like the rest of the country.
Statewide, there have been five adult flu deaths and a pediatric death in recent weeks, she said. Cumberland County has not reported a death from those illnesses.

“It’s circulating more than we’ve seen before,” Green said, citing the fact that fewer people are wearing masks, fewer people are practicing public health measures, more people are traveling now than they were in the last year, and more are gathering and not social distancing as they did during the apex of COVID.

”It’s unusual this year after a couple of years of calm seeing this level this early and the amount of flu and RSV we’re seeing," she added. "This is kind of the flu season, but the volume is a little unusual.”

People have not built up an immunity at this time, according to Green.
Hospital physicians and staff were unavailable for comment due to the high demand of attention from patients experiencing respiratory illnesses, a hospital spokeswoman said.
But in a news release last week, Chief Clinical Officer Michael Zappa talked about the impact of flu and RSV.

“Flu season came early this year, as did RSV, and the numbers of cases are high everywhere,” Zappa said in the Cape Fear Valley Health news release.

“Hospitals throughout the state are filling their pediatric beds with children with RSV or flu. A large portion of what we’re seeing in the adult (emergency department) are respiratory illnesses,
as well.”

Fayetteville is no different from other places nationwide.

The Cape Fear Valley Medical Center Emergency Department is experiencing high pediatric volume flu and RSV, which are said to be driving the majority of emergency department visits.
On Nov. 10, Cape Fear Valley reported 29 cases of flu systemwide, with 19 listed as hospitalized at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center in Fayetteville. Six cases were listed in the pediatrics department.

Also on Nov. 10, 16 patients were hospitalized systemwide with the flu, including 15 at the central medical center. Total numbers of COVID patients were reported as 10 cases across the system and seven hospitalized at Cape Fear Valley.

Cape Fear Valley Medical Center’s 25 pediatric inpatient beds have essentially remained at capacity.

Late last week, the system said roughly 80% of the children admitted to the hospital recently have tested positive for RSV.
According to the news release, Zappa said that many of the children being brought to the emergency department are able to be seen and sent home and could also receive the same testing and evaluation at one of Cape Fear Valley’s ExpressCare locations. Some children may also need a breathing treatment, which the emergency department can provide, without needing to be admitted.

“I strongly encourage adults and children to get vaccinated for the flu this season, as well as getting their COVID-19 booster,” Zappa said in the release.

The same precautions that are recommended for COVID-19 are suggested for the prevention of
flu and RSV – masking, hand washing, cleaning frequently-touched surfaces and avoiding close contact.

Though a vaccine is available for the flu, there is no vaccine for RSV. Pfizer has announced that it is working on one.
The news release said that adults can contract RSV, but it generally impacts children much more often than adults. With the flu, children and geriatric patients are at a higher risk for complications.

“We don’t want to discourage anyone who is having an emergency from coming to the emergency department,” Zappa said in the release. “If an adult or a child is having difficulty breathing, they should come to the emergency department. We do ask that people consider our ExpressCares for non-emergencies, and for people to extend their patience if they experience extended wait times in the emergency departments.”

RSV is a common disease, Green said. And not one you typically think about unless you have younger children or older folks around. She said it’s similar to the common cold, and just another respiratory virus.

“Their symptoms overlap quite a bit,” Green said.

Did you know?

Public health agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advocate for annual flu shots as an effective way to avoid potentially serious complications that can arise when individuals get the influenza virus.
But why the need for annual vaccinations? According to the CDC, flu viruses are constantly changing, so a vaccination that might have been effective one year will not necessarily provide significant protection in the following year.
In addition, the protection provided by the flu vaccine wanes over time, so people won’t necessarily be well fortified against the flu if they aren’t vaccinated each year. Researchers work to determine which flu viruses are likely to be common in a given year. The vaccinations administered in that year reflect that research and provide the greatest protection against the viruses that are likely to be circulating throughout flu season.

What the world needs now more than love sweet love, are smarter, more socially attuned rats. Mr. Science has developed a method to put human brain cells into rats. What could possibly go wrong with this interesting development?

Today we enter the door that opens into this brave new world of improved rats. Quoting the The New York Times: “Scientists have successfully transplanted clusters of human neutrons into the brains of new born rats…” As Flounder said in “Animal House” — “Oh Boy! Is this great!”

Let us ponder the how, then the why, and the what this might mean for ratkind and humankind. Like many occasionally startling trends, poking human brain cells into rat brains originated in California. Our friends at Stanford not only left the cake out in the rain at McArthur Park but found the recipe again.

First, you put a bunch of human skin cells into a petri dish. Gently mix in some chemicals to cause the skin cells to morph into embryo cells. The newly hatched embryo cells can grow into almost anything except a Mercedes Benz. Fold in some more chemicals that cause embryo cells to develop into nerve cells, AKA neurons. Put the neurons into a commercial grade Commando 1500 E Class 10,000-watt Food Processor. Add Stanford’s secret recipe of 11 herbs and spices. Spin for two hours until the cells form large clumps of neurons called progenitor brain cells.

These brain cells become three types of nerve cells called Organoids. These new improved brain cells do not develop into regular or extra crispy Organoids, but come in three delicious flavors: brain cortex cells, spinal cord cells and muscle cells.

Now comes the fun part. Mr. Science implants the human nerve cells into the brains of volunteer two-day old baby rats to see what happens next. The Organoids are put into the part of the rat brains that understands pain, touch and bodily signals. Rats get a lot of information about the outside world from their whiskers. Human Organoids can speak Rat Whisker. Once at home in the baby rat brain, the Organoids flourish and grow to take up about 1/3 of the rat’s cortex.

Party on, Organoids! Mr. Science discovered the rats with human Organoids learned much more quickly than mere rat brained rats. We now can produce intellectually gifted rats who will require private schools.
Why do we want better rat brains? By Mr. Science studying the new improved rat brains, medical advances may be made into understanding autism, brain injuries and other neurological disorders. Some soreheads have ethical questions about implanting Organoids into rats. At this point, apparently Organoids have not been implanted into chimpanzees or border collies. But if winter comes, can blizzards of new improved animals be far behind? Stay tuned.

Eventually PETA is likely to object to the biological downgrading of rats by diluting their rodent identity through injecting human brain cells. Rats will become less than fully rat, declining into mere Ratoids adulterated by human brain cells. Humans have done a lot of things, and not all of them were good. Introducing human brain cells into rats is species colonialism. The insertion of human brain cells into rats is the first step on a slippery slope of cultural appropriation of rat history.

Will Ratoids become addicted to following the latest antics of Kardashians or the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills? Will Ratoids become influencers on social media? Will Ratoids become Democrats or Republicans, or form a new Party of Ratacrustians?

Not everything must be bleak in the coming Ratoid future. What is sauce for the rat, is sauce for the human. If human brain cells can be injected into rats, then rat brain cells can be injected into humans. The insertion of rat brain cells into humans would improve a lot of humans.

Consider Putin with a new improved rat brain. Vlad would be a kinder, gentler, murderous dictator. There are some things that even rats won’t do. Putin has shown there is nothing he won’t do. Rat Brain Putin would be an upgrade. Rat brain cells would improve Kanye West by slowing his spew of antisemitic comments, thereby allowing him to focus on finding cheese instead of vomiting hatred. Elon Musk clearly would benefit from rat brains. Former Dook Coach K’s disposition could be upgraded to almost semi-catatonic with an infusion of rat brains. Coach K already resembles a rat. His transformation from almost human to rat would not be a stretch. In a display of almost superhuman restraint, I will refrain from suggesting whether an infusion of rat brain cells would improve the Former Guy.

So, what have we learned today? Who put the rat in rational and irrational? Who knows? Boys will be boys. Rats will be rats. Until now, never the twain shall meet. Once humans comingle their brain cells in rats, we will end up with a nation of Dook fans. As Colonel Walter E. Kurtz in “Apocalypse Now” once said, “The Horror. The Horror.”

Contrary to what North Carolina progressives seem to think, the truth is that the Republican-controlled General Assembly now has a governing supermajority. This dynamic threatens Gov. Roy Cooper’s ability to continue building upon his record of having the most vetoes of any state governor.

Tuesday’s electoral results also put state public policy outcomes in North Carolina into a favorable position for those who value limited government.
The social media politico echo chambers are spiking with analysis after Tuesday’s election. Folks on the left and right are giving their thoughts about what the results mean for our political landscape. Overall, it is fair to conclude that what should have been an environment where Republicans saw a massive red wave across the country turned up short, but here at home, they secured critical victories.

The NCGOP took a sweeping victory over the judiciary, gaining the majority on the North Carolina Supreme Court for the foreseeable future. This will positively impact conservatives and those who value constitutionality in how judges interpret the law rather than judicial activism. Likewise, this will potentially impact redistricting, righting the wrongs of previous activist judges.

Most notably, Republicans gained a supermajority in the state Senate, bringing them to 30 seats in the upper chamber and a “functional supermajority” in the NC House, coming up short only by one, with 71 seats.
Nationally, the GOP did not do as well as many pundits predicted. There are potentially many reasons why that happened. One can speculate that this could be seen as a referendum on Trumpism — that it’s time for Republicans to move beyond Donald Trump and that populist rhetoric is not necessarily the catch-all winning strategy for conservatives moving forward. With what we saw in this election cycle in North Carolina with the loss of the three Trump-endorsed congressional candidates (Cawthorn, Hines and Smith), even with a Budd victory, that seems to be a good argument.

While the red wave may not have been felt at the national level, and social media rhetoric reflects that sentiment, #NCPOL Twitter is seemingly different from the rest of the country, as we did see positive gains for Republicans on the state level and, of course, with Budd’s U.S. Senate victory.

So, as for the General Assembly, what does a “functioning or governing supermajority” mean for legislating and the governor’s veto power?
Republicans in the General Assembly only need one House Democrat to align with them to override Gov. Cooper’s veto. House Republicans have a rich environment of moderate Democrats to vote with them on a wide variety of policies, especially now that Democrats do not have to worry about the wrath of Cooper’s vengeance since his time as governor is coming to a close. Senate Republicans have the votes to override a veto even without Democrat support.

On a vote-by-vote basis, and almost every issue imaginable, Republicans in the General Assembly can expect to have practically no problem finding Democrats to effectively caucus with them on votes, thus making Cooper’s veto no longer safe.

It would be politically savvy for moderate Democrats to deliver on being moderates and work in a bipartisan fashion. Likewise, this also means Republicans will have to moderate, albeit only slightly, on some issues to win the hearts of their colleagues. Overall, this is arguably not bad for a good and balanced government.

Editor’s Note: André Béliveau is the strategic projects and government affairs manager at the John Locke Foundation. He is an M.A. in government candidate at Johns Hopkins University and previously served as a policy advisor in the North Carolina Senate.

A Fayetteville man has been charged in a fatal shooting at the Carolina Motor Inn on Saturday night, the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office said.

Bobbie Colston Farrior, 41, was arrested Sunday, Nov. 13, the Sheriff’s Office said in a release.

He is charged in the fatal shooting of Rafael Ramon Purdie 39, of Hope Mills.

Farrior is being held without bond at the Cumberland County Detention Center on a charge of first-degree murder, the Sheriff’s Office said. His first appearance is set for 2:30 p.m. Monday.

Deputies were dispatched to the motel at 2533 Gillespie St. around 11:10 p.m. in reference to a shooting, the Sheriff’s Office said in a release.

The preliminary investigation revealed that Purdie was taken to Cape Fear Valley Medical Center with a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the hospital, the release said.

The Sheriff's Office Homicide Unit is investigating.

Anyone who has information about this investigation is asked to call Detective Sgt. R. Brinkley at 910-677-5463 or Crimestoppers at 910-483-TIPS (8477).

This is the second fatal shooting in the county in three days.

Carlos Runquiz Whitted, 40, of Hope Mills, died after a shooting Thursday night on Lawndale Street.

The Spring Lake Board of Aldermen is expected to swear in Fire Chief Jason Williams as interim town manager Monday night, Nov. 14, as it continues to search for a permanent town manager.

“It looks like I will be in this position for a little longer than when I was first appointed as the acting town manager,” Williams said.

Williams was appointed interim town manager on Oct. 24 after state Treasurer Dale Folwell said he would not approve funding to hire Justine Jones as Spring Lake town manager.

After a two-month search, the board voted 3-2 on Oct. 10 to appoint Jones as permanent town manager on conditional approval of the contract by the Local Government Commission, the Board of Aldermen and the town attorney, and acceptance of the contract terms by Jones.

Folwell issued a news release on Oct. 13 saying he would not approve the funding for Jones, who had recently been fired after 90 days from her first job as town manager in Kenly. She was let go after the entire full-time Police Department, including the police chief and two other employees, quit making headline news. They said she created a hostile work environment.

Folwell cited past employment history, concern for potential legal and financial liabilities and the potential adverse impact on town morale as his reasons for not supporting the hire.

Folwell said in an interview earlier this month that the ability to budget and manage the finances of a large organization should be at the forefront of the board’s decision-making when selecting a town manager.

Folwell also serves as chairman of the Local Government Commission which took over Spring Lake’s finances in October 2021 amid concerns of potential budget deficits, longstanding fiscal disarray and an investigation of missing money.

According to Jones’ resume, she has one year of budget experience and 90 days of town management experience. Prior to her brief employment in Kenly, Jones sued Richland County, South Carolina, alleging gender and racial discrimination after she was fired. In between, she spent five years operating her own consultant company.

Mayor Kia Anthony and town attorney Michael Porter said Kenly hired a third-party private investigator who showed that the claims of a hostile work environment were unfounded.

Anthony announced at the Oct. 24 meeting after Williams was appointed as interim town manager that the town would be sending a contract to the Local Government Commission for Jones to be the next manager despite the opposition from Folwell.

Williams has served as the acting town manager for the last three weeks. He said he is hoping to make some good changes in Spring Lake. He has taken a proactive approach to running the town, working with all departments to get equipment working again to clean streets and improve the appearance of the town.

“We’ve gotten the street sweeper back and running and we are working on getting things moving forward,’’ Williams said. “We got the claw machine on the truck adjusted and fixed so employees have returned to picking up bulk trash items.”

Williams hopes that residents can see that employees are trying to get the town cleaned up.

“If we can get the streets cleaned up and the trash picked up, then hopefully the people in Spring Lake can take pride in the town,’’ he said. “We just put up the flags on Main Street. We are just going to keep working at it.”

Williams added that the town Christmas tree lighting has been scheduled for Dec. 1 with town departments once again coming out to man stations for children.

“Santa will be there and we are going to do things a little bigger this year,” Williams said. “It’s about community and what I want the most is positive things coming from this town.”

In other business, the board is expected to hear a rezoning case to build new townhomes off Chapel Hill Road. The board is also expected to go into closed session citing N.C. General Statutes for privilege-confidential-approval closed session minutes, attorney-client privilege and personnel.

The board meets at 6 p.m. in the Grady Howard conference room of Spring Lake Town Hall.

The Fayetteville City Council has a meaty agenda scheduled for Monday, Nov. 14 with topics that include the N.C. History Center on the Civil War, Emancipation and Reconstruction, execution of a contract for gunshot technology and the potential appointment of a Fayetteville Public Works Commission member.

“We’ve been working through stuff,” Mayor Mitch Colvin said Thursday. “We're trying to push them on. We’re trying to clear the plate before the end of the year when we break for winter.”

The regular monthly meeting begins at 7 p.m. at City Hall.

In a consent item, the City Council will consider authorization to execute a memorandum of understanding with the history center foundation and adoption of a budget ordinance amendment 2023-7.

“We gave consensus for the manager, if certain conditions are met, to sign an agreement to fund it like a memorandum of agreement,” Colvin said. “It could be to vote to officially do that. I think we did that in a work session. It will appropriate the money with the passage of it but not disperse it until the conditions are met.”

Council voted 9-0 on Oct, 24 to allocate $6.6 million to the center, contingent on stipulations.

Another consent item involves approval of an interlocal agreement between the city and Cumberland County regarding the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park project.

The N.C. General Assembly appropriated $2.5 million to the Fayetteville/Cumberland County Dr. Martin L. King Jr. Committee, a nonprofit corporation, “as partial funding for a project to construct a memorial spire in a circular, stone meditation plaza” in the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park owned by the city, meeting materials state.

Gunshot technology, PWC appointment

When it comes to the gunshot detection technology services, the awarding of the contract could be forthcoming when the council reconsiders the execution of the transaction.

“(We’re) trying to give authorization to sign a contract if certain conditions are met,” Colvin said when asked what he anticipated would take place regarding a potential contract with the gunshot technology company ShotSpotter. “And some of the council’s concerns were public engagement meetings and just one or two other points to the proposed contract. That was something I brought to the council because it was stuck in limbo. Now it’s moved back to the table for official vote. Either pass it or not.”

Council members also are expected to make an appointment to the Fayetteville PWC.

Downtown social district

In other business, the City Council is scheduled to hold a public hearing on the adoption of Fayetteville’s proposed Downtown Social District.

Last year, the General Assembly enacted legislation allowing municipalities to designate social districts within their jurisdiction to allow alcoholic beverages sold by licensed premises to be consumed within the district, outside of the establishment where the beverage was purchased.

The city and the Cool Spring Downtown District, according to agenda materials, have worked together to propose a social district in the downtown area. Those two entities “believe that a social district is a valuable tool to increase economic activity and the vibrancy of downtown Fayetteville …”

As recommended by staff, the days and hours of operation for the city’s planned social district would be Fridays and Saturdays from noon to 10 p.m.

Only alcoholic beverages purchased from a permittee located in or contiguous to the social district may be possessed and consumed, the proposed ordinance states.

Cape Fear River Park

A Cape Fear River Park update also is listed on the agenda for council discussion.
Based on meeting materials, the project area consists of about 13 acres of city-owned property between Grove and Person streets along the west bank of the Cape Fear River. More than 1,000 feet of riverbank is included in the project.

Democrat Val Applewhite on Tuesday defeated veteran Republican candidate Wesley Meredith for a seat in the North Carolina Senate representing District 19, according to unofficial returns.

With all precincts reporting, Applewhite received 30,219 votes compared with 27,424 votes for Meredith, according to unofficial results.

"I got a very nice call from Wesley," Applewhite said after the results came in, "and he wished me well. Offered to help in any way that he could when I go to Raleigh, and we chatted, and that was very great."

Meredith said earlier in the day that he would not be commenting on the results.
Local political analyst George Breece had called the Senate District 19 race the “thriller in the ‘Ville in this 2022 election.”

"What I always say is that nobody is going to outwork me," said Applewhite, who is 61. "I think I had a very intense ground game directly engaging voters and just making my way through the community. This has been a long campaign season for me from the primary to here, and it never stopped. But I kept connecting with the citizens."

Applewhite, an Air Force veteran, and Army veteran Meredith served together on the Fayetteville City Council for three years beginning in 2007.
The race between Applewhite and Meredith included an interesting footnote: Gov. Roy Cooper endorsed her before the Democratic primary, when she defeated Sen. Kirk deViere to face Meredith.

"I think it was very instrumental because it allowed me resources, fundraising," she said of the endorsement. "Some people even said, 'Hey, if the governor supports you, I support you, as well.’ It did have a big impact but at the same time I brought my own special brand to this campaign."

Abortion was among the issues that showed the candidates' contrasting views of political and public policies.
Applewhite, a real estate broker, ran on the premise that there should be no restrictions on abortion. Close to her heart is the right of women to make their own decisions about abortion.

Meredith adamantly opposed late-term and partial-birth abortion and said he would work “to restrict those barbaric practices.” He supports new regulations on abortion that include clear exceptions for rape, incest and protecting the life of the mother.
Meredith, who runs a landscaping business, served four terms in the state Senate beginning in 2010 but lost re-election to deViere in 2018 and 2020.

Applewhite served on the Fayetteville City Council for three terms beginning in 2007 but later lost her two bids for mayor.
Senate District 19 encompasses most of Cumberland County, including rural areas on the northern, southern and eastern sides, plus Hope Mills and parts of Fayetteville.

City residents spoke loudly Tuesday in overwhelmingly approving a total of $97 million in bond packages for investments in public safety, infrastructure and housing.

A $60 million bond package for public safety received 28,430 votes, or 61.84%, to 17,547 votes, or 38.16%, in opposition, according to unofficial returns from the Cumberland County Board of Elections.

A bond package on infrastructure to upgrade roadways and sidewalks received 30,569 votes, or 66.44%, to 15,441, or 33.56%, according to the elections board website. A bond package for housing garnered 27,236 votes, or 59.13%, to 18,826 votes, or 40.87%, according to unofficial returns.

“It’s a great night for the city of Fayetteville,” City Manager Doug Hewett said, who said he is thankful to the City Council for its bold initiative.

Approval of the bonds, according to the city, comes at the cost of a municipal property tax increase of 4 cents to residents. For a home valued at $100,000, the property tax increase would be about $3.33 per month, or $40 per year, the city website says. A home valued at $200,000 would be taxed an additional $6.67 per month, or $80 a year.

Referendums for the bonds were unanimously approved on Aug. 8 by the City Council.

“Clearly, it was the largest bond ever contemplated in the city,” Hewett said. “With $97 million, I pledge to honor this vote in shaping the future of Fayetteville. I can’t wait to get to work in the morning to get the plan in action.”

Public safety needs for the city, according to its website, include emergency services, new fire stations, renovations to older fire stations and construction of a Police Department 911 call center. Public infrastructure needs, the city website says, are street resurfacing, sidewalk and intersection improvements, and bicycle paths. Housing needs, the website says, include development, rehabilitation of existing homes and homeownership programs.

“It’s an amazing night,” Hewett said. “Truly a celebratory night.”

Two Democrats defeated two Republicans for at-large seats on the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners in Tuesday’s general election, according to unofficial returns from the county Board of Elections.

Veronica Jones led the ticket with 40,914 votes. Former county Commissioner Marshall Faircloth came in second with an unofficial count of 38,530 votes.
Republicans John Szoka and Ron Ross came in third and fourth, respectively. Szoka, a former member of the N.C. House, garnered 35,253 in unofficial returns and Ross had 30,116.

One of the two at-large seats is being vacated by Commissioner Charles Evans, who ran for Congress. The second seat was held by Larry Lancaster, who lost in the Democratic primary to Jones and Faircloth.

Commissioners Jeannette Council and Glenn Adams, both Democrats, ran unopposed in District 1. All commissioners serve four-year terms. Although unopposed, Council received 15,511 votes and Adams received 13,970, in unofficial returns.
Jones attended a voting watch party at the Metropolitan on Green Street with fellow candidate Val Applewhite, who won a seat in the N.C. Senate.

“I won the primary and hoped that community still had faith in me,” said Jones, who added that her success at the polls came through her engagement with voters.

“I would go to as many of the polls as possible, from Gray’s Creek to the Kiwanis Center,” she said.

She said voters appreciated her engagement and other candidates’ engagement with them. They came with voter guides and good questions, she said.

“Sometimes people don’t give voters enough credit,” Jones said.

Faircloth stayed home during the vote count.

“I campaigned all day. It was a long day, and I was tired,” he said. “I spent a quiet evening at home biting my fingernails,” he said.

Faircloth said he figured that Jones would win and he would be in a tight race with John Szoka.
Faircloth said he ran for office again because he never finished some of the projects he was involved in as a Cumberland County commissioner. He said the most important project ahead is for the county to hire a new manager.

“There’s so much to be done, but getting a new county manager is probably the most important thing right now,” he said.

Democrat Ennis Wright will serve another term as Cumberland County sheriff after defeating Republican challenger LaRue Windham in Tuesday’s election, according to unofficial returns.

Wright, 63, received 49,275 votes, or 60% of the ballot count, compared with 32,797 votes, or almost 40%, for Windham, according to unofficial results from the North Carolina State Board of Elections.

Wright did not respond to a request for comment.

Wright was appointed sheriff in 2017 and was first elected in 2018. He is a Fayetteville native who has spent almost 30 years in law enforcement. Before he was named sheriff, he served as the chief deputy, supervising the entire Sheriff’s Office. In his first term, he initiated the Citizens Academy, which connects and educates the public with services available through the Sheriff’s Office.

He is a graduate of Terry Sanford High School and attended basic training and individual training at Fort Knox and was an honors graduate. He ended his military career honorably and attended basic law enforcement training at Robeson Community College in Lumberton. He worked with the Spring Lake Police Department before joining the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office as a road deputy.
  

Windham, 63, a 20-year veteran of law enforcement, said he had hoped to bring trust back to the Sheriff’s Office, where he once worked as a deputy operations commander. Windham worked in the N.C. Department of Correction in a special operations unit and as the training coordinator at the Morrison Correctional Institution (now Richmond Correctional Institution) in Richmond County before moving to probation and parole services for the N.C. Department of Public Safety.

“I’m definitely disappointed,’’ Windham said Tuesday night. “We thought we had a chance to pull this off, but I’d like to give praise and thanks to my supporters. I have some of the best supporters in Cumberland County. Congratulations to Wright and I hope things start to improve in the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office.’’

In a race that could shift the balance of power in the U.S. Senate, Republican Ted Budd defeated Democrat Cheri Beasley in Tuesday's general election, complete but unofficial election returns show.

Republicans need to flip only one Senate seat to gain control. The Senate is now split 50-50 between Democrats and Republicans. Thirty-four seats are being contested.

But Budd’s victory would not be the one to flip Senate control. The winner between Budd and Beasley will replace retiring Republican Sen. Richard Burr.
Returns from the North Carolina State Board of Elections on Tuesday night showed Budd receiving 2.87 million votes, or 50.75% of the ballots cast, to 1.74 million votes, or 47.04%, for Beasley.

Once the votes are canvassed and the election returns are certified, It appears that Budd will replace Burr.
Budd, 50, has been in the U.S. House of Representatives representing North Carolina’s 13th Congressional District since 2017. His House term ends in January.

Beasley, 56, is a former chief justice of the state Supreme Court. She also served on the state Court of Appeals and as a District Court judge in Cumberland County.

As was the case in the 2020 presidential election, rural voters largely supported the Republican candidate, while voters in the state’s most populous counties — including Cumberland — voted heavily Democratic. Beasley won only 21 of the state’s 100 counties. About half of the state’s registered voters cast ballots.

In Cumberland County, Beasley received 55.06% of the vote to 42.72% for Budd.
Budd was endorsed by former President Donald Trump and adheres to many of his political positions. Budd opposes abortion even in the case of rape, incest or threat to a woman's health. He grew up on a farm in rural Davie County and still lives there today. He says he will fight against President Joe Biden’s agenda and uphold conservative values. He supported Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
In his campaign ads, Budd attacked Beasley, calling her soft on crime while she served on the state Supreme Court and too liberal for North Carolina.

Among other issues, Budd accused Beasley of supporting student loan forgiveness and using taxpayer money to help the rich at the expense of everyone else.

Beasley’s campaign attacked Budd as a Trump-backed politician who opposes abortion, failed to vote for legislation to lower prescription drug prices and played a role in the settlement of his father’s bankrupt agricultural business, costing farmers millions.

The race was tame — one political pundit even called it “boring” — compared with celebrity races in Georgia and Pennsylvania.
Although Beasley outraised Budd by nearly a 3-1 margin, national Republicans poured far more money into Budd’s campaign than did their Democratic counterparts in the campaign's final weeks, The Associated Press reported.

In his acceptance speech, Budd thanked Beasley for her service and Trump, his family and North Carolina voters for their support.
Two other candidates were in the race. Libertarian Shannon W. Bray received 1.36% of the vote, and Green Party candidate Matthew Hoh received 0.78%.

Voters in Fayetteville sent the message Tuesday that they are happy with the way the City Council is structured.

The referendum on the Vote Yes Fayetteville initiative failed at the polls, 26,209 to 20,361, according to unofficial returns.

“The citizens of this community have had enough of the elite calling the political and economic decisions,” said Mayor Mitch Colvin, who opposed a potential change in the way the City Council was shaped. “And they spoke clearly to that tonight. I worked hard and several other members of the council worked hard to make our case. And the citizens bought into it. Hopefully, we’re finished with this type of conversation for a while.”

Had the initiative been approved, the City Charter would have been amended and the way City Council members were elected would have been restructured. Instead of all nine members being elected from individual districts, four members would have been elected at-large and five would have been elected by district. The mayor would have continued to be elected citywide.

“I’m not sad,” said Tisha Waddell, a former City Council member and supporter of the Vote Yes effort. “I’ve come to expect results like this out of the city of Fayetteville. I’m not sad; I’m not disappointed. I think that the people have spoken, and now we have to respect what they said and hope that the council will serve in a way that doesn’t make us regret this decision.”

Vote Yes advocates argued that at-large seats would give voters greater representation, increase turnout in municipal elections and create accountability in city government. They say council members elected at-large would be more likely to make decisions that benefit the city as a whole and not only their respective districts.

“I really think it was very confusing for a lot of voters. I’ve had so many people to explain this to at the polls,” Waddell said. “And if I had not been there to articulate to them – and not to tell them to vote or whether to not – but simply to explain what this meant to them. We may not have done a good job really articulating to the community what this initiative was.

“We very early on were accused of racism,” she said. “Early on we were accused of this narrative of Republicans trying to change the composition of the council. It became more about responding to those allegations, I think, than about really having an opportunity to educate the community.”

Supporters of the plan circulated a petition directing the City Council to put the measure before voters in a referendum.

After some council members raised questions about whether the petitioners had followed proper procedures, the Vote Yes organizers took the issue to court. Superior Court Judge Jim Ammons ordered the City Council to move forward with the referendum. The city appealed that decision, but it was upheld by the N.C. Court of Appeals.

Incumbent Diane Wheatley on Tuesday defeated veteran Democratic challenger Elmer Floyd for the N.C. House District 43 seat, according to unofficial returns.

The district includes parts of central Fayetteville and a large portion of Cumberland County east of the Cape Fear River. Wade, Stedman, Eastover, Godwin, Falcon, Gray’s Creek and Cedar Creek are all within the district.

Wheatley received 14,318 votes compared with Floyd’s 11,614, according to unofficial results from the N.C. State Board of Elections.

“I’m ready to go back to Raleigh and go to work and I appreciate their support,’’ Wheatley said. “I will try not to disappoint them and will always represent our community.

“I look forward to hearing from my constituents and (am) looking forward to serving our county,” Wheatley said.

Wheatley said she believes the country is on the wrong track, while Floyd said he believes the country is heading in the right direction. Both candidates stated they strongly believe in supporting law enforcement.

When asked why she thought the voters sent her back to Raleigh, Wheatley had this to offer: “I think I worked very hard to make sure Cumberland County has not been left out in Raleigh. I think I've been here serving the community for 16 years as a school board chairman and as a county commissioner. I served two years in Raleigh with great success with the delegation that I enjoyed working with.”

“I’m hopeful we can do the same when I get to Raleigh,’’ she said. “I think people know I want to work with the folks who are elected and to be effective for our county.”

Floyd could not be reached for comment.

The Fayetteville Woodpeckers have decided to cancel the annual “United for Veterans” event scheduled for Friday, Nov. 11 at Segra Stadium. It will not be rescheduled for 2022. This decision was made in an effort to keep staff, attendees and vendors safe during the forecasted hit of Tropical Storm Nicole in Fayetteville on Friday.

United for Veterans was to feature a resource fair with dozens of organizations that offer services for veterans and military families. Among these were organizations providing education services, employment assistance, medical and mental health care, housing, fitness, recreational activities and more. In place of this event, a “virtual resource fair” has been created through Linktree to connect those interested to these organizations: https://linktr.ee/UnitedForVeterans.

For more information about the Woodpeckers or upcoming events, please visit www.fayettevillewoodpeckers.com.

Corporations seek those with leadership ability because they believe these individuals bring special assets to their organization and, ultimately, improve the bottom line.
— Peter G. Northouse, “Leadership”

Why does leadership matter? In today’s global environment, organizations and communities want leaders who can guide them and drive positive change. Now more than ever, these same organizations and communities seek agile, creative and analytical leaders who are capable of operating in a complex and ever-changing environment.

In other words, candidates are sought who can successfully lead businesses and organizations out of the post-pandemic period and into the emerging “meta” era. Is this you?
Do leaders matter? Leaders at all levels assess requirements against capabilities and, in turn, leverage their personnel to attain goals. However, it is the skilled leader who visualizes, describes and directs not solely on where “we are” but rather synergizes the past and forecasts the future to positively affect “today.” Is this you?

Leadership changes the world. We study leadership so we can be successful leaders for organizations now and in the future. The Leadership Studies program at Fayetteville Technical Community College is looking for students who have the passion, drive and commitment to confront challenges in a constantly changing global world. Are you ready to meet the challenge?
Interested in leadership? Perhaps you should consider a degree in Leadership Studies. FTCC's Leadership Studies degree is a 5 semester/64-credit-hour program designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary for employment and growth into leadership positions.

Course work includes various subject areas related to leadership involving data-driven decision-making, change management, strategic leadership, planning, team-building, leadership capacity, motivation and effective communication.
Graduates will earn an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) and may qualify for leadership positions in the public and private sectors. Occupations may include positions specific to the military, governmental agencies, public policy, non-governmental agencies, law enforcement and homeland security.

How do you begin? Registration for Spring classes at FTCC is open, and Spring classes begin Jan. 9.

The arrival of a new year brings renewed hope and excitement, a “clean slate” waiting to be filled with ideas and directions for pursuing a new career, upgrading job skills and improving overall quality
of life.

Your local community college is an outstanding resource for pursuing a better quality of life through education. Whether your educational interest falls in the area of Leadership Studies, or in some other field or area, FTCC has over 280 academic programs to choose from, conveniently and affordably offered to help you make the most of your career decision.

For additional information about the Leadership Studies program, please visit https://www.faytechcc.edu/academics/business-programs/leadership-studies/ or call 910-678-8521 or email smithse@faytechcc.edu.

You can reach an FTCC Admissions representative at admissions@faytechcc.edu to get started at FTCC.

Your journey to a new career begins with the first step at FTCC. Let us help you find your way forward.

Alondria McCoy is the founder of Alon Entertainment and the writer and director of “First Lady the Stage Play” — a story of domestic violence and mental health in the church.

Fact vs. Fiction

This play is based on a true story. McCoy had a co-worker that detailed what happened to her as a First Lady, a title given to the wife of a church pastor. McCoy could not believe such horrendous things happened to the woman and inquired if she could turn the woman’s story into a stage play. The woman did not believe her story could be used for a stage play, but McCoy voiced she had the background in it and it could happen.

For two and a half months, details of the woman’s story resided on sticky notes as McCoy pieced the story together. It didn’t take her long to get the story together. On opening night, her co-worker sat in the audience and watched as her experience was told through a stage play.
After the show, her co-worker had tears in her eyes and told McCoy to have this play shown to the masses.

“Where I grew up in the church, I would have never thought this was real,” she said. “I’ve never seen anything like this in the church. It was easy for me to make a play of it.”

For the last six years, McCoy has done this show multiple times in different locations in the Carolinas and Virginia. To individuals who are wondering why this stage play on domestic violence is unique, this story is from a different perspective. In religious situations, when someone has a burden to bear, like domestic violence, they go to their pastor or leaders in the church.

In this story, the First Lady does not have anyone to go to because her abuser is the pastor and well-loved by the community. The cast is full of pastors, professionals and entrepreneurs that want to bring some form of awareness to domestic violence — education in the form of entertainment. Community resources on mental health and domestic violence will be available the night of the performance. McCoy said this is done by contacting the county in advance before they perform in a city and the county informs them of the organizations and resources available.

She said she does this because someone may never go to a church or therapist, but they might go to the stage play where the lobby has information on their different
options.

Mental health conversation

“Domestic violence and mental health is an issue in every community,” McCoy said. “We focus on African Americans because we know the struggles that lie in those communities.”

She added that domestic violence and mental illness have no color or gender and can happen to anyone.

“We’re not just trying to help the African American community, we want to help everyone. We want everyone to know that this is a serious issue and we want to help them get out of it.”

Over the years, attendees of the show have said “I felt that punch” or “I felt that slap.”

“Mental illness is not talked about enough,” McCoy said.

Cherie Porter plays “Victoria,” the First Lady of the church. Jewalle Wright plays “Linda.”
Porter said it is a taboo topic because of the fear of admitting mental illness. People worry others will say, ”You’re crazy.” She said the best way to heal is to talk. Wright added “Discussing mental health will help us to understand that we are not alone because a mental illness is not to be fought alone. We all need each other in some way. Connecting with others is more important than one might think. It can decrease levels of anxiety and depression, it can help us navigate our emotions, and much more, which can improve our overall well-being.”

“The resources were not available to a lot of African American communities to talk to someone,” McCoy said.

She said that now there is a more significant opportunity for African Americans to get help and talk to someone in a clinical profession, not just a spiritual counselor like a pastor or minister.

“Sometimes you need clinical advice more than spiritual,” she said. “Someone licensed and skillful.”

While certain African American communities may have more resources for clinical help for counseling, McCoy said there is still a stigma on medication. She said she wants people to understand that just because they are prescribed medicine doesn’t mean they are crazy. She said there are various coping mechanisms to utilize that a licensed professional can tell them about.

“There are options and we want people to know there are options,” she said.

‘What goes on in our house, stays in our house’

This phrase may seem familiar to many individuals and McCoy and Porter gave their thoughts on it.

“I believe it is the biggest misconception that can be used with that phrase,” McCoy said. “Sometimes you begin to function in dysfunction. When you begin to act in a certain behavior, it can become normal for you and before you know it, you don’t feel like anything is wrong with the state you are in or recognize help is needed.”

She said there are many forms of abuse — physical, psychological, verbal or how the abuser looks at the victim.
McCoy said this includes the men who are abused by women, but because they are taught not to hit a woman, the woman physically harms him.

“First Lady the Stage Play” will be Nov. 12 in Seabrook Auditorium, on the Fayetteville State University campus. Doors open at 6 p.m. The pre-show starts at 6:30 p.m.

The play begins at 7 p.m. The Seabrook Auditorium is located at 1200 Murchison Road. Ticket prices for the production range from $25 to $35.
For more information, visit https://alon-entertainment1.ticketleap.com/first-lady-the-stage-play/.

“Today is my third anniversary,” Chelsea Perkins exclaims as she jumps a little in her seat. “Sorry I kind of yelled that.”

She laughs but the smile across her face does not fade. Andre, Chelsea’s husband, is the one, she says, who balances her out.

“I can be very high-strung.”

Chelsea sits back into the chair and relaxes a little. As she talks about Andre, her head kind of glides along. She opens her hand then quickly clasps them back together. Andre and Chelsea met at their hometown church in Whiteville when Chelsea would come back home from college. Chelsea served eight years in the Army Reserves and luckily for both her and Andre, her duty station was Fort Bragg. Andre also served ten years in the Army. Probably a more common and less answered reason for joining the service, Chelsea admits the luster was to gain financial independence for herself. She was always a number’s person, she says.

“It was a turning point in my life,” she says. “I took some time off from school and joined the military. It was one of the greatest decisions I made.”

Admittedly, Chelsea says, there were a lot of things that never crossed her mind about being in the service. Deployment was one of those. However, as fate would have it, Chelsea did not get a combat deployment during her eight years of service.

“If I look back at my career, that’s an experience that I wish I kind of had. No one wishes to be deployed but the experience, you know,” she says. “It's kind of like that guilt of some people lost their lives. Some people sacrificed more than others.”

Currently, Chelsea is a loan officer for Veterans United and she did eventually graduate with an undergraduate degree in Finance. Now, Chelsea feels great being able to help veterans afford to buy their own homes.

“I’m honored to be able to give back to the community,” she says. “I just want to help them achieve their goals.”

Chelsea hopes that the future will bring more opportunities to give back to the community. Her passion, she says, is figuring out how to help the homeless, specifically veterans in the community. Chelsea helps with hosting workshops, financial literacy, and partnering with organizations to give back.

“My goal is to make Fayetteville one of the best communities to live in … ever,” she says.

In the future, Chelsea plans to continue that goal for Fayetteville, maybe spend some time at the beach and one day have kids. For now, she laughs, she is the proud mom to two Yorkies.

Watching Marc de la Concha and Jonathan Judge-Russo practice lines is like watching a one-two punch. A little different from the common ringside accompaniments — theirs is a match of wits, comedic lines and neurotic displays — and maybe some weird wheezing and ticks. All part of the contemporary comedy that is Neil Simon.

De la Concha and Judge-Russo are making rounds as Felix Unger and Oscar Madison in Cape Fear Regional Theatre’s version of “The Odd Couple.” And it will be the only theatre in the country where audiences can watch one of Neil Simon’s plays currently.

“They put a pause on Neil Simon’s works. We wrote to his widow and his estate about how beneficial it would be. They wrote back and said, ‘Oh my goodness. We’d love to grant you permission to do the show.’” Ashley Owen, CFRT marketing director said.

The theatre’s employees were delighted. The next decision was how to honor that permission with outstanding performances of the play.
Part of that equation, according to Director David Hemsley Caldwell, was De La Concha and Judge-Russo who were a shoe-in for the parts. Their banter and natural chemistry was undeniable.

“We read them together. It was just magic. It just falls into place. It just makes sense with these two gentlemen,” Caldwell said.

For Judge-Russo, Oscar is a nice break from the types he’s always been cast in TV — the murderer, the nonstop bad guy. “Yikes,” he says as he recounts his normal casting. This makes de la Concha laugh.
De la Concha, on the other hand, is revisiting the role he played 11 years ago — the neurotic, clean-freak Felix. After finding himself on the end of a divorce, Felix finds himself in need of a home and finds a very odd placement with the laid-back, messy Oscar. This, of course, makes for some comedy.

“The banter between the two of them... It’s almost like watching a sporting event,” Caldwell said. “If you just follow what you are given by Mr. Simon then you are three-fourths of the way there.”

Judge-Russo agrees. For him, he says, you just have to get out of the play’s way and “let it live.” He says he tries to exist within it. While Judge-Russo and de la Concha have both been in productions at Cape Fear Regional Theatre, this is their first time working together.

“I’m having a great time under my N95 right now because of the level where Marc is at,” Judge-Russo said. “He’s so funny. If you are not matching it, if you are not volleying his serve, you will come unglued a bit.”

This is lucky for both actors, who seem to be having a great time, as the production is about two-thirds just Oscar and Felix bantering back and forth. And the rhythm they strike is just as important as the jokes.

“The rhythm it counts on needs to be perfect for the jokes to land,” Caldwell said. “There’s a lot of playwrights that are not good at writing dialogue but [Simon] is. Rhythmically, the way he writes, he is a musician. It is note perfect. You owe it to him and his play to play it that way.”

“The Odd Couple” will run until Nov. 13. For this production, this is a shorter run with only 11 performances. Tickets range from $15-28, depending on the night. Visit www.cfrt.org for more information.

The Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association has over 20,000 members nationally and living abroad who ride motorcycles. Local to Fayetteville, Fort Bragg and the Sandhills, the CVMA All American 15-1 Chapter has approximately 120 members.

The mission of the CVMA is to support those who have defended their country and their freedom. Members come from all branches of the Armed Forces, and many are still serving.
Officially formed in 2001 as a 501(c)19, nonprofit organization, the focus of the CVMA is to provide assistance and help individual veterans, veteran care facilities, as well as other veteran organizations and registered charities. Though the CVMA has their own geographical locations, the organization does not claim territory, and clearly states that this is an association not a motorcycle club. The All American Chapter 15-1 was formed in 2006.

There are three membership classifications: Full Members, Support Members and Auxiliary Members. Full Members have verified combat services, while Support Members have non-combat military service. Auxiliary Members are the spouse, widow or widower of a member.

The CVMA constantly supports and works with other local veteran associations and community outreach. These organizations include the Cumberland County Veteran’s Council, VFW Posts and American Legions. The organization routinely works with vendors and sponsors of events. The All American chapter proudly raises tens of thousands of dollars annually which all supports local veterans, their families and veteran charities.

In partnership with Habitat for Humanity, the CVMA has provided the funds and volunteer services to improve the homes and lives of veterans through critical home repairs. This includes building wheelchair ramps to make homes accessible. The All American chapter even serves veterans by helping them relocate and move.
James “Jim Dandy” Dennis serves as the Secretary of the 15-1 chapter. He says, “We have two big events annually, our Summer Bash and the Memorial Ride and Dedication in the spring. This upcoming year CVMA will be hosting the event at the Crown Complex with raffles, music, food and vendors.”

Other CVMA chapters will be attending and participating. The events are open to the public and support local veterans.
The All American Chapter 15-1 participated in the Veterans Day parade as part of the Heroes Homecoming events. The parade is hosted by the Cumberland County Veterans Council and the city of Fayetteville.

Eric “EO” Olson commented, “I got my first Harley in 2016 and have been riding with the Combat Veterans All American Chapter for the past 6 years. I enjoy being able to give back to my combat veteran brothers and sisters.”

Upcoming event information can be found on their Facebook page www.facebook.com/cvmanc15.1.

Information about the local All-American Chapter, sponsorship opportunities, and ways to make donations can be found on their website www.cvma15-1.net. For information about membership, email the chapter secretary at sec.nccvma.15.1@gmail.com.

The 11th hour has become synonymous with Veterans Day, originally called Armistice Day, in recognition of the document signed at the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month.
In reality, the Armistice ending the war to end all wars was signed around 5 a.m. on November 11th. Over the course of the next 6 hours, nearly 3,000 men would lose their lives in the final hours of a war that had already claimed the lives of 20 million military personnel.

The final death of WWI came at 10:59 a.m. one minute before the guns of war would fall silent.

Private Henry Gunther was a German-American drafted in the fall of 1917. Most accounts state that his final actions were motivated by Gunther’s need to demonstrate that he was “courageous and all-American.” A chaplain from Gunther’s unit recounted, “As 11 a.m. approached, Gunther suddenly rose with his rifle and ran through thick fog. His men shouted for him to stop. So did the Germans. But Gunther kept running and firing. One machine gun blast later, he was dead. His death was recorded at 10:59 a.m.

In every conflict, inevitably a final service member pays the ultimate sacrifice.

In the closing days of World War II, Private Charley Havlat, the son of Czech immigrants, found himself liberating his parents’ former homeland. During a reconnaissance patrol near the town of Volary on May 7, 1945, enemy fire from a woodline hit the patrol, wounding several and killing Havlat. Word of the cease-fire reached Havlat’s position minutes after he was killed.

Officially, the U.S. has never declared a final casualty in the Korean War. Since the armistice was signed, nearly 100 U.S. soldiers have been killed in combat on the Korean peninsula.
On April 29, 1975, Charles McMahon and Darwin Judge were two of a small number of Marines tasked with safeguarding the U.S. Embassy in Saigon. McMahon had been in Saigon only 11 days, and was 11 days shy of his 22nd birthday. Judge, 19, had arrived in early March. They were killed in a rocket attack. The U.S. would complete the process of withdrawing from Saigon the following day. Initial reports said their bodies had been evacuated. In fact, they were left behind. McMahon and Judge were repatriated Feb. 22, 1976, following diplomatic efforts led by Senator Edward Kennedy.

Staff Sergeant Ryan Knauss was among the last of the 2,461 service members who died in Afghanistan. Knauss and 12 of his comrades were killed when suicide bombers and gunmen attacked crowds at Hamid Karzai International Airport during the withdrawal from Kabul. Assigned to the 8th Psychological Operations Group (Airborne) at Fort Bragg, Knauss was supporting the noncombatant evacuation operation. He had previously served in Afghanistan as an infantryman in the 82nd Airborne Division.

In every war, there is always one that must fill the dignified but dubious role in history as being the last to give the full measure of devotion. Each year on the 11th day of the 11th month as a nation we pause, not only to honor those that have given their lives, but for all those who believed so deeply in American exceptionalism that they were willing to risk their lives to defend it.

For most Americans, talking about war is conceptual, something learned through history books, news reports and movies — those who have served do not know that luxury.
Not only should we remember that the democratic principles we hold so dear have been defended by generations of Americans whom we honor on Veterans Day, but more importantly, we should take inspiration from that sacrifice. Our country, despite all our self-imposed differences, needs to look to our veterans and see that there are no divisions in a foxhole — there are only those who stand in defense of democracy and those who stand against it.

While we may only celebrate Veterans Day with a few moments of silence each year, we have an opportunity to use those moments to find our own way to serve as part of our commitment to living up to the legacy of our veterans.

When the Armistice was signed in 1918, when the Japanese surrendered, and when the last flights departed Saigon and Kabul — these were not simply endings, they were new beginnings. We honor those who serve by recommitting ourselves to making the sacrifices necessary to preserve our way of life.
As Adlai Stevenson once stated, “Patriotism is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime.” Let this Veterans Day be a new beginning. Go forth and find a way to serve our nation, our communities and each other — we owe it to our veterans.

Editor’s Note: Joseph Reagan served eight years as an active duty officer in the U.S. Army, including two tours to Afghanistan with the 10th Mountain Division. He is a graduate of Norwich University, the oldest private military college in the country.
Wreaths Across America is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded to continue and expand the annual wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery begun by Maine businessman Morrill Worcester in 1992. The organization’s mission — Remember, Honor, Teach — is carried out in part each year by coordinating wreath-laying ceremonies in December at Arlington, as well as at thousands of veterans’ cemeteries and other locations in all 50 states and beyond. For more information or to sponsor a wreath please visit www.wreathsacrossamerica.org.