The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission’s Executive Director, Cameron Ingram, has signed a proclamation outlining the 2023 striped bass harvest season in the Roanoke River Management Area.

The entire Roanoke River Management Area will be open for harvest of striped bass April 14 to 17 and April 22 to 23. The daily creel limit is one striped bass per day. The minimum length limit is 18 inches, and no striped bass between 22 and 27 inches may be possessed at any time.

The Roanoke River Management Area includes the Roanoke River and tributaries from the Roanoke Rapids Lake Dam downstream to the Albemarle Sound, including the Cashie, Middle and Eastmost rivers.

In 2020, a stock assessment of striped bass in the Roanoke River/Albemarle Sound indicated that the stock was overfished, and overfishing was occurring. To conserve and rebuild the striped bass population in the Roanoke River, this year’s harvest quota is 12,804 pounds. The six harvest days outlined in the proclamation were selected using past angler creel data with the goal of anglers having an opportunity to harvest fish throughout the river.

“Since 2006, we’ve seen declines in the abundance of Striped Bass, specifically, dramatic declines in the abundance of fish larger than 30 inches. These larger, older fish can produce over 1 million eggs per spawn. River flow is also important to having a successful spawns and high egg survival rates. NCWRC staff work weekly with staff from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to provide the best possible flow for spawning fish on the Roanoke River. Larger fish and river flow during critical spawning periods are keys to rebuilding the Roanoke River-Albemarle Sound Striped Bass population,” said Chris Smith, District 1 Fisheries Biologist with the Wildlife Commission. “However, appropriate flows alone will not help. The current management actions are intended to increase striped bass survival on the spawning grounds. Over time we anticipate the population will rebuild including larger older females which are very valuable to the population.”

Anglers can continue to catch and release striped bass throughout the spring. To reduce handling stress on fish that are released, the Wildlife Commission recommends anglers use a single barbless hook or a lure with a single barbless hook, which is a requirement when fishing in the upper Roanoke River above the U.S. Highway 258 bridge near Scotland Neck from April 1 through June 30.
Signage will be posted at boating access areas along the Roanoke River to notify anglers of the changes to the open harvest dates. More information can be found using the agency’s online BAA locator.

N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission     

Since 1947, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission has been dedicated to the conservation and sustainability of the state’s fish and wildlife resources through research, scientific management, wise use and public input. The Commission is the state regulatory agency responsible for the enforcement of fishing, hunting, trapping and boating laws and provides programs and opportunities for wildlife-related educational, recreational and sporting activities.     

To purchase or renew a fishing, trapping and hunting license and renew a vessel registration visit www.ncwildlife.org.     

In recent years, many businesses have made a concerted effort to create more diverse, equitable and inclusive workplaces.

Those efforts have thus far met with mixed results. An analysis of more than 1,000 large firms in 15 countries conducted by McKinsey & Company found that one-third significantly improved their diversity between 2015 and 2020.

Though that's good news, it also means two-thirds did not improve significantly, which underscores how much more work must be done to create more diverse workplaces across the globe.
Efforts to build more diverse workplaces may prove more successful if companies revisit the many reasons why the pursuit of such a goal is worthwhile.

Diverse workplaces impress employees and prospective employees. A 2021 CNBC/SurveyMonkey survey found that 80% of workers want to work for companies that value diversity, equity and inclusion. Companies that gain a reputation for such values may be more successful at retaining their existing employees, thus driving down costs associated with hiring and training new employees, and be in better position to attract qualified candidates who prioritize positive culture when looking for new opportunities.

Diversity benefits the bottom line. The positive impact of diversity on the bottom line provides more motivation for businesses to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive. In a report released in May 2020, McKinsey & Company found that firms in the top quarter of gender diversity on executive teams were more likely to experience above-average profitability than peer firms in the bottom quarter. Firms in the top quarter of ethnic and cultural diversity also outperformed fourth quarter firms by 36% in regard to profitability. Such data supports the notion that investing in a more diverse workplace is a sound investment that's likely to produce a strong and quantifiable return.

Multicultural diversity can facilitate expansion. Firms looking to expand into new overseas markets can benefit from a culturally diverse staff. Such staffs can provide invaluable insight and experience regarding local laws and regulations. Familiarity with overseas cultures, including local languages and cultural practices, also can help companies attract qualified local candidates and become competitive more quickly.

A diverse staff can lead to a more diverse offering of products. It makes sense that a more diverse staff can contribute to a more diverse offering of products. A more diverse staff increases the likelihood that a company will have a wider range of skills at its disposal, and such a staff also provides companies with a more expansive range of perspectives reflective of a wider customer base. Companies can utilize such diversity when developing new products and adapting to ever-shifting markets.

A more diverse workplace is a goal for many companies. Accomplishing such a goal can help companies in numerous ways, each of which can ultimately benefit the bottom line.

Spring brings a lot of buzz with honeybees. In the winter they cluster together to stay warm, and the worker bees vibrate their bodies to generate heat.

The queen bee rests all warm and comfy with temperatures ranging from 90 to 100 degrees, not too bad for the royal treatment. The cluster has two parts which are a dense outer mantle and a loose inner core where the bees have more room to move around. The cluster expands or contracts depending on the temperature.

Winter is the hardest season for the bees with the greatest loss and even the best beekeepers can encounter challenges to keep the colony alive. However, as in everything with nature, it is part of the cycle of survival. Winter survival depends mainly on food storage or if the colony enters the winter with a virus or disease.

Once Spring begins to emerge and temperatures begin to rise above 65 degrees the days begin to lengthen sources of pollen and nectar emerge for the brood. As Spring progresses the colony expands with the pronation of young bees and field worker bees begin to collect the nectar and pollen to expand and nourish the colony.

There is a lot of activity in the colony as the queen increases drone egg-laying for the worker bees and drones while the bees prepare for a new queen. The royal kitchen is busy in the hive with a few bees that have been selected for the higher court and fed a special gland food called “Royal Jelly’” and the rate of development accelerates. The number of queen cells varies with races and strains as the new queen or queens emerge.

The colonies are still busy as new combs are produced for honey storage. The royal court assembles for the new queen to emerge and before the nectar begins to flow the colony will swarm during the warmer hours of daylight while the old queen and her entourage fly to the limb of a tree and begin scouting for a new home to assemble.

The remaining bees are the parents of the colony and work the fields to collect nectar, pollen and water plus they care for eggs, larvae and food and guard the entrance. The emerging drones receive nourishment for a population to mate with the queen. When she emerges, she has nourished herself because she has rivals for the queen position. Alas, mortal combat begins, and it becomes survival of the fittest.

The queen that survives flies out about a week later to mate with one or more drones in the air. The males do not survive this intense ritual, but the queen returns to the nest as the queen mother and shortly begins to lay eggs while she is being cared for by nurse bees.

Honey bee trivia

They can fly up to 15 miles per hour. A worker bee makes an average of 1 and ½ teaspoons in a lifetime and a pound of honey is made by two million flower visits. Honey bees are the only bee to produce food for humans. They visit 50 to 100 flowers in one trip.

Honey is a natural energy booster, a mixture of minerals, and antioxidants, is antibacterial and works in preventing fatigue, and can boost athletic performance. Honey bees do not typically sting unless threatened
Live, love life and honey bees.

As part of its ongoing Black Culture Experience, The Arts Council of Fayetteville and its subsidiary, We Are The Arts, will host this year’s BlackLIT Book Fair on March 18 at the Volta Space in downtown Fayetteville.
Now in its second year, the BlackLIT Book Fair “continues to be an intentional effort to motivate, highlight, reaffirm, and empower cultures and the younger generation by making literacy relatable and relevant in communities of color.”

Working to close the significant reading gap present within the black community, the BlackLIT Book Fair works to showcase and uplift the lived experiences of African Americans as expressed through fiction, self-help, romance, empowerment, poetry, children’s books, and a variety of other genres.

Data pulled from the National Assessment of Educational Progress suggests an initiative like this couldn’t be more timely. In 2019, the Nation’s Report Card showed that only around 15% of Black 8th graders were at or above a proficient reading level.

The numbers don’t look much better after high school, as around 23% of Black adults are considered to be low literacy according to a 2019 report from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Boosting literary engagement is of crucial importance within the Black community and critical to its long-term success.

Literacy improves mental health, builds life-long learning and critical thinking skills, creates jobs, and is a powerful tool against poverty. The BlackLit Book Fair will host a number of activities, reading, panels and presentations for readers and writers of all ages throughout the day.

The Children’s Read-Aloud “inspires children and their parents to learn, grow and explore the world through the pages of a book,” shared Christy McNeil, Director of Marketing for the Arts Council of Fayetteville.
Six African American storytellers are slated to appear during this time and offer dynamic readings designed to grow the imaginations of their audience while fostering a love of reading and an expanded view of the world.

As an added incentive, all children in attendance will receive a BlackLit Voucher which can be redeemed for one free children’s book of their choosing at participating vendors as long as supplies last.
For poetry enthusiasts, The Literary Cafe: Poetry By The Hour will create an opportunity for authors and aficionados to engage in conversation over refreshments as “poetic expressionists read excerpts from their books.”

And for those writers of color, both emerging and established, the BlackLIT Book Fair will offer a Professional Writers Panel to offer advice and guidance around the ins and outs of the publishing world. Topics include “distribution, access to funding and small business loans, and other aspects of artist development,” according to the event’s website.

The BlackLIt Book Fair is an opportunity to support Black authors, discover new perspectives, and bolster the audacious notion that stories of color are stories worth reading and the world is better served by sharing them.

The BlackLit Book Fair is free to attend and open to the public. The Volta Space is located behind 116 Person St. in downtown Fayetteville.

For more information about the BlackLit Book Fair, visit https://www.wearethearts.com/blackculture.

“Rhythm is our universal mother tongue. It’s the language of the soul”
– Gabrielle Roth

Music has always played a major role in my life. I grew up listening to music, singing in choirs and dancing to all kinds of beats. One of my favorite artists was Michael Jackson, who captivated me with his unique voice, smooth dance moves and the ability to tell stories through music and movement.

I have been following the rhythm, not only in music, but also in life, for as long as I can remember. That’s why I’m excited about the theme “Rhythm of a Story” for the Cumberland County Public Library’s 14th Annual Storytelling Festival.

Throughout March, library programs will promote storytelling through various lenses while celebrating diverse cultures. All events are free and will highlight rhythmic talents and stories from various cultures, encouraging children to explore, embrace and express their own stories through rhythm. Join us and enjoy story times, guest performances and arts & crafts during the month of March.

The festival kicks off at Festival Park on March 4 from 2 to 4 p.m. There will be games, music and performances from local artists and organizations.
The featured presenter will be Carolina Storyteller, a bilingual performer born and raised in Cali, Colombia. Her stories explore the myths, legends, folktales, historical narratives and literature of Latin America and Hispanic cultures.

Carolina Storyteller will also perform March 3 at West Regional Library located at 7469 Century Circle in Fayetteville. Other performers for the festival include Lee Bryan, “That Puppet Guy” and Greg Whitt.

Bryan specializes in puppet performances and will be at North Regional Library, lcoated at 855 Mc Arthur Road, on March 6, and the Hope Mills Community Branch, 3411 Golfview Road in Hope Mills, on March 7.
Whitt promotes life in rhythm and harmony through an interactive experience called Drum for Change. He will perform at East Regional Library, located at 4809 Clinton Road, on March 23 and Cliffdale Regional Library, located at 6882 Cliffdale Road, on March 30.

The Storytelling Festival is supported by a mini grant from the Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County, in part by contributions from community partners, and through grants from the City of Fayetteville, Cumberland County and the N.C. Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural & Cultural Resources.

For more information on these programs and more, call 910-483-7727, visit any of our eight locations or check out our website at www.cumberlandcountync.gov/library.

Cape Fear Studios is holding their annual military themed Alpha Romeo Tango show through March 21 at the Cape Fear Studios exhibit space in downtown Fayetteville.

“The artwork itself does not have to be military themed,” said Steve Opet, Cape Fear Studios board president.

“The artists themselves are military affiliated. The show is open to active duty, retired, veterans, all six branches of the military. It is also open to dependents and people 18 and over who are children of military affiliated people. We’ve accepted art from people who they themselves aren’t military but their fathers were WWII veterans.”

Alpha Romeo Tango is a show inspired by the nearby Fort Bragg and military community.

“Alpha Romeo Tango” spell “art” in the military phonetic alphabet. When artists submit their pieces for the A.R.T. show, Opet asks they attach a short bio telling how the artist is affiliated with the military.

“Right before COVID hit, the presenter for the awards was Col. Murray Mallett-Stein. When she was the presenter, she came down, put on her dress blues and gave a speech about importance of art in our community and the importance of art in the military community,” said Opet. “Last year was our first year since Covid having an in-person show. State Rep. John Szoka was the presenter in 2022.”

A.R.T. was held online for two years during the COVID pandemic, and during that time, Opet was the presenter for those who attended the online shows. Opet himself is also retired military.

“There are some really, really nice pieces (that get entered),” Opet said.

The work on display ranges from beginner to accomplished artists, all with one goal in mind: bringing together art and the military community.

A.R.T. is on display at the Cape Fear Studios on Maxwell Street until March 21. Cape Fear Studios is a nonprofit organization run entirely by the artists themselves.
For more information about Cape Fear Studios and A.R.T., visit https://www.capefearstudios.com/

The smell of fresh popcorn permeates the air as individuals line up for the snack, ready to purchase wine, beer, soda or candy as they prepare themselves to enjoy the Kaiju-Quest Film Series on Wednesdays at The Carolina Theatre of Durham.

Jim Carl, Senior Director of Film Programming at The Carolina Theatre of Durham, has curated a film series for kaiju film fans called, Kaiju-Quest.

What in the world is ‘Kaiju?’

The Japanese word ‘kaiju’ means “strange creature” or “giant monster.” There is a plethora of kaiju films.
Carl said American audiences think of Godzilla when they hear kaiju. He explained that there are many movies not necessarily from Japan that have “giant monsters” or “strange creatures” that can embody the word, kaiju.

“Kaiju can be a monster underwater or in space,” he said.

He said to think of the monsters in “Pacific Rim,” “The Host” or the queen alien in “Aliens.” The giant shark in “Jaws” can also be considered a kaiju.

“It doesn’t have to necessarily be a towering monster tearing down skyscrapers and national monuments,” Carl said.

Retro Film Series

In 1998, Carl started the Retro Film Series at the theatre.

“Throughout that series, we bring probably 100 films— classics — back to the screen that range from horror to action to westerns and sci-fi,” he said.

While a lot of classics are on streaming services, he said the theatre has cultivated an audience that enjoys coming back to see classics on the big screen. The requirement for a movie to be seen in the retro series: it must be 20 years old or older. There are other sub-series under the Retro Series where he hones in on niches like horror, noir and animated Disney films that are hard to find.

“At some point over the last few years, I started noticing that when I ran a foreign action film in its original Japanese version, attendance was huge,” Carl said.

He stated he wondered if there was an audience willing and clamoring to see some of the old Godzilla films.

“Not just to bring them back, but retro-rize them,” he said. “So I created the Kaiju-Quest Film Series.”

Retro-rize

To those in Fayetteville who are worried about the hour-and-a-half drive to Durham on Wednesdays, the experience may be worth it. When they screen Kaiju-Quest titles at The Carolina Theatre of Durham, they are not just showing you a classic film on a screen. Carl’s goal is to provide an experience.

Before the film starts, audiences are given an introduction to the film, door prizes, movie trivia and trailers from the film’s opening night in Japan. You read that correctly. He has trailers from when these kaiju films first opened in Japan. He researches the trailers and compiles them for the series.

For example, if the theatre showcases “Godzilla vs. Hedorah” which premiered July 24, 1971, attendees will get a “retro” experience. Attendees will watch montages of happenings related to the 1971 premiere. They will get an introduction from Carl, the door prizes and the trivia about the film. A title card comes up on the big screen which reads, “Tonight is July 24, 1971. It is the opening night of ‘Godzilla v. Hedorah’ at theatres across Japan.

Then a title card appears on screen announcing audiences will see trailers of Japanese movies which were playing in theatres during July 1971. As if you were indeed in attendance on that film’s opening night.
Then the featured film will begin.

Toho’s Agreement

This current season’s edition of the Series began in January and ends June 21, with eight films being shown. The reason Carl is doing this is because of Toho.
Toho, a production studio company in Japan (imagine Warner Bros or Disney), owns the rights to the original, uncut Japanese Godzilla films. According to Carl, very few of these movies have been available in America for theatrical screenings for decades. He said while there are uncut, original Godzilla films that can be found on some streaming services, some people have never had a chance to see these classic films on the big screen.

Two years ago, Toho entered an agreement with an American distributor named Janus Films. The agreement outlines that for a certain number of years, Janus will have theatrical rights to screen many of the original Godzilla films in America.

Carl said at some point in the future, the agreement with Janus Films will expire and these movies will no longer be available for exhibition in the United States.

“While that agreement is still in place, I’m trying to screen as many of these original Japanese language, uncut films. There are so many of them.”

He does his best to spread them out during a typical six-month season.

“You want to spread them out over a few months to give audiences a chance to discover the Series and tell their friends,” he said.

If they miss one kaiju film, there’s another one coming down the pipeline. In the inaugural season of Kaiju-Quest, he screened 10 films from July to December 2022. Between January and June 2023, he will showcase eight films. Another installment will run from July to December 2023.

Carl does occasionally make exceptions to his 20-year rule for films such as Toho’s 2016 “Shin and Godzilla.” He explained many people didn’t have the chance to see it at movie theaters during its brief theatrical run in the United States.

Picture Perfect

The theatre has a photo booth where guests can stand in front of a green screen for free photos. Stills from that evening’s films can be utilized as the backdrops. They can email or use a QR code to access their photos.

Carolina Theatre

Carolina Theatre has live events, film festivals and a two-screen arthouse cinema. They do present first-run Indie movies like Oscar contenders and Oscar shorts. They are a repertory theatre — bringing back classic movies to the big screen for new generations — like “E.T.,” “Casablanca,” and “The Goonies.”
All these Series are curated and produced by the Carolina Theatre and are not a traveling series. For more information about the Series, visit https://carolinatheatre.org/series/kaiju-quest- film-series/.