September 11, 2001. I remember that day and exactly what I was doing at the time. I was doing my principal internship at a local elementary school when I received the tragic news. Parents started coming to the school to check out their children and there was a collective fear and panic in the air.

“Tuesday’s Children gets its name from the events that occurred on Tuesday, September 11, 2001, and we were founded to support the families and children who have lost someone in that tragedy,” said Abigail Diedrich, long-term youth mentoring coordinator. “We are over two decades old at this point and we have created lots of different programs to support families in the wake of tragedy, mass violence or military conflicts.”

Tuesday’s Children Long-Term Mentoring Program is seeking dedicated adult role models to provide support to children.

“While we always support the families who were affected by September 11, we have started to include families who are considered Gold Star or other military-related loss so we have a lot of families who have military-related loss and the children are assigned a one-on-one mentor who is an adult volunteer for at least one year,” said Diedrich.

“The criteria to become an adult mentor entails the individual being over the age of 21 and they have to pass the thorough background screening and interview in order to make sure the individual wants to participate in the program for the right reasons.”

She added, “It is really important that the adult is mentally sound and is going to be a positive support in the life of a child who has already experienced some trauma and loss.”

“We match based off of similar interests and we do both in-person and virtual options,” said Diedrich. “In person has to be the preference so we try to find people in the area that is close to where the families are.”

Diedrich added that some of the things the mentors do with the mentees include attending soccer games, going to the zoo or park, arts and crafts activities, or just hanging out having a meal together and having great conversations.

For the virtual option, the mentor and mentee can chat using FaceTime, play Battleship on the screen, follow a recipe on YouTube or discuss a book.

For more information and to sign up call 516-562-9000 or visit http://www.tuesdayschildren.org/

The City of Fayetteville was named a 2023 All-America City by the National Civic League at the All-America City Award Event in Denver on June 11. This marks the fourth time the City is an All-America City Award winner, earning the honor in 1985, 2001, 2011 in addition to 2023.

The AAC Award is a prestigious honor bestowed upon 10 communities around the United States annually. This year’s award recognizes Fayetteville as a community working to improve the health and well-being of young people, particularly focusing on civic engagement.

“Being designated an All-America City is evidence Fayetteville continues to be a great collaborative, solution orientated and forward moving community,” said Mayor Mitch Colvin. “We are being recognized as one of the premier local communities across the country who engage our youth as we continue to make Fayetteville a desirable place to live, work and recreate, not only today but well into the future.”

Along with the AAC Award, Olive Cody won the John Par Youth Leadership Award. Cody impressed the award panel with her humility and passion after being nominated by a Fayetteville-Cumberland Youth Council colleague.

The John Par Youth Leadership Award is dedicated to a former NCL president, which recognizes extraordinary civic engagement and leadership on the part of a young person in their community.
Fayetteville was one of 19 finalists to compete for the award by presenting projects related to this year’s theme, “Creating Thriving Community through Youth Engagement.”

City staff and community members displayed the compelling story of recent work to improve civic education and participation to a jury of nationally recognized civic leaders, ultimately earning America’s Can Do City the title of All-America City.

The city’s application highlighted civic engagement and collaboration, a community-wide effort for inclusiveness and creative leveraging of resources to complete projects that have dramatic impact in the community.

Specifically highlighted during the presentation was the commitment to engaging youth through the Fayetteville-Cumberland Youth Council. The FCYC community outreach efforts in the presentation detailed the council’s passion for and desire to serve their community in a meaningful way, which is a part of the council’s mission.

The city continued to build on youth focused initiatives as key criteria for this year’s award included building the civic capacity of young people, promoting youth participation in voting and policy making and providing leadership opportunities for youth through the efforts of the Fayetteville Next Commission. Additionally, the presentation included Market House Repurposing efforts and Education, Mentorship and Empowerment Programs.

Woven throughout the presentation was how invaluable collaboration is to city leadership and the community. One example is partnering with Cape Fear Regional Theatre to work on the script which incorporates Fort Liberty senior leaders and multiple city boards and commissions.

The cities also earning 2023 AAC Awards include two other North Carolina communities, Charlotte and Davie County, as well as Gonzales, California; Hampton, Virginia; Mesa, Arizona; Decatur, Georgia; Mount Plesant, South Carolina; and Dallas and San Antonio, Texas.

“We are happy to designate Fayetteville as an All-America City. Through their application and presentation, they showed that they are among the best in America at engaging youth and other residents to address important challenges,” said Doug Linkhart, President, National Civic League.

For more information on the award, log onto http://www.allamericacityaward.com/.

1973 is officially middle aged. Today we will take a walk down Memory Lane to 1973 which is celebrating its 50th birthday this year.

If you are of a demographic which can remember that far back, kindly do not drive at night. If you are too young to remember 1973, why are you reading this column? Hop on board Mr. Peabody’s Way Back Machine. It’s time to poke around in the dust bin of history into which 1973 has been deposited.

January: The year started with a bang in January with George Steinbrenner and some buddies buying the New York Yankees for $10 million. A million dollars went a lot farther in 1973.

The Watergate burglary trial started starring Judge “Maximum John” Sirica presiding. (For you youngsters who are still reading, Watergate was a quaint scandal involving a third-rate burglary that brought down President Nixon).

Elvis’ concert from Hawaii was broadcast on TV. Monty Python’s Flying Circus had its last broadcast on BBC.

OJ Simpson was the MVP of the NFL Pro Bowl. Mr. Simpson went on to beat two murder raps but got sent to prison for stealing his own sports memorabilia.

Roe v. Wade was handed down by the Supreme Court. It turned out that did not finalize abortion rights.

Nixon announced Peace with Honor had been achieved in the Vietnam war.

February: Hagar the Horrible appeared for the first time in the funnies to the delight of fans of viking humor everywhere.

The price of gold jumped $10 per ounce overnight to $95. Pretend you had bought $1000 worth of gold then. Sweet vision, ain’t it?

The Triple Crown winner Secretariat sold for $5.7 million or the price of 60,000 ounces of gold. Fun Fact — as of the writing of this column an ounce of gold sells for $1971 which means 60,000 ounces translates into $118, 261,000. That would buy a lot of hay.

March: Far Out! Pink Floyd released their album “Dark Side of the Moon” to the eternal enjoyment of aging hippies worldwide. Sales of pizza and patchouli oil shot through the roof.

John McCain, who had been otherwise engaged for the last five years at the Hanoi Hilton, was freed by North Vietnam.

White House Counsel John Dean tells Richard Nixon that Watergate is “a cancer growing on the Presidency.”

“The Godfather” wins the Academy Award for Best Picture.

April: John Lennon and Yoko Ono form a new country named Nutopia.

The first mobile phone call is made in America by Martin Cooper, the head of the Motorola communications division.
FBI Director L. Patrick Gray, caught up in Watergate, resigns after “twisting slowly, slowly in the wind.” Nixon’s Berlin Wall henchmen Bob Haldeman and John Erlichman resign.

May: Not much happened of interest.

June: “The Rocky Horror Show” opens as a play in London.

Marvin Gaye releases “Let’s Get It On” which wins R&B Song of the Year. Marvin’s dad later forfeits any claim to Father of the Year.

July: John Paul Getty III, grandson of one of the richest men in the world is kidnapped. Kidnappers send his ear to Granddad to push their ransom demand.

August: The movie “American Graffiti” premieres spiking nostalgia for the early 1960s.

Willie Mays hits his 660th and last home run.

September: Billie Jean King beats Bobby Riggs in the incredibly hyped tennis Battle of the Sexes.

October: Vice President Spiro Agnew resigns in disgrace pleading no contest to tax fraud. Gerald Ford is nominated to replace him.

Dolly Parton releases “Jolene.”

The Watergate Saturday Night Massacre fires Attorney General Elliot Richardson and Deputy AG William Rucklelhaus for refusing to fire Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox. This does not work out as well as Nixon hoped.

November: President Nixon announces: “I am not a crook.” Turns out he was.

December: Scary movie “The Exorcist” is released on the nation, prompting a run on demon possession cures.

OPEC raises the price of a barrel of oil from $5.12 to $11.65

There you have it. Our old friend 1973 was full of life, bumps and bruises. If you can remember these things, be sure to take your meds before you go to bed this afternoon. If this seems to be ancient history, go back to doom scrolling Tik Tok.

Editor's note: To read about some things that happened 100 years ago, stay on board Mr. Peabody’s Way Back Machine and travel on over to page 9.

All of us, individuals and families, go through difficult and stressful times. They can be sudden and traumatic and requiring an immediate response, like a car accident or a house fire. Others are long-term troubles that can plague us for months or years, like a chronic illness or ongoing economic distress.

Communities and states suffer as well. North Carolina has centuries-long experience with the immediate aftermaths of hurricanes and flooding, and, millions of Tar Heels feel the ongoing impact of lost manufacturing jobs as we transition into a service-based economy.

There is more to come as urban North Carolina booms and rural North Carolina struggles.
Cumberland County has a population of almost 336,000 people with nearly two-thirds of them living in Fayetteville, making Cumberland a largely urban county. It is surrounded, however, by mostly rural counties that lack much of the basic infrastructure found in urban areas. The result is that people living in those counties do without or come to Fayetteville for critical services such as health care. This pattern is true across the state.

The North Carolina General Assembly is doing little to help.

It took the legislature 12 years — yes, 12 years — to expand Medicaid coverage even though the federal government covers about 90% of the cost. In the meantime, our state became #3 in the nation in rural hospital closures, losing 11 over the last two decades and with seven more in danger of closing.

This means that people living in rural counties must come to urban areas, like Fayetteville, for health care, and many of them simply go without. This is one reason that Methodist University and Cape Fear Valley Health are partnering to establish a medical school with the goal of providing more doctors to our state’s rural communities. (Full disclosure: I am a Trustee of Methodist University.)

Many rural North Carolinians do not have internet access, which means that parents drive their children to libraries and hot spots so they can do their homework and small businesses have little chance of competing successfully with those who do have access.

The General Assembly has protected large internet providers from competition municipal broadband, giving them little incentive to provide service to rural communities with small populations. Can anyone realistically expect rural areas to prosper when technology is leaving them behind?

And, then there is public education, which is largely funded by the General Assembly with tax dollars, with some federal money and county tax dollars added. The legislature has both slowed the growth of state public education expenditures and siphoned off state education dollars off to private, sometimes religious, schools under the banner of “school choice.”

Wealthier urban counties can afford higher levels of public school funding, but rural counties simply cannot, meaning that teachers make less and often leave, students have fewer educational opportunities and resources, and, often and sadly, more compromised futures.

To be fair, North Carolina is not unique. The imbalance of the “rich get richer and the poor get poorer” is occurring in urban and rural areas throughout the United States with varying degrees of severity and shows every sign of continuing.

That said, while the North Carolina General Assembly cannot unilaterally reverse much of this increasing inequity, it can address some of it and it should have.
It is deeply shameful that our legislators, those representing rural areas most affected and damaged, and those representing thriving urban areas with a wealth of resources, have chosen not to respond.

Was there ever really any doubt? This is the question being asked now that President Biden has signed into law an agreement to raise the debt ceiling, brokered among leading Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill. According to politicians in Washington, no, there was never a doubt that they would eventually agree to raise the government’s borrowing authority, or, in the worst case, that the president would invoke the 14th Amendment to take unilateral action. This is the answer overwhelmingly proffered by every stripe of insider — liberals and conservatives, lobbyists and reporters, lawyers and economists.

Why? Could it be true that insiders understand that our leaders possess an acumen for strategic financial decisions that, though unappreciated on a day-to-day basis by simplistic rubes like us, can be trusted to always deliver the right answers in the end? Of course not. If that were the case, politicians wouldn’t still be planning to vastly increase the already unprecedented ratio of government debt to national income over the next decade. Nor would they still be ignoring the dual threat of uncontrolled entitlement costs and an accelerating debt burden.

I, Government

The truth is that our politicians have not been making financial decisions in any strategic sense for at least 35 years, since Gramm–Rudman–Hollings legislation imposed spending constraints on the federal budget in 1987. During the ensuing decades, our leaders have opted out of taking responsibility for exerting strategic authority over government budgeting. In exchange, they have benefited from an elastic view of a federal government that doles out rewards to its subjects of greatest fealty. Through this neglect-and-rewards mechanism, the government has evolved into a perpetual-motion machine. The legislators, executives, judges and bureaucrats who built the machine have lost control over their progeny. The power of the machine, like a robot guided by rogue artificial intelligence, has eclipsed that of its creators.

Having shed the constraints of human reason, the machine now is accelerating its expansion. The machine leverages a modern form of authoritarianism that arises in a democracy when politicians convince us that we should have more important fears than a compromise of our liberty or a loss of control of our government. Enter the wars: the War on Drugs, the War on Crime, the War on Poverty, the War on Terror and, of course, war. The wars know no partisanship, no philosophical father, no nurturing mother, because the wars are the progeny of the machine itself. These perpetual wars are the second generation of automation that is free of human reason.

A bad relationship

The government machine feeds off its citizens in a lopsided co-dependent relationship. That relationship was empowered by the 16th Amendment, which authorized a direct personal income tax, and was activated by New Deal legislation. This combination of entitlement programs on the one hand and direct taxation on the other, fundamentally changed the relationship between citizens and government in America. Today that relationship looks more like indentured servitude than a citizen-controlled government of delimited powers.

What is there to stop the machine? The government has been able to raise funds effectively while keeping tax rates low enough to remain politically tolerable by taxing the largest base possible, the national income. Ambitious politicians who dream of trimming entitlements are quickly marginalized by the machine in contrast to those politicians who support the machine and reap the benefits of government largess.

A Gold New Deal

We require a new relationship between citizens and the government, a “Gold” (for liberty) New Deal, in which states are empowered to stand as our representative bulwark against the federal government. States exerting the authority to chart their own political destiny and to stand up to federal encroachment may be the only mechanism by which limits may be imposed on the size and scope of the federal government.

Given the current situation in which the 10th Amendment has been retired de facto, a resurgence of state authority would have to take the form of a constitutional amendment ensuring the capability of states to opt-out of federal supremacy. This capability would mean states could assert their right to nullification in the form of settling in-state court conflicts that arise between state law and anything on the federal books. States would have the ability, through their own legislatures, to shed the effects of new federal legislation, regulation, court decisions, or executive orders, except for what is explicitly assigned to the federal government by the Constitution.

Particularly significant, the citizens of each state opting into such a new constitutional relationship would no longer be required to remain subject to federal taxation. Instead, each state effectively could ask to be billed by the federal government for its share of the defense budget. Each state could be free to raise revenue as it sees fit, effectively ending the role of the IRS in each state. Ending the IRS and decentralizing the federal government’s taxing mechanism is the most effective way to starve the machine’s appetite for our resources.

Other changes are needed to advance liberty within each state, of course, whether a state were to opt into such a Gold New Deal or not. These changes include ending public education, protecting bodily autonomy, ending bailouts, privatizing the way we hold police accountable, and reducing regulation of all types. But to be clear, the only path forward to these objectives is for states themselves to replace their subservience to the federal government with a more balanced relationship.

Editor’s note: Mike ter Maat is a former police officer and university economics professor running for President of the United States with the Libertarian Party.

Fencers from Fayetteville recently competed in a USA Fencing sanctioned event in Wilmington. All-American Fencing Academy fencers Bruce McRae and Isaac Canady ended up facing each other in the Division 3 semifinals where McRae defeated Canady to take 3rd place while Canady took 5th place, a bout away from earning his national rating. Isabelle Guevarra took 11th place in the same event.

In the Open event, All-American Fencing Academy Head Coach Gerhard Guevarra also faced coaches from other clubs and placed 1st. Andrew Iford took 3rd place. Isabelle Guevarra also competed in the Open placing 8th while teammate Canady placed 15th.

Canady has been fencing for a little over a year at the All-American Fencing Academy. Since starting he’s become captain of the men’s foil team, become a varsity team member of the Fayetteville Homeschool Fencing Team, and has competed in over 20 events.

Iford is a multi-weapon fencer who has national ratings in two weapons. He is also a 1st Lt. in the Army at Fort Liberty. Iford previously fenced for the Wallingford-Swarthmore Panthers Fencing Club in Philadelphia.

Isabelle Guevarra, a rising high school Junior, has been fencing since she was 7 years old and has a national rating. Currently ranked 3rd in her high school, she plans on attending UNC Chapel Hill and trying out for the UNC Varsity Fencing Team. Isabelle’s parents are both graduates and were varsity letter fencers from UNC Chapel Hill. Her father, Gerhard, is the head coach at All-American Fencing Academy.

The Academy welcomes new members of all ages. They host a walk-in class during Fourth Fridays for only $20, with equipment provided.

The Academy also hosts the Beginner Olympic Fencing Summer Camp. No experience is required and the camp provides all the equipment.

Fencers will learn footwork, blade work and bouting. The fencing camp will be led by Academy head coach, Gerhard Guevarra. His notable experience includes UNC Varsity Fencing 1996-1999; NC Division Champion 2008, 2011, 2013; 2006 Vancouver World Cup participant; and two time USA Fencing North American Cup medalist.

The Beginner Fencing Summer Camp will be held in downtown Fayetteville from June 16-18 from 10 a.m. to 1p.m. Registration is open to ages 7-12 and teens (school age). Participant registration fees start at $120 and limited openings are available.

More information about the summer camp can be found on the All-American Fencing Academy’s website www.allamericanfencing.com or by calling 910-644-0137.

The All-American Fencing Academy is located at 207 B Donaldson Street. It instructs and trains recreational and competitive fencers starting at age 7, teens, adults, and veterans ages 40+. Its fencers compete regionally and nationally. Their coaches include former World Cup and NCAA fencers.

For more information about the All-American Fencing Academy and its classes, please call or e-mail info@allamericanfencing.com or visit www.allamericanfencing.com.

About 800,000 knee replacement surgeries are done in the U.S. each year with about one in every 12 people over the age of 25 that have replacements and approximately 5% of women over the age of 50.

However, the average age for replacement surgery is 65. From 2019 to 2020 there were 10 states with the highest number of replacements, including Washington as the highest and North Carolina at six on the list. Our other Carolina state, South Carolina, was three on the list.

The most common reason for surgery is osteoarthritis which is a breakdown of joint cartilage that can cause damage to the joints resulting in limitations in movement and pain. Medical conditions which include gout, infections and arthritis can also be contributing factors.

There are other causes of knee pain that do not include osteoarthritis. The most common problems attributed to knee pain are repetitive use, strained ligaments, cartilage tears and tendonitis.

Other injuries can include fractures to the patella, dislocation, and meniscus tear. Weight can be a contributing factor because excess weight puts more strain on the joints and the cartilage that protects the knees.

Additional weight increases the stress in joints in daily activities and use. Additional body fat can increase the chemicals in your blood that can inflame the joints.

There can be other factors that contribute to knee pain which can be your hips, glutes, calve and incorrect shoes. When we walk or run our weight is transferred from side to side as we alternate our feet and if the hips are tight, it does not allow proper rotation of the feet which puts stress on the knees.

Extended periods of sitting eventually lead to decreased movement of the hips in flexibility and muscle control. The knees also move from side to side and if one of the major glute muscles — the gluteus maximus — is weak or not moving correctly the result can be stress on the knees.

Tight calf muscles can cause tendon strain initiating pain in the knee. Improper footwear can also cause knee pain. Old shoes that have worn down soles and treads that are thinning can contribute to knee pain.

Wearing shoes that do not support your weight can be a contributing factor to knee pain. Wearing the wrong type of shoes can put stress on your knees and hips.

You might think that exercise can make your pain worse but activities that include stretching and low-impact activities such as swimming, rowing, weight lifting and walking do not put as much stress on the joints.

If you really like doing deep squats and lunges, lessening your range of motion will help with the intensity and stress on the joints, and putting a pad under your knees when doing floor exercises will help as a cushion.

Pain is an indicator that something is not right, and nobody knows your body like you do. It is important to make that appointment with a physician to see what the cause is. An early visit may result in your doing strengthening exercise, wearing different shoes and stretching.

It is possible that knee replacement can be avoided, genetics and weight loss notwithstanding. Exercise programs that can stretch and strengthen the muscles and soft tissues can be beneficial.

No one looks forward to having a knee replacement, but avoiding a visit to your physician is not the best alternative. Being proactive when you begin noticing pain and discomfort can be beneficial.

Live, love life and good knee health.

A home is the single biggest purchase most people will ever make. That has perhaps become even more true in recent years, when the cost of homes has increased dramatically.

The sticker price of a home may come as a shock to first-time buyers, but few homeowners purchase their homes in cash. Mortgages are a vital component of home ownership for the vast majority of buyers.

Mortgages are loans obtained through the conveyance of property as security. When homeowners pay off their mortgages, the title of the property officially transfers to them from their lenders.
Though most homeowners utilize mortgages to buy their homes, that does not mean the process is the same for everyone.

A host of factors affect mortgage terms, and there’s much prospective homeowners can do to secure the best agreement possible.

Recognize why a low interest rate is important. Mortgage interest rates have drawn considerable attention in recent years, as rising inflation has led to rates that have reached their highest point in more than a decade.

Even a seemingly small difference in interest rates can save or cost homeowners thousands of dollars, if not tens of thousands, over the course of a loan.

For example, the financial experts at Bankrate.com note that the difference between a 5.5% interest rate and a 6% interest rate on a $200,000 mortgage is roughly $64 per month.
That might not seem like a lot, but over the course of a 30 year mortgage the borrower who gets the 6% loan will pay in excess of $23,000 more in interest than the borrower who secures the 5.5% loan.

Recognition of the benefits of securing the lowest interest rate possible can motivate prospective buyers to do everything in their power to get a low rate.

Work on your credit score. So how can borrowers get the best possible rate? One way to go about it is to improve credit scores.

Average mortgage interest rates vary significantly by credit score, with higher scores earning borrowers significantly lower rates.

According to data from FICO, as of mid-February 2023, borrowers with a FICO score of 760+ earned an average interest rate of 6.06%, while those with scores between 620-639 secured an average rate of 7.65%.

By bolstering their credit scores before applying for a mortgage, prospective homeowners can improve their standing in the eyes of mortgage lenders, which can potentially save them tens of thousands of dollars over the life of the loan.

Identify how much you want to spend. Prospective home buyers may be approved to borrow much more money than they think they will qualify for. That’s because lenders do not consider factors like utilities, insurance, day care, or other expenses everyone has.

That means it’s up to borrowers to determine how much those expenses will be, and how much they should be spending on a home.

Though it might be tempting to borrow up to the amount lenders approve you for, in general it’s best to stay below that amount so you can capably meet all of your additional obligations.

Mortgages enable millions of people to buy homes each year. Some simple steps before applying for a mortgage can help prospective homeowners secure the best terms.

Selling your business is a big decision. Equally important is finding the right business advisor to help navigate the process. Results from the latest Market Report show that choosing a broker form a firm like Transworld can help you meet your business goals.

Let’s dive into Transworld’s small business transaction activity for 2022 and learn more about what sets Transworld’s business advisors apart.

Another historic year

It’s been two years of historic performance levels for Transworld. Not only was 2021 record-setting with 31% more deals closed versus 2020, but 2022 surpassed it by 62%. The total deal value of businesses increased, too, by more than 25%. The 2022 monthly breakdown of sold deals topped every month in 2021, with 10 of the 12 months showing double-digit increases.

In all, a host of key metrics were up, from the average deal value (27% YOY increase) to the number of sales listings (up 24% YOY), from the median deal value (43% above 2021) to the average listing price (a 23% increase YOY).

Who’s selling? And for how much?

The impact of the pandemic’s early lock down phase was significant, and the recovery from 2020 continues. One insight the market report revealed was that the primary driver of business sales is baby boomers.

This demographic is preparing for their next stage in life and looking to either shed responsibilities or fund their next entrepreneurial endeavor.

Another factor fueling the impressive 2022 performance is the number of buyers paying record prices for well-performing businesses. Companies that did well and thrived during the turbulence of the pandemic are especially appealing. Buyer motivation was evident in the decrease in days on the market by 6%, with 2022 also showing an increase in cash deals. Also of note was an increase in owner financing through banks, even with the rise in interest rates back to normal levels from the extraordinary lows experienced in previous years.

The report found the top five most active business segments were restaurants, construction, beauty/personal care, automotive and medical-related businesses, both by closed transactions and deal volume.

Interested in selling?

If all this information leads you to think the time might be right for you to sell your business, what are the most pertinent questions you should ask a business advisor?

First, you can ask how to prepare your business for sale properly. Business advisors can help you get all your business’s legal or financial records in order and recommend any additional experts, such as accountants or lawyers, you may need.

Next, ask your business broker how they will find the right buyer for your business. They will help you package and market your business throughout the world to find the best buyer.

An experienced advisor will help you handle these details and more, all while working to keep the sale confidential and doing all they can to get the best price.

Consider how inflation and interest rates will affect your options. Even with the recent interest rate increase by the Fed, the rates are returning to a normal level, and the market continues to remain strong. What’s more, regardless of the interest rates, people are still selling and buying at historic numbers.

If you think selling is on the horizon for your business, consider working with a business advisor. They can help guide you through the process from start to finish.

Editor's note: Ashley Kelsey is a Business Broker at Transworld Business Advisors of Eastern North Carolina. She can be reached at 910-302-6447 or email akelsey@tworld.com.

Colds might not be as common in summer as they are in winter, but anyone who has ever had a cold when the weather outside is warm and inviting knows just how unpleasant a runny nose, sore throat and lack of energy can be when everyone else seems to be outside soaking up the sun.

Indeed, there’s no substitute for feeling fit and healthy in summer.

A healthy summer is one when individuals avoid illness and make the most of a time of year when no one wants to battle colds or other issues that affect their well-being. The following are a handful of strategies that can help people enjoy a healthy summer.

Protect your skin from the sun. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends individuals apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen with a sun-protection factor (SPF) of 15 or higher before going outside. Sunscreen should then be reapplied as necessary and especially after swimming or excessive sweating.

The American Cancer Society notes that sunburn that blisters can increase risk for skin cancer, but sunburns affect short-term health as well. Studies have shown that sunburn adversely affects immune system response, which could make people more vulnerable to viruses like COVID-19 or the common cold.

Limit alcohol consumption. Social schedules tend to fill up in summer, as seemingly everyone wants to host a backyard barbecue. The party vibe synonymous with summer leads to increased opportunities to drink alcohol, but excessive amounts of alcohol and summer sun are a bad combination.

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, hot summer days increase fluid loss through perspiration, while alcohol contributes to fluid loss through an increased need to urinate. Significant fluid loss can lead to dehydration and heat stroke.

Eat the right foods. Summer is not typically as hectic a time of year as other seasons, particularly for parents accustomed to driving kids from one activity to another during the school year. But come summer, weekends filled with social engagements and a greater desire to be active outdoors can prove exhausting.

The CDC notes that a diet filled with colorful fruits and vegetables supports muscles, strengthens bones and boosts immunity. That can make it easier to handle a physically active summer regimen and ensure that the immune system is in better position to fight off anything that may want to get in the way of summer fun.

Get adequate sleep. What’s better than a midday summertime nap? The answer to that is better sleep overnight.

Adults should aspire to get between seven and eight hours of sleep each night, which can fortify their immune system and ensure they don’t miss out on any summertime fun. According to the Mayo Clinic, sleep deprivation can lead to decreased production of proteins known as cytokines, which are vital to fighting infection and inflammation.

A healthy summer makes for a more enjoyable summer. By embracing various immune-boosting strategies, individuals can make this summer even more fun.

Are you stuck in a dead-end job earning dead-end wages? If so, we have great news.

Fayetteville Technical Community College now offers a Certificate in Business Intelligence. In this program, you will earn a Google Data Analytics Certificate and a Business Markets Certificate. You will also be qualified to sit for the Statistical Analysis System Examination. The average salary for a SAS certified worker is $92,000 per year.

What is business intelligence?

Training in business intelligence combines some of the best features of business and information technology to equip students with the ability to analyze data and join the rapidly growing field of data analytics.
As a business intelligence specialist, you will learn how to use software including Excel, SAS and Tableau to analyze data sets, providing the valuable information that will keep your organization one step ahead of the competition.

Are you in a hurry to change your life?

The business intelligence certificate consists of four classes: BAS120 - Intro to Analytics, BAS150 - Intro to Analytical Programming, BAS121 - Data Visualization, BAS220 - Applied Analytical Programming. Classes can be completed in only two semesters.

Do you want to join a career with tremendous growth potential?

If so, the business intelligence certification could be the first step along your path that can lead to more advanced degrees including associate’s, bachelor’s, and even graduate degrees.
According to the United States Department of Labor, data science jobs are expected to grow by 36% in the next 10 years, making it one of the nation’s fastest-growing fields.

Do you want a career that provides you with a flexible lifestyle?

A recent study by the University of Virginia found that data scientists are among the professionals most often given the option to work from home.

Are you unable to attend classes in person?

Students can complete the business intelligence certificate fully online. Students who take online classes are free to complete their class work entirely from home. They also have the option to visit campus and use college computer labs, libraries and gyms.

Are you afraid that you will be overwhelmed by the course content?

If so, there is no need to fear. FTCC’s award-winning faculty are here to help students online and on campus.

Are you worried that you don’t have enough money to pay for college?

If so, we have great news. FTCC is one of the most affordable colleges in the region. We also offer many scholarships, and many students earn college degrees at no cost to them.

Are you ready to learn more?

If so, please contact us today. We are eager to help you start the next chapter in your life.
For more Information, please contact Hana Seidi, IT/Computer Programming & Development/Database Instructor at FTCC at 910-486-7349.

Local artists will showcase their talents at an upcoming exhibition hosted by Ellington-White Contemporary. The exhibition opens on June 17.

The artists have been taking part in the A.C.E. Program, which is designed to teach, encourage and cultivate artists in Fayetteville.

A.C.E. stands for Arts, Cultural and Entrepreneurial Skills for Artists Workshop. The program is intended to serve as a springboard for visual artists who are Black, Indigenous and people of color. The idea for the local program began with gallery operator Dwight Smith.

Being an artist can be a confusing road to follow at times. With the new age of social media and the internet at everyone’s disposal, many artists have the same kinds of questions and problems like, “where can I submit my work? How can I make my art into a career?”

While getting asked these questions, Smith figured it was time to apply for grants from the Arts Council to collaborate and help local artists.

Up & Coming Weekly got a chance to speak with Smith to learn more about the A.C.E. Program and how it helps the artists who participate.

“The idea was to have a program where we train and provide information in a series of sessions that would give artists all the information that they would need to know in developing their career as artists,” Smith said. “We also open up exhibition opportunities for those artists and show them what’s available here in Fayetteville for them to be able to start, jumpstart their
career,” he added.

The A.C.E. Program started in November of 2022. It was spread out over multiple months to allow intense workshops on one day out of the month. In that one day a month, community artists come to the Arts Council and present the program to participants, and other interested community members. The following Saturday, they presented the program in a more intense training session while discussing homework assignments and answering one-on-one questions.

The program consisted of the following topics: career planning, time management, portfolio building, marketing, promoting yourself, pricing your work, record keeping and legal considerations, funding and grant writing, and business planning.

The program was a version of a three week program from an organization in Minnesota called Springboard for the Arts. They had a program called Work of Art Business Skills for Artists. Smith and his colleague Beverly Henderson were able to tailor the course to be 10 weeks, opening it up more to the public and allowing people to either come to every session or pick the ones most needed for them.

“We had curriculum packets we would pass out to everyone in the sessions. We also would have a PowerPoint that introduces the program and who we are. Also introducing this program as a safe space for artists was critically important for us,” says Smith.

The program participants who will be showcasing their work at the exhibit are the core group of artists that attended every session and went through the portfolio review process to see how they’ve applied all of the teachings.

According to Smith, several artists are involved in other programs around downtown now because they’ve gotten that kind of encouragement from this program to give them that extra push. He said this program is extremely important to the foundation of artists and a precursor to what it takes to be a successful artist.

The public is invited to the free exhibition. Make sure to go see the great progress made by local artists who are a part of this program. The exhibit opens on June 17 at Ellington White Contemporary located at 113 Gillespie Street in downtown Fayetteville.

June 21 marks the longest day of the year, and locals can enjoy the extra daylight at Carvers Creek State Park for an evening of running and yoga. The Summer Solstice Run and Yoga event will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the Long Valley Farm Access entrance to Carvers Creek.

The event is being held by Somatic Reset, Qualified Wellness and Running Wild Collective — three locally owned businesses dedicated to the wellness of the Fayetteville community.

“This was the brain child of Somatic Reset and Qualified Wellness. They wanted to incorporate a running portion to a yoga event, taking a kind of holistic wellness lens to the whole event and to try to get the outdoor community together,” said Jhovanna Therrien of Running Wild Collective, one of the co-organizers of the event.

Erin Basket from Qualified Wellness and Samantha Ewashko from Somatic Reset round out the team behind the event at Carvers Creek.

“Solstice is a big deal on the west coast and with the yoga community,” said Therrien. “Sam [from Somatic Reset] just moved from California and she wanted to get the yoga community and the running community together. We talked about it and decided on Carvers Creek because it allows for a trail run and a partnership with a Fayetteville State park.”

Participants will begin the evening at 5:45 p.m. with a 1.08 out-and-back walk or run through part of the park’s trails. Once completed, they will join three yoga instructors from the community in 108 sun salutations.
The number 108 is considered auspicious in yoga practices. The number refers to spiritual completion. Rounds of sun salutations are done in nine rounds with 12 postures, equaling 108. The number 108 can be found all throughout the world. The distance between the earth and the sun is 108 times the diameter of the sun. Stonehenge was built 108 feet in diameter.

“It’s not common to do all 108, it depends on your experience with yoga,” said Therrien.

“It is more of a meditative practice, it is a yoga practice.”

After the sun salutations, participants can kick back and chat with each other and the many vendors at the event. California Taco, Smoothie Queen and Tropical Sno Fayetteville will be on hand. Fleet Feet, Triangle Rock Club and Team RWB will also have booths.

“We are all looking forward to connecting more with the wellness community that is so present in Fayetteville,” said Therrien.

“I think it will be a good opportunity to have everyone in one location. I’m just really looking forward to connecting with and bringing people together in one space.”

The solstice run and yoga event will wrap up around 8:30 p.m.

Tickets for the event cost $20 per person or $50 for a family. Send any questions to qualifiedwellness@gmail.com.

Carvers Creek State Park is located at 2505 Long Valley Road in Spring Lake.

The Cool Spring Downtown District is bringing funk, soul and fellowship to Fayetteville with their second annual Juneteenth Jubilee June 17 and 18.

This year the Jubilee is leaning into a 1970s theme for the event. If you’re familiar with the 70s, it was an explosion of culture for Black America in the arts, music and fashion. It was truly an era that still inspires and influences our culture today. With Juneteenth being a celebration of freedom, and the 70s feeling free artistically and socially, it was a perfect blend to bring this theme into this years Jubilee.

The celebration spans two days in downtown Fayetteville and it’s jam packed with food, music and history for everyone to enjoy. Saturday is quite the show with Headliner Rose Royce taking the stage, along with Fayetteville native The Fatback Band. Sunday will feature local church choirs performing, leading up to Grammy Award and Soul Train Music Award-winning recording artist Tye Tribbett.

Juneteenth is also known as “Emancipation Day.” It’s a celebration of the true independence and end of slavery in 1865. A lot of people think Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation was the end of slavery in 1863, but the news of the final Confederate loss in Virginia that freed slaves, didn’t reach certain places in the south right away.

According to the American Battlefield Trust, news that the war had ended and they were free finally reached Galveston when Union Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger and his troops arrived in the Gulf Coast city on June 19, 1865, more than two months after Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant in Virginia.

Granger delivered General Order No. 3, which said: “The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor.”

The celebration for Juneteenth gained support for decades with African Americans working to make it an official holiday, recognized by the entire country. Just last year, President Joe Biden signed Juneteenth in as an official holiday, granting a true celebration for freedom in the United States – a celebration that includes everyone.

For residents in Fayetteville, the Juneteenth Jubilee has grown tremendously since last year. Adding almost 15 new vendors, an outdoor skating rink, costume contests, a cigar bar and card game area. Up & Coming Weekly had a chance to sit down and talk with two people who are vital in the Juneteenth Jubilee - Ashanti Bennett, Director of Special Operations and Lauren Falls, Director of Marketing and Events.
We spoke with them about the roles they play, the growth they wish to see, and how excited they are to bring this event to locals and visitors.

“Our task is trying to make downtown Fayetteville a place where you can love where you live and build the arts and entertainment districts,” Bennett said.

A Fayetteville native, Bennett moved away from Fayetteville as a child. When she returned as an adult, she put all of her skills to work and help improve the city the best way she knows how. “I remember a time when I wasn't allowed to come downtown. My grandmother was not having that. I bring her down now and she's like, this is really nice. It's good to see that. It feels, you know, safe. It feels creative. It feels innovative.”

With the success of this year’s Jubilee, Bennett wants to take things even further next year, and give Juneteenth a block party kind of feel, like our 4th Fridays. She hopes to be able to give even more room to vendors, performers and activities for the community to enjoy.

This year there will be a trolly ride around the downtown area to share information about Black history in Fayetteville. Many realize that local Black history has been slightly overlooked. The facts discussed on the trolly ride are put together by a history professor at Fayetteville State University, recognized as an Historically Black College. The trolly runs most of the day Saturday and is sure to be one of the most informative and fun parts of the weekend. The trolley is free, but donations are accepted.

Other activities include the Juneteenth Celebration 5K, a Groovy Costume Contest and vendors.

Lauren Falls, the Marketing Director for Cool Spring Downtown District, shared her excitement about the opportunity to work on the Juneteenth event.

“As a graphic designer in a nonprofit, sometimes it's really fun when you get the opportunity to kind of create new things and when your staff say, ‘go be free’ and they have that confidence in you that you know, they see, you see their vision … If you haven’t seen this year’s Juneteenth Jubilee promos and flyers, you’re truly missing out.”

The flyer is full of beautiful brown tones, afro-centric artwork, and an incredibly groovy font.

“In the background of the Juneteenth flyer, we see the skating rink and all the different colors and shades. It's a subtle hint that this event is for everybody. We're highlighting that every person can be a part of it,” Falls said.

Organizers encourage everyone to bring families and friends out this year. For those wishing to volunteer, there are opportunities available by calling 910-223-2890.

The Juneteenth Jubilee kicks off at 3 p.m. on June 17. Entry into Festival Park is free, but those wishing to have seats close to the stage can purchase VIP tickets.

For VIP tickets and schedule information, visit https://visitdowntownfayetteville.com/juneteenth-jubilee-downtown-fayetteville-2023/

The NC History Center on the Civil War, Emancipation & Reconstruction will hold its annual Hari Jones Memorial Lecture and its commemoration of Juneteenth, a federal holiday observing the emancipation of the enslaved during the Civil War.

Dr. Darin J. Waters, deputy secretary for the state’s Office of Archives and History and a well-known North Carolina historian, will give the Hari Jones Memorial Lecture at 7 p.m. on Monday, June 19 at Mt. Sinai Missionary Baptist Church, located at 1217 Murchison Road.

Dr. Waters currently oversees the operations of the divisions of State History and Maritime Museums, State Historic Sites and Properties, Archives and Records, Historical Resources (including the State Historic Preservation Office, Office of Historical Research, and the Office of State Archaeology), and commissions (including Roanoke Island Festival Park and Tryon Palace), and Education and Outreach.

He is also the secretary of the North Carolina Historical Commission and the State Historic Preservation Officer.

An Asheville native, Waters was most recently an Associate Professor of History at UNC Asheville, and the Executive Director of UNCA’s Office of Community Engagement. He previously held other teaching, research, and community engagement positions at UNCA, UNC-Chapel Hill, and N.C. State University.

Waters received a B.S. in Political Science and Government from Liberty University, a master’s in History from North Carolina State University, and a Ph.D. in History from UNC-Chapel Hill. He has served on numerous nonprofit and state boards, including the North Carolina Historical Commission and African American Heritage Commission.

Within his role with the state’s history museums, Waters, along with other historians, is working on the content of the NC History Center on the Civil War, Emancipation & Reconstruction, which is being built in Fayetteville’s Arsenal Park; and will replace the current Museum of the Cape Fear.

Unlike other history museums, the facility in Fayetteville will be a “teaching” museum and not a “collecting” museum. It will use existing scholarship from universities, coupled with first-hand accounts of North

Carolina families, to examine, for the first time, what an entire state faced as the result of the Civil War. It will communicate that knowledge both in person and online so that schoolchildren — and all of us — may learn from it.

Juneteenth and the Hari Jones Memorial Lecture Series

Jones was a prominent African American historian whose area of expertise centered on the contribution of Blacks during the Civil War. He was first heard by organizers of the Center as they visited museums in

Washington, D.C. Jones became a close advisor to the Center and spoke several times in Fayetteville before
his death.

To honor his memory — and his commitment to raising awareness of the African American community’s contributions during the Civil War, Reconstruction and Jim Crow eras — the center decided to sponsor the Hari Jones Memorial Lecture Series.

NC History Center on the Civil War, Emancipation & Reconstruction

A group of local Fayetteville residents originally got the project off the ground by getting a $1 million planning grant from the N.C. General Assembly in 2007. With the funding, over the next few years, the board hired Germann & Associates, the Winslow Group and the Planning Edge, all of which have experience in museum startups, to assess existing resources, pursue community wide feedback and discussions and come up with a strategic and programming plan.

The Center project has been divided into three phases. Phase 1 includes:

• The Arsenal House, which was renovated primarily for K-12 students. It includes a classroom, a distance learning studio and a technical support room, all part of the Digital Education Outreach Center.
  The Outreach Center is an online educational resource to teach the history of the period before, during and after the Civil War to public school students across North Carolina.
• The Culbreth House, which was renovated for higher education purposes. It will become the Center for the Study of the Civil War and Reconstruction in North Carolina. A catering kitchen and upstairs offices were added, as was a library, which will house an extensive collection of Civil War and Reconstruction books. It will be used as the offices for the Center’s Foundation.
• The Davis House will be used to help interpret the site of the U.S. Arsenal (later a Confederate Arsenal), where it is situated.

Phase 2 consists of a new outdoor education pavilion and the construction of a boardwalk that will run parallel to the remains of the Arsenal. Construction of Phase 2 is scheduled to begin soon.

Phase 3, the groundbreaking of which was held last summer, is a 55,000-57,000 square-foot main building that will replace the existing Museum of the Cape Fear, which was built on the site where the U.S. Arsenal once stood in Fayetteville.

The Center, once complete, will be owned and operated by the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. The building is currently being designed, with construction to begin soon. The latest estimates are that the building will be completed in the first quarter of 2027 — with the online portion of history instruction for teachers and students to be rolled out before then.

The history of all of North Carolina with an evenhanded approach

The Center is taking an evenhanded approach to North Carolinians’ Civil War experiences, precisely because no one agreed on it then — and no one agrees on it today.

As author Philip Gerard has pointed out, the documented history of the Civil War in the state showed that North Carolina’s white population was almost evenly split between Confederates and Unionists. More than 300,000 people — fully a third of North Carolina’s population — had no say on it at all, because they were enslaved.

Those involved in the planning of the center plan to use the existing Fayetteville Arsenal, destroyed during the closing days of the Civil War by Union Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman, as a jumping-off point to focus on the experience of an entire state.

The Center will gather both documented and oral histories of people, places and events that are either passed down or found through scholarly research, to tell the stories of what North Carolina families’ lives were like before, during and after the Civil War. Stories are still being sought from women, children, the elderly, farmers and businessmen, American Indians, African Americans, immigrants and persons of all faiths.

The Center will also gather peer-reviewed research from history professors within the University of North Carolina system, which will be used to write a Civil War history curriculum in partnership with the NC Department of Public Instruction, for use by schoolchildren. In North Carolina, the Civil War is taught in public schools to fourth and eighth grade students and included in U.S. history courses in the eleventh grade.

Students and teachers from Manteo to Murphy will be able to access course materials online. Research shows that once completed, the Center will contribute 200 new jobs and $18 million in economic benefit to Fayetteville every year.

For more information, please visit http://nccivilwarcenter.org/. On the website, visitors may make donations or leave your own story of how your family fared in North Carolina during the time before, during and after the Civil War.

The start of summer marks a dangerous time of year for young drivers. Nationwide, more than 30% of deaths involving teen drivers occur during what’s called the “100 Deadliest Days” – a period that runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

“Summer is historically a dangerous time for teen drivers,” said Tiffany Wright, spokesperson, AAA – The Auto Club Group in the Carolinas. “Now that school is out, teens will spend more time on the road, often driving with friends at odd hours of the day and night. Because of their inexperience, teens are more susceptible to dangerous driving behaviors – like speeding, driving distracted, and not wearing a safety belt. AAA urges parents to model safe driving behavior and reinforce safe driving habits with their teen drivers to help keep them safe this summer.”

Traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for teens ages 16 to 19. For every mile driven, new teen drivers (ages 16 to 17) are three times more likely to be involved in a deadly crash compared to adults.

Teen Driver Statistics

Nationwide, an average of 2,108 teens are involved in deadly crashes, every year, with 660 (31%) of those happening during the 100 Deadliest Days. These crashes result in an average of 2,341 deaths per year, with 732 of those during the summer months.

In North Carolina, 83 teen drivers are involved in fatal crashes each year. On average, 24 (29%) happen during the 100 Deadliest Days. These crashes result in an average of 92 deaths per year, with 27 (29%) of those fatalities happening during the summer months.

Common Risk Factors for Teen Drivers

Understanding the risks and knowing the facts will help prepare both parents and teens for the road ahead:

• Distracted driving. Distraction plays a role in nearly six out of 10 teen crashes. Electronics like cell phones and in-vehicle infotainment systems are considered the second-biggest distraction to teen drivers. The biggest distractions are teen passengers.
• Driving with teen passengers. Research shows that the risk of a fatal crash increases in direct relation to the number of teenagers in a car (NHTSA). Having other passengers in the car can contribute to peer pressure and the impulse to engage in dangerous habits like speeding and aggressive driving.
• Speeding. Speeding is a factor in nearly 30% of fatal crashes involving teen drivers
• Not wearing a safety belt. Teens who buckle up significantly reduce their risk of dying or being seriously injured in a crash.

AAA’s Advice for Parents

“The single most important thing parents can do to help their teens become safe drivers is to be involved in their ‘learning to drive’ process,” said Rachel Wilson, Director of Driver Education Programs for AAA.

“Spend time coaching your teen while they’re behind the wheel and have a serious discussion about safety. While parents can be a great teacher, it also helps to seek out professional training courses, like those provided by AAA.”

• Lead by example. Minimize risky behavior when you drive. Don’t drive aggressively, avoid distractions, and always wear your seatbelt. Your driving skills and judgement behind the wheel shape your child’s view of safe driving habits, even before they’re old enough to drive. Make safe driving a priority in your own life.
• Conduct at least 50 hours of supervised practice driving. Let your teen drive in a variety of conditions including inclement weather, busy interstates, and at night. This will help them become a more confident driver in imperfect situations.
• Teach defensive driving skills. Help your teen anticipate potential risks by constantly scanning the road for hazards. Then share advice for how to safely avoid them.
• Establish a parent-teen driving agreement which sets family rules like when the teen can drive, where they can go and with whom. Clearly outline the consequences for breaking the rules and rewards for driving safe.

Online Driving Course

AAA’s How to Drive Online provides a solid foundation of the knowledge and skills necessary to reduce a teen’s risk behind the wheel. This supplemental program is an online, 25-hour course that features: convenient, self-paced delivery; research-based curriculum; videos, simulations, and interactive exercises to enhance content retention; and optional virtual parent session to help educate parents on the learning to drive process.

Behind the Wheel Driving Courses

The AAA Approved Driving School Network helps identify the best driver training resources in your local community. These schools have passed AAA’s stringent standards and offer quality curriculum as well as the best value for students.

To learn more about the training, email DriverTraining2@acg.aaa.com or call 888-222-7108.

The Center for Economic Empowerment & Development received a $75,000 grant from Truist Foundation to be used to assist in providing a level playing field for women and the under served business owners in our community who disproportionately face barriers.

The grant will help CEED continue its work in providing comprehensive training and counseling in small business to help clients start, sustain and grow their own businesses, especially those who are socially and economically disadvantaged.

CEED’s mission has always been to promote the growth, productiveness and well-being of entrepreneurs through counseling, education, information and advocacy programs. They are dedicated to helping entrepreneurs find their own strength to sucCEED.

In 2022, CEED served 1,905 clients of which approximately 87% were women, 83% were minority and 65% had a military affiliation.
CEED was started by a group of women and then led by Sylvia Ray who wanted to ensure that women had an equitable chance to economically support themselves and their families. Its programs are designed to support that vision and mission.

“We are so excited to have the Truist Foundation as an equity partner! With their investment, CEED will be kicking off entrepreneurial cohorts starting this fall, which will help us to continue to lay the foundation and increase small business owner competency through training,” says Suzy Hrabovsky, Executive Director of CEED. “We are looking to expand our financial literacy course offerings throughout the counties we serve, which will increase self-sustaining infrastructures through education. By increasing knowledge and technical assistance, we can increase the sustainability of businesses and their success using loan capital.”

“Education goes hand-in-hand with a business owners’ vision of success and the drive to start and grow a business,” said Chris Isley, Truist Regional President of Eastern North Carolina. “We are excited to be part of this program that helps under served business owners overcome systemic barriers and contribute to their communities in meaningful ways. This work is at the heart of Truist’s purpose of inspiring and building better lives and communities.”

The Center for Economic Empowerment & Development is a micro-lender with a Women’s Business Center Program providing in-house 1:1 counseling, technical assistance, networking/mentorship opportunities, and access to Capital. CEED develops community-led solutions to create an ecosystem where our business owners can be successful. CEED is an advocate for their success throughout the life cycle of their business from developing the idea, creating a sustainable plan, and providing the resources and capital for their success.

The Truist Foundation is committed to Truist Financial Corporation’s purpose to inspire and build better lives and communities. Established in 2020, the foundation makes strategic investments in nonprofit organizations to help ensure the communities it serves have more opportunities for a better quality of life. Grants and activities focus on building career pathways to economic mobility and strengthening small businesses.

The city of Fayetteville has been inducted onto the North Carolina Civil Rights Trail after city staff and religious, educational and local non-profit organizations partnered to highlight the 1963 protests against segregation.

The city will host a ceremony to unveil the Civil Rights marker on June 16 at 11 a.m. at 116 Green St., where City Hall was located in 1963. The marker will be installed outside of the southwest corner of the Fascinate-U museum.

“I am elated we are able to have Fayetteville placed onto this significant and innovative trail highlighting historic advancement throughout our state,” said Mayor Mitch Colvin. “This accomplishment is a true testament of collaboration between our community, our city, and the great state of North Carolina showing what we can achieve when we work together.”

The marker commemorates the leadership of protest organizers and the courage of each participant.

During the summer of 1963, residents organized various activities protesting racial segregation in Fayetteville. Often, demonstrations like picketing and marching culminated in the downtown area, where they also conducted sit-ins at businesses along Hay Street.

The community’s actions resulted in the necessary political pressure to influence elected leadership to enact policy directing businesses to desegregate Fayetteville, one year prior to the 1964 Civil Rights Act being adopted by the federal government.

The city’s Special Projects Manager Brook Redding worked closely with a group of community stakeholders to complete the application. The N.C. Civil Rights Trail program accepted the city’s application in October 2022 after six months of development.

The N.C. African American Heritage Commission leads the N.C. Civil Rights Trail with funding from the William G. Pomeroy Foundation, and with support from Visit North Carolina and the North Carolina Office of Archives & History.

The commission works with communities across the state to designate up to 50 sites where trail markers are being placed, including 10 in Hometown Strong communities.

An interactive web portal highlights these places and others to guide people to history and experiences from the past.
To learn more about the project or to apply for a marker, please visit https://aahc.nc.gov/programs/nc-civil-rights-trail/nc-civil-rights-virtual-trail

N.C. African American Commission

Created in 2008, the African American Heritage Commission is a division of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. The Commission works to preserve, protect and promote the state’s African American history, art and culture.

Its endeavors include the identification of heritage sites, compiling resources for educators, extending the work of national programs such as the National Park Service’s Network to Freedom Underground Railroad, and independent initiatives including the NC Civil Rights Trail.

North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources

The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources is the state agency with a vision to be the leader in using the state’s natural and cultural resources to build the social, cultural, educational and economic future of North Carolina.

NCDNCR's mission is to improve the quality of life by creating opportunities to experience excellence in the arts, history, libraries and nature in North Carolina. Efforts seek to stimulate learning, inspiring creativity, preserving the state’s history, conserving the state’s natural heritage, encouraging recreation and cultural tourism, and promoting economic development.

$95,000 — That’s more than the average household income for an entire family in North Carolina. It’s also your share of our nation’s astonishing $31 trillion debt.

When I think about my seven-year-old son being saddled with a $95,000 bill before he even enters the 2nd grade, I can’t help but be worried about his future and all our children and grandchildren.

While our national debt is nothing new, out-of-control spending from Washington the last two years has accelerated this crisis to a five-alarm fire.

In fact, since President Joe Biden took office in January 2021, he and House Democrats have increased the nation’s 10-year spending trajectory by $10 trillion. This includes their $2 trillion “American Rescue Plan” that ignited the highest inflation in consumer prices in 40 years. It contained $400 billion for policies that paid Americans to stay home rather than go to work, $783 million in stimulus checks to federal prisoners, $2 million for a ski slope, $140 million for a luxury hotel, and $1.2 million to buy trash cans.

Democrats’ so-called “Inflation Reduction Act” followed up with $80 billion to the IRS to target your family with audits, and over $400 billion for Green New Deal initiatives. President Biden’s Executive Orders have also cost over $1.5 trillion, including Democrats’ student loan giveaway to the wealthy.

The last two years under one-party rule saw astronomical spending, but we didn’t get in this mess overnight and we can’t fix it overnight — especially in a divided government.

This spending problem is the greatest threat to America and one of the reasons I ran for Congress in the first place. That’s why last week, I voted for the Fiscal Responsibility Act. This debt limit bill was not perfect, but it is the largest spending cut that Congress has ever voted for in American history.

According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the Fiscal Responsibility Act will reduce the deficit by $2.1 trillion. It will cut spending year-over-year, limit top line federal spending to 1% annual growth for the next 6 years, and end uncontrollable executive spending by enforcing “Pay-Go” rules which should save taxpayers trillions.

It will jump start our economy with work requirements for able-bodied childless adults and will help with the number one problem every business I talk to has — a need for workers. I have been fighting for work requirements for 19 years because we have a moral obligation to stop trapping people in the cycle of poverty. While Democrats prefer dependency, Republicans are focused on self sufficiency and improving your family’s quality of life.

Cutting red tape and slashing funding for new IRS agents will also help build new infrastructure and unleash the economy.

This bill will save taxpayers $5 billion per month by restarting student loan debt payments. It rejects all of President Biden’s $5 trillion in proposed new tax increases and claws back $29 billion of unspent COVID funds. All of this is done while fully funding critical defense programs and preserving both Social Security and Medicare.

For the first time, non-defense spending will be significantly lowered while defense spending will receive a $28 billion boost from the previous year to ensure our military is ready to respond to any threat.

There was not a single Democratic priority included in the Fiscal Responsibility Act. Speaker Kevin McCarthy forced President Biden and House Democrats to negotiate in order to avoid defaulting on our debt. This is a historic win for the American people and because of our efforts, the pattern of Washington reckless spending has come to a screeching halt.

President Ronald Reagan once said, “We can leave our children with an unrepayable massive debt and a shattered economy, or we can leave them liberty in a land where every individual has the opportunity to be whatever God intended us to be.”

The Fiscal Responsibility Act is a step in the right direction. With every man, woman and child owing $95,000 to the government, I believe we can and must do more to build on this success.

The largest spending cut in history is an important step to restoring fiscal sanity in our nation’s capital and leaving the next generation better than the last — just as Reagan had hoped.

For more than a decade, Gallery 208 has provided space to showcase local and regional artists.

Last week we opened the exhibit The Ocean World of Ivy Rittenhouse, a local artist who accentuates and defines the breadth of our cultural community.

These quarterly events are fun, free and allow us to get up close and personal with our readers. It's our way of celebrating the arts while monitoring the heartbeat of the community.

The majority of the exhibits are partially funded by the Fayetteville/Cumberland County Arts Council in support of the artists’ exploration into expanding their medium. Bob Pinson, the newly appointed CEO of the Arts Council, was present at the Gallery exhibit opening. His message was clear: we all need to work harder to tell Fayetteville's story about the richness of our cultural community.

Pinson is right! We need to do a better job telling our story and creating education and awareness about our local arts community. Bob Pinson is the right man, at the right time to lead and direct our cultural community and to tell our story!

Gallery 208 is located at 208 Rowan St. and open Monday — Thursday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. The exhibit is free and open to the public. Thank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly.

In March of 1825, Marquis de Lafayette visited Fayetteville as part of his United States tour as “The Nation’s Guest.” On that day, Lafayette’s secretary, Auguste Lavasseur, wrote that while the weather was “excessively bad,” the reception was impactful.

Now, almost two hundred years later, we will celebrate Lafayette’s visit and his birthday. In honor of the upcoming Bicentennial Celebration and the Lafayette’s Grand Birthday Ball & Soirée on Sept. 9, Rebecca Russell from Beespoke Vintage will be offering three lectures and workshops titled Preparing for Lafayette.

This series will teach men and women about the historical background on clothing worn by people in the 1820s, followed by a sewing workshop where Russell will help participants create their own outfits to prepare for the Bicentennial event.

The first workshop is aptly named “Foundations.” During this workshop, participants will learn about the silhouette of the 1820s and how it had changed dramatically from the earlier “Colonial” period. Participants will explore a brief overview of the details and differences between the clothing of the working classes and nobility. The bulk of this workshop will then turn to and focus on the foundation garments for men and women.

“I think the biggest thing is just understanding how important foundation garments are for clothing of this era. Because if you’re not wearing the right garments underneath, the other garments are not going to look right,” Russell said.

“If you’re trying to wear modern undergarments with period clothing from back then, you’ll notice. So I really like to stress that you have to start with the foundations. So you have to start with the skin out to really get the right look, and you’ll notice it yourself when you’re wearing the clothing. It will definitely feel different, it’ll wear different, you’ll behave differently. And so that’s really important and why they're foundational in that sense, too.”

The June 10 lecture will begin at 9 a.m. and will be an hour long. The next two hours will be dedicated to cutting patterns and fabrics. There will be an hour break for lunch. The workshop will resume at 1 p.m. with the sewing and construction of the clothes.

Participants must bring their own patterns, fabric, machines and notions.

“Don’t show up at the workshop thinking that the pattern in fabric is going to already be there waiting for you. Because everybody’s a different size and people have different types of fabric they want to buy,” Russell said.

There are four ticket options. To attend the lecture, the workshop and have a catered lunch, that would be a $65 ticket. To attend the lecture and the workshop, but to bring your own lunch, that would be a $50 ticket. To attend just the lecture, which will take place in the morning, is $15. To attend the virtual lecture and workshop would be $20. There are discounts available for military, first responders, educators and single parents.

To buy tickets, get the supply list, and to learn more about the event, go to https://www.beespokevintage.com/preparing-for-lafayette

There will be two other lectures and workshops scheduled before the birthday party in September. The session on July 8 will focus on Day Wear, while the session on Aug. 12 will focus on Evening Wear.

Briana Allan talks a lot with her hands. In her line of work, her hands are always moving but then again, so are her feet.

The real challenge, Allan says, is to get her mind there. She does this through listening to rhythm and blues and hip-hop artists like J. Cole to clear her head before the swings start. Anything with a good beat, she says.

“It’s more a mental game than physical,” Allan says. “Physically you can get there but can you handle being punched in the face over and over?”

She laughs. Allan is one of the few female boxers at her gym and the only one in her old gym in Lillington. In a sport that has been often filled with men, and sometimes having no sparring partners but male boxers, Allan has a good spirit about her. She laughs a lot as she moves her hands around, two hair ties adorning her wrist. She looks down at her wrists and laughs a little. It takes two, she says, to get her long curly hair into a braid and into her headgear.

For Allan, it’s all about breaking down the time into smaller increments.

“I will look at the clock and say, ‘I only have 30 more seconds.’”

Allan trains on three minute rounds with 30 second breaks. Allan, 17, graduated high school early and has stuck around the area just to continue to work on her sport before heading off to Campbell University in the fall.

In just a week, Allan and more than 300 other boxers, male and female, ages 8 to 70, will compete in the annual Carolina Gloves South Boxing tournament. The tournament will host boxers from all over the United States and a few from Canada and Puerto Rico.

“We’ll have some of the most elite boxers from all over … some will be competing for the U.S. Olympic team,” Mark Hornsby, the event's co-director, says.

Those two boxers with the Olympic trials in their futures are female students of Coach Patrick Finklin. Finklin will have boxers of all ages in the tournament including an 8-year-old who is currently number one in the country for his age and weight class.
Coach Patrick is also a coach to many active duty military members who will also be competing in the upcoming tournament.

“I like coaching active duty military. They are more disciplined and focused. They are here until they get stationed somewhere else,” he says. “They are not only focused, but loyal.”

Coach Hornsby and Coach Patrick are the two directors for the upcoming tournament and the Vice President and President of North Carolina USA Boxing, respectively.

“We’ve done a lot of work,” Hornsby says, “That’s what brings in the boxers and keeps them coming back.”

Allan is a testament to that statement with morning training sessions that range about two hours and lately, she’s added an afternoon session with her second boxing coach, Coach Font, to work on the skills she started in the morning.

“It takes a team to box,” she says.

Allan adjusts again in her seat and a smile is not very far from her face as she speaks about boxing and her coaches. Allan now travels from Lillington to Fayetteville to Coach Font’s gym to get some sparring time with other female boxers. For the beginning of her boxing time, she had mostly male companions to fight.

“You know, it has its advantages and disadvantages. Sparing with males has made me a lot tougher,” she says. “But being around women, it’s a different kind of empowerment. We all know what it’s like to [be] a woman in sports.”

Allan is excited about the upcoming tournament. She’ll keep up the regimen of training until a week out from the tournament when she and other boxers will protect their arms from becoming too fatigued and dial down the running as to be careful not to roll an ankle.

Allan’s grandmother, on the other hand, has other worries.

“She says, ‘I don’t want you to mess up your pretty face or break your teeth,’” Allan says laughing.

The tournament will be held June 17 and 18. Saturday’s round will start around 12 p.m. with the first session lasting until 4 p.m. and the second session beginning around 6 p.m. and will last until about 10 p.m. that night.

Sunday will be the championship rounds that begin at 12 p.m. and last until 6 or 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the event for $25, kids ages 7 and under are free.

“It’s going to be a good experience. That first year we did it was a gas shortage,” Coach Patrick says. “It didn’t stop people from doing it. When they showed up it was hard to find gas to get back home.”

The Carolina Gloves South Boxing Tournament is presented by the Harnett County Police Activity League. The tournament will be held at the Freedom Courts Sportsplex, part of the Freedom Christian Academy campus, located at 3126 Gillespie Street in Fayetteville.

It’s that time of year again. The sun is high, the days are long, and Cumberland County Library has just rolled out its new Summer Reading Program. Kids and adults across the county have until Aug. 15 to participate in this year’s summer reading theme: All Together Now.

“We use the Collaborative Summer Library Program’s theme each year,” explained Faith Phillips, Director of Cumberland County Public Library. “They are a nonprofit, charitable organization that supports literacy, education, and science through summer reading events in public libraries across the United States.”

This year’s program participants can visit any Cumberland County Library branch to pick up a reading log or download READsquared! for paperless tracking. This year’s program, which began June 1, boasts some great prizes and expanded reading categories. Participants across all ages are reading to win cool tech, free books, toys, and gift cards for businesses around Fayetteville. Also, due to a grant from the state library, this year’s summer reading program will offer some fun enrichment activities and events.

The summer reading program serves three different age categories: children (birth-5th grade), teens (6th-12th) and adults (19+). This year, children and teens have three prize tiers: 5 hours, 10 hours and 20 hours.

To complete this reading challenge, adults must read four books before the Aug. 15 deadline. However, all age groups can choose to read more for a chance to enter into prize drawings.
Post-COVID, participation in the library’s extracurricular offerings, including the summer reading program, has been rising — a trend Phillips hopes continues.

“Participation was back up close to pre-COVID numbers [last year],” Phillips said. “We hope to continue getting the word out about Summer Reading and our programs to more people in the community.”
To fit in with this summer’s theme, the library has several fun activities planned for readers of all ages scheduled for the month of June. Digging in the Dirt, Mission 2 Space, and Bathtub Pirates are just a few of the programs planned. Check the library’s website and calendar for dates, times and full descriptions of each activity.

The summer’s hottest books, like “Spare” by Prince Harry, “My Hero Academia” by Kohei Horikoshi, and “Never Never” by Colleen Hoover, are in top circulation at the library and can also be downloaded to an e-reader or heard as an audio book via Overdrive and the Libby App. For those who prefer their books more digital than analog, this is especially good news since any and all methods of reading count toward trackable hours.

Whether as a solo activity or completed with the whole family, the Summer Reading Program is an excellent opportunity to foster a love of reading from an early age.

The benefits of reading are endless, but they’re especially useful during the summer months when most children are away from school. On average, students can lose up to 34% of the previous year’s learning gains over summer break. Summer reading helps the mind stay active by sparking the imagination, creating discourse and activating critical thinking skills.

To learn more about programs and events, visit the library website at www.cumberlandcountync.gov/departments/library-group/library.