You think you have trouble? What if you had a herd of hungry-hungry-hippos in your backyard? What if they came to dinner and refused to leave? Consider if you will, the strange case of Pablo Escobar’s legacy of Columbian hippos.

On a recent fact finding trip to our nation’s Capital, I read an article in the Washington Post by Jonathan Edwards about Columbia’s hippo hostage situation. Allow me to elaborate.

Once upon a time, in the country of Columbia, there was an international drug dealer named Pablo Escobar. He was a very successful drug dealer. He sold lots of drugs, ran a huge cartel and caused the deaths of lots of people. He was not the sort of fellow who you would want to move in next door to you.

Pablo made a lot of what used to be called ill-gotten gains from his criminal enterprises. He made many monies. More than he could spend. Poor Pablo, what could he do? He had all this money burning a hole in his Swiss bank accounts and money bins. So much money, so little time to spend it all.

Then one day in the 1980s Pablo had a moment of clarity. Eureka! He would build a zoo. Zoos need two things to work — animals and money. He had the money, now all he had to do was buy the animals. Pablo set to work and bought lots of critters including four hippos.

Like the Carolina Tar Heels’ marching band which is the Pride of the ACC, Pablo’s zoo was the pride of the drug cartels. For quite a while Pablo’s zoo was the talk of the town. But like George Harrison once sang, "All Things Must Pass".

Pablo came to an unfortunate end, one day in 1993, when the Columbian Army caused him to have a sudden case of lead poisoning from which he expired. Like little Jackie Paper in "Puff the Magic Dragon," Pablo would come no more to feed and admire his hippos.

It was bigly sad.

The Columbian Army was not in the business of zoo keeping. They sold off most of the animals except for the hippos. They left hippos alone hoping they would have the good sense to die. It did not turn out that way.
Hippos are made of sterner stuff. Taking a cue from Mr. Spock, Pablo’s hippos have lived long and prospered. Unlike "Puff the Magic Dragon," the hippos did not sadly slip back into their cave. Rather, it turned out hippos really like Columbia.

It reminded them of being back home in Africa. Hippos have no natural enemies in Columbia.

The weather and jungles are perfect, a virtual hippo heaven. The hippos were happier than the proverbial pig in poop.

The hippos got frisky and multiplied. Where there were once four hippos there are now between 80 and 120 hippos. Columbian hippo experts predict unless something is done by 2039 there will be over 14 hundred free range hippos.

This presents a real problem. While hippos in the abstract are cute, 14 hundred hippos are not. They eat stuff. They trample crops. Their poop causes algae blooms that can kill fish. They drive out native animals and plants. In short, they are an invasive species, like Uncle Harold who came to dinner and now refuses to leave.

What to do? The Columbian government realized that killing the hippos is a public relations nightmare. Hippos have become a tourist attraction bringing in money. The local citizens have become hippo positive. They love them some hippos. When several hippos went on a rampage, the government shot them including a crowd favorite hippo named Pepe. When a picture of a hunter standing over the late great Pepe came out, the locals protested so angrily future hunts were called off.

If executing hippos is off the table, what options remain? Jeff Bezos has refused to take hippos into outer space on the Blue Origin because no hippo has $250,000 for a ticket.

Taking a herd of hippos to the Mexican/American border to seek asylum would be almost impossible because there aren’t enough cowboys with hippo driving experience. Can you imagine the damage a stampede of hippos would cause? The mind boggles.

In order to avoid a hippo border crisis, the U.S. Department of Agriculture donated a hippo contraceptive called GonaCon which effectively kills the mood for amorous hippos by suppressing their boy and girl urges. Hippos on GonaCon would rather eat than make whoopee.

Gentle reader, though you may have troubles, be glad your issues do not include hippos.

Methodist University has received a record-setting gift of $14 million.

More than $12 million will go directly to student scholarships while $1.5 million will go towards to the nursing program’s new facility. The money was given to the university by Robert J. Chaffin’s estate.

Chaffin served on the Administrative Board and the Board of Trustees for Camp Ground Methodist Church in Fayetteville. He died earlier this year at the age of 93.

“Mr. Chaffin clearly was not looking for attention to his generosity during his lifetime. Quietly, very much behind the scenes, he was working on building a highly successful financial portfolio for the purpose of one day making a transformative gift to the university,” said MU President Stanley Wearden.

“While we knew he had established a bequest for the university, Mr. Chaffin never shared the full extent with us nor asked for any thanks in return.”

The Cumberland County Board of Commissioners and Fayetteville City Council have agreed to award up to $1.25 million each to help with costs related to a distribution center planned for Fayetteville.

Robert Van Geons, President and CEO of the Fayetteville Cumberland Economic Development Corporation has confirmed that a U.S.-based company is considering Fayetteville for a large distribution center. Official documents indicate that Amazon is the firm involved, but that has not been confirmed by officials.

The planned distribution center, in the Military Business Park off Santa Fe Dr. will span more than 1 million square feet. For the company to receive the grants it must commit to investing $100 million in real estate and equipment in Cumberland County over the next five years and hire more than five-hundred full-time workers with an average annual wage of about $33,000.

I have a question for all the folks who oppose taxing billionaires and hundred-millionaires. I am addressing especially those who serve in our U.S. Congress, both the House and Senate.

What on earth are you thinking?

Ordinary Americans pay our taxes, mostly through payroll deductions, because we believe in doing our part, or — more cynically, we don’t want to get in trouble with the IRS. Whatever our reasons, we do pay, however begrudgingly. Not so for the wealthiest Americans, whose assets come not from salaries, much less wages, but from resources they hold.

They have the financial wherewithal to hire the best of the best consultants — tax attorneys, accountants and others to protect those assets from taxation when they are eventually sold or passed down to heirs. These professional services allow the tiny percentage of American billionaires to shield their wealth while the rest of us are dutifully transferring healthy chunks to Uncle Sam. We are not talking the well-to-do folks across town or even those considered “rich.”

We are talking Warren Buffett (investments), Jeff Bezos (Amazon), Michael Bloomberg (financial services) and Elon Musk (Tesla). Musk is now poised to be the first person on earth whose net worth is nearly $300 billion (larger than the gross domestic product of Pakistan), Bezos at $200 billion (zillions of Amazon packages), Buffett at $100 billion and Bloomberg at a relatively modest (compared to those guys), $59 billion.
Just try to process the reality that these people pay little or no taxes and do not want to either. Musk even had a little hissy fit last week over the very idea that as a billionaire he might be taxed at all. Tweeted an annoyed Musk, “Eventually they run out of other people’s money, and then they come for you.”

Forgive me, but I am having trouble relating to that. It is hard to know exactly how many American billionaires there are, but a quick search says just over six hundred, and that number fluctuates depending on how many of we salaried folks buy Teslas, order from Amazon and so on. Forbes magazine reported earlier this year that we have 5 billionaires in North Carolina, but nary a one in Cumberland County.

Stunningly, no billionaires live in West Virginia, according to Forbes, but that state’s two U.S. Senators, including the contrarian Joe Manchin, both oppose taxing billionaires. Like most every other issue in our grumpy, divided and partisanly poisoned Congress, this one is split mainly but not entirely along party lines. It would seem to me that making those with the most participate in our nation’s coffers just like the rest of us is a reasonable and equitable position. If Mary who drives a school bus and Joe who does plumbing have taxes withheld, why should Elon, Jeff and Warren escape just because their wealth comes from different sources? We Americans have been in a bad mood for various reasons for about a decade, and one of the main reasons is our growing economic inequality. The rich are getting richer, and the poor are getting poorer as the famed American working middle class fades away in between.

Maybe our billionaires will avoid the proposed billionaire tax this time around, but at some point, there will be a day of reckoning about the growing gulf between the haves and the have-nots. That reckoning should come sooner rather than later, because it is not going to get any easier or prettier over time.

Cumberland County’s Health Department is administering Pfizer booster shots for approved groups but not earlier than six months after second doses have been given.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends people who have compromised immune systems receive booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.

“We want all eligible citizens to get fully vaccinated before the Thanksgiving holiday,” said Dr. Jennifer Green, Cumberland County, public health director.

“We will offer Pfizer boosters at all of our vaccination locations.”

The Health Department also provides free at-home COVID-19 rapid antigen testing kits.

A list of approved groups and appointment applications can be found at cumberlandcountync.gov/covid19/vaccination.

An online application form allows individuals to choose their appointment dates and times for the first, second or third doses.

Publisher's Note: There many who are running for local offices in the upcoming year. Their voices need to be heard. Those individuals wishing to reach out and be heard by the community have an open invitation to be heard in the Up & Coming Weekly. Simply reach out and send us an email to let us know you have something to say.

When I came to Fayetteville in 2008 as a wounded soldier assigned to the Wounded Warrior Project on Fort Bragg, I remember receiving several briefings that strongly advised us to refrain from visiting certain areas of the city and certain businesses due to their shady business practices.
I can remember receiving briefings from my commander during in-processing that warned me about the level of crime around the city. However, I do not remember ever getting a briefing that warned me about the level of corruption that could be found in Fayetteville City Hall, but man did I quickly learn as I got more and more involved in the Fayetteville community, just how much corruption there was. Everything from politicians creating so-called non-political taxpayer-funded organizations, to politicians attempting to cut side-deals with wealthy developers, to city leaders in cahoots with destructive criminal elements dedicated to destroying the very city that they swore an oath to protect and defend.

Fayetteville is no stranger to corruption and scandal within its ranks, as we have all either lived through or heard stories about "Fayette-Nam." But it seems this city has seen a more blatant element since Mitch Colvin took office as Mayor in 2017. All of us remember the dishonorable city councilman from District 2, Tyrone Williams, and everything that took place with him in 2018 when the "Prince Charles Gate" scandal rocked the city. Who knew that he would be the precursor of things to come during Colvin's term in office? Who knew that three years later, the mayor and top city officials, including City Manager Doug Hewett and Police Chief Gina Hawkins, would allow rioters, looters, Marxists and anarchists to destroy and pillage our beloved city unhindered, while ordering our sworn Fayetteville police officers to "stand down" while criminals ravaged our city.

Since 2017, the city of Fayetteville has been under the leadership of Colvin and our police department under the supervision and leadership (if you can call it that) of Hawkins, who came to Fayetteville by way of Atlanta, Georgia, in the same year. Since then, our police department has suffered tremendously under her leadership, and the citizens of Fayetteville have paid the price. We have a police department that is low on morale and high on egos, and I say enough is enough!
We have a mayor who feels that he is not answerable to the citizens of Fayetteville and who only seems to be concerned about his next business investment and how he can use his position to further enhance his economic fortune.

The city of Fayetteville and the Fayetteville Police Department have come a very long way from the '80s, and I refuse to allow our city to become another corrupt municipality like the town of Spring Lake. Fayetteville has witnessed a tremendous increase in violent crime over the past two years, and just this year alone, our city has been rocked by more than 40 homicides, and we are currently on track to double last year’s homicide rate, and unfortunately, we have even recently made the nation's top 100 list of the most dangerous cities, and there seems to be no end in sight.

As the holidays rapidly approach, we have more than 6000 families facing eviction in our community, due to a flawed, fractured and failing Emergency Rental Assistance Program. Fayetteville has recently been branded "America's Can-Do City" but, I have coined her "America's Can-Do Better City." The people of Fayetteville deserve and demand better from their leadership, which I intend to give them. Better. How do we "do better?" We start by removing the toxic leadership in the city. We un-handcuff our law enforcement professionals and allow them to do the jobs they swore an oath to do, and we empower and equip them to enforce the laws they swore to enforce. We identify the toxic rank-and-file within our law enforcement community and remove them immediately. We remove the unproductive and self-serving people within our city government and replace them with genuinely dedicated people who will dedicate themselves to the betterment of Fayetteville.

Fayetteville is a city that houses talent and potential, she is a city that inspires innovation and she is a city that embraces diversity. As the next Mayor of Fayetteville, I intend to build on the foundation and "Lead Fayetteville Forward," but that requires us to move forward together and lead with honesty, transparency, integrity, vision and foresight. I am J Antoine Miner. I am running for Mayor of Fayetteville. I am that leader.

A soldier died Oct. 27 after a sudden and unexpected medical event during physical fitness training at Fort Bragg, according to U.S. Army officials.

Sgt. 1st Class Calvin T. Rockward was attending the Special Forces Warrant Officer Technical and Tactical Certification Course when he passed away.

Rockward enlisted in the Army in 2004 as a Special Forces candidate. He has deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan.

After his deployments, he was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne).

“Sgt. 1st Class Rockward was a warrior,” Col. Ryan Ehrler, commander of 1st SFG (A), said. “An accomplished, respected, and loved Special Forces soldier and teammate, Cal was also kind-hearted and cared deeply about his family,” Ehrler added. “He always put a smile on the face of every person he encountered. We collectively mourn the loss of our brother and honor his service to the nation, and our deepest condolences go to Sgt. 1st Class Rockward’s family.”

Rockward's awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Joint Service Achievement Medal, Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal and the Korean Defense Service Medal.

Rockward is survived by his wife and daughter.

Mayor Mitch Colvin announced last week that he will be ending the Fayetteville mask mandate. Colvin issued a Sixth Amendment to the State of Emergency for the City of Fayetteville that ends the indoor mask mandate within city limits starting on Nov. 1. The mask mandate has been in place in the city of Fayetteville since Aug. 18.

Colvin cites in the ammendment that the mask mandate lift comes as vaccination rates in Cumberland County have risen to 57%

"I am grateful today to announce the rescinding of the city's mask mandates," Colvin said. "This is the result of the reductions we have experienced in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. We are very thankful and appreciative to all of you for your cooperation, patience and most of all for getting vaccinated. Let's continue this positive trend and keep each other safe as we work through this challenging time."

Colvin says in the amendment that the City of Fayetteville "withdraws any consent, explicit or implied, to be included” in the county’s indoor mask order.

However, the Cumberland County mask mandate and the Cumberland County Schools mask mandate are still in place, which does override the Fayetteville orders.

Cumberland County Public Health Director Dr. Jennifer Green sent out a statement shortly after Colvin signed the amendment, stating that the Public Health Abatement Order remains in place - requiring masks inside in all municipalities in Cumberland County, including Fayetteville.

“While trends are improving, Cumberland County remains in high transmission,” Green said.

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper said the sheriff of neighboring Hoke County was a man who “worked diligently to protect the people of his county in addition to making a significant difference for good in public safety throughout our state.”

Hubert Peterkin, who had been sheriff of Hoke County since 2002, died Oct. 23 during a surgical procedure. It was reported that he had cancer.

Peterkin was a law enforcement officer for more than 30 years, serving with the Fayetteville Police Department before joining the sheriff's office.

He received his bachelor's degree from Liberty University and held a master's degree in public administration and a doctorate in management, according to his bio on the sheriff's office website.

In 2015, Peterkin was elected president of the N.C. Sheriff's Association and was awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine which recognizes those who have made significant contributions to the state.

No means no. Rape is a serious crime and one-in-six women in the United States have experienced completed or attempted rape in their lifetime.

“We have been talking about renaming our agency for 13 years and the legal name is Rape Crisis Volunteers of Cumberland County,” said Deanne Gerdes, executive director, Phoenix Center.

“A couple of years ago we dropped the word volunteers because it just did not sound professional according to a General on Fort Bragg.” She added, “Rape and crisis really does identify victims so that anytime a victim had to say they were going to the Rape Crisis Center to a boss, family member or friend, it automatically outs them and not all victims are in a crisis.”

The background story behind the name change involves Gerdes being at a human trafficking trial where she had a conversation with the mother of one of the victims.

Most sex traffickers brand their victims with some kind of tattoo using a symbol, initial, name, etc. This trafficker had tattooed his name in Roman numerals on this victim’s back. So, when the victim went through the program, one of the things they immediately do is to remove the tattoo. The victim had a phoenix to put in the place of the old tattoo to cover it up. The mom of the victim explained that the phoenix is a mythical bird that rises from the ashes.

“So when she was telling me the story I knew we needed to be renamed the Phoenix Center,” said Gerdes. “We had a board meeting two days later and they were for the name change so we have renamed the building, not the agency, the Phoenix Center.”

The Phoenix Center also provides services to victims of other crimes, not just sexual violence. They offer services for domestic violence, human trafficking and help family members of homicide victims.

“We have expanded our services and we just don’t say no to anyone who comes in our doors, needs help and we certainly know the resources in town and can help them get them,” Gerdes said.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, sexual assault statistics went down.

“It could be that people are not out as much as they used to be and it is not back to the way it was before the pandemic,” explained Gerdes.

Gerdes added that unfortunately the domestic violence statistics are higher and it has been a weird switch for them. The domestic violence cases were much more violent during COVID-19.

“People were stuck inside of their homes together with children, their jobs were crazy and things just got much more violent,” Gerdes said.

The annual Walk Awhile in Her Shoes fundraiser event is scheduled for March 25, 2022.

Volunteers are needed. For more information call the 24-hour local hotline , 910-485-7273, visit https://www.rapecrisisonline.org/ or the National Sexual Assault Hotline, 800-656-4673.

Details of a Fayetteville home invasion in which the intruders were killed are still lacking. Police found two young men had been shot to death at a home on Brookstone Lane. Investigators identified one of the teens as Hunter Markham, 19. The other was a 17-year-old whose name was not released because of his age.

The preliminary investigation indicated the teens were shot after forcing entry into the home. A third person was shot but he apparently lived in the home.

His wound was minor. The person who did the shooting, evidently the homeowner, was not identified by police.

Police would not say whether it was a random act or if anyone else was involved.

Fayetteville's unique connection to the military and veterans is never more evident than during Heroes Homecoming. Encompassing a week of events focused on service members, veterans and families, Heroes Homecoming has been a staple in America's Hometown since 2011. This year is no exception. The event kicks off with the annual Fayetteville Veterans Day Parade, see page 15 for the full story.

Once families have celebrated the heroes on Hay Street, there are several additional activities to enjoy throughout the area.

For a few of these additional events folks can head out to Dirtbag Ales Brewing and Taproom.

Dirtbag Ales is hosting a Kickball Tournament and registrations is $25, all of which will go to Mission 22.

Mission 22 is a national community seeking to support services members, both active and veteran and their families, in dealing with mental health issues, raising awareness and helping to remember and honor service members and veterans.

It is a cause close to our hearts, explained Shannon Loper, operations manager, Dirtbag Ales Brewery and Taproom. The brewery will also serve their Heroes Homecoming Pilsner.

Dirtbag will donate a dollar of every pint of Heroes Homecoming Pilsner sold to Mission 22.

In addition to the Kickball Tournament, patrons can purchase tickets to the Hope Mills annual Chili Cook-Off. The event has been running for approximately a decade but is celebrating its third year at Dirtbag Ales.

Previously held in October, the event is now in November due to indecisive North Carolina weather.

"Depending on how fickle the weather can be, nobody wants to eat a bowl of chili when it's 80 degrees outside," president of the Hope Mills Chamber of Commerce, Casey Ferris explained.The cook-off is one of the chamber's biggest fundraisers, and this year they will be donating a portion of their proceed to the Veteran's Farm of North Carolina.

VFNC's mission is to educate service members and veterans of all ages and eras on all aspects of agriculture.

"VFCN allows veterans to become heroes in life for a second time by helping them transition into becoming the farmers for tomorrow," according to the VFCN website.

Participation in the cook-off will cost contestants $25 and an 8-quart crockpot of chili.

This year the chamber is encouraging festive and fun competition.

"We want to make it a fun event," Ferris said.

Chili consumers can purchase a chili flight, which will provide them with a selection of chili-filled shot glasses and a ticket to vote on their favorite.

Taste-testers can buy tickets for $10 online or at the venue on the day of the event.

Ferris said quite a few fun participants have already jumped in to compete. Competitors include, but are not limited to, the Hope Mills Fire Department, which will be serving up their "5 Alarm" chili, Fayetteville Technical Community College's Culinary Arts, Napkins and 910Comedy, who will likely be heckling and roasting their competition.

There are cash prizes for first, second and third place, and any additional chili left after votes are counted and tallied at 2 p.m. will be sold for $5 a bowl.

These events honor, celebrate, remember and give back to the military and veteran community and programs that support them.

"We like the opportunity to give back and support our veterans," Ferris said. To participate in the Kickball Tournament, contact Dirtbag Ales at 910-426-2537.

To sign up to compete in ($25) or eat at ($10) the Hope Mills Chili Cook-Off visit hopemillschamber.com/chili-cookoff-2021.

Additional information and competition rules and regulations are available on the Hope Mills Chamber of Commerce website.

Throughout the year Gallery 208 exhibits contemporary works of art which include a variety of themes, techniques to express ideas, styles ranging from representational to nonobjective abstraction and exhibits that can often be challenging. Yet rarely do we have an exhibit about beauty.

Beauty, especially if it relates to the figure, can be a problematic subject: we each see beauty differently and images of beauty have been marketed in ways that result in stereotypes. Yet it is still important in the human psyche to experience beauty. For example, we welcome the beauty of sunshine after many days of overcast and rainy weather.

Beautiful Strangeness: Photographs by Kyle Harding opens Nov. 9, at 5:30 p.m. at Gallery 208 and is an exhibit that explores the beautiful strangeness of being a child, any child, or our own experiences as a child. The challenge for Harding was to enable us to go beyond a family portrait and experience a universal time that should have been filled with wonder, mystery and simple pleasures in the smallest events, ordinary objects and everyday activities.

Harding earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art Education, with a concentration in photography, from East Carolina University in 2008 and earned a Master in Art Education at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke in 2017. A public art schoolteacher, adjunct faculty at Fayetteville State University, mother of two young children, married with a large family of in-laws, and a daughter and niece to her immediate family, Harding is a very busy individual.

Intermittently she takes time to focus on what is happening during the daily and never-ending experiences of being around her two young daughters as an artist. As an artist, she tries to see past the familial and capture the universal.

After being invited to participate in the 2021 Art Faculty Biennial in Rosenthal Gallery at FSU, Harding shared the following in her artist statement: “I chose a subject I am most passionate about at this time in my life: my 4-year-old and 7-year-old daughters." The selections in the exhibit are part of a larger body of work to capture universal themes with my children as the subject: innocence, reflection, play, hope, and vulnerability. In a larger context, I hope the photographs have the power to evoke memories for everyone of what it means to be a child and to remember the strange beauty of the world around us when we were children.”

One of the many reasons for visitors to attend the opening of Beautiful Strangeness at Gallery 208 is to meet the artist and enjoy how a photograph, by an art photographer, can go beyond the subject. Harding’s main objective is making an artistic statement through a photograph – photography is used as a medium for creative expression, to express an idea, a message, or an emotion.

A definition of fine art photography involves bringing a vision, emotion, or a state of mind to life through a photographed image.

It involves creating something that previously only lived in your mind, as opposed to simply capturing what you see in an artistic way.

In Beautiful Strangeness, Harding has selected images from activities we would take for granted and elevated the cropped images to convey states of mind through the photographed image.

In the photograph titled "Three Amigos," the viewer is looking down on two sets of small bare feet standing on cement, the two front legs of a spotted short-haired dog are between the children.

The legs of the children are captured below the knees and cascade into the photo from the top edge, almost as if thin columns on each side of the photo. Thin, yet muscular front legs of the dog are combined to create repeating pairs of legs and feet, all related in some unknown way while individually anchored to their placement on the
cement.

In "Three Amigos", like the rest of the photographs in the exhibit, visitors will enjoy the ways in which Harding’s keen or heightened sense of seeing brings vision and states of mind to life through the photographed image.

She has successfully shared with us a way to see the world that we may have forgotten is possible.

In "Sadie with Sunglasses", Harding has photographed a close-up of a young Sadie wearing a seemingly large pair of sunglasses. The face is relaxed and almost expressionless, the child’s eyes are hidden. Details of the hair, sunglasses and gathered printed shirt contrast with an out-of-focused and minimal background. The smooth surface of the skin echoes the minimalism of the background tone but is brighter - the smooth fullness of youth presents itself as a natural and emerging, volumetric form.

Harding has only included black and white photos in the exhibit for several traditional reasons. Color can distract us from what the photograph is about. When you remove color the emphasis of an image shifts to other compositional elements like contrast, texture, lighting, and form. Viewers are no longer seeing something familiar in color, but a different version of reality.

One in which black and white photography is more interpretative.

Harding combines the above advantages of a black and white photograph with its other potential of seeming timelessness. By cropping the figures and often showing us only parts, she used fragments to suggest a larger story.

In each photograph, we see how a story symbolically overlaps or unfolds into another one. Each picture is a fleeting memory, a momentary experience. We can sense the lives of those in the photograph or remember our own lives as interconnected stories we may have taken for granted.

Harding brings us back to those moments in time, photograph by photograph.

I am confident visitors to Beautiful Strangeness: Photographs by Kyle Harding will leave the exhibit happier than when they arrived at Gallery 208. One cannot help but smile when we connect ourselves to innocence, joyfulness, and hope.

The public is invited to attend the opening of Beautiful Strangeness: Photographs by Kyle Harding on Nov. 9 at Gallery 208 between 5:30 – 7 p.m.

Gallery 208 is located at Up and Coming Weekly, 208 Rowan Street in Fayetteville, North Carolina.

The exhibit will remain up until the end of December. Gallery hours are Monday – Thursday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. For information call 910-484-6200.

The Fayetteville Police Department is having to deal with a 14% officer vacancy rate. A 10% rate has been common in recent years.

“We have 59 vacant sworn full-time officer positions,” police spokesman Sgt. Jeremy Glass said.

The FPD’s authorized strength is 433 officers. A new pay scale for the police may help the recruiting process. The starting wage has been increased to $41,000 from $34,000.

An education incentive of $3,000 is available to officers with bachelor’s degrees. Hiring incentives are also helping. Certified officers from other agencies who join the FPD receive $10,000 lateral entry bonuses.

“Our recruiting unit is working diligently to recruit quality applicants for our upcoming December BLET [Basic Law Eenforcement Training] academy,” Glass added.

The shortage of street cops hasn’t reduced service.

“Our response times are within our goal, so we have not seen any significant reduction in our quality-of-service times.”

Police Chief Gina Hawkins instituted 12-hour patrol shifts which keeps more officers on duty to offset the personal shortage.

No day is the same for a principal of a school. One day can be filled with meetings with teachers, staff, parents and district officials. Another could be helping in the cafeteria or working with the I.T. department to make sure the Wi-Fi is working. A principal’s job at times can seem never ending.

But helping teachers and students succeed is what gives Joy Williams — the principal at Luther "Nick" Jeralds Middle School — the confidence she needs to keep going.

Williams started out in the education field almost by accident. She initially got her bachelor's degree at Fayetteville State University in literature, but had a hard time figuring out what to do after she graduated. Her friend recommended that she become a teacher.

“I started half-way through a school year replacing a teacher, and fell in love,” Williams said. “While it was not initially my first choice, it later became my only choice.”

While working as a teacher, Williams started to see how schools work from the inside and how important administrators were to a school’s overall wellbeing. She also became involved in mentorship programs and was able to develop relationships with students outside the classroom. This gave her the perspective of what support students really needed from school officials.

She worked to obtain certifications and received her Master of School Administration from FSU. She worked as an assistant principal at Luther "Nick" Jeralds Middle School before becoming a principal in 2012 at Howard Health & Life Science High School. A few years later she transferred back to the middle school, this time as the principal.
In October, Williams was named 2022 Principal of the Year for Cumberland County.

“It is exhilarating, humbling, exciting, stunning all at the same time,” Williams told Up & Coming Weekly. “I am very excited not just for myself, but for my school, for my teachers and for my students.”
Luther "Nick" Jeralds Middle School has about 620 students that attend the school across three grade levels and approximately 50 teachers. Including teacher assistants, custodial staff and cafeteria staff, that number goes up to 75 people total.

She attributes her success to having established relationships with her staff, having a warm and inviting climate, creating a culture of collaboration and making sure teachers have good morale and extend grace.

“Everyone needs understanding. Without that, I don't understand how any organization is successful,” Williams said.

Williams is a principal of a Title I school. These schools typically have students that come from low-income families and she admits that getting students engaged is harder at these schools. Williams doest see that as a problem. Rather it’s just another reason to be inventive. By being more engaged with teachers, she is able to help provide them with what they need to engage these students in different ways.

“Knowing how much work these teachers have to prepare for their lessons, we make sure to celebrate those teachers,” Williams said. “We make sure to also celebrate teacher attendance. Without teachers, students aren't going to be successful.”

As part of the prize for the principal of the year, Williams earned $2,000 to be used at her middle school.

“For me, this award, this award is for the faculty, staff and students at Luther Middle School. I'm excited to win this award so my teachers can be proud of where they work every day,” Williams said. “I love our school and I'm just very honored to serve in the capacity of the principal.”

Expensive runway repairs at Pope AAF have been completed under budget along with improvements to the airfield electrical system, according to an Army news release. The project was budgeted at $100 million.

"Since World War II, Pope Army Airfield has served as a critical component of America's national security infrastructure," said Lt. Gen. Michael Kurilla, commander of the 18th Airborne Corps.

Until a realignment of military facilities a few years ago, Pope was a U.S. Air Force base. The Army said Fort Bragg units temporarily used civilian airports, including Fayetteville Regional Airport, during the repairs.

The main runway and taxiways were reconstructed with concrete instead of asphalt.

The airfield had not been "completely resurfaced" in more than 50 years, said Col. Joseph Vanoni, commander of the 43rd Air Mobility Operations Group.

The first aircraft to touchdown after the airfield reopened was an Air Force C-17 with Fort Bragg Commander, Col. Scott Pence on board.

The Biden Administration has released a plan to tackle toxic PFAS pollution. The plan could create a national drinking water standard and designate certain chemicals as hazardous. The project is the result of an analysis conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency Council on PFAS that EPA administrator Michael Regan established in April 2021. As a former North Carolina official, Regan dealt with an unregulated variant of toxic chemicals called GenX that was spread from a Chemours plant east of Fayetteville into local private water wells and the Cape Fear River.

Senator Kirk deViere said that he applauds the plan, but believes there could be more short-term solutions to help people get access to clean water now.

The strategies include increasing research, leveraging authorities to restrict PFAS chemicals from being released into the environment, and accelerating the cleanup of PFAS contamination.

“This is a public health crisis and the time for drastic immediate improvement is now,” deViere said. “I am calling on NCDEQ Secretary Biser, Governor Cooper, as well as Chemours to provide bold and aggressive leadership to ensure clean water and help my constituents and so many others affected by PFAS pollution."

Almost 30 years ago, Cumberland County Schools joined with four other low wealth school systems in a lawsuit arguing that every child in North Carolina is Constitutionally entitled to a sound basic education. The suit asserts our state’s Constitution means all children, not just those living in counties blessed with a solid tax base able to fund public education adequately.

Equal opportunity was the argument in 1994 when the lawsuit was filed, and it remains the case today.

In the intervening decades, the original presiding judge has retired, lawyers have come and gone, North Carolina has had six different governors, and the Hoke County student for whom the suit was named has completed high school, both college and law school, and now practices with a Raleigh law firm.It would take more trees than we want to chop down to go through all the permutations — judicial rulings, appeals, reports, commissions and political hot air, that have occurred and all the energy expended since 1994, but here we are heading into 2022, and very little has actually changed.

Children in wealthier counties — think Wake, Mecklenburg, New Hanover and others — have considerably more and higher quality educational opportunities than children in poorer, largely rural counties. You cannot squeeze blood out of a turnip, and you cannot squeeze tax dollars for education out of businesses and individuals who simply do not have it.

I have heard it argued that children in poorer counties are even worse off educationally now than they were in 1994, because economic inequity is growing in our nation, not shrinking, and because the General Assembly has since allowed students to opt out of public schools into private institutions, with tuition paid by tax dollars, yours and mine.

On the long legal trajectory of Leandro, where are we now?

Last year, the judge now shepherding Leandro through the courts found that despite North Carolina’s clear Constitutional responsibility and various state programs, many students are still not receiving a sound basic education. Earlier this year, the same judge issued an order that the state not may but must, implement the comprehensive education plan agreed to by all parties in 2020. He gave Oct. 18 as the date by which the state is legally obligated to pony up sufficient funding to address educational inequality.

So, what is the hold up? What is the problem? Why is nothing happening?

North Carolina has not had an approved budget since 2018. The old budget just keeps rolling over at the same level of spending. Democratic Governor Roy Cooper supports increased funding, but the Republican controlled General Assembly is loath to provide it despite a budget surplus bumping up on $30B — yes, billion.

There are signs that the Governor and legislative leaders are at least speaking, but as of this writing, no agreement has been reached, so there is yet to be a budget.
The stage is now set for a legal showdown.Whatever your place on the political spectrum, a generation is a long time to wait for a shot at educational equality. Millions of young students have received less than stellar educations, and they and their communities continue to suffer for it. It is time — past time — for the General Assembly to do its Constitutional duty to provide educational funding for all our children, not just some.

Mr. Leandro has been waiting so long he grew up.

America’s chattering classes are yakking up a storm as election year 2022 looms. It will be a big year with a U.S. Senate race in North Carolina as well as the U.S. House, the General Assembly and a host of local offices.

Queues are already forming — some on the downlow — for the 2024 Presidential race, and to top it all, the redistricting that comes after every U.S. Census will change the political landscape in many of those contests.

Local analyst, commentator and activist Troy Williams published an op-ed in the Fayetteville Observer earlier this month. Using 2020 census data, Williams points out that Fayetteville’s self-identified white population has declined from 64% in 1960 to 34% in 2020, with 11% of that decline in the last decade, meaning that Fayetteville is now a majority black city.

He also notes that our community has more black elected officials, including our mayor, a majority of the city council and local judges than in recent memory.

He asks the question, is “white flight” affecting Fayetteville?

The U.S. Census does not answer that question.

No agreed upon definitions of black or white exist — we all identify ourselves.

And to muddy the waters further, the U.S. Census Bureau has more boxes to check than in earlier censuses including the 1960 one, so we are comparing apples and oranges about who is moving and much less why.
The reality is that there are probably as many reasons for moving as there are people making that decision.

Williams rightly observes that the people who are moving, for whatever reasons, are taking their assets and taxable property with them.

That means that without comparable or more resources moving in, Fayetteville’s tax base is reduced which translates into diminished city services.

On that point, he challenges local leaders to listen to the people they represent.

“Do they understand that many middle-class families, black and white, have similar goals: newer houses, better schools for their children and attractive environments?”

To that list, I would add fair and effective law enforcement, all of which goes to the point that we are more alike in our goals and desires than we are different.

Williams asserts that with elective and appointive authority comes responsibility, and he is dead right on that. Politics has always been and is now a blood sport, not for the faint of heart.

In addition, widely discussed political divisions of recent years coupled with ridiculously low salaries have repelled would-be candidates at all levels.

That said, it is incumbent on Fayetteville residents — and every other community — to recruit, support and elect the most responsible, reliable and honest among us to seek public office, including ourselves. Running for public office is not rocket science and serving is a balancing act between competing interests of different constituencies, frustrating and sometimes difficult, generally with no one “right” decision — just many, many shades of gray. In short, neither is easy and both are necessary.

Democracy, if it is to prevail and there are real threats against it at the moment, demands people of good will and of all colors participate in the political process as candidates, supporters and voters for contests from the Presidency on down to local offices.

Failure to do so means we have abdicated our responsibility to participate in self-governance, and we will get the government our abdication deserves.

Chances are excellent we are not going to like it.

The Joy of Giving: that’s Holly Day Fair’s theme this year. The fair is the largest holiday gift and craft show in Eastern North Carolina.

With over 150 vendors, there will be an extensive selection of unique handcrafted and manufactured products for the 22,000 visitors expected to attend.

The shoppers will shop a selection that boasts the best in holiday decorations, handmade crafts, stylish jewelry and clothes, children's toys, specialty food items and much more.
Proceeds from the Holly Day Fair benefit the Junior League of Fayetteville and its programs targeting homelessness and food insecurities. These funds have a substantial and lasting impact on the community.

Katie Crawford, a local artist, has participated in the Holly Day Fair for a little over a half-decade.

"It's always one of my better shows for the year. I have done it enough years in a row now that I have people that come to see me every year," Crawford said. "It's great to have a well-known and established show to keep the tradition going."

Crawford sells several pieces of her artwork at the fair, including her watercolor paintings, felted sculptures, notecards, and giclee prints.

She will also be selling her book, “What the Map Left Out” for the first time this year.

"It's a fun show," Crawford explained. "You have a mix of local and out-of-state dealers and food vendors. It's not a traditional "art show" either, so there are a lot of different products for people who are not necessarily into art."

Holly Day Fair kicks off on Nov. 4 with Super Shopper hours from 9 a.m. to noon. The Holly Day Fair will also be offering its Sip & Shop event for the third year. Sip & Shop will be held during super-shopper hours but provides an exclusive shopping experience.

Sip & Shop guests will be treated to a continental breakfast with mimosas and receive a special commemorative gift. The Sip & Shop tickets are $30 and are limited. Strollers and any rolling carts are strictly prohibited during Super Shopper hours.

Regular hours of the event are Nov. 4, noon – 8 p.m., Nov. 5, 9 a.m. – 8 p.m., Nov. 6, 9 a.m. – 8 p.m. and Nov. 7, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased online at CapeFearTix.com, and in person at the Crown Complex Box Office, Leisure Travel Services on Fort Bragg, The Pilgrim Gifts in Fayetteville, Junior League of Fayetteville office, Jernigan's in Dunn, Jernigan's in Lumberton and Fabulous Finds Boutique in Fayetteville.

More than 6 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's disease – a leading cause of death in the United States.

In North Carolina alone, there are more than 180,000 people living with the disease and 358,000 caregivers.

The Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s is the world’s largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s care, support and research.

The Alzheimer’s Association hosts 17 walks across North Carolina including Fayetteville.

“We invite the community to join us in taking steps for Alzheimer’s disease. More than ever, we need to come together to support all those affected by Alzheimer’s and other dementia,” said Lisa Roberts, executive director of the Alzheimer’s Association of the Eastern North Carolina Chapter. “With the dollars raised, the Alzheimer’s Association provides care and support to families while also advancing critical research toward methods of treatment and prevention.”

Dementia is not a single disease; it’s an umbrella term that covers a wide range of specific medical conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease. Disorders grouped under the general term “dementia” are caused by abnormal brain changes.

These changes trigger a decline in thinking skills, also known as cognitive abilities, severe enough to impair daily life and independent function. They also affect behavior, feelings and relationships.

Alzheimer’s is the most common cause of dementia, a general term for memory loss and other cognitive abilities serious enough to interfere with daily life. Alzheimer’s disease accounts for 60-80% of dementia cases.
Alzheimer’s is not a normal part of aging. The greatest known risk factor is increasing age, and the majority of people with Alzheimer’s are 65 and older. But Alzheimer’s is not just a disease of old age. Approximately 200,000 Americans under the age of 65 have younger-onset Alzheimer’s disease, also known as early-onset Alzheimer’s.

Jay Reinstein was diagnosed with younger-onset Alzheimer’s disease in 2018 at age 57. At the time, Reinstein was working as the assistant city manager in Fayetteville.

He started noticing that he was having a hard time remembering things – writing notes as reminders, taking more time to do tasks than in the past. He struggled to recall names of colleagues he had worked with for decades. Reinstein sensed something was wrong and reached out to a friend, who was a neurologist at Duke University. After additional testing it was confirmed that he had early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.
Reinstein is looking forward to the Alzheimer's Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s with his team, the Jaywalkers. This is the fourth year he has been a part of the fundraiser. So far, he has raised $91,000.

“I hope to make it to $100,000,” Reinstein said. “I have 3 teams: PWC sponsors a team; Fayetteville sponsors a team; City of Durham has a team.”

“Being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s is not a death sentence,” Reinstein said. “It is very challenging but make sure you don’t isolate. Science says exercise, being social and healthy diet are all important. Join a support group. It has been a saving grace for me.”

On walk day, participants honor those affected by Alzheimer’s with the poignant Promise Garden ceremony — a mission-focused experience that signifies our solidaity in the fight against the disease. The colors of the Promise Garden flowers represent people’s connection to Alzheimer’s — their personal reasons to end the disease.

“The Alzheimer’s Association is moving forward — and we’re offering options for supporters to join us at our local event or Walk From Home in their own neighborhoods.” said Roberts. “No matter where people walk, their health and safety are our top priorities.”

The Fayetteville walk has raised over $84,000, achieving the goal amount. All funds raised will help further the care, support and research efforts of the Alzheimer's Association. The Walk to End Alzheimer’s takes place on Saturday, Oct. 30, 9 – 11 a.m. at Segra Stadium. Check-in opens at 9 a.m. with an Opening Ceremony at 10 a.m. The walk will begin at 10:30 a.m.

To sign up as a walker, team captain or to learn more about becoming a sponsor of Walk to End Alzheimer’s – Fayetteville, visit act.alz.org/fayettevillenc or call 800-272-3900.

The first historic proof of dance came from wall paintings in a 9000-year-old cave in India and was with us before written language. For thousands of years dance has been present in celebrations, entertainment, ceremonies and rituals and has evolved through the centuries in many forms.

There are historians that believe social dance is one of the essential factors of development in early civilization. Watching a baby or toddler move to the beat is a prime example of how dance could have evolved before written language.

The benefits of dance can help with weight loss, flexibility, balance, reduce stress and has no age limits young or old. Your style of dance may be swaying to a favorite song while you’re driving, dancing around the house or rocking those moves on a dance floor. Wheelchair dance is popular in over forty nations with styles ranging from ballroom to line dances and is becoming an International Paralympic Committee Championship Sport.

Another benefit of dance is how it makes us feel. It is a powerful expression that grabs us with inner light, speaks to our creative outlet and makes us happy.

It is an expression of movement with music that speaks a universal language and for the enthusiast requires no special skill, experience or form.

We enjoy dance in countless styles and enjoy watching others dance.

Recently I attended a Mick Jagger concert. The man is a phenomenal entertainer and at seventy-eight commands the stage of someone more than half his age.

We all take memories from a concert and for me it was the way he moved on stage. Jagger has a choreographer, trainer and his exercise regimen consist of dance, kick boxing, Pilates, yoga and running. He isn’t the only one. Goldie Hawn strives to dance or do some form of exercise every day for a set amount of time or in intervals and is the epitome of someone that dances like no one is watching.

Age is certainly limitless with ninety-five-year young Dick Van Dyke who exercises his abdominals, legs and more. A quote from Dick Van Dyke is exemplified by his lifestyle. He has no plans to slow down and looks forward to being one-hundred years old.

“All you old guys out there, listen to me. You can go on for a long time. I’m still dancing and singing.”

It can be easy to say that celebrities have the benefit of a personal trainer. The common factor is that the love of dance and music is universal without celebrity status or a trainer.

My mother and aunt were dance instructors, and my family seems to have inherited the dance gene.

Mother enrolled me in ballet classes at an early age and growing up I loved the old movies with Ginger Rogers, Fred Astaire and later the more pronounced dancers with gyrating moves such as Hawn, Ann Margaret, Tina Turner and Elvis Pressley. Michael Jackson is an all-time favorite and of course there are the inspiring movies like Dirty Dancing and Flash Dance. I love to dance and when the music starts there is a driving energy in me to hit the dance floor and feel the beat!

Dance classes are popular for ballroom, Latin, Shag, line dancing or Zumba group fitness classes. Have you ever noticed people just about running to the dance floor for a popular line dance?

Be the one who enjoys dancing like no one is watching socially, or at home or in a class. Live, love life and reap the benefits.

Cumberland County schools’ Joy Williams, a 23-year veteran educator, has been named the 2022 Principal of the Year. Queesha Tillman, a 16-year educator, was selected assistant principal of the year.

Williams is principal of Luther "Nick" Jeralds Middle School. She began her career as a classroom teacher at Douglas Byrd Middle School after graduating from Fayetteville State University. She later earned her Master of School Administration from FSU.

"We strive to find real-world examples that include culturally relevant language for students which allows them to relate to what is being taught," Williams said.

Tillman is the assistant principal of Loyd Auman Elementary School. She too graduated from FSU and joined the school system as an exceptional children's teacher in 2002.

There were eight other finalists for principal of the year and six other finalists for assistant princpal of the year.