Efforts are underway by Fayetteville City Council to replace District 3 council member Tisha Waddell. She resigned suddenly last week citing “egregious actions” of misconduct by Mayor Mitch Colvin and some of her council colleagues. Waddell issued a lengthy five-page open letter outlining her allegation that Colvin has engaged in conflicts of interest and lack of transparency.

She charged that the mayor regularly “ignored council policy and used his position to influence and subvert” procedures established by the council.

“I am disappointed that Former Councilwoman Waddell has chosen to resign while making baseless accusations against her former colleagues on City Council and private citizens on her way out the door. It’s campaign time so I guess here comes the smear campaign,” Colvin said in a Facebook statement. He has since updated and edited that statement.

“The City of Fayetteville is saddened by the abrupt resignation of one of our city council members. We thank her for the time she has dedicated to her district and our wonderful city. The City Council wishes her the very best in all of her future endeavors and we are looking forward to working with the new representative as we put Fayetteville first!”

During their years working together, Waddell was regularly critical of Colvin. Five of the nine council members — Mayor Pro Tem Kathy Jensen, Chris Davis, Johnny Dawkins, D.J. Haire, and Larry Wright — have been generally supportive of the mayor. Waddell wrote of “multiple closed sessions” held by the City Council, one of which included a representative of a private equity firm, Bernard Capital Partners, and Fayetteville Public Works Commissioners on BCP’s proposal to invest nearly $1 billion to operate the city's utilities for the next 30 years.

PWC eventually declined the offer. Closed meetings of public bodies are governed by state statutes that limit participation and topics of discussion.

Some of the allegations Waddell made include: Colvin destroyed public records by having his cell phone wiped clean; Colvin was involved in communication with BCP representatives about City Matters without City Council approval and did not state to City Council about the conflict of interest; Members of City Council were contacted by and had discussions with Attorney Johnathan Charleston regarding Dismass Charities before a Special Use Permit was brought before the City Council – which could violate sunshine state law.

Waddell urged the City Council to conduct an independent review of her allegations and that if they fail to do so, “the citizens of this city should begin calling for an investigation of their own regarding corruption of members of the Fayetteville City Council.” She went so far as to suggest that the State Bureau of Investigation of the FBI probe BCP involvement with Mayor Colvin.

In a follow up interview with RUD:E Podcast, Waddell said that it is up to the council and the public to follow-up on the allegations.

“I have every expectation that the members of this community will do their due diligence and that they will call me out if the need is there and I'm willing to answer to any accusation made of me. I'm willing to submit to any investigation. I am willing to move forward as a part of whatever this city and this governing body feels is the appropriate course of action,” Waddell said. “I said what I said, and now you take what I said, and you do what you're going to do with it. And if this body chooses to ignore this information, that says a lot about this body."
Waddell said she was honored to have served the city.

As of Nov. 16, the City of Fayetteville Ethics Commission told Up & Coming Weekly that they have "no such investigation related to those allegations, at this time."

An application form is currently available on the city website for anyone interested in filling the seat. Applications are due on Nov. 26. Anyone can apply for the position as long as they are a registered voter, live in District 3, over the age of 21 and is a Fayetteville citizen.

The application form can be found here: https://www.fayettevillenc.gov/Home/Components/Form/Form/900e59e85aba4d1b9207af0d0722a146/4126

A City Council Special Meeting is scheduled for Dec. 6 where the council will appoint the next District 3 representative.

This person would serve in the role until the next election. People who have already declared that they will be campaigning for the district seat in the upcoming election include John Zimmerman, Johnny Gordon and Mario Benavente. The primary election will be on March 8.

Efforts are underway by Fayetteville City Council to replace District 3 council member Tisha Waddell. She resigned suddenly this past Tuesday citing “egregious actions” of misconduct by Mayor Mitch Colvin and some of her council colleagues. Waddell issued a lengthy five-page open letter outlining her allegation that Colvin has engaged in conflicts of interest and lack of transparency. She charged that the mayor regularly “ignored council policy and used his position to influence and subvert” procedures established by council.

"I am disappointed that former Councilmember Waddell has chosen to resign and make baseless accusations against a substantial number of her former City Council colleagues and private citizens on her way out the door," Colvin said in a statement.

During their years working together, Waddell was regularly critical of Colvin. Five of the nine council members -- Mayor Pro Tem Kathy Jensen, Chris Davis, Johnny Dawkins, D.J. Haire, and Larry Wright -- have been generally supportive of the mayor.

Waddell wrote of “multiple closed sessions” held by city council, one of which included a representative of a private equity firm, Bernard Capitol Partners, and Fayetteville Public Works commissioners on BCP’s proposal to invest nearly $1 billion to operate the city's utilities for the next 30 years. PWC eventually declined the offer. Closed meetings of public bodies are governed by state statutes that limit participation and topics of discussion.

Waddell urged city council to conduct an independent review of her allegations and that if they fail to do so, “the citizens of this city should begin calling for an investigation of their own regarding corruption of members of the Fayetteville City Council.” She went so far as to suggest that the State Bureau of Investigation of the FBI probe Bernhard Capitol Partners involvement with the mayor.

Waddell asked that City Attorney Karen MacDonald “guide the council” in selecting her District 3 successor by November 30. She said she was honored to have served the city. “I believe I have done so ethically, legally and according to the community’s expectations.”

FULL LETTER:

City Manager, City Attorney and Members of the City Council,

This letter is to serve as notice of my immediate official resignation from the Fayetteville City Council. City Manager Hewett, my badqe, city tablet, and cell phone are at City Hall for retrieval on your desk. Would you please advise if I need to do anything else to out process? City Attorney McDonald, per Council Policy 175·11, please guide the City Council according to N-C·G·S· § 160A-63 "the City Council shall make the selection within 30 days of the event mandating the replacement".

I hope that in the interest of the Citizens of District 3, Council will promptly adhere to the policy as outlined and appoint someone to represent the District no later than November 30th, 2021.

I have been honored to serve in this capacity· I believe I have done so ethically, legally, and according to the community's expectations. This decision was not easy to make as I
have taken my role as a representative of the people, for the people, and by the people very seriously. Multiple factors have made it necessary for this to be my designated
course of action· While the following explanation is not exhaustive, it highlights the most egregious actions that have led to my resignation.

Per the Council's Code of Ethics, the only agents that can hold any member of this body accountable for violating policy or procedure are the members of this body. Unfortunately, many times, both publicly and privately, members of this board have not taken action, even when faced with evidence of the need.

I submit the following to this board and to the public who will read this document, as it is a matter of public record:

Bernhard Capital Partners was initially brought to the City of Fayetteville through an introduction by then 1st term Mayor Mitch Colvin. Members of the Council and
members of PWC's board were present for this initial meeting. There was no further mention of Bernhard Capital Partners during the remainder of Mitch Colvin's 1st term as Mayor. Recently, the possible effects of this agreement and the lack of transparency surrounding this conversation have been a vast topic of concern in the community·

Shifting ahead to the inauguration of the 2019-2021 Fayetteville City Council, Mayor Steve Benjamin swore in Mayor Colvin. On the surface, this may seem inconsequential. However, when considered part of the big picture, it is an integral part of this discussion· On March 10th, 2020, Mayor Benjamin was announced as an addition to the Charleston Group ( owned by Attorney Johnathan Charleston) to their Public Finance practice.

He is also associated with Bernhard Capital Partners since at least 2015 https://dipresa.com.py/cmr36yx/3c6290-bernhard-capital-partners and at their 2020 annual meeting (https://www·bcp-2020-com) was a featured guest speaker. On page 8 of Institutional investing in Infrastructure (A Special Report published in conjunction with Bernhard Capital Partners), November 2020 Issue, Mayor Benjamin is also featured commenting regarding municipal revenues and public-private partnerships.

My priority on Council has been increasing the investment we were making in our infrastructure (stormwater, street resurfacing, and sidewalk installation.)

During my second term, I began getting calls about a "private equity firm" that may be looking into an arrangement with the City regarding the fund transfer dollars from PWC. Eventually, it came out that the Mayor had been in communication with BCP without the involvement of the Council and without; direction to engage them (inconsistent with Council Policy).

Once the concession agreement dialogue came before the Council, a few members of the body were clear that we expected equitable access to the information discussed regarding the agreement. During multiple closed sessions regarding the matter, a few other Council members and I continued to express concerns for the lack of clear communication across the Council. We could never gain the consensus of the collective Council to bring it under control·

Eventually, there was a closed session meeting with Bernhard Capital Partners, PWC's board, and the City Council to have some more detailed discussions. Allegedly Johnathan Charleston was present at the start of the meeting but left before the closed session discussion. This seems to present; a conflict, of interest, as Mr. Charleston serves as the Bond Council for the City of Fayetteville and Public Works Commission, Mr. Benjamin's employer, and Mayor Colvin's attorney. The overlap seems, at minimum, to present a conflict.

Mr. Charleston also allegedly hosted a fundraiser for Mayor Mitch Colvin recently. Allegedly members of Bernhard Capital Partners were present.

Currently, the Council stalled in the appointment of a PWC commissioner, which is relevant because, without the agreement of PWC, the City cannot arbitrarily accept Berhard Capital Partners concession agreement. The community should question the seeming allegiance to Mayor Colvin's agenda by Mayor ProTem Jensen, Councilman Haire,
Councilman Dawkins, Councilman Davis, and Councilman Wright.

Allegedly members of this Council are being lobbied by Johnathan Charleston for one of the applicants. This applicant was asked about a relationship with any member of the Council that could be considered a conflict of interest on his application and during an in-person interview. He denied any existed, however allegedly he has both a close relationship with Mr. Charleston (PWC's Bond Council) and an almost familial relationship with Councilman Chris Davis, who also serves as the liaison, appointed by the Mayor, between PWC and the City of Fayetteville.

Allegedly, the six members of the Council listed above have close communication with Mr· Charleston both professionally and personally. Mr. Charleston has provided legal counsel for at least three of the above. I have not heard allegations of influential familiarity with Attorney Charleston regarding Councilman Dawkins or Councilman Haire. They appear to have different motives that influence their synchronization with the Mayor's efforts.

Of note, the City has pending litigation regarding Dismass Charities, a transaction involving Attorney Charleston. The influence of Mr. Charleston on this body may help make the confusion surrounding this conversation make more sense·

Lastly, the Mayor has been accused of using his position and his influence to subvert the process established by the Fayetteville City Council. Some examples include:

• Having his cell phone wiped of information by City Staff during the timeframe then-Councilman Tyrone Williams was accused of inappropriate usage of his position. If this allegation is found, it demonstrates using City Staff to destroy public records.
• Encouraging members of the body to ignore concerns about and not report potential exposure to what is considered one of our time's most contagious virus (COVID-19)
• Building permits and certificate of appropriateness being handled in a manner inconsistent with the policy by City Staff regarding his property on Hay Street (Kress Building)
• An attempt to coerce elected members of the Council to follow unestablished policies including "attendance policies" without following the protocol set forth.

The Fayetteville City Council should call for an immediate investigation into:

• The allegation that Mayor Mitch Colvin destroyed public records by having his cell phone wiped clean (phone number 910.987.0590) and any involvement of any member of City Staff
• The involvement of Johnathan Charleston regarding any business with Bernhard Capital Partners or their representatives
• The involvement of Mayor Mitch Colvin regarding any business with Bernhard Capital Partners or any of their representatives - to include Mayor Steve Benjamin
• Members of Council contacted by or having discussions with Attorney Johnathan Charleston or any of his representatives regarding Dismass Charities before, during, or after the initial Special Use Permit was brought to us for consideration? If this happened, it would be a direct violation of the law/policy regarding Special Use Permits.

The City Council should move forward IMMEDIATELY with an independent review or these allegations and should require that Mayor Mitch Colvin and Councilman Chris Davis abstain from any vote regarding PWC's appointment or Bernhard Capital Partners, as there is the appearance there could be a conflict of interest or something to be gained financially.

In the case that the Council does not immediately investigate, the citizens of this City should begin calling (or an investigation on their own regarding corruption of members of the Fayetteville City Council by the State Bureau of lnvesti9ations (S.B.I.) or Federal Bureau od Investigations (F.B.I.), specifically regarding the Bernhard Capital Partners involvement in Fayetteville with the Mayor, Mitch Colvin, and the City and PWC's Bond Council, Johnathan Charleston as well as the alleged  destruction of public records by mayor Mitch Colvin.

Remember that Fayetteville is a Council/Manager form or government which means the Mayor only has one vote and does not determine the direction of the body. There should be more communication, more outward-facing transparency, and less blind compliance or members or the overall body. I am very disappointed in Mayor Colvin, Mayor ProTem Jensen, Councilman Wright, and   Councilman Davis because they have been dismissive of the process, critical of anything that seemingly opposed the Mayor's agenda and has refused to submit to a process review, choosing instead to ostracize those who believed it to be important. While the step I am taking to resign may seem drastic, it is imperative at this time.

Lastly, this Council should appoint someone to succeed me within 30 days or my resignation. Hold them to it.In the meantime, I am still just a phone call away and will continue to serve this community in whatever way God requires.

With respect,

Council Member Tisha S. Waddell

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is a developing story. For the most updated information, pick up our next issue of Up & Coming Weekly at our newsstands on November 17.

President Ronald Reagan wisely said, “We don’t have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven’t taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar debt because we spend too much.”

Today, our national debt is an unfathomable $29 trillion, and President Reagan’s warning has never been more true.

It’s no secret that President Joe Biden and Washington Democrats are addicted to spending your hard-earned money. Their so-called “Reconciliation Plan” is a prime example. This massive entitlement and climate change bill, a radical proposal written by Bernie Sanders, will transform our society into something we don’t recognize and will cripple our economy.

Washington Democrats have been working to finalize their bill behind closed doors — hiding details of the massive plan from you, the American people. Yet this is not the first time they have tried this trick.

In 2010, then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi infamously said Democrats had to pass Obamacare into law for you to find out what was in it. Fast forward to 2021 and here we go again.

While their plan has changed throughout the last month, one thing is clear: it is a massive expansion of government control over your life from the cradle to the grave.

To pay for it, their proposals have included $2.1 trillion in new tax hikes. The plan would punish families by raising taxes on 75% of the middle class. It raises the business tax rate to among the highest in the developed world, well above communist China’s. We all know these businesses will be forced to pass those costs along to you and it means less job opportunities.

In fact, this tax increase will force lower and middle-income taxpayers to shoulder 66.3% of the huge corporate tax increases. It also raises taxes on 1.4 million small businesses which employ 12.5 million American workers. While they have discussed numerous tax gimmicks to target billionaires, in reality their plan would give tax breaks to the wealthy, providing families earning $800,000 with $118,000 in tax credits.

While their elite friends get tax breaks, Democrats plan to further punish you by raising the costs to fill your car or heat your home.

Home energy bills are already expected to increase by 54% this winter! A new natural gas tax included in their bill would increase your heating bills by an additional $242 per year. Another new tax on energy producers could cost up to 90,000 Americans their jobs.

As if all of this wasn’t enough, President Biden’s proposal will use taxpayer dollars to fund abortions. It would grant amnesty to more than 8 million illegal immigrants.

$80 billion is spent to hire 85,000 new IRS agents to monitor your bank account if you spend just $28 a day.

What’s worse – President Biden has tied this massive entitlement bill to infrastructure legislation. There is massive bipartisan support for investing in our roads, bridges, ports and broadband.

Yet just 10% of their $1.5 trillion ‘infrastructure’ bill is devoted to infrastructure while the rest is devoted to propping up radical Green New Deal climate provisions.

Rest assured, I oppose both bills because they are the wrong solutions and the wrong time. Just last week we learned that economic growth in the last quarter slowed to a dismal 2% - the worst since our economy began to reopen after the pandemic.

Gas prices in North Carolina jumped 14 cents per gallon, tied for the largest spike in the nation.

Supply chain issues and inflation are clearly taking a toll on families and our economy.

I cannot support trillions in new spending and taxes that will only make Biden’s economic, energy and inflation crises worse.

We need to get government out of the way, get Americans back to work, encourage energy production here in the U.S., and cut government spending and taxes.

While many in Washington argue how much to tax you and how large to grow government, I will always stand up for you and your family.

Vacuum trucks will soon begin collecting curbside leaves and pine straw by zip code. Collections will begin at households in the 28314 zip-code area on Nov. 22. Leaves and pine needles should be placed at the curb not in the street on the first day of the assigned pickup period.

Piles should contain leaves and pine straw only. No tree limbs or other yard debris.

Visit fayettevillenc.gov/leafseason for details on the loose-leaf collection dates. Residents can contact the Fayetteville call center at 910-433-1329 if they have questions.

Later this month, the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra will be presenting a special concert, About that Brass. There is a great deal of music written for brass and the orchestra is excited to show off their musicians during this program.

“The orchestra is thrilled to feature our tremendous brass section in this program of primarily original works written for brass dating as far back as the 1590s,” Music Director, Stefan Sanders said. “There will be 14 brass instruments (four trumpets, five French horns, four trombones and one tuba) and three percussionists performing on this program.”

The concert will take place at St. John’s Episcopal Church.

“We are grateful for the special relationship we have with the St. John’s community,” Sanders said. “The intimacy of St. John’s is the perfect way for us to feature smaller ensembles from the orchestra. We hope the audience will enjoy the variety of music on this program as well as the range and virtuosity of our world-class musicians. We have such a great orchestra right here in Fayetteville.”

All About That Brass showcases the brass and percussion sections of the FSO. The program features some of the very best repertoire written for brass and percussion, according to the FSO website.

Larry Wells became involved with FSO upon his arrival at Methodist University in the Fall of 2006.

“The conductor of the FSO at that time, Fouad Fakhouri, literally saw me in the hallway carrying my trumpet,” Wells said. “‘Ok...play something’ he said. I stopped and rattled off several orchestral excerpts. ‘Ok...you're in!’ was his response. I've been playing with FSO ever since.”

“My background is a lot to digest,” Wells said. “I have three college degrees and have been teaching for over 20 years. I've also been playing in various orchestras for roughly 30 years. Additionally, I used to build custom trumpets for the D.G. Monette Corp. On top of all that, I was the GM of a large youth orchestra in Portland, Oregon. That experience has helped me here in that I am the music director of the Fayetteville Symphony Youth Orchestra.”

The concert on Nov. 20 is special because it features many works for brass spanning over 400 years of history. The antiphonal pieces of Gabrieli, circa 1600 A.D., were written for musicians at St. Mark’s Cathedral in Venice, Italy. No less amazing are the pieces were written by contemporary composers like Eric Ewazen. Other selected pieces include Samuel Barber’s Mutations from Bach, Dmitri Shostakovich’s Concertino, Op. 94 and Henri Tomasi’s Fanfare Liturgiques.

“As for the audience,” Wells said, “I first hope that they enjoy an evening of amazing music in an amazing place. I also hope they leave a bit more enlightened regarding the rich history of brass playing. Finally, I hope they can see the joy that this music brings to the musicians themselves. We have a very close-knit group of brass musicians in the FSO. These types of events are a pleasure to produce. I'm very excited to hear the final result.”

All About That Brass will take place Saturday, Nov. 20 at 7:30 p.m. at St. John’s Episcopal Church. The total concert run time is an hour and 15 minutes.

A $2 million investment has been made to Fayetteville’s Jordan Soccer Complex adjacent to Methodist University, including the addition of new lights. The money comes from the 2016 voter-approved Parks and Recreation Bond Referendum. Operating hours will expand now that the fields are lighted.

The soccer complex includes eight fields, public parking and access to the Cape Fear River Trail. The complex is located at 445 Treetop Drive off Ramsey Street

“This is a game changer for Fayetteville,” Fayetteville-Cumberland Parks and Recreation Director Michael Gibson said.

“Our residents deserve world-class 21st century Parks and Recreation facilities."

The city of Fayetteville operates the Jordan Soccer Complex through a partnership and lease with Methodist University.

Phil Harris, the executive director of the Sandhills Chapter of the American Red Cross, says that they are trying to make the general public aware of the constant need hospitals are facing right now with a blood shortage.

“The supply has been challenged and the need has not stopped. So we have continued to appeal to the general public since you can't manufacture blood,” Phil Harris said.

The local chapter has several promotions going on this month to help incentivize people to come and donate.

One of the incentives is an Amazon Prime raffle that allows people to enter for a free trip to Hawaii.

That incentive ends on Nov. 12. After that promotion, people are being offered a $10 Amazon gift card by email if they donate blood until Nov. 23. To volunteer or to make an appointment to donate blood, go to www.redcrossblood.org and look for a blood drive near your zip code.

Members of the Fayetteville Church gave up a Saturday morning recently to beautify the N.C. Veterans Park and the grounds of the Airborne and Special Operations Museum for Veteran’s Day.

More than 150 volunteers, armed with shovels, pitchforks, buckets and wheelbarrows, jumped in feet first to make their community better.

“We were chatting about ways to serve our community,“ explained Ted Campagna, event organizer and a minister at the Fayetteville Church.

“With Veteran’s Day coming up, we thought it would be very appropriate for us to help out and show our love and support for all the veterans in the Fayetteville area.”

And that’s when a little divine intervention took over.

“I have a friend who works for the Cumberland County Parks and Recreation and I went to talk to him about helping in some way,” said Campagna, an army veteran. “I had actually gone to the Veterans Park to pray about what type of projects we should do before meeting with him. Once we got together, he said, ‘I have just the project for you,’ and it was at the Veterans Park. So, I think God ordained it and we followed His lead.”

A tractor-trailer load of mulch was in need of being spread throughout the park. The motivated volunteers went to work hauling and spreading the mulch wherever they were directed to place it.

“We were basically beautifying the area,” said Campagna. “We have Veteran’s Day just coming up and they had a tractor-trailer load of mulch they needed spread. They were short on staff, and we said no problem. We got you. It was a pleasure to work together.”

The theme of the day for the volunteers was to serve their community.

“We were out here trying to be like Jesus and serve our fellow man,” said Frank Bailey, a member of the Fayetteville Church. “It felt great coming out on a beautiful morning with other men and women who want to make a difference in the community and try to make it better.”

Bailey, who was out in the park with his wife and three teenage kids, felt it was important to set a great example.

“Bringing your family out shows the next generation it’s something you should do,” explained Bailey. “Jesus was the ultimate servant and he called us not just to follow him but to imitate Him. That means living a life of service and making a difference. We live in an area with so many veterans and people who have sacrificed so much for our country. We need to always honor them.”

“As a veteran myself,” said Campagna. “It always went a long way when people said, ‘Thank you for your service’ and showed their gratitude. That’s one thing we need in our world is gratitude and that’s what we were trying to do. To God be the glory, we were happy to serve."

For more information about the Fayetteville Church, go to www.thefayettevillechurch.org.

Water is essential for the earth and all living creatures to flourish. It does not take long to feel the effects of not having water. Our bodies consist of about 60% water and survival without it can range from two days to a week. The way we respond to lack of hydration can vary with age, medical conditions, medications, activity levels and heat.

If you wait until you are thirsty to drink, chances are you are already slightly dehydrated. Think about how long a plant takes to replenish from the lack of water and we are not any different. Water is magic to our bodies and regulates our body temperature, lubricates and cushions joints, aids in the elimination of waste and lubricates the spinal cord. It also nourishes our skin, hair, nails and aids in weight loss with a boost to our metabolism and an appetite suppressant. Our blood is more than 90% water and carries oxygen to our body parts which help to maintain our blood pressure.

The sensation of thirst diminishes as we age and with that comes the lack of nourishment for our bodies to function properly. A diminish in water intake for older adults can result in the kidneys being less effective at concentrating urine which leads to excess water loss. Medications can also be a factor in dehydration. Substantial dehydration can also cause confusion and damage to our organs.

Let's face it water is not a habit for most because of the lack of flavor but I think that bottled water and flavors for enhancement have increased awareness. This is evident with the amount of people you see carrying a water bottle. The amount of water intake for adults can depend on a variety of factors including present health, climate and activity level. The suggested guideline for water intake is about fifteen cups for men and eleven cups for women. 70% of adults report no daily consumption, 36% say one to three cups, 35% say four to seven cups and 22% say eight cups.

Water sources do not primarily come in the form of H20. Vegetables and fruit can add to that daily intake nourishment. Fruit that is high in water content ranging up to 90% are watermelon, strawberries, peaches, Asian pears, blackberries, papayas, pineapple and oranges. Vegetables that carry a high-water content are cucumbers, celery, zucchini, portobello mushrooms, cauliflower, turnips, tomatoes and bell peppers. Coffee and tea can cause a mild diuretic effect but not to an extreme and your body still absorbs a substantial portion of the liquid. Juice, sports drinks and broth also count as your daily hydration, and you can lower the sugar content by diluting with water.

Drinking water can evolve into a habit and is viable for everyone regardless of age. Ways to improve water intake are drinking before and with a meal, during exercise, smaller quantities more often, add lemon or orange for flavor and keep your bottle visible.

Drinking water is like giving your insides a shower.

Stay hydrated my friends and grab a bottle or glass of H20.

The Cumberland County Schools Office of Indian Education is celebrating American Indian Heritage Month by posting daily videos of American Indians from across the country representing their respective tribes.

Each video will be shared on the school district’s Facebook page.

Members of the Lumbee Tribe Ambassadors and the Cumberland County Culture Class also visited E.E. Miller Elementary School to share their culture through dance on Nov. 1 to kick off the month.

"Native Americans are still here," said Rodney Jackson, coordinator of Cumberland County Schools' Office of Indian Education.

"We still exist and we are more than just a mascot. We are a culture."

1.47% of students who attend Cumberland County Schools are Native American. That’s approximately 747 students.

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.