University of North Carolina leaders, students and faculty are blaming each other for the growing number of COVID-19 cases on campuses.

But it’s unclear where the fault lies. Plenty of fingers were pointed at the UNC System, who left the blueprints for reopening with campus officials. Others blame the campus leaders for trying to squeeze too many people — socially active young adults — into confined spaces with inadequate safeguards. Some university leaders blamed students for holding large parties.

Or perhaps the confusion was inevitable as tens of thousands of students, faculty and staff members tried to reopen bustling campuses as a pandemic rages.

As of Monday, Aug. 24, four UNC campuses had scrapped plans to open the school year with some in-person instruction. Other schools in the system may follow.

Weeks after moving into campus housing, thousands of students at UNC-Chapel Hill, N.C. State University and East Carolina University are packing their bags and heading home, while UNC-Charlotte students, originally set to arrive on campus in early September, have seen their move-in date pushed back several weeks.

UNC-Chapel Hill and N.C. State announced the switch to remote learning last week after a handful of COVID-19 clusters were identified in residence halls.

“The decision to switch to remote instruction was made in consultation with state and local health officials, Carolina’s infectious disease experts, and the UNC System,” UNC-Chapel Hill’s media officials told Carolina Journal.
The campuses appear to be calling the shots.

Carolina Journal sent questions to the UNC System to clarify the roles the system and the UNC Board of Governors had when deciding how campuses would operate.

Did the UNC-Chapel Hill and N.C. State chancellors have to get permission from the UNC BOG or UNC system to move all undergraduate courses online? Did the UNC system prohibit universities from starting the fall semester with remote instruction only? Did the UNC system require universities to have full capacity in on-campus housing?

“Any decision to modify campus operations will be made by the president, with each chancellor, in consultation with the leadership of both boards of trustees and the board of governors, and always grounded in reliable public health data and prevailing local health conditions,” Josh Ellis, associate vice president for media relations at the UNC System, told CJ in an email.

Marty Kotis, a BOG member, told CJ last week the system’s board has taken some unwarranted heat.

“We are blamed for [students] going back to school, we are blamed for [universities] closing,” Kotis said. “But there has been no BOG vote on either one of those issues. We didn’t vote for how they will reopen, or if they’re to reopen.”
But Kotis thinks the board should get more involved.

He offered four recommendations for UNC schools:
Conduct more frequent testing of the entire student population, faculty, and staff, especially for high risk populations.
Develop a contact tracing app that respects privacy but helps officials keep track of infections on campus.
Create a data dashboard to track COVID-19 on campuses compared to the general population.
Reconsider charging students fees for services and amenities they can’t enjoy while off-campus.

Earlier this month, the board rejected proposals to refund tuition or fees.

Meantime, the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services issued updated guidance on Friday, Aug. 21, for higher education institutions.

It included limiting on-campus housing, expanding the space between students and instructors in classrooms and banning large social gatherings as well as enforcing a mandate to wear masks. Closing game rooms, laundry facilities and lounges in dormitories and other communal settings. Closing or reducing the capacity of communal dining halls. Setting aside more space to quarantine students who tested positive for COVID-19 or who were exposed to others who are infected.

Early lessons point to the virus spreading in communal living settings and social gatherings on and off campus, as well as with athletic teams, the updated guidance reads.

“Since the pandemic began, we have listened to and collaborated with leading public health officials while closely monitoring changing conditions across the state,” UNC System President Peter Hans said in response to the updated guidance.

“We will continue to do so because health and safety is our priority.”

On Monday, East Carolina reported new clusters at two dormitories, The News & Observer reported.

The Fayetteville Fire Department is equipping its fire engines and rescue vehicles with 60 automated external defibrillators. Each new AED costs $2,500. The department received a federal grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for $137,000 to purchase the equipment. The city’s cooperative share is $13,700. The new AEDs will replace old ones that are carried on all fire department vehicles.

“In the past five years, Fayetteville firefighters responded to nearly 2,000 cardiac arrest calls,” said Fire Chief Mike Hill. “An AED provides the greatest chance of survival from sudden cardiac arrest and is the only effective tool for certain dysrhythmias.”

According to the American Heart Association, early CPR and defibrillation can more than double a victim’s chance of survival. Since 2002, the Fayetteville Fire Department has won more than $1 million from the program, which was established after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Music. It can transport us to forgotten places or treat us to the opportunity to sit with someone who's long since left this world.

Can you remember the song that played the day you had your first real kiss or as you pulled in the driveway after your parents first let you take the car out on your own?

During a visit a few years back, my wife and I drove my parents to the mountains of western North Carolina to enjoy the colorful beauty of the fall.

In her latter years, my mother would often complain about music — mostly the volume, but I decided to try something.

As we were driving, I turned on the satellite radio to channel 4, which, at the time, played top hits and big band favorites from the 1940s.

To my surprise, my mother sat with a quiet smile on her face, and my step dad sang along with nearly every song that played.

From the melancholy sentiment of "You'll Never Know" from Vera Lynn, to lyrically twisted novelty classics like “Mairzy Doats,” the audience in the back seat seemed content to ride and reminisce.

Whether providing an escape or connecting us more intensely to someone we're holding close, music is powerful.

It's common as we honor a nation, celebrate a birthday, express adoration for someone we love or sing praises in worship to the very God who created us all.

One of the greatest joys we have in radio is finding songs to connect with people throughout any given day.

We owe much to the artists and writers who allow us the use of their deepest thoughts backed by melodies that stick in people's heads as they turn it up and sing along.

In the process of reviewing new music just before Thanksgiving, I was listening to a song called “Run to the Father” from Cory Asbury. With the Christmas holiday music season upon us, I knew the song would be a hit, but likely wouldn't start airing for another five or six weeks.

I paused as the lyrics reminded me that I wasn't alone and that I was never meant to carry the weight of the world and its problems by myself.

I was encouraged to take the burden of my heartache, my struggles and my pain to God, who created us all.

The song arrived the morning after the single most devastating event in the life of my family. Our oldest son, Chris, had been murdered the afternoon before.

I was reviewing music after a mostly sleepless night because I didn't know what else to do.

And every time I hear that song, I'm taken back to that moment, where a simple song from a barely known artist touched me in a way nothing else could.

I didn't want it to be 'my song', but it is.

Children who spend a lot of time outdoors benefit from exposure to nature in myriad ways, some of which may surprise even the most devoted outdoorsmen.

According to a study published in the journal Human Dimensions of Wildlife, fifth graders who attended school at a local prairie wetlands where lessons in science, math and writing were integrated in an experimental way had stronger reading and writing skills than peers who attended more traditional schools.

Another study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found that holding a class outdoors one day a week significantly improved the daily cortisol patterns of students, reducing their risk of stress and improving their ability to adapt to stress.

In the era of coronavirus, outdoor adventures can offer a break for students and their parents.

Parents who want their children to reap the rewards of being exposed to the great outdoors can encourage educators to incorporate nature into school curriculums and also embrace these family-friendly outdoor activities.

Nature treasure hunt: A treasure hunt can keep kids engaged on family hiking excursions and provide an excellent opportunity for parents to teach children about the assortment of plants, birds and wildlife that live in the parks and along the trails near their home.

Outdoor art class: Families don’t even need to leave their properties to spend quality time together outside. Pick a pleasant or mild afternoon and set up an outdoor painting station, encouraging everyone to paint what they see. Regular outdoor art sessions can add variety as each season can offer new landscapes and wildlife activity.

Bonfire: Outdoor activities need not be limited to daylight hours. A post-dinner backyard bonfire can entice everyone outside, where families can tell scary stories as they make s’mores.

Stargaze: Stargazing is another way families can spend time outdoors and learn a few things. Some blankets, a thermos and a chart of constellations can provide the perfect complement to a sky full of bright stars. If visibility is compromised in the backyard, find a local spot where everyone can get a clear view of the night sky.

Fruit picking: Depending on the availability of farms in your area, fruit or vegetable picking can provide a fun and educational activity. Visit a local farm during its harvest season, teaching children about how the foods they love are grown and eventually make it to the family dinner table.

Parents can expand on these ideas to offer outdoor learning even after students return to the traditional classroom.

Dogwood Festival officials asked the city of Fayetteville to give it $50,000 and forgive $1,000 in rent to allow the organization to continue to put on shows. City Council formally declined the request Aug. 24 but agreed to pay the organization $27,000 in previously budgeted funds. The city also said it would forgive $1,000 in Festival Park rental fees. Council agreed to a staff recommendation to spend $15,000 the city had budgeted last fiscal year that was never allocated to the festival, as well as another $12,000 it was planning to contribute to the organization this fiscal year. City funds will be donated only if a festival takes place held sometime in the coming year. The Dogwood Festival was canceled earlier because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jeff Thompson was my first boss.

I was a teenager, thrilled beyond measure to be in a real newsroom and nurturing journalism dreams in my young heart. Maybe I had a small salary, but since I was a blank sheet when it came to reporting, I was essentially an intern.

Jeff was almost certainly less enthusiastic about my summer job than I was since he did not hire me. I landed in his newsroom because I was the first child of the ownership of Cape Fear Broadcasting Company, where we worked, and there were six more siblings/cousins in line behind me for station jobs when they got a little older. But Jeff was game, though he cut me no slack, at least in my young and inexperienced mind.

Jeff Thompson came to Fayetteville in the mid-1960s from upstate New York the same way thousands of others have come — courtesy of the U.S. Army. Once here, he worked part-time spinning records and broadcasting live from a glass tower above a local drive-in restaurant, the Tower in the Sky. Although he did not know it at the time, Jeff had found his home — in Fayetteville, in radio and at Cape Fear Broadcasting. A glib and good-looking DJ, Jeff became what was later known as a chick magnet, and in short order, he met and married a local girl, Jean Musselwhite, who was blessed with a large extended family. He and Jean started their own family, eventually including Jay, Phil and Angie. They left Fayetteville only once for a TV stint in Charlotte, but Jeff and Jean were homesick, so back they came. The same cannot be said for Jeff’s tenure at Cape Fear Broadcasting, which he left several times over the decades for competing radio stations and at least once to sell cars.

Eventually, Jeff settled in, as did I, my family members and a handful of other treasured friends, to make our own little Cape Fear Broadcasting family, both related and created. Over time, we laughed together, cried together, celebrated together, got mad at each other, watched other people come and go and spent the better part of our working lives together.

Jeff’s primary responsibilities revolved around news gathering and reporting, and he was — and remains — a force to be reckoned with if you find yourself standing between him and a story.

Paul Michels, another young soldier who found his home in Fayetteville and at Cape Fear Broadcasting, had this to say about Jeff’s devotion to local news. “Jeff lived and breathed radio news. He had police scanners going in his office, his car and his home (not sure how Jean tolerated that). Sometimes on weekend nights, Jeff would ride around with police officers while they were patrolling the city. Jeff’s dedication to covering the news was never more apparent than the night of Aug. 6, 1993. That was the Luigi’s Restaurant shooting, when Fort Bragg solider Kenneth French killed four people and wounded six others. Because Jeff had that police scanner blaring away in his home, he knew instantly that something major was going on. He was at the restaurant within minutes, getting reactions and interviews from people who were there. I can imagine he was moving around the crime scene, getting his audio before the yellow tape was even up. He had enough content to put together a long-form feature about the crime on both of our stations the following morning. The news gathering that night was the epitome of a local radio newsperson doing his job.”

Hannah Dawson Gage, who eventually ran Cape Fear Broadcasting’s operations in Wilmington, worked with Jeff and me in news for several years. She, too, has great respect for Jeff’s news abilities.

“Jeff was an earlier version of the information highway. He knew everybody worth knowing and everything about them. His range of friends was vast, stretching from elected officials to court reporters to highway patrolmen and sheriff’s deputies to coroners and the guys running the 7-11 on Ramsey Street. He not only knew those people, he knew their individual stories. At some point, they had passed through one of this stories and had later become a source or a friend.

“Jeff understood the tapestry of people that wove Fayetteville together; he had a deep understanding of all the moving parts and how things worked. I learned things from Jeff that they didn’t teach at UNC’s Journalism school.

“As a cub reporter, Jeff was a wonderful teacher and mentor because he was absolutely fearless in his pursuit of a good story. He encouraged intrepidness. He was naturally curious about everything. He had cataloged stories about every important person and elected officials he’d ever met and, from time to time, would share those stories in the newsroom at the end of the week, the kind of stories that would ruin lives and could never be aired … but were enormously entertaining. He had dirt on everybody, but he never used it.

“He understood that there was more power in not using everything you knew. I would put him up against any journalist across the state and bet on Jeff. He was that good.”

Like most people, especially those in family enterprises, Jeff wore more than one hat. John Dawson, general manager of Cape Fear Broadcasting’s Fayetteville operations in its later years, finds Jeff’s versatility remarkable. “The thing that always amazed me about Jeff was that he started out as a very good DJ in the early 60s during the British Invasion days, then he slowly but surely morphed into a very good newsman. Most people know that about him. What they don’t know is that he was a good radio advertising salesperson. When I started at WFNC in sales, we tagged along with different salespersons to experience different styles. I shadowed Jeff on many days and learned a lot just watching him interact with his clients. So back then, his day went something like this: Donning his news director hat, he gathered the news from 4-6 a.m. At 6 a.m., off came the news director hat, and on went the talk show host hat. He wore that until 9 a.m. At 10 a.m., off came the talk show host hat, and on went the salesperson hat. Even riding in his car during sales calls, the scanner was always on. It was the definition of multitasking, back in the day.”

Jeff’s partner on the morning talk show was Lynda “Wendy” Riddle, a talented radio personality and frequent performer in what we now know as Cape Fear Regional Theatre. As the saying goes, they go way back.

“I met Jeff in the early ‘70s when I had just started on the air at WFBS in Spring Lake. Jeffrey McDonald was very much in the news, and I always counted myself fortunate to have had access to Jeff’s coverage of that grisly story. My respect for his abilities as a newsman sprang from those early days. But it was not until I made the move to WFNC … in 1977 that I really got to know Jeff. By the fall of that year, we started ‘Top of the Morning’ and began a partnership that lasted until 2003, when Cumulus took over and fired us all.

“… Jeff and I squabbled in our early morning marriage, for you cannot be locked up in a small room the size of a walk-in closet every morning for your first five or six waking hours for years without noticing you’ve spent more time together than you spend with your own husband or wife each day. Sometimes our mornings were great, but there were times we would raise our voices and have a good old verbal knockdown drag out … off the air, of course. I remember fondly the year that, at the station Christmas party, we received the “loving couples” award from the staff and management. I was always aware when our battles got out of hand by the sound of doors closing up and down the hall as everyone tried to block us out.

“One of Jeff’s favorite memories on the air with me was the time when he was trying to explain to the audience that he had no knowledge of computers. He couldn’t find the right words and kept asking me what it was that you called person like him. I answered, ‘technically challenged.’ And he’d say, ‘No, no.’ And I would say, ‘Computer illiterate.’ He’d say, ‘No, no, that’s not it.’ To which I said, ‘moron.’”

“‘That’s it!’ he proclaimed happily. He has told that story a million times, saying ‘Remember when you called me a moron on the air?’ He thought it was wonderful.

“His love for his children was undeniable and unending, and I have deep affection for Jeff for that. Actually, I have deep affection for him, period.”

Radio, like most media, attracts creative people. Work was generally fun, and there were plenty of jokes to go around — some of Jeff’s instigation and some at his expense. Sales manager Steve Harden remembers that in an expansive burst of News Department pride, Jeff had the department’s one news vehicle painted with “Unit 1” on one side and “Unit 2” on the other, an effort to make us look bigger than we really were. Later, there were two identical vehicles, an actual Unit 1 and Unit 2.

Steve also remembers a trick Chief Engineer Terry Jordan played on Jeff, which Jeff apparently never realized. Says Steve, “I remember the episode of ‘the pneumatic switch.’ Terry Jordan put out a memo saying that the pneumatic switch had been ordered, then played this trick to the max. Another memo said the switch was on backorder etc. The switch was bogus, and Terry let the rest of us in on the scheme, but JT had no clue. Finally, another memo announced the arrival of the switch. Jeff, by the way, had asked no one what a pneumatic switch was. Another memo informed everyone that the switch had been installed and was fully operational. Terry had installed a small light in the control room with a toggle switch that turned it on and off. That’s all the switch did! I don’t think JT wanted anyone to know that he, a veteran broadcaster, did not know what a pneumatic switch was.”

Jeff is not shy. Human resources director Ann Highsmith remembers the day Jeff alerted her to what we now call a wardrobe malfunction. “I was standing at the sink in the small kitchen at CFBC. News Director Jeff Thompson’s office was directly across from the kitchen. My back was to him. What I didn’t know at that moment was that my professional dress was badly compromised as I had inadvertently tucked my skirt into my pantyhose, exposing my backside to Jeff and his guest that morning, Sheriff Moose Butler.

“Jeff took notice and did the right thing in letting me know something was amiss. The way he let me know left a lot to be desired. He yelled across the hall, ’Hey, Highsmith, your rear end is showing.’ Embarrassment left me dumb; I don’t remember what I did next. I either ran out of the kitchen or untucked my skirt as I stood at the sink. Either way, it is not one of those professional moments I care to reminisce about too often.”

Like many good things, life at the radio station as we knew it came to an end. Cape Fear Broadcasting was sold in 2001, and the cast of characters who had, in many cases, grown up together and came to love each other, scattered. Weyher Dawson, who ran another section of the company, says Jeff has “had a great career. I think his post-FNC career has been interesting and really kinda blossomed five or six years ago when” other local media were “flat and little WIDU slipped in their version of a news/information format that featured Jeff and Wes Cookman and Troy Williams and so on. They were really doing a good job reaching into the ‘mainstream’ and had some really good shows. … Jeff got involved in Up & Coming Weekly with Bill (Bowman), which has also been a late-career blossom. … All said, pretty remarkable from the Tower in the Sky, WSOC-TV, WFLB, WFNC, WFBS, WIDU, Up & Coming.”

As for me, I feel so fortunate to have had Jeff as a boss, a teacher, and now a dear and precious friend. I still call him Boss, and he calls me Scoop. He and I have covered the news, written many an editorial, fought over politics, endlessly discussed the peculiarities of our community, celebrated our successes, mourned our losses and, generally, moved through life together. Jeff is a remarkable person who knows and loves our community, with all its attributes and its warts.
It has been a joy to write this and to focus on one of my oldest friends and others in the extended Cape Fear Broadcasting family. To Jeff and everyone else, keep on keeping on, lots of love and Godspeed!

Pictured: Jeff Thompson

The final touches are being completed at Fort Bragg on its first subterranean range, which will simulate the difficulties of underground combat. The new range provides service members with unique training experience to help prepare them for the 21st-century battlefield. The tunnel complex ties into an existing urban terrain facility.

Urban warfare often includes fighting in underground tunnels and caves. There is a long history of underground fighting stretching back to biblical times. For at least 3,000 years, embattled populations have used them to hide from and strike at stronger enemies. Archaeologists have found more than 450 ancient cave systems in the Holy Land, including many that were dug into mountainsides, which the Jews used to launch guerrilla-style attacks on Roman legionnaires. The Romans faced the same tactic, around that time in their fight in Europe, against Germanic tribes who would dig hidden trenches connected by tunnels and then spring out of the ground to ambush the Roman soldiers. That tactic was used regularly by the Viet Cong during the war in Vietnam.

Fayetteville’s Airborne & Special Operations Museum celebrates its 20th anniversary this month. Since its opening in August 2000, the museum has been visited by nearly 3 million visitors, according to Museum Foundation Executive Director Renee Lane.

She noted the occasion is “vastly different than we had planned.”

There are no flags around Iron Mike to welcome visitors and no music, food trucks or parachute jumps because of COVID-19. “We are celebrating virtually... in the last few weeks, we provided many memorable moments on social media from when construction started right down to the ribbon-cutting ceremony 20 years ago.” The facility has been closed since March. “Sustaining our mission without visitors has strained us financially,” Lane said.

COVID-19 test collection is set to expand in Cumberland County.

The Health Department will continue test collection by appointment on Tuesdays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Manna Church (5517 Cliffdale Rd., Fayetteville) and Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Southview Baptist Church (4089 Elk Rd., Hope Mills).

Expanded test collection sites begin Aug. 27:

• Aug. 27; Sept. 3; Oct. 8 and 15 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Tabernacle of Miracles, 2574 Hope Mills Rd., Fayetteville
• Sept. 10 and 17; Oct. 22 and 29 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Second Missionary Baptist Church, 522 Old Wilmington Rd., Fayetteville

To protect the health and safety of staff and clients, test collection is by drive-up appointment only. Walk-ins cannot be accommodated at this time.
Testing is free.

Please do not call offsite testing locations for assistance. The Health Department has a dedicated COVID-19 hotline ready to assist. Call 910-678-7657 or you can make an appointment online at co.cumberland.nc.us/covid19

The Cumberland County Department of Public Health will now report COVID-19 data on Tuesdays and Fridays in press release form, but daily updates will continue to be available on the Cumberland County COVID-19 Dashboard.

As of Aug. 20, the total COVID-19 confirmed cases for Cumberland County is 3,528 with 61 deaths. The NC state number of confirmed cases is 147,432 with 2,438 deaths.
In the previous week, there was one additional death in the county.

According to the Department of Public Health, the resident who died was in their 70s, lived in a congregate living setting and had underlying health conditions.

To stay updated on the latest information about COVID-19 visit the county COVID-19 webpage at https://www.co.cumberland.nc.us/covid19.

The site has a list of COVID-19 related closures, service changes and other information. The county is also sharing information on its Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts.

More than 4 million North Carolinans are missing from the 2020 census. Major media reports have emphasized a low census count could put billions in federal dollars at risk.

But it also could keep North Carolina from gaining a congressional seat.

The census count, done every 10 years, helps determine how federal money is allocated to communities. It also determines representation in Congress. North Carolina’s population has grown by nearly 1 million people over the past decade. But if census takers don’t count them, the people parceling out congressional districts won’t know they’re here.

Each state gets at least one of the 435 seats in the U.S. House. The other 385 are divided mainly by population. Fast-growing states can pluck congressional seats from states losing people.

North Carolina should get a 14th district. We have about 10.6 million people, roughly 100,000 fewer than Georgia, which has 14 congressional seats. But Michigan — population 10 million — is expected to lose one of its 14 congressional seats.

If North Carolina’s census count comes in at or below Michigan’s, the 14th U.S. representative so many have anticipated could go to another state. Perhaps Montana, which has 1.1 million people but only one congressional seat.

Carolina Demography, a UNC Chapel Hill center focusing on data collection, found North Carolina’s census response is ranked 35th in the U.S. As of Aug. 2, only 59% of N.C. households have responded — compared to 63% nationally.

The census is in a major time crunch, behind schedule even before the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially, the count was to finish by the end of July, but the U.S. Census Bureau pushed the deadline to Oct. 31.

The COVID-19 outbreak worsened during a critical collection period, when workers were going door-to-door to collect data from people who failed to report. Field operations were temporarily suspended, once again setting back the census collection.

The bureau had asked Congress for an extension to April 30, 2021, to deliver the preliminary results, but has since contradicted that request. The bureau quietly moved up the collection date from Oct. 31 to Sept. 30, giving census workers even less time to complete the count.

The Democrat-led U.S. House passed a bill extending the census deadline. But the Senate, which holds a Republican majority, shows no interest in taking up the measure.
Partisan interests are driving the divide on extending the census count, said Andy Taylor, a political science professor at N.C. State University.

“Historically, it has been more difficult to count the kinds of people who you would think would support Democrats,” Taylor said.

The hard-to-count group includes lower-income people, racial and ethnic minorities and transients, who tend to be overrepresented in bluer states and jurisdictions, Taylor said.

“If you give a blue state a congressional district it is more likely to end up having a Democrat representing it than a Republican,” Taylor said.

One factor helping North Carolina is its large military presence, writes Rebecca Tippett, who heads Carolina Demography. In an article for MarketWatch, Tippett says the census once listed overseas military members’ home states as their census addresses. But in 2018, the Census Bureau changed the rule. Military members temporarily deployed overseas will be counted in the state where they’re stationed rather than their home state.

Had that rule been in effect for the 2010 census, North Carolina would have added a 14th congressional district, Roll Call reported.

Another political split has emerged over whether the census should include people living illegally in the U.S.

The Trump administration doesn’t want to include illegal immigrants in the census. Trump released a memo July 21 calling to exclude the group from the official count, NPR reported. Civil rights groups are prepared to challenge the move in court.

Some states — including Texas, Florida, and California — would gain more congressional seats if undocumented people aren’t counted, according to research by the Pew Research Center, said David McLennan, a political science professor at Meredith College.

If illegal immigrants were counted, Alabama, Ohio, and Minnesota wouldn’t gain seats.

“Since undocumented people are the hardest population to get an accurate count on, Republicans are pushing to have less time for the door-to-door counting and to not count undocumented in the final apportionment totals,” McLennan said.

Democrats want a longer counting period including more undocumented people, because it would cost traditionally Republican states House seats, McLennan said.

North Carolina’s red-blue split shouldn’t be affected by the debate over counting illegal immigrants, but a significant undercount would have consequences for federal money and a new congressional seat.

“That is a possibility with a shortened time period and the fact that North Carolina has one of the lowest response rates in the country,” McLennan said.
Nonprofits are working overtime to get more people to respond.

“This definitely lights the fire under us and others across the state to make sure we are getting the word out and making a really strong call to action to complete the census,” Brandy Bynum Dawson, the director of advocacy at the N.C. Rural Center. Dawson is leading the Center’s Rural Counts advocacy program, which aims to improve the census response rate in rural areas.

N.C. Rural Center and the NC Counts Coalition are among the groups working to make the count more accurate.

“Any organization that has a trusted relationship with communities that are often undercounted in the census operation can be effective, trusted messengers,” said Stacey Carless, executive director of NC Counts Coalition.

“Churches can share the message about the census with their congregation through church announcements or by taking 10 minutes during service to encourage participation,” Carless said. “Food banks can encourage participation by providing census literature with food distributions.”

A number of barriers stand in the way of an accurate count. A lack of broadband access in remote areas is one. Some of the lowest response rates in North Carolina overlap with lack of internet access, Carolina Demography found. Areas where officials were forced to suspend field operations because of COVID-19 also overlap with low response rates.

Rural counties, such as Graham, Avery, Cherokee and Watauga, have some of the worst response rates to the census. The pandemic didn’t help.

“We had to revise and pivot ourselves to a new strategy, which was a lot online and utilizing social media as much as possible,” Dawson said.

North Carolina’s political parties aren’t involved with the outreach effort. The N.C. Republican Party plays no part in the census count, Tim Wigginton, the N.C. GOP press secretary, told Carolina Journal. The N.C. Democratic Party didn’t respond to an email from CJ asking about its involvement with the census count.

The Department of Commerce is accepting applications for the Job Retention Grant Program through the agency’s website for businesses and nonprofit organizations in North Carolina that have experienced interruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The application deadline is Tuesday, Sept. 1 at 11:59 p.m. No applications will be accepted after that time.

To qualify for a grant award up to $250,000, applicants must meet certain eligibility requirements, which include:
• The applicant cannot have participated in the federal Paycheck Protection Program, the federal Main Street Loan Program or the state Rapid Recovery Loan Program.
• The applicant must have maintained at least 90% of the number of full-time employees in North Carolina at the end of June 2020 as it did at the end of February 2020.
• The applicant must have had a reduction in sales (in the case of a for-profit business) or receipts (for nonprofits) of more than 10% when comparing March-May 2020 to March-May 2019 levels.

The Department plans to award grants by early October. All grantees will have to comply with federal and state reporting requirements as a condition of the grant.
More information about the Job Retention Grant Program, including access to the program’s online application form, can be found at the Department of Commerce website at nccommerce.com/jrg.

The Health Department encourages those who are enrolled in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children to use their food benefits during COVID-19 to support good nutrition for their families.

Some of the WIC beneficiaries in North Carolina have not used their full food benefits each month since March 27, when the state’s initial Stay at Home Order in response to COVID-19 went into effect. Because WIC allowances do not roll over, beneficiaries lose any food balance they do not spend during a family issue month.

North Carolina serves more than 230,000 mothers and children in the program. The Cumberland County program serves 11,500.

WIC participants receive nutrition education, supplemental foods, breastfeeding support and referrals to community and health agencies to improve their diets and reduce their chances of health problems caused by poor nutrition.

WIC food allowances are auto-issued each month. Families enrolled in WIC can download the Bnft® App, available in the App Store or on Google Play, and enable notifications to ensure they never miss an update to their eWIC account.

If you or someone you know has been financially affected by recent events and is pregnant are has children younger than 5, WIC is accepting applications to help provide healthy foods and other resources. Eligible families, dads, grandparents and foster parents caring for eligible children should contact WIC at 910-433-3730 to enroll. The WIC offices in Fayetteville and Spring Lake are open by appointment only. The Hope Mills WIC office remains closed to the public but is conducting appointments over the phone at 910-433-3760.
For more information on the WIC program, eligibility and benefits visit http://www.co.cumberland.nc.us/departments/public-health-group/public-health/WIC.

A new Pentagon report says thousands of troops and family members may not have access to mental health care through their military or civilian health care providers. The Defense Department Inspector General found patients seeking outpatient mental health treatment often experienced delays or never obtained care at all due to inconsistencies in standards, staffing and other shortcomings in the military’s health system.

In 2017, almost 14% of troops, or just over 200,000, were diagnosed with mental health disorders. The report said delays in getting service members care could affect readiness. Auditors examined appointment booking and referral data at 13 military treatment facilities from December 2018 to June 2019. The inspector general’s office said an average of 53% of service members and their families served by Tricare in the United States did not receive mental health care after getting referrals. Health officials in charge of tracking their care could not say why, the IG said.

The Defense Health Agency agreed to develop a single systemwide staffing approach that estimates the number of appointments and personnel required to meet the demand for mental health. The agency will also establish a standard process for mental health assessments tailored to patients’ needs, officials said in their response.

We Americans continue to find ourselves in all sorts of distress, some of it acute and some of it as President Jimmy Carter famously said, a “malaise.” The pandemic has upended life as we knew it for millions of all ages, and the sadness, fury and national reckoning following George Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis, Minnesota, sparks ongoing peaceful protests across the country and, in some instances, unlawful violence and destruction. In short, many of us feel unmoored and on edge politically and culturally. For many, no safe harbor appears on the horizon.

Which brings us to the Market House in downtown Fayetteville.

As a Fayetteville native, the Market House has been part of the landscape all my life. For people who come to our community later in their lives, it must be a curiosity, a relic modeled on the traditional English town hall. History records that the Market House was used primarily by local and area vendors to sell farm produce, meats and other goods in the open arcaded area. Enclosed meeting space above provided a gathering space. Although several Southern port cities such as Savannah, Georgia, and Charleston, South Carolina, created designated slave markets, that was not the purpose of the Fayetteville Market House.

That said, human beings whose ancestors were captured in Africa and brought to this country against their will were indeed sold on the site of Fayetteville’s Market House. It did not happen every day, but it did happen. A 1989 plaque approved by Fayetteville City Council members and erected in the building’s arcade memorializes the human beings who were sold there. The cold hard fact of those sales is what brought out protestors in recent weeks and precipitated vandalism at the site.

So, what now?

Some have called for razing the building, the only local structure designated a National Landmark, and others call for finding a commemorative purpose for it. Razing makes no sense to me. Doing so would not take away the stain that resides there, any more than razing Nazi concentration camps in Europe would make the Holocaust not real. I fall into the repurposing camp. In my own memory, the Market House has been open to vehicular traffic, has housed a public library, art museum and several offices and hosted musical concerts and parades and various other activities.

The first and primary challenge of any repurposing is to expand the memorial to those who were sold there with names and dates as far as are known. This memorial would become the focus of repurposing, central to whatever occurs at the Market House. Various ideas have been floated— a museum dedicated to local African American culture among them, and all proposals should be explored.

The guiding principle as our community undergoes this process should be to memorialize the people who were subjected to Fayetteville’s role in our nation’s original sin.

Things are a bit tough all over. Paragons of virtue are dropping like flies. The U.S. Post Office is being dismantled right before our very eyes to help Dear Leader’s re-election prospects. Remember the picture of Jerry Falwell Jr. on the yacht with one arm around the bare midriff of a Lady Friend and the other hand holding a drink? Neither Jerry nor Lady Friend can keep their pants zipped up for the photo. When having your picture made with a woman to whom you are not married, it is wise to have your pants zipped. Times change. It is bigly sad.

Jerry’s picture reminded me of “The Second Coming,” a poem William Butler Yeats wrote: “Things fall apart: the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world; … The best lack all conviction, while the worst/Are full of passionate intensity.” If we cannot rely on our religious leaders to put passionate intensity behind them and keep their pants zipped, we are in a heap of trouble.

What with the ever-expanding death toll from The Rona, troubles in the streets, the stock market booming oblivious to the millions of Americans out of work who are worried about rent and being able to find their next meal, it all does not make sense. What’s it all about, Alfie? I tried to come up with a unified field theory of what it all means. Unfortunately, as Curly of the “Three Stooges” once said, “I tried to think, but nothing happened.”

But if once you can’t think, try, try again. I decided to cipher it all out, as Barney Fife would say. Eureka! Edgar Allen Poe might have provided a clue in his poem “The Raven.”
I stayed up late one night reading a TV Guide from the week of Oct. 17, 1965, hoping to find insight into today’s troubles. Just like in “The Raven,” the TV Guide spoke to me: “Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary/ Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore/ While I nodded nearly napping, suddenly there came a rapping, rapping at my chamber door.” The rapping came from the TV Guide. There is no lore more forgotten than a 1965 TV Guide.

There were many celestially transcendent TV shows in October 1965. Was there a common thread that might make sense of what was missing in 2020? TV gave America “Get Smart,” starring Don Adams as Maxwell Smart and the beautiful Barbara Feldon as Agent 99. I always had a crush on Agent 99, alas it was never reciprocated. Herman and Lilly Munster and Grandpa Al Lewis in “The Munsters” graced the black-and-white screens of America.

“The Man from Uncle” with Illya Kuryakin and Napoleon Solo — before he became a shill for a law firm in the 21st century — fought the evil international bad dudes of THRUSH. The most famous three-hour tour in history was in “Gilligan’s Island,” spawning endless hours of adolescent discussion of who was hotter: Ginger or Mary Ann. After Jed Clampett was out shooting for some food and up from the ground came a bubbling crude, oil that is, black gold, Texas Tea, the Clampetts moved to California to become the “Beverly Hillbillies.”

Who can forget the episode when Miss Jane Hathaway bought Elly Mae her first bra? Being a country gal, Elly didn’t know what it was. She declared her delight at having what she thought was a double-barreled slingshot for hunting. Classic. That may have been the first time a bra appeared on network TV.

The Space Family Robinson toured unknown galaxies in “Lost in Space,” with Lassie’s Mother June Lockheart as the original Mrs. Robinson, along with the semi-evil Dr. Zachary Smith, who was not someone you would want to supervise your children. The Robot frequently gave such excellent advice as “It does not compute” and “Danger Will Robinson!” particularly after Dr. Smith had been drinking. Oliver and Lisa Douglas said good-bye to city life and moved to Green Acres, where they encountered such bucolic characters as Mr. Haney and Arnold the Pig.

“Bewitched” graced the tube, starring Samantha, the beautiful witch, who was married to her befuddled husband, Darrin Stephens. As a prototype male chauvinist pig, Darrin did not want Samantha to use her witch powers to make life easier by magically twitching her nose to complete household chores. He wanted her scrubbing the floors the old-fashioned way like a good suburban housewife. Darrin’s mother-in-law, Endora, was a real witch. Like a typical 1960s mother-in-law joke, Endora thought Darrin was not good enough for her daughter and delighted in turning him into various animals. Fun fact: There were two Darrins — the first was actor Dick York, and the second Darrin was Dick Sargent. No one on the show noticed when York turned into Sargent. Maybe Endora did it. We shall never know.

So what does the 1965 TV Guide teach us about today? The common thread seemed to be spies, situational comedies on an uncharted desert isle, good-hearted monsters, suddenly wealthy country folks moving into the city, city folks moving into the country, dad’s who refuse to ask directions and get lost in space, and what happens when your wife turns out to be a real witch. My advice is to turn off the cable news and watch ME TV, where these shows live on forever and ever and ever. It was a kinder, gentler time. Now go find the remote.

Cumberland County Commissioner Charles Evans has been elected president of the North Carolina Association of Black County Officials. He was sworn in during the organization’s virtual meeting Aug. 15.

“I am grateful and honored to be representing the citizens of Cumberland County on a state board, and I appreciate the vote of confidence by my peers on the North Carolina Association of Black County Officials board,” said Evans, who has also served as the second and first vice president for the organization.

Evans was elected to the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners as an at-large representative in 2010 and re-elected in 2014 and 2018. He served two terms on the Fayetteville City Council from 2005-2009. Evans was born in Fayetteville and attended Terry Sanford High School and Fayetteville Technical Community College. He is a disabled veteran.

Pictured: Commissioner Charles Evans

The Cape Fear Regional Theatre presents its new EduTAINMENT: After School Program that will run from Monday, Aug. 24, to Friday, Sept. 25, from 2:30–6:30 p.m. or 3:30–6:30 p.m. for kids ages 8-13.

“Once we had to close down for COVID-19, we were trying to figure out how can we still be (part) of the community and (provide) the programming that they are used to getting from us,” said Ashley Owen, marketing director and education associate of Cape Fear Regional Theatre. “At the time we started our virtual EduTAINMENT classes — those were online classes taught by myself and our education director, Marc de la Concha.”
Owen added that the theater offered supplemental classes that provided elementary and middle-school kids a safe, fun place to learn and engage with their peers over the course of the day.

“Once Cumberland County Schools announced they were going to do the first five weeks of school virtual, all summer, we were coming up with all these different plans of what we could do,” said Owen. “Because we were doing our summer camps, we found that kids were missing the interpersonal connection with other kids their age because they have been at home for the last several months with their siblings or just with their families.”

The Cape Fear Regional Theatre came up with the perfect program idea. “So we decided that an in-person after-school program would be really great and it would be a great way for parents to be able to drop their kids off somewhere (where parents) know they are safe, having fun and learning. And parents can get a little bit of time back in their day if they are working from home,” said Owen.

“The groups are limited to no more than 12 kids, and they will social distance, wash their hands and wear face masks and face shields.”
Owen added that the 8- to 9-year-old group will do a play called “Not-So-Grimm Tales” while also learning about the different variations of the fairy tales. The older kids will do an adaptation of a book.

The theater will also offer Virtual EduTAINMENT online classes. “We are going to bring that original program back, and it will be once a week on Thursdays from 12:30-1:15 p.m.,” said Owen. “It will be for K-5 students and will take place from Aug. 27 through Sept. 24. The cost is $40 for the semester.”

The cost of the EduTAINMENT After School program is $150 per week from 3:30–6:30 p.m., or $175 per week from 2:30–6:30 p.m. Students must register for all five weeks of the program.

“We have a great reputation, and we wanted to provide a safe place for parents to send their kids,” said Owen. “This is just another way for us to reach out and give back to the community.”
For additional information, call 910-323-4234.

Can any of North Carolina’s great roadside eateries and local joints survive the coronavirus?

I have my doubts. So does UNC-Press. It has put the release of an updated and revised edition of my book, “North Carolina Roadside Eateries,” originally published in 2016, on hold indefinitely. We just do not know which of the more than 100 restaurants in the book will be in business when and if normal times returns. Nor do we know what the roadside restaurant business will be like in North Carolina after the worst of the coronavirus is over.

Will we be able to explore places where locals gather for good food along North Carolina’s highways?

In general, the forecast is not good. But there are bright spots. For instance Wilber’s, the legendary barbecue restaurant in Goldsboro, closed in March 2019 and was therefore not included in the revised “Roadside Eateries.” Last month Wilber’s reopened, at first only for curbside pickup. Thus, if the revised “Roadside Eateries” is ever published, Wilber’s will be in it.

There is more good news. Saltbox Seafood Joint in Durham, one of the places covered in the original “Roadside Eateries,” got an expanded description in the now postponed revised edition.

It is the sort of joint that can make it through the pandemic. Because it is thriving, it might give a clue about what kinds of locally owned eateries and joints will be available to give us the experiences that “Roadside Eateries” celebrated.

Here is some of what my editors and I wrote for the revised “Roadside Eateries.”

Since the last edition of “Roadside Eateries,” Saltbox chef Ricky Moore has been just a little busy. Though he’s a busy man, don’t worry — he’s still at it, cooking incredible food for lucky locals.
Now, Ricky’s success isn’t the least surprising. He’s been in the food business all his life. He grew up catching and cooking fish in eastern North Carolina. He cooked during his seven years in the Army, studied at the Culinary Institute of America and worked at the fine Glasshalfull restaurant in Carrboro and as the opening executive chef at Giorgio’s in Cary.

Moore explained to me that it’s not easy or cheap to get the best fish. He has to take into account that “the value is in the quality of fresh product we provide. Good, fresh seafood is not cheap, and the North Carolina fishermen deserve to get top dollar for their catch.”

Hush-Honeys are Ricky’s version of the hushpuppy. They’re a little salty, a little spicy and a little sweet. They’re the perfect complement to the best seafood you’re liable to find anywhere, let alone in the middle of the Tar Heel State.

Even if you are not able to visit Saltbox Seafood Joint for its mostly take out service, you can learn some of its secrets in a new cookbook published by UNC Press, “Saltbox Seafood Joint
Cookbook.” Chef Ricky Moore tells his life story. He shares 60 favorite recipes and his wisdom about selecting, preparing, cooking, and serving North Carolina seafood. That includes how to pan-fry and deep-fry, grill and smoke, and prepare soups, chowders, stews and Moore’s special way of preparing grits and his popular Hush-Honeys.

North Carolina’s cultural icon David Cecelski is the author of “A Historian’s Coast: Adventures into the Tidewater Past” and numerous other books and essays about our state’s coastal region. He gushes in his praise, “Chef Ricky Moore’s new cookbook is out and I think he’s written the finest seafood cookbook you’ve ever seen and probably ever will see if you’re like me and love the flavors of the North Carolina coast.”

To learn how one restaurant owner is surviving the pandemic, visit Chef Ricky at the Saltbox as soon as you can. Until then, join Cecelski and me to celebrating Chef Ricky Moore’s success and enjoy trying the recipes in “Saltbox Seafood Joint Cookbook.”

Many people look forward to Labor Day weekend because it offers one last extended break to enjoy summer weather.

Though summer does not officially end until September is nearly over, for many people Labor Day, which is celebrated annually on the first Monday in September, marks the unofficial end of summer.

But Labor Day is more than just one final chance to embrace the relaxed vibe of summer and soak up some rays.

In fact, Labor Day boasts a unique history that’s worth celebrating for a variety of reasons.

The United States Department of Labor notes that Labor Day is a celebration of American workers that dates back to the 19th century.

The day is meant to commemorate the contributions workers in the United States have made to the nation, helping to make it one of the strongest and most prosperous countries in the world.

Despite the fact that municipal legislation surrounding Labor Day was initially introduced in the 1880s, debate remains as to just who should be credited with proposing a day to honor American workers.

Some records suggest that Peter J. McGuire, who served as general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and cofounded the American Federation of Labor, deserves the credit for Labor Day.

However, the Department of Labor notes that many people believe a machinist named Matthew Maguire (no relation to Peter) was the first to propose a holiday honoring workers in 1882.

At that time, Maguire was serving as secretary of New York’s Central Labor Union, which later adopted a Labor Day proposal and appointed a committee to plan a demonstration and picnic.

The first Labor Day was ultimately celebrated in New York City on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in accordance with the plans made by the Central Labor Union, which strongly suggests that Maguire does, in fact, deserve the credit for coming up with the holiday.

Labor Day is worth celebrating because, without the contributions of millions of workers every year, the United States would not be the success story it is and has been for more than 200 years.

In addition to the United States, many countries across the globe, including Canada and Australia, have their own versions of Labor Day.

Labor Day weekend is often dominated by backyard barbeques and trips to the beach. With social distancing in the coronavirus era, this Labor Day weekend celebrants and workers should remember that Labor Day can be a time to reflect on the value of hard work.

Those who want to be more in touch with the meaning behind the holiday can look for additional ways to celebrate it.

Research local industry and shop local when possible. Giving your business to a locally owned store increases the investment back into your lcoal economy.

While many people are off on Labor Day, essential workers may not be. Bring lunch to a police station or firehouse, or simply thank workers you come across, such as grocery store employees, for doing their jobs.

Active military who are deployed may be missing home, especially during national holidays. Send a care package to them that they can enjoy overseas.
Purchase items made domestically to support national industry.

Bosses can reach out to employees with words of praise and encouragement. Too often employees are told what they need to improve rather than what they are doing right. A few words of gratitude can buoy spirits.

Employers can start the three-day weekend early by enabling workers to leave a few hours early on the Friday preceding the holiday weekend.

North Carolina consistently ranks within the top ten states for most reported human trafficking cases, according to the NC Human Trafficking Commission. In 2019, there were 713 charges of human trafficking and other offenses of a similar nature across the state.

According to the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, 28 of those charges last year are from cases in Cumberland County. So far in 2020, the Sheriff’s Department has investigated 21 cases through the end of July.

Just last week, Sheriff’s Deputies arrested a Fayetteville woman charging her with sex crimes involving human trafficking and promoting prostitution of a minor. The woman allegedly used drugs to coerce the child to perform sex acts.

To bring awareness to the on-going issue, local advocates Sabrina Paul and Emily Dean organized a local Human Trafficking March scheduled for 5–7 p.m. on Aug. 29. The march will begin and end at the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Department at 131 Dick St. in Fayetteville.

“We are trying to raise awareness on how prevalent human trafficking and pedophilia really is,” Dean said. “Fayetteville is a hub for human trafficking because it’s a halfway point between Miami and New York. It serves as a drop off point, where exchanges are made. A lot of people just don’t know about it.”

According to the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, from 2015 to the end of July this year, there have been 254 cases in the county resulting in 83 misdemeanor charges and 153 felony charges.

New York, Miami, Atlanta, Washington, D.C. and Charlotte are all considered major east coast hubs for human trafficking. These cities are connected by interstates which facilitate the movement of human trafficking victims. The geographic location of North Carolina contributes to the high number of victims and survivors living in the state.

In January, Governor Roy Cooper issued a proclamation declaring it Human Trafficking Awareness Month. The proclamation said that although awareness is growing, human trafficking continues to go unreported or underreported in part due to its isolating nature, the misunderstanding of its definition and victim fears of coming forward.

Under federal and North Carolina law, human trafficking includes minors involved in any commercial sexual activity; adults induced into commercial sexual activity through force, fraud, or coercion; and children and adults induced to perform labor or services through force, fraud or coercion.

“No little girl or boy has the dream of ‘I want to grow up and sell my body,’” said Sgt. Patrice Bogertey.

Now a Public Information Officer with the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, Bogertey previously worked in major crimes and the human trafficking unit.

“It’s hard to get victims to go forward in trial,” she said. “Prosecution takes so long.”

Bogertey added that the stigma of being a sexual assault victim coupled with the agony of retelling their story can take its toll on survivors of human trafficking.

“It’s hard enough to tell a detective, but then to have to go to court, and now they have to talk about it in a court room,” Bogertey said. “It’s embarrassing for victims, it shames the victim.”

The stigma is compounded by the fact that many victims are forced into drug dependency by their captors and forced to participate in other crimes, she said.

Bogertey said an organized march is a great idea to raise awareness.

“The public as a whole has to pay attention, to start watching for signs,” she said.

March organizers Dean and Paul were moved to organize the event to raise awareness, but also said they hope to encourage victim advocacy and influence lawmakers to make penalties for traffickers more severe.

The event will begin with featured speaker Beverly Weeks, the executive director of Cry Freedom Missions, a non-profit organization fighting to eradicate sex trafficking. After the march through downtown, a few survivors of human trafficking will be given an opportunity to speak. Organizers have also invited local officials to attend the event.

“Our goal is to create awareness first,” Paul said. “The long-term goal is to stop this [human trafficking] and shut down organizations trying to normalize pedophilia.”

“ We hope for change in the long run.”

If you would like to report information about a trafficking situation, contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline: Call 1-888-373-7888 or Text 233733. Anti-trafficking advocates are available 24/7 to receive tips about potential trafficking situations and connect survivors of trafficking to services and support. All reports are confidential and callers can choose to remain anonymous.

State Rep. John Szoka, R-Cumberland, has been chosen to co-chair the House Select Committee on Community Relations, Law Enforcement, and Justice. The committee is comprised of legislators and various members of the public.

“It will examine North Carolina’s criminal justice systems to propose methods of improving police training and relations between law enforcement and its communities,” Szoka said. “I am... eager to work with my team to identify policy reforms that help overcome discrimination, excessive force, and corruption in the North Carolina criminal justice system.”

Sixteen members of the North Carolina House of Representatives, including Elmer Floyd and Billy Richardson of Fayetteville, will serve on the committee. Thirteen others have been named to the group, including Cumberland County district attorney Billy West.
Pictured: Rep. John Szoka

The debate raging over the future of the Market House in our great city of Fayetteville is not diminishing anytime soon. It is and has always been a historic landmark of controversy. However, the iniquitous attention it is receiving now has been conjured up from the revival of decades-old misinformation that the building was a designated slave market. This is not true.

Even after countless documents of North Carolina historical data on the Market House confirmed that enslaved negros during that period in history were considered property and sold or auctioned as part of private estates. Ignoring these facts seems to be an inconvenient truth as well as an excuse and flashpoint for rioters, hostile protesters and anarchists. Personal sentiments and opinions do not alter the facts.

In this edition, Margaret Dickson, a lifelong resident of Fayetteville and, successful businesswoman, former Democratic senator and state representative, shares her thoughts, concerns and heartfelt sentiments about this topic in her article “What about the Market House?” on page 5. Not only does she make a compelling argument for repurposing this historic building but “ … to memorialize the people who were subjected to Fayetteville’s role in our nation’s original sin.”

I was at the dedication ceremony she mentioned in 1989 when Fayetteville unveiled the City Council’s plaque recognizing and honoring the human beings sold there. W.T. Brown, a local educator, statesmen and respected community leader, gave the most elegant and compelling speech. It left the entire audience united, resolved and committed to live and work together for the betterment of the Fayetteville community and for the prosperity of future generations.

Facts are facts, and history is just that — history. This brings me to the subject of a wonderful and factual resource document brought to my attention recently by a longtime Fayetteville resident, friend, historian, show promoter, genealogist, realtor, pewterer and pottery expert, Mr. Quincey Scarborough. Given the negative attention the Market House was receiving, Quincey brought by my office this book titled “The Market House of Fayetteville, North Carolina.” It was written by Patricia Ann Leahy, in 1976, when she was teaching at Fayetteville State University. This small but insightful book was written basically to dispel the notion the Market House was a slave market and to put it and Fayetteville into a relevant historical perspective. It is excellent.

Leahy tells Fayetteville’s story from the arrival and struggles of the Highland Scots in 1732 to the establishment of Campbellton and Cross Creek to the merging of both settlements in 1783 into the town of Fayetteville. Utilizing meticulous research and an impressive bibliography, maps, schematics, historic artwork and photos, original documents/letters and newspaper articles, ads and letters to the editor, Leahy made two points crystal clear in only 32 pages. First, the Market House was a legitimate historic landmark that did sell slaves but was never a slave market. Second, the controversy over the Market House and the arguments generating from it today are exactly the same as those that existed in 1976 when her book was first published. Read it for yourself. Barnes & Nobles has it available now as part of the NOOK selection for only $5. BN ID. 2940158564031. Author: Patricia Ann Leahy, Caron Lazar

On a personal note: Until Mr. Scarborough made me aware of Leahy’s book, I had no idea about her credentials. I met and became friends with Pat Leahy in the early ‘90s through her civic contributions, dedication and involvement with the Fayetteville Museum of Art and all aspects of the Fayetteville cultural community. She had a wonderful and joyful personality and, for years, hosted some of the most fun and outrageous Halloween parties in her home. I want to thank Mr. Scarborough for his support and for bringing this to my attention.

Thank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly and for your support of our local newspaper. I appreciate the calls, emails and text messages of encouragement we have received during these trying times. However, I assure you everyone here at UCW is dedicated and committed to supporting the Fayetteville, Fort. Bragg and Cumberland County communities and to continuing to accentuate our unique amenities and quality of life.

“The happiness of America is intimately connected with the happiness of all mankind; she is destined to become the safe and venerable asylum of virtue, of honesty, of tolerance, and quality and of peaceful liberty.”
— Fayetteville’s namesake, Marquis de Lafayette

In the late 1770s, Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, the marquis de Lafayette —called Gilbert by his friends — was about as All-American as one could get. Well, except that he was French, and America’s existence was still up for debate as it was still fighting for its freedom from British rule. Lafayette is Fayetteville’s namesake. This the only town named for him that he ever visited. He defied French royalty and fought side by side with Gen. George Washington, who later became America’s first president. Lafayette spent most of his personal fortune on the American cause and used his brilliant leadership skills to help lead American patriots to victory.

Each year, The Lafayette Society tips its hat to this French nobleman, who loved freedom and championed human dignity, with a birthday celebration — complete with cake and ice cream. The 2020 festivities are set for Sept. 3, 10, 11, 12 and will be virtual except for the downtown sidewalk sale — along with cake and ice cream — on Saturday, Sept. 12. To keep everything COVID-19 safe, the cake will be prepackaged Little Debbie cakes.

Artifacts and Arias has been a mainstay event at the Lafayette birthday celebration for about 14 years. This year, the Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County joins the party as the French concert kicks off the festivities Sept. 3 with Hay Street Live, the Art’s Council’s bi-monthly virtual concert and entertainment venue. The shows a streamed via Facebook Live at https://www.facebook.com/TheArtsCouncilFAY/.

Dr. Gail Morfesis leads the entertainment portion of Hay Street Live with what she calls an informance. It is in a “Name that Tune” format. “In the past, we would play something like the song from ‘The Alfred Hitchcock Hour,’ and people didn’t realize it was a French tune,” said Morfesis. “Last year, we used an Elvis Presley song based on a French song, and I sang for them the original French version.”

During this segment, viewers will be encouraged to write in and guess what the tune is.

Local artists are always prominent in the event, too. “This year I have a young person who I hope will play a violin piece,” Morfesis said. “He was in our concert five or six years ago and people loved him. We are also going to have an excerpt by the Thiriot family. … They are doing some French tunes and possibly a jazz number.”

Morfesis will also perform a French duet with Russian soprano Alina Cherkasova. Bella Venti, a woodwind quintet, will perform a piece with a piano.

“All pieces will be under five minutes long,” Morfesis said. “We want people to not be bored.”

For the cocktail portion, Morfesis invited Ann Highsmith to be the host. “Our drink is the Highsmith mimosa,” Morfesis said. “Ann and the Arts Council’s Metoya Scott will do the drink for the evening. We will also have a Lafayette impersonator who will taste the cocktail and contribute do some of the spots. This is a variety show, so there is something new every two or three minutes.”

The French connection is an integral part of the performance as well. It is usually a piece written by an American who was somehow connected to France.
Join Director Emerita of Special Collections & College Archives at Lafayette College Diane Shaw as she speaks about Lafayette’s passion for human rights and the betterment of mankind. While many know of his contributions to the American Revolution, not everyone knows the depth of his passion for humankind. Visit https://www.youtube.com/user/faytechcc to view the speech Sept. 10, at 2 p.m., or any time afterward at https://www.lafayettesociety.org/.

“My desire is for people to know Lafayette in a broader sense,” said Shaw. “His great return visit in 1824/25, when he visited every state in the union … was remarkable and underscored his support of African Americans and their issues. I will be talking about how Lafayette first become an abolitionist and his experiment in South America and what happed on the tour. And about all his best friends who had slaves — like Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. And the gestures he made during that tour to African Americans. American Blacks knew Lafayette was their friend.

“I am going to go further than talking about anti-slavery and talk about other human rights. Lafayette helped gain rights for French Protestants and voting right for French Jews. … He was a friend to Native Americans, and he did a lot for them. Lafayette admired women and their intellect. He supported women reformers. He was against the death penalty and solitary confinement as well. I would like people to know him as more than the French hero of the American Revolution.”

A lot has changed since Lafayette worked so hard to make the world a better place. There is still room to keep improving, though. “I think Lafayette would have a lot to say about the state of America today and what is needed,” said Shaw. “In 1777, he had a vision for American that we would do well to adhere to today.

Another favorite of the birthday celebration is the Lafayette tour. Explore five significant stops in and around downtown Fayetteville via video and learn more about Lafayette as well as Fayetteville’s history.

The first stop is the Person Street bridge. It was the first bridge across the Cape Fear River. Learn some of the fun facts about its history. For example, it was a toll bridge — it was 2.5 cents to bring a sheep or a hog across. If you walked across, it was a nickel, but if you were on a horse, it was a dime. The fee for a carriage was 75 cents. Lafayette crossed in a carriage but didn’t pay a cent to cross. Catch the whole story here.

Next is the Liberty Point building. “We will cover the Liberty Point Resolves,” said Mike Samperton, one of the guides. “We will focus on the monument and a marker there that highlights the three names of Fayetteville.” Here, the tour covers Lafayette’s relation to the building as well as how the fair city nearly become known by a different moniker.
The next stop is Cross Creek Cemetery. “I will highlight four American Revolution vets buried there,” Samperton said. “We will also talk a little about Cool Spring Tavern. It was built in 1788, and all the VIPS stayed there the next year when we ratified the Constitution.”

Next up is city hall, which has the Lafayette bust. “We will highlight our relationship with our sister city — St. Avold France,” said Samperton. He also noted that just as Fort Bragg is being scrutinized for its namesake, Cumberland County had a similar issue in its past. It was actually called Fayette County for six months. Learn more about it on the tour.
The last stop is the Lafayette statue.

Visit https://www.lafayettesociety.org/ for more information about the events or about The Lafayette Society.

Pictures: (Top to bottom) The Thiriot family will perform on Sept. 3 at the French concert during Hay Street Live.  Diane Shaw (in red) speaking to Fayetteville State University students. Clarendon Bridge is now known as Person Street Bridge.