Terry Sanford’s baseball team has won three consecutive conference titles and hasn’t lost a conference game for the last two seasons.

But veteran head coach Sam Guy is looking at a much different landscape as he prepares his team for the 2020 season.

Gone are most of the pitching stars from his 2019 team, including pitcher D.J. Herz, who was chosen by the Chicago Cubs in the Major League Baseball draft and is now pitching in the minor leagues.

A core group of four seniors including Jackson Deaver, Dorian Clark, Tommy Cooney and Jack Cooney will form the nucleus of this year’s Bulldog team. After that, Guy said Terry Sanford will be counting on some inexperienced faces.

“We will have a carousel of lineups depending on who is pitching,’’ Guy said. “We’re going to be really young on the mound.’’

He said it’s likely instead of having a starter go five or six innings and a reliever taking the mound to wrap things up, many games will see the Bulldogs use as many as three pitchers.

“There’s going to be a lot more trying to manufacture runs, trying to find the best nine that play the best together to carry us through,’’ he said.

Guy’s biggest concern during the preseason has been the way the team is hitting the ball. “We’ve been missing too many fastballs and we can’t do that,’’ he said.
That is why he’s counting heavily on Deaver to help lead an inexperienced lineup of hitters. Last season, Deaver was one of five .400 hitters for Terry Sanford, ending the season with a .418 batting average. He was second among players from Cumberland County Schools in RBI’s with 27. He had eight doubles and a triple.

“He was a big run producer last year,’’ Guy said. Guy will use Deaver at three positions in the field, catcher, first base or third base, depending on who is pitching for Terry Sanford.

Deaver, who was the defensive Player of the Year on last fall’s Patriot Athletic Conference All-Conference football team, said the weight training he does for football carries over to help him in baseball.

“I definitely thinks that helps with my swing and my explosiveness,’’ he said. He also said the quickness football helps him develop are assets on defense, especially when he’s playing catcher or third base.

While the Bulldog pitching staff will be young, Deaver thinks there is a lot of potential there.

Cruise Herz is the younger brother of the departed D.J. Herz. Joining him will be Brady Gore, Cason Puczylowski and Tommy Cooney.

“They are not going to throw 94 or 95 miles per hour like D.J.,  but they are going to get you the ground ball outs, the pop fly outs,’’ Deaver said. “They are more than capable of getting the strikeouts that we need.’’

Deaver said the goals for both himself and the team are the same: win the regular season, the Bulldog Easter tournament and the state title.
Terry Sanford’s annual Easter baseball tournament will be held April 11, 13-14.

Competing teams in this year’s tournament in addition to the Bulldogs are Triton, Hobbton, Pittsboro Northwood, Apex Middle Creek, Western Harnett, East Bladen and Richmond Senior.

Dr. Kenjuana McCray made history when she became the first African-American woman elected to the Hope Mills Board of Commissioners last November.

But it was a page from national history that helped inspire her to run for office, and make a promise to herself to keep that history alive in her own memories.

Recently McCray made her second consecutive trip to Selma, Alabama, to revisit some of the most prominent sites connected with the American Civil Rights movement and the passage of the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act. The act, which was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson, prohibited racial discrimination in voting.

The event McCray participated in is called the Bridge Crossing Jubilee. It marked the 55th anniversary of Civil Rights marchers crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge during a march in support of voting rights in 1965. During that crossing, now referred to as “Bloody Sunday," many of the marchers were brutally beaten by law enforcement officers.
McCray not only visited the bridge, but also museums and other historic sites in the Selma, Tuskegee and Montgomery, Alabama, areas during her visit.

She was most moved by the personal accounts of people who were invited back to speak who took part in the marches 55 years ago. “They bring in people that were foot soldiers in the movement,’’ McCray said. “You get to hear one-on-one stories about actual events that happened, things you don’t read in the history books.’’

She also attended a special event at Tabernacle Baptist Church in Selma, the site of a famous meeting held by the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to conduct a planning session for the 1965 march.

McCray said that after she attended the conference for the first time in 2019, she made up her mind to again run for public office in Hope Mills. “It was one of the things that helped me make my decision I was going to run again,’’ she said. She noted that people of different races were involved in that march 55 years ago, and that people of different races lost their lives in the struggle for civil rights in this country.

“I have to continue to advocate for people to exercise their right to vote and how powerful that vote is,’’ McCray said. “It’s something I will continue to advocate while I’m in office and when I’m not in office. This trip helps remind me and puts everything into perspective.’’

One important lesson she has learned from her visits to the Selma area is the power of people working together for a common cause. She noted names like King and Congressman John Lewis, along with many others who were at the forefront of the Civil Rights movement.

“It was a collective group of people who helped do this,’’ she said. “It’s that whole idea of the power of what you can do if you work together and do things together.
“There were a lot of people who worked together to make this thing happen.’’

Demarshaun Worley

Gray’s Creek • Basketball/track • Senior

Worley has a 4.25 grade point average. He’s an analyst for the Bears Sports Network. He is active in the New Light Church youth group. He has been a competitor and winner in his church’s oratorical contest. He is also a crew member at a local fast food restaurant.

Chassie Jacops

Gray’s Creek • Volleyball/swimming • Junior

Jacops has a 3.91 grade point average. She is a member of the Student Government Association, National Honor Society, Future Business Leaders of America and works at a local sandwich shop.

Coronavirus is a common virus that can infect your nose, sinuses or upper throat. It spreads much like cold viruses. Most coronaviruses are not dangerous, but some are. After a December 2019 outbreak in China, the World Health Organization identified a new type of coronavirus, which can be fatal. The outbreak of COVID-19 quickly moved from China around the world. It spreads the same way other coronaviruses do, through person-to-person contact.

The symptoms of coronavirus are similar to other upper respiratory infections, including runny nose, coughing, sore throat, and sometimes a fever. In most cases, you won’t know whether you have a coronavirus or a cold. You could get lab tests, including nose and throat cultures and blood work, to find out whether a coronavirus caused the cold, but there’s no reason to. The test results wouldn’t change how you treat your symptoms, which typically go away in a few days. If coronavirus infection spreads to the lower respiratory tract, it can cause pneumonia, especially in older people, people with heart disease or people with weakened immune systems.

The Cumberland County Department of Public Health is working closely with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services as well as regional and local partners to prepare for the possibility of COVID-19 infections in the state. There are no confirmed COVID-19 cases in North Carolina.

“We are prepared to quickly identify, monitor and respond to cases if they arise,” said Dr. Jennifer Green, Cumberland County health director. “We are in regular communication with Fort Bragg, Fayetteville Regional Airport, local healthcare providers, local schools and institutions of higher learning to monitor COVID-19 information and briefings,” she said.

Our health department’s senior leadership and epidemiology teams take part in weekly calls with North Carolina’s Department of Health & Human Services about status updates and guidance. Cumberland County is working with other health departments in the region and Fort Bragg to conduct exercises in the event of an outbreak. Health officials recommend that everyone take precautions to protect themselves and others from the spread of respiratory illnesses. They encourage individuals, families, institutions and agencies to take routine precautions:

Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.

Encourage employees and visitors to get annual flu shots. Use tissues when sneezing, coughing or blowing your nose and discard the tissues after one use.

Clean common surfaces such as doorknobs, light switches and keyboards.

Employees should not return to work until they have been fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medicine, even if they feel better.

People experiencing symptoms such as a fever, cough or shortness of breath and have visited China or had close contact with someone who is suspected of having COVID-19 should seek immediate medical attention. Before you go to the doctor’s office or emergency room, call ahead and report your symptoms and recent travel history. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend everyone six or older get flu vaccines each season. The vaccine is available at the Health Department’s Immunization Clinic at 1235 Ramsey St. The North Carolina Division of Public Health has established a call line at 1-866-462-3821 to address general questions.

Gray’s Creek High School senior Theodore Schwamm recently joined an elite group of high school students in the United States. He’s one of  15,000 national finalists for the elite National Merit scholarship.

Shana Matthews, who counsels the academically and intellectually gifted students at the schools, said Schwamm is the first National Merit finalist from Gray’s Creek in her four years at the school.

“The scholarship is a nice incentive, a nice bonus, for someone like Theodore who has put in a lot of effort and devoted a lot of time,’’ Matthews said.

A Fayetteville native, Schwamm said his primary interests are vocal music and theater. He plays the piano and is also a handbell player in his church choir.

Even if he’s not ultimately named a winner in the National Merit competition, just being a finalist makes him a potential candidate for other college scholarship offers.

Schwamm said a number of colleges have already offered him full scholarships, but he’s currently not considering those because they are from schools he doesn’t consider a good fit for his interests.

He’s officially applied to four colleges. They include his top two picks, Williams in Massachusetts and Kenyon in Ohio. Others he has applied to are Roanoke in Virginia and the University of Chicago.

Of the four, he’s already been accepted at Roanoke and is expecting word back soon from the other three.

Schwamm said the main draw for him at all four schools was their liberal arts atmosphere and the flexibility and interdisciplinary approach they take to education.

As far as what he plans to study is concerned, Schwamm isn’t sure if he’ll continue with music and theater or turn his attention to physics and mathematics. “I may combine them in some way,’’ he said.

He’s interested in the connection between the arts and sciences and why they have so much in common. “Einstein would often say he’d play the violin while working through physics problems,’’ Schwamm said. “A lot of scientists say if they were not professional scientists, they would be artists.’’

Schwamm is currently involved with the Gray’s Creek High School production of the Broadway musical "Newsies." Performances are scheduled March 20-21 at 7 p.m., with a matinee on March 22 at 4 p.m. Admission is $10.

In recent years, Schwamm has changed his philosophy about his education and realizes balance is an important part of the process.

“Certainly I could spend time endlessly looking at calculus problems,’’ he said. “There comes a time you need to recognize moving away from it and doing something else will ultimately be more valuable.’’

Toward that end, he plans to spend his final summer before college at home with family.

“I plan to sleep without an alarm many days and do a lot of reading,’’ he said.

The Cape Fear Friends of National Rifle Association will host the Annual Banquet and Auction Saturday, March 14, at 4 p.m. at Paradise Acres Event Center, 1965 John McMillan Rd., Hope Mills. There will be a raffle, auction and, of course, great food.

“We are family friendy,” said Tony Forte, committee chairmen. “We are apolitical. Our issue is putting funds into programs that keep shooting sports safe and renewable.”
Friends of NRA is the fundraising program under the NRA Foundation. Cumberland and Harnett counties provide a grassroots effort to ensure the future of safe, responsible firearms ownership and participation in shooting sports. The event also helps raise money, in particular, for funding youth safety programs in eastern North Carolina. The organization hosts youth competitions, training and safety courses and provides scholarships to help ensure the future of shooting sports for America’s young people.  

“Some of the things that excite me is we have more and more success locally with programs,” said Forte. “The Eddy Eagle gun safety program teaches that guns are not toys and that kids should ‘Stop. Don’t touch, Run away and tell an adult.’  I am excited to see what the Fayetteville Police Department is doing with Eddie Eagle and Operation Ceasefire. We support those programs. We support 4-H, sharpshooter clubs, the scouts. You name the group, and if they are eligible to receive a nonprofit grant, we do everything we can to ensure — if they mmeet the requirements — that we get them something. Last year, we had  $750,000 in grant requests. We were able to support $250,000. The demand for educatioon and safety programs is insatiable.”

The Friends of NRA was founded in 1992, and the Cumberland and Harnett Committee started in 1994. Over the years, this one committee has paid out more than $ 1 million in North Carolina.
The Friends of NRA provides a united front to secure the Second Amendment and raise money for the shooting sports. Across the country, more than 13,000 volunteers work tirelessly to make these events happen with the generosity of attendees and donors who support their efforts.

“We are a zero sum charity,” said Forte. Eeverything we bring in goes back as grants. We are all volunteers. The committee tries to limit our overhead to less than 1%.”
There is something for everyone at a Friends of NRA event. From the moment you walk in, the atmosphere is brimming with excitement, and they will make sure you have a good time. Not to mention all the great people you’ll meet in the process.

Forte added that the auction items include several firearms, and other items like luggage and outdoor equipment.

“If you are serious about youth safety and firearms,” said Forte. “Outside the political arena, there’s one known resource to
get that done, and it is the NRA foundation.”

 Contact Tony Forte at 254-289-9738, Jerry Parsek at 910-309-9755 or Don Talbot at 910-977-7776 for more information. Purchase tickets online at https://www.friendsofnra.org/eventtickets/Events/Details/34?eventId=57226, or visit the  Facebook page, “Cape Fear Friends of NRA.” The group also has a sponsorship and underwriting program. Donations are always welcomed and are tax-deductible.

Due to the spread of COVID-19, as a precaution, the Ultimate Lip Sync Showdown has been postponed. The new date is June 20. The location and time remain the same (Crown Ballroom, 6 p.m. Social Hour & 7 p.m. Show Time). For patrons who purchased tickets for the March 21 show, you may use the same tickets for the June 20 show. There is no need to exchange them for new tickets. For patrons who purchased tickets but are unable to use their tickets for the June 20 show and who wish to receive a refund, please follow these instructions:

• If tickets were purchased online, you may call the Crown Center box office at 910438-4100 to be refunded electronically. Tickets will be refunded in the manner in which they were paid.
• If tickets were purchased in person at the Crown Center box office, you must go to the box office for a refund and present a valid ID. Tickets will be refunded in the manner in which they were paid.
• Requests for refunds must be made by May 1, 2020.

Sponsors who received tickets as part of their sponsor benefits will be contacted directly by the CAC.

It’s a safe to wager that most people have spent some time lip syncing to their favorite jams. Whether it’s when a catchy song plays on the radio or a tune worth foot-tapping for plays in a movie, some bops are hard not to mouth the words to. In Fayetteville’s Ultimate Lip Sync Showdown, which will take place March 21 at 6 p.m. in the Crown Ballroom,  local organizations and individuals take their best lip sync routines to the stage and go head-to-head for a great cause.

The event’s proceeds make up about 20% of the annual budget for the Child Advocacy Center, the nonprofit charitable organization that puts on the event. The CAC serves the community in a variety of ways, with outreach programs, child abuse awareness campaigns, teaching programs, and of sex-trafficking awareness initiatives, to name a few. In the fiscal year of 2019, the CAC served 730 children.

 Julia Adkins, who is the chair of Fayetteville’s Ultimate Lip Sync Showdown, projects that the upcoming event will, as it always is, be a huge success. “This is our 4th year,” Adkins said, “In the past 3 years, we’ve raised $30,000 each year. The Showdown is on track to be another sellout show, and we are excited — truly blessed.”

This year, there are 14 acts. The organizers of the event invited competitors from years past to compete again, but new contenders will be ready to face off as well. Among the competitors, law enforcement, schools, healthcare professionals and local businesses are represented.

Last year, the winning group performed a song from “The Greatest Showman.” This year, Adkins said a variety of popular hits include songs by Cher, Lizzo, Ike and Tina Turner and the Backstreet Boys.

While the primary purpose of participating in the Ultimate Lip Sync Showdown is supporting the CAC, contenders are also competing for the Top Fundraiser, People’s Choice Award, Best Choreography, Best Costume and the highest of the honors, Fayetteville’s Ultimate Lip Sync Stars. Trophies and plaques are awarded to the winners.
 The judges are Toni King, Tim Edwards, Victoria Hardin and Bill Bowman. The emcees are Michael Brash and Taylor Morgan.

“My favorite part is being able to watch the crowd’s reaction, who are giving up their time, coming together for such a great cause, and that’s for the children,” Adkins said.
Another feature of the event is the raffle. The prizes are a 55-inch TV, an iPad and a “weekend getaway in the ‘ville,” which covers a hotel stay and gift certificates to local businesses for a perfect “staycation.” Tickets are $5 or five for $20.

 Hors d’oeuvres, desserts and cocktails are provided by Blue Pineapple, Burney’s, Caruso Confections, Dairy Queen, Freddy’s and Rosalia’s. The green room is provided by Chick-fil-a.

Adkins admires the generosity of the competitors. “They give up their time and their money,” Adkins said. “They don’t care if they don’t win. They just want to support a great cause.”

The Ultimate Lip Sync Showdown is March 21 at 6 p.m. Tickets are still available at the  Cape Fear Tix website. While tickets will be sold at the door if they are available, they have been sold out in years past, and Adkins recommends that tickets are purchased in advance.

Upset victories are not unusual in local elections. This month’s primaries resulted in an outcome few observers anticipated. Longtime State Rep. Elmer Floyd, D-Cumberland, was defeated by political newcomer Kimberly Hardy, an instructor at Fayetteville State University. Floyd has represented Cumberland County House District 43 for 12 years. Before getting involved in local politics, Floyd was director of Fayetteville’s Human Relations Department. Hardy came to Fayetteville four years ago to accept a post as an assistant professor of social work at Fayetteville State.

Hardy will face former Republican Cumberland County Commissioner Diane Wheatley in the November general election. Wheatley defeated Clarence W. Goins Jr. She has also served on the Cumberland County Board of Education. The realigned 43rd legislative district covers all of Cumberland County east of the Cape Fear River, the Linden area and precincts in eastern, central and southern Fayetteville.

In the local 44th House District race, incumbent Rep. Billy Richardson, D-Cumberland, won his primary election bid, defeating Terry Johnson with 52% of the vote. Under recent redistricting, the 44th District covers much of central Fayetteville and the west side to the Hoke County line.

Francis Jackson won the Democratic nomination in the 45th District and will face incumbent John Szoka, R-Cumberland, in November. Jackson is a professor at Fayetteville Technical Community College and a 25-year resident of Hope Mills.

The only one of Cumberland County’s 10 District Court judges up for election this year, Lou Olivera, won his reelection bid with nearly 64% of the votes cast. Olivera has served on the bench since 2012 and beat local attorney Brenee Orozco. Olivera is unopposed in November. Olivera is the only combat military veteran in Cumberland County’s district court system.

Former state legislator Cal Cunningham won Cumberland County in the statewide U.S. Senate Democratic primary, beating four other candidates. He faces first-term Senator Thom Tillis, R-NC, on Nov. 3. Incumbent Cumberland County commissioners.

Michael Boose and Jimmy Keefe won the Republican primary for the three District 2 seats up for election this year. Ron Ross won the third spot. They will face County Commission Chairman Marshall Faircloth and Democrats Karla Icaza De Austin and Toni Stewart in the general election. District 2 covers the eastern and southwestern sections of Cumberland County and is the so-called majority residential district. District 1 was created as a mostly minority district with two seats. The other two positions on the county board are elected at large.

Sixty-four-and-a-half percent of North Carolina’s eligible voters went to the polls. That is 13th best of the 50 states.   The highest voter turnout was in the state of Minnesota, where 74.10% of eligible residents voted in the presidential election. The state with the next highest voter turnout was New Hampshire, where over 71% of the eligible population showed up at the polls. Maine and Colorado were also at the top of the list for highest voter turnout. When it comes to the lowest voter turnout, Hawaii ranked last with a turnout of just 42.3%.

Everybody loves a good mystery!

Let me clue you in on a great way to spend a remarkable evening, or perhaps a Saturday or Sunday matinee, March 5-22. A sold-out house had a great time this past Thursday night at the Cape Fear Regional Theatre, from 7:30- 9 p.m., trying to solve a musical murder mystery. Inside, we were all warm, comfortable, giggly, awestruck and, at times, laughingly flabbergasted.

“Murder for Two,” directed by Laura Josepher and starring Trace Pool and Ben Miller, suited everyone’s sense of humor, from the youngest to the oldest person. Josepher and the CFRT creative team made sure the actors, script, props, set design, costumes and lighting set the perfect artistic tone.

Who would have thought that weather, murder, mystery, music and a cast of two could have pulled off this “whodunit” with such ease, comedy, endurance, enthusiasm, energy, grace and style?

The plot of this knee-slapping play takes place in a remote New England mansion and centers on a murder that happens during a birthday party. Trace Pool plays investigator Marcus Moscowitz, who is in charge of the case, and Ben Miller plays several different characters who are persons-of-interest for the murder. The suspects include the murder victim’s wife Dahlia, ballerina Barrette Lewis (my personal favorite), psychiatrist Dr. Griff, neighbors Murray and Barb Flandon, three young choir boys, and the mysterious “Perfect Partner” for investigator Moscowitz, who always abides by perfect protocol. Since there are both male and female suspects, Miller and Pool tested their entire physical, vocal and visual prowess to pull off very skillful and challenging performances.

 Watching Miller and Pool play off each other in such an easygoing, no-nonsense style was delightful. They seemed to be able to read each other’s minds, movements and mannerisms, which were essential to pulling the audience into their every line, every animation and every laugh. The audience was included in the set of the play and even participated in one scene.

When questioned about what they liked best and least, the audience said much the same “the ease, the professionalism, the antics, the singing, the piano playing were the best.” Least enjoyed, mentioned only by men, was “the mental concentration it took to stay in each moment,” but they admitted it was worth it in the end.

Writing this review was a first for me. Then it came to me that I do not usually agree with movie, song or play critics. For me, it is all about pure entertainment, what it makes me think or feel, what gives me joy and pleasure, what makes me sad or cry. So, for my first play review, I just went with what felt good to me and made me smile, and what I saw made others smile as well — and that, folks is entertainment.

Due to the spread of COVID-19, as a precaution, The Carolina Spring Show has been cancelled.

Spring arrives early in Fayetteville with the advent of The Carolina Spring Show and Miss Carolina Spring pageant March 14 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. at the Crown Ballroom. The budding event brings shopping, entertainment, food, fun, prizes and pageantry to chase the doldrums of winter away.

Women’s View Magazine, The Fayetteville Observer and Dream Girl Events proudly present the inaugural expo created by event co-owners and Fayetteville businesswomen Marie Rudolph and Donna Meixsell. Friends for over 20 years, the pair founded Dream Girl Events LLC in August 2019 to express their shared vision for the celebration, empowerment, personal growth and development of and for women.

The third in a series of events from the company this year, The Carolina Spring Show and Miss Carolina Spring pageant, is their hallmark happening and promises, according to Meixsell, “good, clean family fun and an event to make Fayetteville proud.”

Meixsell shared her goals for what she and Rudolph hope will become an annual occurrence.

“We’re inviting the best of Fayetteville and bringing the best to Fayetteville, all in one convenient location for a fabulous day of shopping with a variety of vendors for both men and women. The pageant will be going on throughout the day with onstage entertainment in between competitions for everyone’s viewing enjoyment. We encourage all to come out to support the community, local businesses and our young pageant contestants in what is shaping up as a phenomenal spring experience.”

The Carolina Spring Show has a great line-up of retail vendors, with the list growing daily.

Attendees can visit booths for wine tasting, clothing, jewelry, makeup, skincare, home decor, custom gifts, photography, designer jewelry, crafts and more.

Pageant purveyors will be on-site, featuring dresses, shoes and custom pageant apparel as well as bridal and formal attire. To bring on the bling, visit the custom costume jewelry booth of MHR Designs of Fayetteville, owned by Rudolph for the last 28 years. Uniquely hand designed with crystals from Swarovski® Crystal America, MHR pieces have been worn by TV personalities, local, state and national pageant contestants, as well as lovers of exquisite jewelry from all over.

Food choices include selections from Village Coffee House, Firehouse Subs, Rock of Ages Winery and food trucks. A man cave area will give male attendees a hangout space if they shop ‘til they drop. No fair, say you, females? No worries, anyone can crash in the cave.

The Carolina Spring Pageant takes center stage in the Crown Ballroom from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Categories include seven age groups: Baby Miss, birth-23 months; Wee Miss, 2-3 years; Tiny Miss, 4-6 years; Little Miss, 7-9 years; Young Miss, 10-12 years; Teen Miss, 13-15 years; and Miss, 16-19 years. Their age determines a contestant’s age group on the day of the pageant.

Picture 1:Donna Meixsell (left) and Marie Rudolph (right) founded Dream Girl Events, LLC in Aug. 2019 to express their shared vision for the celebration, empowerment, personal growth and development of and for women.

Contestants will be judged in a party or pageant dress of choice, in the categories of physical appearance, poise, stage presence and behavior. One winner from each age category will be crowned at the event, receiving a title, crown, trophy and swag bag of goodies.

Rudolph — MHR owner, designer and sponsor for the Miss North Carolina and Miss America Outstanding Teen pageants, and business partner Meixsell — a former Miss Fayetteville Dogwood, previous pageant system owner and teacher turned present-day senior sales director with MaryKay Cosmetics — are no strangers to the stage. Rather than buy a franchise, the pair decided to combine their talents and create a new pageant brand.

“Some people have the wrong perception of pageants due to TV and reality shows like “Toddlers and Tiaras,” explained Rudolph. “Such shows are not realistic and to the extreme. Meanwhile, other real pageants have had controversies. We want to show the positive side of the pageant world. We desire to help our contestants feel good about themselves and learn to compete in a good, healthy way, and having had a good experience and fun.”

“Pageants can be a great way to pay for college,” Meixsell continued. “The titles I earned helped me to pay my college costs, and I was not a girl who grew up doing pageants. It is important to us to help young women and girls become the best version of themselves possible.”

Between pageants, the fun continues with door prizes and local musicians and dance troupes providing onstage entertainment. Another highlight is the 50/50 raffle opportunity benefiting the nonprofit Fisher House Foundation, with tickets available for purchase at the event door.

Building homes where military and veterans families can stay free of charge while a loved one is in the hospital, FHF provides a hotel alternative and place of respite very close to the hospital or treatment facility. Located at military and Veterans Affairs medical centers around the world, the program saves military and veterans’ families time, money and stress during what is often the most stressful of situations: a health crisis. The Fisher House Foundation has saved military families an estimated $451 million in out of pocket costs for lodging and transportation to date.

“We are both military wives with husbands retired from service,” said Rudolph. “We feel a strong commitment to the military community and are happy to have this opportunity to support The Fisher House Foundation at Ft. Bragg.”

Previous projects for Dream Girl Events in the past year were the Friday Night Live Fantasy Fashion Show event and Shop ‘til You Drop Christmas Expo. The successful events return this year on Sept. 18 and Nov. 21, respectively.

For more information on The Carolina Spring Show and the Miss Carolina Spring Pageant, visit  https://www.dreamgirlevents.com/. Tickets are $6, available on the website or at the Crown box office. Event admission is free for patrons with military identification.

So, put the cold, wet winter days behind you and a spring in your step this March 14. Grab some friends and head to The Carolina Spring Show for a fun Saturday of shopping and supporting youth, local businesses and a great cause.

It’s taken Melode Dickerson nearly 14 months to get a Teen Community Emergency Response Team going in Cumberland County, but once things fell into place, the idea took off like a ballistic missile.

Dickerson, who has been active for years in the Cumberland Emergency Response Teamm program locally in Hope Mills, first trotted out the idea of involving teenagers in their own CERT program around December of 2018. For whatever reason, response was slow to the idea and Dickerson was never able to get it launched successfully.
Undaunted, she continued to promote the overall mission of CERT, which is devoted to training citizen volunteers in disaster preparedness and helping people in crisis situations. She continued her dream of introducing teenagers to the program. “We go everywhere,’’ she said of her mission to educate Cumberland County on what CERT is all about.

The Teen CERT idea got a huge boost when Dickerson was contacted by Moisbiell Alvarez, deputy chief of community preparedness for the Fayetteville Fire Department. Like Dickerson, Alvarez was interested in getting a Teen CERT program  organized.

“We had done a lot of stuff with them and they wanted to be involved,’’ Dickerson said of the Fayetteville Fire Department.

Dickerson was glad to welcome the assistance. “Cumberland County Emergency Management is still our sponsor,’’ Dickerson said, “but we are supported by the Fayetteville Fire Department.’’

This past weekend, the first class of teen volunteers for the CERT program underwent training during a weekendlong series of classes held at Fayetteville Fire Station 12 at 307 Hope Mills Road.

Only 24 people can attend a class because of space limitations at the station. Originally, Dickerson had a full complement of 24 students, but only 21 were able to attend the initial weekend of classes. The class sessions were from 6-10 p.m. on Friday and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

Dickerson said the basic message of the classes is how to be prepared and how to help lend assistance to victims in a variety of disaster situations.

“They learn basic medical and how to put out a small fire,’’ Dickerson said. They got hands-on training in the firefighting role by putting out small controlled fires set in the fire station parking lot.

The training goes far behind first aid and firefighting, Dickerson said. There are sections on dealing with basic terrorism. A new session includes how to react to reports of an active shooter. There is also basic search and rescue training.

In addition to getting valuable training that they can use as a life skill, Dickerson said taking part in Teen CERT training can help the students earn volunteer hours for any number of projects that may be required by various school-related clubs and other organizations.

Once they complete the training, students receive a certificate recognizing what they’ve accomplished. The state of North Carolina keeps a record of the number of volunteers trained, Dickerson said.

Marc Baker Jr., a freshman at Pine Forest High School, was one of the participants in the first Teen CERT graduating class.

A member of the band at Pine Forest, Baker said he decided to get involved with Teen CERT because he wanted to do something to benefit the community.
“First aid is something I want to get into,’’ Baker said. “I feel it’s important because we need future doctors, future first responders.

“I feel like this class could really put us on the course for that.’’

Currently, Dickerson said she’s recruiting students in grades 9-12 for work with Teen CERT. She already has a class scheduled for a group of Girl Scouts.

The next open training session for Teen CERT is scheduled for June 12-14. There is already a waiting list for that class. Dickerson suggests any teens that are interested should apply as quickly as possible to capefearcert@gmail.com.

Students themselves can submit the application but parents are also invited to make applications for their children if they are interested in
the program.

The email should include the applicant’s name, address and phone number, so they can be registered.

For people who can’t commit to coming to training sessions on a Saturday and Sunday, Dickerson said she could work with interested groups of teen volunteers and work out an alternate date for the class if there is a large enough group interested in attending. Contact Dickerson at the same email address if interested.

Dickerson said she welcomes contact from churches or adults as well as teens to hold special class sessions for CERT or Teen CERT if enough people are interested.
She also does presentations on the basic mission of CERT, but since the Teen CERT program has taken off her time has been monopolized in coordinating the sessions associated with that program.

“We do have a presentation we can show that we have put together,’’ she said. “Maybe after this class, things will be a little slower.’’

We have come to a point in America where the overwhelming majority of politicians will say whatever they conclude will get them elected. The responsibility for this condition is not limited to politicians. Much of the blame rests with citizens.

A Google search for malleable yields this definition: “(of a metal or other material) able to be hammered or pressed permanently out of shape without breaking or cracking.” That is a reasonable characterization of the vast majority of American politicians. There are some exceptions, but they are few and far between. A prime example of how this malleable condition plays out with American politicians shows through in Mike Bloomberg’s response to outrage regarding his support for stop-and-frisk during his three terms as mayor of New York (2002-2013).

A Google search for “Stop-and-Frisk New York” gives this information: “‘Stop, question and frisk’ is an NYPD policy wherein police will detain and question pedestrians, and potentially search them, if they have a ‘reasonable suspicion’ that the pedestrian in question ‘committed, is committing, or is about to commit a felony or a Penal Law misdemeanor.’” This policy was substantially employed by New York police during the time that Rudy Giuliani was mayor of the city (1994-2001). Crime in the city had started a very noticeable decline, beginning in 1991. The decline escalated during the Giuliani era. In great part, he credited stop-and-frisk for that decline. There are those who adamantly disagree with Giuliani’s assessment.

Giuliani was mayor throughout most of the 1990s and the following is from an article titled, “What Reduced Crime in New York City”, on the National Bureau of Economic Research website:

During the 1990s, crime rates in New York City dropped dramatically, even more than in the United States as a whole. Violent crime declined by more than 56 percent in the City, compared to about 28 percent in the nation as whole. Property crimes tumbled by about 65 percent, but fell only 26 percent nationally.

Bloomberg followed Giuliani as mayor and continued the policy over the course of his 12 years. Crime rates kept falling. However, many more stops were made on an annual basis than had been the case under Giuliani. This from an article titled “Stop and frisk gets renewed attention in Bloomberg candidacy’” by Regina Garcia Cano and Jennifer Peltz, appearing February 16, 2020:

The New York Police Department began increasing its emphasis on stop and frisk in the mid-1990s, when Republican Rudy Giuliani was mayor. But stops soared under Bloomberg – who held office as a Republican and later an independent — rising from about 97,000 stops in 2002 to a high of about 685,000 in 2011. There were fewer than 13,500 stops last year, according to NYPD data.

Over 80% of the people stopped during the surge of stop and frisk were black or Latino.

The surge in stops under Bloomberg, and the continued high percentage of those stopped being black or Latino, generated strong opposition to the program. Recognizing the depth of opposition, when Bloomberg was moving toward announcing his run for the presidency, he started apologizing for his support of stop-and-frisk. His first stop was a predominately African American mega church in Brooklyn, New York. This from an article by Devan Cole and Cristina Alesci titled “‘I was wrong’: Bloomberg sorry for ‘Stop and Frisk’ in about-face apology ahead of potential presidential bid”:

“Now hindsight is 20/20. But as crime continued to come down as we reduced stops and as it continued to come down during the next administration to its credit, I now see that we could and should have acted sooner. And acted faster to cut the stops. I wish we had. And I’m sorry that we didn’t,” Bloomberg said.

“But I can’t change history, however today I want you to know that I realize back then I was wrong and I’m sorry.”

In the months since his apology before that congregation, Bloomberg has repeatedly apologized in several settings. The fact of life is that, to be elected president, any Democrat will need to substantially win the black vote in the primaries and general election. Given the impact of stop-and-frisk on blacks, Bloomberg needs to separate from his 12 year full-throated support of the program. That full-throated support shows through in a recently released recording of Bloomberg talking about the why and how of it. This from an article by Julia Musto titled “Trump: Bloomberg’s ‘stop and frisk’ policy sparked a ‘revolution’ in NYC, Giuliani was a ‘far better’ mayor”:

“Ninety-five percent of murders- murderers and murder victims fit one M.O. You can just take a description, Xerox it, and pass it out to all the cops,” he said. “They are male, minorities, 16-25. That’s true in New York, that’s true in virtually every city (inaudible). And that’s where the real crime is. You’ve got to get the guns out of the hands of people that are getting killed.”

Bloomberg also said urban crime-fighting required cities to “spend the money” and “put a lot of cops in the streets,” particularly in “minority neighborhoods,” where he said the crime is. He also acknowledged the “unintended consequences” of the policy.

“So one of the unintended consequences is people say, ‘Oh my God, you are arresting kids for marijuana that are all minorities.’ Yes, that’s true. Why? Because we put all the cops in minority neighborhoods,” Bloomberg is heard saying on the recording. “Yes, that’s true. Why do we do it? Because that’s where all the crime is. And the way you get the guns out of the kids’ hands is to throw them up against the wall and frisk them... And then they start... ‘Oh I don’t want to get caught.’ So they don’t bring the gun. They still have a gun, but they leave it at home.”

I would contend that the quote above reflects Bloomberg’s strongly held position regarding stop-and-frisk. However, now that he is running for president, he proves malleable and does what the vast majority of politicians do; abandons a strongly held position even when there is a reasonable argument for the position that is being abandoned. Without doubt, the way Bloomberg said what is reported above is inflammatory, offensive, and deserving of a bunch of other negative labels. However, there is some sense to be made of his core points.

Let the record be clear: I cannot think of a scenario where I would vote for Bloomberg for any office…definitely not for president of this country. The challenge is to put that aside and honestly consider the facts of what he says: Crime is highest in minority neighborhoods; police should be more concentrated in high crime areas; male minorities commit crimes at an alarming rate; crime in New York did decrease substantially with stop-and-frisk in place; the possibility of unintended consequences should not automatically prevent taking an action.

Faced with an election-threatening public response, most politicians do what Bloomberg is doing regarding stop-and-frisk. They give in to the public will; no matter that there is substance and reason in the politician’s position regarding an issue. The public’s contribution to this response from politicians is that, in general, Americans no longer deal well with hearing and processing any truth that does not fit with their desires or personal self-interest. That’s why we have deficits and debt out of control, a Social Security System going broke, a health care system in shambles, illegal immigration flourishing, a Congress that is impotent…and that is just for starters.

We better find a lot more politicians with common sense and a backbone; while we, at the same time, find what it takes to deal with uncomfortable truth.

The city of Fayetteville’s Economic and Community Development Department has an idea to encourage residents to get involved in local government. Community Voices is a training program designed to empower residents to become leaders in their communities. The program is cosponsored by North Carolina A&T State University’s Cooperative Extension Program and N.C. State University’s cooperative extension program. The local program takes place Thursday, March 26, from 6-8 p.m. at the Arts Council headquarters on Hay Street.

Participants will learn how a group can make a difference working together and how to connect to resources that can help reach a shared vision. They will also learn about systematic problem-solving methods to help address community issues and needs. The city says the project is an effort to help community citizens come together to build the future for their families and the community. The main goal is to develop skilled groups of leaders who can work together, problem solve and work as partners with resource people to carry out initiatives that will meet the needs and concerns of their community.

Fayetteville City Councilwoman Tisha Waddell has become an advocate for citizens working together, often imploring residents who attend council meetings to get involved. Her vision as shown in her official biography “is one of inclusion for all citizens, working together toward safe, productive neighborhoods with support resources for both seniors and youth alike.”

City council and county commission members will concede nothing gets their collective attention more than groups of residents who turn out at official meetings to advocate for their neighborhoods.

A recent controversy over a proposed prison inmate re-entry halfway house resulted in several dozen citizens showing up at a public meeting objecting to the plan. Observers believed city officials would table the proposal because of the public concern. Surprisingly, the city council decided to deny the project. The Community Voices concept is not a new one, but it is new to the Fayetteville area. It is designed to develop leaders at the grassroots level by encouraging uninvolved citizens and organizations to develop skills to solve problems in their communities. Participants can expect to develop an underlying philosophy and belief that the group can make a difference if members work together and have a shared vision of what they want to achieve as a group.

Participants will learn about systematic problem-solving methods to help members address community issues and needs and develop an organizational structure to continue working on the group vision. They will develop skills to structure group organizations to continue working together as a community on the municipal and county levels after the training is completed. They will engage in a series of learning experiences and then analyze those experiences to see how they apply to life situations. Community Voices and its companion program, Voices Reaching Vision, were created by Cooperative Extension at N.C. A&T with a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

There is nothing I like better than a good mystery. A “whodunit” novel, a thrilling Lifetime TV movie, a Hallmark movie mystery, or an Angela Lansbury “Murder She Wrote” storyline will tantalize most anyone’s taste buds. And who doesn’t love to laugh and have fun along my life’s way? “Murder for Two,” an off-Broadway hit, has come to Cape Fear Regional Theatre, March 5-22. This play offers everything to everyone. Music, mystery, laughter and fun are just a few of the things awaiting audiences. There will also be a surprise or two, promising to enhance your theater experience. Previewed in New York in 2013 and later in Houston, Texas, this music and mystery collaboration was authored by Joe Kinosian who wrote the book and music and Kellen Blair who wrote the book and lyrics.

Usually, the characteristics of any good mystery include “who,” “what,” “when” and “where” to create the storyline. The New York and Houston productions are important to note because they brought together two incredible musicians and actors by the name of Trace Pool and Ben Miller — the who of our production. Recently, I had the pleasure of meeting these polished and experienced actors who are handsome, delightful, yet unassuming as they describe the challenging roles they will soon recreate onstage at CFRT. Pool and Miller take their roles seriously and see them as an empowering way to stretch their creativity.

However, Pool balances his role well when he describes it as “zany acting while playing other crazy antics at the same time.”

Miler balances his thoughts about his role in much the same way while looking at it as “an Agatha Christie meets the Marx Brothers spoof.”

One of these guys will play the investigator and one plays the other 13 roles. Both will play the piano while acting as well.

New Yorker Laura Josepher, the director, is the “what” of this rib-tickling musical mystery and has the experience, fun and flexible personality that will blend together the actors’ talents, the storyline, the music, the staging and the set costuming that it will take to orchestrate and present this new and innovative style of theater to Fayetteville.
This 90 minutes of fast-paced comedy is designed to put a smile on the face of all those who attend. The When of “Murder for Two” runs March 5-22, with special events March 5, Wine & Beer Tasting; March 6, Clue Night; March 7, Opening Night Reception; and March 12, Dueling Pianos, with all times from 6:45 – 7:15 p.m.
The “where” of this madcap adventure will be the Cape Fear Regional Theatre, 1209 Hay Street, Fayetteville. 

 Rape Crisis of Cumberland County presents the 10th annual “Walk Awhile in Her Shoes” event Friday, March 13, at 7 p.m. at The Capitol Building on Hay Street in downtown Fayetteville.

 “This is the 10th year of our fundraising event, and the purpose is to bring awareness to sexual assault in our community,” said Deanne Gerdes, executive director of Rape Crisis of Cumberland County. 

“There will be men standing up against sexual assault, and we have lots of victims who will be out there witnessing it. That is huge for us.”

Rape Crisis of Cumberland County is an invaluable resource for victims of domestic violence. “Last year we had 672 victims of sexual assault in Cumberland County, and we provide services from a crisis hotline, responding to the emergency room, responding to law enforcement and going to court,” said Gerdes. “If the victim chooses not to report anything, we will support that decision as well.”

 Gerdes added the organization hosts support groups and provides individual counseling and lots of other resources. All of their services are free, and they are not contingent of this report. “A big reason why we are so confidential is because active duty soldiers who choose not to get services on Fort Bragg can come down here,” said Gerdes. “We don’t charge any insurance companies, to include Tricare, and we do that specifically to keep them 100% confidential so that they are comfortable and there is no paper trail.”

 Another important role that Rape Crisis of Cumberland County has is to assist with sexual assault cold cases. “We do cold cases, too, so we are part of the Fayetteville Police Department’s cold case unit,” said Gerdes. “We have an advocate that handles all of our backlog issues that we had in Cumberland County and we have an advocate that advocates for those victims as well.

 “We are part of the SAKI grant and we make the notifications to the victim about the status of their rape kit,” said Gerdes. “It could be tested, some of them were disposed of years ago, there may be a DNA match. … It just depends what that rape kit looks like.”

Walk Awhile in Her Shoes is a couple of blocks and will begin at The Capitol Building and end at Segra Stadium. Men will wear red, high-heeled shoes as they walk. It’s a light-hearted way to make a positive impact for a serious cause.

Participants can rent shoes from Rape Crisis, but they are not required to participate. “We actually do have a high heel shoe up to size 15 for men to wear, but we also have men who support the event and don’t wear the high heels, and we are fine with that,” said Gerdes. “God bless our military with their bad knees and their bad backs and someone like that who is uncomfortable. We appreciate their efforts of walking in the event,” said Gerdes.

 Gerdes recommends preregistering to make sure they have the man’s shoe size on hand. “We sure would like to see Bill Bowman in some red high heels on this 10th Anniversary fundraiser,” said Gerdes.

 Registration begins at 6 p.m. The cost is $25. For more information call 910-485-7273.