I added a new table to the WCLN studios. Nothing fancy. It was crafted from rough and flawed pieces of walnut boards I picked up somewhere.

I decided to leave many flaws untouched and even finish it with raw steel hairpin legs as a nod to my oldest son – an artist whose chosen media was metal before passing not long ago. Seeing the table each day has caused to me think about what craftsmanship means to me in the first place.

Like many people I know, my life is busy. My calendar would be full of gatherings of all shape and form if I dared to keep one. In fact, not acting surprised when I'm reminded of a birthday, anniversary, dance recital or social gathering I should have remembered is something I've developed into almost an art form. And as much as my wife and I are able to participate, we do. But I love to retreat, too.

More often than not, a retreat for me doesn't mean a getaway to the beach or the beautiful North Carolina mountains. Instead, it's more likely to involve an invitation for the family dog to join me on the short walk to the workshop behind our house.

In that calm respite from the busyness of daily life, I create things. Sometimes I work in the quiet with just my thoughts, and other times I'll turn the music up to drown them out. I work with a number of materials, but wood is easily my favorite medium.

The wood in my shop is comprised largely of castoffs. From exotic hardwoods to common lumber, I gather small or otherwise insignificant pieces from industries which see no need for them. To others they are scraps, but to me, each piece is nothing less than a treasure.

More than a hobby, woodworking has become a reflection of the life I've been given to live.

Occasionally I'll make something on commission, but rarely sell what I create. The whole idea changes the game.

Woodworking is about seeing the individual beauty and usefulness of each piece of wood — large or small — and starting a process of preserving, preparing and giving that piece a new purpose. In short, it's about redemption.

Without the grace and redemption I found in Jesus Christ, my life would be nothing. I was probably considered a castoff by many when Jesus found me, but He saw something useful and has been preparing and preserving me since 1981, and even in the times when I feel I have nothing to offer, He assures me there is a greater purpose for my life. For every life.

It's difficult to convey all of that when I offer someone a simple gift made from those redeemed pieces of wood. But each item I place in someone's hands is more than an object to me.

It's the fruit of many labors. No item is perfect, and each one is absolutely unique. Just like
you are.

In honor of Earth Day 2021, many local environmentally conscious organizations are making efforts to help the environment in April as well as year-round. Earth Day, celebrated mid-April each year, was first observed in 1970. The movement’s mission focuses on diversifying, educating and activating environmental movements across the world.

Fayetteville Beautiful, a city-wide clean up drive organized on April 17, by the City of Fayetteville, Fayetteville Beautiful, Cumberland County and Sustainable Sandhills targeted issues like litter prevention, beautification and waste reduction. Volunteers cleaned up litter across various marked points in the city from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Sustainable Sandhills is a non-profit serving Fayetteville and the nine surrounding counties creating resilient environmental, economic and social resources for current and future generations.

“Sustainability is the ability of a system to continue functioning without compromising or depleting components it needs to function,” said Dr. Iman Moore, Department Chairman, Environmental and Occupational Management at Methodist University. “The concept of sustainability is important because it will improve overall living conditions which leads to improved health.”

Anti-litter campaign “5 for Friday” was launched by the city along with Cumberland County Solid Waste and Sustainable Sandhills on Feb. 26 of this year, Jonelle Kimbrough, Executive Director of Sustainable Sandhills, said.

The initiative aims to encourage the community to reduce litter in the city by having people pick up five pieces of trash and recyclable materials every Friday. Solid Waste picked up about 84 tons of litter and dumped waste in 2020.

The organizers are requesting people to post pictures on social media picking up litter and using the hashtags #5forFriday and #StantheCan to spread awareness about the initiative.

According to their website, if 25 percent of the county’s population picked up about five pieces of trash on Fridays, it would equal 21 million pieces of litter removed in communities countywide.

For more information on these campaigns, visit fayettevillebeautiful.com and 5forfriday.org
In the long-term, sustainability will protect the health and well-being of future generations, Dr. Moore said.

Another event, a virtual Earth Day Challenge, has participants running throughout the month of April to raise awareness and earn an Earth Day t-shirt and eco-friendly stainless steel straw, she said.

Dr. Moore highlighted the works of many students and organizations at Methodist University in regards to sustainability like the project by an ENM student that led to elimination of drinking straws in campus dining. ENM students also participate in local events such as the E-waste event hosted by Sustainable Sandhills.

“Such events serve as an opportunity for them to make the connection from textbook to real life with minimal effort,” she said. “Later this spring and summer, students will have an opportunity to assist several large energy companies in conducting energy assessments on campus.”

Denise Renfro, science teacher at Douglas Byrd High School, leads the school’s four-year Career Technical Education program focused on renewable energy and sustainability. Students in the program start with learning about sustainability, fossil fuels, different sources of energy and climate change before eventually learning electrical wiring to prepare solar panels. They finish their senior year learning how to install solar panels at FTCC, Renfro said.

Fayetteville State University’s Green Team organized Earth Week from April 19 to April 23 for students, staff and faculty to learn and support environment protection initiatives, Phavadee Phasavath, FSU’s Sustainability Coordinator, said.

The Earth Week events include a documentary to educate people on the impact of their behavior on the environment, campus cleanup, bingo-trivia to spread awareness on climate change, and an event to plant trees and flowers around campus. There will also be a picnic.

Phasavath said her main roles include advising the university on energy management, sustainability and advising the Green Team.
It's not only to save and reduce the carbon footprint but also to save money. The main role is to make sure we are still meeting our goal of reducing the carbon footprint,” Phasavath said. “Earth Day isn’t just one day, you know, it’s everyday.”

In a recent study that the Green Team conducted, by anonymously presenting participants with 5 different water choices - four bottled brands and one tap water - the end consensus resulted in people preferring tap water over bottled water, she said.

“So why would we waste our money and create plastic pollution when we have free accessible tap water at home?” Phasavath asked.

Some tips to be more environmentally conscious are to reduce, reuse, recycle in order to decrease our impact on the environment. Another simple thing to do to help conserve energy is to turn off lights or shut down your computer when you leave a room or office, she said.

“Improved overall conditions for all facets of the ecosystem, improved quality of life in terms of mortality, diseases, etc.,” Dr. Moore said.

You don't want to miss out on the 21st Annual Toast of the Town Wine, Beer, & Spirits Tasting and Silent Auction. A signature fundraiser for The CARE Clinic of Fayetteville, the event arrives May 6 at the Cape Fear Botanical Garden at 536 N Eastern Blvd. from 6-10 p.m. Food, fun and a good cause await.

Come out for a night out in the beautiful gardens enjoying an assortment of finger foods and desserts served by Elite Catering. Wine Café will have various wines to explore, while specialty spirits will be provided by Durham Distillery and Lizard Lick Brewery and Distillery. Local brewing companies Bright Light and Mash House will be in attendance delivering hometown hops, too. The popular silent auction includes trips to destinations not offered in the past Key West, Canadian Rockies, Sedona Iceland and more.

A wide range of fun-themed baskets will also be available for bidding during the silent auction, including Escapology Party for 8, The Goddess Basket, The Best Mom Ever Basket, Flowers for a Year, Paint for a Cause Board and Brush, Stud Muffin Basket, Rugged Outdoor Basket, Happy Humidor Basket, Family Fun Basket, Kids' Basket and more.

Event proceeds benefit The CARE Clinic, a private nonprofit organization that provides free basic medical care and dental extraction services for eligible uninsured, low-income adults living in Cumberland County and surrounding areas. Located at 239 Robeson Street, the clinic opened its doors to the community Nov. 16, 1993.

The clinic receives no government funding and relies solely on donations, grants and annual fundraising events like The Toast of the Town to provide health care services to the community. Additionally, CARE Clinic patients have assisted in their care by donating more than $306,863 since its founding.

The clinic serves approximately 1500 patients a year and handles 734,000 prescriptions. Since its inception, The CARE clinic has helped some 37,500 patients with service demands rising sharply during the pandemic.

The 501c3 entity could not operate without the gift of time provided by volunteer staff: doctors, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, dentists, dental assistants, nurses, pharmacy assistants, chiropractors, social workers, nutritionists, physical therapists and orthopedists. These health care professionals treat patients with the compassion and care they deserve. The clinic also relies on our numerous nonclinical staff who assist The CARE clinic's small staff in performing the tasks needed while also serving on the clinic board and various committees.

Volunteers are vital at The CARE Clinic, and both medical and nonmedical opportunities abound. When it comes time for fundraising events like Toast of the Town, community volunteers take center stage through sponsorship, prize donations and event planning. Other fundraising events include the winter Evening of CARE dinners, now in its 24th year, and a fall Golf Charity tournament.

The Toast of the Town has gone through many transformations in its 21 years. The first Toast of the Town was held in Saint Patrick's Catholic Church in 2000. With a smaller variety of wines, food, water and entertainment, the clinic fundraiser netted $4,000 that first year. Within the past two decades, The CARE Clinic has found overwhelming support from sponsors and community members to provide a night ensuring enjoyment. With this support, the event has raised eight times the original event each year since. The CARE Clinic couldn't achieve these goals without those in attendance. Starting with only 86 participants, the signature event now boasts 350-400 people annually.

Precautions concerning COVID-19 have become a priority over the last year. Due to the extent of the pandemic, the clinic did not host a live Toast of the Town in 2020. CARE clinic staff and supporters are excited to see event-goers in person this year.

The health and safety of attendees to this year's Toast of the Town are of high consideration. Event vendors will set up on the CFBG lawn to allow space for social distancing. This distancing extends indoors with seating options and at silent auction tables ― touch-free this year via item QR codes. For those not comfortable attending the live event, online participation for auction bidding is an option. For those who do choose to attend, masks will be provided at the door.

Support is needed each year to make the Taste of the Town a success. To become a corporate sponsor, silent auction item donor, or your name added to the invitation list for next year's event, please contact Monica at The CARE Clinic at 910-485-0555 development@thecareclinic.org.

Tickets can be ordered at https://www.toastofthetownfay.com/ and are $75 per person in advance and $100 at the door. Find event details and virtual participation options by visiting https://www.thecareclinic.org/.

Mark your calendars for May 6 for the Toast of the Town event. Enjoy good food and a variety of tasty beverages while contributing to the community.

CARE Clinic patient information:

To be eligible for The CARE Clinic's services, you must be 18 years or older; have no insurance, including Medicaid; meet an income requirement; and display proof of household income and a valid, North Carolina DMV-issued picture ID card or driver's license showing your current address.

Call 910-485-0555 to make an appointment. Appointments are made only by phone; no walk-ins. Medical appointments can be made Monday- Thursday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dental appointments can be made Friday from 9 a.m. to noon for the following week.

The clinic serves patients each Tuesday and Thursday and the second and fourth Wednesday of each month from 5:30-8:30 p.m. Dental clinics are every Tuesday and the second and fourth Wednesday of each month. Appointments are made on a space-available basis.

Based on national best practice and research, the Child Advocacy Center was founded in 1993 by a group of concerned local professionals seeking to coordinate services provided to child abuse victims and their families. The CAC provides a safe and child-friendly environment where professionals from community agencies come together to interview, investigate and to provide support for abused children and their families.

This results in a collaborative approach of professionals from Child Protective Services, the District Attorney’s office, law enforcement, Guardian ad Litem, Military Family Services, social workers, victim advocates as well as medical and mental health professionals to provide a coordinated, comprehensive response to victims and their caregivers.

By having a collaborative approach, the CAC reduces the number of interviews for child victims of abuse by providing specially trained professionals to conduct forensic interviews in a centralized location. National research has determined that this type of coordinated approach can help alleviate trauma for children, increase the prosecution rate of perpetrators, and be fiscally beneficial to the community.

In fiscal year 2020, the CAC served 876 children and their non-offending family members and saved the community an estimated $700,000 through its multi-disciplinary team approach. In addition, the Child Advocacy Center provides education to the public and professionals on preventing, detecting and reporting child abuse.

Unfortunately, the center has seen an increase in the need for services while at the same time being financially affected by not being able to host their two signature fundraising events during the pandemic in 2020 — the Fayetteville Ultimate Lip Sync Show Down and the Pinwheel Masquerade Ball & Auction.

As many students have returned back to school in person, we anticipate an even higher increase in the number of cases reported to the CAC. Now more than ever, we need your support.

The Child Advocacy Center is a local 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization funded through the generosity of corporate, state, organization and foundation grants; corporate and individual donations; in-kind contributions; and event sponsorships. There is no charge for services provided to child victims of abuse referred to the CAC.

Thankfully, the Child Advocacy Center was recently granted a $10,000 “All or Nothing” challenge grant from the Simply East Anonymous Trust Challenge Grant.

The challenge grant is for $10,000; however, the challenge is that we must raise at least $10,000 in order to receive the matching grant from Anonymous Trust. If we do not meet the $10,000 in donations, we will not receive the matching challenge grant. The purpose of this grant is to raise funds from new donors, increased gifts from individuals, corporations, foundations and churches.

The Challenge Grant will run through July 31, 2021. Donors may participate as a new donor or an existing donor. Every dollar that is raised will be matched. New donor donations and existing donors, who increase their giving from the year before, will be matched dollar to dollar. This is another way you can be a part of supporting the work of the CAC in our community.

There are also additional ways that you can donate to the CAC, such as through our beautiful Tribute Murals.

Tribute Murals offer a unique way to celebrate, honor or remember special people and occasions.

Currently we have The Giving Tree Leaves Mural and/or the Twinkle, Twinkle Little Stars Mural. You may make a donation for the children served by the CAC and have your gift recognized as part of our beautiful tribute murals. The murals were created by local artist Cornell Jones, and they are on the walls of the reception area and the board/conference room.

While April is nationally recognized as Child Abuse Prevention Month, we know that the mission and vision of our work continues throughout the year and as such, communities are encouraged to increase awareness about child and family well-being, and to work together to implement effective strategies that support families and prevent child abuse and neglect.

To make a donation or to learn more about how you can become involved, please visit CACFayNC.org. We sincerely appreciate your support.

On April 16, about 50 protestors walked around the Market House chanting “no justice, no peace, no racist police,” and “hands up, don’t shoot.” Protesters carried signs and recited the names of Black people killed by police. The event, planned before the City Council voted Thursday to repurpose the Market House, seemed to galvanize the downtown landmark as a hub to assemble and air grievances about continued discrimination against people of color.

The protest had little to do with the historic landmark itself, but rather recognized the Market House as evidence of what organizers call a lack of action by Fayetteville city leaders.

Friday’s protest was in response to the most recent death of a Black man — Duante Wright — in police custody, but one organizer said it was also to point out that local leaders have either not accomplished much in the last year, or have not been transparent with the public about what they’ve done since last May when rioters rallied at the Market House before damaging store fronts downtown and in the Cross Creek Mall area following the death of George Floyd.

“A year later and nothing has been done,” said Bishop McNeill, one of the organizers for the protest. He said continued protests are planned for every Friday through May. McNeill said he and like-minded citizens will gather at the corner of Hay and Green Streets at 6 p.m. to “bring awareness about needed police reforms that were promised by our officials.”

McNeill called for city officials to make public what police reforms have been enacted since
last year.

“If something like that happens here, we want to make sure police officers are held accountable,” McNeill said referencing the deaths of George Floyd and Duante Wright.

Protesters are calling for city officials to present information to the public about any on-going efforts in police reform and the formation and progress of a Citizens Review Board. In early March, City Council voted to give a CRB the power to look into police personnel records when reviewing disciplinary cases. Few details have been released on a CRB or on the differences in authority between a review board and an advisory board.

Citizens want officials to make those details known, McNeill said. His comments echo a growing concern that city leaders are either acting too slowly or are not proactively informing the public of what actions are being taken.

Up & Coming Weekly reached out to Fayetteville Mayor Mitch Colvin following Friday’s protest, asking for comment on McNeill’s call for transparency. Colvin’s emailed response is printed in full on page 10 of this issue.

McNeill said these Friday “marches for social justice” will address “police reform, Black and brown issues, immigration and Asian discrimination.” He hopes the events will gain public and media attention to ask city leaders “where are we at?” on reform, and on combatting racism and discrimination.

Speakers will be planned for the events, but there will also be opportunities for citizens to address the crowd, as was the case with the April 16 event. One woman participating in the march asked for the loudspeaker and told the crowd that “racism is systemic, but we have to be introspective … what are you doing at your house… to grow, learn and be better?”

At least two participants were openly carrying firearms.

A man who identified himself only as “Rell” was carrying the civilian version of the M4 rifle used by many U.S. Army soldiers in combat. Without alteration, the civilian version is capable of only one round per trigger squeeze, not three-round-bursts or fully auto like the military version. Rell was also carrying a pistol.

Rell said he was “not here to impose fear on anyone” but to make sure nobody broke windows, vandalized and blamed it on protestors.

“It’s our Constitutional right to bear arms,” Rell said. “I’m trained on it, and I also have a concealed carry [license].” Rell said he was a military veteran.

“The police have a lot going on,” he said. “We are here to police up our own so it can be a peaceful demonstration.”

The April 16 event was peaceful, as most protests in Fayetteville have been, McNeill said.

“I don’t want people to be afraid, there’s a lot of fear-mongering … meant to further divide us,” he said. McNeill said he understands that many people are concerned about a protest turning into a riot.

“If you do not want to participate in a demonstration, contact city officials and ask them where they stand, ask them to make a statement,” he said.

At least one local business owner came out to speak with McNeill. “Protests are good as long as they are peaceful,” said Hank Parfitt, owner of a shop on Hay Street. “You should be able to protest.”

Others not directly participating in the event showed support with shouts of encouragement to speakers and honking car horns as they drove around the Market House.

EDITOR’S UPDATE:
Fayetteville Police Chief Gina V. Hawkins provided the following statement via email, which arrived after the April 21, 2021 issue of Up & Coming Weekly went to press.

“The Fayetteville Police Department maintains the Gold Standard CALEA (Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies) accreditation. This is a very strenuous process to become accredited, and it holds agencies to a very high standard (and it is also voluntary).

Our policy and procedure manual is open to the public and is viewable at any time on our website. You can see that our policies and procedures go above what was being requested over the past year. I must note however, the duty to intervene was being taught in our academy/training center, but was added as a written policy last year. Our department continues to attend annual biased based policing and de-escalation training.

Some of the other demands being sought must be approved through proper legislation, such as Citizen Review Board; which is currently pending in the legislative process. Our Mayor and City Council continue to work on this aspect as demonstrated by passing a Council Resolution that included support for a citizen review board on June 22, 2020. This is a process that takes proper research, planning, and discussions.

Mayor Colvin has established two separate City Council Committees last summer to internally examine our City organization as it relates to diversity, equity, and inclusion principles and efforts to determine if obstacles to opportunities exist; and externally to identify areas that will improve the equitable opportunity for all residents to succeed - regardless of their race, color, sex, nationality, sexual orientation, religion, disability, income or zip code as well as engage the residents in dialogue about local issues.

During the March 1, 2021 work session, a motion was passed to formally establish a citizen advisory board (separate entity from the Citizen Review Board that is pending proper legislation). The Council has directed staff to stand up the board in 4 months by July 1st.

As you can see, much work has been going on in by both the Police Department and our City Council leaders. As a reminder all of our policies and procedures can be found on our website: faypd.com.”

For nearly 200 years the historic Market House has been the focal point of downtown Fayetteville. Its very existence has been an irritant for many African Americans. Its presence has been an object of public debate for many years. On April 15, City Council decided not to tear the building down or move it out of downtown, which would be virtually impossible because of its architecture.

Council voted 9-1 to repurpose the landmark. Local architects suggested turning it into an art exhibit, making it into a place that displays Fayetteville history with a focus on Black contributors, making it into a marketplace for strictly Black vendors or using it to create an event space. That decision has yet to be made.

The Market House was built in 1832 on the site of the old State House, which had been where North Carolina delegates ratified the U.S. Constitution. But the state house was destroyed in the Great Fire
of 1831.

The Market House is one of only 50 National Landmarks in North Carolina. Architecturally unique, the structure is one of the few in America to use the town hall - market scheme found in England. Household goods were sold beneath the building, while the second floor was utilized originally as the town hall.

Occasionally enslaved people were sold at or near the Market House. The vast majority of the slaves were sold as a result of indebtedness or estate liquidation. Unlike New Orleans, Richmond and Charleston, S.C. North Carolina cities were not slave markets.

On April 16, a small group of demonstrators took up a position at Market Square in response to what they called “the persistent injustice facing Black lives.” The group, mostly young, staged the protest which drew some support from passing motorists. Several police squad cars patrolled the vicinity for an hour before the five o’clock session began. The group said members intend to hold similar demonstrations every Friday evening in May.

The Cumberland County administration closed government buildings in the downtown Fayetteville area at 4 p.m. “to allow employees to leave the area prior to potential protest activities,” as stated in a news release.

The news release stated all of the county's government buildings downtown, including the courthouse, board of elections office and headquarters library would close early. City administrative staff members were sent home at 4:30, according to a city spokeswoman.

In 1989, Fayetteville City Council commissioned a plaque to be attached to the exterior of the Market House where it still stands.

It reads in part: “In memory and honor of those indomitable people who were stripped of their dignity when sold as slaves at this place. Their courage at that time was a proud heritage of all times. They endured the past so the future could be won for freedom and justice.”

Following a protest downtown Friday, April 16, Up & Coming Weekly asked Fayetteville Mayor Mitch Colvin to respond to claims that little has been done in the last year to address discrimination and local policing practices. Mayor Colvin's response is printed below.

As millions of people across our nation grapple with the loss of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and countless others at the hands of injustice, the call to stand together as a community grows louder. The tragedies we have all witnessed across this nation are heartbreaking, and we must find a way to bring meaningful change. Meaningful change calls for unity, and unity takes work.

Whether you serve as a teacher in our community, elected official, health care professional, small business owner or union worker, I encourage you to consider how you can help our community unify in your everyday work. As we listen to the call for equal justice, both in our community and in our nation, I encourage you to think of your neighbors as yourself. We must love our neighbors, and we must treat each other as we ourselves want to be treated.

I am encouraged by the new generation of leaders who have joined together to exercise their first amendment right to peacefully protest, and I am extremely proud of the changes we have seen in the City of Fayetteville’s policing and operations. I challenge those who are protesting, help us build the community we all desire, one that works for all of us, not just a few.

While our city has certainly had its problems with racial and social bias, to include aggressive policing in predominately Black communities, we have come a long way over the last 8 years. The city began revamping its policing policies after the rebuke of the DOJ, in 2012/2013. Because of this, many of the changes made were proactive and allowed us to get a head start on the necessary changes long before many of these national tragedies we see today.

Over the last year, our city council has taken an internal and external review to ensure diversity inclusion in our hiring practices, economic policies and the systemic policies used to serve our community.

•We have established the Fayetteville Citizens Advisory Board to assist in building better relationships with law enforcement and the communities they serve. We passed the 4th resolution requesting of the North Carolina General Assembly to allow for the establishment of a Police Review/Oversight Board.

•In addition to increased training we have implemented body cameras, and impressed upon the city manager to enforce a zero tolerance policy for racial discrimination or racial motivated policing throughout our city.

•We have also established a local and minority participation policy for the entire city’s contracting and spending. We have invested and/or committed to investing over $15 Million dollars into underserved communities, such as Murchison Road, B Street, Campbell Avenue and others.

•We have invested $100,000 in restoring and the revitalization of Orange Street School (Original location of the city’s Historically Black High School) and requesting $1M from the state of NC.

•We have invested nearly $400,000 in restoration of the E. E. Smith House, home of the first President of Fayetteville State, our local HBCU.

•We have increased our support for community development programs such as increased home ownership and working to strategically address the city’s Tier 1 status.

•We have engaged the Department of Justice to implement the City Spirit Program to improve race relations.

While we have come a long way as a nation, 2020 and 2021 have reminded us all that we must continue to work together to bridge the racial divide in America. I am grateful to God that we are a community willing to accept and address our shortcomings, and we are a community willing to unify.

Because of this, I stand confident that Fayetteville, North Carolina, will continue to advance as an All American City, by name and by deed.

The Fayetteville Woodpeckers are partnering with local animal rescues and pet vendors to host an adoption event at Segra Stadium on Saturday, April 24 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. This event is free to the public and will coincide with the first opportunity for fans to purchase tickets for May Woodpeckers home baseball games. Interested people can meet available dogs and cats from each rescue and fill out adoption applications.

The Woodpeckers will also be collecting items for the rescues. Donations of $5 or more will receive 10% off in The Birds’ Nest Team Store. Items requested include: cleaning products (paper towels, disinfectant spray or wipes), canned or dry dog and cat food, treats and puppy pads. Pets are not allowed at this event except for dogs and cats with each respective rescues. The Birds’ Nest Team Store will be open.

Masks are required when entering the ballpark. The Woodpeckers will release its promotional calendar for the month of May prior to tickets going on sale. The home opener is scheduled for Tuesday, May 11 against the visiting Kannapolis Cannon Ballers.

A limited amount of tickets for Woodpeckers home games will be available on a month-by-month basis. Fans can purchase tickets for any of the six May games from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. in-person at the BB&T Now Truist Box Office. For anyone not able to buy in-person, tickets will become available online starting April 26th at 10 a.m.

Individual game tickets for 2021 May home games will be available in safe, socially-distanced pods. Due to local and state health and safety guidelines and socially-distanced seating, Segra Stadium’s capacity is expected to be at 30% to begin the season. For this reason, the best chance for fans to get seats to 2021 home games is to purchase a Full-Season, Half-Season, or 20-Game Membership. Season Members and Ticket Voucher Plans will have first opportunity to purchase tickets for May and to exchange their vouchers.

Cape Fear Valley Health has seen an apparent decline in interest in COVID-19 vaccination appointments. Each Friday at 5 p.m. the health system opens appointments for the subsequent weeks through its website, www.capefearvalley.com/covid19. During recent weeks, only about 15% of the appointments were filled by Monday morning.

“What we’re worried about is the vaccine supply is outpacing demand,” said Vice President of Professional Services at Cape Fear Valley Health Chris Tart. “We need to encourage everyone to roll their sleeves up and be vaccinated so we can continue to put this pandemic behind us.” The available supply of all vaccines has also expanded, with more traditional providers and retail locations such as pharmacies offering inoculations.

Cargill has chosen Cumberland County for a significant expansion of its plant by investing $25 million to improve production capacity. A six-year performance-based incentive grant of $600,000 was approved by the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners. The project, set to begin before the end of 2021, will generate tax revenue and increased economic activity which will offset the incentive, according to county officials. Additionally, the investment will help maintain the 70 jobs currently at the site, which have average salaries of $70,000 a year, well above Cumberland County’s average wage.

Cargill is a global leader in oilseed processing. These investments are part of the organization’s overall growth strategy in the U.S. and create an opportunity to better serve customers on both ends of the supply chain. All facilities will continue to operate while construction and expansion are underway, Cargill said in a media release.

“Cargill is a longtime employer in our community and a buyer of the soybeans our farmers grow,” said County Commission Chairman Charles Evans. “We are grateful the company is expanding their agribusiness operations here.” Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the soybean oil manufacturing business has operated its facility on River Road outside Fayetteville since 1970. The company evaluated competing locations for its investment and ultimately chose Cumberland County for the project which will invest $5 million in real estate improvements and $20 million in new personal property.

“While we are always excited to bring new companies to our community, our top goal is to help existing businesses grow and flourish,” said Fayetteville-Cumberland County Economic Development Corp. Chairman Andrew Pennink. FCEDC is a public-private partnership designed to enhance job growth and prosperity in the region by attracting new industry and growing and retaining existing industry.

“Our plant in Cumberland County is an important link in the supply chain for North Carolina farmers and livestock producers, and these investments will help us serve customers more efficiently,” said Don Camden, vice president, Cargill Agricultural Supply Chain North America. “Cargill is committed to nourishing the world in a safe, responsible, sustainable way. We are part of the community and are proud to provide significant support for a number of organizations in the area funding nutrition and education programming projects, as well as COVID-19 relief.”

In partnership with global and local health experts, Cargill developed safety protocols to promote industry standards for health and safety. “Still, we have not been immune from the pandemic,” the company noted on its website. “When it hurts one of us, it impacts all of us.” The company closed two plants in Canada where employees contracted coronavirus. In addition, Cargill launched the Cargill Cares Employee Disaster Relief Fund to help meet employees' immediate needs during the COVID-19 crisis.

Cargill has 155,000 employees worldwide. The privately held firm was founded at the end of the American Civil War, by William Wallace Cargill. The company has grown from a grain storage facility into an international producer and distributor of agricultural products such as sugar, refined oil, chocolate, and turkey. Cargill also provides risk management, commodities trading and transportation services. Descendants of William Cargill and his son-in-law John MacMillan have owned common equity in the company for over 140 years. Learn more at www.cargill.com.

"I have a dream," Martin Luther King Jr. said one August day in 1963, with Abraham Lincoln looking over his shoulder. "I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed. We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal.

"I have a dream that one day out in the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slaveowners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.”

"I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.”

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

The dream that Martin Luther King laid out enthralled a generation of Americans who were in the most significant fight for civil liberties since the Civil War itself. No, they weren't fighting slavery, but they were fighting the same thought process that allowed racism to happen - that one race is superior to another race.

Today, I am here to enthrall you once again. I have a dream that race will not play a part in whether or not someone is accepted into college! I have a dream that critical race theory and the lies it propagates would cease to exist in our public discourse! I have a dream that America will wake up to the fact that we are all one race!

MLK and men like him fought for these ideals, but the modern-day Left and the Elite Democratic Party are trying to drag us backward by promoting critical race theory and the idea that the United States was founded in racism, is racist, and will always be racist.

The buzz term used by leftist activists and the mainstream media is "systemic racism." The belief that all of America's systems are inherently racist, and anyone or anything that is a part of the system is racist out of complicity. According to this radical ideology, all white people are a part of the system and therefore racist; and the founding of America was not 1776, but 1619 when the first African slaves made their way to the continent.

This lie —perpetrated by the Elite Democrat Party, the mainstream media, academia and Hollywood — brought about the anarchy and destruction we witnessed throughout the summer across America and right here in Fayetteville.

This lie is destructive and corrosive, and if left unchecked, will lead to the fall of the United States of America as we know it.

This lie is why the Fayetteville Police Department was told to stand down while people destroyed our beautiful city. "The police are a vestige of racism," they say. That is false! If I am elected, we will not be defunding the police! I will make sure that the Fayetteville Police Department is wholly equipped and funded to protect our community, to protect you and me.

The police are not perfect, but to think the solution is the abolishment of our police departments is sheer lunacy. We want to build and improve; the Left wants to destroy and abolish.

This was very clearly seen last year when South Carolina Senator Tim Scott introduced the JUSTICE Act to address police reform. Senator Scott is a Black man who has given multiple anecdotes of being racially profiled and stopped by police officers in the nation's capital. Despite this, the Democrats would not even consider his bill. Why? Because Senator Scott is a Republican, and the Democrats don’t really care about police reform.

Another example of the Left's wanton desire to destroy comes from May 30th of last year when violent anarchists and rioters broke windows and set fire to the Market House right here in downtown Fayetteville.

Now, I know that the history of the Market House is not pure. There once was a time when slaves owners’ properties were liquidated and as a result slaves were auctioned primarily under estate liquidation or to pay a debt. The actual number of slaves auctioned is ambiguous, but it happened, on the steps surrounding the structure. Does that make the Market House a slave market? No, certainly not. Does that warrant destruction? No, certainly not.

Author George Santayana once said, "those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it." This is the attitude of the Left. The history they speak of is the revisionist, anti-American narrative — that will not be taught in our schools, by the way — of Howard Zinn and the 1619 Project.

But the Left wants to either destroy or rewrite our history. We see this in the "canceling" of historical figures like Thomas Jefferson and even George Washington. Because these great figures don't hold up to today's woke standards, they must be done away with. Their names must be taken off schools, their stories scrubbed from the history books, and their statues toppled. Not here in Fayetteville! We will not allow the stories of our forefathers to be scrubbed away by the leftist mob.

I am running to be your mayor because I believe in this city. I believe in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and I believe in its citizens.

You may wonder why I am discussing these larger cultural issues as a mayoral candidate. You may wonder why I am not talking about fixing bridges or roads, or other infrastructure. All that stuff is extremely important, and we will be working on those issues as well. But if the metaphorical and ideological foundation of our city is rotted to the core, the physical foundation of our city will crumble as well.

It is time we take back the culture, starting right here in Fayetteville, North Carolina. I have a dream!

May God bless Fayetteville, and May God bless America. Thank you.

Photographed above: Nyrell and Joy Melvin with their daughters. 

Publisher Bill Bowman yields his space this week to contributor Karl Merritt.

To our country’s detriment, power-hungry politicians and a cooperative media are manipulating Americans. Democrats have mastered manipulation as a political strategy. Republicans have allowed, and continue to allow, this Democratic strategy to be successful. They enable this destructive strategy by failing to instruct the public regarding governmental processes, sensible reasons for their policy and legislative positions, the basics of economics, and a multitude of similar considerations.

As bothered as one might be by this Republican failing, the fact of life is that Democrats have, very likely intentionally, created a societal atmosphere where it is nearly impossible for Republicans, or anybody else, to do the educating and informing of the general public called for in that first paragraph. That near impossibility is rooted in Democrats: robbing millions of Americans of the capacity for critical thought; promoting focus on self and on group identity; from government, giving just enough to certain groups to gain and retain their support; pitting enough supportive groups against others so that there is a winning Democratic coalition (Identity Politics).

The end result of all of this is that citizens are manipulated into strongly supporting policies, legislation, and societal standards that, in my estimation, make no sense and even contribute to the looming destruction of this nation as a place of tremendous opportunity and simply an amazing place to live.

What has been presented to this point plays out in real life through the recent passage of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan. Consider the high level of public support for that legislation, the reasons for that support, and the public’s understanding of what is included.

There was overwhelming support for the legislation. An article at democrats.senate.gov titled “Americans Overwhelmingly Support The American Rescue Plan Because Families Still Need Relief From The COVID Pandemic — But Republicans Say They Just Don’t Know What’s Good For Them” included the following
statements:

“In the poll, which was conducted Feb. 19-22 among 2,013 registered voters and has a margin of error of 2 percentage points, 76 percent said they back the stimulus package, including 52 percent who said they ‘strongly’ support the bill. Only 17 percent of voters said they oppose it.” [Morning Consult, 2/24/21]
“Small Business for America’s Future: “69% of small business owners — including 46% of Republican business owners and 61% of independent small business owners — support the American Rescue Plan.” [Small Business for America’s Future, 2/23/21]

The following is from an article by Samantha Chang, titled “Biden Voter: The Bombs in Syria Are Kinda Expensive for a Dude Who Owes Me $2,000”. Ben Calvert, age 27, who is referred to in the article, is a Democrat and lives in Minnesota:

“A lot of my friends are really frustrated because they were like, ‘We’ve got to elect these two senators in Georgia! We’ve got to get Joe Biden in office and then everything’s going to be better!'” Calvert told CNN last week. “It’s not a $1,400 check, it’s $2,000 checks.'”

Many Americans interpreted Biden’s promise to mean they would receive a separate $2,000 check — not $1,400
plus $600.

The focus on self that is reflected in Calvert’s statement is rampant across America. One only has to look at comments from some individuals as to why they vote as they do to see the success of the focus-on-self political strategy. Concern for one’s personal circumstance is reasonable, but it now seems at dangerous levels in our society.

Then there was this revealing post on Next-door, a neighborhood social media site: “How many Republicans are giving the stimulus check back?” It is reasonable to conclude that this statement was driven by the fact that no Republicans in the House or Senate voted for the legislation and public support for it was far less among Republicans than among Democrats. I contend that statements, such as referenced here, point to a lack of thoughtful examination of facts and to the harmful partisan divide that is so present in America.

These three accounts, although limited, reflect the condition of our country. That condition is one of: individuals making decisions based on tremendously insufficient and faulty thought; allowing short-term personal impacts to blind their ability to see and consider the bigger picture; simply following the dictates of a group with which they identify. This condition leads many Americans to wholeheartedly support policies, legislation, and even societal standards, that are unfair, often defy reason, are sometimes unconstitutional, and jeopardize the very continued existence of America.

Passage of the American Rescue Plan is proof-positive of the argument made to this point. In an article titled “American Rescue Plan (Biden’s $1.9 Trillion Stimulus Package)”, Erik Haagensen writes: “The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 is a $1.9 trillion coronavirus rescue package designed to facilitate the United States’ recovery from the devastating economic and health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Given the reason for this legislation, the thoughtful approach would be to ask if it is needed and, if so, how will the need be best addressed? A starting point for addressing this question might be unemployment. The February 2020 unemployment rate was 3.5%, March 2020 14.7%, and February 2021 6.2%. Even though unemployment is down dramatically from the March 2020 devastating high, there are clearly Americans who still need assistance.

It does not appear that Democrats in Congress gave sufficient attention to who really needed assistance. The U.S. Treasury Department’s website states this regarding disbursements under the legislation: “In total, this first batch included approximately 90 million payments, which are valued at more than $242 billion.” This was just the first batch of payments. Simply considering the unemployment rates, even in March 2020, there is no way 90 million payments would be required. Payments were definitely authorized for many people who had not missed a paycheck and faced no financial hardship.

Depending on whose reporting is considered, there is a half-trillion to a full trillion dollars remaining unspent from previous COVID relief bills. There are various explanations as to why this is the case. However, one would think this situation would have been made known to, and explained to, the American people before committing to another $1.9 trillion.

The listing of questionable funding items in this legislation seems almost endless. Among these are payments in an amount up to 120 percent of the outstanding indebtedness of each farmer or rancher to the Department of Agriculture, or guaranteed by the department, and is a member of a socially disadvantaged group as of January 1, 2021. From 7 U.S.C. 2279(a)(6): “The term ‘socially disadvantaged group’ means a group whose members have been subjected to racial or ethnic prejudice because of their identity as members of a group without regard to their individual qualities.” How is this related
to COVID?

Then there is millions in funding to Gallaudet University, Howard University, National Technical Institute for the Deaf, and Institute of Education Sciences. Why these specific institutions? There is $50 million for family planning. Addressing what comes under this heading, 42 U.S.C 300 says in part, “… effective family planning methods and services (including natural family planning methods, infertility services, and services for adolescents).” Consider one billion available until September 30, 2025, to carry out the purposes of the Technology Modernization Fund (TMF). Regarding TMF, the General Services Administration (GSA) website says, “… gives agencies additional ways to deliver services to the American public more quickly, better secure sensitive systems and data, and use taxpayer dollars more efficiently.” COVID related?

Finally, $350 billion is allocated to states, the District of Columbia, local governments, territories, and tribal governments to mitigate the fiscal effects stemming from the public health emergency with respect to the Coronavirus disease. Most of this total will be distributed to states and the District of Columbia based on each state’s proportion of seasonally-adjusted unemployed individuals for the three-month period ending in December 2020. In assessing this provision, one has to consider that, as stated above, unemployment rates were much improved from the height of the pandemic. Further, state revenues did not experience the expected decline. This from an article by Mary Williams Walsh, titled “Virus Did Not Bring Financial Rout That Many States Feared”:
A researcher at the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center, a nonpartisan think tank, found that total state revenues from April through December were down just 1.8 percent from the same period in 2019. Moody’s Analytics used a different method and found that 31 states now had enough cash to fully absorb the economic stress of the pandemic recession on their own.

This allocation of funds to states certainly appears extremely questionable at best. Congressional Republicans raised thoughtful opposition, but were lambasted and dismissed by Congressional Democrats and a majority of American citizens.

The fact of life is that, to the detriment of this country, far too many Americans are being manipulated into supporting policies, legislation, and societal standards that are moving America along a dangerous path. Public support for, and passage of, the American Rescue Plan is just one of many glaring indications of this truth.

In just a few short weeks, Methodist University graduates from the class of 2021 are scheduled to walk across the stage at Segra Stadium in downtown Fayetteville. If this happens, it would be more than just a commencement celebration of academic achievement from one of the premier universities in the state, it would close out an unprecedented year of sacrifice, care for others, and unsurpassed vigilance.

Right here in Cumberland County stands a private, top-tier university that not only rose to the challenges of COVID-19 during this academic year, but worked tirelessly as a united community of students, faculty and staff to achieve excellence while remaining as safe as possible.

While universities large and small across the state and nation were forced to close their doors to on-campus living, student activities, and in-person classes in the fall and spring semesters, MU was strategic in its planning and protocols and has remained open to its residential students the entire year. There are still a few weeks to go in the spring semester, so the community must remain cautious and determined, but the accomplishments thus far have been remarkable.

“At Methodist University, we might be 2,000 individuals, but we make up ONE community,” said Alisyn Keating, a Forensic Science major from the Class of 2021. “It’s a community that shows we care for each other by following all safety guidelines and moving forward together.”

“Forward Together” has been the theme for the university since the beginning of classes in the fall. It has not just been a slogan on t-shirts and flyers, it’s truly symbolic of the teamwork that has led to a year’s worth of success both in the classroom
and out.

By understanding and following safety guidelines (wearing masks, social distancing, frequently washing hands, practicing good hygiene, limiting gathering), MU has been able to offer in-person classes — with its expert faculty — throughout the year. Results of extensive contact tracing show that because protocols have been strictly followed, not a single case of COVID has been spread in a classroom or lab.

While students in majors such as Business, Psychology, Biology, Criminal Justice, Physician Assistant Studies, and Social Work thrived in the classroom, MU kept students active and engaged outside of the classroom, as well.

More than 100 university-sponsored student organizations, fraternities and sororities, and athletic teams have creatively adjusted to hurdles COVID has placed before them, holding socially distanced events outside and coming together via Zoom for meetings or presenting shows and concerts. While students were sent home from many other colleges, MU students have worked together with university staff and shared in community, worship, and “college life” together.

“The past year has indeed been a challenging one, but we are still finding ways to help students come together while staying safely apart,” said Dr. Doris Munoz, MU’s Director of Student Involvement. “Socialization is such an important aspect to college life. It’s here where students create lifelong friendships and make unforgettable memories.”

Success in the classroom, success on campus, but also success in athletic competition have set Methodist University apart this year. Every one of MU’s 20 NCAA intercollegiate sports were able to compete this year, with the football team hosting the USA South Athletic Conference championship and both the men’s and women’s golf teams each being ranked in the Top 2 in the entire nation. Athletes were tested extensively, each week, for the safety of the MU student-athletes, but also the coaches, trainers, officials and opposing teams.

One of the great advantages Methodist University has over other institutions – not just in Southeast North Carolina, but across the state and region – is an on-campus Health Services Center staffed full time by experienced professionals. It also has a wide array of doctors and other health care professionals on campus who direct MU’s highly regarded undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs in health services. Nursing, Physical and Occupational Therapy, Physician Assistant Studies, Health Care Management and Information, are just some of the successful health services programs at Methodist.

The result of this expertise on campus is careful planning, daily monitoring and reporting, immediate contact tracing, and has even resulted in partnerships to provide full-campus testing and vaccination opportunities for all students, faculty and staff.

To move forward together in this fashion is unique. It couldn’t happen without the strong connection that everyone in the MU community has. In addition to the students, faculty, and staff, there are the alumni, board of trustee members, and other friends of the university that have stepped up to meet the challenges COVID has presented.

“I am truly honored to be a part of a community that is so committed and caring,” MU President Stanley T. Wearden said in a message to the campus. “Monarchs wearing masks in class and when in public spaces, practicing social distancing, following gathering guidelines, and self-monitoring on our Green Screen app every day is how we have succeeded with in-person learning and residential living on campus through the fall and spring semesters. We might be 2,000 individuals, but we also are connected as ONE community that continues to move forward together."

In the final four weeks of the academic year, MU has hosted a championship football game and will compete in other conference tournaments. MU will present its 10th Annual Research and Creativity Symposium. MU will have offered the Johnson & Johnson one-time vaccination to all of its students, faculty, and staff. MU looks to complete the 2020-21 academic year in a way many around the state and nation were unable to accomplish. And, if all goes as planned, MU will hold an in-person (socially distanced, of course) graduation ceremony at Segra Stadium in early May.

As the weekly presidential messages, hundreds of posters, dedicated resource web site, and dozens of videos have said, Methodist University is made up of students, faculty and staff that have walked alongside each other as ONE community and truly succeeded in moving Forward Together.

Because Methodist University is a private, liberal arts school that receives top-tier rankings every year, some may believe the cost of attending one of the premier schools in North Carolina is out of their range. But MU is unique not just in its excellence, but also in its value.

While MU graduates rank among the highest in the state for employment soon after graduation and salary earned, nearly 100% of MU students receive financial aid that makes the cost to attend less than the national average. It’s the high-level degrees that lead to employment and advancement in careers, at a price competitive with the big-box schools.

“At MU, students are taught by faculty with doctorates, and classes have an impressive 12-to-1 student-to-faculty ratio that few in the entire region can match,” said Rick Lowe, vice president for Enrollment Services at MU. “Combine that with an average financial-aid package of more than $30,000 for residential students, and it’s easy to see why Methodist University is unique.”

Financial aid packages at Methodist can include federal aid money and there are more than 150 institutional scholarships.

“These financial-aid opportunities allow us to deliver a highly competitive net price and enables our students to attend a university with top-tier programs that deliver exceptional quality and value. You’re not just a number at MU, and you receive a well-rounded education that expands your career opportunities now and in the future,” Lowe said.

Methodist University, which also has a campus at Fort Bragg, accepts the GI Bill, which members of the U.S. military, veterans, and their families receive as a benefit for their service. The GI Bill isn’t factored in the average financial-aid package, so it can lower the cost of education at MU even more.

With this cost comes classrooms run by motivated professors who often practiced in their fields before joining the faculty at MU. These professors bring a wealth of experiential knowledge as well as connections in the working world. While students are learning under the tutelage of expert professors, the staff in MU’s Career Services Office connects them with resources to help them find not just a job, but
a career.

“We offer our students a very unique experience,” said Taylor Vann, a counselor in the Career Services Office. “We work with our students to create a career management plan that meets the needs of their personal and professional goals. We discuss trends and labor market information related to their career interests, along with what skills and experiences will make them competitive in today’s global workforce.”

These efforts, coupled with advanced work in the classroom, is why more than 90% of May 2020 MU alumni reported that they landed a job, or were
pursuing a higher degree, within six months of graduation.

“Through Career Services and their local connections in the community, I was able to have a paid internship at a local environmental lab in Fayetteville,” said Nicole Hardin Wildeboer, a graduate of MU’s Chemistry/Forensic Science program. “This internship solidified that the lab setting was what I desired, while also allowing me to gain the hands-on job experience that would make me a more qualified applicant for whatever job I applied for next.”

Wildeboer now works as a forensic scientist in the Trace Evidence Department of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. “My Chemistry advisor and a couple Forensic Science and Criminal Justice professors have proved to be a very helpful resource for me, even after graduation,” she said. “Their desire to see me succeed was apparent throughout my four years at Methodist and has continued on, even after graduation.”

Wildeboer’s story is one of many proving the value of an MU degree. Graduates have gone on to work at multinational companies such as Merrill Lynch, Marriott Hotels, the NFL Players Association, Johnson & Johnson, Goodyear, the Smithsonian, General Mills, Microsoft and NASA.

In addition, Methodist is not only affordable and successful in placing graduates in careers, but also accessible. MU’s 617-acre main campus is home to state-of-the-art learning facilities, an 18-hole private golf course for students, athletic facilities for 20 NCAA sports, and more.

Methodist University serves a wide range of students, from traditional students and working adults, to active members of our military and their families. For anyone seeking excellence and value, MU is an obvious choice.

For more information about Methodist University, visit methodist.edu or contact the admissions office at 800-488-7110.

The Cumberland County School District is being recognized for its commitment to equity in education, earning two awards in the 27th annual Magna Awards program sponsored by the National School Board Association’s publication American School Board Journal. The Magna Awards honor districts that advance equity and break down barriers for underserved students.

Across the nation, there were 15 total awards given. CCS was the only district to earn two awards for “Mentored Next Steps in Equity” and “Equity-Focused Classroom Management.”

An independent panel of school board members, administrators and other educators met in December and selected the winners. This is the fourth year that the awards recognized school districts and their leaders for efforts to bring educational equity to their students.

Educational equity depends on two main factors — fairness and inclusion. Fairness implies that factors specific to one's personal conditions should not interfere with academic success. Inclusion refers to a comprehensive standard that applies to everyone in the education system.

“The 2021 Magna Award-winning districts represent the enormous efforts of school leaders during the pandemic to continue removing barriers to achievement for their underserved and vulnerable students,” said NSBA Executive Director and CEO Anna Maria Chávez.

Cumberland County schools serve a diverse pupil population: “Almost 72% of our population are students of color (45% African American, 14% Hispanic, 9% multiracial, 2.5% Asian American/Pacific Islander, 1.5% Native American),” said Jovan Denaut, CCS Integrated Academic & Behavior Facilitator. In CCS, 78% of the student body receives free and reduced-price lunches.

The District Equity Team strives to develop comprehensive programs that encourage diversity and excellence in its administrators, teachers and staff and works to ensure that all students are provided equitable opportunities and outcomes. “I've been doing equity work in the district for seven years,” Denaut said. “The Core Values of the CCS Strategic Plan focus on equity. Students have equitable access to engaging learning that prepares them to be collaborative, competitive and successful."

“We proudly serve diverse student populations at our 89 schools,” said Alicia Chisolm, chair of the Cumberland County Board of Education. “Despite the challenges associated with the global pandemic, we are moving forward with the Cumberland Commitment: Strategic Plan 2024, and are making progress toward accomplishing our goals, which include defining, understanding and promoting educational equity. “

The growing importance of equity is based on the premise that an individual's level of education directly correlates to his future quality of life.

“Mentored Next Steps in Equity” was launched after a professional development workshop left participants asking what they could do to promote equity in their respective areas. The other initiative “Equity-Focused Classroom Management,” was an intensive classroom management course implemented to embrace diversity.

Equity in education usually means fairness. It requires putting systems in place to ensure that every child has an equal chance for success. That requires understanding the challenges and barriers faced by individual students or by populations of students and providing additional support to help them overcome those barriers. While this may not ensure equal outcomes, school systems should strive to ensure that every child has equal opportunity for success.

The American Academy of Pediatrics believes that race/ethnicity, gender and socioeconomic status are likely to emerge as predictors of adult health status. Socioeconomic status interacts with and confounds analyses of race/ethnicity and gender. The Academy recommends that pediatricians, in collaboration with social scientists, should develop and apply research methodologies that result in careful definitions of the effects of these variables on child health.

In the context of social systems such as education the terms equity and equality have similar but slightly different meanings. Equality refers to scenarios in which all segments of society have the same levels of opportunity and support. Equity extends the concept of equality to include providing varying levels of support based on individual need or ability. In education, equality means providing every student with the same experience. Equity, however, means overcoming discrimination against specific groups of people, especially defined by race and gender.

In modern times, usage of the term equity has increased because of concerns about social justice and a desire for fairness for historically oppressed groups. Minority groups often have equal rights but are treated unfairly due to unequal access to resources or opposition from the majority who deny others equal representation while still acting within the law.

Pictured above: The Cumberland County School District is being recognized by the American School Board Journal for its efforts to advance equity and break down barriers for underserved students. (Photo courtsey Cumberland County Schools ). 

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission’s Pechmann Fishing Education Center in Fayetteville has released its April workshop schedule.
All courses will be led by trained volunteers and Wildlife Commission staff. A North Carolina fishing license is not required to take any of the classes. Pre-registration is required. The Center’s COVID-19 policies are stated on their website and must be followed during visits.
April 13-14: Introductory Fishing for Adults, from 6–9 p.m.
April 15: Basic Fishing Knots and Rigging, from 6:30 – 8 p.m.
April 16: Surf Fishing Workshop, 6:30 – 8 p.m.
April 17: BOW Fly-Fishing Workshop, from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. ($20 fee, women only)
April 22: Fly-tying Forum, from 6:30 – 8 p.m. (in-person and virtual)
April 24: Basic Rod Building Course, from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Registration for all clinics and classes is available online at ncwildlife.org/learning/education-centers/pechmann, or by calling 910-868-5003.

Many military families who live off post are paying more than $200 a month out of pocket for housing costs beyond what they’re getting in their Basic Allowance for Housing, according to a newly released survey. “For military families, finding housing that fulfills both location and family needs can be a costly balancing act,” stated researchers in the 2020 Military Family Lifestyle Survey. By law, BAH is designed to cover, on average, 95 percent of service members’ housing rental and utility costs in the private sector. Families are left to pick up 5 percent of their housing costs, which according to the Defense Department, should range between $70 to $158 a month in 2021. Researchers recommend that Congress change the Basic Allowance for Housing to 100 percent of the average housing rental costs in the private sector.

Construction is under way to change a section of Hay Street between Winslow Street and Ray Avenue. It will be reduced from two lanes in both directions to one lane each way. Hay Street in that vicinity will be closed to thru traffic for one week for construction. The new lanes will be resurfaced and marked for high visibility. An existing crosswalk in front of City Hall will be removed. In mid-May, a new high-visibility, thermoplastic crosswalk will be installed leading to Hurley Way which is the entrance to Segra Stadium. Pre-formed thermoplastic pavement markings provide durability and visibility to increase the life of markings for crosswalks, bike paths and handicap designated areas.

Construction is underway to upgrade and widen 16 miles of I-95 from Murphy Road (Exit 55) in Cumberland County to Exit 71 near Dunn in Harnett County. NCDOT also plans to begin widening the interstate from Exit 71 to the I-40 (Exit 81) junction in Johnston County later this year. The two segments total 26 miles and involve widening the interstate from its present four lanes to a total of eight lanes. The Baywood Road bridge spanning Interstate 95 in Eastover has been closed to be rebuilt in order to accommodate the highway widening project beneath it. The road will reopen early next year. A detour will send drivers to the nearby Murphy Road overpass (Exit 55) to get around the closure. A N.C. Department of Transportation contractor is widening I-95 between exits 55 and 71. Construction is scheduled for completion in 2024. Visit www.ncdot.gov/projects/Pages/ for more information about both projects.

MetroNet has begun a two-year project of installing nearly 1,000 miles of fiber optic infrastructure throughout Cumberland County. The work includes installing equipment underground in public rights-of-way, as well as on utility poles. MetroNet began construction in areas of West Fayetteville between Raeford Road and Stoney Point Road in January. Residents are being notified as construction plans unfold in their neighborhoods. MetroNet says it will minimize any impact to personal property as it works within utility easement areas. The Public Works Commission emphasizes that the work is not managed by PWC. Residents interested in MetroNet construction activity can inquire online at www.metronetinc.com/iwantfiber or by telephone by calling 1-877-386-3876.

The General Assembly will consider a measure to enshrine North Carolina’s right-to-work policies in the state constitution.
Sens. Carl Ford, R-Rowan, and Jim Burgin, R-Harnett, have introduced a bill — Senate Bill 624 — that would guarantee N.C. workers would not be forced to join a labor union or pay union dues as a condition of employment. Workers also could not be forced to remain apart from a union as a condition of employment.

In essence, employees have the right — but not the obligation — to join a labor union.

North Carolina has had such a “right-to-work” law in place since 1947, but it could be repealed by a future General Assembly. Putting this language in the state constitution would all but guarantee that North Carolina would remain a right-to-work state for the foreseeable future.

Today, 27 states have right-to-work laws, primarily in the South and Midwest. In other states, companies and labor unions can enter into contracts requiring employees to join the union or at least pay union dues. The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation estimates that such arrangements, known as a “closed shop” and allowed under federal law, siphon off $4.5 billion in employee pay each year.

In a recent Civitas poll commissioned by the John Locke Foundation, 71% of likely 2022 voters would support such a constitutional amendment. Only 13% oppose the measure.

But getting to a vote might prove a challenge. In North Carolina, proposed constitutional amendments must pass with three-fifths majorities in both chambers of the General Assembly. This is the same hurdle as a veto override, and Republican leaders have struggled to garner enough votes for their priorities. Only a simple majority of the state’s voters is needed to approve the new amendment.

Gov. Roy Cooper may also prove an obstacle.

In 2018, when the General Assembly put forward six constitutional amendments, Cooper sued to block two of them from going on the ballot. Both would have restricted his power — one on his ability to make judicial appointments, and the other on his control of the State Board of Elections.

Both ended up on the ballot, but neither was approved. The other four passed with strong majorities.

One of those amendments put a voter ID requirement in the state constitution, but identification is still not required to vote in North Carolina after the courts blocked the law to implement it.

Pictured above: Senate Bill 624 would guarantee N.C. workers could not be forced to join a labor union or pay union fees as a condition of employment. (Carolina Journal photo  by Maya Reagan). 

Something is really big out there. And it is hungry. It may be coming for us. Today we are going to visit the Astronomy Desk to see what Ms. Science has to say to scare us.

Having spent a fair amount of time in the back yard pondering the stars over a fire pit in the winter of The Rona when there was nothing much else to do, I learned to look up at the night sky. Johnny Horne’s excellent columns about astronomy in the local paper made me realize how little I know about the Great Beyond. My basic understanding about the sky is slim. The sky is pretty big. It gets dark at night and light during the day. Stars are far away. The ancient people who named the constellations were inhaling something pretty strong when they looked up and saw Orion and his buddies in the sky.

Your phone can tell you everything including what stars you are seeing. There is an app called Sky View which when you point it up shows the stars’ name and draws the constellations.

Your phone also can find colorful articles about anything including astronomy. A recent article in Vice got my attention. The title was “Something Huge and Invisible is Making Nearby Stars Vanish, Scientists Propose.” From the title I was unsure if Scientists were proposing to Something Huge or to each other. Intrigued, I read the whole thing so you don’t have to. This is what I found.

We all know what are the five most frightening words in the English language: “according to a new study.” This article was no exception. It began “An invisible cosmic behemoth might be tearing apart the closest star cluster to the Sun, leaving one side of the cluster eerily dark and devoid of stars, according to a new study.” Uh oh. A hungry Cosmic Behemoth is in the neighborhood. Like those nice young men in their clean white coats, it may be coming to take us away. It’s something called a “dark matter substructure” with the mass of 10 million suns made of “a mysterious non-luminous substance.” That did not sound good to the unpracticed ear. The scientists called it a Galactic Lump. This is not to be confused with Lumpy Rutherford from "Leave it to Beaver" who was a big guy himself. Somewhere out in the Cosmos there is a Galactic Lump hanging out in the Hyades star cluster. This is not to be confused with Goo Goo Clusters w hich hang out at the Grand Ol’ Opry.

Ms. Science Tereza Jerabkova spotted the Galactic Lump in the Taurus constellation using the Gaia satellite to spy on the Hyades star cluster. At the head of the Taurus constellation there is a V shaped cluster of stars called tidal tails that flow backwards like the wake of a speed boat. Most of these V shaped clusters are equal in size on both wings of the cosmic wake. But not Taurus. Something is awry. Something invisible and really big — the Galactic Lump is tearing apart one of the tidal tails.

Ms. Science proposes the Galactic Lump a big mess of Dark Matter which has an alias of “sub-halo” in polite society. I prefer Galactic Lump. As this is my column we will just call it Lumpy after Lumpy Rutherford.

Ms. Science says that the tail stars aren’t being eaten by a Black Hole rather that Lumpy is somehow blocking them from sight through its clever use of Dark Matter. Dark Matter is a big deal in Astronomy — the Dark Matter in the Milky Way Galaxy is thought to be “more than a trillion times the mass of the Sun.” So, should we be concerned about Lumpy eventually eating up our solar system and blacking out the Sun? Like Bob Dylan almost warned, “Will we have darkness at the break of noon, eclipsing both the Sun and Moon?” Instead of climate change will we have solar system change? The mind boggles. As we all know, a boggling mind is a terrible thing to waste.
Well, so as to not keep you in suspense, Ms. Science says not to worry. Lumpy will not eat our Galaxy. Apparently the Milky Way Galaxy is too small and too far away for Lumpy to be concerned with us. Why would Lumpy want to eat the Milky Way which is the equivalent of MRE’s when he can keep chowing down on the much larger Hyades star cluster? We are small cosmic potatoes to Lumpy. He is going to stay at the Hyades Big Buffet in the sky.

Ms. Science explained that sometimes star clusters like the Milky Way enter the Transfer Portal like One & Done college basketball players and swap planets and players among themselves. Our solar system is safe from the Transfer Portal because she explained “The Sun is a lonely star that left its natal cluster long ago.” I guess that should make us feel better about ourselves but it kind of makes me sad for the Sun. Poor thing, the Sun left its natal cluster and has been on its own for a very long time. Our sun is an orphan, booted out of its natal cluster at a tender age. Isolated from its brother and sister stars without hope of swapping planets. This is Bigly Sad.

But not to leave you on a morose note. Lumpy won’t eat us. Let us not forget what Hemingway wrote: The Sun also rises. Be like Martha White self-rising flour. Get your biscuits out of bed and go face the day.

Pictured above: Lumpy Rutherford is not to be confused with the Galatic Lump recently discovered by scientists. 

Let’s be honest with ourselves. No one, even the most progressive among us, likes to pay taxes. Nor do we enjoy paying our rent, mortgages, utility and insurance bills, or any other cost of daily living that does not reward us the same way a new car or even a new outfit does.

We do, however, enjoy having homes with electricity and temperature controls and knowing that insurance can help us cope when adversity strikes. That requires us to pay to maintain these mainstays of American life. Most of us do that routinely, though sometimes begrudgingly.

Taxes are a different story. It is harder to connect the mainstays of America’s collective life — schools, roads, bridges, mass transit, military services, law enforcement and public safety, and other governmental services — with the checks we write to the U.S. Treasury and the N.C. Department of Revenue and other taxes we routinely pay. Governmental services are big and abstract by comparison with the air conditioning keeping our homes cool all summer and the safety professionals who protect us in our own communities.

Like so much else in life, changes in the U.S. tax structure have largely snuck up on us. Over the last 6-7 decades, tax rates for the wealthiest Americans, particularly corporate tax rates, have steadily declined while tax rates for the majority of us have remained the roughly same or risen. This includes sales taxes and some government-mandated “fees,” since they impact lower income earners more than those in the upper levels. Most critical is the corporate tax rate. Very few advanced nations maintain corporate tax rates as low as the United States.

Since the 1950s, the corporate tax rate has steadily declined and is now to the point that major U.S. corporations pay no taxes at all. The New York Times reports that these include Fed Ex (despite all the millions of packages it has delivered during COVID), government contractor Booz Allen Hamilton, Nike and agricultural behemoth Archer-Daniels-Midland.

You are not wrong if you wonder how these corporate giants keep what they make while you share a hefty percentage of your resources with various levels of government. And, you might note that higher income Americans own more stock in such corporations than lower income Americans do, meaning that they share in bigger corporate profits. The rich are indeed getting richer, and the divide between them and the rest of America continues to grow.

Our nation has invested very little in our infrastructure since the big highway efforts of the mid-20th century, and it shows. President Biden is promoting a major infrastructure initiative to do what we have not done in decades. Americans want to be safe and secure in our homes and on our roads, and we support this effort. It will not happen, however, without changes in our tax structure, which Biden is also supporting. Over time, both Democrats and Republicans have backed tax reductions for corporations and by extension, wealthy Americans, but there is little to no evidence that those reductions have produced expanded job opportunities or higher incomes. In short, trickle-down economics have failed. They have actually done the opposite. They have trickled — or flooded — upward, accelerating the gulf between haves and have-nots.

Millions of us want better and safer infrastructures. As politicians debate them and the rest of us listen and ponder, we must keep in mind this truth. In government, as in our private lives, we get what we pay for.

Pictured above : President Joe Biden is promoting a major infastrusture initiative. Many argue that it will not happen without changes in our tax structure. 

Publisher Bill Bowman yields his space this week to Dr. Shanessa Fenner, who shares an up close and personal educator's perspective on the importance of raising awareness of child abuse prevention.

I remember my first year as an elementary teacher. I decided that I wanted to sit all of my students in a circle on the carpet and have a discussion about appropriate and inappropriate touching. They sat there and looked at me while listening attentively to every word that I said.

After the conversation one of my girls walked up to me and grabbed my hand. She told me that she had something to tell me. She told me that someone had inappropriately touched her. I told my teacher's assistant to watch the kids and we ran to the front office. I was so upset. Of course the authorities were contacted but I remember thinking that I am going to talk to my babies on a consistent basis about this because I have to protect them. The years have passed by, but I still think about her from time and time and hope she is doing okay.

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. A report of child abuse is made every ten seconds in the United States. At least one in seven children have experienced child abuse and/or neglect in the past year. The Administration for Children & Families report a national estimate of 1,840 children died from abuse and neglect in 2019 compared to 1,780 children who died in 2018. Rates of child abuse and neglect are five times higher for children in families with a low socioeconomic status compared to children in families with a higher socioeconomic status.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that about one in four girls and one in 13 boys experience child sex abuse at some point in their childhood. Some of the signs of sexual abuse include difficulty walking or sitting, sleeping with clothes on, age inappropriate bedwetting, runs away, not wanting to go to the bathroom, and sexual behavior or knowledge inappropriate for a child.
Signs of neglect entail being dirty or has a body odor, frequent absences from school, begs or steals food, developmentally delayed, and not having the right clothes for the weather.

General symptoms of abuse include low grades in school, mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, or low self-esteem, unusual interaction with parent, and slower than normal development.

The impact of child abuse does not end when the abuse stops. These children may experience depression, anxiety disorders, poor self-esteem, aggressive behavior, suicide attempts, alcohol and drug abuse, post-traumatic stress, and other difficulties.

Some states require all adults to report suspicions of child abuse or neglect. It is not your job to investigate, just report what you suspect. If you suspect a child is being abused call the National Child Abuse
Hotline at 1-800-422-4453.

Pictured above: Child Abuse (n)- pysical, sexual or psychological mistreatment ot neglect of a child by a parent or other caregiver.