Cape Fear Valley Medical Center in Fayetteville is likely one of the safest institutions in Cumberland County. It has facilities and procedures designed to keep patients, staff and visitors safe at all times. The local hospital is the flagship of a system of area health facilities to include Cape Fear Valley Healthplex, Fayetteville’s most comprehensive fitness and wellness center. A couple of weeks ago, health system facilities were placed on lockdown for a day because of a nonspecific threat made to law enforcement against a Fayetteville-area hospital.

Cape Fear Valley Health System maintains more than 700 continuously monitored security cameras at its campuses. The system also has a comprehensive visitor management system, a security team with 24-hour internal and external patrols, metal detectors and screening at emergency room entrances as well as additional safety mechanisms for use in emergency situations.

Law enforcement officers combed medical center offices after a man called the National Suicide Hotline, threatening to kill himself and first responders employed by the hospital. The lockdown was ordered as police officers descended on the Owen Drive hospital, a sprawling set of inpatient and outpatient facilities. Police used cellphone technology to determine the caller’s location. He originally said he was on Interstate 95 in Fayetteville before then saying he was outside Cape Fear Valley’s Fayetteville campus. The situation prompted authorities to restrict admission to Cape Fear Valley except for the emergency department. Police found no one on medical center property.

The health system also restricted access to Highsmith-Rainey Specialty Hospital, Hoke Hospital and Bladen County Hospital. It was the second incident of concern at the medical center in the last two months.

Cape Fear Valley Health is a 950-bed health system serving a region of more than 800,000 people in southeastern North Carolina. The not-for-profit system is the state’s eighth-largest health system made up of 7,000 team members and 850 physicians, eight hospitals and more than 60 primary care and specialty clinics. Cape Fear Valley Health offers residencies in emergency medicine, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, psychiatry and general surgery, as well as a transitional year internship in affiliation with the Jerry M. Wallace School of Osteopathic Medicine at Campbell University.

One of the busiest times of the year is in progress for the Hope Mills Parks and Recreation Department as parents are signing up youngsters from the town and beyond for the various youth sports teams offered during the spring.
Registration began last week at the Hope Mills Parks and Recreation Department headquarters on Rockfish Road and will continue for the most part through the month of February.

Maxey Dove of the Parks and Recreation staff encouraged parents to sign up early and avoid the last-minute rush caused by folks who wait until the final days of February to get their children enrolled in the program.
“We get 70% of our registration the last two or three days,’’ Dove said. “Until we close the doors on that last day it’s hard to project how many teams we will have.’’

The sports offered in the spring include baseball, softball, indoor soccer and wrestling.

All registration is required in person at the recreation headquarters. Dove said the town is continuing to work on offering online registration and hopes to be able to offer that by the fall.

Any youngster who has never played in the Hope Mills recreation program before is required to provide a copy of a birth certificate and proof of residence, which can be done with a utility bill.
People outside of Hope Mills can sign their children up to play, but there is a difference in the fee charged. It’s $30 for Hope Mills residents and $40 for non-residents.

Times for registration are 8:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 9:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturday.

Baseball and softball are the most popular of the two spring sports, Dove said.

Categories for baseball include T-ball for age 5, junior pee wee age 6, coach-pitch ages 7-8, minor baseball ages 9-10, major ages 11-12 and Dixie boys ages 13-14.
Softball is the Darlings at ages 7-8, Angels at ages 9-10, Ponytails ages 11-12 and Belles ages 13-15.

Last season, four Hope Mills teams won state titles and advanced to regional competition in Dixie Youth play. A fifth team supported by the town won the state Lady Legion softball championship, with several of the players on that team former competitors in the Hope Mills youth sports program.

Soccer has an instructional level for ages 5-7 and individual teams for ages 7-12. Wrestling is divided both by weight and age from 6-12.

Dove said if there are specific questions about any sport or registration call during regular business hours at 910-426-4109.

Under pressure from lawmakers, America’s top military officer declined to defend President Donald Trump’s decision to grant clemency to three service members last month but said he does not believe the moves will disrupt good order in the ranks. “I think the Uniform Code of Military Justice and the means by which we maintain good order and discipline are a critical element in order to maintain some level of humanity in combat zones,” said Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley during an appearance before the House Armed Services Committee.

The comments came following questioning from Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., a Marine Corps veteran, who said he heard from current service members who were dismayed by the moves. The separate cases have all drawn attacks from Trump’s critics and praise from his supporters. The decisions were reportedly made over the objections of senior military officials who warned that forgiving war crimes could undermine the military justice system.

In November, Trump granted a pardon to Army 1st Lt. Clint Lorance, convicted of second-degree murder in the death of two Afghans. Lorance walked out of military prison the next day. He also preemptively waived charges against Army Maj. Mathew Golsteyn, who faced trial at Fort Bragg on murder charges for actions in Afghanistan. In the most highly publicized case, Trump granted clemency to Navy Chief Petty Officer Edward Gallagher, who had been acquitted of a string of alleged war crimes but convicted of posing for a picture alongside the corpse of an insurgent.

Trump said their previous military service merited a “second chance.” Congressman Moulton said a Marine sergeant major texted him saying Trump’s actions were “basically setting a precedent that the rule of law in a combat zone doesn’t apply and encourages folks to start burning villages and pillaging like Genghis Khan.”

Defense officials emphasized that the moves were within the White House’s authority. “I understand where the sergeant major is coming from,” Milley said. But, he noted the president of the United States is part of the process, and he has the legal authority to do what he did.

Trump’s timing was part of the issue. Senior military advisers said the commander in chief should not have involved himself until all the cases were adjudicated. Asked about Golsteyn’s status, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper told The Washington Post that he was focused on the Gallagher case and would “take this one step at a time.”

Republicans came to the president’s defense. “We need to be very careful in equating bad judgment calls, calls that may get you relieved of command, with a war crime,” Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., and an Army veteran said.

First hailed a hero, then stripped of his medals and charged with murder only to be pardoned by the president, Golsteyn wants the Silver Star he was awarded in 2010 to be upgraded to the Distinguished Service Cross, the military’s second-highest honor. He is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy and a former Green Beret. He was cited for bravery while with the 3rd Special Forces Group during the battle of Marjah in 2010, where he repeatedly braved enemy fire, launched a mission to find enemy marksmen, aided a wounded Afghan soldier and coordinated airstrikes.

Pictured: Gen. Mark Milley appeared before the House Armed Services Committee.

When Cape Fear football coach Jake Thomas brought his son to club wrestling practice after New Year’s Eve, he was met by a disappointing sight on the school’s football field.
Someone had used a small area near the baseball-field end as a launching pad for fireworks.

Photos taken by Thomas showed a burned out spot on the turf of the Cape Fear field with the litter from the various types of fireworks used by whoever trespassed illegally on school grounds still there.

Thomas said it certainly could have been a lot worse, and has been when he’s seen people who’ve driven vehicles onto athletic fields and left damaging doughnuts cut into the turf with the wheels of their trucks or cars.
But seeing the Cape Fear field marred by the fireworks was not a pleasing sign for Thomas, who estimates he and members of his coaching staff spend in the vicinity of 200 hours a year doing everything to the field from cutting the grass, tending to the health of the soil and painting it for Thursday and Friday football contests during the season.

“When I was first coming into coaching, you don’t appreciate how much time you spend on field maintenance, painting the field, all those things,’’ Thomas said. “You really don’t get a full understanding until you do it yourself.’’

Thomas said the fans who show up on Friday night only get to see the end result and don’t realize the total amount of work that the football staff puts into making the field not only safe to play on but appealing to the eye.

Beyond the work on the field, there are rules in place about who can and can’t use school practice facilities like the football field. Thomas noted that not even Cape Fear varsity and junior varsity athletes are allowed to be on school property working out without a member of the coaching staff being present with them.

“There are liability issues,’’ Thomas said. Even in the school weight room, athletes can’t lift without having a coach there to oversee what’s taking place.

Vernon Aldridge, student activities director for the Cumberland County Schools, said those who used the Cape Fear football field for shooting fireworks were guilty of trespassing.
“If definitely has to do with safety reasons, but it’s also a liability issue,’’ Aldridge said, “having folks on our grounds if they are injured. The liability falls on us.’’

Aldridge said high schools are not allowed to use fireworks at their games on Friday nights because it’s a fire code issue. While it used to be alright when Aldridge was a coach at South View in the early part of 2000, the fire marshal later ruled that it was not allowed.

During its run to the state football championship in 1991, South View had a fan who brought a musket-like gun to games that was fired following each Tiger touchdown.

Aldridge said that practice is also no longer allowed due to firearms restrictions on campus.

Thomas said he did not make an official police report of the incident at Cape Fear but he has asked members of the Cape Fear community to help identify who was involved, especially if they were students, so proper discipline can be administered as needed.

Aldridge said the county will likely not get involved and will let Cape Fear handle the matter at the school level, including any decision regarding offering a reward for identifying those involved.

Walt Brinker, 1966 West Point graduate, retired US Army infantry lieutenant colonel and Vietnam War veteran, retired civilian project manager, instructor at FTCC, and Eastover resident, has provided well over 2,000 free-of-charge roadside assists as a hobby. With experience from these assists he wrote a book, “Roadside Survival: Low-Tech Solutions to Automobile Breakdowns” for the everyday motorist. He also set up a website, “roadsidesurvival.com”, to help individuals, driver education teachers, and law enforcement. This vignette captures one of his many assists, along with lessons.

The Toyota Highlander was stopped on the Interstate highway shoulder. The right front tire was flat. Its occupants were roasting on the hot summer day. “Joseph” from Cameroon, the driver and father of the family, told me that he couldn’t get to his spare tire because the vehicle’s rear hatchback, which covered access to lower the spare, wouldn’t open. So I jacked up his vehicle, removed the flat tire wheel, wrapped it in an old sheet and put it in my car. Joseph and I took it to a Walmart for repair — all it needed was a valve stem.

While we were there, I pointed out a portable 12-volt jumper battery and compressor, which could come in handy. He was not interested. Tire repaired, we returned to his vehicle, where I remounted the wheel. His 8-year old twin daughters, coached and rehearsed while Joseph and I were gone, performed a really cute, lively thank you dance for me. Very nice!

Before I departed I suggested Joseph visit the nearby Toyota dealer to fix the latch on his rear door; he declined, saying he was in a hurry. His wife remarked acidly, “We might as well not have a spare tire.” I decided to leave before their fight. After taking the next exit and returning toward the Toyota, I noticed that it had not moved. I circled back and again stopped.

Evidently, while Joseph and I were away, the family had used the sound system, running down the vehicle’s battery. So I gave him a jump start. I then gently reminded him about that portable jumper battery we had seen, suggesting he might want to reconsider. He smiled and said, “No,I don’t think so”, before thanking me and driving away.

Driver tips:

1. Don’t drive without a spare tire, especially in hot or cold weather, with one’s family. Not having access to the spare is the same as driving without it.
2. If you know of a problem that restricts performance of basics such as changing a tire, get it fixed before a trip. As the saying goes, “The good Lord helps those who help themselves.”
3. Consider keeping a 12-volt portable jumper battery and a 12-volt air compressor in your vehicle. Note: portable batteries require periodic recharging after each use or monthly, at least, otherwise they will underperform. Total loss of charge will end the battery’s effective life.

Nyielah Nick

Seventy-First • Basketball• Senior

Nick has a grade point average of 3.6. She averages 7.6 points and 5.7 rebounds per game for the Falcons. She is also active in the school’s JROTC program.

Anija Borja

Seventy-First• Basketball• Senior

Borja has a grade point average of 3.7.

Several years ago, the Public Works Commission set as a strategic goal increasing our local vendor capacity and engaging local vendors on the many opportunities available to them to provide services and goods to PWC. This came after both hearing concerns of local businesses and many incidents where PWC had to re-bid opportunities because of low or no response.

Among our many initiatives was starting an event to invite local businesses to learn about the millions of dollars we spend on goods and services and future plans and capital projects that businesses could position themselves to be a part of.

 PWC held a “Building Business Rally” in 2016 and 2017. Because of its success, in 2018, we coordinated an expanded Regional Building Business Rally, partnering with nearly 30 organizations and agencies on the event with the hopes of increasing local spending and encouraging local economic development. The Rally is a unique opportunity as a “one-stop” shop for local businesses where they connect to organizations that have money to spend and are looking for local businesses to spend it with.

Since May of 2018, the momentum of this effort has continued. Our Building Local Vendor Capacity Committee set our vision to “maximize local purchasing and procurement opportunities from within our region, thereby enhancing the wealth and health of the community” and our mission to use community collaboration to enhance our local supplier base.

 Collaboration and education are key to our success, and with the support of the Cumberland County’s Mayor’s Coalition, January has been proclaimed as Building Local Business month, with the month culminating with the fourth annual Building Business Rally on Thursday, Jan. 30.

Organizations participating in the Rally are Cumberland County and Fayetteville’s largest buyers, representing over $1 billion in opportunities. They include Cape Fear Valley Hospital System; Cumberland County; Cumberland County Schools; the city of Fayetteville, including FAST and Community Development; Fayetteville State University; Fayetteville Technical Community college; the town of Hope Mills; the town of Spring Lake; North Carolina Department of Transportation; Prince Charles Holdings; PWC; and Vector Fleet Maintenance, which manages the city of Fayetteville fleet.

 Some of the opportunities that will be presented at the rally are PWC’s ongoing needs installing water and sewer services, maintaining our current system and annual repairs and maintenance and upgrades of our electric system. Cumberland County Schools estimates spending $10 million a year on instructional custodial supplies, information technology, and construction, while the town of Hope Mills projects it will spend over $34 million on facilities, public works, transportation, public safety and  stormwater and recreation projects.

The Jan. 30 event utilizes the local business resources of the Greater Fayetteville Chamber, the Small Business and Technology Development Center, and Cumberland County N.C. Works to help businesses find opportunities, structure their business for success and find a qualified workforce.

 To register for the event, which will be held at the Ramada Plaza on Owen Drive from 2-6 p.m., visit www.faybids.com. Bookmark that site as it is a one-stop-shop for local contracting opportunities and local classes and workshops that can benefit your business.

Cumberland County had a good showing in the recently-completed Holiday Classic basketball tournament, with county schools taking championships in three of the four brackets.

This was the second year of a major format change in the tournament that was instituted by Cumberland County Schools student activities director Vernon Aldridge.

After years of the county schools facing each other as many as five times in one season, Aldridge instituted the change that divided the 10 county schools into four brackets and brought in outside schools to lower the chance county schools from the same conference would meet each other in the tournament.

“We got a lot of compliments from the outside schools on how the tournament was run,’’ Aldridge said. One email from Eric Davis, coach at Wilmington Laney, called the tournament the best run event of its kind he had seen in his 19 years as a coach.

Here’s a look at the three brackets of the tournament that were won by Cumberland County Schools.

Boys
Len Maness Bracket

Westover’s boys downed Middle Creek, Laney and county rival Cape Fear en route to the championship.

Wolverine head coach George Stackhouse felt his team’s depth allowed Westover to utilize different styles of play and maintain poise in a couple of games when they didn’t get off to a good start.
Ma’Nas Drummond of Westover was named the Most Valuable Player of the Maness bracket, scoring 18 points in the title game to lead Westover to the win.

“We felt confident he was going to be able to contribute a lot this year,’’ Stackhouse said of Drummond. “His teammates and everybody were very happy he was able to get MVP.’’

Stackhouse said he feels his team is in a good place as it heads into conference play immediately after the holiday break. “We’ve still got a few things we need to work out,’’ he said. “I’d like halfcourt execution to be better.
“We’ve got to get everyone playing up to their ability, playing together as a team, see if we can’t keep improving.’’

Ike Walker Sr. Bracket

Terry Sanford downed Corinth Holders, Pine Forest and Southern Lee en route to winning the Walker bracket. Coach Karl Molnar said he’s been impressed with his team’s ability to work hard and move the basketball all season, and that continued during the run through the tournament.

If there was a shortcoming the team showed during the tournament, it was the inability to slow down individual opposing players who were on a shooting hot streak.

“It’s hard to win much of anything without playing some good defense,’’ Molnar said. “We’ve not quite mastered how to shut down that one kid that gets going. But we’ve managed to keep our opponents quiet as a whole and put us in a position to move the ball around and be successful offensively.’’

Molnar’s son, Davis, was chosen as the MVP of the Walker bracket, scoring 25 in the title game with Southern Lee.

Molnar said he and his son have frequent basketball conversations on and off the court. “Davis knows as player-and-coach or father-and-son he can talk to me,’’ Molnar said. “He had a good run of three games, and they came at a good time.’’

Molnar felt it was a good sign for county basketball that three of the four finalists in the boys’ brackets of the Holiday Classic were from Cumberland County.

“It’s looking pretty strong for us,’’ he said of the county teams. Things are looking good for the Bulldogs as well as they’ll enter into January’s conference schedule awaiting the return of football standout Ezemdi Udoh, who missed the Holiday Classic because of his participation in the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas.

"We can’t wait until we get him on the same sheet of music,’’ Molnar said.

Picture 2: Ma’Nas Drummond of Westover was named the Most Valuable Player of the Maness bracket. Photo Credit: Matt Plyler

Picture 3: Davis Molnar was chosen as the MVP of the Walker bracket, scoring 25 in the title game with Southern Lee. Photo Credit: Matt Plyler

Kasey Ivey of the Hope Mills Parks and Recreation had already been talking with Rebecca Skiba of the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission about coming to Hope Mills to discuss nature programs the town might be able to offer.

That was before Dec. 3, when a member of the town’s maintenance staff spotted a coyote on the newly-opened Golfview Greenway Walking Trail at the old municipal golf course.

When Ivey posted the news on the Parks and Recreation Facebook page, she was surprised at the response.

“It sparked 56 comments and 187 shares,’’ she said. When Skiba came to Hope Mills for a scheduled visit on Dec. 9 to tour local nature-related sites around the town, Ivey shared with her the news about the coyotes at the golf course. Skiba, who is the outreach education specialist for the southern coastal region of the state, said she would be available to make a presentation on co-existing with coyotes.

So Skiba will return to Hope Mills on Wednesday, Jan. 29, at 6 p.m. at the community room at the Hope Mills Recreation Center to talk about coyotes.

There is limited space, so people interested in coming to the presentation need to reach out to Ivey as soon as possible. Her email address is kivey@townofhopemills.com.

Ivey wants to make sure enough people are interested in the meeting to make Skiba’s trip to Hope Mills worth her time, since she travels a great deal and covers such a large area of the state in her job.

Both Ivey and Skiba stressed that the presence of coyotes at the new greenway is not a cause for panic, and people who plan to use it shouldn’t be fearful or jump to any conclusions about the animals.

Skiba has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Georgia and has worked in North Carolina for the past four years.

She said the biggest problem with coyotes is that people don’t know a lot about them and they tend to be afraid of what they don’t know.

Coyotes are present in all 100 of North Carolina’s counties, Skiba said, adding it is difficult to regulate the population. One of the main aims of her presentation will be to educate the public on the difference between a perceived threat a real one.

The primary rule of thumb with coytotes, she said, is live and let live. “We’ve never had a case in North Carolina where a coyote has attacked and harmed a human being,’’ she said.

But that doesn’t mean that every living thing is safe around coyotes. They are omnivores, Skiba said, which means they eat everything from vegetables to bugs to fruit. And, unfortunately, some small animals.

That’s why any greenway walkers with pets, especially small ones, need to either leave them at home or keep them on a leash, as they could be potential prey for the coyotes.

If a human sees a coyote, it’s fairly easy to shoo them off and go about their business. “They don’t stalk you,’’ Skiba said.

It is possible for a coyote to be rabid, but unlikely, Skiba said. Wild animals at the top of the list to develop rabies are raccoons, skunks and foxes, Skiba said. “Coyotes aren’t really high up on the list.’’

In the event anyone encounters an animal exhibiting odd behavior, they should contact local animal control authorities immediately.

Skiba said typical early onset rabies behavior in animals includes being disoriented or appearing in public places while making no attempt to hide or protect themselves. “Not all rabies is the foaming at the mouth phase,’’
she said.

For her presentation in Hope Mills, Skiba said she plans to discuss the history of coyotes in North Carolina, the ecology involved and how they affect other species in the state.

She will also present different options of coyote management, but added that her presentation will not be dealing with any kind of program the town as a whole can put into place, just things to be done on an individual basis.

“This is a general information session to dispel myths and fears that are out there,’’ Skiba said, “also to bring up certain things that people can keep in mind to make sure they are not attracting coyotes if they don’t desire to have them.

“We go about our daily lives and we don’t consider the ways we impact or attract wildlife. I’m just trying to bring those up as well.’’

If anyone has specific questions about coyotes or other wildlife in the Hope Mills area the best way to reach Skiba is via her email at rebecca.skiba@ncwildlife.org.

There is also a Wildlife Helpline at the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission which allows callers to speak to a trained biologist and ask specific questions about wildlife behavior, wildlife-related damage or injury and co-existing with wildlife. The number is 866-318-2401.

Fayetteville Technical Community College plans to offer a new certificate program during Fall 2020 designed for certified ophthalmic assistants and certified ophthalmic technicians to gain the skills needed for the ophthalmic surgical assistant.

The need to develop OSAs is now nationally recognized, and ophthalmologists agree that the range of OSA training could assist the mechanical and technical aspects of ophthalmic surgery.

Based on the fact there are no OSA programs in North Carolina, the employment opportunities for graduates of FTCC’s Ophthalmic Surgical Assistant program will continue to grow. The program will provide current COAs and COTs with another unique career option in the health care industry.

The didactic portion of the program will be taught online, and the laboratory portion will be taught in the evenings. This format will allow interested candidates to continue their employment while completing the requirements for the program.
Fayetteville Technical Community College can help you earn the training that can set you up to get the career you want. In addition to high-quality education available at an affordable cost, students can enjoy leadership opportunities by participation in a number of clubs and organizations, athletics and so much more. Fayetteville Tech offers associate degree programs, certificate programs and diploma programs in the areas of health, business, computer technology, engineering/applied technology and public service. Students who wish to pursue a four-year degree can save money on tuition and other expenses by enrolling at FTCC in arts and humanities or math and science associate degree programs, which transfer to some four-year colleges/universities. Students who have transferred from FTCC to four-year colleges have enjoyed high levels of success in the four-year college environment. 

Make an investment in yourself that pays off. Learn more about exciting possibilities awaiting you at Fayetteville Technical Community College by visiting the website at www.faytechcc.edu. Make the smart choice for your education—Fayetteville Technical Community College! To learn more about the OSA Program, please contact me at 910-678-8358 or via email herringt@faytechcc.edu.

Words and language, specifically English, have been important to me all my life. My mother was a grammatical stickler, and the Precious Jewels stick me with that label as well. English, with all its peculiarities, is a rich language with about 170,000 words — more than any other language, though most of us use only 20,000 to 30,000 of them regularly. It is considered a difficult language for non-English speakers to learn.

Like most languages, English evolves. Chances are that if our most celebrated playwright and acknowledged master of English, William Shakespeare, appeared to speak to us today, we probably would not understand his English of four centuries ago — nor he our modern parlance. Shakespeare would almost certainly not get our most recent words, expressions or acronyms.

The dictionary company, Merriam-Webster, adds new words every year, and based on its additions since 2010, Caroline Bologna writing for Huff Post has listed 20 “words” that helped define the decade we just left, 2010-2019. Here are some of them. 

A decade ago, we might not have known what each other were saying but now we all know that “hashtag” refers to the pound symbol, #, used in connection with various social and political movements and the social medium, Twitter. We also know “FOMO” means fear of missing out, a form of anxiety in the age of social media. “Self-care” means not just taking care of one’s physical and mental health but pampering and indulging oneself as well. “Athleisure” references cozy and comfortable clothing, like yoga pants, worn outside the gym in all sorts of circumstances, something my mother could never have imagined and to which I plead “totally guilty.” “Bingeable” refers not to midnight snacks but to streamed television or other-screened programming watched for hours on end — of which your columnist is also totally guilty.  

I had to look up this one, but a “flexitarian” is a person eating a more plant-based diet by reducing animal protein without eliminating it altogether. To “Stan” was also a new term for me, and it refers to being an aggressive, even obsessive, fan of some celebrity or another and is short for “stalker fan.” It derives from an Eminem song dealing with that topic. I still grapple with the meaning of “meme” — is it an idea or a visual symbol or both? Maybe Merriam-Webster can set me straight.

Finally, I love the notion of “glamping”— glamorous camping — and look forward to trying it in our new decade. I am working on taking “selfies” but am not as interested in them as in glamping. And, truth be told, at my age, I have had just about as much “mansplaining” —male condescension in the workplace and personal relationships — as I can stand.

Merriam-Webster also documents the most searched word each year, and with a 313% uptick in searches, 2019’s most sought after word definition was for the humble pronoun “they.” Apparently, many of us are trying to figure out how to use that word when referring to people of undetermined, unknown, fluid or otherwise undescribed gender. Also in the highly searched category were “quid pro quo,” “impeach,” “egregious” and “crawdad” for obvious reasons — Donald Trump and a bestselling novel.

In 2120, English speakers may no longer know the meaning of FOMO or mansplaining, just as we no longer understand words Shakespeare used often — amain (at full speed), corse (corpse) or peradventure (chance). English was in Shakespeare’s day and remains today a language with great flexibility and resilience and one which finds a way to describe our world as it changes.

Welcome to the 2020s, whatever they may bring!

From 1600 to 1750, the Baroque period challenged artistic expectations in Europe. Meaning “oddly shaped pearl,” barroco is characterized by contrasting melodies, harmony and multiple instrument sounds. This style didn’t become popular overnight. In fact, critics of the period described Baroque compositions as overly complicated and elaborate. However, fans of Bach, Vivaldi, Purcell and other masterminds of the era would disagree. The Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra will play tribute to these artists with a Baroque performance, Jan. 16, at St. John’s Episcopal Church.

The concert will provide an educational glimpse into 17th- and 18th-century Europe. In fact, Executive Director Jesse Hughes chose to showcase works from this era “to give the community and audience exposure to famous (composers) of the Baroque period,” particularly Johann Sebastian Bach. “He was like the musical example — the model — the one that’s paid a lot of homage to by the previous composers,” Hughes said about the German composer. “He is looked at as being the forerunner of the Baroque style.”

Baroque music also offers quite a variety to the listener, Hughes said. Although the Baroque movement took place in Europe, styles varied between countries, particularly France, Germany, England and Italy. Such variety will be represented at FSO’s concert.

“Expect to be entertained through the musical versatility and flexibility of the musicians,” Hughes said. “For example, Adagio in G Minor for Strings and Organ, where you normally see it on piano, you’ll see on a church organ.”

Hughes explained that FSO will perform as a chamber orchestra, a more intimate format, since Baroque compositions were traditionally performed this way. “The chamber orchestra can be 50 players or less, and normally instead of having multiple instruments on a part it can be one to two instruments on a part,” said Hughes.

St. John’s intimate setting combined with the smaller orchestra will allow for more interaction between performers and audience, according to Hughes. Instead of performing onstage, the orchestra will be on ground level; the performers will also enter the same doors that the patrons enter, so the audience will likely be able to meet orchestra members after the concert.

During the remainder of the season, FSO will perform “Music She Wrote,” a concert that celebrates female composers with works written exclusively by women on Feb. 8. On March 7, FSO will highlight pieces by Brahms, Wagner, Bizet and Berlioz during “In Their Footsteps.” April 4, FSO will perform Bohemian masterpieces, including Dvorak’s Cello Concerto, in “Musical Folktales.” The Music Nerd will appear at 6:45 p.m. before each concert to hold a question and answer session with the audience.

Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra’s “If It Ain’t Baroque” will take place at 302 Green St., Thursday, Jan. 16, at 7:30 p.m.

To learn more or to purchase tickets, visit https://squareup.com/store/fayetteville-symphony-orchestra/item/if-it-ain-t-baroque.

On New Year's Eve of 2018, my boss, Dorothy, laid a bright blue spiral notebook on my desk. I slipped my thumb under the front cover and turned to the first page, the quiet crack of the card stock separating from the paper it protected, proving it had never been opened.

“A new notebook for a new year,” she said.

This was a challenge.

Several years ago, Dorothy read a book called “One Thousand Gifts” by Ann Voskamp, and remembering it sparked her to buy the entire staff a notebook and a copy of the book. The challenge was to chronicle 1,000 God-given gifts, no matter how big or small, by the end of 2019. It could be a good meal or beautiful flower, a credit card paid off or sweet baby laughter. The first chirp of a bird when spring arrives. Family. Common things. Uncommon things. Silly things. Serious things. Any good gift from God.

At first thought, this sounds cliche. It's so easy for me to gloss over those sticky-sweet quotes dressed in beautiful fonts slapped on a well-edited photo of some snow-covered trees that friends on social media post almost daily. Those graphics that say, “Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened,” or “Life's a journey, not a destination.” Ugh. Give me a break. The quotes never really have anything to do with the background they're plastered on and they kind of make me want to throw up, but I digress. If those kinds of things help you, that's great. More power to you, I say. For me, its a big “thanks, but no thanks."

For the first half of last year, I participated in this challenge, chronicling nearly 500 of the thousand I was to come up with. I must say, I was feeling mighty fine. I was loving life — taking care of myself, seeing some relationships in my life have some major breakthroughs, cooking supper for my family every night. I was making my list day by day and it was really making a difference.

That summer, one of the most unknowingly overwhelming seasons of my life hit like an anvil to the forehead. I had family members become life-threateningly ill. My 1-year-old started day care for the first time, causing a change in my work schedule and time at home, in addition to bringing sickness after sickness home with him for months. My husband and I sold our home and moved back to my family's farm to better tackle some debt and be near to those sick family members. Most of it was not all that weighty, but all at once, it was a lot of change in a short amount of time.

Somehow, as I tried to keep on keeping on, my 1,000 Gifts list trailed off.

Over the course of just three months, I found myself irritated, unmotivated, easily offended, critical of others, overwhelmed, exhausted, disappointed, disengaged, crying a lot, inattentive, rude to my husband and telling myself how much of a failure I was because of the important things I let slip through the cracks at work and at home.

I had a lot on my plate, but I know that all those things would have been easier to chew if I feasted on thanks-giving.

I am convinced now more than ever that there's actually something to this gift list. In the last 24 hours of Jesus's life before he was crucified, he did a strange thing. In Luke 22, we find the account of the Last Supper, where Jesus brings his disciples together to share a meal. Luke 22:19 says, “And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them...” Originally written in Greek, the word for “he gave thanks” is “eucharisteo." The root word of eucharisteo is "charis," meaning “grace.” Jesus took bread, saw it as grace, and gave thanks. Also found in eucharisteo is "chara," which means “joy.” Isn't that what we all long for? More joy? It seems that deep chara joy is found at the table of euCHARisteo — the table of thanksgiving.

Voskamp writes, “So then, as long as thanks is possible, joy is always possible... Whenever, meaning now. Wherever, meaning here.” In every circumstance, in every season of life, joy can be found if we can focus on giving thanks. To say it better, joy is found when we see God in the here and now.

So, I'm starting over. This year, I'm making a list called “Seeing 2020” — get it? It's time for a new perspective — a grateful perspective — that can only come by finding today's good and lovely. I'm filling it with things Philippians 4:8 talks about. It says, “...whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” Today's things.

You can find — I can find — today's good and lovely in the middle of heartache, tumult, emotional debris and disappointment. It's there. We just have to look.

I want more joy. I definitely want God's grace. I must be intentional in giving thanks no matter what this year holds.

You find what you look for. What can you find today?

So many times, I have heard people who have been involved in an auto wreck say: “I have full coverage.” What does that mean? For most people that means they have coverage for liability, property damage and a rental car. Let’s talk about what that often does not mean.

When most of us buy auto insurance, we’re just looking at how much coverage we need to get behind the wheel and how low we can keep the monthly payment. Here’s the reality of auto insurance coverage:

One day you are running out to the grocery store to pick up a few things. As you drive through an intersection with the green light, another driver runs the red light and smashes into your car. You wake up at the hospital with stitches in your head and several broken bones. You had to have some emergency surgery, and you will be in the hospital for several days. You aren’t going to be able to go back to work for quite a while and you have bills to pay. Your life has just been turned upside down. Your daily commitments and responsibilities are still there, even though you are out of commission.

It’s usually at this point when most of us will begin to wonder about how much insurance the guy/gal that hit us had. This is a good question because your medical bills alone could easily exceed $30,000. What about your missed paychecks? What about the broken bones and the scar on your head? What about the terrible pain you feel that the pain killers barely take the edge off?

North Carolina law requires a minimum of $30,000 in insurance coverage to operate a motor vehicle. If the guy that hit you has minimum coverage, what do you do? You look at your insurance coverage. Do you have “underinsured” coverage? That is the “UIM” coverage on your policy. “UM” is for when an uninsured motorist hits you. “UIM” is for when a motorist hits you and they do not have enough coverage to pay for your damages. Most of us do not know much about “UIM” or “UM” until we need it, and then we wish we had it or had gotten more.

Honestly, if you have a significant injury in a car wreck, $30,000 minimum coverage will not be enough to protect you from serious financial loss. On the flip side, if you run the red light and hit someone and only have $30,000 in coverage, that will not protect you from serious financial trouble, either. My recommendation is to get as much coverage as you can afford and, if you can, try not to have anything less than $100,000.00 in coverage. This should include liability coverage (if you are at fault) and underinsured “UIM” and uninsured “UM” coverage (if someone hits you who has little or no coverage). If you can afford more, do it. It only takes one bad wreck to make us realize how important that coverage is — and if you don’t have it, the consequences can be devastating.

The 2018 North Carolina Infant Mortality Report shows the infant mortality rate in Cumberland County has dropped significantly — 33% compared to 2017. The lower infant mortality rate mirrors a record low rate statewide. In Cumberland County, there were 34 infant deaths recorded to residents of the county in 2018, compared to 52 deaths in 2017. The infant mortality rate in Cumberland County in 2018 was 6.3 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2018 compared to 9.4 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2017.

Statewide, infant deaths in 2018 reached the lowest rate in the 31 years that deaths have been tracked — declining for the third straight year. According to the North Carolina Infant Mortality Report, 806 infant deaths were recorded to residents of North Carolina in 2018 compared to 852 in 2017.

“While we are pleased by recent reports of a reduction in the number of infant deaths in Cumberland County, one death is still too many,” said Cumberland County Public Health Director Dr. Jennifer Green. “Department initiatives such as the Baby Store are aimed at promoting prenatal health which leads to healthy moms and healthy babies.”

Wisconsin is at the top of the Centers for Disease Control and prevention list when it comes to infant mortality for nonHispanic black women, with the following deaths per 1,000 live births:
Wisconsin — 14.28
Ohio — 13.46
Alabama — 13.40
Indiana — 13.26
North Carolina — 12.24

Dr. Green notes that North Carolina has historically been among the states with high rates of infant mortality. The report indicates that notable disparities persist in infant mortality, particularly among African Americans. The African-American infant mortality rate in the tar heel state reached an all-time low, decreasing by 9% since 2016. In Cumberland County, the rate is four times the white infant mortality rate at 9.9 deaths per 1,000 births in 2018. Leading causes of infant mortality are preterm birth and low birth weight, birth defects, Sudden Unexpected Infant Death and complications of pregnancy, labor and delivery.

The rate is impacted by a wide range of social, behavioral and health risk factors, including poverty, racism, education, tobacco use, obesity and lack of access to medical care before and during pregnancy. In the United States, research has identified associations between individual socioeconomic factors and select community-level factors. In the 2018 report, the authors looked beyond traditional risk factors for infant mortality and examined the social context of race in this country to understand African-American women’s long-standing birth outcome disadvantage.

In the process, recent insights are highlighted concerning neighborhood-level factors such as crime, poverty, segregation and institutional racism. A 2018 U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report, which uses data from 2013-2015, states: For infants of nonHispanic black women, the mortality rate ranged from 8.27 in Massachusetts to 14.28 in Wisconsin.

“The data should be shocking to everyone,” Wisconsin state Rep. Shelia Stubbs said in an email. “But for black families, especially black women, this is reality.”

Republic Parking assumed management and enforcement of downtown parking the first of the year, taking over from McLaurin Parking. City officials say that, initially, there will be no changes to downtown parking enforcement as the new company takes over. Republic Parking is working with City Council to implement a paid parking plan in the downtown area. Parking revisions were made necessary with the construction of Segra Stadium, the minor league baseball field in the 400 block of Hay Street.

The city will charge patrons $5 per parking space in the more than 1,100 parking spaces in the 12 downtown public parking lots during large downtown events, to include home baseball games. City-paid lots will be clearly marked with roadside signs indicating the lot locations. Parking attendants at the city-maintained parking lots will accept cash or credit/debit cards as payment for $5 parking fees.

Republic Parking is in the process of deciding where to place pay stations that will be installed along on-street parking and in city parking lots. Costs will be $1 per hour for on-street parking and $1 per hour or $5 per day in city lots. Downtown visitors will also be able to use the app, ParkMobile, to pay for parking. Republic Parking is working on an education campaign in advance of the expected spring kick-off for paid parking.

“Paid parking is something that is needed here in Fayetteville. We are a growing city, and this is the direction many growing cities with successful downtown areas are taking,” said Mayor Mitch Colvin. “I am confident this plan will allow more people to enjoy our beautiful downtown area.”

Information will be provided via the news media, the city’s website and through downtown businesses. A new website complete with FAQs and other information about downtown parking will also be launched in the coming months.

“Republic Parking manages parking for more than 100 municipalities across the country, said Jack Skelton, Republic’s executive vice president of Municipal Division. We look forward to working with the city and community to develop an innovative and convenient downtown parking program.” Skelton went on to say “We’ve seen this time and time again — that businesses are concerned paid parking will be a detriment to downtown visitors — on the contrary, our experience shows that paid parking actually increases parking turnover, with visitors finding it easier to park and businesses finding that it increases their customer foot traffic due to higher parking turnover.”

Revenue generated by downtown parking will be used to assist in paying the debt on Segra Stadium as part of the business plan the city developed more than 18 months ago when proposing the stadium concept to City Council. Republic Parking was selected through a process that included submissions from five different parking firms. Republic has managed the city’s airport parking lots for several years. Information on the current downtown parking enforcement plan can be found at www.FayettevilleNC.gov/downtownparking.

Republic Parking assumed management and enforcement of downtown parking the first of the year, taking over from McLaurin Parking. City officials say that, initially, there will be no changes to downtown parking enforcement as the new company takes over. Republic Parking is working with City Council to implement a paid parking plan in the downtown area. Parking revisions were made necessary with the construction of Segra Stadium, the minor league baseball field in the 400 block of Hay Street.

The city will charge patrons $5 per parking space in the more than 1,100 parking spaces in the 12 downtown public parking lots during large downtown events, to include home baseball games. City-paid lots will be clearly marked with roadside signs indicating the lot locations. Parking attendants at the city-maintained parking lots will accept cash or credit/debit cards as payment for $5 parking fees.

Republic Parking is in the process of deciding where to place pay stations that will be installed along on-street parking and in city parking lots. Costs will be $1 per hour for on-street parking and $1 per hour or $5 per day in city lots. Downtown visitors will also be able to use the app, ParkMobile, to pay for parking. Republic Parking is working on an education campaign in advance of the expected spring kick-off for paid parking.

“Paid parking is something that is needed here in Fayetteville. We are a growing city, and this is the direction many growing cities with successful downtown areas are taking,” said Mayor Mitch Colvin. “I am confident this plan will allow more people to enjoy our beautiful downtown area.”

Information will be provided via the news media, the city’s website and through downtown businesses. A new website complete with FAQs and other information about downtown parking will also be launched in the coming months.

“Republic Parking manages parking for more than 100 municipalities across the country, said Jack Skelton, Republic’s executive vice president of Municipal Division. We look forward to working with the city and community to develop an innovative and convenient downtown parking program.” Skelton went on to say “We’ve seen this time and time again — that businesses are concerned paid parking will be a detriment to downtown visitors — on the contrary, our experience shows that paid parking actually increases parking turnover, with visitors finding it easier to park and businesses finding that it increases their customer foot traffic due to higher parking turnover.”

Revenue generated by downtown parking will be used to assist in paying the debt on Segra Stadium as part of the business plan the city developed more than 18 months ago when proposing the stadium concept to City Council. Republic Parking was selected through a process that included submissions from five different parking firms. Republic has managed the city’s airport parking lots for several years. Information on the current downtown parking enforcement plan can be found at www.FayettevilleNC.gov/downtownparking.