Fayetteville City Councilwoman Tisha Waddell has scheduled a community forum for Nov. 15. Waddell has no formal opposition in the election. But her candidacy was opposed by Mayor Mitch Colvin, who supported a write-in candidate. Before being elected mayor, Colvin represented the city’s 3rd District, which Waddell now represents.

The write-in candidate was Dominique Ashley, a recent graduate of Fayetteville State University. She announced her candidacy two weeks before the Nov. 5 election. She’s “the kind of people we want involved in the political process,” Colvin said in an interview with The Fayetteville Observer.

Since Ashley announced her campaign, the mayor has twice shared news about her candidacy on his official Facebook page. But he said he has not formally endorsed anyone for office.

Waddell concedes she and Colvin have not always shared the same views on local issues. She supports the proposal to build a multimillion-dollar Civil War & Reconstruction History Center in Fayetteville. Colvin does not. “The majority of the people I’ve spoken with are supportive of the center,” she said. “We think that it’s a good idea.”

It’s one of the subjects the councilwoman says will be highlighted at the community meeting she has scheduled for Nov. 15. It will be held at Simon Temple AME Zion Church on Yadkin Road from 6 to 8:30 p.m.

Stormwater issues and sidewalks plus street resurfacing are the other topics of discussion for the forum. “We are directly affected by a lack of resources,” Waddell declared. “I want to make sure the people in my district are knowledgeable,” she added.

City officials responsible for management of streets and sidewalks will be on hand to field questions. Leaders of the History Center have also been invited. “We don’t think of it as a museum,” said Center Chairman Mac Healy.

The Winston-Salem-based Winslow Group was commissioned to perform a conceptual feasibility study, measure support for the mission and gauge interest beyond Fayetteville. Planning of the learning center began 12 years ago. In 2007, the Museum of the Cape Fear Historical Complex Foundation received a planning grant from the North Carolina General Assembly. Foundation leaders immediately commissioned the Ohio-based museum consulting firm Germann and Associates to perform a benchmarking and assessment study.

Because of the existing museum’s location on one of North Carolina’s most important Civil War sites and its ownership of the Reconstruction-era E. A. Poe House, consultants recommended that the new center focus on the Civil War and Reconstruction in North Carolina. Local leaders also decided to include the antebellum period from about 1830. It was the period before the War Between the States that philosophically and politically resulted in the conflict.

The interpretive consultants were instructed to find the most effective means of telling the story of North Carolina’s people, all of them, and not to rely solely on artifacts. From the beginning, the History Center’s planners understood that many students from across the state would benefit from the use of technology. So, they created one of the nation’s first digital master plans to make this authoritative resource accessible to all.

Pictured: Tisha Waddell

A special appearance by the United States Army’s Golden Knights parachute team highlights this year’s observance of Heroes Homecoming in Hope Mills.

Scheduled on Monday, Nov. 11, the Hope Mills observance will be held at and in the vicinity of the Hope Mills Town Hall complex on Rockfish Road.

Jim Morris, secretary for the Veterans Affairs Committee of the town of Hope Mills, said the ceremony will begin at 11 a.m. at the bell tower near Town Hall.

The end of World War I will be remembered there with a ringing of the bell.

From there, events will move to the Veterans Memorial Park nearby, where various members of the Veterans Affairs Committee will mark the 75th anniversary of the D-Day invasion at Normandy on June 6, 1944, by reading the names of North Carolina residents who took part in the landings in France.

Morris said committee members will take turns reading the names.

Small American flags will be planted around the memorial park as part of the ceremony.

Following the ceremonies at the 11 a.m. hour, there will be a break until 3 p.m. when the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10630 holds its annual Veterans Day ceremony.

Weather permitting, the Golden Knights will jump in at the Brower Park baseball field across the street from the Town Hall Complex.

They will bring with them a wreath that will be used during the VFW ceremony.

Morris said the jump will recall major airborne operations of World War II, including the jumps at Normandy and later in the war in Operation Market Garden.

Morris said that now more than ever, it is important for Americans to pause on Veterans Day and appreciate the sacrifices the military has made on behalf of the average citizen during this country’s long history.

“We are involved in some of the longest wars America has ever been involved in,’’ he said, noting the extended conflict in Afghanistan as part of the war on global terror.

Morris noted that since the 9/11 terror attacks on the United States, there have been some tremendous sacrifices by America’s active duty military.

“Some of these guys have done seven, eight, nine year-long rotations,’’ he said. “They are just flat worn out, their families are worn out, the caregivers that take care of them are worn out.’’

Morris said with the rise of suicides by some in the military, the psychological effects of all those years of strain are becoming evident.

“I believe it’s important to thank them and have a separate day of remembrance when we just look at all the blood, sweat and tears they’ve given for our country,’’ he said.

The annual Hope Mills Chili Cookoff is expanding this year to include a fall festival that will offer a variety of events for the entire family. The event is scheduled Saturday, Nov. 9, from 1-5 p.m. at Dirtbag Ales.

For the second straight year, the chili cookoff will be held at Dirtbag Ales Brewery and Taproom at 5435 Corporation Drive just off Interstate 95.

The chili cookoff used to be held in conjunction with Ole Mills Days. This is the second year it’s been hosted by Dirtbag Ales and the first since the relatively new Hope Mills business has completed construction at its new location.

Kelly Spell of the Hope Mills Area Chamber of Commerce said the chamber decided to make the event more family-friendly by adding a variety of carnival-style activities to the agenda.

There will be face paining, cornhole boards, potato sack races and music from a live band.

Other activities include a hula hoop contest, a candy apple station and a hot chocolate bar.

Some of the event sponsors will also offer other games.

But the centerpiece of the activities will be the chili cookoff itself.

Spell said entries are still being sought for the competition. The fee is $20 per entry, and each entrant needs to bring a prepared crockpot of chili containing at least five quarts.

To enter into the competition, go to hopemillsareachamber.com and click on the menu option for Event Ticket.

The cookoff also welcomes vendors who would like to purchase a table to promote their business for $100 per table.

There are two categories of chili cookoff competition — mild and spicy. Three cash prizes will be awarded in each category.

There will also be a people’s choice award presented.

All those entered in the chili cookoff need to arrive no later than 12:30 p.m. to allow time to set up all the tables for the entries.

Both the judges and public involved in the people’s choice award will taste-test each chili without knowing who made which batch.

The deadline for submitting an entry in the chili cookoff is Friday, Nov. 8, to allow chamber officials time to determine how many tables will be needed for the competition.

All contestants need to make sure to label their chili mild or spicy so it is entered in the correct competition.

For further information, call Kelly Spell at the chamber office Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. The phone number is 910-423-4314. You can also email her at hmacc@hopemillschamber.org.

Amber LeComte is finishing her first year coaching girls cross country at Terry Sanford High School, and she’s already given herself a higher bar to clear next season.

LeComte, who had no previous experience coaching the sport when she took over at her alma mater this season, guided the Bulldogs to victory in the Patriot Athletic Conference cross country meet and saw sophomore Rainger Pratt take home the individual championship.

A softball player during her days at Terry Sanford, LeComte said the biggest challenge she faced taking over cross country was learning how to train the team to succeed in competitive running.

She reached out to other coaches for advice and also got input from the runners on her team, including Pratt.

Pratt, a sophomore who has been running cross country since the age of seven, said the team was a little bit concerned about LeComte’s lack of coaching experience but felt she was open to working with them.
“We kind of taught her ways that made us better runners,’’ Pratt said. “We definitely worked together and meshed more as we got closer.’’

Although Terry Sanford did well in the regular season, winning all three in-season conference meets while also competing in a variety of invitationals, LeComte still wasn’t feeling terribly confident when it came time for the conference meet.

“I did not feel like the favorite,’’ she said. “South View has a very large team, a lot of people. The more people you have running in these meets, the more likely you are to get points based on performance.’’
Terry Sanford only had six runners competing in the conference meet.

“We needed at least four or five of our girls to finish in the top 20 to get the points,’’ LeComte said.

Pratt won with a time of 20:21.90 to edge second-place Iris Terwilliger of Cape Fear.

Emma Morgan placed 10th for the Bulldogs with a time of 22:20.60. The Bulldogs then swept the final three spots in the top 20 with Brinlee Risenmay, Marissa Morris and Kaitlyn Wayne crossing the finish line in order at 18th, 19th and 20th.

The Bulldogs actually tied Pine Forest in team points with 65 each, but the Bulldogs got the championship when their sixth runner, Jasmin Singh, edged the next Pine Forest runner by less than seven seconds to clinch the victory.
LeComte knew Pratt was going to take the individual title when she saw the look on her face as the came around the track on the South View football field near the end of the race.

“I knew she was going to blow them out of the water,’’ LeComte said.

Pratt ran the South View course a lot during her freshman season with the Bulldogs and felt comfortable with it.

“There’s a woods part and some short downhills,’’ Pratt said. “I used that and the curves to my advantage.’’

Pratt qualified for the state meet last year and feels she’s got a good chance again this season. To get to the state meet, she had to place high enough in the regionals, which were held prior to the publication of this article on Saturday, Nov. 2, at Northwood High School near Pittsboro.

The state meet is on Saturday, Nov. 9, at Ivey M. Redmon Park in Kernersville.

“I usually run really well at regionals,’’ Pratt said. “As a team, I think we can do really well."

Picture 1: Amber LeComte

Picture 2: from L-R, Brinlee Risenmay, Emma Morgan, Evan Mason (head boys coach), Rainger Pratt, Kaitlyn Wayne, Jasmin Singh

Watching South View win a conference title in boys cross country had become routine for Cape Fear’s Matthew Hanes. In his 16th year at Cape Fear High School, his 14th coaching boys cross country, Hanes was all too familiar with the Tigers’ 21-year dominance of the sport locally.

But from the earliest days of summer practice this year, Hanes told his team that this season would mark the best window of opportunity the Colts ever had of taking the trophy away from South View.

“At the end of last season, we were as close as we ever were to taking them down,’’ he said. “I said the opportunity is here for the taking if you want it bad enough.’’

Apparently, the Colts did, as they finally ended the South View victory streak and captured the Patriot Athletic Conference cross country meet on South View’s own course last month.

Building a successful cross country program at Cape Fear has been anything but easy for Hanes. His first season he had a total of nine runners, boys and girls, competing. “It’s hard to get children to run that many miles when it’s 100 degrees outside,’’ he said. “You have to tell them the truth.’’

When the Colts won every regular-season duel with South View this season, it gave Hanes confidence. But he still had doubts as South View sought to make it 22 straight titles while running on its homes course.

Hanes counted on a strong showing by his top runner, Jonathan Piland, and he got it as the veteran placed second with a time of 17:04.40.

The key piece of the championship puzzle for Cape Fear was newcomer Julius Ferguson. He placed third while Juan Alvarado ran fifth to give Cape Fear its third runner in the top five.

Other Colts in the top 20 were Collin Gaddy 10th, Alden Bostic 13th and Colton Danks 20th.

Piland said the South View course offered extra challenges in the meet.

“With the rain, it made quite a muddy experience,’’ Piland said. “Otherwise it was an excellent course. They’ve always done a good job of designing it and keeping it well maintained.’’

Cape Fear’s team strategy of sticking together and staying ahead of the South View pack worked. “Our top seven runners made all-conference,’’ Piland said. “I would say that was a pretty big accomplishment.’’
The Colts are optimistic about qualifying for the Nov. 9 state meet at Ivey M. Redmon Park in Kernersville.

“We have so many that are committed runners,’’ Piland said. “We’ve won invitational meets and meets that in previous years we never figured to place in. I think we have a great shot at states this year.’’

From L-R: Tariq Hussein, Collin Gaddy, Alden Bostic, Jonathan Piland, Caleb Knudsen, Colton Danks, Seth Thomas, Mr. Brian Edkins.
Front: Coach Matthew Hanes, Julius Ferguson, Juan Alvarado. Missing from the picture is Noah Lucas.

The sudden death last week of former U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan to a rare illness had people wondering how she contracted encephalitis. North Carolina’s first and only Democratic female U.S. senator died Oct. 28 at her Greensboro home. She was 66. Hagan died in her sleep after a three-year battle with encephalitis, caused by tick-borne Powassan virus. The infection causes irreversible inflammation of the brain.

In 2008, the former state legislator defeated Republican Sen. Elizabeth Dole. She lost to Republican Thom Tillis in 2014. “Susan and I are absolutely heartbroken by Sen. Kay Hagan’s sudden passing,” Tillis said in a statement, “and we extend our condolences and prayers to her loving family and many friends. We join all North Carolinians in remembering her dedicated and distinguished record of public service to our state and nation.”

In late 2016, Hagan became ill. Symptoms of severe Powassan encephalitis include confusion, loss of coordination, difficulty speaking and seizures. Her husband, Chip Hagan, said he initially thought his wife was having a stroke. Later, he said he suspected she was bitten by a tick during a Thanksgiving trip to the Blue Ridge Mountains. Two weeks later, she was rushed to a hospital. Symptoms of a tick bite may not reveal themselves for a week or more.

Doctors eventually determined Hagan suffered from Powassan virus. It’s less common than other tick-borne diseases such as Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Lyme disease. North Carolina regularly ranks as one of the states with the most reported tick-borne cases in the United States each year.

Sen. Hagan had difficulty controlling her muscles. She was confined to a wheelchair and rarely made public appearances. The number of reported cases of people sick from Powassan virus has increased in recent years. Most cases in the United States occur in the northeast and Great Lakes region from late spring through midfall when ticks are most active.

There are no vaccines to prevent or medicines to treat the disease. The likelihood of infections is increasing, according to data compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2017, local and state health departments reported a record number of cases. Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and other tick-related illnesses increased from 48,610 in 2016 to 59,349 in 2017. Reported tick-borne illnesses in the United States doubled between 2004 and 2016.

Ticks become infected when they feed on groundhogs, squirrels, mice or deer that have the virus in their blood. Infected ticks then spread the virus to people and other animals by biting them. Three types of ticks spread Powassan virus and are primarily found in the eastern half of the United States: the groundhog tick, squirrel tick and blacklegged or deer tick. The blacklegged tick was the culprit in Sen. Hagan’s case.

Blacklegged ticks are aggressive. They often bite people. Ticks can attach to any part of the body but are often found in hard-to-see areas such as the groin, armpits and scalp. In the absence of a vaccine, prevention of Powassan virus disease depends on measures to decrease exposure to infected ticks. These include avoiding wooded and bushy areas with high grass and using repellents to discourage tick attachment.                                                

Carlos Callender

E.E. Smith • Football, indoor and outdoor track • Senior

Callender has a grade point average of 4.20. He is a member of the National Honor Society, Student Government Association, Distributive Education Clubs of America, Future Business Leaders of America, Science Olympiad, Campus Life, Fayetteville Technical Community College Honor Society and the Academy of Scholars.

MiKayla Staten

E.E. Smith • Cheerleading • Senior

Staten has a grade point average of 3.68. She’s the captain of the cheerleading squad. In addition, she’s a member of the Academy of Scholars, the National Honor Society, Bulls for Christ, Campus Life, Student 2 Student, Student Government Association, Academically and Intellectually Gifted, Junior Volunteer for Cape Fear Valley Hospital and Project Uplift at the University of North Carolina.

When military storylines play out in Hollywood films, TV shows and plays, they barely skim the surface of the reality of what military life is like, if the stories are even accurate. “Last Out: Elegy of a Green Beret,” opening in Fayetteville Dec. 7, promises a realistic and vivid image of the sacrifice that comes with serving our country.

The production is quickly becoming a success, as NBC’s Tom Brokaw, ABC and other media networks are all touting its magnificent and moving storytelling. "You know all of our movies are about the first in — the Navy SEALs, the Army Rangers, the Green Berets, 12 strong, the first in,” said Scott Mann who wrote the play and plays the main character, Danny Patton. “But you never hear about the men and women who are last out — the ones who go back day after day, week after week, month after month, like so many of our warriors at Bragg who have 10, 12, 14 deployments. I thought, what if we could actually get veterans together and tell that story about what this long war has been like for that percentage of our population?”

The story, in many ways, is biographical, although Mann says the story is also based on the experiences of service members and their families that he and his wife knew.

The story takes place in the Fayetteville/Fort Bragg area. The play is centered around a Green Beret team sergeant — Master Sgt. Danny Patton. He is killed in the very first scene. His desire is to rest and to go to Valhalla. But he’s holding on to something he can’t let go of, so he’s stuck between the fire base and his living room — his personal purgatory. His best friend, Kenny Suggins, who was killed in the Pentagon on 9/11, played by Leonard Bruce,  along with some other operators from Valhalla, come and take the form of people in Danny’s life who made his heart pump the most blood, both good and bad, in an attempt to shake him loose to see if he can figure out what he’s holding on to.
Everyone involved with the production has a military background or ties to the military in some way.

The minimalistic set allows for the audience to focus on the story. For Ame Livingston, the director who also plays the role of Danny’s wife, Lynn Patton, the story is  meaningful, especially coming from a family with a rich military history. She wanted it to be something that could be told in any setting. “When I was first working on the play, I said to Scott, ‘I want to make this story so strong that we could do it in a bathroom or we could do it on Broadway,'” she said.

In her 35 years of performing, Livingston said that “Last Out” is the most important story she’s been able to tell to date.

“We go in and hit your heart with a hammer and then we spend the last 20 minutes or so of the show picking the pieces back up for you, so at the end when the lights come up, people don’t know what to do with their hands — you know?” said Bryan Bachman, who plays Caiden Patton and several other characters. “They don’t know what to do with themselves because they’ve experienced something really raw and real.”

Audience members, whether they are civilians or military, can see themselves in the storyline. “The response is pretty visceral,” said Bruce.  “A lot of people who have had similar experience are heavily impacted by the play because they see part of their story being told on stage. People are seeing their lives being validated.”

The team is excited to bring a play to Fayetteville that shares the lives of so many people who live in the area, especially since three of the cast members were stationed at Fort Bragg and the tour manager, Kari Ellis,  worked at the Fayetteville Police Department. As a traveling show, however, funding is an obstacle. “We need support bringing it here. It costs around $30,000 for us to travel here. We are a nonprofit,” said Ellis.

The show will play at the Crown on Saturday, Dec. 7, at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. and on Sunday, Dec. 8, at 2 p.m. For more information about the play, visit http://www.lastoutplay.com/ and visit CapeFearTix.com to purchase tickets. 

Pictured: NBC's Tom Brokaw talks to Scott Mann about "Last Out: Elegy of a Green Beret."

Every year, Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church of Fayetteville hosts a spaghetti dinner fundraiser — but not just any spaghetti dinner fundraiser. The biggest one in the world. The fundraiser is back again for its 61st year on Wednesday, Nov. 20.

If there is any doubt about how popular the tradition is in the community, the Church uses a whopping 4,000 pounds of dry spaghetti and 900 gallons of tomato sauce for the affair. With such a large quanity of pasta being made for the event, the dinner would not be possible without the help of a plethora of volunteers. Last year, the dinner required over 100 volunteers.

Each plate comes with a roll and parmesan cheese. The affordable and delicious meal makes for a convenient lunch or dinner. For attendees who pick up plates for a family or treat their coworkers, the spaghetti dinner fundraiser is a delicious crowd-pleaser.

If you have a sweet tooth, you can find a Grecian dessert that will tickle your tastebuds at the sale. The church also sells delectable pastries every year. 

For Kathy Jensen, who grew up in Fayetteville and attends the church, the spaghetti dinner carries a special meaning because it is where her parents, John Keefe and Sophia Makris, met.

“My mother came over from Greece when she was 12, and my aunt worked at Ft. Bragg, and she brought my dad and his friend to meet my mother at the spaghetti dinner,” Jensen explained. At that time, people would eat their spaghetti dinners at the church, and Keefe dressed to impress.

“My mother was Greek and  my dad was American, so that was a no-no, but they were engaged 4 months later and married within 6 months of meeting,” said Jensen. Sophia and John stayed married until his death.

For the Fayetteville/Fort Bragg crowd, the Greek Orthodox Church has become known for hosting events that have become a part of the local culture. In September each year, the Church hosts the annual Greek Festival, where people can tour the church, learn traditional Greek dances, shop from local vendors and get an authentic Mediterrean meal.

But perhaps the sweetest part of the fundraiser is that it benefits nonprofits in the area. While the recipients of the proceeds change, the church uses the massive event to benefit worthy causes.

 Plates cost $7 each. Cash and card are both accepted. The event will be held at the Hellenic Center on 614 Oakridge Ave. Tickets can be purchased at the door and the event is carry-out only. Visit http://stsch.nc.goarch.org/spaghetti-dinner or call the church at 910-484-8925 for information.

Octavious Smith is only in his second season running cross country for the E.E. Smith Golden Bulls.

Based on his performance so far, there’s a pretty high ceiling awaiting him in the years he’s got left as to what he can accomplish on the high school level.

“He is a pure distance runner,’’ said Roz Major-Williams, one of Smith's cross country coaches, when asked to describe how good he is. “He has so much ability. He does not even know his own ability.’’

Smith, a sophomore, dominated the field in the recent Patriot Athletic Conference cross country meet at South View High School.

He won with a time of 16:09.10. Coming in second and third behind him were a pair of Cape Fear runners, Jonathan Piland at 17:04.40 and Julius Ferguson at 17:05.20.

Cape Fear coach Matthew Hanes wasn’t surprised at Smith’s winning margin.

“I really didn’t think anybody would touch Octavius,’’ Hanes said. “He wasn’t going to be a factor in the team scores, but individually I knew we couldn’t touch him.’’

Smith said he’s run about five times on the South View course and felt comfortable with it coming into the conference meet. “It was a mental race,’’ he said as he found himself in the lead nearly the whole way.

“I would just think he was right behind me at all times,’’ Smith said of his competition.

Major-Williams said Smith’s cross country talent is natural, and the challenge so far has been getting him to open up and go full throttle instead of trying to hold back too much when he races. “Every time he finished he said I could have run faster,’’ Major-Williams said.

That showed during the regular season this year as Smith consistently placed among the top ten runners during the regular season meets but rarely came home with an individual win.

“He was trying to save it for the end,’’ Major-Williams said. “We finally got him to the point to just go all out and see what he has at the end.’’

In the conference meet, Major-Williams decided to give Smith a time of 15:59 to aim for, which he came within about 10 seconds of achieving.

“He took off and still had energy left when he finished,’’ Major-Williams said. She’s convinced he can break the 15-minute barrier for a 5K run.

He’s shooting to qualify for the state cross country meet for a second year in a row.

He’ll have to survive this year’s regional meet first, which was held prior to the publication of this article on Saturday, Nov. 2, at Northwood High School in Pittsboro.

“I think he has an excellent shot of getting back this year,’’ Major-Williams said of the state meet, which is scheduled Saturday, Nov. 9, at Ivey M. Redmon Park in Kernersville.

“If he will just run his race and not be afraid, lay it out on the line, he should make it to the states,’’ Major-Williams said. “I think he has a pretty good head on his shoulders. He listens well and tries to follow direction.’’

Smith thinks the key to victory at the regional and state levels is simple. “Don’t get stuck in the middle,’’ he said, referring to the pack of runners.

Both the regional and state meet courses have more hills than the South View course, but Smith doesn’t think that’s a problem.

“I believe the hilly courses are my strong suit if that makes sense,’’ he said.

That and his raw talent for the sport. “It just comes naturally,’’ Major-Williams said.

Maybe the story caught my eye because I have always been interested in baby boomers. I am, after all, a proud member of what was once the largest ever American generation, the 76 million born between 1946 and 1964 to parents of the Greatest Generation, thrilled that World War II was over and ready to get on with their lives. Boomers were the big bump moving through America’s demographic snake that has impacted everything we encountered from 1950s elementary schools to 2019 retirement communities.

Generational conflict is built into the human condition. Young people always think their elders are hopelessly out of step, and old people always think whippersnappers are a bit nutty. Over the last century, flappers of the 1920s thought their Edwardian parents too fogey for words. Parents of boomers found their own 1920s parents frivolous and hedonistic, and boomers were universally annoyed when their depression-raised parents turned off all the lights as they left a room and asked questions like “do you think money grows on trees?”

Now, no less than the “old gray lady,” The New York Times, reported last month that millions of teenagers shrug at their parents and grandparents who just don’t get it. They toss out the catch phrase, “Ok, boomer” to their elders, who in turn think the teenagers, sometimes called Generation Z, are simply unwilling to grow up. The words “Peter Pan syndrome” have been uttered.  

What’s more, Gen Z is monetizing calling out boomers and millennials. A quick internet search confirms mountains of “Ok, boomer” swag, including bumper stickers, phone cases, socks, water bottles, bedsheets and more. Amazon has a large selection of “Ok, boomer” coffee mugs and T-shirts as well as my personal favorite, a sweatshirt bearing the inscription, “OK, Boomer. Great job. We’ll take it from here.” topped off with an emoji face rolling its eyes.  

The NYT quotes 19-year-old Shannon O’Connor, who designed an “Ok, boomer. Have a terrible day.” T-shirt and received more than $10,000 in online orders. Said young O’Connor, “The older generation grew up with a certain mindset, and we have a different perspective. A lot of them don’t believe in climate change or don’t believe people can get jobs with dyed hair, and a lot of them are stubborn in that view. Teenagers respond, ‘Ok, boomer.’ It’s like, we’ll prove you wrong, we’re still going to be successful because the world is changing.”

Nina Kasman, 18 and also an “Ok, boomer” entrepreneur, was blunt. She told The NYT that teens believe older Americans are compromising younger ones. “Everyone in Gen Z is affected by the choices of the boomers, that they made and are still making. Those choices are hurting us and our future. Everyone in my generation can relate to that experience and we’re all really frustrated by it.”

Economists say teenagers have a point. Theirs is expected to be the first American generation whose quality of life will be lower than their parents enjoyed. Education is expensive, and few can afford health insurance if their parents cannot cover them.

Kasman continued, “…there’s not a lot I can personally do to reduce the price of college, for example, which was much cheaper for older generations, who then made it more expensive. There’s not much I can personally do to restore the environment, which was harmed due to corporate greed of older generations. There’s not much I can personally do to undo political corruption, or fix Congress so it’s not mostly old white men who don’t represent the majority of generations.”

Touché.

While every rising generation sees its elders as at least a tad fogey, few younger generations have as many legitimate grievances as does this one. We elders — some would say perpetrators — would likely be angry as well.

Every quarter the Fayetteville Ladies Power Lunch hosts a luncheon for the women of this community. Not only does it include a meal and a keynote speaker, there are prizes, a Shopportunity Expo with a variety of vendors and a wine tasting, too. The next luncheon is set for Nov. 14 at Cape Fear Botanical Garden.

 A perfect fit for this event, the botanical garden offers a professional yet serene setting for the gathering.

The Fayetteville Ladies Power Lunch board and partnering sponsor, Women's View Magazine, have been working diligently to heighten guests' experience going into 2020. "Changing the venue and caterer are a couple of the modifications that you will see going into this final event of the 2019 season. We think that everyone will agree that the Cape Fear Botanical Gardens offers a magical space and Two Brothers Catering provides top notch cuisine and we're very excited that we could make those changes happen in November," said Paulette Naylor, a member of the advisory board for the Power Lunch.

Doors open at 10 a.m. with the Shopportunity Expo. Previous events have hosted fitness centers, locally owned and operated pet stores, home businesses, spas, events venues, home interior firms and more. Enjoy a glass of wine while shopping and networking before the midday meal is served.

The formal portion of the luncheon starts at noon. The Vine will cater this month’s meal. The catering company provides delicious fare for all kinds of events, including weddings and gallery openings as well as business events.

Pia Duncan is this month’s keynote speaker. Duncan is a college educator, an entrepreneur and the cofounder of Ben and Pia Duncan Foundation. According to its Facebook page, the BPDF is a charitable organization that seeks to “pioneer initiatives that will bridge the opportunity gap for youth in the areas of Health & Science, Arts, Global Education, Social Justice, and College accessibility for youth in the community. … The Ben and Pia Duncan Foundation strives to instill these principles in youth and in the community to help bridge the gap of opportunity to children and youth. The foundation will support education, through the granting of scholarships; provide valuable information, knowledge and resources; and to provide a framework for new and innovative research to help narrow racial gaps and to improve the quality of life of all Americans across a wide spectrum of areas.”

Lunch ends at 2 p.m. with plenty of time left to continue shopping and networking before the event ends at 2:30 p.m.

While the mission of the FLPL is to inspire, educate, empower and celebrate women in the community, the organization also supports local nonprofits. This year, the Power Lunch has chosen education as its charity of choice platform. A portion of the luncheon proceeds will benefit the Kidsville News Literacy and Education Foundation, a 501c3 nonprofit organization that provides funding assistance for reading and educational resources to school children in Cumberland and Hoke Counties.

Tickets cost 45 dollars and are available at https://www.fayettevilleladiespowerlunch.com. Sponsorships are also available.

Pictured: Pia Duncan, the keynote speaker for the Fayetteville Ladies Power Lunch

In 2017, I was pregnant — not “super” pregnant, as in I could still see my feet but could still rest a soda can on my belly without it spilling — and I stumbled upon a video on Facebook of a college acquaintance and her 2-year-old son. She was sitting on the floor folding laundry while her son ran around the room giggling and playing. As I watched, I noticed she was asking her son a series of simple questions about God, called catechisms, most of which required an answer of only a few words.

The series of questions went something like this:

Mom: “Who made you?”
Son: “God!”
Mom: “And what else did God make?”
Son: “All things!”
Mom: “Why did God make you and all things?”
Son: “For his own glory!”
Mom: “How can you glorify God?”
Son: “By loving him and doing what He commands!”

Tears. I cried big crocodile tears as I watched it over and over again, joy beaming from the child's face as he responded to her questions, sometimes on his own, sometimes with her guidance. She was teaching her sweet 2-year-old boy who God is and how much he loves him — the call that is on every person's life if they claim to follow Jesus. That was discipleship (teaching and instructing others  about who Jesus is) in its simplest form and I needed to take notes.
That has always baffled me. Where do you even start with someone, anyone, much less a child,  to tell them that there is a god who created the universe and everything in it, who specifically thought of them and formed them in their mother's womb, who has a plan and a purpose for their life, when they have no framework for who he is? How do you tell them that he sent his son Jesus, who is also God and part of the Trinity — pretty confusing, to Earth because of this ugliness called sin that's inside the human race, to die for them and save them from sin, so they can know him and his love and spend eternity in heaven? Yeah, say that five times fast. For someone who didn't grow up in church or around church, or has a bad taste in their mouth from people who call themselves Christians, it sounds absolutely insane, and I see that.

But on the other hand, what a weighty, beautiful, glorious responsibility to start with a blank canvas — a child. Its almost too much to bear. It's terrifying. Disciple-ing my son means not only am I telling him about Jesus, but I'm teaching him. He's an eye witness to my life — my life with all of my sin, selfishness, pride and mistakes. He's going to observe how I'm living, and eventually what he will think about Jesus will be colored by whether or not I was a big, fat phony, or whether I truly tried to live for what I say I believe. He will see how I handle relationships, discipline, my health, blessings, heartbreak, finances, our home, apologies, loss, tough emotions, asking for help, hard work —the list goes on.

My relationship with Jesus directly affects my son's future relationship with him, but here's the crazy thing about all of it: There is nothing I can do in and of myself to make him believe. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch. The Holy Spirit must do something miraculous and supernatural with my measly attempts to show who he is and how he works. Then my son must make his own decision. I just pray with all my heart and soul that God will burn the “fake” out of me, that I learn to trust him more and that what was promised to the prison guard in Acts 16:31 was a promise for my family as well — “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
May he choose you, Jesus. I pray I will, too.

Last week our legislative delegation, along with some of the members of the New Hanover delegation, were invited to visit the Fayetteville Chemours plant to see what the plant is doing to abate the GenX contaminant that has severely affected our river, streams, air, soil, area wells and people’s health. GenX is a man-made chemical compound whose practical uses extend life in products we all use —from clothing to pots and pans. Its durability allows it to have myriad uses. But, its durability also makes it very difficult for Mother Nature to break down and restore it to its original state. It makes one wonder if we can coexist with these chemical compounds. This question is complicated by Chemours’ actions, despite significant pressure from our governor and legislature concerning the need to reduce, clean up and prevent these chemical compounds from entering our rivers, streams, groundwater, soil and air. To put it bluntly, we are still facing challenges in understanding the nature and degree of the harm GenX might do and how to protect our residents.

The good news is you have a committed local delegation determined to fix and abate the GenX situation we are facing. With that determination, we attended a meeting with Chemours Plant Manager Brian Long. The meeting began with Long answering some concerning GenX questions from the delegation. I cannot speak for everyone, but I was amazed at how little I knew regarding chemical compounds like GenX and the long-term challenges they pose. Initially, it appeared that Chemours had a genuine commitment to Cumberland County and North Carolina residents. But, like many citizens, I have become wary of excuses and delays and want action now.

The meeting got more interesting when Long introduced us to Chemours’s latest big investment, which we were surprised to learn was currently under construction. A brand-new $199 million thermal incinerator. That’s Chemours’ solution to the GenX problem. To infer this is a mammoth project does not come close to doing it justice. The site enhancements include an underground foundation and piping that extends 40 feet below the surface. However, what is on the surface is even more impressive. In simpler terms, it is a giant all-in-one furnace and washing machine. A thermal incinerator produces intense heat then scrubs the compound elements, after which additional heat is reapplied. This leads to the breakdown of GenX into its basic elements, which are then recycled back to nature, presumably here in our county. The plant is scheduled to be operational by December.

At first look, it appears Chemours has made a major commitment and investment into providing a solution to the ongoing GenX problem. I, like many others, am skeptical even though it does seem to be a better alternative than shipping and relocating 40,000 gallons of GenX-laced water to deep-water wells in Texas. Especially since deep-water wells pose their own set of issues, and I don’t particularly like dumping North Carolina problems onto another states.

Incinerating GenX chemical compounds appears to be a viable option going forward, and Chemours is betting the farm on this alternative means of disposal. The Chemours leadership also hopes the new incinerator will be profitable for Chemours. When it goes online in December, it will be operating at less than half its capacity. It has far more capacity than Chemours needs. This being the case, either Chemours intends to grow its production or invite other industries to use the facility to dispose of their toxic compounds. I immediately became curious as to what Chemours’ true motives are.

We want to trust Chemours. The company employs over 700 workers and pays reasonably good salaries. It has made a capital investment into technology that leadership believes will solve 99.9% of the GenX concerns. But, was this investment for our benefit — or was it to be a profit center for Chemours stockholders or a convenient dumping point for other contaminants for other industries?  After all, the new incinerator will only be operating at a 40% capacity, leaving availability for an additional 60% more compounds capable of being processed at the Fayetteville plant. This could mean more contaminants being shipped into North Carolina for disposal. And those imported contaminants will travel over our roads and through our communities and arrive at our ports as they work their way to their ultimate destination, the Fayetteville Works-Chemours plant.

Many questions need to be addressed and answered. Will North Carolina and our community be the final destination for the nation’s contaminants? Or, will Chemours’ new incinerator prove to be a successful, viable solution, creating high-paying jobs and greater economic opportunity for our region?  It is puzzling and somewhat concerning that Chemours’ $199 million commitment to build something of this magnitude could move forward without benefit of public hearings, if only to share its intentions and provide citizens and commissioners an opportunity for public input.

It begs the question: Has Chemours, under the pretext of solving the GenX problem, outwitted local and state officials and circumvented the checks and balances needed to safeguard the community? Chemours has now invited, or will be inviting, other chemical businesses to offload their chemical products to the local plant to be processed using the natural resources of our state. Sure, if all goes well and the processes are executed properly, then everything may be fine.

However, what if it doesn’t? What if there are accidents or spills along the way to the plant? Or at the plant? What if the technology doesn’t work as planned or becomes inoperable, breaks down and creates additional contamination of our air, rivers and soil?   

Well, it doesn’t look like Chemours is going anywhere anytime soon. It is here to stay and in a major way. Is this because no other state wants them or because North Carolina has the fewest and most lax environmental laws in the country and too few inspectors to enforce laws or provide oversight of the permits we do have? 

Lastly, the most important question yet to be answered is: What is Chemours going to do for all the North Carolinians who already have contaminated wells and soil in and around their homes, businesses and schools? Here is a modest proposal for Chemours that would go a long way in restoring their good faith and credibility to residents. Consider investing twice the sum it spent on the incinerator and its future by fixing wells and eliminating contamination, providing North Carolinians the confidence to drink and use their water without fear or risk to their health, the health of their children, livestock or the air they breathe. Cumberland County does not have countywide water and sewer. Chemours could assist the county in placing real infrastructure in our Grays Creek area. Simple filters under the sink will not make our people safe. We need real solutions. I hope that Chemours embraces these ideas, addresses the problems by restoring clean water sources to our communities and embracing the community they claim. It’s the right thing to do.

Picture 1: We are still facing challenges in understanding the nature and degree of the harm Chemours’s GenX might do and how to protect our residents. The good news is you have a committed local delegation determined to fix and abate the GenX situation we are facing.

Picture 2: We want to trust Chemours. The company employs over 700 workers and pays reasonably good salaries. It has made a capital investment into technology that leadership believes will solve 99.9% of the GenX concerns.

Most of America knows Patti LaBelle for her voice and music career spanning four decades, but she is a true entrepreneur in every sense of the word. If you’ve missed her on TV, or on the Broadway stage, the Crown Theater presents music icon LaBelle in concert Friday, Nov. 8, at 7 p.m.  LaBelle, born Patricia Louise Holte, is known as the “Godmother of Soul.” She began her musical career as lead singer and front woman of the vocal group, Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles. She is a dramatic soprano who has sold more than 50 million records worldwide.

LaBelle became a mainstream solo star in 1984 following the success of the singles “If Only You Knew,” “New Attitude” and “Stir It Up.” In 1986, she scored with the No. 1 album, “Winner In You” and the No. 1 duet single “On My Own,” with Michael McDonald.      

Outside of touring she has written six books and started her own product line of cakes, sauces, cobblers and sweet potato pie. She has her own cooking show, “Patti LaBelle’s Place,” which premiered its second season on the Cooking Channel in 2017.

Her humanitarian efforts include being an advocate for adoption, diabetes, cancer, HIV/AIDS and many other causes. In 1994, LaBelle was diagnosed with diabetes and became the spokesperson for the American Diabetes Association.    
LaBelle has been inducted into the the Grammy Hall of Fame, the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the Apollo Theater Hall of Fame.       
Ticket cost is $55, $70, $95 and $135. For more information call 910-438-4100.