The Cumberland Oratorio Singers will bring the music of three music masters to life at Snyder Memorial Baptist Church at 7:30 p.m., Friday, March 8.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart got an early start in his music career. When he was 3 years old, he used to watch and listen as his father gave keyboard lessons to his older sister. By age 5, Mozart was proficient enough on the keyboard and violin to begin composing the first of his many works. Although he lived for only 35 years, he remains one of the most influential and well-known composers of the classical era.

Franz Schubert also started taking music lessons at home from an early age. Although Schubert’s compositions are prolific and varied, he is known for popularizing lieder, or art songs, in which romantic poetry is set to music.

From a young age, Johannes Brahms received music lessons from his father, who was also a musician. By age 10, the young Brahms was performing piano in public. His teacher complained that he could be a great pianist except that he spent too much time composing.

Brahms became a piano virtuoso and a renowned composer of piano compositions, chamber music and choir compositions for both the male and female voice. Like Schubert, Brahms also composed and popularized many lieder. Although Schubert’s and Brahms’ compositions are heavily influenced by classical tradition, they belong to the romantic era of musical history.

The Cumberland Oratorio Singers will present the works of these three composers in “A Night with the Masters” March 8. “This will be part and parcel of the classical and romantic music that COS customarily performs,” said Jason Britt, the group’s choir director. “We’ve done jazz and Christmas so far this season, and we’ll be doing Broadway later on. But ‘A Night with the Masters’ showcases the type of music we’ve been primarily performing over our 23-year history.”

“The Masters’” program will feature a Mozart mass, “Vesperae de Dominica,” sung entirely in Latin. There will be two selections by Schubert: “An Sylvia” and “Lebenslust.” Brahms will be represented by “Three Leibeslieder Waltzes” and “O Wusst Ich Den Weg Zurluck.” Both the Schubert and Brahms selections will be sung in German.

According to Britt, several of the selections are art music, or lieder. A six-piece orchestra and an organ will accompany the choir. “Snyder Memorial has a fantastic organ so we want to take advantage of that,” said Britt.

Britt has not chosen the soloists for the evening. “They will be picked from the choir via auditions at the end of February,” Britt said. As demonstrated by COS’ earlier performance of “Messiah,” the vocal purity and professionalism of Cumberland County’s classical chorale society assures the audience of stunning performances no matter who is selected.

Other than for season ticketholders, all tickets for “A Night with the Masters” will be available at the door for the March 8 performance. The price of admission is $15 for the general public and $5 for students. Learn more about COS by visiting its website, www.singwithcos.org.

Zaryen McGilvary

Seventy First • Track and field • Junior

McGilvary has a 3.7 grade point average. He’s active in the Seventy-First Junior ROTC and volunteers at local food banks.

Emily Mikkelsen

Seventy First • Soccer • Sophomore

Mikkelsen has a 4.08 grade point average. In addition to soccer, she is active in National Honor Society and Art Honor Society. She also is interested in photography and volunteers at a local horse stable.

  Cape Fear’s Cecilia Chafin and Pine Forest’s C.J. Collins both started the Cumberland County high school bowling season as newcomers to the sport locally. But that didn’t wind up as a liability as both were champions in the season-ending conference bowling tournament earlier this month.

Chafin and Collins both rose from being No. 3 seeds in the step ladder finals to claim the championships.

Chafin defeated top-seeded Jordan Locklear of Overhills 178-154 in the final match to take the girls championship title.

Collins also beat the No. 1 seed, Terry Sanford’s Jack Cooney, by a 205- 183 score in their title match.

While Chafin and Collins may have been new to team bowling at their schools, both entered the season as veterans of the sport.

Collins is a freshman at Pine Forest, but he said he’s been bowling with family and friends for more than 10 years.

Chafin has been bowling for nine years but only recently arrived in the Fayetteville area because of her family’s military connection. High school bowling had never been offered where she lived before. She arrived in town too late to bowl last year, so her senior season at Cape Fear turned out to be her only chance at competing for her new school.

“Bowling is just really fun to me,’’ Chafin said. “The more I bowl, the better I get and the more I want to improve.’’

The typical high school regular-season bowling match is different from bowling as an individual. In high school matches, everyone contributes to a team score, and each bowler on the team only gets to roll two frames.

“When it comes to a school team, it’s a lot more intense,’’ Collins said. “You try harder and want to do the best for your team.’’

In the season-ending conference tournament, the top five bowlers, male and female, qualify to compete in step ladder fashion for the individual title.

En route to her victory, Chafin beat second-seeded Zoe Cannady of Terry Sanford, 173-170, then downed Locklear in the final.

Chafin said she kept her cool in the match with Cannady and felt her confidence growing. “I made sure I was hitting my mark every time,’’ she said.

Collins topped South View’s Hunter Hicks 172-149 before downing Cooney in the title match.

Collins is a two-handed bowler, which he feels gives him more spin on the ball and makes strikes easier when the ball reaches the pocket.

Chafin already plans to enroll at Fayetteville State University next year and become a member of the school’s successful bowling team.

“I’m hoping to learn a lot more about my technique and how I can improve,’’ she said.

Collins plans to continue bowling at Pine Forest. “I just need to do what I did this year, go out and have fun,’’ Collins said.

Here is the Cumberland County All-Conference bowling team.

BOYS

First team

Jack Cooney, Terry Sanford; Hunter Hicks, South View; C.J. Collins, Pine Forest; Jacob Ezzelle, Pine Forest; Noah Hash, Pine Forest; Ammon Janet, Gray’s Creek.

Second team

Tommy Cooney, Terry Sanford; C.J. Woolley, Gray’s Creek; Nick Roberson, South View; Damien Perkins, Gray’s Creek.

GIRLS

First team

Jordan Locklear, Overhills; Zoe Cannady, Terry Sanford; Cecilia Chafin, Cape Fear; Emily Gibson, Pine Forest; Belle Johnson, Pine Forest.

Second team

LeeAnne Robbins, South View; Maya Ervin, Terry Sanford; Abagayl Gowen, Gray’s Creek; Nicole Grossmick, Douglas Byrd; Regan Duncan, Cape Fear.

Photo: Cecilia Chafin

  A change in how the clock is started when returning to play and the option of adding instant replay to state playoff competitions highlight the high school football rules changes for this year announced by the National Federation of State High School Associations.

Neil Buie, regional supervisor of football officials for the Cape Fear region, thinks the new rules about what was the 25-second clock that times the period before the next play begins will have the biggest impact on the game this fall.

The purpose of the rule is to establish more consistency in the time period between downs.

“From referee to referee, there is a real difference in when the clock is blown ready for play,’’ Buie said. In the case of a referee who quickly sets the ball ready for play and starts the clock, as many as 15 or 20 more plays can be run per game than in a contest with a referee who is slower to mark the ball ready.

Under the new rule, as soon as the ball is declared dead by an official, the 40-second clock begins ticking. But there are exceptions. It will be set to 25 seconds before the extra point attempt after a touchdown, at the start of a quarter or overtime, after an inadvertent whistle, after a charged time-out or following an official’s timeout or other stoppage of the clock by the referee for any other reason.

Buie thinks some training of clock operators will be needed to deal with the timing changes.

Another minor problem could be resetting the 25-second clock to 40 seconds. Most modern 25-second clocks can be adjusted with little difficulty to display a 40-second countdown. If schools have older clocks, however, they might need to purchase new control panels or have the old one updated.

Another issue officials often encounter at schools is that the 25-second clocks don’t work. Buie wonders if the back judge will have to be responsible for the 40-second clock if it’s not working.

Another potential major change is the addition of instant replay to state playoff games if approved by that state’s athletic association. For North Carolina, this would require action by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association.

Buie thinks it’s likely that replay could only be implemented at the state championship level when the NCHSAA plays its football title games at various major college stadiums around the state.

He’s doubtful it could be implemented at a high school stadium in a playoff game because there likely would not be enough camera angles to make it worthwhile. He added it would also be difficult to either have someone in the press box looking at a monitor or have someone bring a laptop to the field so one of the officials could view it.

A rule change that is not a big deal to players, coaches and officials but that definitely brought smiles to members of the media involves the numbers on football jerseys. Effective with the 2024 season, the numbers must be a single solid color that contrasts with the body color of the jersey.

In recent years, many schools have started wearing jerseys with numbers the same color as the body of the jersey, with the number faintly outlined by a contrasting color. In other cases, schools wore white jerseys with numbers of a light color, like gold or yellow on white for example, making them difficult to read from a distance.

Trey Edge, who does radio play-by-play for DK Sports, Inc., praised the new rule.

“It is long overdue,’’ he said. “One of the reasons we do high school broadcasts is to publicize what the kids in Cumberland County are doing. It is difficult to do that when you cannot get correct numbers, especially when there is a scrum of a lot of people.’’

Edge said when the numbers almost bleed into the jersey in a fast-moving game, it becomes a challenge to make out something as simple as who is carrying the football. “It should not be that difficult,’’ he said. He called the new rule a big win.

Other changes to high school football rules announced by the NFSHSA include the following:

• Tripping a runner is now officially illegal. A runner was not previously mentioned in the definition of tripping.

• The horse-collar tackling rule, which prohibits grabbing inside the shoulder pads to take down a runner, has been expanded. Grabbing the nameplate area of a runner’s jersey immediately below the rear collar is also illegal.

• A legal scrimmage formation now requires only five offensive players on the line, not seven. Also, there can be no more than four offensive backs. It’s hoped this change will allow the officials to have an easier time watching for legal and illegal offensive formations.

• The penalty for illegally kicking or batting a ball has been reduced from 15 yards to 10 yards.

For a complete list of the football rules changes for 2019, go to www.nfhs.org. Click on the link for activities and sports at the top of the page and then choose football.

A survey conducted by the NFSHSA in 2017-18 showed 11-player football is the most popular sport for boys in the United States. There are 14,079 schools fielding teams with 1,036,842 boys participating nationally.

There are some 30,000 boys taking part in sixman, eight-man and nine-man football. In addition, there are some 2,500 girls playing high school football, which results in a total of 1,068,870 players taking part in the game at the high school level.

Meetings

For details about all meetings and activities, including location where not listed, call Town Clerk Jane Starling at 910-426-4113. Most meetings take place at Town Hall or the Hope Mills Parks and Recreation center.

• Parks and Recreation Committee Monday, Feb. 25, 6:30 p.m., Parks and Recreation Center

• Appearance Commission Tuesday, Feb. 26, 6:30 p.m., Parks and Recreation Center

Activities

• Hope Mills Parks and Recreation Senior programs at the Parks and Recreation Center. The Senior programs for people ages 55-plus who are residents of Cumberland County have resumed. The rec center was closed in mid-September after Hurricane Florence. Various activities are now back and are scheduled Monday through Friday throughout the day. For details on times and days, check the schedule at www.townofhopemills.com, call the rec center at 910-426-4109, or email Kasey Ivey at kivey@townofhopemills.com.

• Hope Mills Area Kiwanis Club at Sammio’s, second Tuesdays at noon and fourth Tuesdays at 6 p.m. For details, call 910-237-1240.

Promote yourself

Email hopemills@upandcomingweekly.com.

   Glenn Garner has an idea for families with homebound senior relatives who are looking for better meal-time options when it’s hard to get out to eat.

Garner, a veteran in the food truck and catering business, is rolling out a new service. It’s aimed especially at seniors and anyone who may be stuck at home and would like good food prepared for them that they can refrigerate and reheat.

His plan, which he says is still in the developing stage, is to deliver diner-quality meals twice a week to people in their homes. Menus will vary for each meal. He’s planning prices of $5.99 for breakfast, $6.99 for lunch and $7.99 for dinner.

Garner stressed his program should not be confused with any government-connected food delivery service. “It’s out of my pocket,’’ he said, referring to how the service is paid for on his end.

While his target audience is home-bound senior citizens, he said anyone is welcome to sign up. "Could be it’s people my age (late 50s) who don’t want to cook,’’ he said. “So I’m delivering twice a week, four-day and three-day packages.’’

Garner said the reason for twice-weekly deliveries is to guarantee freshness and good taste. He’s experimented with a variety of menus and came to the realization that the food he’s serving isn’t as good after a maximum of four days in the refrigerator.

“I’ve been working for the last 10 years to get a menu that will work and taste just as good coming out (to my restaurant) as it will coming out of the microwave at the house,’’ he said. “The four days is a stretch. By that fourth day, you need to have stuff we know is going to hold up.’’

He added that there’s not a safety issue with the food after that long. Rather, he can’t promise four days later that the food will taste as good as the dishes he serves fresh to his restaurant customers. His opinion is based on close to 40 years as an operator of food trucks, catering businesses and restaurants.

All the food will be prepared at Garner’s newest restaurant, The Diner, by Chef Glenn and Company. It is located in the former Becky’s Cafe at 3740 South Main St. in Hope Mills. “We (will) put it in to-go microwaveable containers,’’ Garner said.

Sample options for breakfast include boiled eggs, scrambled eggs or an omelet. Meats for breakfast include bacon, sausage links, sausage patties or corned beef hash. Hash browns or home fries will also be available.

For those who want a simple lunch, he plans to offer a cold sandwich every day with chips and a fruit bowl. He’s got some bad news for hardcore vegetable eaters, though. “We can’t do broccoli or asparagus,” he said. “That’s out of the question.’’

Garner stressed that in the early stages, things are going to be fluid. He said he’ll have to see how it works and how it’s received.

At the time of this writing, he was scheduled to share information about his planned service, along with menus, at a meeting of local health care providers who work primarily with the senior community.

“They know if their customers at home need food service,’’ Garner said. He added that with the exception of government-based programs, there’s not a lot available for the homebound seniors group when it comes to economical food delivery choices.

He said he knows one local family of three who are all disabled and have restaurant food delivered by a company that specializes in that area, charging a delivery fee in addition to the cost of the food. “They were paying from $60 to $70 per meal,’’ he said.

Garner said his initial target delivery area will be Fayetteville, Hope Mills, Raeford and Gray’s Creek, with the possibility of adding Spring Lake at a later date.

In a perfect world, if the idea takes hold, Garner would like to prepare his meals in a facility separate from The Diner and deliver them in his own fleet of trucks.

He stressed he’s not looking for government support. “To have good, quality food, it’s not a hot dog or a peanut butter and banana sandwich,’’ he said. “It’s not what I want to do. That’s where I’m going to draw the line. I don’t want to serve an inferior product to make a dollar.’’

To inquire about signing up for Garner’s delivery service, call 910-705-2664. He can also be reached by email at ggarner2045@aol.com or on his Facebook pages, The Diner by Chef Glenn & Company or A Catered Affair by Chef Glenn & Company.

Photo: Glen Garner

  When Jackie Warner was first elected to be mayor of Hope Mills in 2011, she had heard vaguely about an organization known as the Cumberland County Mayor’s Coalition.

Now serving as vice-chairman of the organization, Warner feels the coalition plays a vital role in allowing the mayors of nine municipalities in Cumberland County to work together for the betterment of their individual communities and the county as a whole.

Warner feels the coalition was especially important in helping the mayors work to resolve differences over the allocation of revenue from county sales tax to the various communities.

The concern over the sales tax issue dates back to the early part of 2000 when annexation became a big issue around the county and there was ongoing debate about how to split up the revenue.

Warner said under its two previous mayors, the city of Fayetteville argued it wanted to get 100 percent of the sales tax revenues from the annexed areas.

The Mayor’s Coalition argued for a more equitable split, basing the allocation on a per capita arrangement so each of the nine communities in the coalition would get a proportional share.

The nine communities in the coalition are Fayetteville, Hope Mills, Spring Lake, Linden, Falcon, Wade, Godwin and Stedman.

Warner said her early memories of the Mayor’s Coalition meetings were that they were little more than a feel-good kind of affair, where the mayors gathered quarterly to simply share a meal and talk about what was going on in their communities.

Warner credits former Spring Lake mayor Chris Rey with helping change the direction of the organization. She and Rey came aboard at about the same time, and Rey was elected chairman of the coalition.

“He was the one who got the spirit going,’’ she said. “He wanted to make our coalition a unified team that could get some recognition for all the small towns.’’

Warner said that, for the most part, the mayors have made a good effort to be in attendance at nearly every meeting.

The current chair of the coalition is longtime Falcon Mayor Cliff Turpin. Warner said she worked with Turpin and other mayors, along with representatives of the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners, to reach a resolution on the sales tax agreement.

Fayetteville Mayor Mitch Colvin played an important role in finalizing the agreement.

Serving as mayor pro tem of Fayetteville before eventually being elected mayor outright, Colvin frequently attended meetings of the coalition over the last several years and developed a good rapport with the other members.

“That’s how we got more familiar with Mitch and could talk with him about it,’’ Warner said of Colvin’s regular appearance at the meetings. “We had some sales tax committee meetings with Glenn Adams and Jeannette Council (of the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners).’’

Warner said the mayors also interacted at county-wide ethics training sessions they all attended. “That’s been the good thing, the show of unity,’’ Warner said.

In addition to hearing from each other, Warner said the mayors also got input from people like Robert Van Geons of the Fayetteville-Cumberland County Economic Development Corporation.

“They talk to the mayors and try to locate properties or things in their area that would be good (to try and) come into Cumberland County,’’ she said.

Warner said meetings have dramatically improved as far as the substance of matters discussed over the last several years.

Each meeting has a printed agenda that may include a variety of presentations about topics of interest to all of the municipalities in the county. “Everything we do is to try to get information for everybody,’’ Warner said. “It’s information for all of us, especially with economic development.’’

The meetings aren’t just limited to the nine mayors, Warner said. They are allowed to bring guests from the town staff.

When a municipality hosts one of the quarterly meetings, that town’s entire group of elected officials, like the Board of Commissioners in the case of Hope Mills, is invited to attend.

Warner said she routinely brings Hope Mills town clerk Jane Starling with her and has also brought town manager Melissa Adams.

In addition to the regular quarterly meetings, the mayors also hold called meetings, as they did last December to deal with the sales tax situation.

One of the biggest benefits of the meetings is sharing news of economic development opportunities that may not work in one area of the county but would be welcomed in others. Warner cited the failed chicken plant of some years back that would have been a wanted addition by some of the county’s rural communities because of the jobs it offered.

“The idea is to try to boost the whole county by representing all of us and not just Fayetteville,’’ she said. “We know we live under Fayetteville’s shadow, but with each of our small towns growing, we want them to start to look at us for opportunities, too.’’

Warner said another benefit of the coalition is the sharing of ideas between the communities — things they’ve tried that worked and things that weren’t as successful.

“Cliff Turpin showed us an issue they had with a drainage ditch,’’ Warner said. “There’s always something that has happened in one of the towns they can share, like special events. Often the mayors can just identify with each other, what’s going ideas and we can share them.’’

The mayors also hear presentations by the state legislators from Cumberland County. “When the legislators come to the mayor’s coalition, they know they are speaking to everybody,’’ Warner said. “It’s a neat feeling that we are strong now because we speak as one.

“It’s no longer a social group. Now it serves a purpose. We get good information, and we come away with something that will help us.’’

Photo: Mayor Jackie Warner

  I don’t think my baby is a baby anymore.

He just had his first birthday. He’s walking, playing, bouncing, taking more risks, eating, holding his cup, pushing our dining room chairs around, waving bye-bye and growling like our dog, all on his own. It seems like just yesterday he was relying on my husband and me for everything, but time just keeps flying by, and he’s becoming more and more independent.

But that’s exactly what’s supposed to be happening, right? Time is supposed to pass. People, no matter how young or old, are supposed to grow. Hopefully, we never stop growing, learning or developing.

Kids are a great reminder of that. They grow so fast, exponentially even, in what seems like such a short amount of time. We’re left reeling from the speed of the swirling hands of life’s timepiece, wondering where the time has gone. I’m only a year into parenthood and I already feel like it keeps slipping away faster than I can document what it brings.

This realization of how little time we have here on earth, and how none of it is actually guaranteed, has been weighing on me. How am I using my time? What am I teaching my son? What am I doing to love my husband and my family better? What useless things have I allowed to take up precious time I could be spending with people I love? What people in my life have I neglected because I’m on my phone? Am I teaching my son by example that health is important? Am I showing him that people are to be valued and respected?

Recently, I received a thought-provoking text that read, “Do you want your children to be like you when they reach the age you are?”

The reality is, there’s a good chance they will be. I’ll be honest with you — there are some things I hope he catches onto in my life, but there’s quite a few more I hope he doesn’t. The whole “Do as I say, not as I do” thing rarely works, and if it does, it is usually not without resentment, bitterness and rebellion. That mentality is just a fancy form of hypocrisy.

Jesus talked about this. In John 13, we find the story of Jesus washing the disciples’ feet. Feet were dirty back then— people wore sandals and walked everywhere, and water was a precious commodity. Servants were usually the ones doing the washing, so this was a pretty astonishing act on Jesus’ part. Peter, one of his disciples, even refused at first to let Jesus wash his feet.

But Jesus said, “Do you understand what I have done for you?... You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them” (John 13:12-17).

So, I want to be the person I hope my son becomes. It has to begin today. I must lead by example. I must love by example. I must fill my life things that matter so that my son will one day be able to lead this kind of life — a life of servant leadership, regarding others as more important than ourselves.

Today is gift and it will be over soon. How will you spend your today?

  Back in 1975, my Uncle Cecil taught me how to drive on some little country roads in the hills of Tennessee. In those days, I had three things that I would consider modern machinery. I had an automatic transmission, an electric starter and an AM/FM radio with horrible speakers. We only had about four FM radio stations, so my radio was set to 101.5 WQRT.

While driving with my uncle, I was not allowed to jam out, and I can, to this day, hear him telling me, “Watch the road.”

The roads we practiced on were the roads less traveled. There was an occasional car, but he also taught me to watch out for people on the sides of the road and animals.

Fast forward a few decades, and cars are more complicated than the bridge of the Star Trek Enterprise. There are also distractions brought by cell phones. These thingies distract us from watching the road.

In driving schools, we are taught to drive defensively. That is true until you are no longer watching the road. When you are not paying attention, you become the offending driver. You are a threat to everyone on the road, yourself and your passengers.

Last year, I saw more motorcycle wrecks on the highway than I have ever seen before. We hear about pedestrians, scooters and bicycles being run over by cars. This is tragic for the person who has been hit. It is also hard on the driver. They can face criminal charges, fines, insurance issues or lawsuits — and then there is the knowledge that they accidentally harmed someone.

Here are some things that will help you avoid an accident.

Look for others on the road. You are not the only game in town, and we all share the road. No distractions. Your text message or phone conversation is not as important as your driving safety. If your call or text can’t wait, pull over in a safe spot, finish your business and then pull out into traffic carefully.

Watch your surroundings. Don’t change lanes suddenly without first looking to see what is around and ahead of you. Many motorcycle accidents are caused because of people switching lanes or passing someone and clipping a bike that was in front of the car they passed.

If you come upon a school bus or Fayetteville’s FAST buses or see the mail truck, you know they are going to stop. Give them space.

Stop at yellow. Fayetteville’s traffic lights are quick and in many places take several minutes to cycle through. I often see both cars and motorcycles trying to speed through a yellow light. It is better to be safe and stop than to get hit at the intersection.

Watch for motorcycles in high-traffic areas. The Cross Creek area, Skibo Road, Ramsey Street, Bragg Boulevard, Raeford Road, Owen Drive and Spring Lake are all high-traffic areas.

Don’t overdrive your ability to see and take control of any situation. If you cannot see what is ahead of you, then slow down. This is especially true during periods of darkness and rain.

Trust your instincts. Train yourself to slow down or to stop if you see something without knowing what it is. Your eyes give you a good field of vision. Your peripheral vision may catch something that your mind does not register.

Train your mind to see what you don’t see. In the book “The Survivor’s Club,” author Ben Sherwood discusses “luck.” Ninety percent of the people he studied viewed luck as “the way we think.” He goes on to show that those who use their peripheral vision notice more and therefore seem luckier.

The book further describes what is called “inattentional blindness.” Inattentional blindness is the failure to notice an unexpected stimulus in one’s field of vision when other attention-demanding tasks are being performed. It is categorized as an attentional error and is not associated with any vision deficits.

This typically happens because humans are overloaded with stimuli, and it is impossible to pay attention to all stimuli in one’s environment.

It’s important to develop your field of vision and, as Uncle Cecil said, watch the road.

If there is a topic you would like to discuss, please send your comments and suggestions to motorcycle4fun@aol.com. RIDE SAFE!

  Would you like to know why U.S. sanctions against companies owned by Russian billionaire and businessman Oleg Deripaska are being lifted?

You are the reason.

Me, too.

And so is everybody else who lives and votes in North Carolina.

Last April, the Treasury Department imposed sanctions against Deripaska and three of his companies for interfering in U.S. elections and for “money laundering, extortion and ordering the murder of a businessman.”

Deripaska is a friend and ally of Vladimir Putin and is connected to former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort. Shortly after Trump’s nomination, Manafort offered to give Deripaska private election briefings.

Last month, the Treasury decided to remove sanctions on the three Deripaska companies, explaining that corporate arrangements would restrict Deripaska’s control. Congress can reverse the removal of sanctions.

The House, with 136 Republican members joining the Democrats, voted to reverse the Treasury’s action. But in the Senate, the reversal got only 57 votes of 60 needed.

According to Benjamin Parker, writing for The Bulwark, several Republican senators voted to reverse because they did not believe these corporate arrangements would prevent Deripaska from influencing his companies’ actions. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said, “He still would maintain significant control given his ties to Putin.”

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo.: “I think he’s a bad a guy and he’s still in working control.”

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.: “I still think he retains operational control.”

The New York Times journalist Kenneth P. Vogel wrote that the corporate arrangements to limit Deripaska’s control of the companies “may have been less punitive than advertised. The deal contains provisions that free him from hundreds of millions of dollars in debt while leaving him and his allies with majority ownership of his most important company.”

Coincidentally, while Deripaska was in the news, I was reading another version of how business works in Russia as set forth in Bill Browder’s 2015 book “Red Notice: A True Story of High Finance, Murder, and One Man’s Fight for Justice.”

Browder tells how he made billions of dollars buying undervalued Russian stocks and properties after Communism ended in that country. Then he tells how Putin and his oligarch allies plotted to take it all away from him and his investors.

Browder fought back.

In doing so, he gained the ire of Putin and became, according to Browder’s book, Putin’s No. 1 enemy. Russia declared Browder and his lawyer, Sergei Magnitsky, to be criminals. Browder fled Russia. Magnitsky stayed and was jailed, tortured and ultimately beaten to death by Russian prison officers. Browder documents the horrors of Russian business and government practices, including corruption, torture and murder. Those facts played a role in Congress’ 2012 decision to impose sanctions on Russian individuals in a law designated as the Magnitsky Act.

Putin retaliated by terminating the program that allowed Americans to adopt Russian orphaned children.

Relief from the Magnitsky sanctions was one of the objectives of the Russians in the now-famous Trump Tower meeting between Paul Manafort and Donald Trump Jr. in July 2016.

Perhaps the conduct of Deripaska was not as bad as those who tortured and killed Magnitsky. But backing away from the sanctioning of his companies sends a wrong signal about the determination of Americans to take strong action when corrupt Russian businesses cheat, steal and murder.

So, why are you, I and other North Carolinians responsible for the lifting of Deripaska sanctions?

The proponents of the sanctions needed only three more votes to win. Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders did not vote but would have voted for the sanctions. The two other necessary votes were those of our Senators Richard Burr and Thom Tillis. If you and I had let them know how strong we were for maintaining the Deripaska sanctions, I think it would have made a difference.

But we just did not get around to making a call to them.

Photo: Oleg Deripaska

  Fayetteville is known to many for its military neighbor, Fort Bragg. But Fayetteville played a large role in early American history, too, as has her namesake, the Marquis de Lafayette. Lafayette has been immortalized in both French and American history as a military officer, an aristocrat and a Constitutional advocate. He changed the course of history for our country and our city.

There are many groups and people that celebrate Lafayette’s memory. One of them is French native Julien Icher. His initiative, The Lafayette Trail Project, is a historical trail based on Lafayette’s footsteps during his 1824-25 Farewell Tour.

The trail not only celebrates Lafayette, it educates the public and uplifts communities. Icher’s website, www.thelafayettetrail.com, explains his efforts: “Our goal is to provide localities whose history taps into General Lafayette with new incentives to increase tourism and benefit the development of local economies.”

These efforts, in addition to the trail, include historical research, outreach, articles, lectures and more. The goal is to complete the project as the bicentennial of Lafayette’s Farewell Tour nears in 2024.

When the towns of Cross Creek and Campbellton united in 1783, they named the city Fayetteville in commemoration of the esteemed war hero. Lafayette visited this city in 1783 during his Farewell Tour of the United States.

Historians agree that without Lafayette’s support, the Americans would have lost the war for independence.

While generations of early Americans may have learned lessons from Lafayette, we can still learn from him today. According to Icher, “When Lafayette visited the country, the country was divided in 1824. In 2019, you also have a very politically divided America. It’s a divide between the left and the right, the elites and the common American. And in 1824, Lafayette and his role give you an idea to bring together Americans and unite them.”

Icher’s robust inspiration, his belief in a common bond between our two nations, is a tribute to France, America, Fayetteville and Lafayette. Icher is proud of the historic relationship between America and France, explaining there exists “historical bands of friendship between the United States and France.”

These historical bands, Icher explained, were molded by a common set of values that the French and American people share. He believes that Lafayette embodied these unique values of freedom, liberty and equality and that memorializing Lafayette is memorializing America’s first ally, the French. According to him, Lafayette was, and still can be, a unifying figure for America.

Icher said, “North Carolina has a lot of rural communities that are very interested (in Lafayette’s story), eastern and northern Carolina, and it’s a true sense of pride that they display.”

Readers can help the movement to memorialize Lafayette by visiting Icher’s website, by calling their local state representatives or by volunteering their time. Find out more at www.thelafayettetrail.com.

  The Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County, along with Piedmont Gas, presents Boris Kodjoe’s “True to Yourself” Black History Month Talk Series on Saturday, Feb. 23, at 7 p.m. at Fayetteville State University’s J. W. Seabrook Auditorium.

“The purpose of this event is to have really deep, candid conversations with industry executives and TV/ film actors to pretty much explore their challenges and difficulties as well as their successes as being an African-American,” said UniQue Webster, development director of the Arts Council. “Last year we had Tichina Arnold and casting director Winsome Sinclair.

“So, basically, this experience is also supported by video, and we hope that Boris will include some of his vignettes and video outtakes … to support the talk.”

Webster added that another part of the talk is audience engagement. With that in mind, there will be a Q&A segment toward the end of the event.

Webster went on to explain the vetting process for choosing a speaker for this event. “We have a Black History Committee chaired by Attorney Cull Jordan III. We came together to explore some options and came up with our top five choices that we chopped down to three,” she said.

Webster added, “We looked at the success of the actor, some of their challenges, and we made sure they had an amazing and compelling story to tell.”

Kodjoe grew up in Germany and excelled in sports. He became one of the best tennis players in Germany. A chronic back injury, however, forced him to explore other options. After earning a degree in marketing from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Kodjoe was signed by the Ford Modeling Agency in New York, where he became one of the most recognized male supermodels.

He took acting classes while modeling, and Hollywood took notice. Kodjoe was featured in “Love and Basketball” and the hit TV series “Soul Food,” for which he won three National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Award nominations. He continued to appear in many movies and drama series as well as a Broadway debut.

In 2010, Kodjoe and his brother, Patrick, launched World of Alfa, a clothing company offering the luxury of high-quality, custom-made shirts and suits at affordable prices.

Boris and his wife, Nicole Ari Parker- Kodjoe, established the Sophie’s Voice Foundation in honor of their daughter, Sophie, who was diagnosed with Spina Bifida at birth. SVF helps families affected by the birth defect and educates all women of childbearing age about the importance of folic acid in protecting unborn children from this 75 percent preventable birth defect.

“We encourage everyone to come out to enjoy an amazing show,” said Webster. “We make it so that you leave with something new about the person. We want you to come with your questions and leave with some motivation and inspiration.”

For more information, call the Arts Council at 910-323-1776.

Photo: Boris Kodjoe

  Saturday, March 9, His Outreach Worldwide sponsors the third annual American Warrior 5K Walk and Run. This event, for which the streets of downtown Fayetteville are transformed into a USA Track and Field certified race route, benefits His Bread of Life, a local Christian nonprofit food bank. The race’s starting point and registration area is at Festival Park.

Lynne O’Quinn, founder and CEO of HOW, said most of the race’s elements from its first two years remain unchanged — with one exciting update. This year, ’80s Unplugged, a local band, will play live music as participants register and warm up in the morning and as they wait for everyone to finish the 5K.

As in years past, free food will be distributed to runners after the race, this year provided by Baldinos Giant Jersey Subs. A variety of entertainment will be available pre- and post-race, including a free bouncy house for children alongside vendors selling wares.

O’Quinn stressed that this is a family-friendly event and people and families of all ages are invited to participate.

At the same time, the American Warrior 5K holds the distinction of being a certified, timed race. “Whatever (runners) win has more value because it’s a USA Track and Field certified race,” O’Quinn said. “We’ve had a lot of people say they enjoy this course, too, because it winds through downtown. It makes it very interesting for runners, and then for the walkers it’s a pretty walk.”

First, second and third place will be awarded to runners in eight age divisions, as well as to the top finishers overall.

Each runner will receive a complementary bag with goodies, including a T-shirt and coupons to enjoy around town, like at Sweet Frog and Pure Barre – Fayetteville. Runners who register before Feb. 27 are guaranteed the correct T-shirt size.

His Bread of Life, the nonprofit benefiting from the race’s proceeds, is headed by director Brian Armstrong. It is one of seven ministries under HOW and is located at 204 S. Reilly Rd., in a home that was donated. It is open Wednesday mornings from 8:30 a.m.-noon.

At this food bank, anyone in need is invited to come in and “shop” (free of charge) for what they need from a variety of shelves, with a cap on how many items can be taken from each shelf. “We have refreshments, we give them bags; they’re able to get what their family really needs at that time,”

O’Quinn said. “It’s like their neighborhood grocery market. … They love coming in, and they talk to each other.” O’Quinn described the population His Bread of Life serves as being like family to her. “We pretty much take these people at their word, and we’ve never felt like we’ve been swindled or scammed,” she said. “All these people are the nicest, sweetest people, and they’re just down on their luck.”

She said the food bank serves people like the homeless (including homeless veterans), people referred through social services, recovering alcoholics and drug addicts, people who lose their jobs due to medical issues and more.

Pre-register online for $25 ($20 if military) at www.runtheeast.com/ races or at the HOW office, 2770 Breezewood Ave. Day-of registration on March 9 opens at 8 a.m. and costs $30. The race begins at 9:30 a.m. Participants are encouraged to wear red, white and blue.

To learn more about HOW and His Bread of Life, visit http://hisoutreachworldwide.org/about or call O’Quinn at 910-476-7975 or Heather Hartley at 910-874-3676.

  Those who are currently working in the realm of economic development in Cumberland County believe in a bright future for our community. Robert Van Geons, president and CEO of the Fayetteville Cumberland County Economic Development Corporation said, “One hundred fifty million dollars (in) private sector investments are currently under construction in the city.”

He told City Council’s baseball committee that FCEDC is working on six projects directly related to the stadium now under construction on Hay Street.

Jordan Jones, project manager of Prince Charles Holdings, the firm renovating the former Prince Charles Hotel, has said North Carolina’s banks are now paying attention to downtown Fayetteville. Prince Charles Holdings secured a $9.3 million loan from Carter Bank & Trust, a community bank based in Martinsville, Virginia. North Carolina’s big banks initially ignored the request for loans, Jones said.

“Oh my God, this is going to be great,” said Mayor Pro Tem Ted Mohn as the baseball committee, of which he is a member, got an update on the stadium project Feb. 12.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our kids,” said Committee Chairman Jim Arp, who suggested recreation center and public-school baseball teams should be invited to opening day festivities.

Stadium project manager Roslyn Henderson told the committee that $7.3 million has already been paid out to firms that have been working on the stadium. She gave a detailed update on work that has been accomplished and what lies ahead. Most of the work cannot be seen by the public because it’s going on behind the walls.

Representatives for construction general contractor Barton Malow Company have assured city officials the stadium will be finished on time. The completion date is set for March 29. The ballpark, which will seat nearly 5,000 fans, cost $40 million. It will be managed by the Houston Astros Advanced Single-A minor league Fayetteville Woodpeckers.

After beginning the season on the road, the Woodpeckers will open their new ballpark with an April 18 matchup against the Carolina Mudcats. The newly minted Woodpeckers will arrive at their permanent home downtown after spending the past two seasons at Campbell University’s Jim Perry Stadium.

Fayetteville will be home of the annual Big South Conference baseball tournament for three years, from 2019 through 2021. Fayetteville officials have touted the new ballpark as the anchor of $100 million in downtown redevelopment projects. The stadium will host other community events in the off season.

  Cumberland County’s governing board has asked the community’s legislative delegation to repeal the sunset provision of the local Prepared Food and Beverage Tax. Commissioners made their request Feb. 11 at a joint meeting with local North Carolina Senate and House members. Sen. Ben Clark, D-District 21, had mentioned prior to the meeting that it will soon be time to end the tax or share its proceeds with local municipalities.

The tax, also known as the restaurant tax, was imposed in 1993 to help pay for the Crown Coliseum at the county entertainment complex off East Mountain Drive.

The sunset provision will take effect in 2024 when the debt on the Crown Coliseum is paid off. The law as written requires that the restaurant tax be ended. But commissioners have plans for the revenue estimated at $3.3 million. The $3.3 million is the annual supplement the county makes in Coliseum debt service. Once the debt is retired, the money can be used for other things, unless the legislature enforces the sunset clause.

That raised the question among some, including Clark, as to why there was a sunset provision in the law that created the tax 25 years ago. Rep. Billy Richardson, D-District 44, who served in the state House at the time and was recently re-elected, said citizens would have been even more opposed to the Bubba Dome had that provision not been included. Bubba Dome was a nickname for the coliseum at the time.

The county has been considering building a performing arts center, probably in downtown Fayetteville, using restaurant taxes to help pay for it.

“We’ve been talking about this for at least five years,” said County Commission Vice-Chairman Marshall Faircloth. He added that the tax proceeds are “do or die” when it comes to a performing arts center.

Another proposed change in the law is that the Civic Center Commission be authorized to construct a performing arts center whether or not it is affiliated with the existing civic center commonly known as the Crown Complex.

Commissioners also disclosed a set of other requests it had for the state legislature. One of them is a change in the law governing public health nuisances.

Counties are virtually powerless to deal with anything dangerous or prejudicial to public health or safety without going through a laborious process. The county is asking for the same authority the North Carolina General Assembly has granted cities and towns. The city of Fayetteville, for example, has statutory authority to remove, abate or remedy everything in the city limits and within one mile of the city found to be a health or safety hazard.

Commissioners also favor adding a percentage to the sales tax in support of rural volunteer fire departments; repealing statutory authority given boards of education to sue county governments; and seeking state participation in the Grays Creek public water project in areas affected by possible GenX contamination. The exact amount of the proposed sales tax increase has not been determined.

The 90-minute meeting ended without either governing body taking any action.

 Fayetteville Police have charged a 15-year-old boy with the death of a man at a home on Conestoga Drive off Rim Road in West Fayetteville. The youth is being held at the Cumberland Regional Juvenile Detention Center. His name is being withheld. Police identified the victim of the fatal shooting as Donovan Lamar Moon, 30, of Vagabond Drive in Fayetteville. He was found dead in a car on Feb. 11.

In North Carolina, if a youth is 15 years old or younger and commits a crime, his or her case will be brought to the attention of the Juvenile Justice section of the North Carolina Department of Public Safety. The juvenile court must transfer jurisdiction to adult court if the youth is accused of committing a crime that would be a violent felony if they were an adult.

Fort Bragg hero to be memorialized in May

This article may seem familiar. Up & Coming Weekly reported the combat deaths of Army Special Forces Sgt. 1st Class Eric Emond, Capt. Andrew Patrick Ross and Air Force Combat Controller Staff Sgt. Dylan Elchin last fall. This week, there is an update.

The Green Berets were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group at Fort Bragg when they were deployed to Afghanistan last year. It was Emond’s seventh combat deployment. The three special operations troops died Nov. 27, 2018, when an improvised explosive device detonated in Ghanzi, Afghanistan, destroying their vehicle.

Emond, 39, will soon be remembered in his home state of Massachusetts, where he underwent rehabilitation in 2009 for earlier combat injuries. At that time, Emond organized the nonprofit group Massachusetts Fallen Heroes, which helps Gold Star families and veterans.

In 2014, the organization dedicated a memorial in Boston to honor the state’s heroes. The monument is a 50-foot tall, five-sided obelisk representing the branches of the United States armed services etched with the names of the honored service members.

Sgt. 1st Class Emond’s name will be added to the monument this coming May. He is survived by his wife and three young daughters.

Local judge appointed chief justice

Gov. Roy Cooper’s, D-NC, decision to elevate a former Fayetteville judge to chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court has resulted in unusual criticism from another member of the high court.

Republican Associate Justice Paul Newby, who has been on the court since 2005, claimed tradition put him in line for the top post. Newby, who intends to run for chief justice next year, said Cooper “decided to place raw partisan politics over a nonpartisan judiciary.”

Like Cooper, Beasley is a registered Democrat. Supreme Court races were nonpartisan elections until a law proposed by the Republican-controlled legislature was approved in 2016.

Beasley will be the first African-American woman to hold the job. Another Fayetteville jurist, Patricia Timmons-Goodson, in 2006 became the first African-American woman to serve on the Supreme Court.

Beasley will succeed Chief Justice Mark Martin, who is resigning the end of this month. “Justice Beasley is the right person at the right time,” Cooper said at news conference.

The governor cited Beasley’s varied legal experience. She served in the Cumberland County public defender’s office in the mid-1990s and became a District Court judge in 1999. Beasley was elected to the state Court of Appeals in 2008 and was appointed to the Supreme Court by then-Gov. Beverly Purdue, a Democrat. Beasley was elected to an eight-year term in 2014.

Cumberland County job fair

The 20th annual Department of Social Services March to Work Job Fair will be held Wednesday, March 20, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Charlie Rose Agri-Expo Center at 1960 Coliseum Dr. Businesses with current or upcoming job openings are invited to register to participate at no charge. Each employer will be provided a booth at the fair that includes a table and chairs.

“The job fair attracts thousands of job seekers with a wide range of skill levels — from those that are professional or highly technical, to those who are semi- to unskilled,” said job fair coordinator Toni Wright-Harris. “This is a great opportunity for businesses to find qualified employees.”

Business representatives will be able to talk about their company and the employment opportunities that they have available with potential employees.

Employers who are interested in participating in the job fair can register by contacting Wright- Harris at 910-677-2344 or Robert Relyea at 910-677-2222.

Fort Bragg MWR is hiring

A job fair is also being held at Fort Bragg. The Fort Bragg Family & MWR hiring event is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 26, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. It’s being staged at the Tolson Youth Activities Center on Normandy Drive at Reilly Street. A listing of open positions is available at Bragg.armymwr.com. Qualified applicants will be interviewed on the spot. Officials said it is advisable to apply in advance a USAJOBS.gov

  Recently, the world watched as President Donald Trump delivered his second State of the Union address. In his speech, the president highlighted important accomplishments of his first two years in office and showed a desire to work together to address the difficult issues our nation continues to face. As we enter into a divided Congress, I thought Trump struck the appropriate tone when he said, “Together we can break decades of political stalemate. We can bridge old divisions, heal old wounds, build new coalitions, forge new solutions and unlock the extraordinary promise of America’s future.”

While there are some who continue to sow divisiveness in our country, the president asked us all to “choose greatness” and called on Congress to work together for the common good of our country and our constituents. From my first day in Congress, I’ve worked hard to find bipartisan solutions, and I remain committed to working with anyone — Republican, Democrat or Independent — to provide for the brave men and women at Fort Bragg, improve care for our veterans and lower the cost of health care and improve access for all Americans.

One reason I’m hopeful of the work we can do is because we’ve already accomplished quite a bit over the last two years. We’ve rebuilt our military from years of devastating cuts, combated the opioid epidemic to help our friends and neighbors, cut taxes for working families, reformed the Department of Veterans Affairs to give our veterans better care and more choices, and ignited the economy so more jobs are coming back to America instead of going overseas.

In January, we were greeted with a nationwide unemployment rate of 4 percent after adding 5.3 million jobs since the 2016 election. This is the 11th consecutive month with an unemployment rate at or below 4 percent. As more people head back to work, we have seen historic lows of unemployment across almost all demographics, including among African-Americans, whose unemployment rate is the lowest since 1972.

And, come April 15, the increased Child Tax Credit will allow parents to get an extra $1,000 on their tax returns — double the credit from 2017. If that’s not real progress, I don’t know what is.

As a voice for veterans and a representative of Fort Bragg, I was also glad to see Trump highlight the importance of a strong national defense and re-up his commitment to our troops and their families both during and after their service.

Finally, the president laid out a strong stance on immigration, calling for Democrats and Republicans to come to the table in a bipartisan manner during his State of the Union. I think it’s just plain common sense that we must do everything we can to stop human trafficking, the flow of drugs and illegal immigration across our border. This is an issue that Republicans and Democrats have put off for 30 years — the time to act is now.

The American people are counting on us to deliver on our promises on these issues and much more. Together as a nation we can — and must — choose greatness. And while there are a lot of issues that divide our country, I will always believe that we can come together for the good of the nation.

  I was born in Charlotte, North Carolina. But I grew up in rural Mecklenburg County. There used to be such a place — and, indeed, quite a few such places still exist in our increasingly urbanized state.

My family lived on 40 acres, mostly forest with a freight-rail track running through it. When the train came by, the engineer waved. We waved back, even after we had piled rocks and coins on the track to see what would happen. We planted beans and shucked corn and picked blackberries. We fished the pond on the other side of the cow pasture. For part of my childhood, we had a box on a rural route, not a street address.

I now live in suburban Wake County— sort of. My neighborhood is bordered on all sides by farms and stables. It’s not unheard of for me to look out my window and see folks riding by on their horses. Our German shepherd snarls and barks at the riders, as if to shout, “How dare you? Don’t you know you’re in the suburbs?”

North Carolinians have been talking for years about the rural-urban divide, and we ought to be. But we don’t really live in rigidly separated “rural” places and “urban” places. And the largest share of North Carolinians live in places they and others would call suburban.

I spend much of my time doing political analysis, where oversimplification is commonplace. When politicians and reporters say “urban areas vote Democratic” and “rural areas vote Republican” and “the real battleground is the suburbs,” they are saying things that are true, in a sense, while not saying all that is true about those things.

For example, in 2016 Donald Trump won North Carolina with about 2.4 million votes. Hillary Clinton got about 2.2 million votes. She won almost all counties classified as “urban” while Trump won most counties classified as “rural.” But what does it mean to “win” a county? Based on how exit-poll respondents described their own neighborhoods, as opposed to how others describe their counties, about 620,000 urban North Carolinians voted for Trump. Nearly half a million rural North Carolinians voted for Clinton.

And, by the way, Trump won a somewhat larger share of the suburban vote than he won of the rural vote. Did you know that? Pesky details — they’re always spoiling things.

The Institute for Emerging Issues, based at North Carolina State University, is all about “spoiling things,” to the extent those things are preconceived notions and faulty definitions that divert or obstruct us from addressing our state’s biggest challenges.

The institute has developed a project called ReConnect NC, anchored by a series of six Emerging Issues Forums on the overall topic of strengthening the ties that bind us all together. The second such event, held Feb. 11 in Raleigh, focused on bridging rural, urban and suburban North Carolina. How are they different? What do they have in common?

Indeed, a major theme of the day was that these labels can both inform and misinform. As my personal story illustrates, but other speakers explained with reams of data, our lived experiences often differ in ways that don’t align well with county lines or other jurisdictional boundaries. For example, many North Carolinians commute daily from rural or suburban to urban, from one city to another, from one suburb to another or some other way. Traffic in freight, information and ideas also tie seemingly disparate people and places together in powerful, and sometimes even improbable, networks.

The institute’s Raleigh forum made the usual news, with legislative leaders talking about emerging needs in rural broadband and school construction while Gov. Roy Cooper pitched an expanded Teaching Fellows program and other educational initiatives. But what was transformational, I think, was the overarching theme of rejecting rigid categories and simple explanations of complex problems.

What comes next? The next forum is Oct. 15 in Charlotte. I’ll be sure to stop at the Hood homestead on my way to put a penny on the railroad track.

 There is a dangerous, but tremendously effective, political approach being employed in America. It could be called “thought deprivation.” It’s conditioning people so they do not think with depth regarding the issues that face us as a nation. Sadly, allowing this thought deprivation approach to become routine and embedded in the political process has brought us to a point of real danger in the governing, and very survival, of this nation. Many actions that should reasonably be taken are not taken. Other actions are taken that adversely impact the wellbeing of Americans. Gridlock is a frequent consequence of this political approach; nothing is done regarding important matters affecting the people of our country.

The examples of how politicians and political practitioners use thought deprivation to win elections and wield power seem endless. A prime example shows in the substantial support that Democrats are generating for Medicare for all. In a future column, I will explain my contention that the support being voiced by citizens is, in great part, the result of expertly executed thought deprivation. In this column, and others leading up to the examination of support for Medicare for all, I discuss my observations regarding the process by which thought deprivation is developed and sustained.

My observations as to how thought deprivation is developed and sustained in a person, by others, can be summarized as follows:

1. Tremendously lessen, if not demolish, the capacity for critical thinking.

2. Lead citizens to focus on identity as members of a group based on race, ethnicity, economic standing, religious affiliation, etc.

3. Promote tension between groups or groups of groups.

4. Contend that some groups are victimized, mistreated, discriminated against, etc.

5. Convince a target group, or groups, that they are entitled to certain benefits.

6. Promise to deliver the benefits to which people have been convinced they are entitled.

7. When the promised benefits do not materialize, blame others.

The opening step of lessening or demolishing the capacity for critical thinking might seem to be an exaggeration. However, consider the meaning of critical thought as it appears at www.criticalthinking.org: “Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action.”

Pause and mentally list the times in the last month when you, in media, in political speech or conversation, in social media, observed what is defined above as critical thinking. My guess is that your list is very short or lacking any entries at all. I do not post very often on Facebook, but I do read the posts of other people. I am amazed and saddened by the scarcity of critical thinking that is present in most posts. There are mostly emotiondriven rants that present no facts or thoughtful analysis of whatever topic is being discussed. This is especially true where political or social issues are addressed.

Another section of the information presented at www.criticalthinking.org provides a possible explanation as to why critical thinking might be so scarce in American society: “Critical thinking varies according to the motivation underlying it. When grounded in selfish motives, it is often manifested in the skillful manipulation of ideas in service of one’s own, or one’s groups’, vested interest. As such, it is typically intellectually flawed, however pragmatically successful it might be.”

I contend that we have become a nation where selfishness is disavowed as a general condition of our society, but our overall conduct cries “selfishness.” In this atmosphere, the truth of the quote above shows. The thinking that happens, limited as it might be, is too often intellectually flawed. That is the case because individuals and groups are encouraged to focus on what is good for them, without considering the impact on others; even further, serious collection and examination of facts and the honest defining and consideration of outcomes hardly ever happen.

My comments to this point might leave the impression that what I am describing only applies to the general public. That is not the case. This thought deprivation condition is very much present in the American political class, in politicians. If you doubt that to be true, watch some congressional hearings or listen to some politicians as they address challenging issues during televised interviews. There is hardly ever a sliver of genuine, critical thought. Their failure to model critical thought contributes to the scarcity of it in the general population.

With critical thinking lessened or demolished in individuals, the next step is rather easy to accomplish: leading citizens to identify as members of a group based on race, ethnicity, economic standing, religious affiliation, etc. When there is little or no focus on facts and thoughtful analysis of facts, people do what is natural.

An article by Nayef Al-Rodhan, “Divisive Politics and the Brain: Primordial Determinism vs. Responsible Egalitarianism,” speaks to our natural response process in identifying with a group. In part, Al-Rodhan writes: “Furthermore, the urgency to barricade oneself against ‘others’ — immigrants, ethnic and religious minorities, etc. — stems from ancestral predispositions that associate belonging to one’s tribe or group as critical to survival.

“Using noninvasive methods, neuroscientists have identified that the neurocircuitry of tribal behavior that separates ‘us’ from ‘them’ occurs in the prefrontal cortex. Without much reflexivity, and within 170 thousandths of a second from the moment we first see them, we already distinguish between members of the in-group and those of the out-group. Our brains have inherited this hardwiring from our ancestors, but there is another interesting fact.

“While this basic bias is subconsciously formed, our exact definition of what constitutes ‘us’ and ‘them’ is learned. We may be hardwired to distinguish between us and others, but the actual definition of the other is not internally hardwired; it is something we are socialized into throughout our lives.”

I hold that what Professor Al-Rodhan explains addresses our natural tendency of identifying with groups and separating ourselves from other groups. The critical piece of the process is in deciding which group, or groups, we identify with and which ones we see as separate and apart from us. Those separate and apart groups constitute “them” and are normally people who are treated as the enemy. Our defining of “them” is, based on Al-Rodhan’s explanation and my observations across many years, the result of socialization. Socialization is the process of learning to behave in a way that is acceptable to society.

Therein lies the great challenge: individuals needing to make choices that produce fair and positive outcomes even while having one’s “us” and “them” defined by a person’s dominant societal influences. Given that we live in a country, even a world, where critical thinking is rare, individuals and groups easily influence people’s thinking in ways that adversely affect individuals, their primary group and even society in general. It is in this atmosphere, under these conditions, that politicians, joined by politically active individuals and groups, are able to manipulate citizens for political gain.

Next time, more on steps to developing and sustaining thought deprivation.

  The North Carolina General Assembly is back in session, with its biggest task being crafting a budget for fiscal years 2019-20. This will involve compromise, as it always does, with the legislature and the governor having different spending priorities between Democrats and Republicans and among legislators of the same political stripes. As is true in so much of political decision-making, one person’s must-have is often another’s boondoggle.

One reality is certain. Education — public schools, community colleges and universities — will gobble up more than half of state spending, garnering $13.5 billion of the current $23 billion state budget. Expect plenty of controversy as education spending is decided.

The Cumberland County Board of Education plans to ask legislators for a change that does not involve state allocations. Our local school board, along with many others across the state, want more flexibility in setting school calendars. They should all have it.

Until 2004, local schools set their calendars to suit local conditions. Western counties, for example, typically built in more snow days. School boards established teacher work days and holidays as recommended by administrators.

Local calendar control changed when legislators bowed to the will of North Carolina’s tourism industry and set hard start- and stop-dates for all state public schools. Tourism interests in both mountain and coastal areas demanded that children have longer summer breaks so families could vacation longer, and the General Assembly acquiesced.

It was a reprehensible kowtow to business interests over the interests of North Carolina’s school children. Changes have been made over the last decade and a half, but flexibility is still granted and taken away by legislators, not on-the-ground education officials who understand the needs of their communities.

There are all sorts of good reasons to return calendar flexibility to local schools.

These include the reality that students in most other developed nations have longer school days and longer school years than we do in North Carolina. It is therefore no surprise that students in many of those nations outpace our students.

Flexibility would also allow more opportunity to align public school calendars to community college calendars, meaning that high school students could take more community college courses. This could give high schoolers a leg up in whatever higher education or career they pursue.

Both parents and educators attest to the reality of summer learning loss. Schools have to begin the school year with several weeks of review that takes time away from learning new material. This is a phenomenon that disproportionally affects minority and low-income students, increasing educational disparities. Research shows that shorter times away from school work to reverse disparities.

Generations ago, school calendars followed agricultural

cycles. Children were needed to work in the

fields, so school was in session during slow growing

months. Today, only a small percentage of North

Carolinians make our livings working in the fields,

and child labor is prohibited in most instances.

There is no longer a reason for school calendars to

accommodate agricultural cycles.

Overlying all arguments is Mother Nature. The school year in Murphy is likely very different from the school year in Manteo. The mountains must contend with snowy weather while coastal areas face hurricanes. Students in Pender County were out of school for six weeks after Hurricane Florence blew thought last fall. While that was unusual, coastal school systems need the flexibility to deal with increasingly severe storms.

The General Assembly will deal with many school issues this session. Bills have already been filed to increase school safety through various grants, provide statewide mental health screenings for students and require teaching civic responsibility and good citizenship. All of these would require local or state expenditures, perhaps both.

Returning school calendars to local school boards costs only the tax dollars local communities choose to invest. It gives control back to local decision makers, not legislators from hundreds of miles away who very likely have never set foot in our community. It puts our children before the profits of private companies.

It is time — past time — to do just that.

  At first, I thought artificial intelligence was the panacea for stupid people. Nope — although heaven knows we need one. Read the headlines of any newspaper or tune in to any radio news cast and you would swear we are living in Bizarro World.

For those who are not familiar with Superman comics of the ’40s and ’50s, Bizarro World was a fictional universe where people, places and situations were weirdly opposite of their normal posture or expectation. Sort of like Pitt Dickey’s articles on any given day. Just kidding, Pitt.

Seriously, it should concern all Americans when the truth becomes subjective and elusive. It should concern all Americans when wordsmithing becomes a finely tuned skill used to redefine justice and when it becomes an instrument used to sidestep the truth.

Social media is probably the mother of fake news and the worst thing to happen to humanity when it comes to communicating and disseminating trust and integrity. And, unfortunately, it’s here to stay — regardless of consequences.

Today, we spend way too much time on social media. Computers, iPads and iPhones rudely intrude on our lives so frequently that we are becoming conditioned to it. Last week, I attended the funeral of a dear friend. The church was filled with friends and family. The service was beautiful and touching. Then, the benediction was interrupted by not one, not two, but three cellphone alarms going off simultaneously. You could feel the collective sense of embarrassment. That’s the world we live in.

For many, social media has, unfortunately, become their sole source of information. They scan, read, like, comment and then share like mindless robots that are void of critical thinking and coerced into being a participant in the cycle of misinformation.

It’s this misinformation that shapes our opinions, manipulates our actions and influences our decisions. This should concern us all.

Fake news manipulates our point of view, influences our values and compromises our morals. Recently, I found out there are companies that specialize in developing AI that can create fake news, making it difficult — if not impossible — to fact-check content. Fake news is becoming an unregulated, profitable, dirty business.

So, this begs the question: who can you trust? Well, I don’t have that answer. I, for one, will advocate for laws that forbid and punish the perpetrators of any proven manipulative and illegal actions disseminated via social media.

And, since you are reading this article, I can only assume you have keen critical thinking skills and are a remarkable judge of character. So, this being the case, thank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly. No fake news here — and we are surely not anonymous.

  For nearly 61 years, Better Health has helped the medically underserved in Cumberland County — free of charge. For 22 of those years, it has also entertained the county with an “Evening of” fundraiser, which has evolved tremendously over the years. “It was initially held at the Cameo Theatre downtown,” said Amy Navejas, executive director and CEO of Better Health. “And then it evolved a little more and became a live theater event.” Soon after its beginning, the gala began to adopt a new theme every year. This year’s theme is “Evening on the High Seas,” to take place Thursday, Feb. 28.

Navejas is excited for the public to experience 2019’s nautical theme. “We were just playing around with some ideas, and this seemed different and fun,” she said. “It’s flexible, and you can interpret it as a fun and silly cruise or a formal captain’sdinner- type cruise.”

As it pertains to attire, anything goes. “Everybody has a different idea of what they want to wear,” Navejas said. “I would say most individuals will be in cocktail attire, but it can be interpreted any way. That’s how a cruise is — you’re not out of place in resort attire, and even bathing suits are okay for a party at the casino.”

Speaking of a party, the casino will make a reappearance this year. “Each year we bring back a casino, and it seems like everybody just loves it,” Navejas said. The casino is sponsored by the Cobb Tilghman Group at Merrill Lynch, and the Wine Café and Morgan’s Chop House sponsor other beverages.

Elite Catering will provide a variety of food for the event, to include pork and beef tenderloin, crab cakes, mini Salisbury steaks and more. “Every event I’ve been to that they’ve catered has been exceptional,” Navejas said of Elite. “They do such a phenomenal job.”

There’s more to this event than food, however. “We also have a silent auction,” Navejas said. “We’ve worked really hard this year to bring some packages from local businesses and donors and supporters.” She added that there will be a returning casino game in which the player wins a cruise if their dice rolls spell the word “Harley,” of Harley-Davidson. There are several opportunities to win.

“We’ve had winners every year,” she said. “It’s a lot of fun for people to do.”

Overall, the “Evening of” gala is Better Health’s largest fundraiser. “It used to be our only fundraiser event,” Navejas said. “It’s just a really fun way for people to come together and support a wonderful nonprofit that is doing a lot of good. Without (this fundraiser)... Better Health would be a in a really difficult position.”

According to Navejas, the gala’s dinner and entertainment is not too formal. “It’s not a seated meal. We are hoping to incorporate some skits and some songs, as well as a DJ.”

Besides the silent auction and casino games, attendees should expect a few brief interruptions during dinner for some cruise-themed fun, along with more information about Better Health.

Better Health’s backstory

Ruth Peters created Better Health in 1958 when she noticed that several of the ill members of her community were unable to pay for their prescribed medications. “Initially, we were started to address the need for medications for the uninsured,” said Navejas. “That meant that we were going to the ER to give them those emergency medications.”

The county health care systems couldn’t afford to take care of these sick individuals who were not getting better, creating a cycle of sickness and poverty. As a solution to this problem, Peters established The Better Health Foundation of Cumberland County.

In 1991, The Better Health Foundation evolved into what is now Better Health of Cumberland County, Inc., a fulltime nonprofit organization that has become invaluable to the low-income individuals of our community. “We’ve definitely grown quite a bit,” said Navejas. “It can be a challenge for a nonprofit, but the clients that we help are so incredibly grateful.”

Navejas isn’t alone in this opinion. One anonymous patient described her experience with Better Health: “I’d waited for at least 1 1/2 years trying to save enough money to have (a) tooth pulled. Did my best to keep it from getting infected with the Lord’s help. I wasn’t getting anywhere until The CARE Clinic told me about Better Health. You will never know how much Better Health helped me, and I will do whatever I can to help you guys.”

Today, Better Health works to provide health care and assistance to low-income residents of Cumberland County, whether that be by education, referral or direct assistance. After two years, Better Health became a United Way Affiliate Agency. Since then, Better Health has created the first free Diabetic Monitoring and Education Clinic, along with the first free Medical Equipment Loan Closet. Navejas explained more about Better Health’s programs: “We have diabetes education and clinics throughout the week, child obesity programs, and more.”

In 2017, Better Health assisted 405 individuals at its diabetes center, 1,607 individuals at its clinic and 1,064 people who visited its exercise program. The organization experienced 100 percent patient satisfaction with its Medical Equipment Loan Program.

“Evening on the High Seas” takes place Thursday, Feb. 28, from 6-10 p.m. at the Cape Fear Botanical Garden, located at 536 North Eastern Blvd. To purchase tickets, or for more information, call 910-483- 7534 or visit www.betterhealthcc.org. Sponsorships are also available.

Sara Baxley

Terry Sanford • Bowling • Senior

Baxley has a 4.63 grade point average. She’s a three-year starter for the Bulldog bowling team. In addition to serving as the team’s captain, Baxley is a member of National Honor Society as well as Health Occupations Students of America at Terry Sanford. She also works as a Cape Fear Valley Junior Volunteer.

Tommy Cooney

Terry Sanford • Bowling/Baseball • Junior

Cooney has a 4.09 grade point average. He is a three-year starter for the Bulldog bowling team. Tommy has also led the Terry Sanford Marching Band as its drum major for the past two years and is a pitcher for the Terry Sanford baseball team. Tommy is also involved in the Kiwanis Club’s Clean Up Streets and Parks group.

  Jack Britt’s Madajah Trapier and Pine Forest’s Anamaria Bailey were part of North Carolina high school athletic history recently.

Trapier and Bailey were among a handful of female wrestlers from Cumberland County to take part in the first official statewide invitational tournament for female wrestlers.

They were the only two from Cumberland County to stand atop the awards platform at the end of the competition; Trapier won the 152 pound championship while Bailey placed second in the combined 160-170 pound category.

Trapier got her start in wrestling in middle school at Anne Chesnutt but didn’t return to competition until this year when she tried out for the team at Jack Britt.

“My dad wrestled in high school but never got the chance to go to state,’’ Trapier said. “I wanted to wrestle and continue his legacy.’’

In North Carolina, there’s been no separate division for girls to wrestle head-to-head, so they have to compete with boys in their own weight class.

“I like the fact that girls are underestimated,’’ Trapier said. “I can show that technique beats strength any day and girls can do just as good as guys.’’

At the state tournament, there were only three girls in Trapier’s weight class, two from Hoke County and one from Overhills. Instead of being paired up in brackets, the four girls wrestled in a round robin format.

Trapier beat Hoke’s Melanie Jones and Madeline Ramallah and Jasmine Davis of Overhills, winning all three matches by fall to take the championship.

“I got a chance to watch their moves,’’ she said of her three opponents. “I saw what technique they were using, and I was able to depict what I could use when it was my turn to go against them.”

Trapier said it took a few days for her to realize she had won a state championship — the first one for high school girls in North Carolina history.

“I was really happy and proud of myself,’’ she said. “I’m hoping I (can) go to nationals in Texas and get the opportunity to wrestle in college.’’

Bailey, a junior at Pine Forest, is no stranger to rugged sports, having played rugby before an injury forced her to stop. Her brother and his friends talked her into giving wrestling a try. She’s in her third year wrestling with the team at Pine Forest.

“It was definitely a challenge, but I think it made me better,’’ she said. “When I started wrestling, it helped me challenge myself not only physically but mentally.

“Without wrestling, I wouldn’t have the right discipline to put me on the path to greater things.’’

After a first-round bye, she won by fall over Ashley Boggess of Pisgah. But she lost by fall to LaSean Boyd of Overhills in the championship match.

Despite the setback, Bailey is already looking ahead to her senior year at Pine Forest.

“Everybody wants a better record and to be able to win more,” Bailey said. “That’s what my thing is ‑ let them know I was a better wrestler than last year.’’

In addition to Trapier and Bailey, the following Cumberland County female wrestlers took part in the recent state tournament but did not finish in the top four in their weight class: Tina Silva, South View, 113; Emmaline Morgan, Terry Sanford, 113; Andrea Moore, Jack Britt, 120.

Photo: Madajah Trapier