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

  After two years away from coaching high school basketball, Bill Boyette quickly returned to what he does best, building championship squads that focus on defense and fundamentals.

That’s the case with his first team at Fayetteville Academy, which has compiled a 23-3 record as it prepares for a postseason run that includes the top seed in the upcoming North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association 2-A basketball tournament.

According to the MaxPreps rankings from Monday, Feb. 11, the Academy is the No. 6 rated boys basketball team among all public and private schools in North Carolina and holds the No. 1 ranking among NCISAA 2-A teams.

Fayetteville Academy opens the playoffs at home Thursday, Feb. 14, at 6:30 p.m. against either Wayne Christian or Rocky Mount Academy.

It’s not surprising that with the success the Eagles have enjoyed this year, Boyette said he found it pretty easy to shift from coaching public school basketball most of his career to returning to the game at the private school level.

“Basketball is basketball for me,’’ Boyette said. “The private school sector is a little bit different. I’ve learned those ropes and learned something new every day.’’

Boyette said Fayetteville Academy athletic director and former Eagle basketball coach Chip Bishop helped him make the adjustment. For Boyette, it was just a joy to get back into the game after being gone from Terry Sanford High School the past two years.

“It’s something I missed,’’ he said. “Physically, those two years I sat out I didn’t even feel like myself. It’s been a great experience for me and I’ve really enjoyed it over here.’’

Boyette saw the potential early on for the Eagles to have a good season. “We’ve taken baby steps,’’ he said. “We have gotten better as the season progressed. They have seen things working in game situations that we try to stress every single day in practice. I think right now we are playing our best basketball, which is what you want to be doing at the end of the season.’’

Two players who have had a big role in the Eagles’ success are point guard John-Michael Wright and power forward Wills Onyeodi.

Boyette called Wright the best finisher at the rim he’s ever had, despite the fact Wright barely stands 6 feet tall. “He’s athletic and he knows the game,’’ Boyette said. “He’s smart, very humble, and he’s averaging about 22 points per game. He could score more if he wanted to, but he’s very team-oriented.

“He’s done everything we’ve asked him to do from the point guard position.’’

Wright was recently honored at an Eagle home game for scoring 2,000 points in his career.

Onyeodi, a senior like Wright, is a native of Nigeria and has been in the United States the last four years.

“He’s skilled in a lot of ways and brings a lot of life and personality to the team,’’ Boyette said of Onyeodi. He called him and Wright “treasures to coach.’’

Onyeodi called Boyette a passionate coach. “I was very privileged to be one of his players,’’ Onyeodi said. “He really helped us grow as a team, grow as individuals.’’

Onyeodi quickly learned about the emphasis Boyette puts on playing defense. “It’s the No. 1 thing he teaches,’’ Onyeodi said. “We just love it. We have to play defense to win games.’’

Wright felt it took the Eagle team a couple of practices to pick up on what Boyette was trying to teach them. “We got along quicker than we thought,’’ Wright said. “The way he taught it makes it easier.’’

Wright said his only concern approaching the postseason is how committed Fayetteville Academy will be to playing four quarters of defense.

“Some games we’ll play two quarters, take off a third and teams will make a run,’’ he said. “We’ve got to be able to finish and play all four quarters.’’

Wright said he will focus on continuing to be the team leader and not crack under pressure.

“That’s about it,’’ he said. “Staying a leader and keeping my team intact.’’

Boyette’s biggest challenge will be finding out something about the teams Fayetteville Academy will likely see in the postseason.

Assuming the Eagles get the top seed, they’ll have a bye in the first round, then a maximum of two home games before advancing to the semifinals at Cary Academy and the finals at Raleigh Christian.

“We’re a confident team right now,’’ he said. “I like our chances of progressing in the tournament.’’

Assuming the Eagles get the No. 1 seed in the tournament, their first home game in the state playoffs would be Thursday, Feb. 14, versus an opponent yet to be determined.

Photo: John-Michael Wright

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.

• Historic Preservation Commission Wednesday, Feb. 13, Parks and Recreation Center

• Board of Commissioners Monday, Feb. 18, Luther Meeting Room, Town Hall

• Board of Commissioners Tuesday, Feb. 19, Luther Meeting Room, Town Hall. Special meeting to discuss proposed Donut Hole annexations and recommendations from Town of Hope Mills Plan Review Committee.

• Parks and Recreation Committee Monday, Feb. 25, 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

  When Dr. Bob Kretzu leaves Hope Mills United Methodist Church in June, the town of Hope Mills will be losing more than a pastor.

At least that’s the opinion of Hope Mills Mayor Jackie Warner, who’s a member of Kretzu’s congregation at the church.

“He has been an asset to the town of Hope Mills,’’ Warner said. “He went out and helped organize events during the lake festival. He was very involved not only at the church but in the arts and cultural events.

“That was the other plus, his willingness to serve. He will be sorely missed.’’

Kretzu, 66, is planning to retire from congregational ministry and relocate his family to the Asheville area. This did not come about suddenly, he said, adding he has been thinking about it as far as 10 years back.

A father of four, with children ranging in age from 43 to 33, Kretzu said he’s ready to spend more time with his extended family while still being active in the United Methodist Church in the Asheville area.

From his earliest days at Hope Mills, Kretzu felt the need to follow in the footsteps of his predecessor, Rev. Dennis Sheppard, who followed the teachings of Methodism’s founders by stressing something called social holiness.

“I think most Methodist ministers feel responsible for relating to the other Christian churches in the area and being involved in the community,’’ Kretzu said. “Dennis had done a great job of that, being involved in the community, reaching out to other pastors. He headed the clergy association and asked if I wanted to continue that, and I said absolutely.’’

Kretzu took things a few steps further by getting involved in the Lake Festival Committee and helping organize activities, including Church at the Lake and Jazz and Art at the Lake.

“Because of my art background, they invited me to provide leadership in Jazz and Art at the Lake,’’ Kretzu said. “I had been involved in arts councils before in different communities. I really enjoyed that.’’

Kretzu said he will miss the small-town atmosphere in Hope Mills and its trademark events like the annual Fourth of July and Christmas parades.

“That’s wonderful,’’ he said. “That’s wholesome North Carolina.’’

Something else he said he will miss is the area’s large military presence, the largest he’d ever ministered to as a pastor.

He encourages whoever follows him at Hope Mills to get involved with community leadership and the lives of other pastors in the community.

“This church has been involved in the ALMSHOUSE from the beginning,’’ he said. “That’s a wonderful local cooperative ministry.

“You need to be intentional about blocking time for devotions and getting out in the community, getting to know the neighbors, serving the community. I see a lot of pastors who don’t seem to have time for that.’’

As for his retirement plans, Kretzu said he loves being a pastor and there are specific areas of ministry he’d like to focus on. Those include discipleship, small group work, evangelism, mission work and teaching.

“The bishop in the western conference is a former district superintendent of mine,’’ Kretzu said. “I feel like I’ve got connections there. We’ll see what doors the Lord opens up.’’

Photo: Bob Kretzu

 EDITOR’S NOTE: Since this story was written, a number of the senior programs that were indefinitely suspended have resumed. Please contact the recreation staff at 910-426-4109 or Kasey Ivey at kivey@townofhopemills.com for the most current information on what senior programs have resumed.

After an absence of nearly five months, senior programs are back at the Hope Mills Recreation Center.

“We serve hundreds of seniors a month with a variety of programs, fitness classes and creative arts programs,’’ said Kasey Ivey, senior programs supervisor.

But the various programs have been completely shut down since mid-September when Hurricane Florence damaged the recreation center and forced its closure. The town was unable to provide an alternate location for the senior programs to be held, forcing those programs to be suspended until the recreation center reopened Monday, Feb. 4.

Part of the challenge, Ivey said, was to make sure everything was organized and ready to go. There were also a few amendments that had to be made due to changes in the schedules of some of the outside instructors.

One of the biggest changes involves a popular course in chair exercise, which draws as many as 40 participants twice a week.

“Because of schedule changes, that teacher is not returning,’’ Ivey said. Ivey, who has experience in teaching fitness and fitness for seniors, will be taking over the chair exercise program. Those classes will now be held at the recreation center on Mondays and Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m.

Another class that is still undergoing change is yoga. The yoga classes are limited to a maximum of 30 people because of the space available for participants.

When the recreation center opened for seniors Feb. 4, unexpected, last-minute changes forced postponement of the resumption of a number of senior activities. These include yoga, Zumba, Strong Bones and Fun and Fit.

Ivey said all of these activities are postponed indefinitely. The recreation department will make an announcement as soon as any or all of those activities resume.

Ivey encouraged all seniors planning to attend any activity at the center to look over the revised calendar of activities compiled by the recreation department.

It can be viewed here (left) or at www.townofhopemills.com. Print copies are also available at the recreation center.

All who sign up to take part in the senior programs are asked to leave an email address so the town can send them the calendar via email.

Ivey added that newcomers to the senior program must first fill out a recreation center registration form, which is required of anyone who uses the center.

All participants in the senior program must be age 55 or over and reside in Cumberland County.

Ivey said there was a good turnout for the first day of resumed senior activities. There were between 15 to 20 participants in line dancing, 34 in chair exercise and 15 in a program where seniors make sleeping mats from plastic grocery bags for the homeless.

“We’re looking forward to it,’’ Ivey said of getting the senior programs back to full speed. “I’m sure the folks are too. They make friendships here.’’

Those with specific questions about senior programs can call Ivey at 910-426-4109 or email her at kivey@townofhopemills.com.

  The High School Connections program at Fayetteville Technical Community College experienced a record-breaking year for the 2018-19 academic year. Well over 1,000 high school students (public, private and homeschool) are taking college classes this spring at FTCC through the HSC program.

The HSC program at FTCC provides seamless dual enrollment for high school juniors and seniors with tuition-free, college-level classes. Students can choose from programs that lead to accelerated college certificates, diplomas and associate degrees for higher education or access to entry-level job skills.

In 2018, many students graduated with certificates, and some even earned an associate’s degree. While every student’s achievement is widely celebrated, it is especially exciting to see a student graduate from high school and simultaneously receive an associate’s degree.

FTCC is now spreading the word to current high school sophomores, juniors and their families about the upcoming 2019-20 school year HSC opportunities. Students can choose from two tracks.

Career and Technical Education: Students can complete the CTE pathways within an academic year when the program is started during the fall semester. CTE pathways programs fit well with their associate degree counterparts, should students wish to pursue a degree after completion.

Earning FTCC certificates can lead to an entrylevel skilled job. FTCC offers more than 35 certificates, including Early Childhood, Criminal Justice, Nurse Aide, Business Foundations, 3D Animation, Welding and more. This fall, HSC is expanding available certificates to include Cisco Entry Networking, Electronics Engineering, IOS Development Using Swift, Mechanical Maintenance, and SAS Programming.

College Transfer Pathway: The design of the Arts, Science, and Engineering Pathways programs provides students with general education classes —math, English, history, psychology, sociology, political science and more.

These pathways offer a valuable opportunity for students to receive a head start on earning a four-year degree with considerable financial savings. Students who complete classes with a grade of C or higher receive a guarantee to transfer to University of North Carolina institutions.

High school students interested in taking classes through the HSC program at FTCC can reach out to their high school counselor for more information. FTCC hosts Parent Nights throughout the spring semester, which provide students the opportunity to learn more about what HSC has to offer. Students can ask their high school counselor about when FTCC will visit their schools.

During Parent Nights, students can begin creating their HSC enrollment packets. Afterward, students should follow up with their high school counselor to confirm the submission of their completed packets.

FTCC is excited to continue the HSC partnership with local high schools in Cumberland County. For more information, visit www.faytechcc.edu/academics/ high-school-connections. Contact the HSC staff at FTCC at 910-678-8542 for more information.

  North Carolina’s most important emergency is not the next federal government shutdown. Nor is it a fake national emergency on the nation’s southern border.

Our state’s real emergency is a real threat to its dominant position in the world of barbecue.

Forget for a moment about our family spat about whether it is Eastern- or Lexingtonstyle barbecue that is better. We can fight cheerfully among ourselves about that question forever. But, according to barbecue expert John Shelton Reed, there is not much difference between the two, especially if it is real barbecue. Real barbecue, he says, must be cooked and smoked over real wood coals. Otherwise, Reed says, it is not real. It is rather, using the French word for false or fake, “faux ‘cue.”

The immediate challenge to our favorite food comes from CBS’ “The Late Show” host Stephen Colbert. He is a South Carolina native who usually makes his living coming up with new ways to make fun of President Donald Trump.

Last month, however, he resurrected his barbecue war against us.

Making a joke about the good news that a missing 3-year-old Craven County boy had been found, he said the bad news was that the boy was now condemned to a lifetime of eating North Carolina barbecue. He has called our barbecue “a sauceless, vinegar- based meat product” and compared the vinegar to toilet cleaner.

Back in 2004, Colbert grossly chewed a plug of tobacco. When he spit it out, he said he was adding it to “my chaw juice or, as they call it in North Carolina, barbecue sauce.”

He held up a plate, which he said was “as close as we can get to North Carolina barbecue, it’s just shredded cardboard soaked in vinegar.”

Responding for North Carolina, Gov. Roy Cooper tweeted, “Those are fighting words. Vinegar and tomato have their place — y’all have a mustard problem.”

An unsigned comment from BH Media in the Winston Salem Journal cleverly summed up Colbert’s situation with North Carolinians: “You’ve pulled North Carolinians in, Colbert. You may have stepped in some pit.”

But Colbert says he is ready for our attacks. “I welcome your vinegar-stained letters, you poor flavor deprived bastards.”

If you want to send him a vinegar-stained electronic message, write him at www.fastnote.com/stephen-colbert.

Or, you could write him a thank you note. Tell him we appreciate the attention. Even his crazy nonsense helps spread the word. And we welcome the competition. If folks from South Carolina and other states driving home on I-95, I-85 or I-40 stop at some of our classic barbecue eateries and sample the product, I think they will forget about the Colbert craziness.

But there is a problem.

We are losing some of our best barbecue places.

Last month, the massive Bill’s Barbecue near I-95 in Wilson closed after more than 55 years in business. Its founder, Bill Ellis, retired in 2015 and died in 2017. Even when Bill’s 850 seats were full, visiting its bountiful buffet was like a warm family meal. But keeping it going proved to be too much for his widow.

A few weeks earlier, Allen & Son near I-40 and I-85 north of Chapel Hill shut its doors. For many years, owner Keith Allen worked early and late to chop the hickory wood and manage the slow-cooked fire that brings pork shoulders to perfect eating condition. Southern Living praised Allen & Son and made it one of its “Top Picks” in Southern barbecue joints.

Colbert’s sassy comments might annoy us, but the loss of these classic barbecue institutions and the threatened loss of other treasured restaurants is our real crisis.

Visit the David McCune International Art Gallery at Methodist University to take in the works of artist Andy Warhol at “gallery goes POP: Warhol,” on display until April 12. The exhibit, which opened Feb. 7, features 34 of Warhol’s silkscreen paintings from his various art series. The McCune gallery provides an intimate setting for viewing a sampling of works by the famed artist and pop icon.

“This really is a great exhibition that lends itself to not only adults, but obviously children as well,” said Silvana Foti, director of the gallery. “We’re trying to get school children involved.”

Warhol, an American artist, is nearly synonymous with the term “pop art,” an art movement that gained ground in the United States in the late 1950s. Warhol used his background in commercials and advertising to transform everyday items into iconic art recognized by millions.

Although Warhol died in 1987, he remains one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. In just one example of his lasting impact on pop culture, the 2019 Burger King Super Bowl ad featured Warhol eating a Whopper while touting the “have it your way” slogan by telling people to #EatLikeAndy.

Most people are familiar with Warhol’s famous works: Campbell’s Soup Cans, Coca-Cola bottles and Marilyn Monroe. But this exhibit goes far beyond that. Yes, there are some of the expected iconic paintings of subjects like Grace Kelly and Ingrid Bergman. But there are also many surprises.

Prints of other American pop culture figures grace the gallery, including a classic Santa Claus, the Wicked Witch and Superman, which are part of Warhol’s “Myths” series.

Twelve pieces from his “Cowboys and Indians” portfolio are also on display. They pay homage to Western lore and include John Wayne, Annie Oakley and Geronimo as they’ve never been seen before. There are also works from Warhol’s “Flash” series and more.

A lively twist at the exhibit is its sound accompaniment. Methodist University musician and music department employee Yaroslav Borisov created a soundtrack collage that features commercials and sound bites from characters and movies to match the art on display. This soundtrack helps to the viewer connect with the art on another level.

Nicole Dezelon, assistant director of learning at the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, travelled to Fayetteville to conduct educational workshops with visitors earlier this month. She said, “I hope visitors to the exhibition will take away that same sense of wonder and intrigue about the ‘everyday’ that Warhol had. He erased the boundaries between high and low art and made art accessible to the masses."

Dezelon continued, “Warhol said, ‘Once you ‘got’ pop, you could never see a sign the same way again. And once you thought pop, you could never see America the same way again.’

“Once visitors see this exhibition, they will never see Warhol in the same light again. …It tells you a whole different side of who you may think Andy Warhol is. Somebody who misses this exhibition will really miss something spectacular.”

The 34 silkscreen images in this show are on loan from The Cochran Collection, a private collection based in Georgia, and the Ackland Museum at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

David McCune International Art Gallery is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and Saturdays from noon until 4 p.m. It will be closed March 4-11. A donation of $10 per person is suggested to help cover the cost of the exhibit.

To learn more, visit davidmccunegallery.org.

  Kiwanis is an international organization more than 550,000 members strong with a presence in 80 countries. The goal of Kiwanis is to improve the lives of children one community at a time. Locally, there are four Kiwanis clubs working to make life in this community better for kids. Friday, Feb. 22, and Saturday, Feb. 23, the Kiwanis Club of Cape Fear is set to host its 44th Annual Pancake Sale at the Greek Orthodox Church and Hellenic Center in downtown Fayetteville.

“The Kiwanis Club of Cape Fear has two major fundraisers every year, this being one of them,” said Bill Drewry, the club’s president. “Between the two events, we raise between $60,000-$70,000 each year that we give out to organizations that help kids in the community. Our other big fundraiser it our golf tournament.”

For just $6 per person, the public gets all you can eat pancakes and sausage. Coffee is included; orange juice and milk are available for a fee. Bring friends and family and eat in, enjoying time together without the hassle of making a meal and doing the dishes. Or, take the food to-go.

“We have a good time cooking,” Drewry said. “It is a lot of fun and does a lot in the community. We start at about 4:30 in the morning and go until 2-3 p.m.”

Mike Karaman has been part of the Kiwanis Club of Cape Fear for three years. He joked that it was his friends who convinced him to join, but he loves it so much he’s stayed and is serving as the president elect this year.

“I always knew I wanted to give back to the community,” Karaman said. “And joining a civic organization was a good way to do that. Then it becomes a fun thing when you are doing it with friends.

“This event is fun because you get to do something for other people and you get to see other people in the community you may not see all that often. We also do a lot of things as a group, so we build friendships within the organization, too.

“So this doesn’t feel like a chore. It is a fun event for us.” 

Money raised by the Cape Fear Kiwanis helps fund the Bringing Up Grades program, Better Health of Cumberland County, Boys and Girls Club of Cumberland County, Boys and Girls Home of North Carolina, Cape Fear Valley NICU, The CARE Clinic, Catholic Charities, the Child Advocacy Center, Dolly Parton Imagination Library, E.E. Smith High School mentoring program, Five Sparrows, Habitat for Humanity, Homeworks, five key clubs, Lewis Chapel Builder’s Club, the New Parent Support Diaper Program on Fort Bragg, Operation InAsMuch, the Police Activity League, Safe Kids, the Salvation Army, four scholarships, Scholastic Books, Second Harvest Food Bank, Fayetteville Urban Ministry, the USO, the Vision Resource Center and the Westminster Eyeglass program.

“The goal is to help children in the community, and we have a good time in the process,” Karaman said.

The pancake sale runs from 7 a.m.-1 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 22, and Saturday, Feb. 23. The Greek Orthodox Church and Hellenic Center is located at 614 Oakridge Ave. Call Bill Drewry at 910-627-1079 for tickets and for more information.

  Downtown parking expert Jon Martens of Walker Consultants told City Council his firm counted just more than 2,500 public parking spaces within a five-minute walk of the minor league baseball stadium under construction on Hay Street. Now, he said, the city must decide how to manage the parking, especially the 400 spots in the city’s center.

“Finding public parking is difficult for visitors,” Martens told City Council. Making the public aware of available parking is a major challenge to be undertaken by city government. Many people he spoke with didn’t know there’s a parking garage on Franklin Street — within walking distance of the stadium.

Martens recommended paid parking, noting that Fayetteville is the only major city in North Carolina that doesn’t require paying for parking downtown. He suggested $1 an hour would be a practical charge.

Old-fashioned parking meters are not in the scheme of things. Martens envisions the placement of more than 50 kiosks, conveniently located every other block along Hay, Franklin and Russell Streets, plus Bow Street and Maiden Lane. They would accommodate cash and credit card transactions. The latest technology includes phone apps.

Half a dozen companies provide parking kiosks. Parking Panda sets itself apart by partnering with professional sports leagues and stadiums to help people find available parking spots.

To better serve families who don’t know their way around downtown, Martens said wayfinding is the key. Pole signs with recognizable logos would be used to locate off-street parking lots. Martens also said the city should hire a parking manager to keep tabs on issues that might arise. Currently, the city retains a firm to oversee its parking lots.

Accommodating disabled people continues to be a concern for City Council. Councilman Bill Crisp noted Walker Consultants has not made specific recommendations for handicapped parking.

“I do have concerns for the elderly and handicapped,” Councilmember Dan Culliton said. Downtown Fayetteville is part of District 2, which Culliton represents.

The city did not approve an idea offered by Cool Spring Downtown District and the city’s transit system for trollies to shuttle visitors around downtown. A five-month pilot project in which two trolleys would circulate in the downtown area would have cost the city $53,000. Council members were opposed to spending tax money for a project they said should be offered by private business. CSDD said it would put $35,000 toward the program.

The proposal was to operate trollies on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays during the baseball season. Councilman Jim Arp, who was not present but participated by telephone, said he was concerned that people would hop on a trolley to go to games but would not patronize local businesses before and after the games.

It was not clear what the city’s next step will be. The first ballgame in the new stadium is scheduled in April. The cost of the 4,700-seat facility has reached $40 million. Initial estimates placed the cost at $33 million. Mayor Mitch Colvin said at the beginning of the stadium project that the property tax rate would not be increased, and he repeated the pledge to Up & Coming Weekly last month

  The city of Fayetteville has experienced significant growth over the last 15 years. In 2004, Fayetteville’s western city limit was extended to the Hoke County line. This so-called “Big Bang” annexation included 28 square miles and 43,000 people. The city’s population exploded overnight to more than 200,000. The North Carolina Department of Commerce estimated Fayetteville’s 2015 population at just more than 208,000.

In 2000, the U.S. Army Airborne & Special Operations Museum was opened on what used to be the 500 block of Hay Street. It served as a catalyst for the revitalization of downtown Fayetteville. Business and local government began investing in the inner city as never before. In 2007, a new City Hall and adjoining police headquarters opened in the 400 block of Hay Street.

Fayetteville City Council believes the time has come to consider replacing City Hall and the police administration building. City Hall is directly across the street from the former Prince Charles Hotel, which is being renovated into 60 apartments.

The police station is across from the baseball stadium, which is now under construction. That makes both properties valuable areas for retail development, which is one of the reasons officials say it is time to make a move.

It’s been less than 12 years since City Hall was built, but it’s already overcrowded. Three years ago, the city spent more than $1 million renovating the third floor for executive offices. Public parking is at a premium. During their annual planning retreat, council members decided the city should develop a centralized government campus.

That’s an idea Cumberland County Commissioners conceived 30 years ago when they purchased the former Coca-Cola bottling plant property on Ramsey Street. Since then, county social services and public health office buildings have been consolidated on the site. “We’ve got staff all over the city in various locations,” Councilman Bill Crisp said during the retreat.

City departments occupy the Festival Park Plaza building as well as buildings on Lamon and Alexander Streets.

Officials believe a five- or six-story structure is needed to house municipal offices that should be consolidated in City Hall.

But just where should the city relocate its offices? It may be that this project justifies a consultant’s study.

There isn’t a lot of available property in the downtown area. East Person Street has potential as does the southern end of Murchison Road. Revitalization of Murchison Road between Fayetteville State University and the new Grove Street bridges has been given priority emphasis by the city.

There are a lot of unanswered questions for continuation of economic development of the city center. And, as City Councilman Jim Arp noted, that’s the point of all that is underway now between the railroad tracks on Hay Street. Already, planned projects budgeted at more than $100 million are underway. The potential availability of unoccupied property where city government buildings now stand would pave the way for future business expansion.

 The Army said active-duty soldier suicides were up in 2017, according to service statistics. Since 2012, active-duty numbers have fluctuated. The Army reported 165 active-duty suicides in 2012. They dropped to 121 the following year but rose to 126 in 2014. The following two years suicides dipped, but active-duty self-inflicted deaths swelled to 138 in 2017, Defense Department statistics show. It’s the last year for which information is available.

“Like the rest of America, the Army continues to grapple with the loss of too many of our people to suicide,” spokeswoman Col. Kathleen Turner told Army Times in a statement. “The loss of any soldier or Army family member to suicide is a tragedy.”

Suicide information is closely held information at the Department of the Army. The Criminal Investigation Division, where officials said investigations continue, takes media inquiries about suicides.

“We must continue to ensure commanders have the policies and resources they need to prevent suicides, that all leaders have the tools to identify soldiers who are suffering … and that all soldiers view seeking mental health care as a sign of strength,” Turner said.

Communications firm wins stadium naming rights

The Fayetteville Woodpeckers have announced the firm that has won the naming rights for Fayetteville’s minor league baseball stadium. It will be known as Segra Stadium.

The city of Fayetteville and the Woodpeckers “have entered into a long-term agreement with Segra, one of the largest independent fiber bandwidth companies in the United States,” said Woodpeckers President Mark Zarthar. “Segra will serve as the stadium’s Official Communications Services Partner.”

He added that last spring, EQT Partners completed the purchase of a majority stake in Spirit Communications and announced it would combine with the assets of Lumos Networks, which was acquired in 2017.

Lumos Networks and Spirit just last month rebranded their company as Segra. Zarthar did not disclose what Segra paid to earn the naming rights.

Pre-school education opportunities available

Parents interested in enrolling their young children in NC Pre-Kindergarten must have their applications in by March 29. The NC Pre-K program provides free, quality prekindergarten education for families who qualify.

NC Pre-K classrooms are available in several locations, including Cumberland County Schools, private child care sites and Head Start sites. Children must be 4 years old by Aug. 31, 2019, to qualify for the program.

NC Pre-K gives priority to families who meet income eligibility. Additional consideration is given to families whose children have been diagnosed with developmental disabilities. Also given additional consideration are military dependents of active-duty service members or military service members who have been seriously injured or killed while on active duty and have limited English proficiency or chronic health conditions.

The Cumberland County Partnership for Children can provide additional information about NC Pre-K applications. Find out more at CCPFC.org

Professional baseball game start times released

The Fayetteville Woodpeckers, Class A Advanced minor league baseball affiliate of the Houston Astros, has released game start times for the inaugural 2019 baseball season. Local game times for April 18-June 4 are as follows: Monday-Friday, 7 p.m.; Saturdays, 5 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m. For June 10-Sept. 4, game times are Monday-Friday, 7 p.m.; Saturdays, 6 p.m.; Sundays, 6 p.m.

“The start times provide enough time to get home from work and make it downtown for the game, said David Lane, Woodpeckers general manager. “We have earlier start times on weekends so that families can enjoy an afternoon at the stadium.”

The Woodpeckers have sold more than 1,700 advance full- and half-season tickets. Additional flexible ticket packages are now available for purchase.

The Houston Astros own the Fayetteville Woodpeckers, having agreed to a 30-year lease of the stadium now under construction in downtown Fayetteville.

Hope Mills street widening

Two congested streets in the heart of Hope Mills are scheduled for widening. The Fayetteville Area Metropolitan Planning Organization requested that the North Carolina Department of Transportation widen sections of Rockfish and Golfview roads. The town of Hope Mills supports the need to improve these streets, which serve the police and fire departments, town hall, municipal park, a public library and a recreation center.

The proposal is to widen both streets to four lanes with raised medians. The section of Rockfish Road to be improved is between Golfview Road and North Main Street, which is also N.C. 59. The section of Golfview Road is between Rockfish Road and North Main Street.

Maps of the proposed plans were displayed at an open house Feb. 12. DOT project team members were on hand to answer questions and receive feedback. The public can submit comments through March 15. The DOT will consider the comments when finalizing the design. Contact NCDOT project engineer Sean Matuszewski at 919-364-0603 or P.O. Box 1150, Fayetteville, NC, 28302.

Local bank employee promotion

CresCom Bank, the second largest community bank in the Carolinas, has announced the promotion of Kayla Strickland as mortgage loan originator at the Green Street branch in Fayetteville. A native of Lumberton, Strickland has more than 12 years of banking experience. She will be responsible for originating and coordinating the closing of residential and construction mortgage loans.

“Her knowledge of the community and experience in the banking industry will be an asset to our team,” said David L. Morrow, CEO of CresCom Bank.

Before taking on her new role at CresCom, Strickland was a customer service representative.

   Remember the good old days when you could have a Coke and a smile? Our buddies down at the Chemours plant have a bit of a public relations problem — how to make their leftover Gen X more people-friendly and convince folks that it is dandy to have it in their drinking water. Chemours is the company by the Cape Fear River that produces Gen X, which is the replacement, more or less, for Teflon. Turns out, chemical cooties are hard to get rid of.

As part of the process for producing Gen X, Chemours has gotten Gen X in the water and the air. However, Gen X may not be good for humans — or other living things.

Folks around Grays Creek for months to avoid their wells, which have been infiltrated with Gen X. People in Wilmington enjoy Gen X in their water supply drawn from the Cape Fear River. Kindly don’t drink the iced tea while at Wrightsville Beach.

Naturally, some folks have gotten riled up about being possibly slowly poisoned by Gen X. But look on the bright side, isn’t it better to be slowly poisoned than quickly poisoned? The glass is not half full of Gen X, it’s half empty of Gen X. Doesn’t that make you feel better?

The latest interesting factoid about Chemours hit the news in January. It turns out that Chemours has been sending Gen X waste to the Netherlands for disposal. The Netherlands then sent the Gen X cooties to Italy to a company called Miteni SpA. But things went poorly for Miteni SpA. The Gen X cooties ended up in the groundwater near Miteni SpA’s plant. The local Italian citizens were not happy.

Miteni SpA declared bankruptcy and stopped taking Gen X. Oops. The Netherlands then started shipping Gen X back to the Fayetteville Works Plant in Bladen County for disposal. Yep. Bladen County is now a dump for Gen X leftovers from Holland. Kind of makes you feel a bit of solidarity with the Third World as we are currently serving as a dump for chemical cooties in the same manner as Bangladesh, India.

Gen X residue is treated as a hazardous waste in Europe but not in the good old U.S.A. It’s cheaper for Chemours to send Gen X on a cruise on the Love Boat to Holland and then bring it back again to be disposed of in Bladen County.

Chemours’ recent report to the Environmental Protection Agency said that in 2019 it will import from Holland to Bladen County no more than 90 metric tons of what Gen X calls “sludgy liquid,” from which it will remove “Gen X salts.”

Remember the Environmental Protection Agency? It used to protect citizens and not corporation profits. But I digress. If 90 tons of rejected toxic waste sounds bad to you, cheer up. It could have been 100 tons of goo. All of this tends to present Chemours in a bad light. What to do?

Fortunately, Madison Avenue has an answer for every public relations disaster. The usually unreliable sources have revealed that Chemours is considering hiring advertising “Mad Men” superstar Don Draper of Sterling, Cooper, Draper & Pryce to come up with a way to make Gen X in your water and air a desirable result. The proposed advertising campaign will make you thirsty for Gen X. You can be proud to be a guinea pig in an EPA and corporate experiment to determine the long-term effects of drinking and bathing in cootie water.

The campaign is trying several slogans. Vote for your favorite: Taste that beats the others cold — Gen X pours it on. Gen X — It’ll pickle your innards. Have a Gen X and a Smile. Gen X: I’m Lovin’ it. Gen X: Finger lickin’ good. Gen X: Taste the rainbow. Gen X: Your intestines will go Snap, Crackle, Pop.

Gen X: It will give you angel wings. Gen X: The most misunderstood soft drink. Gen X: Because we’re worth it. Gen X is forever. Gen X: Just drink it. Gen X: It keeps going and going and going.

Take the Gen X challenge. Gen X tastes good — like recycled sludge should. Gen X: Come to where the flavor is. Gen X: Drink responsibly. North Carolina runs on Gen X. Gen X: Come thirsty, leave happy. Gen X: Delightfully tacky, yet refined. Gen X: Have it our way. It takes two stomachs to handle a Gen X. Gen X: Drink like you mean it. Gen X: We do sludgy liquid right. With Gen X, no one can hear you scream. Leave the gun, take the Gen X. A man who doesn’t spend time with Gen X can never be a real man.

After Don Draper gets through with his campaign, you will believe that Gen X is good for you. Just when you thought it was safe to drink the water, you’ll want a cool, tall glass of Gen X. And the winning slogan is: “I’d like to teach the world to drink/ In perfect harmony/ I’d like to buy the world a Gen X/ And keep it company/ That’s the real thing.”

Drink up. Trust, but don’t verify.

 North Carolina has taken some hard knocks on the national front in recent years. Most infamous may be the so-called “bathroom bill,” which made our state the laughing stock of the nation with comedians, both television and online, and cost millions in business development and tourism dollars. Now, North Carolinians and the rest of the nation are awaiting the disposition of the last remaining congressional race in the nation, which should have been decided over three months ago along with the other 434 House seats.

The outcome of North Carolina’s 9th Congressional District race remains uncertified because of possible election fraud. At the end of election day, the Republican candidate led by just over 900 votes with more than 282,000 votes cast. Both the state elections board and state courts have declined to declare a winner, as criminal inquiries into election fraud continue.

Our 9th Congressional District is a long, snaky gerrymander that runs from Charlotte to Fayetteville and on to parts east. Voting irregularities involving absentee ballots and a Republican political operative alleged to have handled them illegally are under investigation in Bladen and Robeson counties, with no resolution in sight. It is difficult to imagine that we will ever know what happened. He said, she said — you get the picture.

The only way to get this straight is a new election. It will involve eight counties, and it will be expensive.

There is no other satisfactory option. If the Republican were to be seated, critics would say he won the election through fraudulent voting. If the Democrat were seated, critics would say he stole the election from the winner. Either way, the people of the 9th district — more than three quarters of a million of them — would not be sure that the person representing them is the person who rightfully won the voters’ confidence.

Meanwhile, as investigators investigate and election board members debate and ponder, the people of North Carolina’s 9th District remain voiceless in the “people’s House.”

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The only thing certain in life is change, of course, but many Americans, including this one, worry about the diminution — some would say the demise — of hard news at the local and state levels. We all see how local daily newspapers have become shadows of their former selves.

The main reason for this is the migration of advertising dollars from print to digital, many of those involving national outlets. Not only does this shift translate into more national news and fewer stories about what local city councils, county commissions, school boards and legislatures are up to, it means that local dollars are heading out of town to places as far away as Silicon Valley.

What we don’t know can — and does — come back to bite us.

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My favorite news story this week involved Amazon CEO, Jeff Bezos. He’s said to be the richest person on the planet with a net worth at least a googol of more than $136 billion. That is surely more money than he could spend even if he tried.

Not so much to his credit, Bezos admits to having an affair while married, an affair that involved body part selfies. Some of these photos made their way to the tabloid The National Enquirer, which allegedly threatened to print them if Bezos, who owns The Washington Post, did not call off Post reporters working on a story about the tabloid and its unusual media practices.

To his credit, Bezos not only did not flinch at the threatened embarrassing exposure, he accused The Enquirer of extortion. Since then, Ronan Farrow of The New Yorker magazine has also accused The Enquirer of blackmail.

It takes self-confident and strong people to stand up to bullies, whether in person or in print. As Theodore Roosevelt might say if he were still here, “Bully for Bezos and Farrow.”

  It doesn’t make any difference whether you are white, black, Hispanic, Asian, gay, straight, Democrat, Republican, Libertarian or a young budding snowflake, you should be aware and concerned that our government at all levels is spiraling out of control.

From wasting tens of millions of dollars on futile investigations and Russian collusion theories to the threat of another government shutdown to ignoring our nation’s commitment to the safety and security of its citizens by refusing to secure our southern borders, we are in a tailspin.

And now, we face the Green New Deal with its socialist agenda and concerns over the first world’s carbon footprint and its toxic effect on the survival of our planet. It’s crazy!

We have a government that’s full of radical assumptions, accusations and condemnations yet void of solutions or concrete plans to accomplish anything. No answers, no remedies and no leadership.

When did pettiness, jealousy and greed take priority over fairness, decency and the overall welfare of humanity? When did government start defending lawlessness, condemning and penalizing success, rewarding criminals and passing state laws that allow a child to be born only to have its life terminated on its birthday? This is sad, scary and true.

It’s the age-old good versus evil dilemma, and it looks like evil is the predominant influence. We see this trend of nonproductive, negative behavior at all levels of government.

It’s sad but not hopeless. Americans are sensible and passionate human beings. We are and will continue to be the leaders of the free world. I’m confident that at some point someone will step up in a leadership position that will get our priorities back in line so the generations that follow can enjoy the American dream — not the nightmare that is forming today.

Let’s all hope that logic and civility will prevail and become our highest priorities so that in the end, we may again enjoy a less contentious way of American life.

Thank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly.

 It can be hard to imagine what goes through a person’s head as they put together an amazing season of entertainment, much less 27 of them in a row. That’s how long Community Concerts Attractions Director Michael Fleishman has been putting together top-notch entertainment for Fayetteville. He and the volunteers at Community Concerts do it every year, and each concert season, the only goal is to be better than the previous year. They consistently pull it off, bringing top performers to Fayetteville at great prices. Friday, Feb. 22, Three Dog Night takes the stage for a night of rock and roll that will have the audience singing along and dancing in the aisles.

“Three Dog Night is an incredible show,” Fleishman said. “We had them here years ago. It was incredible then, too. It is still one of the most successful groups of all time. … With this show, it is hit after hit. You will know every single song.”

The group’s set list is extensive, with many of their songs appearing in commercials and major motion pictures. A few crowd pleasers include “Mama Told Me Not To Come,” “Black and White,” “Shambala” and “One.”

The band includes founder and lead vocalist Danny Hutton along with Michael Alsup, Paul Kingery, Pat Bautz and David Morgan. Their achievements include 21 consecutive top 40 hits, including three No.1 singles and 12 gold albums. Three Dog Night has hits in pop, rock and country genres across the world.

After a strong start with Michael McDonald’s “Season of Peace” concert in November, Three Dog Night is the second in Community Concerts’ rockfilled five-concert season. “Last year was more song and dance with a touch of magic,” said Fleishman. “It had a more Broadway-esque feel. This year we wanted more concerts. More rock and roll.”

“Choir of Man,” the next show in the Community Concerts series, is set for Feb. 27. Part of the inaugural North American tour, this show has been a hit at music festivals around the world. “Choir of man is a show that is highly regarded,” Fleishman said. “Don’t let the name fool you. It is a stand-up-and-sing show. It has a working set with a piano and a working bar. The audience can go up prior to the show; it is very participatory. ‘Choir’ is a misleading name. This show is on fire.”

Friday, March 15, The O’Jays — Rock & Roll Hall of Famers — bring more than 50 years of electrifying energy to the Crown.

Band members Walter Williams and Eddie Levert first met when they were the ages of 6 and 7, respectively. As teenagers in Canton, Ohio, they formed a band originally consisting of Levert, Williams, William Powell, Bobby Massey and Bill Isles. In 1963, the band took the name The O’Jays in tribute to Cleveland, Ohio, radio disc jockey Eddie O’Jay. While several members have changed, Levert and Williams continue to lead the group.

“Backstabbers” is one of the band’s early hits. From there, this group topped music charts with various pop and R&B singles, including “Love Train,” “Put Your Hands Together,” “For the Love of Money,” “I Love Music,” “Darlin’ Darlin’ Baby (Sweet, Tender, Love),” “Livin’ for the Weekend” and “Use Ta Be My Girl.”

The O’Jays were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2005. They were also inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2005 and honored with BET’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009. In 2013, of Fame. Today, the songs of The O’Jays are still used in many movies, commercials and TV shows.

“The O’Jays are an iconic group of performers,” said Fleishman. “Tickets for their show are available now. But don’t wait too long. The phone has been ringing off the hook.”

While the concert series is underway, Fleishman noted that there are still options available for season tickets to cover the remainder of this year’s concerts — at an attractive price, too.

The season concludes Thursday, April 4, with America. The group has six gold/platinum albums. Founding members, Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell, along with former bandmate Dan Peek, met in high school in London, England, in the 1960s and quickly harmonized their way to the top of the charts with their signature song, “A Horse with No Name.”

Almost 50 years later, they are still making music together and thrilling audiences around the world with their timeless sound.

Their best-known tunes, which also include “I Need You,” “Ventura Highway,” “Don’t Cross the River,” “Tin Man,” “Lonely People” and “Sister Golden Hair” dominated the ’70s and have become rock standards.

Community Concerts has been a part of the Fayetteville arts landscape for more than eight decades. It set the standard for what great performing arts organizations can and should do to help a community thrive artistically. Beyond a dedicated team of volunteers and a commitment to bring the best music available to this community, the organization’s passion has spilled over into other beneficial music related programs.

In 2008, Community Concerts decided to create a way to celebrate and honor those who have brought musical distinction to the community. As a result, each year, at one of the season’s concerts, new inductees join the distinguished members of the prestigious cohort in the Fayetteville Music Hall of Fame.

In addition to recognizing locals for their musicrelated achievements, Community Concerts helps aspiring musicians chase their dreams by awarding scholarships to local high school graduates. The program started in 2004. To date, nearly 30 students have received scholarships.

There are other ways Community Concerts supports local artists. One example is its local artist showcase program, which puts local performers onstage during regular season shows. Local performers to participate in the local artist showcase include Voices of the Heart, which opened for Gladys Knight; students from Linda Kinlaw’s School of Dance, who performed with Martina McBride; and Trae Edwards, who performed at the Ricky Skaggs Show.

Community Concerts also provides free concert opportunities to select groups. Some of the groups who have already benefitted from this program include the Vision Resource Center, Fayetteville Urban Ministry, The Sunshine Center, members of local fire and police departments, high school theater art classes and members of the military.

For tickets and information, visit community-concerts.com/about-us.

Unyce Simpson

Seventy-First • Bowling • Sophomore

Simpson has a 3.8 grade point average. In addition to being on the bowling team, she is involved with highway clean up with her church group. She also visits nursing homes.

  Angel Aviles

Seventy-First • Bowling • Senior

Aviles has a 3.9 grade point average. He is active in Skills USA and is also a member of the Academy of Scholars. He also works at a local restaurant.

  The night of Tuesday, Jan. 29, was a busy one for high school athletics in the Fayetteville area.

There was the usual slate of high school basketball we see this time of year.

There were also multiple local wrestling teams competing in the first two rounds of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association dual team state tournament.

There was something else going on Tuesday night, too.

Atlantic Coast Conference basketball. A lot of it.

North Carolina visited Georgia Tech. North Carolina State was home for a big game with Virginia. Clemson also hosted Pittsburgh.

I know I’m a voice crying in the wilderness, but it’s a sad thing to see the college game invading what used to be a sanctuary for high school basketball on Tuesday nights. Tuesdays are always a tough night for high schools to draw a decent crowd anyway. School obligations sometimes force students and their families to stay home.

It was not that long ago that the great Dean Smith, longtime coach at the University of North Carolina, did everything in his power to make sure his Tar Heels avoided Tuesday and Friday basketball games.

When there was a Tuesday game on the schedule, the ACC would send out a heads up to schools so they could possibly try to alter their schedules and move the game to a different date.

No more.

Of course, this is no real surprise. College football has made regular encroachments into the once hallowed ground of Friday night high school football. College football plays nationally-televised games regularly against the sport most high schools rely on to make the biggest payouts at the gate and thus bankroll the whole athletic program.

If the college football powers that be are going to ignore the plight of cash-strapped high school programs without showing any sympathy, the least they could do is make cash contributions to state high school organizations. The funds could possibly be shared with the schools to help keep their athletic programs afloat.

Of course, despite the millions of dollars floating around in college bank accounts, they claim they can’t afford to compensate their own athletes for their time, so I guess paying high schools is out of the question.

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• It’s time to start signing up for the sixth annual Bulldog Bash, the Al Munoz Memorial 5K run held in memory of the late Terry Sanford High School cross country coach.

This year’s event is scheduled Saturday, March 16, at 8 a.m. The annual run/walk will begin and end at the Terry Sanford High School campus.

To register, go online to Active.com and search for the Al Munoz Memorial 5K.

• The Gray’s Creek High School baseball team is holding its annual golf tournament on Saturday, March 16, at Cypress Lakes Golf Course.

There will be a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. The format is four-person captain’s choice.

Tournament entry costs $65 per player. Lunch is included in the entry fee and will be provided by Paradise Acres.

For more information on the tournament, call Ronnie Shipman at 910-736-6996.

All proceeds from the event will go toward field and equipment upgrades for the Gray’s Creek High School baseball team.

Photo: Dean Smith

  Editor’s note: This story was written prior to the completion of the third and fourth rounds of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association dual team wrestling playoffs. On Thursday, Jan. 31, Cape Fear defeated Gray’s Creek and West Carteret to advance to the 3-A state championship against St. Stephens High School Saturday, Feb. 2, at the Greensboro Coliseum Fieldhouse. Jack Britt was eliminated by Wilmington Laney in the third round of the 4-A playoffs on Thursday.

The worrying season has arrived for Heath Wilson and high school wrestling coaches like him.

Wilson heads the highly successful wrestling program at Cape Fear High School. This is the time of year when he’s concerned most of all about accurately timing the peak performance of his wrestlers as they begin the quest for team and individual honors in the different levels of state competition.

As outlined in the Editor’s Note above, Cape Fear recently advanced victorious in its battle in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s dual team championships.

Cape Fear was among the top contenders for the 3-A title, and Wilson freely admits that’s been a focus of his for some time, to bring another state wrestling title to Cape Fear.

The school’s only team wrestling championship was won back in 1984, before the dual team playoffs were created. Wrestling was an unclassified sport at that time. Mike Stanbridge led Cape Fear to a championship in the state tournament in Winston- Salem, even though the Colts didn’t crown a single individual champion in that tournament.

These days, there are technically dual team and individual state tournament state champions, although the NCHSAA recognizes the dual team winner as the team champion. But the leading team in points in the state individual tournament can also claim bragging rights — plus it’s the only shot for individual wrestlers to achieve personal glory.

That’s why Wilson is so concerned about when his wrestlers will peak.

“That’s always a worry,’’ Wilson said. “I want them peaking at the right time. Are they going to peak at the duals but not at the states and the regionals? It’s pretty much a guessing game. You want to minimize the wear and tear on the kids.’’

Individual regional competition in this year’s NCHSAA tournament will be held the weekend of Feb. 8-9 at various sites, with the state championships in all four classifications in Greensboro on Feb. 14-16.

Wilson thinks he has five wrestlers with legitimate shots at a state individual title, headed by his son, Dallas Wilson. At 138 pounds, Dallas is seeking to earn back-to-back state championships. The other four are Nick Minacapelli at 220 pounds, Jared Barbour at 170, Triston Chapman at 126 and Jeremiah Smith at 145.

Two other wrestlers Wilson thinks could fare well are Austin Hunt at 195 pounds and Kevin Pate at 182.

“It’s just a matter of doing the work, putting the work in, and these guys are putting the work in,’’ Wilson said.

Following is a list of Cumberland County wrestlers who are ranked in the top ten in their respective weight classes by rankwrestlers.com.

The rankings and records shown below were those posted on rankwrestlers.com as of Wednesday, Jan. 30.

4-A

120 — Kevin Wanovich, Jack Britt, seventh, 21-5.

138 — Dustin Eldridge, South View, fourth, 27-6.

145 — Tremaine Jackson, South View, sixth, 35-10.

160 — Denzel Carrucini, Jack Britt, seventh, 27-9.

170 — Chad Jernigan, Jack Britt, ninth, 26-7.

195 — Erick Martinez, Jack Britt, fifth, 29-3.

3-A

126 — Triston Chapman, Cape Fear, third, 35-5.

132 — Lydell Canady, Westover, eighth, 32-2.

138 — Dallas Wilson, Cape Fear, second, 38-0

170 — Jared Barbour, Cape Fear, third, 38-2.

220 — Ray Dixon, Douglas Byrd, second, 35-1; Nick Minacapelli, Cape Fear, fifth, 25-4.

TEAM

Cape Fear is currently ranked third in the rankwrestlers. com 3-A rankings behind No. 1 Southeast Guilford, No. 2 Piedmont and No. 3 St. Stephens.

Photo: Dallas Wilson, left and father/coach Heath Wilson of Cape Fear wrestling

 With a nod to local natives, I want to say I’m honored to call Fayetteville home. I visited a time or two while serving in the Army in the 1980s, but my wife and three children didn’t make the trip, and we didn’t start calling ourselves North Carolinians, until 1992. At the time, we were not completely thrilled with the city — which we thought was more like a town after some of the other stops on our journey — but we’d learned to be content and look for the best wherever we landed by that point, so we did. We looked for the best.

Navigation was difficult here in the ’90s. The town seemed more like a group of small subdivisions loosely connected by a few winding two-lane roads. In fact, that’s what it was.

Looking back, I guess I miss that a little bit. We’d say things like “going to town” because it felt like we were living somewhere near the edge, and the ride itself was part of the appeal of the area back then. We were usually headed somewhere near Cross Creek Mall, which was, at that time, the center of Fayetteville’s retail universe.

Anyone here before the turn of the century can easily recall memories of a sketchy downtown area. By the time we arrived to stay, even the dives that were popular enough to be off limits to neighboring Fort Bragg soldiers were beginning to close or move elsewhere, leaving little but dilapidation and decay in their wake.

That has all been improving steadily, more rapidly so in the last 10 years. We’ve come a long way since the controversial “Hurley Pots,” which appeared in downtown Fayetteville shortly before I did. We’ve watched as the old buildings became coffee shops and quaint restaurants. We’ve seen a wide range of small retail businesses open in or relocate to the area between Haymount Hill and the Cape Fear River.

It’s hard to remember the time before the 14-acre Festival Park was the hub of Fayetteville’s downtown entertainment scene, which is now home to festivals, concerts and celebrations of all kinds.

Why say something about this now? On a recent Sunday, my wife and I found ourselves drawn to the area around the Market House. We heard the laughter of children and saw smiles on faces of all ages. They had come downtown to spend a few minutes gliding across a synthetic ice skating rink. We visited a classic vinyl record shop, stopped in some quaint retail locations that represent dozens of local artisans and craftspeople and watched countless people take selfies and other well-framed shots along the brick-paved Hay Street. It felt good.

Fayetteville. We’re still trying. I say “we” because Fayetteville is now my home, too. I came here on orders and stayed here by choice. Get involved as we get better. In fact, the more we get involved, the better we all will become.

 The North Carolina General Assembly convened its 2019 long session last week, with its Constitutional responsibility and main task being to craft our state’s budget for the next two fiscal years. Other work, much of it critical to millions of North Carolinians, is also on legislators’ desks.

And, there is always some legislative mischief to look forward to. This often occurs in the dead of night and without public accountability so we find out about it after it is a done deal.

The real work includes a possible $2 billion in public school funding, favored by both Gov. Roy Cooper and the Republican legislative leadership. Also up for consideration is Medicaid expansion, favored by most Democrats and a growing handful of Republicans.

At least two bills calling for gerrymandering reform are expected to be introduced with large percentages of the public favoring voters choosing their legislators instead of legislators choosing their voters.

But there is a huge fly in the ointment when it comes to finding out what the General Assembly is up to and what it means for us. With the advent of the internet, traditional news organizations, specifically newspapers, have struggled for advertising revenue,m and most have cut staffing to the bone. Gone are most investigative reporters who worked on stories for months, and gone are most capitol reporters whose job it has been to tell us what our legislators are doing — or not doing.

In other words, precious few eyes are watching the General Assembly, and even fewer are there to tell us about it. Some internet sources are reliable, but even more are simply promoting their own points of view and preaching to their own choirs. Persuasion is their goal, not objectivity.

The Journal of Communication reported recently that the slow deaths of local newspapers and the loss of traditional journalists is polarizing Americans in ways we are only beginning to understand. We know a great deal about national political figures — think Nancy and Chuck — and next to nothing about our local and state leaders.

It is imperative that we look to the remaining traditional outlets we do have and to the journalists who strive daily to inform us about our elected officials and the decisions they make.

This situation is no one’s fault. It is simply a fact in our rapidly evolving media environment. It is a fact nonetheless, and the General Assembly leadership has taken a step to make it harder on the few remaining reporters who do cover our state’s elected legislators.

So, what are the elected Republican leaders in charge of the General Assembly doing to promote the flow of information to the people of North Carolina?

Nothing. Zip. Nada.

In fact, the leadership moved the journalists from their long-time office on the ground floor of the legislative building to a smaller room on the basement level off a dark and dim lower level parking garage. The move makes it less convenient for reporters to cover the General Assembly and let us know what is happening. One news account described the new press room as being “in the bowels” of the legislative building.

And why should we care if reporters have to run up and down extra flights of stairs and work in a cramped basement room?

We should care because government is always better when it is operated transparently for all to see. Those in power do not always agree with that because transparency can be messy for them when they have to explain questionable actions. But transparency is always better for those of us in the tax-paying, nonelected public.

Name-calling of these efforts — think “fake news” and “enemy of the people” — and making life difficult for a free press are hallmarks of autocratic governments who prefer the public to know less and to participate less, not more.

Just what was important enough to dislodge the capitol press corps from its long-time Spartan space at the General Assembly? Would you believe a room full of vending machines in case someone wants a stale sandwich or a pack of Nabs?

  Fayetteville Police Department’s Cold Case Sexual Assault Unit has charged a man with a rape and robbery that occurred more than three decades ago in Fayetteville.

Detectives investigated the case Oct. 24, 1987, but it went unsolved. The cold case unit recently reopened it after sending the sexual assault kit for DNA testing.

Anthony Keith Grant, 52, of the 2100 block of North Charleston, South Carolina, has been charged with second-degree rape, first-degree kidnapping and common law robbery.

The woman was an employee of Trade Station Convenience Store on Pamalee Drive, where she was raped, according to Officer J.K. Strickland, a spokesman for the FPD. He said Grant allegedly also committed a robbery of the business.

The Charleston County Sheriff’s Office arrested Grant. He is being held in Charleston awaiting extradition to Cumberland County. The sexual assault kit from this case was tested utilizing federal grant funding.

Defense department funding of the wall

More than 50 U.S. House Democrats are pushing back against President Donald Trump’s proposal to use Defense Department funds to pay for a wall on the southern border. They have signed a letter to House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith, D-Washington, asking that he use the fiscal 2020 National Defense Authorization Act to assure that the administration “cannot utilize a fake national emergency to co-opt the military into the construction of the president’s wall.”

The authorization bill is not expected to pass until late this year. If Trump proceeds with the declaration, it will likely be challenged in court, which could delay implementation of the administration’s potential plans.

The president has not ruled out using his executive powers to bring an end to the impasse. The White House was preparing a draft proclamation for Trump to declare a national emergency and has reportedly identified more than $7 billion in potential funds for his wall should he go that route.

CNN reported that the Army Corps of Engineers would be deployed to construct the wall, some of it on private property. That would likely require condemnation under eminent domain laws, which is permitted if it is for public use.

Cumberland County school supporters recognized

School board members, educators, students and community partners annually celebrate the work that mentors do every day to help students succeed in the classroom and beyond. Cumberland County Schools recently held its annual appreciation breakfast at the Educational Resource Center to recognize mentors who volunteer their time to support students.

The committee was unable to narrow it down to one winner and announced two individuals as Mentors of the Year — James Chrishon, a mentor at J.W. Coon Elementary School, and Ben Simmons, a mentor at Ramsey Street High School.

“It’s really humbling to receive this award from Cumberland County Schools and be amongst a group of mentors that give so much to schools and the community,” said Chrishon.

Sixteen nominees for the Mentor of the Year award were recognized during the breakfast. “We are grateful to our mentors for investing their time and resources in our students,” said Dr. Natasha Scott, executive director of CCS Student Services.

Rural bridge replacements

A pair of rural bridges in eastern Cumberland County are scheduled for replacement on a road that has been closed to traffic for 10 months. The North Carolina Department of Transportation this month signed off on two contracts totaling $4.7 million to a group of companies that will design and build seven new bridges and demolish the existing structures.

Two of the old structures are on Hollow Creek Road, where they cross Sandy Creek near Autryville. The road has been closed since April 2018.

The bridges being replaced are either structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. This means that, while remaining safe for travel, the bridges are increasingly requiring maintenance and road closures, and they no longer meet today’s traffic demands.

Seven bridges across Bladen, Columbus, Cumberland, Harnett and Robeson counties are to be replaced over the next two years. The work will start after Feb. 25 and last through summer 2021.

School breakfast program expanded

Twelve school districts across North Carolina have received funding from the governor’s office to expand access to school breakfast. Cumberland County Schools was one of them.

Bill Hefner Elementary, Cumberland Road Elementary, Rockfish Elementary, J.W. Seabrook Elementary, Ashley Elementary, Morganton Road Elementary and Alderman Road Elementary schools will use the funding to increase access to breakfast. This funding is provided in partnership with No Kid Hungry and The Dairy Alliance.

Almost 900,000 students in traditional public schools across the state are eligible for free or reduced- price school meals — 60 percent of the student population. Cumberland County Schools officials say 75 percent of the students in the district are eligible for free or reduced-price school meals.

Photo: Anthony Grant