Fayetteville City Councilman Johnny Dawkins remembers Bill Hurley as only he could. Council voted last week to name the downtown baseball stadium’s plaza in honor of the former mayor, who died in November. Hurley served as mayor from 1981 to 1987. Johnny’s father, the late J.L. Dawkins, succeeded Hurley when Hurley decided to run for election to the North Carolina House of Representatives. J.L. won re-election seven times and served as mayor for life, dying in office in 2000.

J.L. served alongside Mayor Hurley as a council member. During last week’s tribute to Hurley, Johnny recalled that Hurley picked Johnny’s father up at their home on Ellington Street in Haymount for Monday night council meetings. Both J.L. and Hurley were first elected to City Council in the mid-1970s. They were inseparable, politically and personally.

When City Council decided to name the plaza at the entrance to the stadium for Hurley, Johnny noted the irony that the corner plaza at police headquarters across the street from the ballpark had been named for his father. Hurley and Dawkins are both remembered for their efforts to revitalize downtown Fayetteville. Hurley even manned the wrecking ball used to demolish buildings long the 500 block of Hay Street.

Hurley was a sports fan and was especially fond of baseball. Mark Hurley, the oldest of the mayor’s three sons, noted his dad had envisioned a downtown baseball stadium 30 years ago. He said his father loved sports, so when talk surfaced about naming the baseball stadium plaza after him, the Hurley family was extremely  excited and humbled about the possibility of that becoming a reality.

“We want to thank the entire city of Fayetteville for the support we have received during our father’s passing,” Mark said. “It has truly been amazing to us. We are a part of a wonderful city.” Observers recall that in 1984, Fayetteville was named an All-America City, the first of three times it would win the honor.

“Many of us had the vision and knew Fayetteville could be a better place,” realtor John Malzone said, “but Bill Hurley led the way.”

Jordan Jones, Prince Charles LLC project manager, spoke of Mayor Hurley’s influence years ago shaping the $100 million in Hay Street economic development getting underway. Jones’ parents were contemporaries of Hurley.

“We fully recognize the vision and legacy he created and know that we would not be here today with that particular development without the vision he had a long time ago,” Jones said.

Jones’ firm is renovating the former hotel and is planning a 13-story structure adjacent to the stadium. Following the public hearing last week, City Councilman Jim Arp made a motion that the city formally dedicate the stadium plaza in Bill Hurley’s honor. The vote to do so was unanimous.

Photo: Bill Hurley, former Fayettville Mayor

 “Today, we salute you,” Memphis, Tennessee, funeral director Gary Taylor said. “Today, we claim you as our own.” The occasion was a recent service for three military veterans laid to rest on a rainy morning. They were strangers to those who gathered to honor their memory. When the flags were removed from the caskets and folded, there were no family members there to receive them. The flags were passed among those in attendance.

Soldiers Arnold M. Klechka, 71, and Wesley Russell, 76, and Marine Charles B. Fox, 60, were laid to rest in the graveside service attended by about 700 people at West Tennessee Veterans Cemetery in Memphis.

Over the last 20 years, funeral homesin more than 30 cities have organized about 3,000 funerals for soldiers, sailors and Marines who died alone.

The service in Memphis was part of agrowing effort by funeral homes, medicalexaminers, Veterans Affairs andlocal veterans support groups to payfinal respects to members of the militarywhose bodies were not claimedby relatives. Apparently, no organizationhas developed nationally, but the movement has grown in Tennessee.

“We are veteran-friendly,” said Ben Chambers, general manager of Fayetteville’s Jernigan Warren Funeral Home. “We weren’t aware of the program.”

Amelia Callicott attended the Memphis funeral while remembering her late father and husband, who both served in the military. Callicott, 69, said she learned about the service through Facebook and felt she had a duty to honor the men. “It touched my heart when no one came to claim these gentlemen, these soldiers, because they fought for our freedom,” said Callicott.

Unknown veterans “still deserve dignified services and burials,” said Jeff Berry, general manager of Berry Funeral Home in Knoxville, Tennessee. Berry said the process usually begins with local medical examiners contacting state or national veterans’ cemeteries with names of people whose remains have gone unclaimed. These veterans typically were either homeless or had no surviving relatives to claim them.

Local cemeteries determine whether the service members were honorably discharged. If they were, the cemeteries then contact funeral homes, which set up memorial services. The funeral homes cover the cost, Berry said. Claims can be filed with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for grave markers, according to the Tennessee Department of Veterans’ Services.

Memorial services are publicized through veterans’ groups like the American Legion or social media. Honor guards and other active military members attend, but it’s the strangers who come out of respect for the military who bring dignity to the occasion. “Most of the time, it’s folks that had no knowledge of the person in life,” Berry said.

Veterans Affairs also provides money to individuals or companies that provide burials, caskets and transportation to cemeteries for unclaimed, deceased vets. “One thing I’ve learned in working with the veterans is that they are a tight knit group. They really support each other. It’s like a band of brothers or sisters,” Berry said.

 When people think of North Carolina, wine and chocolate aren’t always the first things that come to mind, but there are plenty of vintners, chocolatiers and other specialty vendors with big flavors to share. Big Dog Events and Galaxy Events present the Wine and Chocolate Festival Saturday, Feb. 16, from 1-4 p.m. and 5-8 p.m. at the Crown Complex.

“The purpose of the event is to educate the consumer on the different local wines and chocolates that are available within North Carolina,” said Amanda Knepp, general manager and event producer for Big Dog Events. “The event is a taste of wines from across the Carolinas — and there will be chocolatiers, sauces, jams, jellies, spreads, gourmet treats and honey.”

Knepp added that Fayetteville Technical Community College’s culinary students and instructors will have an interactive display featuring premiere chocolate.

A representative from the Chocolate Monkey will walk participants through a chocolate tasting that includes several different types of delectables. She will explain the different hints of flavors that are in the chocolate.

There will also be boutiques, shopping, jewelry, makeup and more. Jewelry and artisans will sell their wares. “This is a festival for men and women,” said Knepp. “We are working with our friends at the Center for Empowerment and Economic Development, and they will talk with patrons about what (their organization does) in the community.”

Knepp added that CEED’s goal is to raise funds for a shared commissary and kitchen space in Fayetteville for local chefs, growers and farmers. One dollar from every bottle of wine sold at the festival will be donated to CEED.

“Fayetteville has been so welcoming, supportive and friendly. We are looking forward to the festival on the 16th,” said Knepp.

Advanced tickets cost $35 until Feb. 15 and $40 the day of the show. There is a 10 percent military discount. The ticket includes all wine and food samples and a complimentary tasting glass. 

For more information, visit www.wineandchocolatefestivals.com.

 One hundred years ago, the flying field at Camp Bragg was officially established by the War Department and renamed in honor of 1st Lt. Harley Halbert Pope, commander of the 276th Aero Squadron. On Jan. 7, 1919, Pope and Sgt. Walter Fleming were flying a JN-4 “Jenny” biplane from Camp Jackson, South Carolina, to Camp Bragg when they ran out of fuel and attempted a landing on the Cape Fear River near Fayetteville. Both Pope and Fleming were killed in the crash.

The year Pope Field was established was a busy period for the new military post. In March 1919, Cumberland County and Camp Bragg made an agreement to fund and maintain a road between Fayetteville and the post. In May 1919, a Memorial Day Pageant was held to welcome home soldiers from the first World War and to celebrate the near completion of Camp Bragg. In November, Armistice Day was declared a legal holiday and celebrated in Fayetteville and at Camp Bragg.

General of the Armies John J. Pershing, who served as the commander in chief of the American Expeditionary Forces, visited the newly established Camp Bragg and Pope Field in December 1919. By the end of 1919, Congress passed a bill appropriating funds to ensure the development of Camp Bragg, to include construction of an airplane hangar at Pope Field. Initially, balloons and singleengine biplanes were stationed at Pope. Their missions included terrain mapping and spotting for artillery and forest fires as well as carrying the mail.

Pilots landing at Pope were required to buzz the area from low altitude to chase off grazing deer. The biplanes from Pope Field became a familiar sight in the skies over Fayetteville.

The earliest known aerial photograph of Fayetteville was taken in 1919 over Market Square from the cockpit of a plane from Pope Field.

When Pope Field was established in 1919, aviators were assigned to the U.S. Army Air Service. In 1920, the Air Service became a branch of the Army, and in 1926 it was renamed the Army Air Corps.

From 1919 to 1927, Pope Field was used for observation balloon training. In 1927, Maj. Carl Spaatz conducted bombing training there, and in 1929, the base was used for joint air-ground training. By 1940, the runways were paved.

In 1941, the aviation branch was renamed the U.S. Army Air Forces. During World War II and afterward, Pope was used for training crews in airborne and resupply missions. It continued to exist as a branch of the Army until reorganization provisions of the National Security Act of 1947 created a separate Department of the Air Force and the United States Air Force.

In 1947, Pope Field became a separate Air Force Base. The first fighter unit was stationed at Pope in 1954. In 1970, the base was modified to accept the heavy transport plane C-5A. Personnel and aircraft from Pope have been involved in humanitarian and directed combat actions.

In 2011, Pope Air Force Base was absorbed into Fort Bragg, becoming an Army-operated facility supporting Air Force operations and merging the post’s growing Army and joint force community.

For more information on the history of Pope Field, visit the exhibits located at the Fayetteville Transportation and Local History Museum, 325 Franklin St., and the lobby of City Hall, 433 Hay St. The Transportation and Local History Museum features artifact and image-filled exhibits focused on Fayetteville and Cumberland County’s history. Admission is free.

The museum staff will present a program about the history of Pope Field Thursday, July 1, at 6:30 p.m. in the State and Local History Room at the Headquarters Library on Maiden Lane.

Photo: 1st Lt. Harley Halbert Pope

From Mary Kate Burke’s soft rock introduction to the final curtain, the opening night performance of Cape Fear Regional Theater’s production of “Annie” was nothing short of spectacular, often drawing cheers from the full house.

With the book by Thomas Meehan, lyrics by Martin Charmin, music by Charles Strouse and a setting in the midst of the Great Depression, the adventures of a young orphan in search of her parents touches on a theme still relevant today. The contrast between Hooverville, where Annie takes refuge, and her life as a guest in Oliver Warbucks’ mansion emphasizes the vast gap between the very rich and the majority of citizens just struggling to eat and keep a roof over their heads. Yet, despite the dire circumstances in which the musical is set, the message of “Annie” is hope.

The Orphan Ensemble captivates from the very beginning. Lily Hogge, playing the title role, has an amazing vocal range for such a young girl. She plays Annie with tomboy-ish enthusiasm and transitions seamlessly from wistfulness to defiance to winsomeness as the situation demands.

Thanks to the orphans, the mood never descends to pathos. Their superb rendition of “It’s the Hard Knock Life” and subsequent heckling of Miss Hannigan convince the audience these are resilient little girls determined not to let the circumstances of their lives break them.

Erin Fish’s Miss Hannigan, a role she played on the national tour, is the villainess we all love to hate. Yet there is a certain upbeat cheerfulness to her chicanery. Fish plays Miss Hannigan for laughs, of which there are plenty, which allows the audience to see her as overwhelmed by all the little girls in her charge, rather than evil.

Greg King, as Rooster Hannigan, and Jodi Bluestein, as Lily St. Regis, ooze a greasy, bumbling, minor criminality from the first moment they set foot onstage. Not to put too fine a point on it, but their “Easy Street” number reminds us of why we really play the lottery.

Robert Newman’s character transitions believably from the gruff, enormously rich and influential Oliver Warbucks to the openly affectionate “Daddy.” This is in large part due to Newman’s seeming lack of celebrity ego and to the positive onstage chemistry between Newman and his young co-star.

Newman is believable as a successful, no-nonsense businessman with time for little but work when we first meet his character. We watch him mellowing before our eyes as his character goes from bellowing his disgust at President Roosevelt to humbly asking for the president’s help on Annie’s behalf.

Finally, we watch him opening himself to the charms of his winsome assistant, played by Becca Vourvoulas, and expressing completely believable affection for Annie.

Newman brings star power to Fayetteville, having appeared for 28 seasons as Joshua Lewis on the longrunning TV program “Guiding Light” among many of his stage, film and television credits. Yet there was no sense of his celebrity status evident onstage at CFRT on opening night. He is a generous actor. He commanded the stage when appropriate to his character and managed to be just another member of the cast whenever the script called for some other character to take center stage.

Newman, Fish and Pegues are supported by a cast of talented actors, a few of whom appeared for the first time at CFRT on opening night.

Artistic direction for all CFRT productions is provided by Mary Kate Burke. “Annie” is ably directed and choreographed by Robin Levine, assisted by Sebastiani Romagnolo. Both the set, designed by Charles Glenn Johnson, and the costumes, designed by Sarah Harris, are simple yet evocative of the era in which the musical is staged. Musical direction is supplied by Jillian K. Zack. The orchestra is superb, taking care to enhance rather than overwhelm young voices.

“Annie” runs through the evening performance on Sunday, Feb. 24, with a special Sensory Friendly performance scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 10. Contact the CFRT Box Office at 910-323-4233 Tuesday-Friday from 1-6 p.m. for more information and ticket prices.

Photo: Robert Newman as Daddy Warbucks; Zoi Pegues as Annie

  Get Twisted Yoga on Trade Street in Hope Mills has taken the words of The Beach Boys’ hit “Good Vibrations” to a new level.

The staff offer a specialized kind of relaxation using crystal singing bowls. In short, music provided by different tones each bowl plays is designed to help get the body in harmony with the surrounding world.

Kyle Jackson, who operates the 1910 Apothecary at the same location as Get Twisted Yoga, described it as vibrational healing that has been around for thousands of years, dating back to the monks of Tibet.

“Each crystal singing bowl has its own tone and unique sound,’’ Jackson said. The bowls come in various sizes, going down as small as a cereal bowl and as large as a punch bowl. “There are lots of different shapes and sizes,’’ he said. “They are a little bit different in design and a bit taller than they are wide.’’

The bowls are also made of different materials. Some are metal. Some are crystal. The bowls are usually empty, although sometimes water is placed into them to change the tone each one makes.

In trying to explain exactly what the vibrational healing is about, Jackson said everything in the world, from fixed structures to people, has its own vibration. “Using different things that have different types of tones can bring harmony to those vibrations, including people and spaces,’’ he said. “It’s like doing a reset of their personal vibration.’’

Get Twisted Yoga is planning to schedule vibrational healing sessions starting in March. The initial plan is to hold them on Saturdays and ask those participating to make a donation for each session rather than setting a flat fee to start.

The sessions will be led by Gina Currie of Raeford, a certified yoga instructor.

Each session at Get Twisted Yoga will be limited to 20 people because that’s as many people as the studio can handle once everyone is in place on a yoga mat.

Jackson said no previous yoga experience is needed to take part in a vibrational healing session. “We get you in the studio and get you relaxed,’’ Jackson said. That simply involves getting everyone in a comfortable position on the floor on a yoga mat.

“We adjust them and make sure they have blankets or whatever they might need to be comfortable,’’ Jackson said. “There’s a little guided meditation at the beginning. Gina gives an explanation of the purpose and what those participating may or may not experience, and then she begins playing the singing bowls.

“We want to make this available to everybody who would like to try it,’’ Jackson said, adding they plan to offer it at least once a quarter if demand continues.

Kimberly Ratcliffe is a Get Twisted Yoga client who recently took part in a demonstration of vibrational healing. A 20-year veteran of the U.S. Army, she said it’s a good treatment for anyone involved in a high stress lifestyle.

“You can walk into a yoga studio or class like this and quiet your mind, come out of that class and be completely refreshed,’’ she said. “I think that’s what a lot of people need to understand.’’

For more information about the vibrational healing sessions, visit the Get Twisted Yoga page on Facebook or go to www.1910apothecaryyoga.com.

Jackson is also available by phone at 910-835-6833.

 A new year has come, and soon the call for the road will hit bikers everywhere. With gas prices down and employment up, more people will be positioned to buy a new bike, too. Upfront, I will tell you I am the worst customer to ever walk through a showroom door. To buy simple things, I make multiple trips and do exhaustive research before sealing the deal. Even at the cash register or sitting down with the finance guy, my stomach is in knots. Somehow I get through it, but I always worry — did I buy too much of something? Can I afford it?

People often talk about how a motorcycle is going to save them money. It doesn’t, but it is a good pitch to get your significate other or co-signer to go along with it.

Most of us don’t like to talk about the actual cost of things, but here we are, and we are going to get into it. If you already own a bike, the cheapest bike you will ever get is the one you already have.

If you already own a bike and want a new one, it is best to sell the one you have yourself. As spring approaches, your best bet is to start advertising now. Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace and forums are the best ways to get the word out. If you meet someone for the sale process, always meet in a safe place. People will drive states away if you have a bike they want.

Be sure to know the laws for selling a motorcycle, too. Be careful with the title and don’t screw it up or sign it in the wrong place. Each state has different rules and requirements. You can usually find specific information on the state’s DMV website.

If you must, a trade-in is usually a quick way to move up to a new bike. Dealerships are generally picky about trade-ins. They look for maximum returns and the fastest sale.

When it is time to buy a bike, cash is best. If you must finance a bike, think about the 20/4/10 rule. The rule means put 20 percent down, finance for no more than four years of payments, and do not exceed more than 10 percent of your gross income — including principal,interest and insurance.

Let’s do some rough math. If you finance a new bike at $26,000, you should have $5,200 for the down payment. You would finance $20,800. For four years (48 months) at an interest rate of 3.95 percent and a sales tax of 4.75 percent of your payment, that would be $497.04 a month. It would cost $1,822.86 in interest and $1,235 in taxes. Add an additional $60 (estimate) for insurance. You would pay $557 a month. Using the 10 percent rule for not exceeding your income, you should be making more than $66,840 a year.

So here are some stats from a 2015 article on The Motley Fool. Twenty-four percent of motorcycle owner households earned between $50,000 and $74,999 in 2014. The median household income was $62,200. Motorcyclists are pretty educated. Seventy-two percent of motorcycle owners in 2014 had at least some college or post-graduate education, and almost as many (71 percent) were employed. Some 15 percent were retired. The median age of the typical motorcycle owner was 47 in 2014, up from 32 in 1990 and 40 in 2009. Married riders comprised 61 percent of motorcycle owners, up from 57 percent in 1990.

If you are getting your first bike, be sure to budget for safety equipment. Your gear should include a good Department of Transportationapproved helmet, armor jacket and good boots. If you have a friend or loved one who will be riding with you, show them the same respect and love and buy them the same safety gear you wear. As a starter, I would budget at least $1,000 for safety expenses.

Count on spending a few hundred dollars or more each year on tires and maintenance. These are variables that depend on your riding habits and miles. 

When you talk to your insurance representative, ask them about additional medical coverage — particularly motorcycle bodily injury liability insurance. Depending on the state in which you are insured, the minimum personal injury medical coverage is not enough for a motorcycle accident. A motorcycle accident can cost anywhere from $2,500 to $1.5 million in hospital bills, lost income and property damage.

These dollars and numbers can be scary, but riding is a fun and liberating experience. Each mile can bring you new friends and adventures.

If there is a topic you would like to discuss, contact me at motorcycle-4fun@aol.com. RIDE SAFE!

 Gilbert Theater’s newest production, “Doubt,” opened this past weekend to a small audience who undoubtedly enjoyed a huge show. Directed by Matthew Overturf, this thoughtprovoking drama written by John Patrick Shanley could be the Gilbert’s best show of this season.

Even though the play was written in the 1960s, it is relevant to the crazy realities we face today. Shanley’s piece centers around Sister Aloysius, a tenacious nun who is the principal of a Catholic school in the Bronx in New York. She is convinced the parish priest, Father Flynn, is having an inappropriate relationship with a young male student.

Was he? Wasn’t he? That is where this drama draws an eerie correlation to what we are experiencing in this politically charged 21st century. The shameful acts and subsequent cover-up of bad behavior by Catholic priests is not new news. However, viewing the show in relationship to what we are experiencing as a nation gives this play its gut-wrenching impact. Even back in the ’60s, there was a hint of a lack of presumption of innocence.

Now, with the prominence of the internet and social media — and a political climate that has adopted a slanderous, no holds barred, anything goes, search-and-destroy campaign strategy — this play parallels our country’s deteriorating respect for humanity.

If you are a well-informed American of any race, religion or political affiliation, you will recognize the parallels in this story to Robert Mueller’s Russian investigation; the confirmation fiasco of Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh; the accusations lodged against two Covington, Kentucky, students accused of disrespecting Native Americans; the politically charged border security issues, which result in the deplorable treatment and exploitation of humanity; and more recently, the explosive issue of legalizing full-term abortions.

All of these present-day issues fill plenty of us with plenty of doubt. Go and see the play and ponder on the similarities for yourself. You will not be disappointed. The show runs through Feb. 17.

I would be remiss to not mention the talented cast of “Doubt,” who gave stellar performances. Kay Cole plays Sister Aloysius. Evie King is Sister James. Deannah Robinson plays Mrs. Muller, and Cole Vecchio is Father Flynn. All four of these actors performed flawlessly to create a tour-deforce theater production.

Fayetteville is certainly the theatrical mecca of North Carolina. No doubt you will be impressed.

Thank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly.

Photo: Robert Mueller (top right), Brett Kavanaugh (center right) and Nick Sandmann (bottom right).

 There is concern in America that our security is threatened by terrorists, Russia, Iran, China, North Korea and other forces. It occurs to me that these forces we view as enemies need not make any effort to destroy us. That is because we are destroying ourselves. If our enemies will be patient, we will reduce our national condition to one of being incapable of defending against the physical and economic aggression of others. This is because we have become a nation in darkness and consumed by hate.

From www.biblestudytools.com, “If light symbolizes God, darkness connotes everything that is anti- God.” Combine our general state of darkness with the overwhelming hate that pervades our society, and the truth of the paragraph above is apparent.

Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” Given that we are in great darkness, with little or no light in sight, and consumed by hate, with societal love only a figment of our imagination, our future is bleak.

This American condition of darkness and hate was openly on display in the events of Jan. 18 after the March for Life in Washington, D.C. A group of students from the all-male Covington Catholic High School in Frankfort, Kentucky, attended the march. Afterward, the students, some wearing bright red “Make America Great Again” baseball caps, gathered near the Lincoln Memorial to wait for their bus.

There was interaction between these students and a small group of Native Americans who were singing in the area. What proved to be a highly edited video of this interaction appeared to show the students chanting and mocking the Native Americans. This was especially true of one student, later identified as Nick Sandmann, who is shown in the video standing motionless and face-to-face with Nathan Phillips, a Native American who was beating a drum and singing.

In several interviews, Phillips repeated the following, which appears in an article by Chris Francescani and Bill Hutchinson titled “Viral video of Catholic school teens in ‘MAGA’ caps taunting Native Americans draws widespread condemnation; prompts a school investigation.”

The article states, “In an interview following the confrontation on Friday that was posted to Instagram, Phillips said he wished the throng of teens would put their energy into helping feed the poor.”

Phillips added, “I heard them say, ‘Build that wall, build that wall,’ you know?”

The article continues, “In a separate interview with The Washington Post, Phillips said that the dozens of teens began to swarm around his group as they concluded their march and were getting ready to leave.

“‘It was getting ugly,’ he told the newspaper.

“‘I started going that way, and that guy in the hat stood in my way and we were at an impasse. He just blocked my way and wouldn’t allow me to retreat.’”

Across the nation, the video and Phillips’ interviews inspired outrage because many viewers concluded that the students were tremendously disrespectful to Phillips and his group.

Here are some comments reported in the Francescani and Hutchinson article referenced above:

“‘This Veteran put his life on the line for our country. The students’ display of blatant hate, disrespect, and intolerance is a signal of how common decency has decayed under this administration,’ Rep. Deb Haaland, D-New Mexico, who is part Native American, tweeted Saturday. ‘Heartbreaking.’”

“Then, in a blistering statement posted to her verified Facebook account shortly after 3 p.m. Saturday, Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes called the viral videos ‘horrific.’

‘In spite of these horrific scenes, I refuse to shame and solely blame these children for this type of behavior. Instead, I turn to the adults and administration that are charged with teaching them, and to those who are silently letting others promote this behavior.’”

Further, from an article by Shaan Joshi titled “Patton Oswalt, Ava DuVernay, Kathy Griffin, and Other Celebs React to Teens in MAGA Hats,” come the following tweets:

“Comedian and actor Patton Oswalt: ‘I liked intimidating elderly Native Americans. I STILL like intimidating elderly Native Americans.’ — this kid, at his confirmation hearing, before being appointed to the Supreme Court.”

“Comedian Kathy Griffin was similarly outraged by the disrespectful teenagers, and she condemned ‘MAGA’ hats on Twitter. ‘MAGA hats. Donald Trump has brought the worst out in our country,’ Griffin wrote.”

The comments above were mild compared to some others. The following is from an article by Jon Levine titled “National Review Pulls Article Saying Covington Students ‘Might as Well Have Just Spit on the Cross’”:

“The National Review pulled down an article on Sunday attacking the students at Covington Catholic High School, which said their behavior toward Native American elder Nathan Phillips was comparable to spitting on the cross.

“They mock a serious, frail-looking older man and gloat in their momentary role as Roman soldiers to his Christ. ‘Bullying is a worn-out word and doesn’t convey the full extent of the evil on display here,’ National Review Deputy Managing Editor Nicholas Frankovich said in the original piece. ‘As for the putatively Catholic students from Covington, they might as well have just spit on the cross and got it over with.’”

Jon Levine reported the following regarding Erik Abriss in an article titled “Vulture Writer Who Wished Death on Covington Students Fired from Job at INE Entertainment.”

“Abriss wrote: ‘I don’t know what it says about me, but I’ve truly lost the ability to articulate the hysterical rage, nausea, and heartache this makes me feel. I just want these people to die. Simple as that. Every single one of them. And their parents.’” Then there is this joint statement from the school and Covington Diocese as quoted in an article by Max Londberg titled “‘Blatant racism’: Ky. high school apologizes following backlash after video shows students surrounding indigenous marchers”:

“We condemn the actions of the Covington Catholic High School students towards Nathan Phillips specifically, and Native Americans in general, Jan. 18, after the March for Life, in Washington, D.C. We extend our deepest apologies to Mr. Phillips. This behavior is opposed to the Church’s teachings on the dignity and respect of the human person,” the statement read.

What is presented to this point hardly scratches the surface in describing the condemnation that was heaped on this group of young boys. Beyond the condemnation from others, their school and diocese immediately joined the chorus of condemnation. In the midst of these young lives being led to the slaughter, a video of longer length surfaced. It showed that a group called the Black Hebrew Israelites incessantly yelled racist, homophobic, bigoted epithets at the boys, calling them “children of incest,” “crackers” and so forth.

The longer video contradicts much of what Phillips reported. It shows that he approached the boys; they did not surround him. He made no effort to walk past Nick Sandmann, but stood face-to-face with him while beating a drum and singing. There is no indication that the students were chanting, “Build that wall.”

In view of this longer video, some people who had made harsh comments withdrew them; some even apologized. However, others continued the verbal assaults and threats to the point that Covington Catholic High School was, at the suggestion of law enforcement, closed Jan. 22. Students returned the next day with heavy police presence.

At best, Nathan Phillips lied. While the behavior of the Black Hebrew Israelites was abhorrent, hardly any outrage is directed toward Phillips or the Black Hebrew Israelites. However, these young boys, who clearly did nothing deserving of condemnation, are condemned, threatened and vilified.

I agree with those who say these students are the recipients of this horrible treatment because they are white, male, Catholic and because they appear to be Trump supporters.

What is described here is the result of our being in darkness and consumed by hate. Russia, China and all who would destroy us, just be patient. However, maybe — because of his mercy — God will save us from ourselves.

 There is a secret about North Carolina’s early Colonial days, something even more disturbing and horrifying than traditional slavery.

I learned about it reading UNCWilmington professor David La Vere’s “The Tuscarora War: Indians, Settlers, and the Fight for the Carolina Colonies.” That book interested me because I want to learn more about the 18thcentury explorer John Lawson, one of the “The Tuscarora War’s” main characters. I am studying Lawson to get ready for the upcoming publication of another book about him, “A Delicious Country: Rediscovering the Carolinas along the Route of John Lawson’s 1700 Expedition” by Scott Huler, senior staff writer at Duke magazine.

What does all this have to do with a dark secret? Keep reading to the end.

La Vere sets out in detail the background for the Tuscarora War that began in 1711. In the late 1600s and early 1700s, North Carolina was sparsely settled, mainly by Virginians moving south onto the lands around the Albemarle Sound. They encountered small groups of Native Americans and were generally able to subdue them.

However, to the south and west, the mighty Tuscarora Indian strongholds stood as a barrier. They were, writes Le Vere, like a “cork” that capped settler expansion.

Meanwhile, Lawson’s glowing descriptions about his travels in the colony sparked the interest of the Lords Proprietors, who owned the colony and were looking for ways to encourage settlement. Lawson met a minor Swiss noble, Christopher de Graffenried. They worked out a plan with the Lords Proprietors in England to transport groups of poor German refugees and Swiss paupers to lands along the Neuse River near today’s New Bern.

La Vere writes that after overcoming great odds, “De Graffenried’s colony of Swiss and German Palatines at the mouth of the Neuse River was thriving, expansion up the Neuse seemed a real possibility.”

Therefore, Lawson and Graffenried made a trip up the Neuse, through Tuscarora lands, to scout sites for future settlements.

“All the while, the Indians grew more worried and angry as the abuses against them escalated and their complaints fell on deaf ears. That spark came in mid-September 1711,” according to La Vere, with Lawson and Graffenried’s trip up the Neuse.

The local Tuscarora king or chief, offended and threatened that his territory had been invaded, captured  Lawson and Graffenried and put them on trial for their lives. When one of the more radical Indian leaders berated him, Lawson lost his temper. “He argued back, his anger and sarcasm apparent to all.”

Lawson was doomed and shortly executed. Graffenried remained in custody while the Indians planned and carried out their first attacks on September 22, 1711, appearing at first as friendly visitors to the settlers’ farms and then striking suddenly from ambush when the defenses were down.

North Carolina’s efforts to beat back the Tuscaroras were unsuccessful. The colony had not enough manpower, firepower or money. Help finally came from the wealthy sister colony to the south. South Carolina sent two expeditions to relieve its northern neighbor.

Hold on — we are close to the dark secret. 

The first expedition, led by John Barnwell, set out with a force of about 700 men. Only 35 were regular militia. The rest were Indians. The results were mixed, and the Tuscaroras remained a threat. The second expedition, led by James Moore and made up of 113 militia and 760 Indians, wiped out the Tuscarora at their stronghold at Neoheroka (or Nooherooka), near present-day Snow Hill in Greene County, and unplugged the Tuscarora “cork” on settlement in the interior of North Carolina.

Why did South Carolina so enthusiastically aid its neighbor? Why did South Carolina Indians provide the critical manpower?

Writes La Vere, “Above all, it was a chance to enrich oneself by looting the Tuscarora towns and taking slaves, which they could sell to waiting South Carolina traders for guns and merchandise.”

North Carolina’s early colonists secured their colony by facilitating and participating in the enslavement and sale of captured Tuscaroras by South Carolina Indians.

That is history’s dirty secret.

Meetings

For details about all meetings and activities, including location where not listed, call Town Clerk Jane Starling at 910-426-4113. Until the Parks and Recreation building has been repaired following damage from Hurricane Florence, some meetings may be moved to Luther Meeting Room at Town Hall at regular dates and times. Those meetings are noted with an asterisk below.

• Board of Commissioners Monday Feb. 11, Luther Meeting Room, Town Hall This is a meeting to receive findings of a comprehensive plan and proposed master plan for the Hope Mills Golf Course.

• Historic Preservation Commission Wednesday, Feb. 13, 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*

• Veterans Affairs Commission Thursday, Feb. 28, 7 p.m., Parks and Recreation Center*

Activities

For more information on these activities, contact Meghan Hawkins at 910-426-4109. 

• 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.

 Looking for someplace in the Hope Mills area to grab a snack where the staff is committed to its work and they all have hearts of gold? Look no further than the newly-opened Creek General Store at Gray’s Creek High School.

The store is the latest project of Miller’s Crew, an organization founded by Terry Sanford High School soccer coach Karl Molnar and his wife, Kim.

Miller’s Crew is named after the Molnars’ son, who is autistic. The purpose of Miller’s Crew is to establish vocational training and vocational labs in educational settings for adolescents with special needs.

By doing this in an educational setting, the hope is to give participants the chance to practice specific skills that will carry over into the workforce when they graduate high school.

Miller’s Crew already has stores, or labs as they prefer to call them, set up at Jack Britt, Pine Forest, Terry Sanford, Seventy-First and West Bladen High Schools. Another lab is near completion at Westover High School. Miller’s Crew has also been contacted by Union County Schools near Charlotte about doing labs there.

Lisa Stewart, the principal at Gray’s Creek, met with Kim of Miller’s Crew last summer to begin planning for the lab at Gray’s Creek.

“I thought it was an amazing opportunity for our students, teachers and community,’’ Stewart said. “It’s something that will benefit our students and  let them learn some life skills.’’

Molnar said the lab at Gray’s Creek is one of the smaller ones in the Miller’s Crew program, which got its start in October of 2016.

Some labs, like the ones at Jack Britt and Pine Forest, are larger and include stations for stocking groceries. The one at Pine Forest has a bicycle assembly station.

“The whole point of these labs is to create as many jobs within that setting so the children can be trained and feel comfortable being trained,’’ Molnar said.

The lab at Gray’s Creek is under the leadership of occupational course of study teacher Ali Arostegui. Arostegui and her students surveyed the faculty at Gray’s Creek to see what items they’d like to be on sale at the Creek General Store.

The store can only sell pre-packaged food items, so the teachers opted for selections including coffee, pastries, muffins, granola bars and peanuts among other similar items.

“Ms. Arostegui has done a great job training the students,’’ Stewart said. “She’s been training them most of the first semester. We wanted to open the second semester.’’

The store is located in a converted teacher workroom at Gray’s Creek, on the first floor of the school building near the atrium.

The store can only be used by teachers because of restrictions placed on what kind of food can be sold to students during the school day. Typical store hours are from 8:45 a.m. until 11 a.m.

If teachers can’t leave their classroom to get to the store, the students running the store are allowed to make deliveries to a teacher’s room.

The startup stock for the store was provided by Miller’s Crew through grants that have been awarded to the organization. The goal is for the Creek General Store to become self sustaining and be able to use the profits it makes to restock the store.

“When that door opens and the kids are in Miller’s Crew Gray’s Creek aprons, they have the purest of grins and are happy to see you,’’ Stewart said. “If that doesn’t warm your heart, you must not have one.’’

There are about a dozen Gray’s Creek students currently working at the store, Stewart said. The goal is to add students from another class of special needs students later.

“The biggest benefit for Miller’s Crew and the Creek General Store is they are able to learn how to work as a team,’’ Stewart said. “They’re able to learn how to serve other people. They are pouring coffee, getting food ready, taking their money, making change, prepping for the day, getting inventory ready.

“They take pride in their jobs, and that’s most important.’’

There’s a sign painted on the wall of the store that says it all, Stewart said. “Opportunity. Community. Bear (as in Gray’s Creek Bears) essentials.’’

For any school interested in learning more about bringing a Miller’s Crew lab to their school, visit www.millerscrew.com.

  “It’s something about being able to express yourself through notes,” old-school jazz guitarist Nick Colionne said of his love for the genre. “A lot of people don’t get into jazz or instrumental music because they don’t take time to know that there’s a story being told in instrumental music just like there’s words. I mean, there’s commas, periods, questions.” Fayetteville audiences will get a chance to hear what Colionne has to say through music when he brings “Nick Colionne’s Valentine’s Day Concert” to town Thursday, Feb. 14. The concert takes place at Fayetteville State University’s J.W. Seabrook Auditorium.

Colionne, who grew up on the West Side of Chicago, Illinois, is the winner of national and international awards for his music and showmanship. He traces his connection with jazz to “being that my stepfather and my mother listened to nothing but Wes Montgomery.... (That music) touched me in my heart,” he said.

His stepfather played guitar, and by age nine, young Colionne was learning to play.

“When I got my first electric guitar, I had to learn Bumpin’ on Sunset’ note for note,” Colionne said. “To this day, Wes Montgomery is still my hero.”

Six years later, 15-year-old Colionne was regularly playing high school talent shows with The Mellow Tones, a band he’d formed with a few buddies. They even won a citywide talent show.

He was also cruising around town in a shopping cart due to his lack of a vehicle. “I was a free-playin’ guy,” he said. “I was goin’ around in a shopping cart. And that ain’t so easy in the snow in Chicago.”

Then, one summer afternoon, he bumped into Mavis Staples (of the Staples Singers) and Artis Leon Ivey Jr., better known as Coolio, in the common area of a recording studio space. “I told them I played guitar, and I knew a couple of the older guys who played with them,” Colionne said. “They said they needed a guitar player, so I went upstairs to another studio and auditioned for them.

“That was a Monday. On Wednesday, I went on tour with them.”

From that point on, every summer until he finished high school and then more regularly after graduation, he toured with the Staples Singers and other performers, including Curtis Mayfield and The Impressions. He briefly joined a heavy metal band at age 17, he admitted with a laugh, but he returned to jazz after a few years.

In 1994, he released his first solo album, “It’s My Turn.” That was the beginning of a career in which he’d receive numerous accolades. Among them, he won the International Instrumental Artist of the Year Award at the Wave Jazz Awards in 2007; trumpet superstar Chris Botti had won it the year before. Colionne was nominated for that award again in 2009.

Colionne was nominated as Guitarist of the Year and Entertainer of the Year by the American Smooth Jazz Awards in 2010 and won Performer of the Year for the Catalina Island JazzTrax Jazz Festivals in 2010 and 2011, as well as Artist of the Year at the 2011 Rehoboth Beach Jazz Festival in Delaware.

He’s also received awards for his now 22-plus years of mentoring youth — primarily at St. Laurence Catholic School in Elgin, Illinois, and some West Side-area schools — as well as his championing of breast cancer causes. He was recognized with the Wayman Tisdale Humanitarian Award in 2010, and he was named Alumnus of the Year at Malcolm X College in Chicago in 1996.

Though Colionne primarily mentors at schools near where he grew up and still lives, he also makes a point to visit schools and colleges when he’s on tour.

He said he never set out to be a youth mentor. It started because the principal of St. Laurence asked him to play for a fundraiser for the school, back when Colionne was still getting established.

“I met the kids (at the school); they asked me to come back, and I came back,” Colionne said. “Next thing I know, I was there twice a week, teaching kids to play the guitar. … Then I’m helping them put on passion plays and the Christmas program, and I’m chaperoning trips. Kids — when they love you, they love you unconditionally. The kids know I don’t get paid for coming there. I come there because I love them.

“I don’t want a check, I just want to be part of their lives.”

One of those children whom Colionne taught to play guitar is named Chris. Colionne first visited his elementary school when Chris was 8 years old. Chris later attended college on a guitar scholarship. Today, he’s worked as Colionne’s road manager for many years and is taking a break from that to welcome his first child.

As for Colionne’s work championing and raising money for breast cancer causes, he said this kind of work is a no-brainer for anyone who’s had a loved one struggle with it. “My mother is cancer-free now,” he said. “But my mother has had breast cancer four times. … My (significant other) had breast cancer. And I’m just a person. I don’t want to see another woman suffer with it, and whatever I can do, I do.”

A single conversation with Colionne makes it evident he’s remained humble, grateful to his audiences and rooted in his deeply personal love for jazz throughout his 20-plus year career.

It’s this attitude that’s led to him being often referred to as the best-dressed man in jazz. “I’m an old-school kind of cat,” he said. “I feel like people pay their hard-earned money to come and see me. I believe that for me to dress and look the best I can when I perform is showing the audience respect.”

He said his journey has been exceptionally personally rewarding.

At one point, he said, he and musician Brenda Russell were getting ready to travel for performances when a man approached them. “This cat was coming across the parking lot, and he was calling my name. He was like, ‘Man, I had to catch you. Will you sign this for me?’” It was one of Colionne’s CDs. The young man asked Colionne if he’d be willing to play at a tribute for the young man’s father.

“I was like, who was your father?” Colionne said. “He says, ‘my father was Wes Montgomery.’”

For his upcoming concert in Fayetteville, Colionne said, “I might get onstage and flip the script. I don’t think about it. I play what I’m feeling at the moment.

“I learned how to play guitar, God put the music in my heart, and I just let it go.”

He added there’s always a portion of his concerts called the “wild and loose section. We have only one requirement. If you have anything that will fall, take it off,” he said, referring to the fact that audience members will be encouraged to get up and dance.

“Nick Colionne’s Valentine’s Day Concert” in Fayetteville takes place just about 25 years from the release of his first album. The show is part of FSU’s 2018-19 Seabrook Performance Series and starts at 7:30 p.m., Feb. 14. J.W. Seabrook Auditorium is located at 1200 Murchison Rd.

For tickets and to learn more, visit www.uncfsu.edu/nick-colionne.

 Gilbert Theater continues its season with “Doubt,” which will run Feb. 1-17. The play is by John Patrick Shanley. Gilbert Theater Artistic Director Matthew Overturf will direct it.

“This play is set in 1964, and the playwright, John Patrick Shanley, writes in the prologue that when he wrote it, he thought about this time and it was as if the world was going through a giant puberty,” said Overturf. “There was so much change occurring during this time, such as The Civil Rights Act being passed. And John F. Kennedy had just been assassinated the year before.”

Overturf noted that the Catholic Church had just gone through a significant change. The Vatican II Council was trying to become more open and welcoming and look a bit more like the communities it served, he explained. Everything was shifting and changing during this time.

The drama involves Sister Aloysius, a Bronx Catholic school principal, who takes matters into her own hands when she suspects the parish priest, Father Flynn, of improper relations with one of the male students.

As Aloysius and the Father face off, it brings out the worst in both of them and reveals weaknesses, humanity and doubt in so many things. The production deals with the struggle of faith and doubt, right and wrong, and the gray area in between.

“The male student happens to be the first African-American student in the school because the school had just become desegregated,” said Overturf. “Basically, the play becomes about Sister Aloysius’ crusade against Father Flynn. She brings on Sister James, a fairly young nun, to kind of help in this because (Sister James) is the teacher of the student.”

The play is called “Doubt” for a reason. “There are a lot of circumstantial things and a lot of ideas that Sister Aloysius has that may not necessarily be founded in facts or truths, but she has her suspicions,” said Overturf. “And those, to her, are just as important as any facts.”

Overturf continued, “We have a phenomenal cast. It is an important play for me because I fell in love with it in college and always wanted to direct it. It is a hard-hitting play.

“What I love about it is that it is guaranteed to cause you to leave and talk about it. People will be discussing it and what they believe the outcome is because it is a wonderful show.”

For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit www.gilberttheater.com or call 910-678-7186.

 For Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra Music Director Stefan Sanders, programming concerts for holidays can be especially fun. The Feb. 9 “Love is in the Air” concert is no exception. It includes classic pieces sure to stir the soul as well as a performance by guest pianist Anton Nel, who will perform Sergei Rachmaninoff’s “Piano Concerto No. 2.”

“Concerts close to holidays offer an opportunity to program thematically, and love and romance and longing for someone are a major part of the human condition,” said Sanders. “Putting together a concert is like creating a menu. You want to put together things that pair well and accent each other and are palatable. Think about the songs we listen to on the radio. As people, we have strong feelings, and there is a lot of great music that is love-inspired.”

And there will be plenty of them in this performance. Whether it’s romance or great music you are after, FSO has a well-programmed performance set for the weekend before Valentine’s Day. The playlist includes selections from Prokofiev’s “Romeo and Juliet,” plus iconic music from “Casablanca” and “West Side Story.”

“The symphony is going to play some incredible, beloved romantic music — some of the songs will be very recognizable,” Sanders said. “There is also a lot of music that has been used in TV and film so that the audience will hear it, and even if they don’t know it by name, they will recognize it.”

Special guest Anton Nel has been an international performance pianist for nearly four decades. He is also an acclaimed harpsichordist and fortepianist. But it is not just his talent that makes him a great fit for this FSO concert. Sanders credits Nel with inspiring not just audiences but the performers with whom he shares the stage — a pleasure Sanders has had more than once.

“Any time you work with someone, there are some unknowns,” Sanders said. “But just the rapport with someone you have worked with and can trust makes for a positive experience. And Anton is an incredible artist. He is renowned for his interpretation of certain composers. I think the other performers will enjoy working with someone of this caliber.

“I have seen several performances with Anton and other greats where their artistry inspires everyone else on the stage to be their absolute best. Anton is one of those artists who brings out the best in other artists.”

The piece Nel is playing is significant for more than one reason. It’s great music, but the back story is also something many people will be able to relate to and find hope in. It’s about mental health. Early in Rachmaninoff’s career, he wrote a symphony. When it premiered, the performance was abysmal. The audience hated it.

“This threw him into a very deep depression,” said Sanders. “He was at the bottom. Thankfully, he was able to get help.”

A therapist helped Rachmaninoff to get out of his deep depression. And Rachmaninoff did more than just survive. He started thriving. “He felt inspired to write a second concert,” said Sanders. “And he dedicated it to his therapist, Nikolai Dahl. It goes to show that the things people deal with today are similar to what people dealt with years ago.”

With a mission to educate, entertain and inspire the citizens of the Fayetteville region as the leading musical resource, FSO is creative in its programming and outreach initiatives. The organization is built on the premise that great symphonic music should affordable and fun.

One of the initiatives that aims to make the symphony fun and approachable to everyone is the “Music Nerd” preconcert talks. About 45 minutes before the concert begins, Sanders and FSO Musicologist Joshua Busman will take the stage. Sanders described the Music Nerd portion as a casual chat. “It is a way for curious minds to learn about the music and other interesting facts related to the programming,” Sanders said. “Often, people like to have more context than what a program note provides. It is a way for people to learn more about the music we are going to play.”

FSO also provides program notes on its website so attendees will have a good idea about what the performance will contain. The program notes are available at www.fayettevillesymphony.org.

Methodist University will host the concert at Huff Concert Hall, 5400 Ramsey St. The Music Nerd talk starts at 6:45 p.m. The concert starts at 7 p.m. Visit www.fayettevillesymphony.org or call 910-433- 4690 for tickets and information.

  Fayetteville City Council members will meet next month for their annual planning retreat. Last week, they held a preliminary session designed to zero in on issues they believe most important to the people in the year ahead. For the first time in many years, crime control is not on the list.

The priorities include initiating a development plan for the Murchison Road corridor. Members have been talking about economic improvement along the roadway for years. Mayor Mitch Colvin owns Colvin Funeral Home & Crematory at 2010 Murchison Rd. Murchison Road stretches for 10 miles from downtown Fayetteville to Spring Lake.

City Council plans to take on the revitalization in segments, the first being from the new Rowan Street railroad overpass to Langdon Street, just beyond Fayetteville State University. Local business development, improved street lighting, additional bus stops and mobility are potential areas of improvement. It “could be 15, 20 years before this whole corridor is done,” said Mayor Pro Tem Ted Mohn.

Another area of interest to council would be the city’s investment in a modern, high-speed broadband system. Councilman Jim Arp spoke of making Fayetteville a Top 50 smart technology city, saying “information is the commerce of the next century.”

The city administration calls these special interest projects targets for action. Other projects include completion of the comprehensive land use plan, development and maintenance of city street and stormwater systems, and development of options for a young adult engagement program and an internship program.

The objective of the session was to get the council thinking in greater detail about the goals it will concentrate on during the annual planning retreat. In addition to public safety concerns, they scratched development of parks and recreation programs from their list. P&R Committee Chair Kathy Jensen noted that passage of the $35 million bond referendum three years ago had stabilized funding needs.

The list of targets for action did not include crime control in Fayetteville. Statistics continue to reflect an overall upward trend in crime over 17 years with both violent and property crimes increasing. Based on this trend, the crime rate in Fayetteville for 2019 is expected to be higher than in 2016 according to CityRating.com. The city had a record number of homicides in 2016 — 33.

In 2016, the violent crime rate in Fayetteville was higher than the violent crime rate in North Carolina by 103.42 percent, and the city’s property crime rate was higher than the property crime rate in North Carolina by 66.23 percent.

The source of data on Fayetteville crime rates is the FBI Report of Offenses Known to Law Enforcement. The projected crime rate data was generated from the trends and crime information available from previous years of reported data. The FBI cautions that statistics comparing yearly data solely on the basis of population is meaningful only upon further examination of all variables that affect crime.

 Almost 50 years ago, “Deep Throat” gave Washington Post investigative journalists Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward advice so fundamental that Americans, both journalists and ordinary citizens, have found it useful ever since. “Follow the money,” whispered the thenanonymous source in the murky depths of a Washington, D.C., parking garage. His admonition resulted in the only presidential resignation in American history, at least so far.

Money both ebbs and flows, so let’s take a look at some that is flowing — or soon will be.

China, with whom President Donald Trump and his family have conflicted relationships, has granted Ivanka Trump preliminary approval for five additional trademarks. These involve sunglasses, child care centers, wedding dresses and brokerage, charitable fundraising, and art valuation services.

Ivanka’s supporters argue the trademarks are necessary to protect her famous name from others who might seek to capitalize on it. Critics say that a Trump asking a foreign government for valuable trademark rights opens the door to pressure from that nation in all sorts of government negotiations. It unquestionably lays out the welcome mat for lucrative business possibilities in the future.

That money faucet is poised to flow. 

Money also ebbs, even disappears, for both individuals and entities. The Public School Forum of North Carolina, a nonpartisan advocate for public education, charged this month that reduced funding to traditional public schools in favor of charter and private schools has undermined public education for millions of North Carolina students. The vast majority of our children are in traditional public schools. The group urged the General Assembly to “renew North Carolina’s commitment to public schools for the public good.”

Said Lauren Fox of the Public School Forum, “Recent policy decision have served to discredit, defund and devalue our state’s public education system.”

Rural North Carolina also suffers from a money flow that has morphed into a money trickle from both public and private sources. Some small towns and rural areas are highly creative in making their communities unique in some way to combat the increasing concentration of resources — cultural, educational and monetary — in growing urban areas. Others are flattened by the lack of opportunity that sends their young folks to “the big city,” be it in North Carolina or somewhere else.

Our state, once known as “Variety Vacationland,” is blessed with one-of-a-kind nooks and crannies from Murphy to Manteo and Tuxedo to Turkey. Our travel dollars would be well spent giving ourselves special memories and helping prime our small towns’ money faucets.

And, money does indeed grow, even if not on trees. Increasingly, in the United States and other developed countries, wealth is concentrating in the coffers of the few while the many accumulate debt.

Statistics abound and vary, but virtually all find that the richest are getting richer. CNN reported last year that the top 1 percent of Americans now hold 38 percent of the nation’s wealth, up from just under 34 percent a decade ago, while the bottom 90 percent holds about 23 percent of the wealth, down from 28 percent.

Within those numbers are significant racial and ethnic gaps. The Pew Research Center reports that since the Great Recession of the last decade, white families continue to hold more wealth than other demographic groups.

In addition, while we may not know the exact numbers ourselves, we do understand our economic system is not working for many of us. The World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland, this month released polling results. They reveal that Americans, along with people in other developed nations, are losing faith in capitalism. Nearly two-thirds of Americans surveyed no longer believe our economic system is a path to upward mobility.

“Deep Throat” steered the intrepid reporters toward criminal activities that changed the course of our nation and made millions of Americans distrustful of our government. The ebb and flow of money is not usually criminal, but it affects all of us, and we should be aware of when and how. We should also press for policy changes when we believe they are needed.

  A Fort Bragg Green Beret died from enemy gunfire in Afghanistan Jan. 22. The Department of Defense announced the death of Sgt. 1st Class Joshua Z. Beale, 32, of Carrollton, Virginia. He was mortally wounded by enemy small-arms fire during combat operations in Uruzgan Province, the DOD said in a news release. SFC Beale was a member of the 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group at Fort Bragg and was posthumously promoted to sergeant first class, a spokesman with the U.S. Army Special Operations Command said.

“He will be greatly missed by everyone who had the fortunate opportunity to know him. We extend our deepest condolences to his family for this tragic loss,” said Col. Nathan Prussian, commander of 3rd Special Forces Group. This was Beale’s fourth combat deployment, and his third tour to Afghanistan.

Will the city join the county at its 911 center?

A nondescript, gated building that formerly housed U.S. Defense Department offices is the future home of Cumberland County’s joint 911 communications and emergency operations centers.

Surveillance cameras are mounted on every corner of the structure. Perimeter wrought iron fencing is K-rated, which means the barrier provides anti-terrorism crash protection. County government bought the 17,000 square-foot building at the intersection of Ravenhill Drive and Executive Place for $5.1 million.

Consultants will develop designs and preliminary cost estimates for renovations, which Assistant County Manager Tracey Jackson said will cost as much as $17 million, including upgraded communications equipment.

“Building a new center would cost more than $30 million,” Jackson said. “Our communications center and emergency operations center are outdated and obsolete.”

Officials noted that the county will request state grant funding from the North Carolina 911 Board of Directors. The city of Fayetteville and county commissioners have been debating whether to undertake a joint effort to consolidate 911 operations for several years.

County Commission Chair Jeannette Council said she has been in touch with Fayetteville Mayor Mitch Colvin regarding the city’s interest in a joint venture and is awaiting a response. “We have been talking about building a new emergency services center for years,” she said. A “path is before us now, and we are excited about what lies ahead.”

Congressional election still undecided

With the seating of a new North Carolina Board of Elections and Ethics Enforcement pending, the state’s 9th Congressional District still has no representation in Congress. Much of Cumberland County is in the district.

A state board evidentiary hearing on alleged election improprieties was canceled when courts ruled the board’s makeup was unconstitutional and dissolved it. In a separate court action, Superior Court Judge Paul Ridgeway denied Republican Mark Harris’ effort to be declared winner of the November election. He said the incoming elections board doesn’t have to certify the results of the election until the investigation into alleged absentee ballot fraud is completed.

“Why are we looking at a dramatic intervention by one branch of government into the functioning of another branch of government?” the judge asked. “That’s an extraordinary step to ask a court to take.”

Democratic leaders in the U.S. House have already said they won’t seat Harris until the fraud allegations have been resolved. Harris led Democrat Dan McCready by about 900 votes following the election, but the state board has refused to certify that because of suspicious absentee voting results in Bladen and Robeson counties.

Gene Booth named new Emergency Services director

Cumberland County Manager Amy Cannon has announced the promotion of Woodson E. “Gene” Booth to director of Cumberland County Emergency Services. He succeeds Randy Beeman, who resigned in July to accept a position in Durham County. Booth has worked for Cumberland County Emergency Services for almost 15 years, most recently as the Emergency Management Program Coordinator and fire marshal.

“Mr. Booth has demonstrated that he has the experience, skills and character to lead our Emergency Services Department, and that was especially evident as he managed the Emergency Operations Center during Hurricane Florence,” Cannon said.

Booth is a Hoke County native. He graduated from Cape Fear High School and has more than 21 years of public safety experience. During his tenure, he led the county’s emergency management efforts for Hurricanes Matthew and Florence.

FSU/Lafayette Society collaboration

Wednesday, Feb. 6, at 6 p.m., The Lafayette Society will partner with the Fayetteville State University Black History Scholars Association to co-host a presentation by Dr. Robert Taber about the Haitian Revolution. Taber is assistant professor of History at FSU, where he has taught courses about U.S., African-American, Latin American and French history since 2016.

“His audience will be introduced to the major events, themes and personalities of the Haitian Revolution, and (he) will highlight the ways the revolution influenced the coming of the U.S. Civil War,” said Lafayette Society President Hank Parfitt.

In 1775, slavery was legal everywhere in the Americas. By 1890, it was legal nowhere. The rebellion in Haiti, 1789-1804, is regarded as the most successful uprising of enslaved people in the history of the world.

The event will take place in the Rudolph Jones Student Center on the campus of FSU, and it is free and open to the public. For more information, email hankparfitt@embarqmail.com or visit www.lafayettesociety.org.

Photo: Sgt. 1st Class Joshua Beale

 Up & Coming Weekly polled the ten Cumberland County Schools senior high school football coaches on who they think this year’s Super Bowl winner will be.

Deadline constraints forced us to contact them prior to the playing of the American Football Conference and National Football Conference championship games the weekend of Sunday, Jan. 30.

The AFC finals had New England at Kansas City while the NFC game had the Los Angeles Rams at New Orleans.

Super Bowl LIII will be Sunday, Feb. 3, at 6:30 p.m. at Mercedes- Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. The game will be televised by CBS.

Up & Coming Weekly gave the coaches the option of picking both conference championship games and choosing a Super Bowl winner or just picking a Super Bowl winner from all four teams.

Here’s what they said, along with my prediction at the end.

Rodney Brewington, South View — Brewington picks Kansas City over the Los Angeles Rams in the Super Bowl. “Kansas City has better quarterback play,’’ he said.

Deron Donald, E.E. Smith — “The best four teams are left,’’ Donald said. “I may have to go with experience over talent this time. Kansas City and Los Angeles are probably two of the most talented and explosive teams in a while. However, Drew Brees (New Orleans quarterback) and Tom Brady (New England quarterback) are proven winners and have excelled on the big stage multiple times. With that being said, New Orleans and New England in the Super Bowl.’’

Donald’s score pick — New England 38, New Orleans 35.

Ernest King, Westover — King picks the Los Angeles Rams. “I feel they have a good enough defense to put pressure on the opposing quarterback,’’ he said. “Offensively, they have a good running game and they throw the ball well enough to have a balanced attack.’’

David Lovette, Gray’s Creek — New Orleans Saints. “I’m not real sure about my pick, but the Saints are as good as any,’’ Lovette said.

Duran McLaurin, Seventy-First — McLaurin picks Kansas City over New Orleans.

Bruce McClelland, Terry Sanford — “Young gun (Patrick) Mahomes (Kansas City quarterback) sneaks past Tom Brady and the (New England) Patriots,’’ McClelland said. “Drew Brees (New Orleans quarterback) and Sean Payton (head coach of New Orleans) squeak by the Los Angeles Rams in a high-scoring affair.

“New Orleans Saints 31, Kansas Chiefs 30 in the Super Bowl. Brees and Payton get ring No. two.’’

Mike Paroli, Douglas Byrd — Paroli picks the home teams in the conference championship games, Kansas City and New Orleans. In the Super Bowl, he likes the Saints over the Chiefs.

Brian Randolph, Jack Britt — Randolph picks New England in the AFC and New Orleans in the AFC.

“I am expecting two really explosive championship games, with all four teams lighting up the scoreboard,’’ he said. “I think in the end the Patriots and Saints will prevail and give us all a Super Bowl for the ages.

“My team (Carolina) was eliminated long ago, so I am just hoping for a really good game between two well-coached teams.’’

Randolph picks the New Orleans Saints to win it all.

Bill Sochovka, Pine Forest —Sochovka likes the New Orleans Saints in the Super Bowl.

“Any team but New England,’’ he said. “I would love to see Drew Brees get another Super Bowl ring. He is a great quarterback but an even better human being who gives back to the community.’’

Jacob Thomas, Cape Fear — “Both games are very interesting matchups with high-powered offenses,’’ Thomas said. “I want to go with the new blood, flashy quarterback, but my gut says don’t go against (Bill) Belichick/(Tom) Brady (of New England).

“New England beats the Chiefs in the AFC. I’m going with what I think gets the slight edge in quarterback-coach combination. The Saints outscore the Rams in the NFC.

“In the Super Bowl, I’m going with the Patriots to win it against all odds.”

And, just for fun:

Earl Vaughan Jr., Up & Coming Weekly — The early odds favor New Orleans to win it all, but I’m going to let my heart overrule them. My dad’s family is from Missouri, with many of my relatives living near the Kansas City area.

I think New Orleans is a tough out in the Superdome, so I’m picking them to win the NFC title while I’ll take Kansas City to get the most of home field and the play of Patrick Mahomes against the always-tough Patriots in the AFC final.

For the Super Bowl, I’m pulling with my relatives for the Chiefs, along with long-suffering coach Andy Reid, who I would love to see finally get an NFL championship.

Meetings

For details about all meetings and activities, including location where not listed, call Town Clerk Jane Starling at 910-426-4113. Until the Parks and Recreation building has been repaired following damage from Hurricane Florence, some meetings may be moved to Luther Meeting Room at Town Hall at regular dates and times. Those meetings are noted with an asterisk below.

• Board of Commissioners Monday, Feb. 4, 7 p.m., Luther Board Room, Town Hall

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

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

• 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*

• Veterans Affairs Commission Thursday, Feb. 28, 7 p.m., Parks and Recreation Center*

Activities

For more information on these activities, contact Meghan Hawkins at 910-426-4109.

• 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.

 The Jan. 16, 2019, issue of Up & Coming Weekly featured a Publisher’s Pen article by Bill Bowman about the virtues of the Fayetteville airport. Here are some of our readers’ unedited responses.

Hi Bill!

As usual on point! I learned the hard way about trying to save a couple of bucks flying out of RDU instead of Fayetteville. Long story short, it was a nightmare and I will never ever do it again! What really hurt Fayetteville is when U.S. Air merged with American Airlines and they cut the flights to and from Reagan National a couple of years ago.

I frequently traveled to Washington when that flight was available because I have family in Maryland. And it was cheap! Maybe someday we will get it back — along with other destinations — but until then, flying to Charlotte or Atlanta will suffice. And you are also correct, the Pentagon is only two stops away from the Reagan National on the Metro Subway system. It was very convenient for people in the military.

Have a great day!

Nelson L. Smith

Editor:

Mr. Bowman is 110 percent correct in this article, “Fly Fayetteville!” I have found this airport for my wife and I to be far friendlier and more accommodating with us and her post knee surgery accommodations! Also, taking into account the almost two-hour, 90- mile trip, expensive RDU parking and time wasted, to us it makes sense to FLY FAYETTEVILLE!

Matthew Fagin

Editor:

This isn’t a reflection on the airport. It’s a reflection on local government. That airport will never be more than a hub. But if they want large airlines to invest... they should give them something to invest in. They need to create industry in our community. And to do that they have to invest in our community! When you spend all of your time publicly disrespecting Fayetteville and all aspects of the community... you can’t really expect the residents to commit and you sure as hell can’t get outside agencies to commit. Local government owns that airport. They want it to be better, then they need to make it better. Or resign. Either option would be an improvement.

Liz Blevins via Facebook

Also in the Jan. 16 issue, Karl Merritt wrote about the government shutdown and misplaced outrage. Here is one reader’s response,

As I read your column on the 34th day of the trump shut do down. Yes, it’s his shut down, he said he would do it, and he said he would own it. He did it but he is not owning it. He also said that Mexico would pay, they told him that they would not pay for his wall. Thump lied, and he continues to lie everyday. To close the government is only hurting honest hard working people. For you and thump to bring up the drug and crime components is disingenuous. Placing a wall on the southern border will not solve the drug and crime problem. This is a complete shut down of the federal government and it’s shameful. It’s people like you and trump that I pray for every night that God will change your hearts.

James F. Hawkins

 The new director of the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has asked Congress for explicit authority to strengthen its enforcement of financial protections for service members. Kathleen Kraninger wants specific authorization to conduct examinations of payday lenders and others under the CFPB’s jurisdiction to ensure the lenders are complying with the Military Lending Act.

Kraninger’s appointment to the CFPB came under scrutiny in the Senate in December. She was a littleknown government employee. Her nomination was narrowly approved along party lines.

A 2006 Department of Defense report detailed the harmful effects of high-interest loans on service members and on military readiness. In 2015, the Department of Defense tightened its implementing regulation to help prevent lenders from evading the rules. But last year, under then-acting CFPB Director Mick Mulvaney, the agency pulled back from its regular examinations of payday lenders, saying it didn’t have the authority to do those exams.

In announcing her legislative proposal, which was submitted in January, Kraninger said the bureau’s commitment to the well-being of service members “includes ensuring that lenders subject to our jurisdiction comply with the Military Lending Act.”

The law limits interest rates that can be charged to active-duty service members and their dependents to an annual percentage rate of 36 percent. Young service members, who are particularly vulnerable to these lenders, aren’t necessarily aware of complex laws that protect them and might not file complaints. Kraninger noted she was pleased to see the legislation proposed recently in the House of Representatives.

The North Carolinas General Assembly has resisted efforts of payday lenders and other creditors to foist their high interest rates, often in the triple digits, on the people of this state. During years of back and forth on predatory lending, federal legislation has been inconsistent. Two years ago, a bill written by Congressman Patrick McHenry of western North Carolina would allow lenders with the most harmful lending practices to do business in the Tar Heel state.

The North Carolina Consumer Finance Act governs check-cashing businesses and prohibits cash advances under some circumstances. A company known as Online Cash 4 Payday declares on its website that “borrowers looking for loans without a credit check or who have bad credit will need to look for alternative forms of financing.”

North Carolina installment loans and personal loans are available and legal. There are dozens of small-loan and check-cashing store-front companies in Fayetteville. Online Cash 4 Pay said, “we are here to give you access to the money you need when your (sic) in a pinch … whether your (sic) needing a cash advance, installment loan, personal funds for debt consolidation, title loan, or any type of financial advance.”

In anticipation of a proposal to revise debt collection rules expected in March, advocates from 74 national and state consumer groups sent a letter to Kraninger urging the bureau to focus on protecting consumers from abusive debt collection practices.

 “Who’s on First” was a comedy routine made popular by comedians Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in the 1940s. It was clever and funny. The act centered on Abbott trying to explain to Costello the nature of a baseball game. The routine exemplified how difficult it can be trying to communicate an otherwise simple concept when the components of the event are misleading and confusing. Hence, the phrase, “Who’s on first?” took on the meaning, “Does anyone know what’s going on here?”

That’s a question many Americans are asking as they watch our national government spiraling out of control, making innocent American citizens collateral damage to politicians’ petty and senseless personal, political agendas. Republican and Democratic parties are guilty of this pettiness — of both ignoring common sense and allegiance to their sworn responsibilities to the American people.

This belligerent “my way or the highway” style of political thinking does not produce the kind of government that will preserve the future safety, rights and freedoms of American citizens.

The pettiness of our leaders at the highest levels of government should have all Americans concerned. The 35-day government shutdown is the latest example of this. Shutdown for what? To keep from allocating $5 billion to President Trump for border security? That’s chump change in our federal budget.

Is it worth putting our country in economic jeopardy and inflicting financial hardships on hundreds of thousands of innocent Americans? I think not. Again, Americans become collateral damage to the government elite as our leaders needlessly spend time and money on issues and situations that add nothing to America’s overall safety, well-being or quality of life. We deserve better. In this situation, we surely deserve more than a three-week continuing resolution granting a threeweek temporary reprieve. Now we have 800,000 federal employees holding their breaths, waiting in anticipation for the second shoe to drop. And, over what? Again, chump change and principle?

This irresponsible behavior trickles down to our local governments, too. That is why we are paying so much attention to the Hope Mills commissioners — with the exception of Pat Edwards, who makes common-sense decisions on the town’s behalf. Mayor Pro Tem Mike Mitchell and fellow Commissioners Meg Larson, Jesse Bellflowers and Jerry Legge are hell-bent on discrediting Hope Mills Mayor Jackie Warner. It comes down to not wanting her to succeed or get credit for initiating projects that would benefit the town and endear her to the Hope Mills community.

As a result, ordinances are adopted and unilateral decisions are made without citizen or staff input. This approach to politics has the town running amok, needlessly spending time and taxpayer money on an internal investigation that has yet to be defined — except to insinuate wrongdoing.

Really? By whom? When? The real purpose is an attempt to embarrass and discredit Warner and to fulfill personal agendas that have nothing to do with the well-being of Hope Mills or its citizens. If Mitchell, Bellflowers, Larson and Legge wanted the best for Hope Mills, they would spend their time and efforts working together to move the town forward and not in finding fault with Warner’s aggressive and successful leadership style.

Well, we can’t do much about the political situation in Washington, D.C. However, we can act locally. We love the Hope Mills community and will continue to support the town by being its community newspaper and its advocate. In reality, the growth, progress and opportunities in Hope Mills can overcome the negative impact of the town’s leadership — even with rumors and fake news circulation in the town undermining its leadership, progress and achievements.

Up & Coming Weekly and Elizabeth Blevins’ informational website, Hope-Mills.net, are committed to keeping you abreast of news, events and information that affect all the citizens of Hope Mills and Cumberland County. Stay tuned. Good things are happening in Hope Mills, and we are pleased to be a part of it.

Thanks for reading Up & Coming Weekly. Subscribe to the electronic version free of charge at www.upandcomingweekly.com. Stay in the know!