I’ve been to a few high school basketball games over the years where the person keeping the scorebook at the courtside table wore a striped shirt like the ones the officials wear.

I think that’s a good idea because the official scorekeeper at a high school game is in many ways as much a part of the officiating crew as the people who run up and down the court blowing their whistles.

But I’d like to make a case for someone else at that table, and in the press box at high school football games, who might want to put on one of those striped shirts on game night: the publicaddress announcer.

Before you call me crazy, listen to my case.

I’ve been to several games where the announcer should have been wearing a completely different type of uniform. He or she would have been more suitably dressed as a cheerleader, because for the better part of the game, that’s mostly what they did on the loudspeakers — root, root for the home team.

I know a lot of fans are going to disagree with me, but cheering is not the job of the PA announcer. PA announcers, like the officials calling the game, need to be neutral. There’s no reason to be totally vanilla behind the microphone. It’s okay to show some excitement when announcing a great play. But keep it to the basics. Give names and numbers. Statistics. That sort of thing. Don’t show favoritism for one team.

Oh, and something else PA announcers shouldn’t do — criticize the officials.

I was at a basketball game some years ago, and the announcer was getting a little too involved, calling play-by-play and making editorial calls on the officiating.

Finally, after one situation, the announcer complained for all to hear that the officials had missed a “terrible” traveling call.

The game was stopped, and the head of the officiating crew requested that the announcer be removed immediately and replaced.

The North Carolina High School Athletic Association has a code of what it calls expectations for announcers that call postseason games. It is good rule of practice for announcers in regularseason games as well. Here are some highlights:

• The announcer shouldn’t try to be bigger than the event and draw attention to himself or herself.

• Announcers can have a big influence on the game. Cheerleading or inciting the crowd is out of line.

• Always promote sportsmanship and treat the opposing team and its fans as welcome guests.

• Know your job and the rules of the game you’re calling.

In short, leave the cheering to the cheerleaders, and share information with the fans that may not be readily available to them.

Treat everybody on both teams with respect and it will be a better experience for all involved.

 When Mack Brown returned to the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill as head football coach last month, he had barely three weeks to jump-start the school’s recruiting efforts with North Carolina high schools during the early signing period for prospects.

Thanks to the support of a couple of Tar Heel backers from Fayetteville, Brown was able to get a couple of major prospects to flip their commitments during his short time on the recruiting trail and dramatically improve the overall quality of his first class of recruits.

Fayetteville developer Ralph Huff, a UNC graduate and longtime supporter of the Tar Heel athletic program, offered Brown the use of his private plane for a whirlwind swing around the state to visit a variety of recruits one Saturday last month.

Trey Edge, who played football at both Terry Sanford and for Carolina during Brown’s first term as coach there, has strong ties to the state’s high school football coaching community through his years as the play-by-play announcer for Terry Sanford football.

He and Huff accompanied Brown and members of the new Tar Heel coaching staff on that journey around the state.

Edge remembers when Brown struggled through 1-10 seasons before getting his first Tar Heel football program established.

“The one thing I saw even back then was his ability to sell the university and his ability to sell himself,’’ Edge said.

Edge called Brown an incredible motivator. “His ability to instill hope and belief was what got this program to a top ten program,’’ Edge said. “He still has to instill hope today, and that’s what people are counting on.’’

One of the biggest challenges for Brown will be restoring the connection between the Tar Heel football program and the high school coaches around the state. Edge said it was impossible to disguise the fact that the relationship between the North Carolina program and the high school coaches within the state had fallen off sharply in recent years.

At the age of 67, and having been an analyst for ESPN for the last few years after winning a national championship at Texas, some might argue that Brown won’t be familiar to high school athletes and coaches in North Carolina. Edge disagrees.

“He’s been on TV,’’ Edge said. “He was just inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.’’

Edge said the key to recruiting success for North Carolina moving forward will be the relationships Brown and his new coaching staff plan to build with the state’s high schools.

“They are crisscrossing the state, being visible in every high school,’’ Edge said. “They’ve divided responsibilities among the 10 assistant coaches. Every assistant coach will have a responsibility inside the state of North Carolina.’’

The day Edge spent with Brown and several of his assistants, he said he was most impressed with the effort and energy they exhibited at the various stops they made.

It showed in the fact the Tar Heel recruiting class was rated as low as the top 90 in the country when Brown began. Just three weeks later, after flipping stars like wide receiver Emery Simmons of South View from Penn State and quarterback Sam Howell of Sun Valley from Florida State, the Tar Heel class shot up into the 40s nationally.

“It all begins with those guys willing to reestablish relationships within the state,’’ Edge said. “That’s what I’m most excited about.’’

Huff graduated from UNC in 1972 and 20 years ago committed to give an annual football scholarship to the Tar Heel athletic program. He’d become frustrated by the fact Fayetteville and Cumberland County produced a number of North Carolina Athletic Association Division I football prospects over the last several years, but none of them wound up playing for the Tar Heels.

Huff said he wasn’t a close friend of Brown during his first stint as Tar Heel football coach, but he quickly saw Brown’s skills as a recruiter during the trip they took together last month.

“He is so warm and personable,’’ Huff said. “He was sitting beside me on the airplane, and when he talks to you he leans over, looks you in the eye, puts his hand on your knee and connects with you. That’s the kind of guy he is.’’

Huff isn’t overly optimistic and isn’t predicting North Carolina recruiting will jump to the kind of levels national champion Clemson has enjoyed. But he’s confident Brown can get the Tar Heels to a level that will rival traditional Atlantic Coast Conference powers like Florida State and Virginia Tech in a short period of time.

“Given a full year (to recruit), there’s no reason we can’t be No. 2 or No. 3 behind Clemson,’’ Huff said.

Huff thinks it’s also important for North Carolina to show some tangible results on the field in Brown’s first season.

This fall’s schedule will include games with South Carolina and Appalachian State in nonconference. Clemson returns to the ACC schedule, along with rivals Duke and Wake Forest, who both won bowl games last season.

“We have a hard schedule,’’ Huff said. “We are clearly going to have to break even for people to think we’re headed in the right direction. If we can get to 7-5 or 8-4, everybody will be deliriously happy.’’

Photo:  L-R: UNC-Chapel Hill assistant coach Tim Brewster, head coach Mack Brown, Ralph Huff, assistant coach Dre Bly, assistant coach Robert Gillespie, Trey Edge, and assistant coach Tommy Thigpen.

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.

• Appearance Committee Tuesday, Jan. 22, 6 p.m., Parks and Recreation Center*

• Veterans Affairs Commission Thursday, Jan. 24, 7 p.m., Parks and Recreation Center*

• Parks and Recreation Committee Monday, Jan. 28, 6:30 p.m., Parks and Recreation Center*

• 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*

Activities

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

• Martin Luther King Jr. Day Monday, Jan. 21 — Town offices closed.

• 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.

 At the most recent meeting of the Hope Mills Board of Commissioners, town leaders began to take concrete steps toward dealing with a serious issue of flooding along streets near C. Wayne Collier Elementary School.

A large number of trees that once stood on the property at the elementary school were removed not too long ago.

A recent rash of hurricanes and increased rain has turned the roads surrounding the school into frequent sites of flooding, posing both a traffic hazard for people driving there and a regular flooding headache for people with homes near the school.

“One inch of rain will puddle in those ditches,’’ Hope Mills Mayor Jackie Warner said of the situation. “If they have any amount of rain over a short period of time, there’s flooding.’’

Warner said the loss of the trees on the property at C. Wayne Collier is the heart of the problem.

When the trees were in place, the water running off from the property was absorbed by the roots of the trees and the ground.

Without the trees, the water runs off downhill, toward the ditches and the road in front of the school.

“We’ve had so much rain, it’s affected us more than it ever has before,’’ Warner said.

At the last commissioners meeting, town officials were joined by representatives of Cumberland County Schools, including CCS Superintendent Dr. Marvin Connelly. A representative of the North Carolina Department of Transportation was supposed to be at the meeting but was unable to attend.

Warner said Hope Mills town manager Melissa Adams is quickly working to convene a committee that will seek both a short-term solution for the flooding issue and a long-term fix as well.

Members of the committee will include someone from CCS and the DOT, along with town representatives, including Beth Brown, who is in charge of storm water, and Don Sisko, who heads the town’s public works department.

Warner said having representatives from all three groups will help make it easier to find a solution rapidly.

There is already a previous plan, drawn up in 2011, that could be modified to provide a solution to the flooding, Warner said. It needs to be explored to see if funding for dealing with the problem can come from DOT, the town of Hope Mills or the school system.

There will also be a question for funding ongoing expense if a retention pond and filtration system are placed on the school property, Warner said. “We’ll let the committee make some recommendations and bring them back to the board,’’ Warner said.

 By the time opening day for spring sports in Hope Mills rolls around on Saturday, April 13, there should be a sign honoring the memory of the late Gary Dove on the main building at the Brower Park athletic complex on Rockfish Road.

The idea for the sign was first proposed by Jerry Legge of the town’s Board of Commissioners, one of many friends of Dove and himself a longtime proponent of youth athletics in the town.

“The building at Brower Park is almost new, and we’re going to dedicate it to him,’’ Legge said.

The multi-purpose structure, the largest of two buildings at the Brower Park athletic complex, is two stories and contains a concession stand plus rooms used for the cheerleading and wrestling programs. At various times of the year, the space is also used as a room for umpires to gather when they’re not on the field working.

The second floor has space used by the Hope Mills Youth Association.

Legge said it was only fitting to have a permanent recognition of Dove’s contributions to the town’s youth athletic program.

“He didn’t meet any strangers,’’ Legge said of Dove. “He coached there for years, and he was president of the youth program for several years. He worked as a field supervisor for the last few years of his life.’’

Legge said Dove was known by nearly everyone in town and was remembered by many for his smile and generosity.

“I thought it was appropriate we did something in his honor,’’ Legge said.

Town manager Melissa Adams said work should be completed shortly, if not by the time this story is published, on a sign that will be placed on the front of the Brower Park building facing Rockfish Road.

“We’ve been in consultation with the family about designing it and the correct name they wanted,’’ Adams said. Although everyone knew Dove as Gary, his given name is Maxey, a name he shares with his son, who still works for the Hope Mills Parks and Recreation Department.

Adams said an unveiling of the sign will be scheduled, again in consultation with the family. Members of the Board of Commissioners will also be invited to attend.

Adams expects the unveiling of the sign will take place sometime by the end of this month or early February, well before the start of the spring sports season in Hope Mills.

Maxey Dove said his father’s commitment to youth sports in Hope Mills was something dear to his heart. “He enjoyed the camaraderie with the kids, the teaching experience of seeing kids go from never having caught a ball before to potential all-star years down the road,’’ he said.

“It wasn’t just the competition part, the wins and losses. It was more about building character, building future leaders.’’

Adams said it’s important for the young people of the town to see permanent recognition of the kind of dedication that leaders like Gary Dove exhibited.

“Hopefully that leads them to want to do the same,’’ she said. “Hopefully they can see the dedication and lifelong work that he did selflessly. He didn’t get paid for it. Hopefully, they can see that and they will want to give back as well.’’

Photo: Gary Dove with his grandson Cameron and dog Maggie.

 Whether it is Academic Decathlon or Battle of the Books or a homeschool spelling bee, the thrill of intellectual challenge and conquest in middle school and high school is sweet. It’s sweet as a grown-up, too. Thursday, Jan. 24, history buffs and trivia fans of all ages will have a chance to test their chops at the Museum of the Cape Fear’s 18th annual Civil War & Reconstruction Quiz Bowl. It will be held in the Pate Room of Headquarters Library and begins at 7 p.m.

Leisa Greathouse, curator of education for the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, organizes the event and creates the questions each year.

“There is no age requirement,” she said. “Anyone of any age who would like to participate is welcome to do so.” A maximum of 15 contestants can take part; this is a change from previous years’ cap of 20 contestants.

The quiz bowl features 150 questions plus a few extra in case any are contested. In another departure from the past format, gameplay will be organized by rounds instead of categories.

One round consists of each contestant answering one question. Then the next round starts, with those contestants who answered incorrectly in the previous round having a strike.

“Three strikes and you’re out!” Greathouse said. “At the end of each round, we will look at the scoreboard and get to see just how close the contest might be. We will continue with rounds until a winner emerges, which is the last person without three strikes.”

Contestants will encounter questions about people, battles and events surrounding the Civil War and Reconstruction eras. There will be questions with images accompanying them, as well as multiple choice and true-or-false questions.

All ages will compete together in the one event, but winners will be crowned for an adult category (age 17 and up) and a youth category (age 16 and under). Winners will be the last adult standing and the last youth standing. Each winner will receive a $50 gift certificate to Barnes & Noble.

This event serves as both a fun community-builder and a way to emphasize the importance of understanding and reflecting on our nation’s history. It’s been well-received and well-loved for many years. “Some of the contestants who began competing at 11 and 12 years old are now competing as adults,” Greathouse said.

The quiz bowl is especially relevant as the Museum of the Cape Fear continues to transition into the North Carolina Civil War & Reconstruction History Center, a project with roots that trace back to 2007 but that picked up speed in the past few years.

The new center, according to nccivilwarcenter.org, aims to be “a teaching museum rather than a collecting museum.” It will be the first state museum in the U.S. to provide an interpretation of the Civil War and its aftermath from the perspective of an entire state — which will include perspectives that represent all walks of life and political and social affiliations.

Call Greathouse at 910-500-4243 to register in advance. If there is still room the night of the quiz bowl, contestants can sign up at the door.

The Civil War & Reconstruction Quiz Bowl is free and open to the public. Headquarters Library is located at 300 Maiden Ln. in downtown Fayetteville.

 Prepare to be amazed at “The Heart and Soul of Magic,” hitting the Seabrook Auditorium stage Saturday, Jan. 26, at 7:30 p.m. Fayetteville State University welcomes magicians Randy “Ran’D” Shine, Jamahl Keyes, Kid Ace and Hip Hop Juggler for this event.

According to Aaron Singleton, personal relations representative for FSU’s Seabrook Performance Series, “We talked to folks at Fort Bragg … we thought (this show) was something that would appeal to families and people of all ages.”

Steve Mack, a fellow staff member at Seabrook, commented on the acts, saying, “When we put the series together for this year, we looked for a variety of entertainment … we talked about doing something that would appeal to the military, families and students in the area.”

Magical comedian Randy Shine has been entertaining a variety of audiences for more than 10 years. A highly acclaimed performer, Shine has presented at such prestigious events as the 44th Presidential Inauguration Banquet and Ball for President Barack Obama. Moreover, Shine teaches about magic at universities throughout the country and various U.S. military bases around the world; he also performs in hospitals for children with terminal illnesses.

Shine has even been a producer for “The Heart and Soul of Magic” tour itself. He will share the stage with Jamahl Keyes, another comedic magician who blends interactive laughs with classic magic. “Keyes is, in his own rite, an ‘ace-magician’ — he does workshops on team-building and becoming a better person,” said Singleton.

Kid Ace will put a fresh spin on the show by mixing magic with illusion. Besides his performances across the globe, he has entranced audiences on his “North American Tour” and starred on season three of the Netflix sensation “Bill Nye Saves the World.”

Kid Ace specializes in infusing magic with elements of today’s culture. His understanding of fashion and music influences his performances in a way everyone will love.

Another culturally savvy magician, Paris, or the “Hip Hop Juggler” as nicknamed by Al Roker, has been performing for more than 10 years. His comedy, stunts and juggling skills have wowed audiences from the White House to “The Today Show.” Paris has taught his fans how to juggle at various conventions, and you can find him showing off his skills in Thalía and Natti Natasha music video “No Me Acuerdo.”

“You can expect to be amazed, to be dazzled — you can expect to laugh a lot,” Singleton said of the show. “If you don’t want to have fun, you shouldn’t show up.”

Of the performers, Mack said, “They’re all good at just getting everyone in the audience involved. The fact that we were able to package all four of these artists really made it something unique.”

“The Heart and Soul of Magic” will take place at Seabrook Auditorium at Fayetteville State University, 1200 Murchison Rd. To purchase tickets, visit www.etix.com. For more information, call 910-672-1724 or visit www.facebook.com/jwseabrookauditorium. This event is open to the public.

 The Fayetteville Cumberland County Ministerial Council presents its 26th annual “Honoring Dr. MLK’s Legacy” Prayer Breakfast Monday, Jan. 21, from 8 a.m.-10 a. m. at the Crown Expo Center.

“Our keynote speaker this year is Joseph High, who is a recently retired corporate executive, and this is his third retirement,” said Dr. Maxie Dobson, president of The Fayetteville Cumberland County Ministerial Council. “I think that everyone will enjoy him. … He is a direct recipient of benefiting from the legacy of Dr. King, and I am grateful that he accepted to be the speaker for the 2019 prayer breakfast.”

Dobson added that one of the goals for the breakfast this year is an expeditious execution, saying he would like for it to be no longer than two hours. The reason is that, typically, there are 1,500 attendees who have to get through the breakfast line.

The event also includes a day of service component. “The tradition has been that we encourage all who are attending to find some means of rendering some service in honor of the holiday; (it’s for those who are inspired by) the encouragement by Dr. King’s wife to make it a day ‘on’ rather than a day ‘off,’” said Dobson.

He continued, “For many individuals, it is an off day from their regular job. But (Dr. King’s wife) said rather than considering it an off day, consider doing some kind of service in your community.”

The Fayetteville Cumberland County Ministerial Council’s theme for this year’s event is “Seize the Moment.”

“The theme is to promote a sense of urgency... to first identify the opportunities that the individual can engage themselves to facilitate and then make it an urgency to do so,” said Dobson. “The Tabernacle of Miracles Church is collecting socks and blankets for the homeless, and it is very satisfying to know that we will be able to contribute those to the homeless shelter.”

Dobson speculated on what Dr. King would say about the present state of America if he were alive today. “I think Dr. King would... rightly assess that the values … he espoused — particularly to love community — are not being pursued in a large-scale way,” said Dobson.

“I think that he would encourage us not to allow what he gave his life for to be in vain. (I think he would us encourage us) to remind ourselves that we are one community and to celebrate our differences as opposed to finding an occasion to condemn our differences based upon whatever ideology one may choose.”

Dobson added, “I believe we can anticipate our best breakfast yet. We look forward to seeing everyone at the event.”

Tickets cost $20. For more information, visit www.fayettevillemincouncil.org or call 910-624-7785.

 Two Marines and a Navy corpsman are under investigation in the death in northern Iraq of a Lockheed Martin contractor from Fayetteville. The New York Times reported that the military contractor was severely injured in a brawl on New Year’s Eve in Erbil, Iraq, and was airlifted to Landstuhl, Germany. The Daily Beast identified the Lockheed contractor as Rick Rodriguez, a former Green Beret with nearly 20 years of service in the Army.

Rodriguez’s wife and four children, who live in Fayetteville, were flown by the military to Germany and, according to an anonymous U.S. military source, decided to take him off life support Jan. 4. The Daily Beast reported that accounts of his death vary. One version, cited by the military source, stemmed from an altercation in an Erbil gym. Another involved a shooting competition.

In both scenarios, an atmosphere of bravado and trash-talking involving several people spilled over into a fight that left the contractor beaten and then stomped into unconsciousness. The military source said the incident had numerous witnesses.

“Lockheed Martin was saddened to learn of the loss of one of our employees, who was fatally injured while supporting Special Operations Forces within the... area of operations in a noncombat related incident,” a company spokesperson said in a statement.

The New York Times reported that the Marines and sailor under investigation in Rodriguez’s death were assigned to a Marine special operations unit in Iraq. “MARSOC (Marine Forces Operations Command) is providing all requested support to investigators as they look into this incident,” Maj. Nicholas Mannweiler told ABC News.

The former Green Beret’s death is the latest in a series of serious episodes among special operations forces. The killing follows last year’s death of Green Beret Army Staff Sgt. Logan Melgar in West Africa. He was assigned to special forces at Fort Bragg. Two Marine Raiders and two Navy SEALs have been charged with murder in that incident. Special Warfare Operator Chief Edward Gallagher was arraigned early this month at Naval Base San Diego in San Diego, California, on numerous charges, including the killing of a wounded ISIS prisoner.

A Defense Department review of ethics and standards within the special operations community is underway. The commander of U.S. Special Operations Forces issued a call to action because of what he called a “damaged culture of discipline in the ranks. Left unchecked, an eroded values system threatens to erode the trust of our fellow comrades, our senior leaders and ultimately the American people,” Gen. Tony Thomas said in a message to the force.

The message called for “rapid and focused action to... identify and address the underlying causes. Correcting this trend will take committed leadership at all levels of our command and personal moral courage by all,” Thomas wrote.

On Jan. 1, Special Operations Command launched a 90-day internal review requiring senior field grade officers to get more involved with their troops, according to Thomas’ message, first reported by Newsweek. The review also includes a look at instruction, culture, command climate surveys and research into behavioral health issues associated with operations.

 The Fayetteville city administration spent more than an hour at a recent City Council work session defending its management of Fayetteville Regional Airport. Mayor Mitch Colvin criticized airport director Bradley Whited for failing to acknowledge that the airport is underperforming. “It’s hard to be open for change if you don’t think something is wrong,” Colvin said.

A panel of officials addressed City Council’s concerns. “If we’re not getting the results we want, we need to change what we’re doing,” said Councilman Jim Arp. He is a retired Army officer but did not mention specifically that Fort Bragg military personnel and their families represent the local airport’s most dependable customer base. Arp said that airport officials should better understand who flies out of Fayetteville.

City Manager Doug Hewett defended Whited’s 22 years of service, noting a North Carolina Department of Transportation Division of Aviation study released Jan. 7 that pointed out that Fayetteville Regional Airport generates more than $784 million for the local economy and supports 4,410 jobs.

Over the last 15 years, enplaned passenger levels have increased 95 percent. Fayetteville and Jacksonville, North Carolina, airports, both of which serve military communities, have trended higher in passenger growth than other regional airports. City council members spoke of customer service inadequacies. Councilwoman Kathy Jensen said she enjoys flying out of Fayetteville, but she can’t even buy a cup of coffee in the early morning. Whited said that will change with a full-service restaurant now under construction. Others complained that smaller cities like Wilmington and Asheville airports provide more airline service. Those communities are tourist attractions, and Fayetteville is not.

Whited pointed out that a $40 million terminal modernization program now underway will reduce facility complaints. Fayetteville Regional Airport is spending $19 million in federal grants during the first year of the project. The airport is self-supporting and receives no local tax funds from city government.

“These numbers highlight the importance of Fayetteville Regional Airport and show why area residents should fly local,” Whited said in a statement. “Considering the … time you save to fly out of Fayetteville, customers can’t beat the convenience and customer service of Fayetteville Regional Airport.”

The NCDOT Division of Aviation report brought up by Hewett highlights the economic impact of the state’s public airports. NCDOT said it created the report to help guide future investment in aviation infrastructure and to act as a tool for recruiting future aviation and aerospace industry. The report contains data compiled and analyzed for NCDOT by North Carolina State University’s Institute for Transportation Research and Education.

Fayetteville received word last month that United Airlines was discontinuing service from Fayetteville to Washington, D.C.’s Dulles International Airport, citing a costly 64 percent average passenger load factor. Eighty percent is considered the norm.

Council members did not discuss the competitive edge Raleigh-Durham International Airport enjoys. American Airlines and Delta continue service here. Nine airlines operate out of RDU.

Local studies indicate about half of Fayetteville fliers choose RDU rather than the local airport. The Fayetteville Area Capture Rate by Airport found that 49.6 percent of Fayetteville passengers chose RDU, 44.4 percent chose FAY, and 5.7 percent selected Charlotte Douglas International Airport, according to Airline Schedule data via Fayetteville Regional Airport Market Leakage Analysis (2016) provided by Hubpoint consultant Managing Director Doung Banez.

 Fayetteville City Councilman Johnny Dawkins is on the mend at home following heart surgery. He is recovering from quadruple heart bypass surgery that took place at Duke Heart Center in Durham Dec. 28. He returned home New Year’s Day. The surgery, he said, took five hours.

“They gave me four new coronary artery bypass grafts,” he said. Dawkins added that he has no intention of resigning from City Council.

He said Dr. Jacob Schroder, a thoracic surgeon who practices at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, performed the surgery. Doctors discovered arterial blockages after he had a cardiac catheterization — a procedure that took place after he continued to have jaw pain while exercising on an elliptical machine.

Dawkins is a member of the Duke Cancer Institute’s Brain Tumor Board of Advisors. He served on City Council from 2003 to 2005 and ran again successfully in 2016.

Local hospital official resigns

Arkansas Children’s Hospital has hired Brent Thompson to lead its legal services division as senior vice president and chief legal officer. Thompson currently serves as chief legal officer for Cape Fear Valley Health System in Fayetteville, a system with more than 900 licensed beds and 6,000 employees.

“Brent was drawn to our mission of championing children because one of his two sons spent several days in an NICU right after birth,” said Arkansas Children’s President and CEO Marcy Doderer.

Thompson earned a law degree at the University of Tulsa College of Law and is also an alumnus of the University of Oklahoma in Norman. He has extensive experience in litigation, hospital policies and procedures and hospital compliance with federal laws.

Human Trafficking Awareness Month

January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month. Fayetteville’s Child Advocacy Center, the Fayetteville Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, and the Methodist University social work department are co-sponsoring three presentations on the subject. Russell G. Wilson, an expert in human trafficking, will make the presentations.

Wilson graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, and completed his first research project in Cambodia looking at the factors of resiliency for survivors of commercial sexual exploitation.

His first session will be Thursday, Jan. 24, from 2-4 p.m., at Lafayette Baptist Church, 501 Hope Mills Rd. The intended audience is law enforcement, social workers and mental health professionals. That evening, from 6:30-8 p.m., Wilson will give an address at the Kiwanis Recreation Center, 352 Devers St. The intended audience is the community at large.

Friday, Jan. 25, from 10 a.m.-noon, the final session will be at Fayetteville State University’s Shaw Auditorium, 1200 Murchison St. Faculty and students are encouraged to attend.

The programs are offered free of charge, but registration is required at the Child Advocacy website. For more details or to register, visit CACFayNC.org.

Flick your BIC

BIC USA is observing its 60th anniversary and has allocated $60,000 of an original $100,000 donation in 2018 to DonorsChoose.org to fund in-school handwriting projects and classroom requests. The company said the money will reach nearly 800 elementary and middle school students in underserved areas, including a school in Fayetteville.

“At BIC, we are committed to education and serving our communities,” said Linda Palladino, senior brand manager of BIC Consumer Products.

DonorsChoose.org is a nonprofit organization that considers teacher requests and allows individuals and companies to donate directly to classroom projects. Funding from BIC USA and DonorsChoose.org will help students in Cumberland and six other North Carolina counties to learn the art of handwriting and develop skills to become better readers through projects designed to spark their creativity.

Specific projects supported in North Carolina include “Essential Learning with Play-Dough” at Cumberland Road Elementary School in Fayetteville.

“According to Hanover Research, 15 minutes of daily writing promotes individuality, enhances motor skills and improves cognitive development,” said Linda Palladino, senior brand manager for BIC Consumer Products USA.

Fayetteville Minor League Baseball

Fayetteville’s downtown baseball stadium is one of three brand-new minor league ballparks opening this coming season. According to BallparkDigest.com, inaugural Minor League Baseball games have been announced for all three ballparks. They include home openers for the Fayetteville Woodpeckers (High A; Carolina League), Amarillo Sod Poodles (Class AA; Texas League) and the Las Vegas Aviators (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League). After beginning the season on the road, the Woodpeckers will open their ballpark with an April 18 matchup against the Carolina Mudcats.

The Woodpeckers spent the past two seasons at Campbell University’s Jim Perry Stadium.

The new stadium in Fayetteville will also host several events in addition to Woodpeckers’ games. It has already been announced as the home of the annual Big South Conference baseball tournament from 2019-2021. In both Amarillo, Texas, and Fayetteville, affiliated Minor League Baseball action returns after a considerable absence.

Fayetteville has not had a Minor League Baseball club since the Cape Fear Crocs (Low A; Sally League) moved to Lakewood, New Jersey, after the 2000 campaign. The Sod Poodles are the first Amarillo-based affiliated minor league team since the Texas League’s Gold Sox relocated to Beaumont, Texas, after the 1982 season.

Photo: Johnny Dawkins

 What is so rare as a slow loris in June? Would a slow loris by any other name smell as sweet? Today, we shall journey down a zoological rabbit hole to visit our old friend, the slow loris.

As we all know, Loris is a small town in South Carolina, which stands between Fayetteville and Myrtle Beach. The slow loris is a lemur-like critter that has nothing to do with South Carolina. The slow loris is a native of South Asia. Befitting its name, the slow loris spends most of his day curled up in a ball sleeping in a tree, waiting for night to fall.

This behavior is reminiscent of a congressman or a member of the North Carolina General Assembly waiting for free food at a buffet sponsored by a corporate lobbyist. Like our legislative representatives, the slow loris waits until night to eat.

It is unclear if the slow lorises were labeled when young and placed in special education classes. No slow loris ever had an Individualized Education Program. The slow loris likely got its name in reference to his lack of physical speed. He is a little guy, weighing from about 7 ounces to 2 pounds.

The slow loris, or SloLo as his friends call him, will eat anything — fruits, leaves, vegetables, small birds and little reptiles. To call SloLo by his scientific name, you would refer to him as a nocturnal strepsirrhine primate. Try saying nocturnal strepsirrhine primate three times fast. Go ahead. I’ll wait. Not easy, is it? That’s why his buddies call him SloLo. It’s easier to say.

SloLo has tiny little hands like America’s own Dear Very Stable Genius Leader. SloLo is armed with fingers that allow him to grasp tree branches to hang around for long periods. He avoids falling on the jungle floor where bad things might happen to him.

The dandy thing about SloLo is, despite being the size of an hors d’oeuvre, larger predators give him great respect and don’t eat him. Why don’t they eat him, you ask? He’s slow, tiny and sleeps during the day, making him an easy target.

Despite the difficult hand dealt to SloLo by Mother Nature, he prevails. SloLo has a super power. His tiny little teeth are toxic. He is the only poisonous primate. Despite his cute appearance and yearning eyes, he can poison you with a bite. He has grooved teeth that let him hold poison in his mouth — the better to chomp you.

He stores his venom in glands in his elbows. He slurps down on his elbows, and his saliva, like the activated charcoal in Kent cigarettes, causes the venom to burst into full nastiness. The better to bite you with, my dear. Mamma SloLo licks her elbows to gather venom. She then licks it all over the baby SloLo, grooming him with poison. The other jungle critters know that if they eat a baby SloLo, they will get a case of gastro esophageal reflux that would send them to the jungle Emergency Room — if there were an ER in the jungle. Since the predators don’t have Blue Cross, the baby SloLos can pass their childhood essentially uneaten.

SloLos do have a few enemies. Snakes and orangutans have a taste for SloLo toxin, but the other bad guys know them and leave them alone. A threatened SloLo goes into the freeze mode, remaining still until the danger passes. Unfortunately, the local human population believes SloLos have supernatural powers that can ward off evil spirits and heal the sick. This leads to SloLos being hunted by humans. As the SloLo freezes when frightened, catching them is akin to shooting fish in a barrel. Not very sporting, but very easy.

It remains to be seen if a fast loris exists. We hope for no fast lorises. Consider zombies. The vast majority of zombies are slow and lumbering like those portrayed in “The Walking Dead.” Most people can outrun zombies. Unfortunately, there is a genus of zombies who can run as shown in the movies “28 Days” and “28 Days Later.” If chased by a running zombie, most people will end up as zombie chow, as zombies never get winded because they don’t breathe. If there are fast lorises, the poisonous tooth would be on the other foot as the fast loris could catch and bite the natives who are killing its cousin, the slow loris.

So, have we learned anything today? Once again, probably nothing. Better luck next time. However, if Shakespeare had ever met a slow loris, literary history would have been changed. Consider the plays he would have written: “All’s Well that Ends with a Slow Loris Bite,” “Slow Loris Labor’s Lost,” “Merry Wives of Slow Loris,” “Much Ado about Slow Lorises,” “Taming of the Slow Loris” and “A Midsummer Night’s Slow Loris.” As Mitch Miller once sang, “Be kind to your poisonous primates in the swamp, for a slow loris may be somebody’s mother.”

 As a Tar Heel born and bred, all things North Carolina and most things Southern are the norm for me, so much so that I forget people in other places do not experience the world exactly the way we do. Poor babies!

That truth was brought home to me yet again when one of the Dickson Precious Jewels took off to New York City for her college years, making friends with people from all over the world, including some Skinny-Minnie New York girls who had never heard of, much less tasted, pimento cheese. This Southern mother immediately set out to right that wrong, and the girls loved it so much, we transported containers of PC to the Big Apple since it is not a staple in NYC grocery coolers.

There is nothing like a Saturday morning fried egg sandwich with bacon, tomato, and pimento cheese on a toasted English muffin.

The South is known for its hospitality, which often includes foods like pimento cheese, gumbo, pecan pie, and barbeque with vinegar sauce, but our most enduring contribution to American culture may well be our colorful and unique way with the English language.

“Talk Southern to Me” by Julia Fowler found its way under my Christmas tree, and I have laughed and marveled while wallowing in its pages. Fowler recounts stories of our special brands of charm, family, love and marriage, parenthood and more.

Southerners are great storytellers and have plenty of them to pass along. The best part to me, though, is Fowler’s glossary of Southernisms — or as she expresses them, “stuff Southern folks say that needs interpreting.” Many of them have escaped my lips all my life, but I had no idea they are conspicuously Southern. I thought everyone used these expressions.

These include “billfold” (Americans elsewhere use the word wallet,) “pocketbook” (purse), “lightning bugs” (fireflies), “drop cord” (extension cord), “ear bob” (earring), “mash” (as in press the doorbell), “playing possum” (faking sleep), “rubbernecking” (staring at some sight), “sorry” (as in useless), “stomping ground” (home turf ), “tizzy” (uproar) and “wrecker” (tow truck.)

Others are so Southern even I recognize them for what they are — wonderfully inventive words and expressions to describe elements of everyday life. Julia Fowler lists pages of them, and here are some of my favorites.

“Directly” as in very soon. My beloved grandmother, Gobbie, was always doing things “directly.”

“Get-out,” a form of measurement. I love you more than all “get-out.”

“Forty eleven.” A large amount, as in I have “forty-eleven” emails waiting.

“Tight.” Thrifty, even cheap, as in he’s too “tight” to eat in restaurants. Can also mean having too much to drink, as in Joe is too “tight” to drive.

“Go whole hog.” Go all out, over the top. We are “going whole hog” for this family reunion.

“Hold the phone.” Calm down, chill out.

“Knee baby.” A toddler, as in I’ve known Buddy since he was a “knee baby.”

“Nekid as a jaybird.” Totally nude. My father used this term when the children were bathing.

“Carry.” Transport. I hope John will “carry” me to the doctor.

“People.” Family. Gobbie used to ask my friends “who are your people” to figure out — another Southernism — whether she knew them.

“Pure tee.” Real, genuine. That fellow is “pure-tee” mean.

“Slap.” Completely, as in worn “slap” out.

“Used to could.” Could do in the past. I “used to could” run a 4-minute mile.

“Weuns,” “Youins,” and “usins.” We all, you all and us all.

“No-count.” Substandard. This old car is “no-count.”

“Libala.” Likely, as in if I don’t write down your phone number, I’m “libala” to forget it.

Finally, my all-time favorite, which I have heard all my life and probably used myself.

“Jeet?” Have you eaten yet? As in “Jeet lunch?”

I wonder if I ever asked those Skinny-Minnie New York girls that question.

 I must have missed something along the way when it comes to knowing what is going on with all the grumblings about our airport. I thought our airport commission and the staff at Fayetteville Regional Airport were doing a pretty good job, considering the makeup and nature of our community and the challenges that small, regional airports like Fayetteville face from rising operating costs and competition from the larger, more aggressive metropolitan airports.

For business and pleasure, mostly business, I have flown out of our airport dozens of times over the years. Prices have always been competitive and the service satisfactory. The most favorable factor of all has been convenience.

Rarely have I had to travel to Raleigh for a destination — however, when I have had to, it was costlier after accounting for my time, travel, gas and parking. I never have, nor would I ever, choose to fly out of Raleigh for the personal convenience of avoiding layovers.

Besides, from a business point of view, needless effort is time-consuming and costly to a company, though state, city and county governments may not be that concerned about such wasteful spending.

Case in point: Depending on where you live in Fayetteville or Cumberland County, it is about 77 miles to Raleigh-Durham International Airport in Raleigh. It takes approximately one hour and 15 minutes to arrive at the terminal in normal traffic. And, as everyone is well aware, there is nothing normal about Raleigh traffic.

At best, you can get your car parked in a remote lot, wait on a shuttle to deliver you to the terminal, and, even if you are in the possession of an electronic ticket, you still face going through TSA’s security before taking that hike to your departure gate.

So, now that we know the routine, let’s say your flight leaves Raleigh at 10 a.m. and you want to arrive at the departure gate at least 30 minutes before that. What time would you have to leave Fayetteville? Let’s see:

Drive to airport (no traffic) — 75 minutes

Park car and shuttle to terminal — 25minutes

Ticket counter or kiosk for seat assignment— 20 minutes

Security with TSA, shoes, belt, laptop —20 minutes

Trek down to departure gate — five minutes

Total time — two hours and 42 minutes

If you need to check your baggage, that’s another 10 minutes. Let’s just say twoand- a-half hours for this exercise. So, to be sitting comfortably at the departure gate by 9:30 a.m., you would have to be on the road by 7 a.m. without complications. This means you would probably have to wake up at least by 6:15 a.m.

That’s time, and time is money. Let’s talk money from a business point of view. I assume that if you are in business, your time is valuable. And, now the decision has been made that you are going to spend 2.5 hours getting to your departure gate in Raleigh.

Let’s evaluate the cost: salary, benefits, etc. If you make $35 per hour x 2.5 hours, that’s $87.50. Now, add a mileage charge of 53.5 cents for 77 miles traveled. That equals $41.20. Multiply those numbers by two because you still have to drive home, and don’t forget to add a modest parking fee of $20. Total cost to the business or government: $277.40.

Now, just how much cheaper was that ticket out of RDU? Is $277.40 plus 5 hours of frustration and anxiety worth avoiding a layover for personal convenience? Not to me. Besides, I don’t think it’s fair to criticize the commission or airport staff for an underperforming facility when ignoring the facts and realities of the situation.

The most obvious of these facts is that airlines, like all other for-profit businesses, are not going to come into our market just because we want them to, ask them to or need them to. The only reason they are going to locate their business in Fayetteville is if they can make a profit.

Allegiant Airlines didn’t last six months, and United Airlines, which recently pulled out, really should have known better than to think flying into Washington Dulles International Airport was going to capture the lucrative military market from Fort Bragg. WDI is 27 miles from the Pentagon. That’s an hour’s drive on a good day. The Pentagon is only 2 miles from Reagan International and a five-minute Uber ride. No, I think Fayetteville City Council needs to cut our airport commission, staff and management a little slack and back off the micro-management.

Let our airport succeed or fail of its own volition. After all, we can’t expect an airline company to come in and serve the Fayetteville community if we claim to be an “airline dessert.” Yeah. “Airline dessert.” You remember, just like the food dessert we had out on Murchison Road, where residents didn’t have anywhere to purchase milk, bread, fresh fruit and vegetables, or lottery tickets.

In that situation, Walmart came to the rescue in November 2015 by building a Neighborhood Market, thinking it was winning the economic jackpot by developing an untapped market while doing a good deed for the community by serving humanity. In less than three years, Walmart pulled out after acknowledging the reality that forced Winn-Dixie to exit the area in 1998. Not enough people shopped there.

Everyone was sad and disappointed over the Walmart situation, and as a result, many words were spoken and written about the unfortunate nature of what happened. Yet few could produce any evidence that they supported or patronized the store.

Well, the same goes for the airport. If we readily admit that we have a second-rate facility, and if our leadership thinks flying out of RDU is cheaper, more convenient and more enjoyable with greater amenities, then don’t expect the commission, staff or consultants at FAY to effect the outcome. Let’s continue to support the airport commission and upgrade the facility as much as we can afford to. However, shining turnstiles, faster escalators and convenient coffee shops will not entice airline carriers to serve Fayetteville unless they can make money.

A profit, in addition to aggressive, consistent and continual awareness and marketing, is what the airport needs to tell its story. And, everyone needs to tell it — the Fayetteville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Fayetteville Cumberland County Economic Development Corporation, city officials, county officials, and most of all, the Greater Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce.

After all, there are 1,300 to 1,500 new families moving in and out of Cumberland County every month. Most don’t even know we have an airport. Who’s telling them to go to Raleigh? Let’s tell them why they should fly out of Fayetteville. We have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Let’s start telling our story. Fly Fayetteville!

 Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in the January 2019 issue of Fayetteville Women’s View Magazine. F&B Publications is reprinting it here in order to widen the reach of this relevant and exciting information. For help compiling and/or writing portions of this overview, especially data-related information, special thanks to: Fayetteville Cumberland County Economic Development Corporation; Fayetteville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau; Cool Spring Downtown District; and Dirtbag Ales Brewery & Taproom.

Our community has so much to celebrate from 2018 and many things to look forward to in 2019. While not all-encompassing, here is an overview of reasons to celebrate the past year and reasons to get excited for the new one.

2018: Year in Review

An increasingly positive reputation

• In 2017, Governing magazine began an annual report, called “Equipt to Innovate,” in conjunction with the nonprofit Living Cities. The 2018 report named Fayetteville the most innovative city in the U.S. and the city with the best employee engagement. The study, which has a goal of helping cities improve their ability to innovate, judged cities based on seven factors: dynamically planned; broadly partnered; resident-involved; race-informed; smartly resourced; employee-engaged; and data-driven.

Learn more at www.governing.com/topics/urban/gov-fayetteville-best-man- aged-city-equiptinnovate-lc.html.

• The Fayetteville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau launched three new videos in its “Find Your Pursuit” series this year, bringing the total in the series to eight. All three new videos — “Pursuit of Brotherhood,” “Pursuit of Harmony” and “Pursuit of Discovery” — feature beautiful, high-quality clips of this area’s events, businesses and landscape. View them on YouTube; you can’t help but feel hometown pride while watching. Search “Visit Cumberland County NC” on YouTube.

• Cool Spring Downtown District initiated a new city of Fayetteville recognition – the Hometown Hero Award. The award is presented annually during Fayetteville’s Veterans Day celebration to honor a resident who contributed to development of the relationship between the city and the military. Gen. James J. Lindsay received the first Hometown Hero award Nov. 10.

New initiatives supporting local makers and growers

• Dirtbag Ales Farmers Market debuted in April 2018 with its inaugural Strawberry Festival, which featured 20 local vendors, and strawberries that sold out in the first two hours. DBA created the Hope Mills-based market in partnership with Sustainable Sandhills to help citizens engage with local producers of crafts and goods as well as local farmers. Every Sunday from April through November, 20 to 25 local vendors of everything from handblown glass to freerange meats to microgreens set up their wares on DBA’s idyllic outdoor grounds. The market reopens April 28, 2019.

Learn more at facebook.com/dirtbagfarmersmarket.

• Prima Elements Wellness Center and Sheridan’s Philosophy hosted Fayetteville’s First Annual Vegan Festival in June. Between 2,000-3,000 people came to browse more than 50 vendors and educators of all things vegan-related. Leading up to the festival, Prima Elements also started hosting monthly vegan potlucks from its location in downtown Fayetteville. Those potlucks will resume in February 2019.

Learn more at www.veganfestivalfaync.com.

Economic growth and new jobs

• Management and technology consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton announced expansion of its Fayetteville operations Aug. 28 that will create 208 new jobs. Business services provider eClerx, which has one U.S. delivery center — in Fayetteville — announced expansion of our local center Oct. 18 that will create 150 new jobs.

Progress for healthcare and research

• The Cumberland County Healthcare Next

Generation Partnership, an initiative led by the County Workforce Development Board, brings together more than 20 representatives from Cape Fear Valley Health, Womack Army Medical Center, private providers and other related businesses. Its June 14 session was the first of its kind in North Carolina. Next Gen Partnerships enable business leaders to champion their priorities and work with local, regional and state partners to achieve specified goals. The partners are forwarding actions to increase the coordination of care, strengthen the talent pipeline into the healthcare industry and prevent obesity.

Learn more at www.fayedc.com/2018/06/nc-nextgeneration- partnership.

• June 8, Womack Army Medical Center and the

Geneva Foundation launched the Fort Bragg Research Institute at Fayetteville State University. The institute aims to link the vast research infrastructure of our community with the growing requirements of operational readiness at Fort Bragg. Working with the Cape Fear Research Consortium, the FBRI’s mission is to optimize military performance and improve health disparities of southeastern North Carolina through scientific innovation.

Learn more at www.uncfsu.edu/fort-bragg-research.

2019: Year in Preview

Fayetteville’s new baseball team debuts

• Construction on downtown Fayetteville’s new $37.8 million ballpark dominated conversation last year. The stadium heralds this area’s first minor league baseball presence in 17 years, and this spring, the wait will finally come to an end. The Fayetteville Woodpeckers, a minor league affiliate of the World Series Champion Houston Astros, will play their first home game April 18, 2019, against the Carolina Mudcats. The Astros signed a 30-year lease, indicating their investment in the long-term success of the city. The stadium will also host the NCAA Big South Conference baseball tournament May 21-25. Learn more at www.milb.com/fayetteville.

The debut of the stadium and team will be complemented by Prince Charles Holdings’ $110 million plan, which includes the renovation of the Prince Charles Hotel, along with other downtown revitalization projects.

Development and new business

• Improvements to Concourse A, the first phase of Fayetteville Regional Airport’s $35 million renovation project, are expected to be completed in July. The first major renovation since the terminal was built, the updated concourse will be triple the size of its predecessor, seat 128 passengers and include a new restaurant serving salads, sandwiches and local craft beer. The second phase is expected to start in November, which will improve the facade of the building and include new escalators, elevators and stairwells.

• Launched a year ago and gaining steam, The CORE is an innovation corridor in downtown Fayetteville with a mission to connect the talent and resources of our community while providing a central location for tech companies, DoD Contractors and entrepreneurs to develop and deploy next-gen technologies. This hub plans to provide a coworking space for innovators in cybersecurity, digital healthcare, energy, Internet of Things, augmented reality and other related technologies.

• Campbell Soup Supply Company, in partnership with DHL Supply Chain, will open a new, state-of-the-art distribution center in Cedar Creek Business Center by this summer. The project will result in a $40 million investment and the creation of 195 jobs.

Quality-of-life activities

• Though it technically started in 2018, Cool Spring Downtown District’s busker program will grow in strength this year, adding a delightful element of live music to downtown Fayetteville every Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening, along with Saturday and Sunday afternoons. CSDD has more exciting plans for the year: Jan. 25-27, there will be outdoor ice skating downtown; Feb. 22- 23, a gaming tournament; an every-Wednesday lunch in Cross Creek Park starting in March; and summer concerts every Thursday night this summer.

Learn more at www.visitdowntownfayetteville.com.

Welcoming new troops at Fort Bragg

• Fort Bragg’s leadership announced they anticipate adding 2,500 to 3,000 troops in the coming years, increasing the installation’s total population to around 57,000.

 Maya Johnson

Westover • Senior • Volleyball, bowling, softball

Johnson has a grade point average of 3.93. She is a member of National Honor Society and Westover’s Ladies of Grace.

 Delsin Burkhart

Westover • Senior • Cross country, soccer, football, track

Burkhart has a 3.6 grade point average. He is a two-time state qualifier in cross country and was the placekicker for the football team. He is a member of National Honor Society, Academy of Health Sciences, and Brotherhood of Successful Students.

 For a second straight year, Cumberland County Schools will join the work of the Kay Yow Cancer Fund to raise money for cancer research through the Play4Kay program.

The fundraiser encourages college and high school basketball teams to select a game on their schedule to use as a focal point for raising money. It pays tribute to the late North Carolina State University women’s basketball coach, Sandra Kay Yow, who was a victim of cancer.

Vernon Aldridge, student activities director for Cumberland County Schools, first became interested in the Play4Kay program following a presentation made sometime back by Que Tucker, commissioner of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association.

Aldridge said Tucker told everyone at the meeting that day that the state of North Carolina was not ranked among the leaders in donations to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund — in spite of the fact Yow was a native of North Carolina and had a lengthy coaching career in the state.

“With as much as she’s done for the state of North Carolina and the young ladies from North Carolina who have played for her, it doesn’t make much sense,’’ Aldridge said.

Cumberland County had a personal stake in getting involved as well, Aldridge said, as Pine Forest High School athletic director Jason Norton is battling cancer.

Last year, during the Play4Kay drive, Cumberland County Schools raised $5,600 for the fight against cancer. Pine Forest raised more money than any other school and received a plaque in recognition of that.

It’s left up to each school to decide how to raise money on the night of its Play4Kay basketball game. They’re asked to pick a game on their schedule where they expect to draw a good crowd.

Some schools just ask for donations from spectators or have a collection point at the ticket gate. Others hold 50-50 drawings. Some offer special Play4Kay t-shirts for sale, and a portion of the proceeds from the sale of each shirt are donated back to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.

Sometimes the competing teams incorporate pink into their uniforms, either using the jersey or something like pink socks, to raise cancer awareness.

Following are the scheduled Play4Kay dates this year for each Cumberland County school. For specifics on what is planned to raise money at each game, contact the home school directly.

Cape Fear — Jan. 8 vs. Pine Forest

Seventy-First — Jan. 8 vs. Scotland

Jack Britt — Jan. 25 vs. Scotland

Gray’s Creek — Jan. 25 vs. Cape Fear

Douglas Byrd — Feb. 1 vs. Terry Sanford

E.E. Smith — Feb. 5 vs. Pine Forest

Pine Forest — Feb. 8 vs. Cape Fear

South View — Feb. 8 vs. Terry Sanford

Westover — Feb. 8 vs. Overhills

Terry Sanford — Feb. 12 vs. Pine Forest

 Following are the Cumberland County players selected to this year’s All- Sandhills Athletic Conference football team chosen by the league’s head coaches:

Defensive player of the year: 

Erick Martinez, Jack Britt

Offensive line

Jack Britt - Justin Milliman

Seventy-First - Benjamin Willis, Jai Harper, Alex Williams

Wide receivers

Seventy-First - Camari Williams

Running backs

Seventy-First - Sincere Bates

Quarterbacks

Seventy-First - Kyler Davis

Defensive linemen

Seventy-First - Thomas Washington

Linebackers

Jack Britt - Mike Matthews, Nico Perofeta

Seventy-First - Devante Wedlock

Defensive backs

Seventy-First - Jah-kahri McLain

Photo: Erick Martinez

 Cape Fear High School’s wrestling team rolled Merry Christmas and Happy New Year into one over the holiday break with some outstanding performances in a couple of tournaments.

Cape Fear’s Dallas Wilson was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler in the WRAL tournament en route to winning the 138-pound weight class. But the best was yet to come for the Colts in Charlotte’s Holy Angels tournament at Bojangles Arena.

Wilson and 170-pound Jared Barbour were both individual champions and helped lead Cape Fear to the team title in the event that draws some 80 high school teams from both North and South Carolina, Georgia and Virginia.

The success at WRAL and Holy Angels vaulted Cape Fear from unranked to No. 1 in the East and No. 2 in the state among 3-A schools in the NCMat.com statewide rankings that were updated Wednesday, Jan. 2.

Cape Fear coach Heath Wilson said the performance of his wrestlers in the consolation rounds proved crucial in winning the team championship at Holy Angels. Cape Fear finished with 165.5 points to beat St. Stephens High School of Hickory with 149. St. Stephens is the No. 1 team in 3-A in the NCMat.com state rankings.

Barbour’s win at 170 was especially crucial for the Colts. In the WRAL tournament, he lost a tough battle to Cael Willis of Wilmington Laney, the No. 1 ranked 4-A wrestler in his class in the state according to NCMat.com.

Barbour, who is No. 1 in 3-A, rebounded and got the win in the Holy Angels tournament.

Cape Fear returns from the holidays for a big Patriot Athletic Conference match at South View on Wednesday, Jan. 9, then goes to one of the state’s biggest regular season tournaments, the Sarah Wilkes Invitational at Eden Morehead High School, Jan. 11-12.

That same weekend, Jack Britt holds Cumberland County’s biggest regular season tournament, the annual Boneyard Bash.

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December high school basketball is most often a blur and quickly forgettable when January rolls around. The boys are especially in flux because many teams are awaiting the arrival of players from football who got a late start because of the state playoffs.

The blur continues into the early days of January. Now that the date for the semester break has changed, when Cumberland County returns to school Monday, Jan. 7, the students who have been academically reinstated for the second semester and the ones who lost eligibility because of inadequate academic performance in the fall will be known. Then, coaches can move forward with complete rosters for the rest of the season. 

Looking back briefly at the Southeastern Athletic Officials Association Holiday Classic results, here’s who appear to be the top teams coming out of December.

Seventy-First’s boys and Westover’s boys, finalists in the Ike Walker Sr. bracket of the Holiday Classic, look to be serious contenders in their respective leagues. Seventy-First won 57-54.

For the girls, E.E. Smith is clearly the team to beat but finds itself playing in a strong Patriot Athletic Conference. Smith is 13-1, 6-0, but only beat Terry Sanford 57-54 in the Gene Arrington bracket finals. Terry Sanford is 9-1, 5-0, and has yet to play Smith in a league game.

Record-wise, Jack Britt’s girls are the best of the county teams in the Sandhills Athletic Conference. Britt finished third in the Arrington bracket, losing 60-33 to E.E. Smith in the semifinals.

Britt is 7-3 overall and 2-0 in the league.

Photo: Dallas Wilson

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.

• Special Meeting, Board of Commissioners Monday, Jan. 14, 7 p.m., Town Hall, Luther Meeting Room

• Lake Advisory Committee Tuesday, Jan. 15, 6 p.m., Parks and Recreation Center*

• Appearance Committee Tuesday, Jan. 22, 6 p.m., Parks and Recreation Center*

• Veterans Affairs Commission Thursday, Jan. 24, 7 p.m., Parks and Recreation Center*

• Parks and Recreation Committee Monday, Jan. 28, 6:30 p.m., Parks and Recreation Center*

Activities

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

• Martin Luther King Jr. Day Monday, Jan. 21— Town offices closed.

• 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 busy season has arrived for the Hope Mills Parks and Recreation Department as registration is underway for the youth spring sports season.

The registration process began Jan. 2 and will continue through Feb. 23 for baseball and softball. Wrestling registration wraps up Feb. 2 because that season begins competition earlier, said Maxey Dove of the Hope Mills Parks and Recreation Department.

“This is probably our biggest season,’’ Dove said of the spring sports program. Athletes are being registered in youth baseball for ages 5-14, youth softball for ages 7-15, indoor soccer for ages 6-12 and youth wrestling for ages 6-12.

The outdoor sports will compete on a total of 13 fields; six at Municipal Park, two at Brower Park, two at Hope Mills Middle School, two at Baldwin Elementary School and one at South View Middle School.

Indoor soccer, which has rapidly grown into a popular sport for the town, is held at the gym at the Hope Mills Recreation Center, with Hope Mills Middle School used for overflow practices.

Dove said it’s important for parents to try and register their children as quickly as possible.

“We’ve got to hurry up and wait for the last day of registration,’’ Dove said. “Seventy percent of our registration is on the last two or three days. There’s really not much planning and plotting and team forming you can do until you actually close the door on the last day of registration. That’s when the hurry up and wait comes in.’’

Another reason it’s important to register early is every child who registers prior to the close of registration is assured a place on one of the town’s teams. Anyone who registers after the registration closes is placed on a waiting list and isn’t guaranteed of being able to play.

The registration fee is $30 per child this year, Dove said. Parents must register in person and should bring along a birth certificate and proof of residency to verify they are within the boundaries for Hope Mills set by Dixie Youth Baseball, the governing body for most of the town’s spring sports, except wrestling. Dove said the town is working on having an online registration process available in the near future, but not this year.

Once registration is finalized, teams are determined, coaches are chosen and the draft is scheduled so practice can begin as soon as possible.

All coaches with the parks and recreation department are volunteers who go through background checks run by the department’s human resources division, Dove said.

There will be one problem with registration this year. Damage to the Hope Mills Recreation Center caused by Hurricane Florence has not been repaired, so the recreation department staff is still in temporary quarters at Town Hall.

Dove said it’s hoped the recreation center will re-open by mid-January. Until it does, parents will have to come to Town Hall to register. “(For) the last six weeks of registration, we’ll hopefully be back in our new building,’’ Dove said.

There is also one big change in registration for Hope Mills this year. Dixie Youth Baseball altered its rules since last season and will now permit anyone in Cumberland County to play Dixie Youth Baseball in Hope Mills. “This opens up our boundaries so we can take in additional kids, which will help build our programs,’’ Dove said.

Anyone with any questions about the youth spring sports program can call the recreation department at 910-426-4109.

  Joe Riddle has no problem with Hope Mills trying to make itself the best possible community it can be for its citizens.

 But the longtime Fayetteville developer is concerned the town may be going too far as it tries to develop a sign ordinance for the city.

Last month, the Hope Mills Board of Commissioners voted to table a decision on a new sign ordinance and scheduled a special meeting to hear public input on the sign question on Monday, Jan. 14, at 7 p.m.

Riddle, who spoke at the previous meeting, plans to share his concerns about the sign ordinance at the upcoming meeting.

“If we continue to grow our codes to parallel these wealthier places, we’re going to run ourselves out of business,’’ said Riddle. “Everybody wants to be like Pinehurst or Cary. The problem is, everybody’s not a millionaire retired from the North with a lot of disposable income who plays golf, bridge and croquet every day.

“Everybody is not an engineer with a Ph.D. who works at a Triangle park for a pharmaceutical company or other good company where the husband and wife are making $150,000 each a year.’’

New sign rules like Hope Mills is considering mean signs have to be replaced. Those replacements tend to be costly, and that’s why Riddle thinks the rules could negatively impact businesses in Hope Mills.

What has Riddle concerned is talk that Hope Mills may be considering the elimination of pylon signs. A pylon sign is a freestanding sign that sits apart from a building and has its own support structure that can include a base made of something permanent like brick or concrete.

Fayetteville has a sign ordinance that Riddle describes as strict but reasonably fair as it strikes a balance between presenting a good appearance while also allowing a business owner to adequately advertise his or her business.

If pylon signs are banned, Riddle said, the only option left for businesses would be monument signs. These include ground signs that are attached to a permanent foundation or base and are two-sided.

Riddle said monument signs are fine for a single-tenant business, like a fast food restaurant. But for something like a strip mall or a shopping center, a pylon sign is preferred so all of the businesses can be displayed.

That was the situation Riddle faced at the Colt Crossing shopping complex on old Highway 24 near Cape Fear High School.

When the new Highway 24 bypass was created, traffic no longer passed in front of the shopping center but behind it. Riddle got permission from Cumberland County to build a large pylon sign on the new bypass that promotes all the businesses in the shopping center, including some he’s not affiliated with. Riddle said the sign cost between $60,000 to $65,000.

The possible banning of pylon signs isn’t Riddle’s only concern in Hope Mills. He said there’s also been discussion of limiting signs promoting real estate to 2 feet by 4 feet.

He noted that on a typical real estate sign, information includes the acreage available, the owner’s name and a phone number.

Squeezing all that information on a 2-by-4 sign that people could read without having to pull off the road and come to a complete stop is difficult.

“I don’t think anyone has looked at the size of the signs,’’ he said.

Riddle thinks the people in Hope Mills need to realize their leaders are considering sign restrictions that would be the strictest of any town Riddle has worked with. That’s quite a statement considering he’s got projects as far flung as Raleigh, Rockingham, Lillington, Raeford, Spout Springs, Cameron and Southport.

“They are definitely going to an extreme,’’ Riddle said. “It sounds like a train is going that I won’t be able to slow up.’’

Riddle is afraid if Hope Mills continues on this track and opts to create other restrictions that will inhibit the growth of business in the town, it could drive some things away from Hope Mills.

“I’ve got a grocer that wants to go to Hope Mills,’’ Riddle said. “I’ve got a Dunkin’ Donuts. I’ve got another full-service restaurant. They are all going to probably get hit with the new ordinance.

“What else is Hope Mills planning to do? If they want to be Pinehurst or Cary, they could get real strict. Everybody isn’t going to want to go to Hope Mills if they get real strict. They’ll just bypass (the town).’’

Riddle said he’s not arguing against Hope Mills developing some kind of stricter sign ordinance, but he thinks whatever is done needs to be within reason.

“They’re going from one extreme to the other,’’ he said.

Photo: Joe Riddle

  If you’re reading this, congratulations— you made it! We’re a week into a brand-new year, complete with thoughts of its challenges, of what victories lie ahead and of the memories gone by. Over the past year, many of us celebrated the joy and excitement of new life, some experienced the sadness of loss, and, if we’re at all alike, we’ve done our best to be a friend offering encouragement in the wake of both the best and worst of times.

If nothing else, 2018 gave me opportunity once again to acknowledge the fact we’re all just passing through. We get, we give, we have and we hold, but in the end we arrive at the same humbling conclusion — everything on this earth is temporary. While we build mighty castles to wall us in or monuments to all we consider great, the only true legacy we leave will be found in how we loved.

Over time I’ve learned to loosen my grip on the things I think I control lest they begin to control me in return. And I am reminded there is a time and season for everything and a marvelous creator who steadies and stills us though it all.

I don’t want to beat a depressingly melancholy drum too long, so let’s peer down the road from these first few days of 2019 with the knowledge that we have choices. We can each choose to see a winding road strewn with rocks, slopes and unknown peril around each bend. Or, we can look a little further to the beauty of the horizon with the realization the road itself is a journey worth taking. Each step brings us closer to something new and often leads us away from things familiar.

In either case, we take those steps both challenged and comforted by an immensely wise creator who seems to say, “Be prepared to let go of anything I take from you, but never let go of my hand!”

You may have entered 2019 without making a resolution or a promise, but there is plenty of positive change anyone can work on this year. Start by simply being grateful. Take stock in all you’ve already been given. More than food, a decent car, a home or stuff to fill it, count the blessings of family, friends and life itself.

At WCLN, our daily charge is to help bring relationships to life and deliver music filled with the good news that God loves every person in the world. We believe the two greatest things we could inspire anyone to do is to love God back and to love others more than themselves. That’s what makes Christian 105.7 different, and it will work for you, too.

Enjoy your family and friends today. Give extra hugs and words of love just because you can. Make the world a happier place by doing some extra act of kindness. Smile a little bit longer. Most importantly, be grateful for the life you’ve been given.

 What really happened to Virginia Dare, the first child of English parents born in the New World? This is the same Virginia Dare whom I suggested recently belonged on “The World Almanac’s” list of famous North Carolinians.

A few weeks ago, I wrote about Sir Walter Raleigh’s organization and establishment of the colony on Roanoke Island as described by Andrew Lawler in his book “The Secret Token: Myth, Obsession, and the Search for the Lost Colony of Roanoke.” He called the expensive and intricate preparations for the colony “the Elizabethan equivalent of the Apollo program.”

In July of 1587, the colonists arrived on Roanoke Island led by its governor, John White, whose granddaughter, Virginia Dare, was born Aug. 18. A few days later, White sailed to England for much-needed supplies. When he finally returned in August 1590, the colony had disappeared, leaving only a carving of “Croatoan” on a tree as a possible clue.

There are a lot of answers to the question of what happened to Virginia Dare, her family and their fellow colonists. Most are legends. Some say Virginia Dare grew up into a lovely young woman and was transformed into a white doe, an animal that still haunts coastal North Carolina. Another story says she and other colonists made their way to Robeson County where some locals will show you her burial site near Red Springs.

Less imaginative authors suggest that the colonists, including Virginia Dare, died from hunger, disease or a massacre by Native Americans. Others suggest that the colonists joined nearby Native Americans and were absorbed by them.

In “The Secret Token,” Lawler gives a history of the developing interest in Virginia Dare and the Lost Colony. After her baptism certificate in 1587, there was no public mention of her until 1834. In that year, Harvard-trained historian George Bancroft published his influential “A History of the United States.” Lawler writes, “It is difficult to overstate his impact on the way we see Raleigh’s colony today.”

For Bancroft, the colony was “the germinating seed” for our country and its institutions, “just as important as its revolutionary coming of age.”

Lawler writes that for Bancroft, “Roanoke was, in essence, the nation’s humble Bethlehem, and Virginia Dare was its infant savior destined for sacrifice.”

Bancroft’s version sparked an explosion of writing and activity around Virginia Dare. In the 1890s, some white supremacy organizations adopted her. Lawler writes, “Roanoke Island emerged as a pilgrimage site for Anglo-Americans seeking to reaffirm their racial dominance at the annual celebration of Virginia Dare’s birth.”

According to Lawler, Marjorie Hudson — Chatham County author of “Searching for Virginia Dare” — takes a different and less exclusive path. She writes that Virginia Dare “is the archetypal mother, a source, like a great river of strength and blood for descendants of a convergence of two great peoples.”

Lawler chronicles efforts to learn where the colonists, if they survived, went. To Croatoan, now a part of Hatteras Island? To Site X, a place marked under a patch in a map drawn by John White, located where the Roanoke River flows into the Albemarle Sound? Or to the Chesapeake Bay near where the Jamestown Colony settled and where Powhatan, the local Indian king, massacred them?

Or near Edenton, where in 1937, a California man said he found a large stone? It was inscribed with a message from Virginia Dare’s mother, Eleanor, to her father, John White, reporting the death of her husband, her daughter Virginia, and other colonists. Lawler’s account of this probable fake “Dare Stone” is almost as interesting as the story of the colonists told by Harnett County native and Pulitzer Prize winner Paul Green’s outdoor drama, “The Lost Colony.”