This year marked the fifth anniversary of the death of Seventy-First football player Evan Raines. But his memory lives on in the form of the Evan Raines Dream Foundation, an organiza­tion put together by family members that awards a $1,000 scholarship to a local high school athlete each year. 

This year’s winner was Jonathan Everett, a basketball and cross country participant from Pine Forest High School who currently is studying computers at UNC-Charlotte. 

Rodney Raines, father of Evan Raines, said the purpose of the scholarship is to encourage a student-athlete, male or female, to continue their educational pursuits and dreams with the help of the scholarship in his son’s memory. 

“It’s been driving itself,’’ Raines said of the $1,000 figure. “We have a few benefactors who make sure they send contributions. We do want to expand it at some point in time.’’ 

The scholarship is available to both male and female athletes, but Raines said, so far, no females have applied for it. 

Most of the promotion for the scholarship has come from word of mouth and through posts on the Facebook page for the Evan Raines Dream Foundation. 

Part of the problem with growing the scholar­ship and getting news to a wider audience is that the sudden passing of Evans remains an emotional subject for all of his family that are involved with the scholarship. 

“It’s taxing to revisit it,” Raines said. “All the meetings become a tear fest, talking about what we lost. It reminds us and keeps it real fresh.’’ 

Any athlete from a public or private school within a 25-mile radius of Cumberland County is eligible to apply for the scholarship, Raines said. 

The requirements are the student must be committed to attend a specific col­lege and must be involved in athlet­ics and community activities. They also must have a minimum unweighted grade point average of 2.5. 

The student does not have to be a member of a school team to qualify as an athlete, Raines said. Participation in recreation league athletics or church league athletics also qualifies. 

Raines said he’s been moved by the young men who have applied for and won the scholarship. 

“I get to see Evan in some of them,’’ he said. “I see them fulfilling some of their dreams. For a couple of the boys, this was the first generation of their family going to college.’’ 

Everett, this year’s winner, said he learned of the scholarship from a friend. He wrote a 1,000-word essay describing how sports had affected his life. 

“I feel this will allow me to be more success­ful and show what Fayetteville people can do,’’ Everett said. 

He added it’s important to keep Evan’s memo­ry alive. “The family is doing something positive, to help others that need money to go to college,’’ he said.

Everett will apply the scholarship to his tuition at UNC-Charlotte. His goal is to get a job in the internet technology field and to remain in the Charlotte area to work. 

For further information on the scholarship, email evanrainesdreamfoundation@gmail.com.

Photo: Rodney Raines, right, presents the check for this year’s Evan Raines Dream Foundation $1,000 scholarship to Jonathan Everett.

A former 82nd Airborne Division first sergeant has been demoted and reassigned for having an affair with a lower ranking enlisted soldier. Sgt. 1st Class Chase Usher was previously assigned to Company B, 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team. He was removed from his leadership role and given a staff job with another unit, according to reporting by the Army Times.

By early 2017, female recruits began taking basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia’s infantry school, where some of them also completed jump school and were assigned to the 82nd. Usher allegedly began an affair with one of the first woman graduates shortly after she reported to his newly integrated unit late last year. Both have been punished for their actions. 

Female soldiers have been members of the Fort Bragg division, but until 2017, they were not integrated into combat infantry companies. The Army rolled out a leadership plan as the Defense Department lifted the final restrictions on women serving in direct-combat jobs in early 2016. 

An investigation into the affair found Usher was an enthusiastic infantryman, and the relationship didn’t cause any questions of favoritism in the unit. But rumors about the two caused a lot of suspicion among the soldiers he was meant to lead. An Army investigator concluded that the affair had a “corrosive” effect on the unit, the Army Times reported. Usher did not respond to multiple requests for comment through email and Facebook messaging. 

The woman in question arrived at Fort Bragg in August, according to the report. Dozens of soldiers in the company were aware of her September-October relationship with Usher, either because he had talked about it, they’d seen the two in public together or they’d heard rumors about the situation. Investigators said that early this year, the 82nd’s leadership had possession of a photo of the two making out outside Paddy’s Irish Pub in Fayetteville. The photo had already made the battalion rounds, thanks to a group text message. 

Investigation witnesses included three women, who all agreed that Usher treated them as equals in the company. “In a work environment he treats both fairly from what I can tell,” one soldier said in a statement. To some, the relationship seemed out of character for the veteran NCO. Usher had personally led the training to prepare the unit to bring in women. But the investigator itemized graphic details of Usher’s private life. 

A female platoon sergeant said Usher told a group of her colleagues that he was going to be Thor for Halloween but wouldn’t need to carry a hammer. “At multiple safety briefs, (redacted) encourages the company to ‘get (laid)’ and comments that he will be doing so over the weekend.” 

Usher denied the relationship, as well as any past incidents of inappropriate behavior, in his sworn statement. Though the 82nd Airborne declined to provide details of the punishments handed down, Usher is no longer in a position of authority. 

“This behavior does not exemplify the dedicated professionals of the 82nd Airborne Division,” spokesman Lt. Col. Ramon Osorio said, adding that the division is committed to fostering trust and respect as the Army works through gender integration. 

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C., Sept. 16, 2018 ­– For 21 years, Up & Coming Weekly has celebrated the very best in this community with a reader survey followed by a Best of Fayetteville celebration. This year’s celebration was scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 18. Due to flooding and other damage by Hurricane Florence, the party has been canceled.

“We are heartbroken about the catastrophe faced by our community,” said Up & Coming Weekly Publisher Bill Bowman. “We congratulate each of the Best of Fayetteville winners wholeheartedly, but now is a time of rebuilding and putting lives and businesses back together.”

The Best of Fayetteville readership survey is a rigorous process where Up & Coming Weekly readers vote for their favorite businesses, people and organizations. Thousands of readers cast their vote each year. Once the ballots are counted, the winners are honored with write-ups about them in Up & Coming Weekly’s largest edition of the year. This edition remains online all year long at www.upandcomingweekly.com.

“Winning Best of Fayetteville is a really big deal,” said Best of Fayetteville Program Manager Don Garner. “The winners deserve to be recognized, and we will be contacting each winner in person in the coming weeks to make sure they are properly congratulated.”

Up & Coming Weekly is much more than a weekly newspaper. Since its creation in 1996, the mission and focus of the publication has been to accentuate and illuminate the quality of life enjoyed here in Cumberland County. 

Three times since 2013, Fayetteville City Council has commissioned surveys that asked residents what they think about city government and the services provided. ETC Institute of suburban Kansas City, Missouri, has conducted the surveys every other year and included in its findings short-term increases and decreases in citizen satisfaction. 

ETC has found that residents generally have a positive perception of Fayetteville. “The survey results helped to identify areas in which we are doing well and areas in which we need to improve or place additional emphasis,” City Manager Doug Hewett said.

Residents report overall satisfaction with city services. Eighty-five percent of respondents gave high marks to fire protection and rescue services. Sixty-eight percent spoke highly of police protection. Other municipal services with the highest levels of satisfaction included solid waste (trash) collection, curbside recycling, the courtesy of city employees and the ease of reaching city employees. 

Seventy-seven percent of the respondents said they feel safe walking alone in neighborhoods during the day. Parks and recreation programs and facilities are well-regarded across the city, which partially explains the success two years ago of a $35 million bond referendum. 

The biggest complaints are unhappiness with traffic flow and lack of adequate maintenance of city streets. Most residents who answered the survey were neutral with traffic flow. The 43,000 citizens of West Fayetteville who were annexed 15 years ago are still unhappy with traffic issues. 

Other areas with the lowest level of satisfaction included lack of bike paths, the slow removal of abandoned vehicles and the inadequacy of public parking in the downtown area. Thirty-one percent of the people said the city seemed unprepared to manage development and growth, something that caused council member Larry Wright to question whether people understand what the city does. “Our citizens are not really aware of all that we’re doing,” Wright said.

ETC Institute Project Manager Jason Morado said the purpose of the biennial surveys is to gather input from residents so that the findings can serve as a benchmark for the future. The seven-page surveys were mailed to 4,000 randomly selected citizens. The goal was to receive at least 600 responses in return. Morado said 696 surveys were returned. Many of the respondents were also surveyed by emails. The margin of error was calculated to be +/- 3.7 percent.

Comedian Tracy Morgan will be live at the Crown Theatre Saturday, Sept. 22, at 8 p.m.  

This is one of many stops on his standup comedy tour that will continue throughout the fall of 2018. 

Morgan has an impressive track record and a gift for making people laugh. He was first introduced to television audiences in his role as Hustleman on the hit series “Martin.” From there, he joined “Saturday Night Live” in 1996, where he appeared for seven seasons and created the memorable characters Astronaut Jones and Brian Fellows. 

After leaving “Saturday Night Live,” Morgan went on to star in his own comedy series, “The Tracy Morgan Show,” and voiced Spoonie Luv on Comedy Central’s “Crank Yankers.” His other film credits include “Cop Out,” the remake of the British film “Death at a Funeral, First Sunday” opposite Ice Cube and Katt Williams, “The Longest Yard” opposite Adam Sandler, “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back,” “Head of State,” “Son of No One,” “Why Stop Now” and “Fist Fight.” 

Morgan has starred for seven seasons on NBC’s Emmy- and Golden Globe Award-winning “30 Rock.” He is currently starring in and producing a TBS show, “The Last O. G.” The show has been picked up for a second season. 

In 2016, he headlined a nationwide standup tour titled “Picking Up the Pieces,” and in May 2017, his standup special “Staying Alive” was released globally on Netflix.       

Morgan has been a part of some of the most successful animated films in recent years. He made his animation debut in 2009 for Jerry Bruckheimer’s “G-Force,” a combined animated/live-action film. The film opened No. 1 in U. S. box offices and was celebrated by audiences worldwide. In 2013, he starred as bulldog Luiz in the film “Rio” and again in April 2014, when he reprised his role in “Rio 2.” 

Morgan received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the 2016 class. 

He has received an Emmy nomination in the supporting actor category and has been nominated multiple years for the Supporting Actor NAACP Image Award. The “30 Rock” cast has won The Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series. Morgan also received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series in 2016 for hosting an episode of “Saturday Night Live.” 

Next, Morgan can be seen alongside Aldis Hodge, Wendi McLendonCovey, Max Greenfield and Taraji P. Henson in the Paramount Players comedy “What Men Want,” which is set to open Jan. 11, 2019. 

Tickets for the Sept. 22 show at the Crown cost $35, $50, $75 and $100, and can be purchased online at www.CapeFearTix.com or by phone at 888-257-6208.  

Photo: Tracy Morgan

As law enforcement officers were order to stand-down, outside criminal radicals draped the monument with curtains. Over the course of 1 1/2 hours, criminals when to work on the statue with a blow torch and tools to detach it from its pedestal. With the monument covered and no law enforcement effort to stop the radicals, a tow rope was attached and the monument was toppled from its pedestal. The next day, Chapel Hill Police Chief Chris Blue emailed his officers and thanked them for their efforts.

So far, UNC-Chapel Hill has NOT produced emails and text messages from UNC Campus Law Enforcement and the Administration. All media requests for information MUST be honored under North Carolina’s Open Records Law WITHOUT delay. More to come! We will not rest until justice is served. All who committed these acts of violence and property destruction or were complicit in the illegal activities WILL be held accountable. The monument will be reinstalled within 90 days from the date it was toppled under North Carolina General Statue Section 100-2.1).

View the August 20th play-by-play documentation of the toppling of the Boy Soldier Monument on, as UNC Campus and Chapel Hill Police do nothing: https://youtu.be/4azmlIsLxJs

– Thom Goolsby

Editor’s note: The following two submissions are in reference to Up & Coming Weeky’s Aug. 28, 2018, Publisher’s Pen.

Bill,

 I have to agree that everyone should pay an increase in the food and beverage tax, be it either one percent or preferably a quarter of a cent, which our mayor recommends.  I am tired of property owners always having to have to pay, and pay more. This always hurts seniors more and more who have paid for their homes and then property taxes go up.

Thank you.

– Barbara Braig Ward

Mr. Bowman 

Kudos for allowing Mr. Talbot to use your space for this excellent article.

(It) shows a lot of class to allow citizens (however learned) to share insight into the workings of the government using this media. I thoroughly enjoyed the article and Mr. Talbot’s comments were spot on. 

He was expressing changes that a lot of citizens in this county have been discussing and would like to see implemented.

– Tim Cannon

Editor’s note: The following submission is in reference to Up & Coming Weeky’s Aug. 22, 2018, Publisher’s Pen.

Good article, Bill.

I agree with you on the NFL. Being from the Pacific Northwest, I was a big Seahawk fan since its inception in the mid ’70s.  No more. Didn’t watch one NFL game last year and don’t intend to start again. I record a good college game on Saturday and watch it Sunday afternoon.

I now see what goes on at the Purple Heart Dinner. Sorry I missed that. Maybe see you at the next one. I have a Purple Heart from an exciting incident on June 8th 1969 when I was part of the Scout Platoon in the Central Highlands of South Vietnam. 

See you next year. 

– Mike Brown

It’s time to dust off those hippie sandals in the back of the closet and dig out the tie-dye T-shirt you’ve got in mothballs. Saturday, Oct. 6, the Members Credit Union office in Hope Mills holds its second annual Peace-Love-Walk benefit for the ALMSHOUSE of Hope Mills.

Jon Hamby, member relations coordinator with MEMCU, said a focus of the credit union’s involvement in a community is to help with community events and community-based charities.

“We already had a connection with the ALMSHOUSE, and when we were looking to add something else, we had the idea of the walk,’’ he said.

The walk’s name is borrowed from the thrift shop operated by the ALMSHOUSE.

“Most of the time when you go to a thrift store, you usually find older clothing,’’ Hamby said. Using that theme, the walk was tied to the era of the ’60s and ’70s, and the watchwords of that era, peace and love, were added.

MEMCU is covering the complete cost of promoting the walk, from advertising and banners to free T-shirts that will be given to all the paying participants and sold at a discount after the walk is over.

Hamby stressed the walk is totally noncompetitive. “It’s an hour walk,’’ he said. “You can walk one lap, ... five laps, however many laps you can get in.’’

This year’s walk will be held somewhat in conjunction with the move of Members Credit Union’s Hope Mills office from Trade Street to a new location in the old Bi-Lo Shopping Center.

The move should be complete around the middle of this month, and the grand opening is scheduled for Oct. 5, the day before the Peace-Love-Walk.

The walk will take place at Hope Mills Municipal Park Oct. 6. Registration starts at 8 a.m., and the actual walk begins at 8:30 a.m.

At 9:45 a.m., a fashion show will be held for those who’ve decided to come dressed in their best ’60s or ’70s clothing.

There will also be a bounce house, face-painting and a live DJ with music. Activities do not have a set ending time, but Hamby said things usually begin to die down around noon.

There are multiple divisions for people to enter. Children up to the age of 12 can register for $5 and will receive a certificate.

Adult registration by Oct. 5 is $20 and includes a free T-shirt. Registration the day of the event is $25.

Honor registrations to have someone’s name listed on the official walk T-shirt are $100. 

“One of the founding principles for credit unions is concerns for our community,’’ Hamby said. “We want to give back to them and that’s what this does for us, helps us stay within our founding principles.’’

To register online for Peace-Love-Walk and for more information, visit the website: www.memcu.com/peace-love-walk.

If you park your car on Person Street adjacent to the county courthouse, you might pull into a spot that indicates two-hour parking. You’ll do a double take at another sign on the same pole that says no parking. A closer look discloses that a small slot between two parking spaces has been carved out for access to a fire hydrant. 

Sometimes, things stand out like a sore thumb. A drive along Hay Street reveals something never seen before: a massive high-rise construction crane next to the old Prince Charles Hotel building. 

Downtown Fayetteville’s skyline will soon be quite different. Deputy City Manager Kristoff Bauer said the crane will be in position for the next couple of years for construction of an eight-story hotel and office complex that will be built on top of a five-floor parking garage. 

With 13 stories, it will become downtown’s tallest structure. The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat defines skyscrapers as those buildings which reach or exceed 490 feet in height. 

The parking deck should be completed next spring when the minor league baseball stadium opens for business. But Bauer said it will be another year or so after that for construction to be completed on the entire project.

The Gray’s Creek chapter of Future Farmers of America was recently recognized at the Cumberland County Fair for having the best booth put together by an educational group or organization.

Tara King, who has been the FFA advisor at Gray’s Creek since the school opened in 2003, said students with the Gray’s Creek FFA chapter began working on their entry over the summer.

“(The judges) just want your students to interpret the theme for this year’s fair,’’ King said. This year’s theme was “Thrills, Squeals and Ferris Wheels.’’

King said the Gray’s Creek FFA chapter used their booth to tell the story of the various projects their group is working on.

“It gives us exposure,’’ King said. “There are thousands of people who walk past that booth. Any chance we can get for that message, we’re all about doing.’’

One of the biggest parts of the FFA program at Gray’s Creek is the raising of sheep and goats, which is part of the school’s animal science curriculum, King said.

Students actually raise the livestock at Gray’s Creek, working all summer to prepare them for show at the county fair.

The booth at the fair displayed pictures taken over the summer of the students working with their animals.

King said an animal may be on public display at the fair for about five minutes, but it took up to 50 hours of preparation time for those few minutes.

“If people take a few minutes in the booth to read the descriptions, they walk away with a better understanding of what it takes to get an animal ready for that kind of show,’’ she said. “It’s not as simple as putting a halter on them and walking them around the ring.’’

At one time, King said, Gray’s Creek had upwards of 40 sheep and goats at the school. The students were in charge of raising and breeding them, monitoring the progress of pregnant ewes and eventually helping with the birthing of their offspring and giving them vaccinations.

Fairs are a longstanding tradition with FFA students, King said. “I think it’s a place for people at the end of the growing season, the end of the summer, where they are bringing out the best they’ve gotten,’’ she said. “It’s a celebration in a way.’’

She feels the fair is a teachable moment both for the students and the general public. 

For the students, especially, King likes that it’s an opportunity to understand the importance of getting organized, putting a plan together and carrying it out.

There’s an ancient idiom that says a man is known by the company he keeps.

That idea can be applied to other things, too, and it’s at the center of my ongoing argument against North Carolina high school basketball adding a shot clock to the game.

Langston Wertz, veteran high school writer for The Charlotte Observer, has long been a proponent of the shot clock and recently wrote a story about how the clock is going to go through a couple of trials in season-opening tournaments this year in North Carolina.

One is the Carmel Christian Tip Off Classic in Charlotte Nov. 9-10. The other is in Greensboro in the National High School Showcase Nov. 16-17.

Both tournaments will feature some top teams, the Charlotte tournament in particular drawing the famed program from Oak Hill, Virginia.

But here’s the interesting part. Both tournaments are being sponsored by a regional scouting service that, according to Wertz’s story, is footing the $3,000 bill for two wireless shot clocks.

Who are some other proponents of the clock? Well, there’s Bobby Lutz, former head coach at Charlotte and assistant at North Carolina State University.

Another backer is Sue Doran, director of athletics for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.

Paul Biancardi, a recruiting analyst for ESPN, is also in favor.

Do you see a pattern here? I certainly do. Scouts. College coaches. People from metropolitan areas.

All of these folks have a common ground. They focus on metropolitan areas with bigger schools, more talent to draw from and more college prospects.

These folks need to drive out of the city and attend some games in rural areas and at smaller schools where the number of college prospects is considerably smaller.

My point has been and remains that the push for the shot clock in high schools is coming from one group, the group that only sees big-time prospects play on a consistent basis and has no appreciation for the vast number of schools in North Carolina that don’t have a four- or five-star athlete on the roster and aren’t likely to in the near future.

I hope you checked that price tag for shot 

clocks for these two tournaments in November. 

It was $1,500 per clock. We’ve got teachers buying supplies for their students on a regular basis in North Carolina. I don’t think we need to strap athletic budgets any further by tacking on the cost of a $1,500 shot clock and then finding the money to pay someone to run it.

By the way, I ran a scoreboard clock in my high school days at West Rowan, and it was a pain to monitor. I can only imagine the headaches involved with a shot clock and getting it right every Tuesday and Friday night.

I agree totally with one person quoted in the Langston Wertz article, Kevin Garner of the Missouri State High School Activities Association.Wertz said of the nearly 1 million athletes who play boys and girls high school basketball in this country in 2017, 3.4 percent of boys and 3.9 percent of girls play in the Collegiate Athletic Association

As Garner put it, “Should we make the high school game like the college game to help less than four percent of the players?”

My reply remains a resounding no.

Many Cumberland County thoroughfares have undergone a major transformation in recent years with the elimination of center turn lanes and the installation of medians. The North Carolina Department of Transportation says it’s in the interest of highway safety. 

A major project already funded includes the planned upgrading of Raeford Road. DOT plans to install center medians from Robeson Street in the Highland Village area to south of Raeford Road’s intersection with Cliffdale Road in 71st Township. 

Another regional project not previously announced includes Robeson Street from Blount Street near downtown to Raeford Road. The roadway will be reduced to four lanes with the elimination of the center lane and installation of a dividing median. Sidewalks will be installed on both sides of the street, along with bicycle lanes.

More Hurricane Matthew recovery funding

ReBuild North Carolina has awarded more than $286,000 to 22 families whose homes were damaged during Hurricane Matthew. The grants come through North Carolina’s Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery funding. The families are in Cumberland, Robeson, Edgecombe and Wayne counties. The money will be used to repair their homes and to reimburse homeowners for work that is already completed. This funding is in addition to over $743 million already on the ground for small business recovery, public infrastructure repair and direct payments to homeowners including over $98 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency individual assistance. 

“Recovery is picking up steam with more repairs getting underway and more families getting money back for home repairs,” said Mike Sprayberry, director of North Carolina Emergency Management. 

The state is awaiting federal guidelines that will outline the use of an additional $168 million. Cumberland, Robeson, Edgecombe and Wayne counties have all had mandatory areawide environmental reviews approved allowing grant funds to flow. 

ReBuild North Carolina has completed 483 home damage inspections and begun or completed 574 site-specific environmental reviews. CDBG-DR funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development is available to help low-to-moderate income families and individuals repair or rebuild following damage from Hurricane Matthew. 

Service members beware

Military men and women could be at risk of losing their security clearances if they don’t keep their personal finances in good shape. That’s because of changes in rules for the security clearance process, according to advocates. Under new guidelines, officials will conduct continuous monitoring of federal employees who have roles in national security, including service members. 

Historically, individuals were up for periodic reviews every five to 10 years, depending on the type of clearance. The new, continuous evaluation will include a system that automatically pulls data on workers’ financial and criminal records, and eventually, data from social media. 

“This new process might impact your DoD security clearance and prevent you from being deemed deployable, which could greatly impact your military career unless you can prove to DoD that you were the victim of identity theft, fraud or a mistake, and that you’re currently living within your means and are making a good-faith effort to resolve your unpaid debts,” stated a recent blog from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 

Under the new system, military members are going to have to face the consequences of those late payments or missed payments quicker than they would have.

Renowned fashionista coming to Fayetteville

Fashion designer Dorothy Grant will be in Fayetteville Saturday, Sept. 15, to present a runway show at the Arts Council gallery on Hay Street. Grant, an international designer who is Kaigani Haida from Alaska, is recognized for her Haida-inspired womenswear and menswear, scarves and leather accessories. 

“Dorothy Grant is an artist, designer and visionary whose creations have graced the red carpet at the Oscars,” said Deborah Martin Mintz, executive director of the Arts Council. 

The event is being staged in conjunction with the current exhibition “Contemporary Art Forms by America’s First People.” It includes portrait paintings, pottery, baskets and textiles by some acclaimed American Indian artists. 

Grant will be available to meet the public at the Arts Council event, which will include a Champagne toast. The event will run 4-6 p.m. Sept. 15 at 301 Hay St. Tickets are $10 each and can be purchased at www.theartscouncil.com, or by calling the Arts Council at 910-323-1776. Proceeds go toward funding Native American make-and-take crafts at the 40th International Folk Festival on Sept. 28-30 in downtown Fayetteville.

PWC celebrates

Oct. 4 has been declared PWC Day by the city-owned utility. Events include tours of the Butler-Warner Generation Plant in Eastover as well as tours of Public Works water and wastewater plants.  

“We’ll also have an up-close look at the power restoration, water main rehabilitation, PWC’s customer call center, emergency operations and new initiatives that will impact your utilities services,” said PWC representative Carolyn Justice-Hinsons. 

The day will begin at 8 a.m. at the PWC Operations Center at 955 Old Wilmington Rd. Lunch and transportation to the various PWC facilities will be provided. Justice-Hinson said transportation will be available during the day should visitors need to leave at any point.

There seems to be a lot of attention given to fake news lately. In our neck of the woods, Methodist University conducted a panel to discuss it, The Fayetteville Observer is writing about it, and Jeff Goldberg (Goldy), the host of WFNC 640 AM’s morning show, recently criticized our newspaper for creating fake news about local events. Most recently, the best article about fake news was written by The Fayetteville Observer’s Sandspur stringer Lisa Carter Waring of Hope Mills. It was well-written and insightful, considering her involvement in Hope Mills issues – specifically, the ongoing controversy involving the Lone Survivor Foundation, which is trying to locate a $1.5 million military veterans retreat center in Hope Mills. 

Waring’s article “Fake news isn’t anything new,” which ran Sept. 4, reads like a hybrid of an admission and a self-indictment of her own campaign conspiring with Hope Mills Commissioners Mike Mitchell and Meg Larson. The three of them have disseminated inaccurate and misguided information, seemingly for the sole purpose of undermining the progress and achievements of Hope Mills Mayor Jackie Warner and any project, person or organization aligned with Warner – including this newspaper. Equally egregious is that Waring, Mitchell and Larson found another willing partner to pile on the Warner smear campaign in Goldy. Waring is using her trusted position with The Fayetteville Observer, along with her private and selectively restricted Facebook group, Hope Mills Chatter, to perpetrate her own fake news. And she’s doing it under the guise of being a concerned Hope Mills resident looking out for the town’s best interests. 

What we have been concerned with here at Up & Coming Weekly is the fact that such influential people like Waring, Goldberg, Mitchell and Larson intentionally dismiss the truth and ignore the facts to accommodate and enhance personal agendas. This is unethical in regard to trustworthiness in media, and, for the commissioners, at least, it disregards the sworn oath and obligations of elected Hope Mills officials. It reflects poorly on the integrity and character of each person involved. 

Here are the facts.

1. Goldy spent 20 minutes interviewing Mitchell and Larson Aug. 23 about the Hope Mills Board of Commissioners’ rejection of and objections to LSF’s request to purchase property on Lake bed #2 in Hope Mills.

2. Elizabeth Blevins of Up & Coming Weekly and Hopemills.net provided portions of that radio interview transcript along with a link to the entire interview in the Sept. 5 edition of Up & Coming Weekly, where she rebutted specific points with documented proof – all of which is a matter of record.

3. Aug. 28, Warner was interviewed on the same radio show, by the same person. Warner did an excellent job explaining the LSF’s mission and objectives as well as her position on the matter. She did this gracefully and professionally while refuting her detractor’s allegations that “the fix was in” and that proper protocols were not followed.

4. Up & Coming Weeklydispels fake news. In all cases, our name, titles, credentials and photos are on every article we pen. We own our content and are responsible for it. In addition, we return all our calls and respond to texts and emails. More importantly, concerning the Hope Mills controversy, both Blevins and I included in our articles a direct challenge and open invitation to all the parties involved that if they found anything in our articles that was misrepresented, inaccurate or not factual, we would get it corrected immediately.

5. The challenge went unanswered. We have not heard from anyone. No public rebuttal, no phone calls, no emails or text messages. Why? Because Larson and Mitchell have found themselves in indefensible positions when it comes to providing facts and being truthful. 

Here’s the takeaway: Goldy will not have me on his show because he knows I have command of the Hope Mills situation and I will speak from a base of absolute facts as I know them, as Blevins has documented them, and as Warner has articulated them on Goldy’s own radio show. 

Mitchell and Larson will continue undermining the mayor’s efforts. They want to obstruct Warner’s effectiveness and impede her progress while trying to damage her credibility in the process. They will resist contributing to or participating in anything constructive, even if it benefits the town of Hope Mills and its residents, if they feel such actions will reflect positively on the mayor, or worse, further endear her to the Hope Mills community. 

Waring, who writes for The Fayetteville Observer and commands her private Chatter Facebook group, will continue to struggle with her own credibility issues. 

Here is what we know for sure: All these people have issues, and they all have access to media. This doesn’t mean that everything (or anything) they say, write or post on social media is accurate. However, everything you read in Up & Coming Weeklycan be substantiated. And, in response to Goldy’s allegation that I only print one side of an issue, the policy at Up & Coming Weekly for 23 years has been that we will provide the space for anyone to respond to or opine on any subject or topic discussed in our publication. Up & Coming Weekly welcomes and supports the sharing of all viewpoints. 

Thank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly!

Today’s blot on world literature will take another walk down memory lane. We shall visit our old friends Antony and Cleopatra in their dust-up with Octavian at the naval battle of Actium, which occurred in September 31 B.C. 

Replenish your caffeine level by popping a handful of No-Doze, eating a giant Hershey chocolate bar and drinking a huge cup of Bojangles’s coffee to stay awake while having some Roman history tossed in your direction. Our old philosopher buddy George Santayana once said, “Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it.” Another of our buddies, Bluto in “Animal House,” started a food fight with the evil Omegas listening to Sam Cooke’s song “Wonderful World,” which included the lines “Don’t know much about history/ Don’t know much biology/ Don’t know much about the French I took.” 

I am unsure if Santayana’s warning and Bluto’s imitation of a pimple means that if you don’t recall the Battle of Actium that you, gentle reader, are doomed to be defeated by a Roman Emperor in a naval battle or to be chased around a college dining hall by a bunch of evil preppies. But why take a chance? You have already read most of the first few paragraphs. You are invested now in avoiding becoming a galley slave of a Roman Emperor or an Omega pledge. You might as well finish the rest of this column.

Once upon a time, Julius Caesar had a funny thing happen to him on the way to the forum. After being ventilated by a number of sharp objects held by some Roman senators, Julius expired, leaving a vacuum at the top of Rome. Three would-be emperors took over, Octavian, Mark Antony and Lepidus. 

The plan was to divide up the Roman Empire with each taking a slice to rule. This did not work out so well, as the boys had not learned to share in kindergarten. Mark Anthony got the section of the empire that included Egypt, which was ruled by Cleopatra. Cleo was a major babe and political strategist in her own right. She had beguiled Julius Caesar, providing him with a son named Caesarion, which meant in Latin, “You are going to be a target for any other Roman leader.” 

Mark sent word to Cleo to come see him because he thought she was helping his enemies. Cleo got herself gussied up and came down the Nile in the Royal Yacht dressed as Venus, the goddess of love. Mark was so smitten by Cleo’s false eyelashes that he became a fool for love. He hooked up with her and began making whoopee. 

Word in Rome was that the other two Emperors were not happy with this turn of events. 

After a winter of content with Cleo, Mark left Egypt and went back to Rome. In an effort to show he was a team player, Mark married Octavian’s sister, Octavia. Alas, the marriage to Octavia could not last. Mark had left his heart in Alexandria. Mark took Route 66 back to Egypt to hang with Cleo. In his absence, Cleo had produced a life insurance policy in the form of twins for whom Mark was the Baby Daddy. 

Octavian was not amused at this affront to his sister. He declared war on Cleo and Mark. Near Actium, off the coast of Greece, Octavian’s, Cleo’s and Mark’s navies lined up for the Naval Rassle Mania Battle of the millennium. 

After a mighty ruckus, Octavian’s fleet whupped Cleo’s and Mark’s navy. Recognizing that the battle was lost, Cleo and Mark skedaddled back to Egypt – where, like today’s politicians, they blamed others for their loss. 

Octavian eventually had a final land battle with Mark, defeating him once again. After Cleo heard about this loss, she went to the mattresses in the tomb she had built for herself. Mark received fake news that Cleo had killed herself. Distraught, he fell upon his sword, mortally wounded but alive enough to learn from a second messenger that reports of Cleo’s death had been greatly exaggerated and she still lived. Mark managed to get to Cleo before he died. He asked her to try to make peace with Octavian. 

Cleo dolled herself up, intending to seduce Octavian as she had done with Julius Caesar and Mark, but Octavian was having none of it. 

Scorned by Octavian, Cleo clutched an asp to her bosom and expired rather than become a high-profile prisoner. Like a mafia Don, Octavian cleaned up the rest of the family by having Cleo’s son Caesarion terminated with extreme prejudice. Egypt then became part of the Roman Empire. Octavian changed his name to Caesar Augustus, renamed the eighth month August, and ruled Rome for the next 41 years. 

So, what have we learned today? Bluto didn’t like the Omegas any more than Octavian liked Mark Antony. If warned to beware the Ides of March by a soothsayer, you better beware. Cleopatra may have been the first woman to have been a victim of #MeToo. Marrying and then dumping the sister of a Roman Emperor may not turn out as well as you hope. The grass on the other side of the pyramid is not always greener. Roman emperors played for keeps. Or finally, as Jim Morrison once said: “Nobody gets out of here alive.”

The town of Hope Mills recently joined the city of Fayetteville in establishing a law prohibiting citizens from engaging with panhandlers seeking donations from pedestrians or people in motor vehicles.

This is a sensitive issue for many people, especially those who feel genuine compassion for those who have fallen on hard times through no fault of their own and are seeking assistance until they can get back on their feet.

But the problem in roadside requests for help is determining whether they are genuine or coming from someone who wants money to feed a drug or alcohol addiction.

Rev. Bob Kretzu of Hope Mills United Methodist Church is familiar with the problem. Before coming to Hope Mills, he served pastorates in different communities and saw how those communities tried to offer real assistance to those in need.

“One part is compassion, and another part is obedience, if you’re a Christian,’’ Kretzu said. “Nobody likes to be taken advantage of.’’

Kretzu has been on the receiving end of numerous requests for assistance during his time as a minister. He tries to track each of them down and sadly reports it’s been his experience that nine out of 10 calls he has gotten for help over the years weren’t genuine.

He recalled one experience when he was in Goldsboro helping with a relief effort following the devastation of Hurricane Floyd.

At one benefit event, he said, a man walked in and began yelling, “I’m here for the free stuff.’’

Kretzu said he is pleased when he comes to a community like Hope Mills where there is an existing cooperative ministry like ALMSHOUSE. Similar ministries exist in Fayetteville with Fayetteville Urban Ministry and the Salvation Army.

The purpose of the ALMSHOUSE is helping families reach goals of sufficiency, along with feeding the hungry, clothing the needy and providing counseling and financial assistance. The town supports the ALMSHOUSE by holding regular collections of food in conjunction with its Food Truck Rodeos.

“There, you feel like your compassion is satisfied,’’ Kretzu said of a community-based charity like the 

ALMSHOUSE. “Your sense of obedience to care for those in need is satisfied, and your safety is preserved. You know the majority of (the benefits) are going to be used for a really redemptive purpose and not to support somebody’s addiction or other choice.’’

The safety of the public is a major part of the problem with panhandling, Kretzu said. He previously worked in Durham, where over a period of eight years, the number of people panhandling on street corners and at intersections doubled.

“It got to a point where they were fighting each other over the prime locations,’’ Kretzu said. “You worry about the safety of passengers in cars and interrupted traffic patterns.’’

One person Kretzu worked closely with was actually pushed into oncoming traffic by a “homeless’’ person.

That is one reason Kretzu is glad to work with an organization like the ALMSHOUSE in Hope Mills, which offers tangible support for people who have been identified as being in genuine need.

“To me, it’s a win-win,’’ Kretzu said. “It’s a more redemptive use of my time to support a ministry like that than to try to meet the needs of individuals that come by the church. I love when I go into a community and one is already established.

“I really believe in cooperative ministries.’’

Photo: Reverand Bob Kretzu

Shavonne Spell

South View • Volleyball •

Junior

Spellman has a 4.3 grade point average. She’s in the International Baccalaureate Academy and is a member of National Honor Society and Key Club.

Jason Garcia

South View • Soccer • 

Senior

Garcia has a 4.1 grade point average. He’s a member of the International Baccalaureate Academy at South View. He’s also active in his church youth group and plays piano and violin.

Meetings

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

• Board of Commissioners Wednesday, Sept. 5, 6 p.m., Special Meeting, William “Bill” Luther and Doris Luther Meeting Room. Called to conduct a closed session pursuant to NCGS 143-318.11 (a) (3) to discuss matters relating to attorney-client privilege and to conduct a Closed Session pursuant to NCGS 143-318.11 (a) (6) to discuss personnel matters.

• Lake Advisory Committee Tuesday, Sept. 18, 6 p.m.

• Mayor’s Youth Leadership Monday, Sept. 24, 7 p.m.

• Board of Commissioners Monday, Sept 24, 7 p.m.

Activities

• Hope Mills Citizens Academy is designed to help citizens gain insight intohow local government works and promote open lines of communication. The sessions began Sept. 6. For more information, call Jane Starling at 910-424-4902 or email jstarling@townofhopemills.com.

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

• Hope Meals Food Truck Rodeo Thursday, Sept. 6, at the parking lot between Town Hall and Parks & Rec Center. 5 p.m.

• Registration open for the 4th Annual Miss Hope Mills Cotton Pageant Applications are now being accepted at Hope Mills Parks & Recreation. Registration Deadline is Friday, Sept. 14. The pageant is for ages are 3-22 years old. Visit www.townofhopemills.com/375/Miss-Hope-Mills-Cotton-Pageant and see applications for rules and important information for contestants. The pageant takes place Oct. 5 for ages 3-9 and Oct. 6 for ages 10-22.

• Ole Mills Days 2018 Saturday, Oct. 27, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. For more details and vendor information, contact Parks and Recreation Director Kenny Bullock: 910-426-4107 or kwbullock@townofhopemills.com.

• Pumpkin decorating for seniors Tuesday, Oct. 30, 10 a.m.-noon in the small activity room of Parks and Rec. No fee, but advanced sign-up is required. Only 20 pumpkins available. Prizes will be awarded for the best three pumpkins.

• Ghostly Gala for seniors Wednesday, Oct. 31, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. in the Parks and Rec community room. Advanced sign-up at the reception desk required. Costumes are preferred but not required. There will be a costume contest and pumpkin decorating contest. Potluck social. Bring main dish, side dish or dessert.

Promote yourself:Email hopemills@upandcomingweekly.com.

Givens Performing Arts Center will open its 2018-19 season with “The Three Musketeers” Thursday, Sept. 20, and Friday, Sept. 21, at 8 p.m. The show is sponsored in part by Wesley Pines Retirement Center of Lumberton and is directed by Jonathan Drahos, director of theater at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. 

“The Three Musketeers” follows D’Artagnan, who travels to Paris in hopes of becoming a musketeer, one of the French king’s elite bodyguards. He discovers the corps have been disbanded by conniving Cardinal Richelieu, who secretly hopes to seize the throne. 

Athos, Porthos and Aramis continue to protect their king and refuse to lay down their weapons. D’Artagnan joins the rogues to expose Richelieu’s plot against the crown. 

The play will feature sword fights, romance, dancing, rolling-in-the-aisles comedy and high adventure. 

“This production has an epic spirit – sword fights, romance, dancing, rolling-in-the-isles comedy and high adventure!” said Drahos. “It’s going to be a fun night in a great space.”

The second performance of GPAC’s season, “Jessica Jane & Niels Duinker’s Magic Show,” is Friday, Sept. 28, at 8 p.m. The show is sponsored in part by the Pembroke Activity Council, a division of Campus Engagement and Leadership, and is part of UNC Pembroke’s Family Weekend Events. The duo entertains audiences with juggling acts, grand illusions, dangerous escapes and more. 

“We are excited to present a magic show with such high caliber performers as Jessica and Niels,” said James Bass, director of GPAC. “If you like high-energy shows that keep you on the edge of your seat, you’ll love this show.”

Jessica was born into and grew up in the world of magic. Her mother was a magician’s assistant for several illusionists, and her father designed magic tricks. At the age of 12, Jessica was being cut in half as a stage assistant. Her first real job was as a roving magician, and she has performed in Europe and around America. She has appeared on Penn & Teller’s “Fool Us” TV show. She currently lives in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, where she regularly performs “Jessica Jane’s Magic, Comedy and Variety Hour.” 

Niels Duinker holds seven Guinness World Records for juggling. He is a three-time winner of the International Magician’s Society Award, a three-time National Juggling Champion in The Netherlands and a Gold Medal Winner of the 2009 Taiwan Circus Festival. He has worked all over Europe and Asia. He was voted Best Corporate Entertainer 2018 by Corporate Vision magazine and has appeared at the MGM Grand Casino in Las Vegas, Harrah’s Hotels and Casinos and on several cruise ships. 

GPAC is located at 1 University Dr. on the UNCP campus. Tickets for “The Three Musketeers” cost $21 and $26 for adults and $5 for children and students. 

Tickets for the magic show cost $16 for adults and $5 for children and students. 

For more information, call 910-521-6361. 

Editor’s note: Check the Up & Coming Weekly Facebook page for updates on rain dates due to Hurricane Florence.

History. Prestige. Family.

Those are words heard over and over again when you talk to golfers, sponsors and friends of the Cumberland County Golf Championship.

The long-running staple of the golfing community in Fayetteville and Cumberland County marks its 50th anniversary this weekend, Sept. 14-16, at Gates Four Golf & Country Club with the 54-hole flighted competition for men and the revamped 36-hole edition for women.

Here’s a preview of this year’s tournament, looking at the history and sharing the thoughts of some of the best players and major sponsors as to why this event has been a must on the calendar of the county’s golfers for so many years.

The history

Chip Beck has competed in some of the biggest golf tournaments in the world, including the Masters and the U.S. Open. But some of his fondest memories on the golf course were back in the late 1960s when he took part in the earliest days of the CCGC. 

“It was one of the most fun events I played in all year,’’ Beck said. “It wasn’t very expensive to get in, and it had the biggest trophies I ever saw. I think they were the biggest trophies I ever got.’’

What made it extra special for Beck was the competition, going head-to head with friends like Jim Adams, Ernie Massei, David Canipe, Andrew Stiles and Chris Newman.

“It was like (being) king for a week,’’ he said of winning. “You got to be king amongst your buddies. We had a lot of fun with it.’’

Beck said golf has always held a special place in both the state of North Carolina and in Cumberland County, which are among the reasons he thinks the county championship has survived all these years, even through some lean periods.

“What better way to spend time with your friends,’’ he said. “It’s nice to see how you compete on the city and county level.’’

It was those early experiences in the county championship, Beck said, that helped motivate him in his pursuit of a career on the professional tour. “You have a sense of... that relaxed concentration and joy that comes from playing a high level of golf,’’ he said, “Playing with your friends, playing in your community. I just felt it was the emotion and feeling I’d like to have and that I tried to carry on through all my golf. If you don’t want to be there, it’s not going to happen for you.’’

Robert Wilson, currently the golf pro at Cypress Lakes, remembers a time when the county championship was held on two courses at the same time. There were leaderboards on the course and people were kept updated on how the field was doing.

He praised Up & Coming Weekly publisher Bill Bowman for his recent involvement in the tournament and an effort to restore the event to the glory days of the 1980s.

“The better golfers in each division in Cumberland County mark it on their calendars and wouldn’t miss it,’’ Wilson said. 

The sponsors

Billy Richardson of The Richardson Firm and Mac Healy of Healy Wholesale are both strong supporters of the Cumberland County Golf Championship and cite similar reasons for their commitment.

Richardson said he grew up watching golfers play in the CCGC every year, citing Chip Beck, Chris Newman, Billy West and Mike Williford as people he watched hone their skills in the tournament.

“The quality of golf here (and the rivalries through out the years) for a community of this size is amazing,” he said. “It’s such a good thing for the community. Being a small part of reviving the tournament, and especially of celebrating 50 years of it, is our privilege. As long as Up & Coming Weekly is sponsoring and participating in it, we plan on being a sponsor as long as they ask us to.”

Healy’s business has been in Fayetteville since 1978. He said his family always watched the CCGC with great interest and that he was glad to be approached about being a sponsor because of the tournament’s great tradition. 

“Part of it is giving back to the community,’’ he said. “This is amateur golf as its best. These guys are businessmen or lawyers or sell insurance or whatever the case may be. To all get together in a great fellowship once a year like that, it’s a thing you want to be involved in from a business standpoint. It’s what Fayetteville is all about. The locals have an opportunity to showcase their wares.’’

Healy said there is great golf opportunity available here, with good public and private courses. “The community has always embraced golf,’’ he said. “We don’t have to pay the Pinehurst No. 2 rates to get out and play a round of golf here. That’s what makes it so appealing to everybody.’’

The Everyman concept is a big part of the success of the CCGC, Healy said. “The guy bagging groceries is as likely to win the darn thing as a guy that practices every day and has lessons.”

Wally Hinkamp, who owns Hinkamp Jewelers, has feelings about the tournament that are deeply personal. His brother, the late David Hinkamp, was a former champion of the CCGC, and Wally said it held a special place in his brother’s heart.

“He was a pretty good athlete, but golf was his passion,’’ Wally said. David got his first golf lesson from the late Julius “Jack” Willis back at the old Green Valley Country Club in the early 1970s. “From that day forward, he was in love with the game of golf,’’ Wally said.

David won the tournament in 1986, and Wally said it remained a special memory for David until his untimely passing. “He knew all the guys in the tournament,’’ Wally said. “They were all buddies and played together all the time. It was like getting a big group of friends (together) on a Sunday and playing against each other. That’s the reason it was so special. It was people they personally knew and not just strangers.’’

Wally said he hopes Bowman and the many other sponsors of the CCGC will continue to work to make it the great event it once was. “It’s always been a well-run event, and it’s held a special place in my family’s heart all these years and will continue to,’’ he said.

 In previous incarnations of the CCGC, a separate competition was held for women at a different time and location.Since last year, the women have been competing on the same dates and course as the men. That will continue this year with one major change. The women will play 36 holes versus 54 for the men.

DeeDee Jarman, deputy director of athletics at Methodist University, suggested the change to 36 holes for the women to Bowman in an attempt to increase participation. “The average age of the female golfer these days is 50 and above,’’ Jarman said. “Some women may not be able to withstand the heat and physical demands of playing a three-day tournament.’’

Jarman added that it makes logistical sense for the women to play at the same time and location as the men. “The committee is not doing double work and it’s a big showcase for area golfers,’’ she said. “I think it’s a big draw that both are being held at the same time. This being the 50th year – it’s going to be a great event.’’

She also saw it as an opportunity to continue bringing the women’s tournament back while giving them a chance to share the spotlight with the men.

“I would like to see the females be just as strong,’’ she said, referring to the men marking the 50th anniversary of their tournament. “We want to make sure the women feel involved and connected, not (like) just tagalongs. Let’s get the field as strong as we can and support this tournament.’’

The players

Billy West and Thomas Owen represent both the old and the new in CCGC history. Owen graduated from Terry Sanford in 2007 and put up a fierce battle with West last year before West took the title.

It was a special win for West, who won the tournament 20 years earlier and wasn’t sure if the time had passed for him to have another opportunity at taking the championship.

“This is my home golf tournament,’’ said West, who serves as district attorney for Cumberland County. “I said it when I started playing it when I was 16, almost 30 years ago, and I’m still saying it. I think it’s because of the exposure... and the recognition you get among your family and friends and coworkers. It’s really different than any other tournament you play in.’’

West used to be active in tournaments on the state and national level, but there’s still something about the Cumberland County Golf Championship that sets it apart from everything else. “There just wasn’t the same recognition you get from playing well in the county championship,’’ West said. “That always made it special. My favorite tournament has followed me through my lifetime.’’

A hallmark of the tournament for West is the camaraderie that comes with it. He considers himself one of the older guys in the field now, joining a long list of names like Jon Riddle, Gene Howell, Mike Williford, Gary Robinson and Gary Moore who have been in the field for upwards of 30 years.

But he said it’s not just a tournament for veterans. “The new folks like Thomas Owen have embraced and understand how significant it is to the golfing community,’’ West said. 

West said he’s hitting the ball well and playing decent coming into this year’s event and hopes he’s got a chance at victory. “Anybody will tell you it comes down to getting a few breaks and putting well,’’ he said. “Getting the ball in the hole. That’s the big unknown. You won’t know until you get into the weekend.’’

West said he never tires of that final round on Sunday, being in the hunt for the championship. “There’s nothing quite like it,’’ he said.

Owen said this will only be his fifth time playing in the CCGC, but it already means a lot to him because of the deep tradition in Fayetteville golf going back to legends like Chip Beck and Raymond Floyd.He also has a strong connection to West. “As a kid, I looked up to Billy,’’ Owen said. “He’s become a great friend and kind of a golf mentor to me.’’

Owen feels he’s had better success in match play competition than stroke play, but he’s hoping experience in tournaments like the CCGC will improve his efforts in stroke competition. “I’m glad to see this championship revitalized by Bill Bowman and Up & Coming Weekly,’’ Owen said. “When (hearing) stories about how there used to be hundreds of people in the tournament on different golf courses, you wish you were a part of that.’’

After a good summer of tournament golf, including the Carolinas Amateur and the North Carolina Amateur, Owen feels he’s ready for another try at the CCGC title. “Golf is a fickle game,’’ he said. “For me, a lot of it comes down to driving and putting. You’ve got to put it in the fairway and make some putts.’’

The course and format

Kevin Levertu, general manager at Gates Four Golf & Country Club, said this year’s participants and spectators won’t be seeing any major changes in the tournament. The entry fee for the flighted tournament will be $175 for men and $145 for women. 

The entry fee includes range balls, a commemorative gift, trophies, prizes and an invitation to the pre-tournament pairings party on Thursday in the main ballroom at Gates Four. 

“This is the biggest event of the year,’’ Levertu said. “People pull out of other events to make sure they are geared for this event. People want their name on that trophy. It continues to push forward and thrive with the resurgence of Up & Coming Weekly coming on board to make sure it’s around another 50 years.’’

Despite the blistering heat in recent weeks, Levertu said the course is in great shape for the tournament. “We need to continue irrigating and make sure we keep the greens from drying out,’’ he said.

Spectators are reminded that they will not have access to carts during the tournament, and they are asked while walking the course to adhere to the rules and stay on the cart paths.

For those who don’t want to walk to watch the golfers, Levertu said there are areas around the new pavilion at the clubhouse where they can sit and view action on multiple holes. “That would be a good place to see some good golf,’’ he said.

Giving back

There will be a ceremony recognizing the winners in the pavilion after the tournament. During the ceremony, Bowman will make a donation to the Kidsville News Literacy & Education Foundation and the Kay Yow Cancer fund. 

Founded in 2011, The Kidsville News Literacy & Education Foundation is a recognized nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation under the laws of the state of North Carolina and provides free reading and educational resources to Cumberland County and Fort Bragg schools.

In addition, the foundation awards grants to qualified organizations for the purpose of promoting education and improving literacy among America’s youth. 

The Kay Yow Cancer Fund was founded in 2007 from the vision of Kay Yow, former N.C. State University head women’s basketball coach. 

“It was DeeDee Jarman who advocated for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund,” Bowman said. “She thought it would tie in nicely while developing the CCGC Women’s Division.”

Chasity Melvin is a former Lakewood High School and N.C. State basketball star who led the Wolfpack to the North Carolina Athletic Association Women’s Final Four and played 12 seasons in the Women’s National Basketball Association. She was inducted in the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 2017. She is currently the coordinator of development for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. 

“The Kay Yow Cancer Fund is a homegrown, nonprofit organization here in North Carolina, started by our late, great mentor, hall of fame coach, N.C. State’s Kay Yow, who was extraordinary,” Melvin said. “She had a vision to raise money for all cancer research affecting women. Even though she battled breast cancer most of her coaching career, she didn’t want to just fund one cancer. She wanted to fund all research affecting women with all cancers and serve the under-served. 

“She didn’t care. Small, big, multi-billion-dollar companies, she was all about uniting communities for a common cause. She really felt like whenever someone wanted to participate or sponsor the cancer fund, she was really adamant about getting the community involved, uniting them and spreading awareness.

“I... want to just say a special thank you to Bill Bowman for really taking charge and bringing more awareness back to this golf tournament. Personally, from my own standpoint, working in a nonprofit organization and working at the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, I know how challenging it can be to get people onboard. Once they really learn what the cause is they’re supporting, you can’t help but want to be a part of it. I’m glad he sees the big picture. It’s so much more than golf. It’s so much more than money. For him to get behind the cause that affects many women in North Carolina, especially rural areas outside of Fayetteville, this is really great.’’

Register for the 50th CCGC online at www.cumberlandcountygolfclassic.com.Email klavertu@gatesfour.com or call 940-425-6667 with questions

A decade ago, the United States experienced a financial “correction” that eventually turned into the Great Recession. It affected not only our own economy but rippled across many of the world’s other developed economies. Economists continue to argue about its causes, one of which was surely the unbridled bundling and selling of mortgages destined for default, and its effects, among them getting the millennial generation off to a delayed and perhaps crippled start.

Ten years later, our economy has recovered – some would even say boomed. Psychological scars remain, however personal and private they may be, but publicly, our economy is on a roll.

What we need now is a political correction. 

American politics have always been rough and tumble, not for shrinking violets or the faint of heart. The last decade, though, has brought partisan division unlike any in our history. Talking heads chat endlessly about the very real decline in civility among leaders at all levels of government. What we hear about less often are changes in the unspoken rules of government through which one branch respects and honors the work and responsibilities of other branches.    

Americans have just witnessed the confirmation hearings of U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brent Kavanaugh, a political spectacle if ever there was one. U.S. senators chewed each other out on live television – perhaps because of live television – and protestors shouted opposition as they were dragged out of the hearing room. Grandstanding was the name of the game.

Compare that to the confirmation hearings of Antonin Scalia, nominated by President Ronald Reagan in 1986 and widely regarded as among the most conservative justices ever to sit on our nation’s highest court. He was confirmed by a vote of 98-0, meaning that he was supported by both Republicans and Democrats because the U.S. Senate has historically abided by the Constitutional advise and consent authority given to presidents to appoint Supreme Court justices. Until now.

In their recent book, “How Democracies Die,” Harvard political scientists Steven Levisky and Daniel Ziblatt examine failed democracies in Europe in the 1920s and ’30s and in South America in the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s. They identify common threads in populist leaders who took their nations away from the balance of powers that mark democracies into autocracies, even dictatorships. In some countries, the shift was obvious, sometimes violent. In others, it was more of a slow, lazy slide that many people did not see until it slapped them in the face.

The authors refer to governmental customs and traditions within and between various branches as “guardrails,” safety features not enshrined in constitutions or in law, but very real and accepted practices that keep democratic governments operating. In the U.S., the authors assert, many factors, including presidential primary system changes in both parties in the 1970s, changing demographics that make some Americans feel like our country is leaving them behind, and highly partisan hardball politics are weakening our guardrails. As for our own state, the authors say North Carolina is now without guardrails at all – a state hijacked by intense partisanship – and much the worse for it.

The pendulum has always swung back and forth in American politics. When it goes too far in one direction – left or right, it reverses itself and heads toward center. It is now time for a political correction, just as it was time for an economic correction a decade ago. 

Many talking heads agree that correction could and should come in less than two months in the November elections. The midterms are an opportunity to say “enough” to intense and corrosive hardball partisan politics, to divisive policies and rhetoric, to incivility, and to begin repairing the guardrails that have been our safety net for more than two centuries. 

Let the healing begin.

Some veteran firefighters are asking why it took so long. The Cumberland County Fire Chiefs Association recently purchased ballistic protective gear for volunteer firemen as part of its active shooter response plan. 

“Unfortunately, we are seeing increasing numbers of active shooter situations across the country,” said County Fire Commissioner Jimmy Keefe. “Our emergency responders are preparing should the unthinkable happen here,” he added. 

All 19 rural county fire departments are being issued the equipment. Firefighters have been receiving specialized training in mass casualty life-saving, which integrates fire department and emergency medical personnel with law enforcement to rapidly extract and care for injured victims.

Stoney Point Fire Chief Freddie Johnson is Fire Chiefs Association president. “Based on research from active assailant incidents, emergency responders needed to change the active shooter response model to save more lives,” Johnson said. “We must be prepared to move in and get the victims out.” Johnson cited the North Carolina Active Assailant and Mass Violence Work Group White Paper released in 2017. 

Until now, fire department protocol in the city and county has been for rescue personnel to lay back while law enforcement officers deal with active shooter situations and clear the scenes. In many mass shootings across the country, heroic personnel have been found dead when they tried to help others and got no help themselves. 

The Fire Chiefs Association spent approximately $90,000 for the equipment. Funding was appropriated by county commissioners from the 1.25-cent fire district tax receipts from Cumberland County’s unincorporated volunteer fire districts. The protective gear includes Kevlar helmets and ballistic chest and side bullet-resistant vests with striker plates capable of stopping high-velocity ammunition. 

Purchasing the equipment became a priority because of increasing hostile fire incidents, according to Johnson. “Cumberland County Fire Service reached another milestone as we begin the process to equip all our volunteer fire departments with protective equipment that will allow our firefighters to enter an active shooter scene or mass-casualty incident in order to extract the injured as part of a rescue task force,” he said.

Rescue teams consist of firemen or EMS personnel who are shielded by police officers in human extraction situations. 

“We recognize a new chapter in public safety and the important role the fire and emergency service personnel have in our community,” Keefe said.

The City of Fayetteville Fire Department was not included in the distribution of the protective gear. Its 17 fire stations are funded directly by city property tax receipts. “We are working to find financial resources to equip our firefighters with the equipment,” said Fire Chief Ben Major. 

Bill Yeager, veteran assistant football coach at Terry Sanford High School, remembers it like it was yesterday.

A local dentist asked if he’d like to play golf on Sunday afternoon.

Yeager explained he couldn’t because he had to review film from the previous Friday’s game and then review film of the next opponent to formulate a game plan.

The dentist looked at 

Yeager and said, “Wow, you guys take this stuff seriously, don’t you?”

For 50 years, since he was a freshman at old Alexander Graham Junior high in downtown Fayetteville, Yeager has taken football seriously.

You can still see him on the practice field at Terry Sanford and on the sidelines on Friday night, coaching, cajoling and cheering on another generation of young men playing the game.

For Yeager, 64, the reasons are simple. “I still love the game and love working with young people, watching them develop and grow as young men,” he said. “I’ve seen so many of them take their places as productive citizens in the Fayetteville area, and (I’ve) become good friends with a lot of them.’’

Alongside him for 42 of those 50 years has been his wife, Chris Yeager, a veteran educator for Cumberland County Schools.

Chris said coaching football is what her husband was born to do. “He gets along with kids and relates to (them),’’ she said.

But it goes beyond that, extending to the relationship with his fellow coaches. Chris called it a fraternity, an in-the-trenches kind of mentality.

“They work all week and then they stand and everybody questions what they are doing on the sidelines,’’ she said. “You put your life in the hands of 16- and 17-year-old children. You make decisions and things happen and they have to support each other.

“Winning is a big deal, but the character of the young men is really what they are focused on.’’

Chris said she has to be committed to her husband and what he does because the demands of the job are extreme. Countless times she’s sat in the stands and heard fans yelling at her husband, questioning every decision he makes. 

“It’s difficult to sit and listen to it when you know how much they put into it and how hard it is to hear that,’’ she said. 

Chris has been behind her husband at the many stops he’s made in those 50 years. His winding route through local football has taken him to head coaching positions twice, at Terry Sanford and Gray’s Creek. He’s made stops as an assistant at Terry Sanford, South View, Pine Forest and UNC-Pembroke, returning to Terry Sanford in 2011, where he’s been ever since.

He’s now serving under Bruce McClelland, who was the quarterback for the Bulldogs in the mid-1980s when Yeager was an assistant coach for first Len Maness and then John Daskal.

McClelland said having a coach with Yeager’s experience and knowledge is invaluable.

“He’s seen it all,’’ McClelland said of the offensive and defensive alignments Yeager has used and coached against in his career. “I demand my staff to hold me accountable. I don’t want yes men.’’

Yeager is anything but that, McClelland said. “When he’s in the room, he’s going to speak up.”

One thing Yeager said hasn’t changed is the goal every week, to figure out a way to effectively move the football.

“It’s just like a chess match almost,’’ he said. “You move your pieces, and hopefully you move them in the right place to be successful.”

For the last several years, his job at practice and on Friday nights has been coaching the Bulldog receivers. That was the position he played at Reid Ross High School under John Daskal, starting at tight end and eventually moving to wide receiver when he completed his college education at Appalachian State.

He revels in seeing his players run routes correctly and work hard to get open. But he’s just as pleased when Terry Sanford runs an option or a sweep and one of his receivers makes a key block to spring a runner.

The one thing he still tries to sell his players on that dates back to his beginnings as a coach is the importance of work ethic, knowing the job you have to do. “Do your part to help the team, whatever that might be,” he said. “Special teams. Offense. Defense. Quarterback. Whatever it is.’’

Trey Edge was the quarterback at Terry Sanford in 1984-85. Yeager was his offensive coordinator and quarterback coach. These days, Edge watches Yeager from his perch in the press box as play-by-play announcer for the DK Sports Network’s weekly broadcasts of Terry Sanford football on WFNC 640 AM.

Edge said the thing that impresses him most about Yeager is he doesn’t have to be out there coaching at this stage in his life, but he does it because he can’t walk away from something he loves this much.

“He had a passion that was at times addicting and at times hilarious,” Edge said. “It’s all about helping 

kids and teaching the game of football to kids.’’

When asked if he’s ready to give it up, Yeager said no. “Really and truly, I’ve never looked at football as a job,” he said. “It’s been something I wanted to do.’’And after 50 years, he’s still doing it.

Photo: Bill Yeager

Just when you think the marketplace can’t get more competitive, some company ups the ante or changes the rules. If you don’t believe me, ask the people at Toys R Us, Blockbuster or Kodak. 

Other than failure, the common denominator amongst these former titans is their complacent acceptance that “good” was good enough. 

What they failed to understand is the innate human condition that I call “The Inflation of Expectations.” No matter what we have, we always want more, better, cheaper and quicker. It’s only natural. 

Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon, summed it up best when he said, “It’s impossible to imagine (that) a customer comes up and says, ‘Jeff, I love Amazon, I just wish the prices were a little higher, or... I just wish you’d deliver a little more slowly.’” 

If you are not moving forward at a pace that’s faster than your key customers, you’re losing the race – even if you appear to be the leader.

You’re probably thinking, great... I’m barely getting by in this dog-eat-dog marketplace, and this Kent Hill guy wants me to do more, cheaper, better and quicker. He’s nuts! If you are thinking that, you’re right on both counts: As George Bernard Shaw said, “Nothing great was ever accomplished by a reasonable man.”

But what if there were a way to realistically improve your business? What if you had the tools to map and navigate your route from good to great? 

Based on years of trial and plenty of error, FTCC’s Center for Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Small Business has put several proven business tools together in a unique way to help companies grow from good to a sustainable great. It’s called the Profit Exceleration Program.

In the first 10-week segment of the Profit Exceleration Program, participants distill their businesses to the essential elements through an adaptation of the Lean Business Model Canvas. Then they assess and chart their company’s current situation using The GrowthWheel, an innovative approach created by a successful Danish serial entrepreneur who realized that starting, growing or improving any business can be reduced to a set of critical decisions and actions. The 

GrowthWheel helps users prioritize, decide and take action to improve those areas that are essential to the success of their enterprise.

The next step is to begin transferring the GrowthWheel output into LivePlan, an online resource to fine-tune, communicate and administer a plan.  

With this and some viability testing, participants are ready to move to the second 10-week segment of the Profit Exceleration Program: the implementation, funding, analysis and standardization of their progress. The Profit Exceleration Program is effective for existing companies and start-ups.

Each of the two 10-week segments costs $180 and includes The GrowthWheel, LivePlan and QuickBooks Online, one-to-one business coaching plus some proprietary extras.  

The first cohort of ten business owners will begin in mid-September.  For more information, write down a brief description of your business, your goals and the biggest obstacles you see in between. Email this to innovationcenter@faytechcc.edufor more information about the program. There are no shortcuts on the journey from good to great, and there is no guarantee of a safe arrival. But using proven tools and methods can make the trip a lot smoother and more rewarding.

If nothing else, remember that good enough today is not good enough tomorrow.