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    07city countyA standing committee of Fayetteville and Cumberland County lawmakers, which meets quarterly, met last week for the first time in seven months. It was the joint liaison committee’s second meeting since the fall of 2016.

    The group discussed the economic impact of the downtown baseball stadium now under construction. It also spoke of considering an increase in the county’s prepared food and beverage tax and the county commission’s distribution of sales tax revenues.

    The future of Shaw Heights was also on the agenda as well as recovery efforts still underway in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew, which devastated Fayetteville nearly two years ago. The committee met for an hour at city hall and seemed to agree that the issues, which involved both government agencies, can be amicably resolved.

    Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Christine Michaels said a half-dozen cities that have downtown minor league ballparks have seen some economic growth nearby, especially among locally owned businesses. Deputy City Manager Kristoff Bauer told the group that construction of the stadium is on schedule and that it will be finished on time.
     
    Mayor Mitch Colvin favors legislative action to increase the 1-cent food and beverage tax by a quarter of a cent tax to provide local government additional operating revenues. County Commissioner Glenn Adams said the Republican-controlled general assembly is not inclined to raise taxes at the state or local levels.

    County Commission Chairman Larry Lancaster sought to persuade city officials that he does not anticipate a change in the sales tax revenue distribution formula that has been in effect for many years. The existing formula provides distribution of sales tax proceeds between municipalities and the county on a per capita basis.

    An ad valorem property tax method could be considered, but it would significantly reduce revenues from county government to cities and towns. “I hope that as we approach this decision we don’t even let ad valorem enter the
    vocabulary,” Lancaster said. It’s the first time that city council has been publicly reassured that commissioners will likely continue the existing distribution formula.
     
    Hurricane Matthew flood damagein Cumberland County was second only to Robeson County in severity. Tens of millions of dollars are available to the community in federal grants, which are passed through state government to local agencies. Much of the funding is in what Assistant County Manager Tracey Jackson called a “stop and start” mode in state government. “There are echelons above us where the rules keep changing,” said Commissioner Jimmy Keefe.
     
    The Shaw Heights community is an unincorporated donut hole off Murchison Road on Fayetteville’s southside. City and county officials have been talking about whether to have the area annexed for 12 years. They have considered other options as well. Complicating matters, the state Department of Transportation has proposed to realign Shaw Road connecting it to Shaw Mill Road. That would reshape the area. City and county leaders agreed to establish a joint committee to attempt a solution to best serve the low-income area.

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    02PurpleHeartI have no idea why any red-blooded American patriot in their right mind is still supporting the National Football League and its organization of ungrateful clowns who choose to disrespect our nation by raising a fist or taking a knee when the national anthem is played. What are they thinking? Or, are they thinking at all?
     
    This kind of behavior is just unacceptable. For the life of me, I cannot imagine why the NFL owners are allowing this practice to continue. I also have no idea why anyone is still going to NFL games, purchasing its merchandise or even watching the games on TV. Let the organization perish, as far as I’m concerned.
     
    Honestly, is winning a football game so important that team owners are willing to allow the players they hire – their employees – to dictate such disgusting and disappointing behavior? Who’s in control? The owners or the players? There is a time and place for everything. The football field is no place for political or other protests. Disrespecting our country in public to make a personal statement about police brutality, Black Lives Matter or anything else should be unacceptable and should not be tolerated. Nor should it be negotiated.
     
    This past weekend, I attended the Sandhills Purple Heart Dinner at the Crown Expo Center. It was a great event, and I couldn’t help but think how appropriate it would be if NFL players like Colin Kaepernick were there to witness up-close and personal the Purple Heart recipients
    who were recognized as the real heroes of defending American freedom. They would have seen and heard of the sacrifices these men and women of our armed forces made to secure our nation’s freedom and to protect their rights to make millions of dollars playing the game of football in the land of the brave and free.

    Unfortunately, what the football players would not have seen are the thousands who have died and the loved ones of those who are missing in action because of their choice to serve our country so we, as U.S. citizens, can enjoy the amenities of American freedom. I would like the NFL players to see the bravery and pride of these heroes who attended the Purple Heart Dinner, the trembling lips and tears of the Gold Star mothers whose lasting honorable memory of their sons, husbands and daughters is that they died in defense of our nation. These were touching moments, and I couldn’t help but think that this is the type of event NFL owners should insist their team members attend.
     
    Maybe then the players would realize the error of their ways and how misdirected their intentions are. Until then, I’m taking a knee to the NFL and its management, and I hope Budweiser and other major sponsors do the same.

    If the NFL cannot control its players, then neither of them deserve my time, money or loyalty.

    Kudos to the Sandhills Purple Heart Association, the local businesses and organizations, and the hundreds of volunteers who hosted this year’s Purple Heart Dinner. It was a massive undertaking, and it was very well done. It was dignified and respectful. I can still see the glimmer of the swords held high and proud by the young South View ROTC cadets as the real American heroes passed through the arch when
    they heard their names. The food, songs, drums, bag pipes, and the precise cadence of the honor guards with their swords paid high honors to our special guests. It was an evening of patriotism, recognition and honor that ended with duel bugles solemnly playing taps and paying homage to those who have died in service to our country.
     
    It reassured the rest of us that they have not died in vain. It was a powerful reminder of how important our veterans are to our community.

    Thank you for reading Up & ComingWeekly.
     
    Photo by Teresa Hayter of brokencrayonsphotography.

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    14 ftcc3DThe 3D printer is an emerging technology that fascinates both young and old. A seemingly magical transformation occurs that makes something from nothing. The 3D printer has the ability to revolutionize industry by enabling the return of the cottage industry and the redistribution of production of goods from the mega-factories of the present to the mom-and-pop shops of yesteryear.

    The potential applications of 3D printing extend far beyond the commercial, reaching into realms as fundamental as healthcare and as speculative as extraterrestrial colonization. As this technology is perfected and the number of printable materials grows, its application will grow geometrically and impact not only industry but also society itself.

    Another technology that has impacted society in the last score of years is the technology of the video game, in an entertainment and cultural shift as powerful as the one driven by the moving picture. Today, 3D game worlds rival the real world in grandeur and scope, even generating their own economies based on real money for virtual goods and generating tangible excitement and contentment via imaginary people, places and things.
     
    So, what’s the connection between these two when video games dwell in the virtual of a cyberspace and 3D printers craft the real from molten plastic?

    The connection is 3D.  

    Every 3D-printed object begins its life in the cyber ether as a computer-generated ghost of itself – a virtual blueprint on whose precision lies the fate of every form that springs from the printer’s nozzle. Game developers craft 3D objects in virtual environments – those objects and more can be printed by 3D printers. Thus, two outcomes emanate from the same skill. The more the demand for 3D prints, the more the demand for 3D modelers to visualize them.

    Now, almost anyone can buy a 3D printer and become a 3D factory; however, most peopler rely on pre-packaged prints. A child can print a Millennium Falcon toy, but a child did not make the model for the print; a dentist may 3D-print a crown, but a dentist is not going to model one. These objects would be garbage without the precision geometry that is the handiwork of an experienced 3D modeler. Yes, there are 3D scanners and other such devices that create models from realworld objects, but these models still need a human hand to smooth out the rough imperfections that such devices generate.

    At Fayetteville Technical Community College, staff members have created a 3D printing lab in the Simulation and Game Development department because the instructors already teach the 3D modeling skills that make 3D printing possible. This department seeks to broaden the career potential of students and to provide a workforce that can carry Cumberland County and its environs through the 21st century. The skills given to students in the Simulation and Game Development department will spur new ideas for the use of 3D printers and will help keep this program at FTCC vital and relevant.

    We strive to expand beyond our core students with the 3D printing lab. It is our goal to open the lab and department courses to all students at FTCC, and it is our desire for 3D printing students to participate in collaborative projects involving engineering, healthcare, art and criminal justice curricula students among others. To this end, we are offering a certificate and a diploma as credentials in the specific area of 3D modeling and printing going forward.
     
    Email umlands@faytechcc.edu to learn how to connect with the 3D technology world through FTCC.

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    17Mike MitchellOn July 26, Hope Mills Commissioner Mike Mitchell wrote the first of many confusing and misleading posts on his Facebook page. He accused the mayor and several staff members of colluding with Fayetteville Cumberland County Economic Development Corporation to facilitate the sale of Hope Mills property to Lone Survivor Foundation.
     
    Mitchell bemoaned the procedure followed by the mayor and her staff, alleging they circumvented the board in allowing LSF to conduct soil testing and schedule a presentation by FCEDC and the executive director of LSF during a closed session on June 4. After the June 4 meeting, all of the commissioners, with the exception of Mitchell, were overwhelmingly excited to host an LSF facility in Hope Mills. And while Mitchell never expressed excitement, he suspended his reservations long enough to quote an initial price to the LSF.

    The commissioners are elected to establish policy. That’s it. The town manager executes their established policy. This is an important distinction to remember. It’s also important to remember each elected official is required to attend classes that explain in great detail what exactly their role is within the community.

    Town Manager Melissa Adams and her staff have standard operating procedures they follow in any given situation. If a member of the board is approached with an offer, they convey all information to Adams. She then puts her staff to work cross-referencing land use plans, contacting relevant agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency and Fayetteville’s PWC and pulling all documentation on that parcel of land. The staff make a joint presentation to the board to ensure the board members have all pertinent information before voting.
     
    Despite a well-documented history of the staff following this exact procedure, Mitchell was offended at having been left out of the process. For nearly three weeks, he’s repeated the same complaints on social media – insisting the land was never for sale and alluding to a conspiracy involving the mayor. His actions beg the question: Does Mitchell fully comprehend the policies and procedures guiding the board?
     
    Mitchell accused Teddy Warner, the director of business development for FCEDC and the mayor’s son, of soliciting LSF with the intention of selling this piece of land, and then conspiring with Mayor Jackie Warner to facilitate the sale. Mitchell even went so far as to ask the president of FCEDC if he felt there was a conflict of interest. There was not. A conflict of interest would only exist if either party could benefit from the transaction. For instance, if a board member discussed the buying or selling of town property with a personal client and the commissioner stood to profit in some way, a conflict would exist.

    Ironically, Mitchell admitted to violating the very procedure he’s accused the mayor of violating when he announced he’s received multiple requests from nonprofit organizations wanting to purchase the piece of property LSF is interested in. Mitchell abandoned the democratic process by refusing to bring the information to the staff or let the board vote on the issue, and simply told each organization the land wasn’t for sale. Freedom of Information Act requests for details about those offers have been ignored by Mitchell.

    Freshman Commissioner Meg Larson seems to be struggling in her role as well. While Larson was initially excited to partner with LSF, her opinion seems to have been influenced at some point between the June 4 and 18 meetings. She’s been agitated during commissioner meetings and antagonistic toward staff members and the mayor. Commissioner Pat Edwards confirmed that it was Larson who emailed a copy of the PWC surveys to board members after the June 4 closed session. Those surveys indicated that PWC identified Lake Bed #2, the land LSF wants to purchase, as a potential site for a multi- purpose reservoir if the county required more water in the future.

    Larson circumvented the board when she reached out to PWC for clarification. Mick Nolan, chief operations officer of the Water Resource Division at PWC, responded to the inquiry on July 18, assuring her there were more recent surveys indicating the reservoir was unnecessary and that PWC had abandoned its earlier plan. This piece of information was not relayed to the other board members by Larson. They received it from a staff member shortly before the July 23 meeting. While Larson has been aware of the recent PWC surveys for nearly a month, she still has the old surveys posted on her social media accounts.
     
    A source close to the situation said Larson recently submitted a flurry of FOIA requests specifically targeting correspondence between Warner and both the FCEDC and the Mayors’ Coalition. More than one constituent is questioning whether Larson has adequately made the transition from citizen to elected official, and to whom does her loyalty belong? Like the PWC request, these requests were submitted without the board’s approval.

    To date, there’s been no evidence that either Mitchell or Larson have requested any relevant information to help them make informed decisions about a partnership with LSF. But there is evidence they’ve both violated policy in their attempts to prove a conspiracy theory involving the mayor.
     
    Photo: Hope Mills Commissioner Mike Mitchell

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    15spangler lg 260x300Dick Spangler, who died last month, changed my life dramatically and forever. That makes it hard to write an objective and proper tribute to the Charlotte business leader and former president of the University of North Carolina System. First of all, he would not have liked the use of the word “system.”

    He would not have said, “Don’t use that word.”

    Instead, he would have squinted, looked down over his glasses and said something like, “Are you sure that’s a word you want to use?”

    That “system” word is now an official part of the institution’s name. But for him, the multiple campuses of UNC composed one university under the state’s constitution. I can hear him following up with a reminder that the constitution requires the university’s benefits “as far as practicable, be extended to the people of the State free of expense.”

    His tenacious support for “low tuition” slowed down the rising cost of public higher education, making possible life-changing experiences for thousands of young North Carolinians.

    In April, Spangler came to Chapel Hill to speak at an event honoring Wyndham Robertson, a former “Fortune” magazine assistant managing editor who served him as university vice president of communications. Gifts from the Spangler family helped establish a position at UNC Press honoring her.
     
    Spangler took pride in Robertson, the first female vice president of the university, and in many other non-traditional hires,
    including Jay Robinson, former superintendent of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools who handled state government relations, and Julius Chambers, nationally-known civil rights attorney, to be chancellor at N. C. Central University.
     
    Spangler said his job was not to know how to do everything, but to identify, recruit and support people he could trust to succeed.

    Wisely, he retained the major staff members of his predecessor William Friday. He developed a special friendship with Vice President Raymond Dawson. Dawson’s experiences in planning and crisis management were valuable assets when Spangler had to deal with controversial challenges such as the closing of programs, departures of popular coaches and proposed mandatory drug testing.
     
    When he learned of Spangler’s death, Dawson said simply, “He was a good man... a good man.”

    Though wealthy, Spangler had simple tastes. His office was basic. His official car was a compact so modest that it lacked an FM radio. Spangler added one with, of course, his own money.

    He was also sparse when it came to staff meetings. He thought they were usually time-wasters.

    An exception was a regular monthly meeting of his staff with the chancellors of the 16 universities. The refreshments were simple and standard, an old-style bottle of Coca-Cola.
     
    For lunch, he would often go alone to the campus dining hall to mingle with students. The dining staff named the “Spangler Taco Salad” after his favorite dish.
     
    Spangler gave back all his salary from the university, and his family has poured millions of dollars more, often, as in the case of Robertson, to honor his co-workers and others whose service he admired.

    Spangler put his widespread business and social connections to use, including many cousins in Cleveland County where his father grew up. One was the late Ruby Hunt, wife of influential legislator, Jack Hunt. Once, when Spangler and then Gov. Jim Hunt were at loggerheads over the university’s budget, Ruby invited them to breakfast where her Cleveland County cooking and warm spirit helped bring about a compromise.

    How did Spangler change my life?

    Early in 1986, when I was practicing law in Charlotte and trying to recover from two hard-fought but losing congressional campaigns, Spangler called me, saying, “I think you belong in public service,” offering me a position working for him at the university, and then
    giving me experiences I will treasure the rest of my life.
     
    Photo Dick Spangler

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    04keem ibarra 380519 unsplashIt seems that saying no has become the predominant response in American politics. When it comes to addressing difficult issues that profoundly impact our citizens and the future of America, the answer is too often no when yes makes sense. The great obstacle to knowing when to say yes is that doing so requires clear-headed reasoning and right motivation. In our time, both appear to be in short supply.

    In my estimation, this deficit in politicians, and others, knowing when to say yes shows through in what is happening with the “Formerly Incarcerated Reenter Society Transformed Safely Transitioning Every Person Act,” or the “First Step Act.” I was made aware of this legislation when a friend sent me an article that mentioned it. The article was from The Associated Press under the headline “Pastor praises Trump as ‘pro-black’ at prison reform event.”

    Here are some sections from that article.
    • “President Donald Trump was lauded by inner-city pastors, including one who said he may go down as the ‘most pro-black president’ in recent history, during a White House roundtable on Wednesday, which was focused on efforts to reform the prison system.”
    • “‘When we say hire American, we mean all Americans,’ Trump said.”
    • “The White House has been focusing its criminal justice reform efforts on improving re-entry, rehabilitation and workforce training programs,  instead of sentencing reform, which many advocates argue would make a bigger difference.”
    • “Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and adviser, has been leading the effort, which has included lobbying Congress to pass a bill called the First Step Act.”
    • “The House passed the bill in May.”The First Step Act is summarized as follows in an article by Justin George titled “Is The ‘First Step Act’ Real Reform?”

    “The bill, sponsored by Reps. Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat, and Doug Collins, a Georgia Republican, seeks to add educational and vocational training and mental health treatment in federal prison. It earmarks $50 million a year over five years to expand these in-prison opportunities. It also expands the number of days in a halfway house or home confinement that inmates can earn for good behavior and self-improvement. It would expand the use of risk assessment tools – algorithms that try to predict future behavior. It bans the shackling of pregnant women; calls for placing prisoners in facilities that are within 500 driving miles of their families; and helps them get identification cards upon release.”

    As I write this column, the legislation is with the Senate for action. Opposition to it centers around the following major points: It does not include reduction of minimum sentences and allowing judges greater discretion in determining sentences; concern that passing this legislation without sentencing reform could jeopardize enacting sentencing reform in the future; since only a small portion of the country’s incarcerated are in federal prisons, the impact of this legislation would have limited impact; the $50 million per year, over five years, for rehabilitative programs is seen as insufficient. Further, German Lopez writes the following in an article titled "Congress’s prison reform bill, explained.”

    “But algorithms can perpetuate racial and class discrimination; for instance, an algorithm that excludes someone from earning credits due to previous criminal history may overlook that black and poor people are more likely to be incarcerated for crimes even when they’re not more likely to actually commit those crimes.”
     
    Also from the Lopez article: “In the Senate, Democrats Cory Booker (NJ), Dick Durbin (IL), and Kamala Harris (CA) are normally on the side of criminal justice reform. But when it comes to the First Step Act, they have strongly opposed the bill – sending a letter on Thursday condemning the legislation as “a step backwards” and urging their Democratic col- leagues to vote against it.” The list of individuals and organizations saying no to this legislation is long. Among these are the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and the American Civil Liberties Union. A May 21 letter posted at civilrights.org/vote-no-first-step-act-2 opens with this line: “On behalf of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, and the 108 undersigned organizations, we write to urge you to vote NO on The FIRST STEP Act (H.R.5682).”

    The German Lopez article, referenced above, states, “Chair Chuck Grassley (R-IA), who oversees criminal justice issues in the chamber, also reportedly opposes the bill because it doesn’t include sentencing reform – leading Politico to label it as ‘DOA in the Senate.’”

    On the other hand, the list of supporters is also long. This from the Justin George article: “More than 100 former federal prosecutors are endorsing the bill. Conservative groups such as the American Conservative Union Foundation believe the bill is a no-brainer. ‘So disappointed to see a handful of Democrats oppose the First Step Act because Cory Booker and Elizabeth Warren don’t want to give Republicans a win,’ David Safavian, deputy director of the group’s center for criminal justice reform, tweeted before the House vote. ‘Putting politics over the lives of those incarcerated – and their families – is just a horrible thing to do.’ Prison Fellowship, a faith-based advocacy group popular with evangelicals, also supports the bill. As does Families Against Mandatory Minimums. FAMM President Kevin Ring said he understands those holding out for sentencing reform, but he said it’s been years since any meaningful bills have passed to help prisoners. He said he believes Jeffries and Collins will not stop pushing for sentencing reform if the First Step Act passes.

    In the end, where is the clear-headed reasoning and right motivation in what is presented above? On the one hand are those who are holding out for more when their central point of sentencing reform has not, and does not, have traction in the current political climate. Their purported reasoning is to not pass anything that does not include sentencing reform. Joshua B. Hoe, who served time in prison, writes this in an article headlined “Memo to Senators: Swallow Your Doubts About the First Step Act.”

    “If the people who are left behind by criminal justice reform will be in no better or worse shape than they were before a particular piece of legislation is passed, we should still help as many people get home as we possibly can.” That assessment is reasonable. The argument for doing nothing until sentencing reform is included is like contending that if a cure for one form of cancer is discovered, do not make it available to patients until there is a cure for certain other forms of the disease.

    Then there is the matter of motivation. Given the clear record of Democratic opposition to, and obstruction of, anything President Trump proposes or supports, their outcry against this legislation is to be expected. At best, their motivation is suspect, and that brings into question the credibility and rationality of their opposition to the legislation.
     
    The saga of this First Step Act is just another painful reminder of how clear-headed reasoning and right motivation are disappearing from the American landscape.

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    06ParatroopersMarchingWith the return this month of 82nd Airborne Division soldiers of the 249th Composite Supply Company, America’s Guard of Honor is united at Fort Bragg. “This would be a first time in a while that all units within the division are home,” said 82nd spokesman Lt. Col. Ramon Osorio.
     
    The unit of the 189th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion worked in Iraq, Kuwait and Syria during the nine-month deployment.

    As the largest parachute force in the free world, the 82nd Airborne Division is trained to deploy anywhere, at any time, to fight upon arrival and to win. From cook to computer operator, from infantryman to engineer, every soldier in the 82nd is airborne-qualified. Almost every piece of divisional combat equipment can be airdropped by parachute onto the field of battle.
     
    U.S. defense spending
     
    President Donald Trump signed the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act into law last week, marking the first on-time passage of the annual bill in 22 years. The $717 billion defense policy bill goes into effect Oct. 1, the start of the 2019 federal fiscal year.

    The legislation moves on two tracks. A defense appropriations bill is what funds the Pentagon to pay for the spending plan. Without such a spending measure in place by Oct. 1, lawmakers might need to pass a temporary budget measure, which is known as a continuing resolution, to keep the government afloat until a permanent plan is in place.

    With a 2.6 percent pay raise slated to go into effect Jan. 1, service members will see their wages increase to the highest level in nine years. “It clearly signals that Congress wants military pay to be competitive,” said Mark Cancian, a senior adviser with the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

    Under the plan, an E-5 with eight years of service could see a monthly basic pay increase of $80.81 from $3,126.16 in 2018 to $3,206.97 in 2019.
     
    Fort Bragg’s 100th anniversary
     
    The city of Fayetteville and county of Cumberland are celebrating the Fort Bragg Centennial with exhibits and banners. Exhibits are now on display at the Airborne & Special Operations Museum, the Fayetteville Area Transportation & Local History Museum, Fayetteville City Hall and the North Carolina Veterans Park. Banners commemorating the post’s centennial will be on display at Fayetteville- Cumberland Parks & Recreation buildings, the E. Maurice Braswell Cumberland County Courthouse, city hall and all county public libraries.
     
    “The history of Fayetteville can’t be told without Fort Bragg,” City Manager Doug Hewett said. “Fayetteville is blessed and fortunate to have nearly 60,000 servicemen and women and their families here.”

    Fayetteville and Cumberland County government leaders presented proclamations celebrating Fort Bragg’s 100th anniversary to Garrison Commander Col. Kyle Reed.
     
    “We are incredibly grateful to the military members and their families who have served our country for the last 100 years while stationed here. We are also thankful for the civilians and contractors who assist Fort Bragg in meeting its mission,” said County Manager Amy Cannon.

    Hope Mills honors
     
    Restoration of Hope Mills Lake has won the town special recognition from the City-County Joint Appearance Commission. The honor was presented to the town of Hope Mills earlier this month during the 10th Annual Community Appearance Awards Program.
     
    The town has also been chosen to receive the Association of State Dam Officials 2018 National Rehabilitation Project of the Year award, Mayor Jackie Warner said. The award recognizes construction of the new dam, which was completed late last year. The lake was impounded early this year. The dam project cost $9.6 million. It replaced a new dam that failed in 2010 – only two years after it was built. Town Manager Melissa Adams said the dam safety award will be presented Sept. 10 in Seattle, Washington.
     
    DMV customer lines are too long
     
    The state Division of Motor Vehicles says it is reassigning staff and hiring additional driver’s license examiners to try to reduce the long lines at driver’s license offices around the state. The DMV says it is working to fill 80 existing vacancies for driver’s license examiners and hire more. In addition, 14 examiners who work at mobile units are being reassigned to offices where customers have been waiting for hours to be served.

    DMV Commissioner Torre Jessup acknowledged that many DMV offices have been overwhelmed with customers this summer, resulting in lines that stretch outside and wait times that can take most of a day. “Our top priorities are to issue accurate and timely documents in an efficient manner for all our customers,” Jessup said.

    DMV also announced that it would establish teams of employees dedicated to doing road tests, so driver’s license examiners won’t need to leave their desks to do them.

    Division of Motor Vehicles offices in Cumberland County are located at 4705 Clinton Rd., Stedman, near Cape Fear High School, 2439 Gillespie St. (US301) near the State Highway Patrol Barracks, in Eutaw Village at 831 Elm St., 3333 N. Main Street in Hope Mills and on highway NC210 in Spring Lake.

    City and County property taxes are due
     
    The Cumberland County Tax Administration office mailed tax bills to property owners Aug. 10, with reminders that property taxes are due Sept. 1. But, a grace period doesn’t require payment in full until Jan. 7, 2019, with no penalties or interest. After Jan. 7, unpaid tax bills will begin to incur a 2 percent interest charge the first month and 0.75 percent interest charge each month thereafter.

    Taxpayers may pay their tax bills online, by mail, by phone or in person. Information is available online at co.cumberland.nc.us/tax. Payments can be made by electronic check, debit card or major credit card. Fees are charged by the county for use of plastic cards. Taxpayers can set up online bill pay options with their financial institutions.

    Taxpayers can also make payments in person from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Tax Administration office, which is located on the fifth floor of the Cumberland County Courthouse.

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    20Katelyn Bristley Cape FearWhen it comes to athletics at Cape Fear High School, senior Katelyn Bristley has had a pretty packed schedule over the last four years.
     
    She’s played softball, basketball and tennis for the Colts, along with being a cheerleader and working as a student-athletic trainer during football season.
     
    But she’s also found time to represent Cape Fear, and high school athletes at large, on a statewide stage. This fall, Bristley is beginning her final year of service on the North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s Student Athlete Advisory Council. It’s composed of 16 athletes from across the state, two each from the eight regions of the NCHSAA. Bristley is a representative from Region 4.
     
    Bristley and her fellow council members travel to Chapel Hill once every three months to meet and discuss issues of importance to all high school athletes at NCHSAA member schools.

    “We get to put our own stories that we experience into the program,’’ Bristley said. “We get to have our own little part.’’
     
    One of the first things she did when she became a member of SAAC was attend a national conference at the Indianapolis headquarters of the National Federation of State High School Associations.

    “There are a lot more athletes out there and everyone has different experiences from it,’’ she said. She enjoyed meeting people who had goals similar to hers who were just as motivated to be good in both athletics and academics as she was.
     
    But SAAC isn’t just about going to meetings and sharing personal experiences. The council is also designed to promote leadership and sportsmanlike conduct, along with promoting the mission of the NCHSAA and its Student Services division.

    For Bristley, that meant coming back to Cape Fear and organizing a project that would benefit others in the community.

    Her project has been something she calls Unify Night.
     
    During football season, she picks a junior varsity game, usually during September, and gets members of the Cape Fear varsity football team to come out at halftime and help hold a scrimmage for special needs youngsters from the Cumberland County Parks and Recreation Department’s Buddy Sports program.
     
    Bristley volunteers with the Buddy program herself. She brings youngsters from the program to the game and also posts flyers in the Cape Fear community to get those not involved with the Buddy program to come to the Unify Night.

    “I figured I’d bring it into our community and have our players experience that they are very lucky to play a sport they want to,’’ she said. “Some kids really want to play but have to play a modified version or need assistance. You’re there to help them learn how to play a sport, and it makes their day a whole lot better.’’

    In this, her final year in SAAC, Bristley wants to find someone at Cape Fear who can help continue the tradition of Unify Night after she graduates, although she plans to come back from college and help out each year.
     
    She also hopes to attend some leadership conferences in different parts of the state this year with her fellow SAAC members.
     
    “I definitely want to get involved and meet different people,’’ she said. “Just sharing your experiences is a big deal.’’

    Photo: Katelyn Bristley

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    08Carrie KingThe longtime executive-director of Fayetteville’s Dogwood Festival has retired, sort of. Carrie King now calls Cherry Grove, South Carolina, home. Her last day here was Aug. 17. King had been with the Dogwood Festival since 2006 and recently returned from the annual conference of the Southeast Festivals and Events Association with the “Best Event in the Southeast” award.

    “The spirit of the Fayetteville community made the Dogwood Festival a natural choice for the award,” she said. Events in eight southern states competed for the award.

    King is credited by many with developing the Dogwood Festival into the city’s marquee event, featuring a midway/carnival, food vendors, live entertainment, inflatable/bounce houses, arts and crafts, a classic car show, street fair with shopping, and lots of fun for the whole family. In large part thanks to King’s work, the Dogwood Festival has received top honors from local, state, regional and international organizations.

    King’s decision to leave Fayetteville came as a surprise to some. She often referred to Fayetteville as her hometown. “This is my home,” she said in an interview three years ago.

    “It was our goal to move when our son graduated from high school,” King told Up & Coming Weekly. King said members of her family have lived in North Myrtle Beach for five years and it was her family’s turn to move to her “happy place.”
     
    She said she is proud of the growth the Dogwood Festival has undergone. She noted that when she first started working with the Dogwood Festival in 2006, the festival’s initial budget was $150,000. This year, the operating budget was $500,000. Those in the community with whom she has worked describe Carrie King as the epitome of humility. She credits her family, friends and board members for the Dogwood Festival’s success.
     
    King’s volunteer work has included event planning for the Arts Council of Fayetteville /Cumberland County. In South Carolina, she has taken a job with a nonprofit as development manager. Her new home is 3 miles from the beach, 1 mile from her sister and 6 miles from work. “My night and weekend travel will be by golf cart,” King quipped.

    The Fayetteville Dogwood Festival was founded in 1982 by then-mayor Bill Hurley and other city leaders who had a vision to improve the image of Fayetteville and create a uniting force for various events in our community. Hurley proclaimed Fayetteville “The City of Dogwoods.” The festival is staged every fourth weekend in April.
     
    The Fayetteville Dogwood Festival, Inc. is a non-profit organization comprised of a board of directors and two staff members. Its events are presented in cooperation with the city of Fayetteville. In addition to the annual signature spring festival, the organization also produces The Fayetteville Dogwood Fall Festival, Cumberland County’s largest pageant and Fayetteville After 5.

    The 2018 spring Dogwood Festival blossomed into an even larger event with two stages of entertainment, more vendors and more anchored attractions.
     
    Photo: Carrie King, former Fayetteville Dogwood Festival executive director

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    01coverUAC0082218001Waltz. Tango. Swing. Foxtrot. Cha Cha. Merengue. If you wanted to learn any of these dances, you’d probably think of Roland’s Dance Studio on Hope Mills Road. But what about once you learned them? Where would you go to practice, show off your fancy steps and simply enjoy dancing in a social setting?

    That’s a question 12 Fayettevillian friends who were taking dance lessons first asked themselves 25 years ago. They went to work organizing a social ballroom club and held their first dance March 21, 1993, in the ballroom of the Prince Charles Hotel
    downtown. Over the years, the club, now known as Cape Fear Ballroom Dancers, danced all over town, eventually choosing Roland’s as the site for its regular monthly dances. A few weeks from now, on Saturday, Sept. 15, CFBD will celebrate its 25th anniversary with a special dinner and dance at Highland Country Club.

    Aside from dancing, there will be live music by Wilmington’s Duke Ladd Orchestra, toasts to honor the club’s founders, a delicious meal and reading material with interesting facts about the club’s history.

    Club president Drew Ziegler, a retired lieutenant colonel whose first and last duty station was Fort Bragg, has been involved with CFBD since the late 1990s. He served on the board and as treasurer before becoming president in 2010. He and his wife, Kalli, first started taking dance lessons after he retired, something he said they’d always wanted to do.

    He encourages novice dancers and newcomers to join in for the festivity, saying involvement in CFBD, and especially the anniversary dance, provides the opportunity for an evening out that’s not easy to come by.

    “The opportunity for this kind of live entertainment... to have a Glenn Miller-type orchestra, that’s rare and special. You get to do some dancing. And even if you’ve never danced before, nobody’s gonna know. You can just give it your best shot, and everybody will pat you on the back.”

    He added that the club’s more experienced members, including those who are dance instructors, are good at partnering with those who are still learningor new to the scene.

    “It provides a safe, fun, elegant date night.... In today’s fast-paced (world), it’s almost a lost experience,” Ziegler said.

    Although the yearly anniversary celebration is the biggest and grandest event of the year, CFBD does hold quarterly dinner-and-dance formal events at Highland Country Club in addition to its monthly social dances at Roland’s. CFBD has always had a close relationship with Roland’s, Ziegler said, adding that Roland Sr. himself is a CFBD member.

    At the monthly dances, which are themed and usually take place the third Saturday of the month from 7-10 p.m., professional instructors give a brief lesson on the style of dance for that night. The lesson is meant to be a refresher and complement to formal lessons taken elsewhere, but all levels of experience are welcome. There are also free refreshments and a cash bar. These dances are $15 for the public and $10 for members.

    CFBD members also participate in many community service events, doing demonstrations at venues such as Sunday on the Square, the Dogwood Festival and the Cumberland County Fair. They also join with organizations like The Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County, Cape Fear Regional Theatre, retirement homes and local schools.

    Former Fayetteville Mayor J.L. Dawkins recognized the contributions of CFBD to the city and ballroom dancing in general by proclaiming Sept. 18-24, 1994, as Ballroom Dance Week. A quarter-century later, that legacy lives on and continues to grow.

    Advance registration for the CFBD 25th Anniversary Dinner-Dance is required and must be completed by Sept. 8. Registration costs $50 for members or $60 for guests and can be completed at ww.capefearballroomdancers.org. Attire is semi-formal or formal; tuxedos are preferred for gentlemen. For more information, call Ziegler at 910-987-4420.

    A brief history of some ballroom dances

    Straight from the royal courts of Vienna, Austria, in the 17th century, the waltz is an upgrade of sorts to the turning dances of peasants in Austria and Bavaria. Instead of dancing with arms intertwined, the waltz includes a close hold. At the time, it was scandalous. With its morally questionable close hold and easy-to learn-steps, many opposed the waltz – especially religious leaders and dancing masters. By 1900, though, most dance programs were 3/4 waltzes and 1/4 all the other dances.

    Buenos Aires in Argentina and Montevideo in Uruguay gave birth to the Tango in the late 1800s. A favorite dance of the European immigrants, former slaves, working and lower classes of people, the Tango began as a movement with its own slang, music, dance and mindset. From the brothels and cheap cafes, this dance of the misfits and downtrodden has become a well-respected ballroom dance.

    Swing dance emerged when Big Bands took over pop culture in the 1920s and ’30s. During its heyday, there were hundreds of swing dance styles. Still a versatile dance, swing includes Lindy Hop, Balboa, Collegiate Shag, and the Charleston.

    Flowing and graceful, the Foxtrot’s origin is murky. Some credit African-Americans with its creation. Some say its original name was the
    Bunny Hug. Either way, once it was introduced by vaudeville performer Harry Fox in 1914, the Foxtrot enjoyed unparalleled popularity in dance halls through the 1940s.

    What do you get when you cross the mambo and the danzon? The Cha Cha! Violinist Enrique Jorrin is credited with the music that brought forth the syn-copated rhythms that led to the Cha Cha in dance halls of Havana, Cuba, in the 1950s. The dance has a heavy African influence as well. It hit American shores in 1954, and by 1959 was considered the most popular dance in the U.S.

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    19Hope Mills Lake Celebration committeeThis year’s Hope Mills Lake Celebration was such a rousing success that town officials have decided to make it an annual event.

    Plans have already started to make sure next year’s observance will improve on the first one. Mayor Jackie Warner said various town leaders decided about halfway through planning the first celebration of the lake’s return that it would be a good idea to make the lake celebration an annual event, separate from other town observances including Fourth of July and Ole Mill Days.
     
    The big hit of the lake celebration was the inaugural cardboard boat race, which Warner expects will be the centerpiece of the lake festival every year.

    “It was the novelty of it,’’ she said. “People hadn’t seen anything like that before. It was just fun watching. It was amazing when they saw what people could do with cardboard, when they got there and saw what had been created.’’

    The boat race was so popular it has already secured a sponsor for 2019, Members Credit Union, which has an office on Trade Street in Hope Mills.

    “They were really pleased with the results and want to help promote the event,’’ Warner said. The local Veterans of Foreign Wars chapter, which sponsored the trophies for the boat race winners, has agreed to return to sponsor them again next year.

    There will be two major changes in next year’s lake celebration, one involving the dates and the other the length of the event.

    The first lake celebration extended over five days and stretched into the town’s annual Fourth of July observance.

    Next year, the celebration will start on Friday, May 18, and only last one weekend. It will include many of the same events as the first celebration, but some of them will be combined on the same day.

    For example, beach music night and jazz night will be held at the same time, along with the street dance. The whole event was moved to the weekend of May 18 to take advantage of spring weather and to separate the lake celebration from Memorial Day weekend and the Fourth of July.
     
    Dr. Kenjuana McCray, who is a sociology professor at Fayetteville Technical Community College, was involved in the planning both the jazz events and Church on the Lake at the first celebration. She has some ideas for expanding offerings at next year’s celebration. “I want to have an event called Hope and Art, bringing art to Hope Mills,’’ she said. “When I say art, I mean musicians, artists, people who do cooking demonstrations dealing with different cultures and foods.’’

    As a sociology instructor, McCray said issues related to culture and diversity are near and dear to her. “I’m a member of the Fayetteville Arts Council and I feel this is an extension of the work I do with the Arts Council,’’ she said. “Even though we have some great festivals in Fayetteville, this will be unique to Hope Mills.’’

    McCray felt the last lake celebration was a success and brought a lot of people to the community who normally don’t take part in those kinds of events.

    She said the town is actively recruiting sponsors, vendors and talent to take part in next year’s celebration. They can either contact the town office at 910-424-4555 or call McCray at 910-494-1352.

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    11BacktoCoolThere are reasons people love Fridays. It’s the end of the workweek for most of us and a chance to kick back and relax with friends and family. And there is no shortage of things to do on a Friday evening in Fayetteville. Once a month, the Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County and the Cool Spring Downtown District team up with multiple venues downtown for a celebration. It’s known as 4th Friday. This month, Aug. 24, from 6-9 p.m. there will be new art exhibits, shopping, entertainment and more.
     
    The Arts Council’s newest exhibition opens during 4th Friday festivities. It’s called “Contemporary Art Forms By America’s First People.” The show celebrates the works of contemporary American Indian artists. Works include paintings, drawings, pottery, textiles and baskets. The exhibition runs through Oct. 20.

    “This is the second time that the Arts Council will present an exhibition that features the contemporary works of America’s first people,” said Deborah Martin Mintz, executive director. “The first one – in 2016 – was so well-received, we decided to bring it back. Some of the same artists are included in the upcoming exhibition, as well as new artists.”

    The Cool Spring Downtown District makes 4th Fridays an interactive adventure, showcasing downtown with themes and activities. This month, the theme is “Back to Cool.” According to Sam DuBose, CSDD general manager, “The contest this month will be a hybrid ‘orientation’ and will include various sites in downtown. The sites are broken into departments. For example, the Arts Council is the ‘Art Department’ and so on. People will take selfies and use our designated hashtag and upload their pictures to social media. And there will be a random drawing for a winner – a gift basket will be the prize.”

    There will be copies of the “orientation” guide/“yearbook” available at various downtown businesses or on the 4th Friday Facebook page for download. It will include instructions about how to upload selfies as well as the social media hashtag.

    Have you ever wanted to get a bird’s eye view of downtown? The Market House is open to the public from 6-10 p.m. during 4th Friday. Venture upstairs and see the permanent exhibit “A View from the Square: A History of Downtown Fayetteville” and check out
    the August exhibit “Market House History.” What really went on under the rafters of Fayetteville’s only National Historic Landmark?

    Say goodbye to summer with fun and happy songs at Headquarters Library. Rhonda and Meliheh will sing and play lighthearted sounds on their ukuleles. There will be light refreshments. It’s free to attend. Call 910-482-7727 ext. 1344 to learn more.

    Fascinate-U Children’s Museum invites children to make a pencil topper craft on 4th Friday. The museum is open for free play from 7-9 p.m.
     
    With so much going on, Janet Gibson, Arts Council director of marketing and communications, summed up the fun saying, “The joy. It can beseen – and felt – all around downtown during the 4th Friday celebrations. Myheart always melts when I watch kids
    discover art, perhaps for the very first time, in the Arts Center at 301 Hay St. I love to watch families and friends come together to explore all the downtown galleries, restaurants, shops and other cool businesses. There truly is something for everyone.”
     
    Visit www.visitdowntownfayetteville.com or www.theartscouncil.com for more information.
     
    Photo:This oil painting, titled “James Locklear, Lumbee,” depicts the great-grandfather of artist Jessica Clark.

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    12Dodge Diabetes is a serious medical condition that affects over 29 million Americans, and many of them don’t even realize they have the disease. Better Health presents the “Diabetes... Dodge! It Dodgeball Tournament” Saturday, Aug. 25, at 9 a.m. at the
    Freedom Courts Sportsplex on Gillespie Street.
     
    “This is a fundraising event to support Better Health and its programs because it falls in line with our mission,” said Amy Navejas, executive director of Better Health. “Our mission is all about being active, getting out there and doing something different. Even if you are not the best dodgeball player, just getting everyone out there moving and participating together is important for all ourprograms and clients.

    “Diabetes is incredibly prevalent, and the rate of diabetes has nearly doubled in the past 20 years,” said Navejas. “It is a serious issue in the United States and something we have to start taking seriously. And the best way to avoid it is to prevent it.” Not only do adults have the disease, but children have it as well. “You usually would not see Type II diabetes in children, but that’s becoming increasingly frequent these days,” said Navejas. “A lot of it has to do with our lifestyle and needs for changes in our diet as well.”

    In that vein, Better Health plans to increase programming on the topic. “In September, we are kicking off a new program called Fayetteville Fit. This program has been done in Durham at Duke Hospitals,” said Navejas. “We were fortunate to be selected as the fourth site to branch out in North Carolina. Children who are obese will be referred to the program, and their entire family is eligible.”

    Better Health is a nonprofit charitable organization that provides diabetes awareness, education and self-management clinics, childhood obesity prevention and education, loans of medical equipment, and emergency medical needs such as critical prescriptions, dental clinic care, vision and travel assistance.

    “This is our 60th anniversary,” said Navejas. “During that time, we have assisted many clients with our small staff.” Navejas added that in 2017, Better Health saw over 6,000 clients and that Better Health only has two full-time employees and a handful of part-time employees.

    “We are really over here hustling and doing what we can to get the information out there and touching lives to help get the word out about how we can improve health outcomes in Cumberland County,” said Navejas.

    Registration for the tournament, which costs $150 per team, is open through Aug. 22. Admission is $5 for
    spectators. Register and download forms at www.betterhealthcc.org. For more information, call 910-483-7534.
     
    Photo: The Fayetteville Police Department (above) won the 2107 Diabetes... Dodge It! Dodge-ball Tournament.
     

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    23Bobby PossI was thrilled when the announcement of this year’s newest class of inductees to the North Carolina High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame was announced last week.

    Two good friends and deserving candidates, Bobby Poss and Bob Lewis, were named as honorees.

    Poss is no stranger to Cumberland County. He won a pair of state titles in football at Seventy-First and then moved over to South View and won a third with the Tigers. He went on to win two more championships at Asheville Reynolds.
     
    Lewis, like Poss, has multiple state titles at different schools. He won his first at East Bladen in 1973. But his real mark was made at Clinton, where he brought home four championships. He also won an NCISAA title at Harrells Christian Academy.

    I’ve heard some people wonder aloud why Poss and Lewis weren’t in the NCHSAA Hall of Fame already.
     
    As a former member of the Hall of Fame selection committee, I can give you an excellent reason. For many years, I was honored to be a member of that panel, stepping down from that role when I retired from daily newspaper work in 2016.
     
    At the time I retired, neither Poss nor Lewis had been nomi-nated for consideration, and you must complete the nomination process for a candidate for the Hall of Fame to be considered.

    The form for nominating someone is available on the NCHSAA web page, NCHSAA.org. Go to the home page and scroll down to special programs. There is a link there for the Hall of Fame that will take you to the form.
    Walters helps investigate student-athlete death

    The unbelievable story coming out of the University of Maryland regarding the tragic death of one of their football players was told graphically in a press conference last week, where school officials accepted complete responsibility for the death of one of their football players during an off-season conditioning session.
     
    Now a Fayetteville native, Dr. Rod Walters is at the center of the investigation that will look into what went wrong at Maryland and how to try and repair the damage going forward.

    For those who don’t know Walters, he was a student athletic trainer at Terry Sanford High School during the Len Maness years in the late 1970s. He graduated Appalachian State in 1980 and went on to be the athletic trainer at Lenoir-Rhyne, Appalachian State and the University of South Carolina.

    He has gained national prominence for his work as an athletic trainer and was inducted into the National Athletic Trainers Association Hall of Fame in 2005.

    Walters’ report on the Maryland situation is scheduled to be released Sept. 15.
     
    Photo: Bobby Poss

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    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.

    • Veterans Affairs Commission Thursday, Aug. 23, 7 p.m.
    • Parks and Recreation Advisory Monday, Aug. 27, 6:30 p.m.
    • Labor Day Holiday Monday, Sept. 3. Town Hall will be closed.
    • Board of Commissioners Monday, Sept. 10, 7 p.m.

    Activities
    • 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 Fri- day, 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

    Promote yourself: Email hopemills@upandcomingweekly.com.

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    18AMKUS combi tool 1 of 2By the end of this month, if folks from Hope Mills find themselves trapped in a car or stuck inside a building with doors that don’t open, they can breathe a little easier when the Hope Mills Fire Department arrives on the scene.

    That’s when Chief Chuck Hodges expects to have a new piece of equipment in the fire department’s assortment of extrication tools that will make the job of getting people out of tight spots easier.

    The town’s board of commissioners recently approved the purchase of a device known as a combi-tool, which serves the dual purpose of cutting through surfaces or spreading doors or entryways open.
     
    The fire department already has extrication equipment in its assortment of gear, but this new device is a distinct improvement.
     
    “It runs off a battery instead of a hydraulic pump,’’ Hodges said. “The advantage of that is it can be put into service immediately instead of having to take a pump off the truck and hook up hoses.’’
     
    The fire department’s existing extrication equipment is powered by an external motor connected with hydraulic hoses. It operates using a gas-powered engine, which is noisy and produces carbon monoxide, so it’s sometimes challenging to use when there’s an extrication involved in a home situation.

    The noisy engine is also a problem when there’s a child or animal being extricated from something. All that racket along with the trauma of being stuck can be extremely unsettling.

    That’s not a problem with the new combi-tool, Hodges said. “It’s quiet,’’ he said.

    And at 50 pounds, 34 inches long, 10 inches high and 10 inches wide, it falls into the category of what firefighters consider a lightweight piece of equipment. The device comes with a charger and two rechargeable 60-volt batteries.

    Hodges said battery life will vary with what the device is being asked to do and how long the power has to be turned on.

    The fire department won’t be getting rid of its other heavy-duty extrication equipment, Hodges said. But he added that if the fire department needs to cut the roof off a pinned car or open a jammed door inside a house, this device can do the job much quicker than with the older equipment that requires a little longer to set up.

    “By the time you pulled all the other equipment off the truck and got it hooked up and running, you could have done what you needed with this one,’’ Hodges said.

    When the new device does arrive, Hodges said it will be necessary to train his firefighters in its proper use. He doesn’t expect that to take long because its operation is similar to equipment that the Hope Mills Fire Department already has.

    “We never put any equipment in service until everybody is trained,’’ Hodges said. “It’s a good thing it’s similar to what we already use. The functionality of it is going to be the same.’’
     
    Even if the device is delayed in shipping, Hodges estimates in the worst case it will be available for use at accident and fire scenes by mid-September.

    “I just think it’s going to enhance our capabilities and enhance the service we provide for our citizens and visitors to the town,’’ he said. “We’re excited about it.’’
     

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    05HonorIn just a few short weeks, we will honor the 16th anniversary of the tragic loss of life when America was attacked brutally on Sept. 11, 2001. Americans made a collective promise that we will never forget the horror of that day.

    The 2018 Campaign of Honor was launched last week to recognize and honor all first responders in Fayetteville and Cumberland County. Over the next few weeks, local officials and supporters, led by Sen. Wesley Meredith, will make personal visits to all the first responder operations in Cumberland County in a show of support, gratitude and appreciation.

    The 5-week campaign will showcase the operations of local first responders, such as the city and county emergency communications centers, law enforcement departments, emergency medical services and fire departments.
     
    The campaign started Aug. 13 with Meredith and his colleagues’ initial visit to Fayetteville’s and Cumberland County’s emergency telecommunicators. They met with Cumberland County Telecommunications Manager Adam Johnson and Lisa Reid, 911 manager for the city of Fayetteville Police Communications. They also spoke with and interviewed several career 911 operators. Everyone marveled at their unique talents and dedication to
    the mission. 

    Meredith said, “I wanted to visit 911 dispatchers first because this is where it begins. ‘Thank you’ does not begin to show them our appreciation. The telecommunicator works completely behind the scenes listening to problems and horrific situations that they may not always receive closure for. On behalf of the citizens of Cumberland County, I want to publicly thank these true first responders.”

    During the next few weeks, the 2018 Campaign of Honor will continue to recognize these local heroes and raise awareness of what our first responder organizations do and how they impact our lives. Sen. Meredith stated he wants to “raise the awareness in Cumberland County of what our first responders do and to share valuable information on all emergency services.”

    Tuesday, Sept. 11, Sen. Meredith and friends will host a reception in honor of Cumberland County’s first responders at The TapHouse at Huske Hardware, 411 Hay St., from 5:30-7 p.m.
     
    The Campaign of Honor started with Sen. Wesley Meredith (center) and his colleagues’ visit to Fayetteville’s and Cumberland County’s emergency telecommunicators. They met Cumberland County Telecommunications Manager Adam Johnson (left) and Lisa Reid, 911 manager for the city of Fayetteville Police Communications (right).

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    16Music iconsPaul Thompson is a musician and entrepreneur with a heart for this community – especially its big-hearted
    musicians. He owned Big Harry’s Tavern for 13 years and hosted countless bands there as entertainers, but he also hosted fundraisers to help others. And local singers, songwriters and bands always showed up to give stellar performances. Thompson was so touched by their generosity that in 2011, he created Fayetteville’s Icons of Music. “I started this program to recognize musicians who have contributed to events and causes throughout the years,” he said.

    Sunday, Aug. 26, Thompson will add 12 names to this distinguished list. The celebration is open to the public and includes food, fun and an open mic jam.
     
    Today, Thompson is the proprietor of a new nightclub – Paul’s Place – and the program is still going strong.

    “Someone came and made me an offer I couldn’t refuse,” he said about his former establishment, Big Harry’s. “So,
    I sold and tried to retire for two years.” But that didn’t work out, and he opened Paul’s Place behind the Trophy House on Bragg Boulevard in what used to be Lois’s Book Store, continuing his legacy.
     
    The Icons of Fayetteville Music honored Bob Steele as its first inductee in 2011. “Bob Steele started playing in Fayetteville in the late ’60s after Vietnam,” said Thompson. “I thought (about the fact that) every fundraiser I ever had, Bob was there. So, I presented Bob a guitar with his picture on it.”

    Thompson noted that this program is not a competition but a way to acknowledge the generosity and good works of Fayetteville musicians. It celebrates the diversity and community of the music scene. “I spent 20 years in the military, and you hear a lot about the band of brothers and the brotherhood. While that is true, the musicians here are like that, too. They cooperate and support each other. I did a fundraiser recently, and we had live music for nine hours and raised $3,000.”

    The musicians named Icons of Fayetteville Music have a place of honor at Paul’s Place – an entire wall filled with their photos and accomplishments. Thompson said this is a true representation of the spirit of giving that resides in local musicians. “I’ve got some musicians on the wall that I never got along with, but that doesn’t diminish their contributions (to the community). They give a lot to this community, and their families always appreciate seeing them on the wall. You have to have been active in the Fayetteville area and supporting this community and made a lasting contribution (to be inducted to the Icons of Fayetteville Music).”

    The newest round of inductees that will be honored at the celebration on the 26th are Bill Joyner, Danny Young, Bryan Shaw, Guy Unger, Jerry Godfrey, Scott Miller, Pat Vines, Ken Barfield, Carlton Warwick, Vince Groves, Darrell Collins and Brad Muffett. Food will be served at 2 p.m. followed by a presentation at 3 p.m. A regular Sunday open mike jam follows this ceremony.

    Paul’s Place is located at 719 Starling St. Search Paul’s Place on Facebook to learn more about this event and the many others that Thompson hosts.

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    03ABCChanges and fragmentation in traditional news media operations have brought many changes, including less coverage of state government news in areas outside state capitals. Two important events occurred earlier this month, though, that should register with all of us. First, North Carolina’s five living former governors, three Democrats and two Republicans, got together in the old capitol and urged voters to reject proposed constitutional amendments that will appear on our November ballots.
     
    The governors say the amendments would redistribute the balance of power between the legislative and executive branches of government. The five, Jim Hunt, Jim Martin, Mike Easley, Bev Perdue and Pat McCrory, who collectively logged 40 years in North Carolina’s Governor’s Mansion, know whereof they speak, and I, for one, will be taking their advice. Our Constitution is not broken and does not need fixing, thanks just the same.

    North Carolina’s elected state auditor, Beth Wood, also released scathing findings of a yearlong audit of our state-run Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission. The audit reported the ABC Commission wasted about $11 million in tax revenue through mismanagement and lazy oversight. Not surprisingly, the report triggered cries of “not me” and political finger-pointing, along with calls for privately owned and operated liquor stores.

    Infuriating as the audit findings are, let’s not overreact.
     
    Our state’s ABC Commission has been around since 1937 and has historically been a vehicle for political patronage under both parties. That said, as a state-controlled monopoly, it returns millions of dollars to state and local governments and provides hundreds of jobs. No one knows what exactly would happen if the system shifted to a market-based private system, but it is a safe bet to say ABC revenues to governments would have to be made up with tax hikes, some on people who never patronize state ABC stores.
     
    In addition, while alcoholic beverages are legally sold and enjoyed in 98 of our 100 counties, it is also true that alcohol addicts some of its users, causing pain and distress to them and those who love them. State oversight originated as a protection of sorts.
     
    Perhaps our state-controlled ABC system should include some private entrepreneurs or change altogether, but that is a decision to be made after much study of other private systems and with great deliberation. It has potential ramifications far beyond reacting to a critical audit report.
     
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    “Spare the rod, spoil the child” is an oft-quoted modern justification for corporal punishment of children. Many believe the saying may be a corruption of a biblical verse found in the book of Proverbs, but whatever its origins, it is a virtual artifact in North Carolina’s public schools. With the Robeson County School Board’s vote of 6 to 5 earlier this month to ban the practice, only Graham of our 100 counties continues to sanction the “intentional infliction of physical pain upon the body of a student as a disciplinary measure.” Nineteen states continue schoolhouse corporal punishment, most of them in the South.
     
    ********************
    Several Up & Coming Weekly readers took me to task for a recent column entitled “Mysterious Melania,” in which I talked about other first ladies, quoted humorist Celia Rivenbark, and opined, “It cannot be easy being Mrs. Donald Trump.”

    My take was particularly unpopular with one reader who emailed, “what a hit piece on our first lady... as a wife, mother, grandmother, nurse... I cannot believe Margaret Dickson would right (sic) such an appalling piece on a woman, much less the first lady of the United States.”

    I thanked the reader for her response, and we agreed that we are all blessed to live in a nation where we can share our opinions freely and openly, whether we agree or not.

    In that vein, a recent New York Times piece on our first lady entitled “Melania Trump, a Mysterious first lady, Weathers a Chaotic White House” provides a longer, more detailed look. Here is a link: www.ny-times.com/2018/08/17/us/politics/melania-trump-first-lady.html

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    13Comedy of ErrorsSweet Tea Shakespeare, the downtown theater company known for quirky outdoor performances that include live music and simple, creative staging, kicked off its 2018- 19 season on Aug. 21 with “The Comedy of Errors.” It’s a story about two sets of twins who get separated during a shipwreck and the satisfyingly chaotic shenanigans and reunions that follow, and it runs through Sept. 8.
     
    The show is directed by STS Artistic Director and President Jeremy Fiebig, Associate Artistic Director Jessica Osnoe and General Manager Jen Pommerenke.
     
    “It’s a story about one giant family that has been torn apart and is seeking one another,” Pommerenke said.
     
    In productions around the world, “The Comedy of Errors” is almost always played as a gag show – solely for laughs born from slapstick confusion and chaos. “It’s written so hilariously that the text alone could have the audience in bouts of laughter,” Pommerenke said. However, she said, STS took a different approach; one that shows how, at the core of the story, there are real hurts the characters experience due to the confusing situations.

    “There’s a twin that has a wife. So when that wife runs into the other twin, he says, ‘I’ve never seen you before in my life.’ So often, that’s played as this big joke. And that line always struck me as so hurtful and so sad. We decided as a directing group to try to play the heart of the story as well as the hilarity.... We sought to find the balance of lifelike truth in it.

    “For us, it’s a story of the lengths people will go for those they love and those they seek to know.”

    Pommerenke added that “The Comedy of Errors” is one of the most family-friendly shows STS has put on, and that it’s also one of the most accessible stories for those who are not familiar with Shakespeare. “The topic might be confusing, but because of the way we’re doing it, people will be able to follow it,” she said.

    Co-directors Pommerenke and Osnoe are in the unique position of also playing one set of the twins who are central to the story. Osnoe plays Dromio of Ephesus and Pommerenke plays Dromio of Syracus, comprising twin-set No. 1; twin-set No. 2 is Traycie Kuhn-Zapata as Antipholus of Ephesus and Taj Allen as Antipholus of Syracuse. The story’s other main characters are in some way tied to these four; there are mothers, fathers, wives, sisters-in-law, friends and powers that be.

    When asked about uniquely STS elements in the show, Osnoe talked about the creation of a balcony that happens every night. “It doesn’t sound like much, but given that we build our set outdoors on a daily basis, things of that nature pose a challenge in staging,” she said. “This particular scene shows our answer to that challenge in true STS fashion.”

    Pommerenke said the element that comes to her mind is the casting of the sets of twins. While she and Osnoe look pretty similar – in fact, their physical likeness is part of what inspired the decision to do this show – the other two actors are physical opposites. Kuhn-Zapata is a white woman and Allen is a black man. However, throughout the show, the two are constantly referred to as being obviously identical, adding to the hilarity of the situation. This is a casting move Pommerenke said she’s never seen in any adaptation of the show.

    “The Comedy of Errors” runs nightly, at 7:30 p.m., through Sept. 2 at the 1897 Poe House and Sept. 5-8 at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church. As usual, drinks (including sweet tea and spirits) and food will be available for purchase to enjoy during the show. Look out for a special ginger pomegranate sour crafted just for STS by Sanford-based Hugger Mugger Brewing Company.
     
    To buy tickets or learn more about STS, visit www.sweetteashakespeare.com or call 910-420-4383.
     
    Photo: L to R: Traycie Kuhn-Zapata, Jessica Osnoe, Taj Allen, Jen Pommerenke

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    21Arnold Pope L Neil Buie R22Left Tony Haire Right Mark Dreibelbis supervisor of officials for the N.C. High School Athletic Association
    Two veteran high school football officials, Arnold Pope and Tony Haire, were recently honored by the Southeastern Athletic Officials Association at their annual preseason meeting of football officials.
     
    Pope retired after some 60 years of work as both an on-field official and a supervisor who grades and counsels other officials.

    He is a Methodist minister and formerly served as dean of students at then-Methodist College.
     
    He was a charter selection to the North Carolina Weightlifting Hall of Fame, winning 27 state and six Southern titles in the Open Divions. He was the 1988 world champion in the masters division, winning 11 consecutive national titles and earning induction into the National Masters Weightlifting Hall of Fame in 1988.

    He was inducted into the Fayetteville Sports Club Hall of Fame in 2013.

    He also competed in the Scottish Games for 20 years and was North American caber toss champion in 1976. That same year he was the first American to win a caber-tossing title in Scotland.

    Haire received the Dick Knox Distinguished Service Award from Mark Dreibelbis, supervisor of officials for the North Carolina High School Athletic Association.
     
    Haire has been with the SAOA since 1997, officiating softball, football, basketball and baseball.
     
    He has officiated three Eastern Regionals in basketball and one state final, that occurring in 2003.
     
    He has called the state football finals twice, in 2005 and 2017.

    He is currently the sports chairman for football for the SAOA. This involves training officials and assisting Neil Buie, the regional supervisor of football officials for the SAOA.

    Left photo: Arnold Pope (L) and Neil Buie (R). Right photo: Tony Haire (L) with Mark Dreibelbis, supervisor of officials for the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (R).

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    This picking business has certainly changed over the years I’ve been doing it. When I first started, there was an information void.
    Teams hadn’t even been together since the previous season ended. They took to the practice field just a few weeks before the first games and then went after each other.
     
    Now, everybody has been working since last winter, with nearly full-scale workouts in spring and summer.
    On top of that, we’ve got an assortment of preseason conference polls and state and national rankings. Everybody’s got an opinion.
    But that’s the problem. It’s just opinion. You still have to play the game, and that’s one part that hasn’t changed.
    So thanks for all the informed theories and rampant optimism. It’s all going to come down to who blocks and tackles the best and figures out a way to do what Vince Lombardi used to preach. Run to daylight.
    Here’s to a great season for everybody.
     
    Clinton at Cape Fear - It’s game one for Cape Fear without Justice Galloway-Velazquez. It’s also game one for Clinton with hall of fame coach Bob Lewis no longer on the sidelines. I like Cape Fear’s chances for a win.
    Cape Fear 24, Clinton 12.
     
    Douglas Byrd at Fairmont - Is this the year Douglas Byrd snaps its 25-game losing streak and gets a win for Mike Paroli? If the Eagle performance in the BSN Sports Cumberland County Football Jamboree is any indication, there’s a good chance it will finally happen.
    Douglas Byrd 21, Fairmont 12.
     
    Seventy-First at Westover - First-year Wolverine coach Ernest King couldn’t have picked a much tougher opener. Seventy-First just might be the best team in Cumberland County as we begin the season.
    Seventy-First 35, Westover 12.
     
    St. Pauls at E.E. Smith - This should be a good opener for a fairly young Golden Bull team that needs to get experienced quickly before Patriot Conference play begins.
    E.E. Smith 27, St. Pauls 6.
     
    Purnell Swett at Pine Forest - This is an early chance for Pine Forest to build momentum before a couple of tougher nonconference encounters.
    Pine Forest 18, Purnell Swett 12.
     
    South View at Jack Britt - This is more than just a meeting of neighborhood rivals. South View has been unofficially crowned as the favorite in the Patriot Athletic Conference. Jack Britt has designs on being a serious contender in the always tough Sandhills Athletic Conference. The winner of this one will get a big boost to it chances.
    South View 24, Jack Britt 18.
     
    Gray’s Creek at Parkwood - It’s a long road trip for the Bears to start the season. Like Parkwood, Gray’s Creek had a disappointing result in 2017, going 2-9. This one looks like a tossup so I’ll give a slight edge to the home team.
    Parkwood 13, Gray’s Creek 12.
     
    Fuquay-Varina at Terry Sanford - Can Terry Sanford get out of the gate with a win now that the Jayne brothers have graduated? I think so.
    Terry Sanford 22, Fuquay-Varina 8.
     
    Other games: Providence Day 22, Trinity Christian 21; Dillon Christian 18, Village Christian 12; East Columbus 17, Fayetteville Christian 12.
     

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    07LimeBike 1024x683Bike-sharing is popular in cities across America. Now it’s coming to Fayetteville. Fayetteville State University has contracted with Lime to make 150 bikes available to students beginning Aug. 21.

    Lime Bike’s first location was the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. It was launched in June 2017 with 125 bicycles and expanded in July 2017 to the cities of Key Biscayne, Florida; South Bend, Indiana; and South Lake Tahoe, California. In May 2018, the company announced that it would rebrand as simply "Lime” and partner with Segway to produce new scooters.

    Bike-sharing is a transportation program in which bicycles are made available for shared use to individuals on a short-term basis for a price. Bikesharing is already in use or soon will be in most of North Carolina’s large cities. It is ideal for short-distance trips, providing users the ability to conveniently and inexpensively use bicycles located in their area. It can reduce vehicular traffic, especially for short, point-to-point trips.

    Lime is one of the most popular firms in the U.S. As of October 2017, it had 150,000 users. Lime differs from some major U.S. bike programs, such as New York City’s Citibike initiative with Motivate Co, because it doesn’t require corrals where several bikes are stored for customer use. Instead, Lime bikes are parked and locked wherever customers end their trips. They’re then available on the spot for someone else to use.

    Lime was inspired by mainstream Chinese-style bike-sharing. In China, companies have raised massive amounts of venture capital and distributed tens of thousands of their GPSenabled bikes in urban markets. Lime uses green-colored, three-speed cruiser bikes equipped with GPS and 3G connectivity. The bicycles also feature operating headlamps and tail lights, front baskets, solar panels and smart locks. Most users download the Lime app on their cell phones.
    They are then equipped to find a bike or a scooter and scan the QR code or enter the number to unlock the bike.

    Lime charges one dollar to unlock the bikes. Thereafter, it’s a dollar per 30 minutes of travel.

    Fayetteville City Council is considering adopting an ordinance to regulate the use of Lime bikes in the city. City staff is recommending that city council consider adopting local regulations like those in Durham’s ordinance, a city where three bike-sharing companies are operating. Vendors would be issued permits after agreeing to operational standards. City ordinances and company rules will require that riders wear helmets, stay off sidewalks and use bike lanes where available.

    City council is committed to expanding marked bike paths in heavy use areas. Riders must obey traffic laws and park their bikes away from pedestrian walkways.

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    06gerrymandering copyNorth Carolina leaders across the American government spectrum can agree on one thing: We are a divided people. A group of 60 influential North Carolina leaders, comprised of people in the state’s political, business, academic and faith communities, was asked by North Carolina’s McClatchy newspapers what they think is driving the partisan divide. The question was posed as part of an ongoing series.

    They could not agree on specifics, but there was a general sense of gloom among respondents that North Carolina and the U.S. are becoming more and more divided. Several themes resonated through answers from people on both sides of the political aisle: Civility in public debate is eroding. People are stuck in echo chambers, hearing only ideas they agree with, while social media spreads misinformation.

    Political parties have increasingly abandoned moderates and have become more extreme. “President Trump seems to be manipulating people’s fears,” said Bob Page, CEO of Greensboro-based Replacements Ltd. “We’ve got to overcome this divide by returning to a sense of working together to solve problems as opposed to electing extreme politicians who divide us instead of inspire us.”

    Bob Morgan, president of the Charlotte Chamber, said changing demographics are contributing to tensions in the state. “Race is a major factor as our  population is increasingly diverse and political power is slowly shifting to non-whites,” Morgan wrote. That is evidenced in Cumberland County by the election in recent years of more African-American judges than whites. And, in November of last year, a 6–4 majority of blacks was elected to the Fayetteville City Council for the first time in modern memory.

    “White folks are not going to the polls anymore because of animosity,” said a local official who asked not to be identified.

    “My goal is to continue to be a unifying force of all people in our community,” Mayor Mitch Colvin said through a spokesman, though he is on record as
    believing there is a clear racial divide in Fayetteville. Colvin is the second African-American to be elected mayor of Fayetteville. He believes the community is
    somehow immune from state and national trends of misunderstanding and extremism. “What goes on in the federal and state political arenas has, thankfully,
    not affected us here in Fayetteville,” he insisted.

    Ric Elias, CEO of Red Ventures, said people aren’t willing to hear opposing viewpoints anymore. “The biggest issue we have as a state and as a country is that we have stopped listening to each other,” Elias said.

    Forty-two percent of respondents in the Mc-Clatchy newspaper poll pointed to political gerrymandering as a prime cause of polarization. Gerrymandering is the practice of manipulating district boundaries in an effort to establish a political advantage for a particular party or group. It has created uncompetitive political districts at all levels of government.

    “Gerrymandering requires office holders to play to their base on every issue,” said former Gov. Mike Easley, a Democrat. “The districts need to change so that all leaders listen to all voters as they try to resolve important issues.”

    Former Bank of America CEO Hugh McColl of Charlotte had a simple answer to the question of what is driving polarization among the populace: “Massive ignorance.”

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