Longtime Spring Lake Mayor Ethel T. Clark has died. She was 72. She served in public office in Spring Lake for 30 years.

Clark was elected and re-elected mayor from 2001-2011 after serving 20 years on the Board of Aldermen. She became the town’s first African-American female chief executive.

Clark was mayor when the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office assumed control of the Spring Lake Police Department, after State Bureau of Investigation agents arrested two Spring Lake officers on charges ranging from embezzlement and obstruction of justice to kidnapping and breaking and entering. Sgt. Darryl Eugene Coulter Sr. and Sgt. Alphonzo Devonne Whittington Jr. eventually pleaded guilty and were sentenced to prison.

The funeral service for Clark was held Aug. 8 at Williams Chapel Church in Spring Lake.

Highly decorated Fort Bragg soldier dies in parachute mishap

Sgt. Maj. Christopher Nelms, an Army special operations soldier, died when his parachute failed to fully open during a training maneuver in Scotland County, Fort Bragg’s Special Operations Command confirmed this month. Nelms, 46, was identified as a member of the elite Delta Force, a secretive special operations group, said Yahoo News, which was first to report his death.

The Army did not announce the accident. Nelms died July 1 at Duke University Medical Center. He was buried in Arlington National Cemetery on July 31 and was posthumously awarded the Legion of Merit.

Nelms was critically injured while training at Laurinburg-Maxton Airport, Lt. Col. Robert Bockholt, a spokesman for USASOC, said in a statement to Army Times. His parachute did not fully deploy during a June 27 free-fall exercise, Yahoo News reported.

Nelms was a troop sergeant major with USASOC. He deployed six times to Iraq and Afghanistan and once to Niger. A native of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma,
Nelms is survived by wife Stephanie Nelms and their two children, 16-year-old Naley and 15-year-old Nolan.

Eight-mile river walk

Crews will soon begin construction of a new section of the Cape Fear River Trail that will connect two existing segments. When completed, the trail will extend for eight miles from the Jordan Soccer Complex off Ramsey Street to the southern end at the city’s Riverside Dog Park near the new bridge at I-95 Business.

The CSX railroad sold the city of Fayetteville an easement through its property beneath the railroad tracks, allowing the city to build a bridge under those tracks overlooking the banks of the Cape Fear River. Construction is slated to begin this fall and could be completed next summer.

“We are excited to be able to connect these portions of the trail,” said Deputy City Manager Kristoff Bauer.

Funding for the bridge, which will run through the CSX easement, includes a federal grant in the amount of $600,000, a state contribution of $1 million and a city contribution of $150,000.

Shoreline Drive to receive repairs

Construction on Shoreline Drive in College Lakes to replace a culvert beneath the roadway began Aug. 13. Lanier Construction Company of Snow Hill, North Carolina, was awarded the $830,000 contract.

Several factors led to the emergency replacement of the 36-inch pipe. The existing culvert on Shoreline Drive has been in service since the late 1960s. It deteriorated to the point that it had to be replaced. Shoreline Drive is the only accessible roadway to the upper portion of the College Lakes subdivision, which necessitated this project.

Construction is expected to be completed by spring of 2019.

Fayetteville hazmat team recertified

The Fayetteville Fire Department’s Special Operations Division has been recertified. It is charged with overseeing the operation of the hazardous materials team and the collapse, search and rescue team. Recertification is required every five years by the North Carolina Association of Rescue and EMS.

“I’m proud of our staff and I congratulate them on this achievement,” said Assistant Fire Chief Robert Brinson.

Hazardous material team units are assigned to fire stations 1 and 17. Each team member is required to obtain, at a minimum, state certification as a Hazardous Materials Level II Technician.

In addition to handling all local hazardous materials incidents, the team is also contracted by the state as one of seven regional response teams responsible for a 12-county area. In the event of a long deployment, the team is also equipped with tents, food and water. Members are issued specialized protective equipment to ensure safety during dangerous operations.

PHOTO: Ethel T. Clark

Thanks to the calendar, with some help from the Earth rotating around the sun, summer comes every year. This phenomenon leads to my unrequested, rarely read and inevitable column about summer vacation. Mrs. DelGrande, my fourth-grade teacher, began this process for me. Old habits are hard to break. To quote a time-honored adage, a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds. When it comes to enjoying foolish consistencies and cranial hobgoblins, count me in.

This summer, we went to Paris to renew our acquaintance with cafe au lait and Monet. The trip began on a spooky note. Our seats on the plane were in the last row, which meant they would not recline, resulting in an up-close-and-personal olfactory relationship with the toilet. We were on the interior row of three seats. No window access.

As a bonus, a lady with a 2-year-old was our row companion. Four humans in three seats. What could go wrong? The little darling would sit on her lap for the next eight hours. Small children typically enjoy being confined in a small space for prolonged periods. We were really looking forward to being joined at the hip with our new roomies for the next 4,000 miles. Fortunately, a very kind stewardess took pity on us and moved us to another location.

We went on the red-eye flight, arriving at 7 a.m. Paris is six hours ahead of North Carolina. This results in sleep deprivation on arrival. Lesson one: do not attempt to negotiate the Paris Metro with a head full of lack-o-sleep. We had a bit of a fun meltdown in a vain attempt ride the metro.

Undaunted, we tried the Paris Uber Survivor Challenge, which is not for the faint of heart. You plug in where you want to go. Then the Uber Fuehrer starts you on a 5-minute race to meet your driver at an unknown location several blocks away in an unfamiliar city. The stakes are high – find the Uber, get a ride; don’t find the Uber on time, and you are penalized six Euros and remain a pedestrian. Until you have had a phone conversation with a non-English speaking Uber driver who keeps repeating the number 21, you cannot truly say you have experienced Paris.

On Sunday, we went to the Gregorian Mass at Notre Dame, which was solemn, ancient and impressive. We left the spiritual world to re-enter the temporal plain when we left Notre Dame. We emerged to the frenzied preparations for the completion of the Tour de France that afternoon on the Champs Elysees. These preparations involved setting up food stands and a large presence of heavily armed soldiers and gendarmes in case of bad guys. The sight of French soldiers with Uzis is surprisingly reassuring.

At the Pompidou modern art museum, we tested the resilience of our somewhat worn museum feet for hours while viewing the finest in nouveau art. One  exhibit stood out particularly strongly – a plain wooden chair sitting on a slab of plexiglass. The exhibit was labeled “Chair.” You could not sit in it. You were just to contemplate the chairness of it in relation to the cosmos and the dilemma of man and Mr. Death. It dramatically demonstrated that Andy Warhol was right when he said, “Art is what I can get away with.”

We subsequently passed a sanity test when we went upstairs to the rooftop cafe at the Pompidou to get lunch. After sitting down and studying the menu, we
saw it offered a $36 hamburger. We got up and left without eating there. The cafe obviously subscribed to Warhol’s theory that “Burger prices are what we can
get away with.”

My wife Lani ate snails at a sidewalk cafe. I discovered that there are few better ways to contemplate the meaning of life than sitting in a clean, well-lit place at
the end of a Paris day nursing a cup of cafe au lait and a Cognac. It doesn’t get any more Parisian than that. La vie est belle.

We all do it. We all do it daily. Many of us do too much of it, and some of us do so little of it, we risk our lives. It gives us pleasure, and sometimes it makes us sick. We do it alone, and we do it with others. We read and sometimes take advice about doing it. Sometimes we get it right, and sometimes we get it wrong.

Yes, we all eat, and lots of us try to eat well. But what the heck does that really mean?

The old food pyramid of meat, starches and vegetables of my childhood is a culinary relic, and even though I try hard to pay attention to the latest in nutritional learning and advice, I am still confused most of the time. How much protein is right for my size and age? How much fat? Should I give up all white foods – pasta, potatoes, rice, breads, mayonnaise? What about my chardonnay at the end of the day? What happens if I do? What happens if I don’t?

A new book posits that we should eat in sync with our ancient circadian rhythms, meaning during the 8 to 10 hours of the day when our bodies’ hormones and metabolisms are active and primed for processing food, like most other animals on earth. In “The Circadian Code” by Satchin Panda (yes, just like the pandas in China), the Salk Institute professor says extending our feeding times into the wee hours – remember that pre-bedtime bowl of ice cream? – simply ripens us up for weight gain and metabolic disorders.

Maybe Panda’s nutritional notions are spot on, as well as the oncefamous grapefruit diet, which gave me a stomach ache and on which I nary lost an ounce. Maybe so as well to food that arrives in boxes dropped on our doorsteps and all the fancy and expensive juice concoctions made with spinach, exotic fruits and
Lord knows what else. Maybe we should all be on a Paleo diet, eating just what we could have hunted or gathered way back when.

As the daughter of a mother who believed we could eat anything we want if we do so in moderation, the recommendations of Aaron E. Carroll, professor at Indiana University School of Medicine, who also blogs at the Accidental Economist, make good sense for most of us. They have lots of wiggle room for those things our diverse tastes and metabolisms just have to have and those we simply cannot tolerate. Carroll is quick to say that his recommendations are not etched in stone – that no foods are “demons” or “miracles.”

Here are some of Carroll’s recommendations.

• Take as much of your nutrition as possible from unprocessed foods, including fruits and vegetables and meats, fish, poultry, and eggs that have not been cooked or prepared in some way until you do it. Choose whole grains over refined ones, and eat your fruit instead of drinking it in juice form.

• Understand that most of us are all going to eat some processed foods. I have never made homemade pasta in my life and don’t expect to, but I have certainly cooked plenty of dried pasta. Fine, says Carroll, but not every day. Ditto for cookies, chips, breads and most cereals, which all contain processed ingredients.
Know that homemade really is better, but it is not unprocessed either. That said, eat homemade food as often as possible. It gives us more control of what we are eating, and in Carroll’s words, “you are much less likely to stuff yourself silly if you eat home-cooked food.”

• Use fats, including butter and oil, and salts in food preparation. Our bodies need them, but don’t go overboard. When we do this ourselves, we know what is in our food. We often do not know that in restaurant food.

•Drink lots of water, but other beverages, including coffee and some alcohol, are OK as well. Remember that except for water, black coffee and most teas, all beverages have calories, often far more than we think.

• This is probably Carroll’s best advice. Eat with other people, especially those near and dear, as often as you can. It will make you, or maybe some of them, more likely to cook. You will be happy in their company and will probably eat more slowly as you enjoy the conversation.

Well said, Dr. Carroll, well said. You and my mother are kindred spirits at the table.

There are now two Hope Mills mediaresources residents can depend on for accurateand dependable Hope Mills news. Andboth are free and accessible to everyone.They are Up & Coming Weekly and the blogHopeMills.net, which is hosted by ElizabethBlevins. Below is a sample of Blevins’ journalistictalent and unrelenting resolve forseeking out the facts. We welcome Blevinsas a journalist and media partner ready,willing and able to serve the residents ofHope Mills.
Stay informed. Sign up today at www.upandcomingweekly.com and HopeMills.net.

– Bill Bowman

Interview with Terry Jung, executivedirector, Lone Survivor Foundation

In March of 1865, Gen. Sherman stormed through our small town, burning the mills around which we’d built a community. His intention was to bring absolute destruction to the South, to ensure future generations felt his wrath. He succeeded. It would be the last time the town of Hope Mills knew real industry. More than 150 years later, our town center is a disorganized mix of pawn shops and nail salons anchored around a long line of fast food joints, regrettably known as “Hamburger Hill.” We’re a bedroom community. The residents of Hope Mills choose it for its proximity to Fayetteville and Fort Bragg.

Despite that, Terry Jung, executive director of Lone Survivor Foundation, chose us. He chose a forgotten piece of swampy land as the future home of a Lone Survivor Foundation facility. And, ironically, the very fact that we’d neglected it for 50 years is what made it so appealing. It’s secluded, tranquil and the perfect retreat for soldiers suffering from PTSD.

I spoke with Jung about his search for the perfect piece of land and ongoing battle to buy the property.

More than a year ago, Jung began his search. He was diligent, looking at more than 50 properties in Cumberland County before a series of introductions led him to the Fayetteville Cumberland County Economic Development Center.

The FCCEDC staff, which includes Hope Mills’ Mayor Warner’s son, Teddy Warner, were instrumental in pairing Jung with the property in Hope Mills. Several commissioners have accused Mayor Warner of collusion, implying that she and her son somehow manipulated the process in which Jung brought his proposal to the Hope Mills Board of Commissioners.

But Jung disagrees, “I’m confident they’re wrong because we’ve dealt with two other cities in the Cumberland County area – Godwin and Fayetteville – and that’s exactly the procedure we have followed (each time).”

On June 4, Jung and members of the FCCEDC presented the board with their proposal in a closed session. By all accounts, most of the board was receptive of the idea. “Pat Edwards, Jessie Bellflowers and Meg Larson all expressed very positive thoughts to us. All three of them, when the meeting was over, said to either Tim (Byrom, LSF president) or me directly, ‘We’re gonna get this done.’”

But Commissioner Mitchell was hesitant. After quizzing Teddy Warner about the tax value of the land – which has never been assessed – and without conferring with the other board members, Mitchell quoted a price for 60+/- acres that was much higher than market value. This is interesting in that Mitchell has steadfastly maintained the land was not for sale. Jung, who was never interested in buying the entire parcel, was bewildered by Mitchell’s behavior.

“I didn’t know any of the history of Mitchell and Warner; I didn’t know anything about him being beaten twice in a mayoral election. I quickly sensed something
was askew.”

During the initial meeting, no one discussed the 2030 Southwest Cumberland County Land Use Plan or the McAdams Group Parks & Recreation survey. In fact, we know now that the land in question wasn’t initially included in the McAdams survey. It was included July 31, when commissioners Mitchell and Larson reached out to the McAdams Group and asked that it be added. There was no discussion of the 1999 and 2014 PWC surveys at this time.

According to Jung, no one mentioned that the land wasn’t technically for sale. In fact, not only did Mitchell suggest a selling price, but the other commissioners all requested Jung make an official offer as a jumping off point for negotiations.

And no one seemed at all concerned about the way in which the presentation had come to the town. No one suggested a conflict of interest or collusion. They were all, except Mitchell, in favor of the project and incredibly excited to move forward.

“We left the meeting feeling like this was a done deal … the majority, three out of five commissioners, said we were gonna get this done.” Jung wasn’t prepared for what happened next.

The morning of July 18, Jung received a call from the Hope Mills attorney informing him the board had rejected his offer and wasn’t interested in any further offers. He and other supporters of LSF had also been removed from the agenda of the next board meeting. Undeterred, Jung made the pilgrimage back to Hope Mills (from Houston, Texas), and addressed the board – not once, but twice.

“I don’t want to be in the middle of all of these politics – I’m just trying to look out for what I believe is the best for the veterans, and you’ve got a community that is very veteran-centric that seems adamant they want this,” Jung said.

Jung credits the Hope Mills community, which has been overwhelmingly supportive, with bolstering his resolve to fight on. But he also admits to being frustrated with the antics of the board and the time wasted. “We’re willing to fight some more, but there’s going to come a point where it’s not to the benefit of the soldiers anymore,” he said.

Jung won’t give an exact timeline, but when 22 veterans commit suicide every day, every day spent waiting is a tragic waste of life.

Crystal Beach, Texas, the home of LSF’s first facility, is thriving. After being devastated by Hurricane Ike, which destroyed 7,000 homes, the town had no economy to speak of. When LSF chose the community to operate out of, it gave confidence to residents who’d lost their homes and they began to rebuild. Today, more than 5,000 new homes have been added, and affiliates of LSF have purchased 52 acres of land for hosting largescale events. Each spring, the LSF affiliates host a Memorial Day Concert that brings more than 5000 people into the community. They’ve also hosted Jeep and motorcycle rallies. The town’s economy is rebounding … LSF and the town’s reputations are growing.

The media blitz surrounding the Hope Mills Board of Commissioners has helped spread the word to neighboring communities, which have adopted a “your loss is our gain” mentality, and LSF is fielding offers from towns more than willing to support the organization. We can only assume they recognize the prestige associated with hosting a nationally recognized nonprofit organization.

But do the commissioners of Hope Mills recognize the devastating effects of rejecting a nationally known nonprofit organization? Jung was hesitant to divulge details, but he indicated the story of Hope Mills and our squabbling board is spreading outside of this community. Other organizations and businesses are taking note of the trouble LSF has dealt with these last two months. We can’t expect them to ignore our bad decisions. We’re standing on the wrong side of history and the nation is watching.

There will be a rally in support of LSF atGrace Place Christian Church, 3748 S. MainSt., Hope Mills, Aug. 16, at 6 p.m. The purposeof the rally is to measure public support forthe LSF and discuss the next course of action.The public is invited to attend.

Dr. Larry Wells, director and conductor of the Fayetteville Symphony Youth Orchestra, thinks laughter is essential to the learning process, but he’s not here to play. He’s here to train Fayetteville’s young musicians to operate at a professional level and to help build Fayetteville into a city where the best and brightest  want to stay.

“It bothers me that... our best young people want to leave,” he said. “That doesn’t bode well for our future if that continues. In my little way, because I just have my little slice of this pie, I want to have something that young people want to stay and do.”

Wells plays trumpet with the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra and the Carolina Philharmonic and is a professor and director at Methodist University. He holds a Master of Science in teaching music from Portland State University (1996) and a Doctor of Musical Arts in trumpet performance/wind conducting from the University of North Texas (2006).

Though his current resume is impressive, Wells said growing up there was a lack of programs for young musicians in his home-state, Washington, and that he didn’t have access to professional training until college. This is a situation he never wants to happen to Fayetteville’s young talent.

“There are certain rules in the professional world that young people won’t have been exposed to unless they’re in a program like (the FSYO); even how you practice and go about your day, how you dress,” Wells said. “The youth symphony is an opportunity for kids to study.”

The FSYO, which was formed in 2014, is open to students ages 13-21 in public school, private school or homeschool. It includes Cumberland County students as well as students from many other counties.

Wells said the FSYO is not meant to compete with high school music programs, but rather to complement those programs for students who want to go further. For this reason, the FSYO meets on Sundays; Saturdays would force many students to choose between marching band and the youth symphony.

“We’re all on the same team,” he said. “The high school programs do a great job for what they do. (The FSYO) can be a conduit for the next step.... There are nitty gritty things like (transposition) that maybe don’t really apply on a marching band field but absolutely apply in a concert hall on an audition.”

Every week, FSYO students rehearse music for one of three or more concerts they will perform over the course of the year, but there’s also a lot of teaching going on.

Wells gives them a basic lesson in conducting so they can follow his movements – “No 1, 2, 3, 4 here,” he said. If the students run into a difficult rhythm they don’t know how to play, Wells pauses rehearsal and break the rhythm down on the whiteboard. When players need to transpose their sheet music, they learn how to do that, too.

If the flutes are having trouble, Wells calls in FSO flute section leader Sarah Busman to work with them in a separate mini-session.

Students’ direct access to their professional counterparts in the FSO is one of the strongest elements of the program, Wells said. “I’ve got a doctorate in trumpet, but I can’t play tuba well enough to teach my kid how it should sound. Here, they’ve all got access to all of it.

“We talk a lot about intonation, music theory … Whatever the day, it’s like ok, this is what’s happening, let’s talk about (it) from a professional perspective.”

The students’ hard work results in three or more concerts over the course of one season, culminating in the “side-by-side” concert, in which students get to play onstage with the FSO. The FSO is led by Music Director and Conductor Stefan Sanders, who has conducted for the New York Philharmonic among many other orchestras.

Another of the FSYO’s strengths is a structure that allows for both specialization and inclusion. This structure is comprised of a Concert Band (woodwinds, brass and percussion) led by Wells, a String Orchestra (violin, viola, cello and bass) led by FSO violinist Monica Thiriot, and a Full Orchestra led by Wells. Wells said having these separate groups creates two advantages.

First, he said, separating Concert Band and String Orchestra allows students in those groups to play music that’s challenging for their instruments. Sometimes, he said, music that’s challenging for strings can be painfully easy for woodwinds, and vice versa. It also allows for more specialized instruction.

Second, the structure allows Wells to say yes to every student who wants to learn. No student who auditions is ever turned away from participating in Concert Band or String Orchestra. However, the audition does determine students’ seating, and to play in the Full Orchestra, they have to be at the top of their section.

“(This structure) gives me flexibility to meet the needs of all the kids, and it also gives a spot for people where I don’t have to say no,” Wells said. “You never know when the light’s gonna come on for a young person. But if you don’t have them in your group, then you’ll never know if the light (could) come on. He added that having students with a range of skill levels allows for less experienced players to learn from their seniors and then pay it forward.

String coach Thiriot, who also leads string programs for K-second-graders and ages 13 and under, said her favorite thing about working with the students is giving them music they don’t ever think they could play – and getting them to a place where they realize they can.

Wells added that the FSYO’s “never say no” policy coupled with the fact the FSYO gets students from school systems as far as an hour away creates a diverse body. Students get to play and connect with other musicians their age they might otherwise never have met.

The FSYO also holds extra workshops and social events outside of its weekly rehearsals. These include free workshops for Cumberland County students that focus on preparing students for things like all-district auditions and college auditions, as well as an end-ofthe- year party at Wells’ house and possible field trips.

All in all, it’s a program that lets those who are willing to work for it shine, Wells said.

“Good enough isn’t good enough for me. … I jokingly tell my students that’s why I’m bald. Because my hair will never look good. So it’s gone. They laugh, but I get my point across. If they’re laughing, then they’re learning.

“If mediocre is the best you can do, then don’t. Either work hard enough to not be mediocre, or find something you’re good at. Way too many people shoot low; I don’t want Fayetteville musically to shoot low.”

The thing is, Wells said, being serious about music is actually really fun. “It’s fun to learn, and it’s fun to be good,” he said. “It’s fun to not suck. Young people get that. And again, they laugh, but they remember.”

The FSYO meets on Sundays; Concert Band and String Orchestra separately from 4-4:50 p.m., and Full Orchestra from 5-6 p.m. Registration for the 2018-19 FSYO season must be completed by Aug. 31. When students register, they also sign up for an audition time. Learn more at fayettevillesymphony.org/youth-orchestra. View the FSO’s upcoming season, which includes dates for the FSYO’s concerts, by clicking on “Concerts and Tickets” and “2018-2019 Concerts.”

2017  record: 9-4

Top returners: Donovan Brewington, 5-10, 175, Sr., QB; Emery Simmons, 6-2, 185, Sr., WR; Joel Evans, 5-11, 325, Jr., OL; Matthew Pemberton, 5-9, 190, Jr., ATH; Denarea McMillan, 6-2, 215, Sr., RB; Jaylin Webb, 5-9, 260, Sr., DL; Elijah Wyand, 6-3, 225, Sr., TE; Ashawn Henley, 5-11, 235, Sr., DE; Gerald Bellanger, 6-2, 205, Sr., LB; Kevin Brewington, 5-8, 165, Jr., WR.

Top newcomers: Joshua George, 6-2, 200, So., LB; Corey Johnson, 6-0, 175, Sr., DB; Marzea Saunders, 5-9, 165, Jr., RB.

Team strengths: “Skill positions.”Team concerns: “Youth.”

Coach’s comment: “We have the pieces to make a strong push if we get the young offensive line

Coach Rodney Brewington, top returner Jaylin Webb

Meetings 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 Monday, Aug. 20, 7 p.m. The town of Hope Mills will take notice that the Board of Commissioners has scheduled a public hearing at Hope Mills Town Hall, 5770 Rockfish Rd., Room #120, on the question of annexing the following described territory, requested by petition filed pursuant to G. S. 160A-31:  The described area of land is located on SR 2333 (Corporation Drive) and is the exact distance of 1 mile (N) from the intersection of Route No./Road SR 2252 (Chickenfoot Road) towards the city of Fayetteville, but is not within the city of Fayetteville.  LOT 4 CAROLYN R GRANT, Lot frontage 527.80 ft. facing the west is N 72”54’28” E, N 18”26’04”W, S 71”33’58”, N 17”57’39” with a lot depth of 412.11ft.  Lot 4 is in the Rockfish Township of Cumberland County. This is a non-contiguous annexation.The public is invited to attend the meeting to offer comments or ask questions.

• Lake Advisory Committee Tuesday, Aug. 21, 6 p.m. at Hope Mills Parks and Recreation.

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. 

• Senior programs – Acrylic painting, Thursday, Aug. 23, 10 a.m.-noon or 1-3 p.m., in the Small Activity Room of the Hope Mills Parks and Rec center. $5. Sign up at front reception desk. Only 10 seats available per session. 

Promote yourself: Email hopemills@upandcomingweekly.com.

When Hope Mills residents come to Thursday’s Food Truck Rodeo in the parking lot behind the Hope Mills Recreation Center, they need to plan on doing more than eating.When Hope Mills residents come to Thursday’s Food Truck Rodeo in the parking lot behind the Hope Mills Recreation Center, they need to plan on doing more than eating.

Kenny Bullock, head of the Hope Mills Parks and Recreation Department, wants them to arrive ready to share ideas for the town’s comprehensive recreation plan.

Representatives of the McAdams firm will be on hand to get input from the townspeople about their concerns for the future of recreation in Hope Mills.

Bullock said the plan being developed will include some nine park areas in Hope Mills, existing athletic fields like Municipal Park and Brower Park, community parks like Herring Park in the Eaglewood subdivision, and parks still on the drawing board like Heritage Park, which will include a museum devoted to the town’s history as a mill village.

There is also potential for major park development at the old golf course, which the town owns.

The main purpose of the comprehensive plan is to avoid duplication of services and to make sure that something offered at one park isn’t constructed at another park. “That’s the purpose of the comprehensive plan,’’ Bullock said, “to utilize all the park space independently instead of duplicating park space.’’

Athletic fields are always a major concern when anyone talks parks. Bullock said the town has existing fields at Municipal Park and Brower Park and also uses the field at Hope Mills Middle School.

Bullock said there are preliminary plans to add some fields at the golf course property. “We need some multipurpose fields we can use for soccer and football,’’ he said. “There may be a complex we can convert to football and soccer.’’

He said at Municipal Park it might be possible to use Fields 1 and 2 as a soccer/football field, then turn Fields 4, 5 and 6 into a wagon wheel type facility.

The most urgent priority in developing the parks is the construction of Heritage Park near the restored Hope Mills dam. “That’s part of the contract with the Hope Mills dam,’’ Bullock said. “The next priority is the museum for the historical committee.’’

The current plan for Heritage Park involves nothing to do with athletics. It is scheduled to feature walking trails and bridges.

Bullock feels it’s important not to lump all the parks into one pile when getting input from the public. “We need to concentrate on all of them,’’ he said. “Each park is different. We need to put a focus on all the parks and what we would like to do.’’

Meanwhile, public input at this Thursday’s Food Truck Rodeo is critical.

Bullock stressed to the citizens of Hope Mills that this is their time to speak out and voice their concerns and their opinions on the future of parks and recreation in the town. “Don’t wait until after the fact and it’s been done,’’ Bullock said.

Photo caption: The main purpose of the comprehensive plan is to avoid duplication of services and to make sure that something offered at one park isn’t constructed at another park.

It may have rained out the last Food Truck Rodeo in Hope Mills, but the rescheduled event this Thursday at 5 p.m. behind the recreation center on Rockfish Road is going to give people a chance to help out children about to return to school.It may have rained out the last Food Truck Rodeo in Hope Mills, but the rescheduled event this Thursday at 5 p.m. behind the recreation center on Rockfish Road is going to give people a chance to help out children about to return to school.

Chancer McLaughlin, development and planning administrator for the town of Hope Mills, said he realized the later date would push the rodeo closer to the scheduled opening of school. This led to the town using the Food Truck Rodeo as an opportunity to collect school supplies for youngsters.

The Food Truck Rodeo already collects donations of food for the Hope Mills ALMS HOUSE, which has a mission of feeding the hungry, clothing the needy and providing counseling and financial assistance.

Now, this week’s rodeo is collecting goods for the upcoming FAYONE event, which is helping to provide school supplies to Cumberland County students.

McLaughlin said FAYONE is a cooperative effort between a number of other groups that were providing school supplies to youngsters.

The FAYONE organizers joined their efforts to offer one large event.FAYONE is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 18, at the Crown Arena beginning at 10 a.m.

It will feature two events, Gotcha’Back and Cut My City.Gotcha’Back provides backpacks filled with school supplies for needy children, while Cut My City offers free haircuts.To get a free haircut, students must be at the Crown Arena and registered by 2 p.m. the day of the event.

McLaughlin said when he realized the Food Truck Rodeo was going to have to be postponed, he contacted Hope Mills town manager Melissa Adams to see about adding collecting school supplies to the rodeo.

All supplies collected at the rodeo will in turn be donated to FAYONE to be given away this Saturday.

“I feel as a municipality we have a bigger reach and we can be bigger leaders,’’ McLaughlin said. “We want to support a communitywide back-to-school drive as well. We’re telling residents of Hope Mills to bring school supplies when they come to the food drive.’’

Any school supplies are welcome, but McLaughlin said the top choices for people to bring are wire composition books, pens, pocket folders, rulers, pencils and notebook paper.

Another feature of the FAYONE event will be a separate area in the Crown Arena called the Teachers Lounge. “We’ll have things for them and supplies we’ll donate to the schools,’’ McLaughlin said.

If there is anyone who is interested in volunteering to help out at FAYONE this Saturday, they can email fayeone2018@gmail.com.

In addition to the usual food trucks, because the Thursday rodeo is focused on back-to-school, McLaughlin said Hope Mills will offer a bouncy house, cornhole games, face painting, karaoke and a dance-off for the children.

There will also be raffles held for various prizes.

The town will also conduct its usual solicitation for donations of food to the Hope Mills ALMS HOUSE.

Preferred food donations for the ALMS HOUSE include bottled water, single-serve boxes of cereal, ramen noodles, individual microwaveable servings of pasta and gallon-size freezer bags.

Coach: Bruce McClellandCoach: Bruce McClelland

2017 record: 11-2

Top returners: Tanner Morris, 6-2, 270, Sr., OL; Leonard Mosley, 5-9, 168, Sr., WR-RB; Connor Brady, 6-1, 307, Sr., OL; Kirin Keys, 6-0, 286, Sr., OL; Shawn Newman, 5-9, 160, Sr., DB; Dante Bowlding, 6-0, 181, Sr., DB-WR-RB; Donovan Stevenson, 5-11, 172, Sr., LB; Dorian Clark, 5-11, 201, Jr., RB; Jackson Deaver, 6-0, 224, Jr., LB; Ezemdi Udoh, 6-5, 232, Jr., TE-DE.

Top newcomers: Joseph Briley, 5-11, 208, Sr., LB-RB; Jacob Knight, 6-0, 170, Jr., QB-WR; Roscoe Blue, 6-4, 334, Jr., OL-DL; Jamir Moore, 6-1, 173, Sr., WR-DB; Tyquan Hayes, 6-1, 172, Jr., LB-RB; Maurice Jones, 5-10, 163, Jr., RB; DeAndre Brown, 5-9, 164, Sr., DB; Saquon Smith, 6-0, 160, So., DB-WR; Elijah Morris, 6-1, 220, Jr., DL.

Team strengths: “Senior leadership. Offensive line.”Team concerns: “Depth. Replacing 15 starters.”

Coach’s comment: “Our senior leadership has maintained the level of competition this summer and is excited about the opportunity to lead the 2018 Bulldog football team into this year’s PAC-9 Conference slate. Our goal is to develop a host of new starters. We feel we have a schedule that will challenge us both in and out of conference. Staying healthy will be a top priority.’’

Coach Bruce McClelland, top returner Shawn Newman

Coach: Ernest King

2017 record: 4-8

Top returners: Xavier Marsh, 6-2, 180, Sr., QB; Demarion Ford, 5-7, 180, Sr., WR; DeShawn Fitts, 5-8, 160, Sr., WR; Pernell Shoulars, 6-5, 315, Sr., OL; DeMareon James, 6-2, 260, So., DL; Te’Andre Walton, 6-0, 205, Sr., SS; Jaivon Coates, 5-10, 160, Sr., DB.

Top newcomers: Taurienne Freeman, 6-1, 215, Jr., MLB; Devon Marshall, 6-1, 170, Jr., WR; Keyshawn Lindsey, 6-1, 205, Jr., RB; Antonio Arrington, 5-9, 180, Sr., LB; Nahala Moore, 6-3, 305, So., OL.

Team strengths: “The experience and numbers in the senior class.”

Team concerns: “Team is learning its third system in three years, particularly the most recent system in a short time.”
Coach’s comment: “Our success this season will be determined by our experienced playmakers and the quick ability to learn the offensive and defensive schemes. We are hoping our non-conference schedule will help us evaluate our players as well as team play before entering the conference schedule.’’

Coach Ernets King, top returner DeMareon James

Coach: Deron DonaldCoach: Deron Donald

2017 record: 9-4

Top returners: Toshiro Spivey, 6-1, 185, Sr., WR/DB; Maurice McLaughlin, 5-9, 205, Sr., DL/P; Jaylyn Locklear, 5-8, 165, Sr., RB; Daquan Wilson, 5-8, 165, Sr., DB; Darius Johnson, 6-0, 245, Jr., OL/DL; Angel Holden, 5-11, 180, Sr., QB/K; Malik Small, 5-10, 175, Sr., K/WR; Jeremy Priebe Jr., 5-11, 155, Sr., LS/DB; Jeremy Evans, 5-9, 160, Jr., WR; Tobias Winder, 5-11, 260, Sr., OL/DL.

Top newcomers: Markell Samuel, 6-3, 220, Jr, OLB/DE; Randy Franklin, 6-0, 180, Jr, DB; Jarvis Dudley, 5-8, 210, Jr., LB/FB; Trevon Hinton, 5-7, 160, Jr., DB; Shawn Kirk, 5-8, 155, Jr., RB; Brenden Tibbs, 5-8, 170, Jr., LB; Genuwine Clark, 6-0, 265, So., DL/OL; Judah Matthews, 5-9, 175, So., DB.

Team strengths: “Explosive playmakers on the offensive side of the ball as well as overall team speed.”Team concerns: “Inexperience. Only six returning starters from last year’s team.”

Coach’s comment: “This year’s team is inexperienced in some key areas and there will be several young guys stepping in who will play meaningful minutes. However, we have quality leaders that have been in the program for four years that understand the Golden Bulls way.”

Coach Deron Donald, top returner Jaylyn Locklear

Linda Buie first met Steven when she took some South View students attending the North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s Student Athlete Summer Institute to Fayetteville’s Dorothy Gilmore Therapeutic Rehabilitation Center.

To this day, she doesn’t know Steven’s exact age, but there’s one thing she does know about him.

“He would always say, ‘Hey, it’s my birthday,’” Buie said.

Thanks to Buie and her South View SASI students this year, it finally came true for Steven. As part of their action plan for SASI, Buie and her five South View students threw a birthday party for Steven, which was according to Buie the first one the young man ever had.

The party was held at the Gilmore Center, which provides recreation opportunities for people with disabilities.

While Steven may be classified as one of those people, SASI student Priya Mall of South View said you’d never know it by Steven’s demeanor.

“We made a strong connection with Steven,’’ she said of the group’s first visit to the Gilmore Center with SASI this year. “We were dancing together and he was so happy all the time. He thinks it’s his birthday and he hasn’t had a birthday party and we should throw them one.’’

That was the thing Buie appreciated most about the idea the students had for the party.

“They picked this,’’ Buie said. “It wasn’t a suggestion of mine. When the kids found out, they said, ‘we want to have a birthday party.’’’

And what a party it was, filled with things that are Steven’s favorites.

Among the items on the menu were pizza, Doritos, potato chips and cake. Most important of all, there were gifts.

Each of the students was charged with making sure to give Steven a different gift, with new clothes the focus of the gift-giving, Buie said.

“He doesn’t hardly have any clothes,’’ Buie said. “We wanted to try to help him a little bit.’’

Riley Caudle, another of Buie’s SASI students from South View, said the project tied in with the SASI message about being an effective leader.

The weeklong SASI gathering in this region has been hosted by UNC-Pembroke for many years. Students from high schools across the Cape Fear region are brought in for lessons on leadership and being alcohol- and drug-free.

“Everyone can work together and come together on one thing,’’ Caudle said. 

Mall agreed with Caudle. “I think it does send a good message,’’ she said of the party for Steven. “As a leader, you should do the right thing, help out, do things for other people and not just be a stubborn leader.

“Being a leader doesn’t mean you have to be in charge all the time. You can collaborate and talk about things with other people.’’

Photo: L to R: Lillian Flantos, Priya Mall, Davin Schmidt, Steven, Keshawn Dunham, Danielle Novak, Riley Caudle

When Dr. John Hedgepeth came to Northwood Temple in 1968, it was only supposed to a two-year appointment by the local conference of the International Pentecostal Holiness Church. And Northwood Temple is where he’s remained for 50 years. On Sunday, Aug. 12, the church will hold a day of celebration in recognition of Hedgepeth’s years of service.

“Like the old song said, just one day at a time,’’ Hedgepeth said. “That’s where I’ve been all my life since August of 1968.’’

There will be no Sunday School that morning, just a 10:30 a.m. worship service honoring Hedgepeth’s unprecedented tenure at the church.

The guest speaker will be Dr. A.D. Beecham Jr., general superintendent of the International Pentecostal Holiness Church from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

The celebration will continue at
5 p.m. with a banquet in the church’s Family Life Center gymnasium. Hedgepeth said he never dreamed in the summer of 1968 he’d stay at Northwood for 50 years.

He said the congregation is made up of really great people.

“You go to a place and you minister with all your heart to the people that are there,’’ he said. “If you have a ministry, that is your testament, it doesn’t stay static. It always keeps changing. Like it says in Acts, the Lord added daily to the church.’’

Hedgepeth said a focus of his ministry from the start has been reaching out to people in time of need, especially when they are facing problems with their health.

“They are looking for someone to love them and care for them,’’ he said, “someone that will lay hands on them and go to the hospital when they are sick, rather than saying if you need me, call me.’’

Under Hedgepeth’s leadership, Northwood has also become a focal point for mission work. He describes what the church has done by paraphrasing the scripture passage Acts 1:8, which called on the apostles of Jesus Christ to be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth.

“Jerusalem is your local people,’’ Hedgepeth said. “Judea, that’s your counties and state.’’

He said Samaria referred to Samaritans, an unwanted people in the time of Christ. “We reached out to everybody,’’ he said.

If you visit Northwood today, you will see flags of 54 nations displayed. They represent the countries around the world where the church’s members call home. 

“My people have always had a heart to reach out to every race,’’ he said.

And they’ve done it in ways other than just welcoming people to the congregation. Northwood’s Church On The Street program delivers meals to the local homeless.

The church has sent mission teams to Mexico, Africa, the Dominican Republic and the Kuna Islands off Panama. They’ve been to Nicaragua over 20 times.

“We helped build schools, built churches,’’ Hedgepeth said. “People got saved and healed. We can’t stop.’’

Hedgepeth gives much of the credit for the success of his ministry at Northwood to his wife of 55 years, the former Fay Bullard.

“I owe her everything,’’ he said. “She settled me down and made me think right. She taught me ways to do things I didn’t know because of her brilliance.’’

He also praised the staff at Northwood, especially minister of music Buck Hodge, who has been with Hedgepeth almost 50 years.

Hedgepeth is willing to talk at length about almost any subject, but there are two areas where he’s not that vocal. One is his age and the other is the subject of retirement.

“I never tell anybody my age,’’ he said. “Age puts limits on you now.’’

Hedgepeth is a firm believer in the philosophy of motivation. Nothing stands still, he said. It either goes backward or forward.

He said he’s never read of anyone in the Bible that retired, not even Moses.

“I really believe when you come to a place in life when you don’t want any more souls, when you don’t want to go to any more hospitals, when you don’t want to do any more weddings or attend a funeral, when you don’t have to worry about any more mountains to conquer, you don’t have to worry about being dead,’’ he said. “You’re already dead.

“I really believe you’ve got to go get them. I might not get them as much as I used to, but man, I’m moving forward.’’

Seating is limited for the event, and tickets are available at $8 a person. For reservations, call 910-488-7474.

Photo: Rev. John Hedgepeth and wife Fay

Jane Fonda said she’s still confronted by Vietnam War veterans over her 1970s anti-war activism and welcomes the encounters. Such moments provide an opportunity to talk, she said, which needs to be done with what Fonda called “an open mind and a soft heart.” 

The actress drew bitter criticism after being photographed sitting on an anti-aircraft gun during a 1972 visit to North Vietnam. She was dubbed “Hanoi Jane.”That same year, she and actor Donald Sutherland took part in an anti-war protest in downtown Fayetteville. At the time, Fort Bragg troops gave Fonda a different nickname: traitor b****. 

Fonda met with TV critics this month to discuss a new HBO documentary on her life and expressed regret for that moment. She said it was thoughtless to perch on the gun and called it “horrible to think about the message her action sent to soldiers and their families.” 

Her late father, the famed actor Henry Fonda, was a World War II veteran. Fonda had served as “Miss Army Recruiter” in 1954. 

At age 80, Fonda looks back at her life in HBO’s “Jane Fonda in Five Acts,” debuting this fall. 

Cold case arrest

Fayetteville Police have cracked a nearly 30-year-old sexual assault cold case with an arrest. Antonio L. McNeil, 55, of Slater Avenue in Fayetteville, was 25 when he allegedly attacked his victim. He has been jailed on charges of second-degree rape, second-degree sex offense and first-degree kidnapping. The case dates to November of 1989. Detectives investigated the case then, but it went unsolved. 

The case was recently reopened when the sexual assault evidence kit was tested for DNA. Police Sgt. Shawn Strepay said McNeil was already being held at the Cumberland County Detention Center on unrelated charges when arrested on the new allegations. He is being held on a $400,000 secured bond. 

Strepay said 25 rape cases have been cleared with arrests over the last three years by the Fayetteville Police Department’s Cold Case Sexual Assault Unit. People with information concerning a sexual assault more than five years old are asked to contact Police Detective R. DeShields at 910-580-3016.

Save the rain water

The Cumberland Soil and Water Conservation District is offering rain barrels for sale. The barrels provide a storage system used for collecting rain water, which can be used to water plants, lawns and gardens. Fifty-five-gallon pickle barrels are transformed into rain barrels by adding mesh screen netting to the open tops and installing spigots to the bottoms. Rain barrels can be placed out in the open, under the drip line of a roof or under a gutter’s downspout. A typical one-inch rainfall can fill the rain barrel placed beneath a downspout. 

Rain barrels are selling for $40 at the Cumberland Soil and Water Conservation District office at 301 East Mountain Dr. The office is open Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Proceeds from rain barrel sales support youth educational programs in Cumberland County.

40th annual International Folk Festival

Grab a dance partner and get ready for an unforgettable evening during the 40th annual International Folk Festival in downtown Fayetteville. The Williamsburg Salsa Orchestra of Brooklyn, New York, is the Saturday evening headliner. The 11-piece band will take the Festival Park stage at 6:15 p.m. on Sept. 29. 

The performance is part of an extensive entertainment lineup during the festival weekend of Sept. 28 through 30, featuring horn arrangements, pulsating percussion and sultry vocals. According to their promotional materials, “WSO has taken the typical Salsa form and infused it with a completely modern identity.” 

Symphony leader’s contract renewed

The board of directors of the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra has announced renewal of its contract with President and CEO Christine Kastner. 

“Chris Kastner is a great leader, and her history with the FSO is proof positive of that,” said board chairman Joe Vonnegut. 

Kastner was hired as CEO in November 2011. Under her leadership, the FSO increased the number of concerts performed. The symphony also added a free concert in Festival Park, partnering with the city of Fayetteville for an Independence Day celebration. 

The FSO has also made significant progress in its endowment under her leadership, Vonnegut added. 

Photo: Jane Fonda

Writers avoid using the word legend with great frequency in this business, and with good reason.

Used too often, it cheapens the effect and makes it seem far less than the exclusive club it should be.

But the late E.E. Smith basketball coach Ike Walker is deserving of the accolade. Walker, 87, was the longtime boys basketball coach at E.E. Smith High School and a 2010 inductee into the Fayetteville Sports Club Hall of Fame. He died on July 30 after a long illness.

You get a sense of his status as legend talking with the people who were closest to him, his former players, many deserving consideration for that title themselves.

Take Robert Brickey, a basketball phenom for Walker’s E.E. Smith team in the mid-1980s before going on to star for Mike Krzyzewski at Duke.

“If I could summarize it, he was a man who cared about young people, and he tried to model what he thought they should be,’’ Brickey said.

Charlie Baggett had an even stronger tie to Walker. He was his nephew and a sensational E.E. Smith quarterback in the early 1970s before setting a slew of passing records at Michigan State.

Walker came from a family of a dozen children, and Baggett said Walker and Baggett’s mom were the only two of the 12 that went to college, Walker attending North Carolina A&T.

“When you’re a coach and teacher, you wear a lot of different hats,’’ Baggett said. “He touched a lot of lives in a lot of different ways.’’

He was also a poet and a philosopher. He sent countless handwritten notes and cards to friends and acquaintances.

One of the many people he wrote was Joe Harris, a football great from Smith who starred at Georgia Tech and became the first Fayetteville high school product to play in the Super Bowl, as a member of the Los Angeles Rams in 1980.

Harris remembers the notes and life lessons Walker shared.

“He always pushed education,’’ Harris said. “To know who you are. Where you come from. Where you’re going in life.’’

   But Harris’ best memory of Walker is how he took care of his players, including himself.

One rainy afternoon after practice, Walker told Harris to get in his car so he could give him a lift home.

Harris lived where the roads weren’t paved and were filled with bumps. Walker drove a shiny black Ford that he kept in immaculate condition.

 As they approached the road to Harris’ house, he told Walker to stop and not mess up his car.

“He said, ‘No, I’m going all the way,’” Harris said. “That’s the type of person he was.’’

Ike Walker spent a lifetime going all the way for kids, pulling them through the messes of life to hope and success.

The gospel of Matthew said it best. “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Photo: Ike Walker

Coach: David Lovette

2017 record: 1-10

Top returners: Andre Allen, 6-0, 195, Sr., RB; Leonard Beckett, 5-9, Sr., RB; Cedrick McDowell, 5-9, Sr., RB; Dalton Patrick, 6-0, Jr., SE; Trevor Thomas, 5-8, 170, Sr., ATH; Sean Best, 6-3, 260, Sr., OL; Tyree Brown, 6-0, 200, Sr., LB; Tony Tyndal, 6-0, 210, Sr., OL: Blake Little, 6-0, 195, Sr., LB; Armaiah Banks, 5-11, 185, LB.

Top newcomers: Gaven Freeman, 5-10, 175, Jr., RB: Ja’Wuane Haskins, 5-11, 205, Jr., LB; Ben Lovette, 6-1, 165, Jr., QB; Alex Hopkins, 5-8, 175, Jr., DB; Kendall Evans, 6-4, 235, Jr., DL; Justin McClintock, 5-11, 200, Jr., LB; Jerry Garcia, 6-0, 175, So., DB.

Team strengths: “Return many players from last year’s team who gained valuable experience.”

Team concerns: “Cannot afford injuries.”

Coach’s comment: “We believe that we can be a much more competitive team this fall.’’

Photos: Coach David Lovette, Top returner Armaiah Banks

Coach:Bill Sochovka

2017 record:4-7

Top returners:Dominic Roberto, 6-0, 235, Sr., RB/LB; Dylan Watkins, 5-10, 170, Sr., DB; Luis Rivera, 6-2, 240, Sr., DL; D.J. Jones, 5-10, 180, Jr., WR; Jaden Jones, 5-10, So., QB; Deon Buchanan, 5-11, 240, Sr., C; Jordan Gladney, 5-10, 165, Sr., WR/DB; Isaiah Potts, 6-2, 280, So., DL/OL; Malik Daniels, 5-11, 300, Sr., DL/FB; Bernard Fierlage Jr., 6-1, 215, Jr., LB.

Top newcomers:Zach McCallum, 6-2, 240, Sr., DE/TE; Steven Wood, 6-2, 240, Sr., DE; Ahmad Simon, 5-6, 165, Jr., RB; Seth Smith, 6-0, 280, Jr., OL; Jamal Hill, 6-3, 300, Jr., OL; Jamal McClean, 6-1, 180, So., WR; Blake Marshburn, 6-2, 280, Jr., OL; Andre Tunell, 6-0, 170, Sr., DB; Ethan Ward, 5-11, 180, Jr., RB.

Team strengths: “We feel our defensive line is the key to our defense. On the offensive side the strength lies in our skill positions.”

Team concerns: “Lack of depth in our defensive and offensive lines, and our kicking game.”

Coach’s comment: “I like the team cohesion. I feel if our defensive and offensive lines can gel quickly, that will be a key to our success.’’

Photo: Coach Bill Sochovka, Top newcomer Zach McCallum

Since 2016, Fayetteville Technical Community College’s Emergency Medical Science and health programs have conducted training for Fort Bragg 68W Army Health Care Specialists, or combat medics. In October 2017, FTCC and Womack Army Medical Center collaborated to develop an accelerated, 20-week National Registry Paramedic program of study in order to meet the unit operational needs of the combat medic. The accelerated program provides a unique opportunity for soldiers to earn National Registry Paramedic Certification Licensure as well as providing advanced medical training and skills required to save lives on the battlefield. 

This training is critical for combat medics to mitigate the 25 percent of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom soldiers who died of wounds and were deemed potentially survivable. This equates to almost 1,000 service members. 

The military’s future operating environments may require field care lasting hours to days before evacuation can be achieved, whereas past evacuation times were minutes to hours. This is why this training partnership is so vital to the advancement of prehospital military field medicine.   

FTCC and Womack AMC have created two options for military soldiers to choose from when pursuing paramedic training. 

The intense, 20-week traditional paramedic course consists of 600 hours of didactic/lab, 600 hours of internship, 300 hospital hours and 300 field EMS internship hours. The 40-week Distance Learning Hybrid Paramedic Program allows soldiers the opportunity to complete online training utilizing distance learning technology and attend face-to-face classes during specific blocks of training.

Upon completion of the course, students are eligible to take the North Carolina State and National Registry Paramedic Licensure Exams. Students also earn certification in American Heart Association Advanced Cardiac Life Support, Pediatric Advanced Cardiac Life Support, and Advanced International Trauma Life Support. 

Upon successful completion of the paramedic program, in addition to obtaining the National Registry Paramedic Licensure, Fort Bragg 68W medics enroll in an accelerated two-week Military Critical Care Flight Paramedic program. This intense two-week program prepares paramedics for the Flight Paramedic Certification examination from the Board of Critical Care and Transport Paramedic Certification. The Critical Care Emergency Medical Transport Program is designed to prepare paramedics to function as members of a critical transport team. The critical care paramedic receives training beyond the training received by “ground” paramedics. Course training prepares the paramedic to appropriately assess and manage patients who have already received significant medical interventions, including the use of advanced pharmacological agents and the insertion of hemodynamic monitoring and assistant devices. 

FTCC is pleased to collaborate with Womack AMC to provide this unique training for military paramedics, leading to opportunities for soldiers to advance their professional skills through specialized certifications in areas beyond basic training in the area of emergency medical services. 

For questions about Emergency Medical Services training at FTCC, email baxleyc@faytechcc.edu. If you are a soldier interested in requesting an enrollment reservation, contact Staff Sgt. Lombard at tiaan.lombard.mil@mail.mil or call 910-907-6214. Learn more about all FTCC has to offer at www.faytechcc.edu.     

Robert Wilkie is officially the United States secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs. He took the oath of office during a swearing-in ceremony with President Donald Trump at the White House. 

Wilkie is a former military officer and Pentagon official. He serves in the Air Force Reserve. Wilkie grew up in Fayetteville and to date is the highest-ranking native son to serve in the federal government. He was joined in the Oval Office by his wife, Julie, and son, Adam, as well as former bosses Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. 

“I’m humbled by the prospect of serving those who have borne the battle, those American men and women who have sacrificed so much,” Wilkie, 55, said in remarks before the ceremony. 

Wilkie is now in charge of the second-largest federal government agency. The VA has more than 360,000 employees and an annual budget of nearly $200 billion. The department is tasked with providing health care, monetary assistance and other benefits to millions of veterans.

“I know you’ll work night and day to fulfill our sacred duty to protect those who protect us,” Trump said. “It’s a tough job, but a beautiful job. Congratulations.” 

Wilkie is taking over at a time of significant change at the VA. He is charged with leading an overhaul of the VA’s private-sector care programs and overseeing a multibillion-dollar project to create a new electronic health record system, as well as implementing recently approved changes to the VA claims appeals process, caregiver benefits and GI Bill, among other things.

Lawmakers and veterans’ organizations are hopeful that Wilkie can stabilize the department after months of uncertainty about its leadership. 

“We congratulate him on becoming secretary, and we look forward to him bringing stable leadership to the department and strong advocacy for America’s veterans,” Veterans of Foreign Wars Commander B.J. Lawrence said.

The VA has been without a permanent secretary since David Shulkin was fired in March as the result of a power struggle with political appointees assigned to the VA. Wilkie has already purged some Trump loyalists and others who he said represented part of the VA’s operations problem. He did so with the president’s knowledge and consent. 

Following Shulkin’s dismissal, Deputy Secretary Tom Bowman retired, and a handful of other leaders left the agency. VA Press Secretary Curt Cashour said in a statement in April that the officials who left were “wedded to the status quo” and “not on board with this administration’s policies or pace of change.” 

The Washington Post reported that once Wilkie was VA secretary, he intended to form his own leadership team and reassign political appointees who were behind the staff departures. The Post said Cashour is searching for another job in the Trump administration. Camilo Sandoval, acting VA chief information officer, is expected to leave altogether, and John Ullyot, the assistant secretary for public and intergovernmental affairs, will likely be reassigned to another job within the VA. 

However, in a statement, Cashour denied the report and said he had no plans to leave the department. Additionally, Cashour said Ullyot and Sandoval will remain in their positions.

Take a moment and imagine life without the sense of sight. You would have to put your faith and trust in others and learn independent living skills to help you navigate through life’s daily routines. This is reality for hundreds of Cumberland County residents. Things like getting to medical appointments or doing grocery shopping can be difficult challenges to navigate. The Vision Resource Center, a vital advocate for many in the blind and vision-impaired population, has come up with a fun way to raise the funds it needs to carry out its mission. Saturday, Aug. 25, the VRC presents its third annual Out of Sight Wing Fling cooking competition. It is set to run 3-8 p.m. in Festival Park. 

“The purpose of the Wing Fling is to raise money for the VRC to increase programming and independent living skills for adults and children with visual impairments,” said Terri Thomas, the VRC’s executive director. “Our goal is to get a bus for transporting them to the grocery store and medical appointments, and we need Colorino Talking Color Identifiers, signature guides and Ruby portable magnifiers.”   

The VRC opened in 1936 as the Cumberland County Association for the Blind. Working with Cumberland County Social Services, the VRC is one of the first four agencies of the United Way in Cumberland County. The organization changed its name to Vision Resource Center in 2007 and currently operates out of the Dorothy Gilmore Therapeutic Recreation Center, at 1600 Purdue Dr. 

Thomas said blindness and visual impairment is an expensive disability that often requires pricey technology to give recipients a reasonable quality of life. 

“We need funds to be able to grow and get them exactly what they need,” said Thomas. “I am still not able to provide them with some of those things.” 

There are currently 676 blind and visually impaired individuals in the Cumberland County area. The VRC provides resources such as independent living classes, Braille classes, social activities, a healthy living program, transportation to and from the center, youth programming, summer camp and more for the blind and visually impaired. But these all cost money.

“Lately, we have been partnering with Veterans Affairs, and they have some stuff that is down-leveled to them but new to us, so we have been getting some things that way,” said Thomas. “I haven’t been able to purchase anything because it is so expensive.     

“The state does not provide for blind and visually impaired children under age 13. They only start working with kids at age 14, so that’s a whole demographic that now we are writing grants for to try and (reach out to) kids as soon as their parents find out they are visually impaired so we can start working with them.”    

Thomas noted that the main focus with the youth ages 0-13 is to work on socialization skills, and this is one thing the VRC never receives funding for, but something that would help immensely. 

Like many causes, the needs are many and everything helps, including attending the Out of Sight Wing Fling. The event features a wing cooking competition that will have entries from EyeQ Zone, Kid’s Zone and more. There will also be food trucks on-site as well as vendors and special guests. Entertainment will be provided by BB Productions, That NATION Band and Wing Fling’s very own DJ “Q.”   

Festival Park is located at 331 Ray Ave. in downtown Fayetteville. General admission to the Out of Sight Wing Fling is $5 and allows attendees to enjoy the vendors and live entertainment. Admission plus wing-tasting costs $10, which includes samples of every team’s wings and voting privileges for the competition. VIP tent access is $40, and includes access to a covered V.I.P. tent area, Southern sides to accompany your wing-tasting, two beer tickets, non-alcoholic drink selection and prime seating near the entertainment stage. 

For more information, call 910-483-2719. Visit www.wingflingfay.com to purchase tickets.    

I originally planned on doing this paper on the admissions presentation at ECU that I attended with my daughter a week or so ago. Then last night I was drawn to the Town of Hope Mills Board of Commissioners meeting because of a rezoning request of a property that is located just outside my subdivision. I used to attend the meetings on a regular basis, but it had been a while since I was last there. Once I got into the meeting, a gentleman was getting ready to speak. After hearing his presentation, I found myself addressing the board on his behalf.

 a) Mr. Jerry Jung (pronounced young) was the speaker, and he was representing Lone Survivor (Foundation) – a nonprofit focused on providing therapeutic and recreational retreats to veterans. I had no knowledge of the organization before Mr. Jung spoke.

b) The topic was a town-owned property called Hope Mills Lake #2, which the Lone Survivor organization was interested in purchasing.

 c) Mr. Jung had come to speak in defense of some bad press the project had received, along with a denial from the town to sell the property to his organization.

 d) As I addressed in my introduction, I had attended for a different purpose but was drawn to Mr. Jung’s topic once he began speaking.

 e) The audience consisted mostly of residents of the town of Hope Mills, along with veterans who had been the recipients of therapy provided by the Lone Survivor organization(,) and the town of Hope Mills Board of Commissioners.

 f) (The goal was) to explain the purpose of the Lone Survivor (Foundation), explain what they intended to use the property they were trying to buy from the town for, and answer any questions related to either of those issues.

 g) Mr. Jung began his presentation by explaining what the Lone Survivor program does and where they are currently located. Then he went on to explain why the property was so attractive to the organization, highlighting that 30 percent of the clients come from North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia (and) that the location would ease the strain of travel on the veterans suffering from PTSD who come from these nearby locations. He showed a mock-up of the design for the facility, and finally took questions.

 h) The overall thesis was that in a community like Hope Mills it seemed ridiculous that the board would deny the purchase of the land for its intended purpose, and he believed some information had been lost in communication and wanted the board to reconsider.

 i) I was moved by my Mr. Jung’s presentation.

 j) The only weakness that he may have shown was a lack of knowledge of local politics.

 k) The mock-up was not clear to the audience for, the most part, other than it appeared to be a large one-floor building.

 l) The audience overwhelmingly supported Mr. Jung’s proposal to the point that they stopped going by the printed agenda and juggled some things around to allow members of the audience to address the Board of Commissioners on the topic. I addressed the board and explained that I was disappointed that my elected leaders rushed to make a decision on this topic without having all the information necessary to make such a decision. (I told them) that I had voted for each of the current commissioners, and I was appalled that they would make such a move without taking a “litmus test” of the community’s reception to such a project.

The Board of Commissioners moved to revisit the proposal and discuss further the options of assisting the Lone Survivor organization. It was clear that the support of those in attendance was behind the Lone Survivor organization, with much of the clapping being done on behalf of the organization and comments from board members who had supported the proposal. Those who spoke on behalf of the Lone Survivor organization were emotional, but only one speaker was so emotional that it detracted from what she was trying to say. I was thanked by the board members who supported the proposal. What I found was that in this type of situation, in one where a feel like I am a stakeholder, because I pay taxes and am involved in my community, I have the confidence to be assertive with my thoughts in a public way.

– Elizabeth Cooper