North Carolina politicians lavish generous praise on community colleges. Alas, this praise is more often a sort of rote incantation than a real statement of priorities.

Let’s change that. North Carolina’s community colleges are critically important, often a good investment of tax dollars, and deserving of far greater attention from lawmakers, education officials and opinion leaders. That attention need not be only laudatory. It should be constant – and backed by action.

Hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians take at least one course each year at one of the system’s 58 campuses. Some are full-time students. Most aren’t. If we account for that, the equivalent of about 100,000 full-time students were enrolled in North Carolina community colleges last year. For the University of North Carolina system, the comparable figure for undergraduates was about 170,000.

Most community-college students are enrolled in curriculum programs. They are working toward an associate degree, an associate of arts, college-transfer credits or diplomas. About 15 percent are enrolled, instead, in some form of continuing education. They are obtaining a particular job skill, retooling to change careers or taking classes simply for edification.

In recent years, North Carolina policymakers have standardized course offerings among community colleges and universities, thus easing the transition for transfer students and making it more attractive for high school graduates to begin their quest for baccalaureate degrees at community colleges that cost less – for both students and taxpayers – and are closer to home.

Some university leaders and policymakers resisted these changes and remain unconvinced they were a good idea. Critics view the freshman and sophomore coursework at community colleges as substandard and point to statistics such as low completion rates for associate degrees as evidence for academic weakness. They also complain, incorrectly, that college transfer is a distraction from the original, vocational mission of two-year institutions.

While community colleges should always be committed to continuous improvement, they often get a bum rap on quality. For one thing, measures such as degree-completion rates are notoriously uninformative. Although transfer students can – and ought to – receive associate degrees from their colleges before heading to universities, large numbers of them do not even fill out the necessary paperwork.

One study of full-time students who began at community colleges found that, after accounting for those who transfer without completing associate degrees, the share of students completing some kind of degree – associate or baccalaureate – was 55 percent within six years. That needs to be higher, naturally, but there are UNC campuses where the average six-year graduation rates for non-transfer students are at or below this level.

More to the point, the populations of students who enter higher education through community colleges are, on average, very different from those who go straight to universities. These characteristics explain much of the difference in degree completion, regardless of the type of institution attended.

Do community colleges deliver value? It’s a tough question to answer, but a necessary one. A 2017 analysis for Columbia University’s Teacher College tracked the earnings of community college students in eight states, including ours. North Carolinians who completed their associate degree earned substantially more in nine years than those who attended but did not complete college. Even those who didn’t graduate earned a bit more, on average, depending on how many classes they completed.

The same qualities that lead to degree completion could also make one a better worker, so the educational experience may not fully explain the wage premium. But I think the preponderance of the evidence suggests community college are, as community college professor Rob Jenkins put it in a recent article for the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal, “among our leanest, most efficient institutions.” Unlike universities, they “do not need rock-climbing walls, expensive health clubs or luxurious dormitories to attract students. All they need is adequate staffing, competent, fairly-paid faculty, and reasonably modern facilities.”

Lawmakers, please take note.

Hope Mills is resuming its successful experience with Food Truck Rodeos this week, hosting the first event of 2018 on Thursday, April 5, in the parking lot behind Town Hall and the Hope Mills Recreation Center at 5770 Rockfish Rd.

The rodeo will be held from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m.

The food truck events were held last year starting in August and continued monthly through November until they were shut down for the winter months.

“It started with us trying to come up with creative ways to bring the community together,’’ said Chancer McLaughlin of the Hope Mills Development and Planning Department.

Since food trucks are popular in towns all over Cumberland County, town leaders developed a plan to help attract them to Hope Mills.

“The main goal was to create an environment that would be supportive of food trucks,’’ McLaughlin said. “We don’t charge any fees for the trucks.’’

McLaughlin said the town also wanted to give them something other than just the lure of a lunchtime crowd. “We felt if we could create a destination or an event out of it, everybody wins,’’ he said. “(If ) we can get people to Hope Mills, more people will come to support the trucks. It’s outdoors, and we facilitate it by putting out lawn chairs and having music.’’

McLaughlin said a Thursday night was chosen to provide a variety of food trucks an evening that wouldn’t conflict with their plans to be at other locations in the county and increase the options available.

“There are so many great ones in Cumberland County, we try to rotate them out,’’ he said. “We are very supportive of the food truck community.’’

This week’s rodeo will follow a traditional structure the town has used in the past. The parking lot behind the recreation center and town hall will be blocked off to allow the food trucks to park and create a pedestrian area for people to visit the different trucks.

The event will feature attractions for children, including free pony rides and bouncy houses.

A DJ will provide music. On some occasions in the past the rodeo has offered live bands, but McLaughlin said a DJ will be used for the first event of 2018.

He’s gotten commitments from six trucks that will appear at this week’s event. They include Fowler’s, formerly the Blind Pig; Babann’s Southern Fried Chicken; R Burger; and California Taco NC.

McLaughlin always tries to have at least two local food trucks taking part. This week’s participants will be A Catered Affair by Chef Glenn and Big T’s.

McLaughlin encourages everyone planning to take part in the rodeo to download the Spokehub app for their smartphones.

“It allows you to chat with people leading up to the event and at the event,’’ McLaughlin said. “We’re trying to get creative with marketing.’’

There’s also an informational aspect to the event, McLaughlin said. Warriors on the Water, an organization that helps rehabilitate wounded warriors by introducing them to kayaking, has made previous appearances at the rodeos. Now that Hope Mills Lake has been restored, McLaughlin said, they will return to this week’s event to share information about their organization.

The Hope Mills Parks and Recreation Department will also have a booth at the rodeo, giving out information about upcoming events.

The best thing about most of the activities is everything will be free, McLaughlin said. “The only thing they have to pay for is the food,’’ he said.

“We want something that makes it more conducive to families. As opposed to cooking dinner, you can grab something to eat, sit down and relax in a really nice atmosphere.’’

Through March 27, Terry Sanford’s girls soccer team had a 10-0 record and had yet to allow a goal this season.

Bulldog coach Karl Molnar is excited by his team’s success and admits the resume looks good on paper.

But he also knows his team is far from perfect. “As a coach, I lose sleep at night knowing the little things we’re not doing well,’’ he said. “We are still winning, and that’s great, but I do know until we start doing those things well we’re not going to be competitive in the state tournament.’’

Molnar thinks problems could start as early as the Patriot Athletic Conference tournament for the Bulldogs if some of their better league opponents show improvement. “They’d have picked up their games and hopefully we will too,’’ he said. “Right now I see us struggling, and I’m very focused on what we need to fix.’’

The strong points for the Bulldogs so far are a versatile offense and stingy multi-playered defense.

Molnar said he’s got several players capable of scoring, three of them with 10 or more goals, led by Maiya Parrous with 14.

“When you’ve got four people who can comfortably put the ball in the back of the net, it makes you tough to defend,’’ Molnar said.

On defense, Terry Sanford tends to dominate play in the midfield. “We seem to control that area,’’ Molnar said.

Newcomer Kara Walker has been a major addition on defense, which is anchored by Ally Gustafson.

The last line of defense is veteran goalkeeper Lindsay Bell. “She’s a phenomenal athlete and catches tough shots with ease,’’ Molnar said.

Another key player in the midfield is senior Talia Parrous, who has signed to play soccer at UNCWilmington this fall.

“She is playing like a senior,’’ Molnar said. “I think she is doing all she can to make this a meaningful year of soccer.’’

As a senior and a captain, Parrous said her main goal with the Bulldogs this year is to be a leader, helping other players find their roles and working to improve team chemistry.

She agrees with Molnar that the Bulldogs have some things they need to fix. She and Corinne Shovlain are still adjusting to new positions in the middle of the field. “We’re going to have to work on that and our defense a little bit,’’ she said. “Team chemistry is good, but if it was better, it would help us more.’’

Parrous said her biggest concern looking toward a possible berth in the state playoffs is how the Bulldogs will handle better offensive teams.

“We haven’t been tested with anything strong offensively,’’ she said. “It’s going to be different when we’re tested by five or six good offensive players coming down our throat. I think we can handle it.’’

Parrous is focusing on the rest of the season with Terry Sanford, but it won’t be long until she shifts gears to play at UNC-Wilmington.

She plans to work out over the summer following a fitness regimen sent to her by the Seahawks and continue training with local soccer guru Jimmy Maher. She’ll leave at the end of July to enroll at UNC-Wilmington.

“I’m hoping I won’t get redshirted,’’ she said. “I need to come in and be humble and modest and try to earn my position. I know every player down there is just as good.’’

Photos: Midfield senior and captain Talia Parrous, Terry Sanford girls soccer

Regardless of the outcome from all the investigations taking place involving freshman Councilman Tyrone Williams, he needs to resign from the city council and spare our community the embarrassment of a local governmental scandal. The cliché “where there’s smoke there is usually fire” rings true in this bizarre sequence of disturbing circumstances. We agree with former Fayetteville City Councilman Bobby Hurst, who got it right when commenting about Williams’ situation on WFNC’s Morning Show last week when he said, “He’s just lying. And he should step down.”

The overall news coverage of this situation has also been unusually vague and confusing, causing much speculation. This has all the drama and intrigue of a James Patterson novel – municipal suspicion of wrongdoing by a sitting councilman, closed sessions of city council meetings, accusations of potential criminal activity, false claims and accusations directed at city attorney Karen McDonald, the hiring of a high-powered white collar crime criminal defense attorney, the request by other council members for an Ethics Commission investigation, false claims of financial interest in someone else’s business, and now, the involvement of the FBI.

This series of events began several weeks ago when McDonald felt it necessary to hire and bring in an outside attorney to advise the city and potentially protect it from the escalating negative conflict of interest accusations lodged against Councilman Williams regarding PCH, Inc. and the Prince Charles Hotel development project.

To date, no one has come forward to define just what that conflict of interest is. However, when questioned specifically about it, Williams got entangled in his own statements and contradictions, exacerbating the suspicion surrounding this situation and casting even more doubt on his integrity, honesty and intentions regarding the matter.

First, Williams said he had a financial interest in the Prince Charles Hotel. This was not true; PCH Inc. confirms that it had no dealings with Williams and he was in no way associated with the project. Secondly, Williams said he disclosed his interest in the Prince Charles Hotel to the city attorney in February. Again, not true. McDonald denied this adamantly and demanded that Williams correct the record. Then there are the questions resulting from the votes he participated in concerning PCH and the hotel. Why did Williams participate in the voting if both he and the city attorney knew he had a financial interest in the project?

This only raises more questions, like:

What is the actual “dispute” or alleged “conflict of interest” the city is addressing with Williams, and why won’t anyone say?

Why would Williams vote (twice) against a $100 million development project in his own District 2?

It has been mentioned that “they” confronted PCH, Inc. Who are “they”?

Are other people involved with this alleged dispute?

If so, are they involved with the city or in any way in a position to influence city policy?

Does Williams have an attorney, and why hasn’t he lawyered up to defend himself against the allegations?

If he does have an attorney, who make up Williams’ legal team of advisors?

Because of Williams’ past business relationship with former Prince Charles Hotel owner John Chen, does Williams think he has a financial interest in PCH, Inc.?

Does city staff or someone on city council have evidence or suspicions of bribery or of a pay-to-play scheme developing?

There are so many questions causing so much speculation, and all of it negative. Hopefully, by the time you read this article the truth will have emerged, and our community will have the answers it is entitled to.

In the meantime, I am extremely pleased that we have a city attorney like McDonald who is diligent and talented enough to recognize a threatening situation that could be detrimental to our city. She immediately took the proper corrective action to protect the city of Fayetteville, our council members, the reputation of our community and the monumental downtown economic development project that will enhance and redefine Fayetteville’s stature in North Carolina.

We have much at stake here. Most importantly, the residents of Fayetteville must be able to respect, trust and place confidence in their city leaders. Even the slightest hint of impropriety will undermine our growth, development and aspirations for a prosperous future. T

hank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly.

Photo: City Cunciman Tyrone Williams

Wesley Pines presents “On Golden Pond” by Ernest Thompson Friday, April 6, at 8 p.m. at Givens Performing Arts Center.

“It is a nationally touring play and a lot of people will remember it from the movie that Henry Fonda and Katharine Hepburn did in the early 1980s,” said James Bass, executive director of GPAC at University of North Carolina at Pembroke. “It is a story about growing old, losing and learning to love through it all, and coping with loss and aging.”

There is a lot of merit in this heartwarming story.

“Growing old and aging is something that we all experience and something that we all have to deal with,” said Bass. “We have to deal with it whether it is our own aging or someone in our family is aging.”

Bass added that aging causes families to learn a lot about themselves and who they are, and that is what this story is about. It is about people coming together through difficult times and the prospect that we may not be here tomorrow. It sends the message that how we spend our time and how we treat our family is important.

The characters in the play encounter various trials and tribulations

“People who are up in years have seen and experienced a lot of things in their lives,” said Bass. “These things helped shape and format who they are, and as we get older, we begin to challenge some of those perceptions.”

The Givens Performing Arts Center is a 1,600-seat performing arts center that has been around since 1975 and sits on the UNC-Pembroke campus. “We were ranked several years ago as one of the top 25 performing arts centers on a university campus in the United States,” said Bass. “We have had a lot of performers here in the past, such as Ray Charles, Vincent Price, James Earl Jones and Dave Chappelle.”

Tickets cost $21-$36. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.uncp.edu/gpac or call 910-521-6361.

John Myoung

Seventy-First • Baseball •

Sophomore

Myoung has a 4.0 grade point average. He is involved with speech and the Green Team and is a pianist and drummer at his church.

Briana Crosby

Pine Forest • Softball •

Junior Crosby

had a 3.55 grade point average. A member of the school band, Crosby is also an Academically or Intellectually Gifted student who plans to attend a four-year university and major in sports medicine.

Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office School Resource Officers patrol all 90 Cumberland County school campuses, including those located in Fayetteville, Hope Mills, Spring Lake and Stedman. The sheriff’s office was given the countywide responsibility 30 years ago, when then-Fayetteville Police Chief Ron Hansen suggested school duty was better suited for the sheriff’s office because schools are governed and operated by county government.

The school system pays the sheriff’s office to provide law enforcement coverage. Middle schools and high schools have permanently assigned deputies. Elementary schools are patrolled on a regular basis but do not have assigned officers.

SROs are responsible for enforcing the law and more. Cumberland County Sheriff Ennis Wright’s office did not respond to inquiries about the program. Ordinarily, student resource officers provide security during school hours and after-hours special events on campus, such as athletic events, dances and assemblies.

SROs serve as liaisons between Cumberland County Schools and the sheriff’s office. They assist school administrators in emergency crisis planning and security matters. They work to prevent juvenile delinquency through close contact and positive relationships with students.

They also develop crime prevention programs and conduct security inspections to deter criminal or delinquent activities.

Mo Canady, executive director of the National Association of School Resource Officers, said it takes a special kind of officer to be an SRO.

“It’s one of the most unique jobs in law enforcement, and it takes a unique individual who understands that, to some degree, students have a different way about them sometimes,” he said. “They’re going to say and do things that we might not like but (that) are not necessarily criminal in nature.”

Jim St. Germain is co-founder of Preparing Leaders of Tomorrow, a nonprofit mentoring group. “What teachers do now is call on officers and ask them to handle things,” he said.

When “handling” leads to punishment or a suspension or worse, it can have an adverse effect on a student’s development. A study by The Council of State Governments Justice Center found that being suspended or expelled can make a student nearly three times more likely to come in contact with the juvenile justice system within the following year.

North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, has formed a bipartisan House Select Committee to take a closer look at school safety and security.

“Fortunately, in North Carolina we have not had the incidents we have seen in other states, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen,” Moore said.

The committee will look for ways to identify threats, find ways to improve facilities and provide training and resources.

“We need to protect our children. And they shouldn’t be going to school being afraid that something like this is going to happen again,” said Marge Hooper, with the Women Republicans of Cleveland County.

The Fayetteville Technical Community College Trojan Athletics Program returned to the basketball court in the fall of 2016 after a 41-year hiatus. Along with men’s basketball, FTCC added women’s basketball and men’s and women’s golf as new sports. Students and members of the community were excited to see FTCC add athletics to the college atmosphere.

The Trojans worked hard, and it did not take long for them to achieve success. The women’s golf team won an early event at Anderson Creek hosted by Central Carolina Community College in October 2016, and the men won the same event in spring 2017. In addition to this win, the men beat NCAA Division III La Roche College at Tobacco Road.

Neither team was eligible for the post-season due to National Junior College Athletic Association guidelines for first-year programs; however, each brought home hardware in just their first season of play.

Coach Eric Tucker, who has a great deal of experience and local connections, leads the women’s basketball program. He pulled together a full roster of players from the greater Fayetteville area and achieved some great wins. From the beginning, Tucker’s goal was to be competitive and constantly build from there. He completed the season with a 9-15 record.

Recruitment went well for the second season. At the guard position, the team improved but without enough depth in the post to go deep in the strong conference. In their first year eligible, the Trojans finished at 8-18 with a win in the first round of the NJCAA Region 10 Championships.

The men’s team had a more challenging start. The men were able to succeed in a few early wins before a 20-game losing streak. They broke the losing streak with a win on Sophomore Night as the season ended.

The men’s second season proved to be much better. Coach Brian Hurd recruited a high-quality team. They won their first two post-season games and made an appearance in the Region 10 Final Four. With an overall 17-13 record, the team set a good course for the future.

The expansion of athletics teams at FTCC begins in the 2018-19 season with the addition of volleyball, softball and baseball. The coaches are recruiting players for each of these sports, and the teams are starting to shape up.

The Trojans compete in the NJCAA, in Division II in all offered sports. FTCC is in Region 10. FTCC appreciates the support of students, faculty, staff and the community as the school’s athletic program expands to give students the wonderful elements that sporting programs contribute to the college experience.

If you are interested in learning more about a particular program, contact the appropriate party as listed below.

FTCC Trojans Athletics

• Michael Neal, athletics director: 910-486-3630, nealm@faytechcc.edu

• Brian Hurd, men’s basketball: 910-678-1038, hurdb@faytechcc.edu

• Eric Tucker, women’s basketball: 910-678-1039, tuckere@faytechcc.edu

• John Michael Cole, golf: 910-486-3912, colej@faytechcc.edu

• Moe Licardo, volleyball: 910-486-7343, licarlom@faytechcc.edu

• Miguel Justiniano, softball: 910-486-7344, justinim@faytechcc.edu

• Lee Troutman, baseball: 910-486-3630, troutmah@faytechcc.edu

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death in women. About one in eight women will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime, which is why it is important to perform a monthly breast self-exam and set up an appointment for an annual 3D mammogram. It’s also important to get educated about breast health. The Fayetteville Area Breast Network presents its third annual Breast Cancer Education Forum, “Journey from Diagnosis through Treatment,” Thursday, April 12, from 5-8 p.m. at Cape Fear Botanical Garden.

“The purpose of this forum is to educate those in the community about breast cancer,” said Tyler Sutherland, community engagement coordinator at Cape Fear Valley Health Foundation. “There will be vignettes and a video that will feature breast cancer survivors and providers from the very beginning of diagnosis through the psychological aspects through treatment.

“CFVHF is where funds are held to provide mammograms to uninsured women and breast education bags to newly diagnosed breast cancer patients.”

The event will feature a fashion runway show, shopping, trunk shows and raffle drawings. The fashion show will showcase breast cancer survivors and community members. The vendors include Betty Kelly’s Gift Shop, Pure Barre of Fayetteville, Knickers, Monkees of Fayetteville, Pink of the Pines, Dash of Chic, Perrique Boutique, Top of the Hill Gift Shop and Monogramming, and An Affair to Remember. Trunk shows are by Stella and Dot, Younique Contractor, Beauty Counter Beauty Products and Rodan and Fields.

Beauty and wellness vendors include The Clip Joint, Susan Lester Massage and Guiding Wellness. There will be a silent auction featuring art from Kathy Hoffarth Pantele, Stephanie Bostock, Deborah Reavis and Shari Link. Cape Fear Valley Cancer Center, Valley Regional Imaging, Valley Radiology, and Advanced Physical Therapy will provide breast cancer education.

Fayetteville Area Breast Network was created three years ago by Dr. Bruce Distell of Valley Radiology and his wife, Sally Distell. Dr. Elizabeth Sawyer of CFVH is a breast surgeon and the driving force of the forum. “They are ready to put Fayetteville on the map as being one of the prominent breast care centers,” said Sutherland. “It is incredible to see the amount of work as well as knowledge that is based right here at home to locally support breast cancer patients.”

Sutherland added that as part of the hospital there are three cancer centers.

CFVH’s annual Ribbon Walk and Run will take place Saturday, April 21, at Festival Park.

For more information or to learn about sponsorship opportunities, visit www.bestforyourbreast3.event brite.com.

The Gilbert Theater is nearing the end of its 2017-18 season and will premiere a 2,000-year-old classic with its penultimate production: “Antigone.” The play, opening Friday, April 6, was originally written by the Athenian playwright Sophocles. You have probably heard his name in any English or world history class.

But it’s the director of the play, Montgomery Sutton, you might not have heard of – though he’s no stranger to the Fayetteville theater scene. He spoke with Up & Coming Weekly about the history of the play and how he plans to engage a modern audience.

Sutton has been acting since the age of three. He eventually went on to graduate from New York University’s Tisch School of Arts. He has acted in countless productions in New York City and London, as well as producing, directing and writing his own works.

Almost a year and a half ago, Sutton portrayed Henry V on the Cape Fear Regional Theatre stage. The Gilbert’s artistic director saw that performance and offered Sutton the chance to not only direct but to freely adapt “Antigone.”

Antigone is a woman faced with the tough decision of either doing right by her family or doing right by the rule of law. Going against the King Creon will mean unspeakable punishment.

“To me, ‘Antigone’ is the story of a people who are trying to rebuild themselves in the ashes of a horrific civil war,” said Sutton. “It’s a newly crowned king, who never expected to be in that position again, and a young woman who’s lost everything. These two people are trying to rebuild society in very different ways. It’s the struggle between righteousness, compromise and justice.”

Sutton researched seven different translations of “Antigone” in his efforts to adapt the play. He wanted to establish a context for the traditional story, one that could be translated even better to a 21st-century audience.

“As long as an adaptation is really interested in understanding what the moment of the play is, (it) becomes more dynamic, more approachable, more nuanced, and therefore, I find, way more compelling,” said Sutton.

One way to accomplish the task was enriching the original characters and their storylines. According to Sutton, “Antigone” was written for the Athenians’ Festival of Dionysus. As a result, the stage of the time allowed only three actors, which limited the amount of freedom for character development.

Eurydice, the queen and mother of the story, is one character Sutton fleshed out. In the entirety of Sophocles’ original version, Eurydice has only eight lines of speech.

“(Eurydice) is an incredibly interesting character, potentially,” said Sutton. “I think she’s a character that a lot of us today would be able to relate to in terms of her journey and how she deals with coming into power and how she deals with loss.”

Additionally, Sutton incorporates the historical environment of the play in a very literal way. In place of the standard structure, where the audience faces a raised stage, Sutton wanted to change the Gilbert’s production into a “tennis court arrangement.” Meaning, there will be two rows, each facing the other, with the play action in the middle.

This, according to Sutton, reflects what the audience would have participated in at the Festival of Dionysus. As a result, audience members will not only have to confront their own reaction to the story but their fellow attendees’ reactions as well.

“It’s really thrilling. For everyone, at some moment in the play, you are going to be incredibly upclose and intimate with the experience,” said Sutton.

“Antigone” runs April 6-22. For tickets, contact the Gilbert Theater at 910-678-7186.

A Fayetteville City Council meeting held March 19 was closed to discuss an issue involving freshman council member Tyrone Williams. City Attorney Karen McDonald said it involved “a potential conflict of interest regarding council member Williams … related to our economic partner, PCH.”

The city council released minutes of that meeting following another closed session March 26.

PCH Holdings is the current owner of the former Prince Charles Hotel. According to the minutes of the earlier session, former U.S. attorney Mark Calloway was retained by the city to “serve as liaison between the city, PCH and any third party.” He gave the council an overview of business transactions between Williams and John Chen, a former owner of the Prince Charles Hotel. Details were not made a part of the minutes.

Williams must recuse himself from voting on any matters related to the hotel, which PCH Holdings is renovating. It will be reopened as an apartment building.

PCH says it has no financial relationship with Williams.

Camden Road widening progress

Traffic on Camden Road has been shifted onto the newly built sections of the roadway to continue widening the highway. The North Carolina Department of Transportation is widening the road to four lanes between Oakland Avenue and Owen Drive.

About half of the two-mile segment opened last year. For the section between Natal Road and Owen Drive, Highland Paving Co. crews are completing the concrete median and rebuilding the other two lanes.

The entire project is expected to be completed by this fall.

Warmer weather means an increase in crime

As temperatures increase this spring, city police suggest residents take crime prevention precautions. Keep house doors and windows locked when you go to bed or when you’re away. Secure lawn and garden equipment in the garage or storage shed. Put ladders away, and beware of home improvement scam artists. These are among the precautions police say will reduce property crimes.

Crime prevention specialists will gladly inspect your property and offer tips on other precautions to take. Crime prevention phone numbers are 910-433-1198 or 910-433-1034.

Photo: Councilman Tyrone Williams

Lost in the city of Fayetteville’s enthusiasm to develop a minor league baseball stadium was a Durham property developer’s interest in renovating the former Prince Charles Hotel. Fayetteville native Jordan Jones became project manager for what became PCH Holdings, Inc. Jones’ grandfather built the eight-story Hay Street hotel in 1924. Jones and his colleagues approached city government about what the city might do in support of their project.

That’s when former Deputy City Manager Rochelle Small-Toney suggested a baseball stadium. Eventually, city-owned property adjacent to the old hotel was selected for the ballpark. She’s no longer with the city, and Deputy Manager Kristoff Bauer took up the project.

This month, Bauer announced that an initial $47 million stadium cost projection had been reduced to nearly $38 million by contractor Barton Malow. But, that was $5 million over the budget city council established two years ago. All sub contracts had been bid, and the final price of $37,885,102 was agreed to. The only thing not included in the city’s cost is interest on the loan.

Bauer told council that site preparation work had exceeded expectations by $4 million. There were other project elements, including a more elaborate scoreboard and LED lighting, that increased the budget. “This has been a challenging process,” Bauer said.

The city’s budget director, Tracey Broyles, told city council the city has the capacity to absorb the difference in the projected budget by diverting $1 million a year from its capital improvement fund in the out years to make bond payments.

Council will have to decide which CIP projects to sacrifice. Council members voted unanimously to go forward with the project.

“It’s too late to turn back now,” said councilman Bill Crisp. He reminded members he had been adamantly opposed to the project initially. He now calls the project a “renaissance,” which is the impetus for $100 million plus in economic development projects.

Bauer and Barton Malow executives estimate as many as 1,000 construction jobs and upward of 500 permanent operating jobs will grow out of the stadium project and the surrounding building opportunities. They include a five-story parking garage with a hotel and eight-story office building atop it.

City council will now submit its funding application to the North Carolina Local Government Commission for approval to issue limited-obligation bonds to finance the stadium’s construction.

“We’ve been confident this entire time that they would develop a beautiful stadium,” said Mark Zarthar, president of the Fayetteville Baseball Club.

The Houston Astros own the minor league team that will play in Fayetteville beginning next year, and they will manage the stadium. Team President Reid Ryan, the son of major league hall of famer Nolan Ryan, agreed to a 30-year lease on the stadium. The team will announce the name of the team and its mascot in mid-April.

The schedule and sites for this year’s annual Cumberland County Football Jamboree have been set.

The two-day event will be held at Pine Forest High School and Jack Britt High School, with games at Pine Forest on Aug. 8 and Jack Britt on Aug. 9.

The format will be as in previous years, with two separate scrimmages going on at the same time in each time block, two teams playing on one half of the field and two teams on the other half.

Here is this year’s schedule.

Aug. 8, at Pine Forest

• 6 p.m. - Farmville Central vs. Westover, Rolesville vs. Overhills.

• 7 p.m. - Union Pines vs. E.E. Smith, Triton vs. Terry Sanford.

• 8 p.m. - Scotland vs. Cape Fear, Lumberton vs. Pine Forest.

Aug. 9, at Jack Britt

• 6 p.m. - St. Pauls vs. Douglas Byrd, West Bladen vs. Gray’s Creek.

• 7 p.m. - East Montgomery vs. Hoke County, Eastern Wayne vs. South View.

• 8 p.m. - Lee County vs. Seventy-First, Apex Friendship vs. Jack Britt.

There will only be one high school Easter baseball tournament in Cumberland County this year. Douglas Byrd will not be hosting its tournament this season, leaving the Easter tournament at Terry Sanford the only one in town.

The tournament dates are March 31-April 3.

Up & Coming Weekly was going to preview the tournament and include the game schedule in this week’s issue. Unfortunately, there were some last-minute changes in the teams taking part in the event, and the field could not be finalized prior to the deadline for this week’s print issue.

Look for an online-only story on the tournament once the field has been determined, and also information on the Pitt County Classic in Greenville, which includes two Cumberland County teams, Pine Forest and South View.

Six years ago at Epicenter Church, the topic came up (again) about how there were no local child-friendly activities during the Easter season. That same year, the congregation decided to hold an Easter egg hunt and invite the entire city. Hop in the Park was born. It was a huge success. So much so that the church decided to host one every year. This year, Hop in the Park will be held in Festival Park Friday, March 30.

“We knew after the wild success of our inaugural event that each year we would have to step things up,” the event website said. “We have more than tripled the amount of food and events since the first event in 2013.”

Last year, 30,000 people attended Hop in the Park, a number the event expects to exceed this year.

“Everyone is invited to attend, you do not have to be a particular resident or belong to any particular religious group,” according to www.hopinthepark.com. “We welcome everyone! This event is rooted in a safe place for children to come have a great time and celebrate the Easter holiday.”

While egg hunting is fun, Hop in the Park also includes snacks like popcorn, cotton candy, hotdogs and pizza.

There will also be carnival rides, inflatables, live music, a movie shown on a giant screen, and the Easter Bunny will skydive into the park.

The festival runs from 6-10 p.m. Hop in the Park is an event supported entirely by donations and volunteers, and tickets are free. Visit hopinthepark.com for more information about registering for tickets, donating or volunteering.

My wife came home from one of her fun shopping excursions a couple weeks ago. Except this one really wasn’t much fun. She was frustrated. It seems her very favorite store, Belk’s, which used to provide friendly, helpful and courteous service, has morphed into a hollow catacomb of apathy. Imagine, a retail company that depends on selling merchandise with no one present to answer questions, no one available to assist you and no one around to sell you anything.

We hear constantly that the internet is destroying brick-and-mortar businesses. I believe that – but only the ones that don’t provide excellent and genuine customer service.

The term “good customer service” has almost become cliché in a world where almost anything and everything can be acquired online, void of any personal contact. It’s convenient and hassle-free without any pre-conceived expectation of service or human interaction. Order anything and it is conveniently delivered to your door. A car, your next meal, customfitted clothing, auto parts, dentures, flowers, sporting goods, printed materials, wine – the list is endless.

This being the world we live in, if you are a business owner or have entrepreneurial aspirations, you must come to understand, respect and master the major defining factor for success... good customer service. It is a simple concept so easy to implement yet so easily ignored, underemployed and misunderstood.

So, why write about it? Because it defines us.

A few weeks ago, I rejoiced at the fact that the Applebee’s on Raeford Road closed. For nearly two years it provided Fayetteville with the worst customer service experience ever – despite elaborate, fun-filled, appetizing TV commercials.

Why should I care? Why should we all care? Poor customer service has a negative effect on all those who experience it. For years, this Applebee’s has defined our community in the most horrendous and un-complimentary way. If Applebee’s had been a privately-owned restaurant, it would have been out of business in two months, not two years.

Customer service is the lifeblood and major economic driver of a successful business. Yet it is too often ignored, and locally, dozens and dozens of business owners are struggling to survive and stay open when all they have to do is focus on and provide good customer service.

Unfortunately, many of them instead search for a quick fix or some magic formula or silver bullet that will make them profitable and successful overnight. Some spend thousands of dollars in advertising, marketing and ill-fated promotions in a desperate attempt to prop up their business. If they focused first on providing the best customer care possible, those other efforts might actually produce some results.

This holds true with organizations and even governments. Just think how smoothly government would run if leaders focused on customer service and making policies and procedures less complicated, allowing bureaucrats to make decisions that put the clients first and foremost.

Fayetteville is a growing community and a wonderful town where Southern traditions and a Southern way of life prevail. Service and Southern hospitality should always be at the top of our agenda. This is the surest, easiest and least expensive way to guarantee success and prosperity while defining our community’s true friendly spirit.

Thank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly.

Donna Gray remembers her grandson Grayson’s excitement the first time he recently saw Hope Mills Lake with water in it. “He was in the car with me and he looked out there and said, ‘Nana, there’s water in there,’” Gray said. “I had forgotten he had never seen it. I was so excited for him to tell me that.’’

As owner of the lakeside food stand Big T’s, Gray is almost as excited as 8-year-old Grayson was.

Now that the lake has returned, she’s expecting an even bigger upturn in business than they’ve managed to maintain since the lake was drained twice by the failure of the Hope Mills dam.

Gray’s family began operation of Big T’s in 2000 after being asked by the previous owner one Fourth of July if she was interested in taking it over. She was and renamed the business Big T’s in honor of her husband, Timmy Gray.

The inspiration for the name came from Gray’s nephew, Tyler Herbert, who called Gray’s husband by that name.

Big T’s is a fairly typical resort-style food stand with staples like hamburgers, hot dogs, sausage dogs, chicken tenders, nachos, pretzels, various kinds of french fries and what Gray calls the creamiest soft ice cream possible.

“We use a higher butter fat so it’s creamier, not the icy type,’’ she said.

Vanilla is the basic flavor of ice cream, but Big T’s offers what Gray calls a flavor burst that provides eight different flavor options.

But the star attraction at Big T’s is snoballs, shaved ice with different flavorings. A lot of different flavorings. Gray estimates they’ve got 85 flavors of snoballs available.

“We’ve changed over the years, tried things and added things,’’ she said.

For example, when Hope Mills Lake had water and was briefly visited by a resident alligator, they offered a Gator Raider flavor.

When the dam failed a second time and the lake remained empty, Gray added the Dam Buster flavor.

It may have been that attention to detail and ability to be flexible that kept customers visiting Big T’s during the years when the lake was empty.

Gray offered and still offers a free movie night once a month to get people to stop by. She also gives a lot of credit for the food stand’s survival to a couple of local car clubs, the Hope Mills Cruisers and Camaro South.

Both organizations would hold cruise-ins, where they came to Big T’s, parked their cars and showed off the vehicles to patrons.

Camaro South continues to be active and holds an event at Big T’s about once a month.

A big cruise-in is planned for April 14, Gray said. It will feature cars from Camaro South and guest vehicles that are replicas of popular rides from the Walt Disney hit movie series “Cars.”

Big T’s is also mobile. Gray said she operates food trucks that visit local schools and colleges, serving up snoballs to go.

Gray leaves most of the daily operation of the food stand to her daughter, Angela Culver, and her husband Rob. The family aspect of the business, both from the involvement of her own family and that of her customers, is what Gray enjoys most.

Angela has been in this business since she was 12,’’ Gray said. “Hopefully her grandchildren will come right behind her.’’

Gray said she remembers when she first took over Big T’s seeing children who could barely look over the counter come with their parents to order a snoball. “Now those children are bringing their children here, and I love it.’’

She still has hula hoops and sidewalk chalk for the kids to enjoy while they’re visiting. “I’m trying to make it a family atmosphere,’’ she said. “That’s what I enjoy being in this community.’’

Big T’s opened for the season on March 19. Regular hours for now are Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. and Sunday from 12:30 p.m. until 9 p.m. There will be extended hours during the summer months.

Editor’s Note: Until further notice, due to cold weather, Big T’s will be closed. Call 910-487-6700 or 910-568-7722, check the Facebook page (Big T’s), or check the website (bigtssnoballs.com) for updates.

Fayetteville’s Cross Creek Park, sometimes called Lafayette Park, off Green Street downtown, was heavily damaged during Hurricane Matthew in October 2016. For 1 1/2 years, the ruins of what was a beautiful walkway from Green Street across Cross Creek to the Marquis de Lafayette statue have gone unattended by the city. Parks and Recreation director Michael Gibson said Federal Emergency Management Agency has confirmed that the damage qualified for $250,000 in federal reimbursement.

Workers recently removed the bridge. Fencing was also removed, exposing park visitors to an unprotected, steep, 20-foot creek bank. “Parks and Recreation staff will be putting up a barrier at this location,” said city spokesman Nathan Walls.

Firefighters to administer Naloxone

Until recently, Fayetteville Fire Chief Ben Major opposed equipping fire engines with naloxone, commonly sold under the brand name Narcan. It is a nasal-mist medication used to block the effects of opioids, especially in overdose. Brian Pearce, Cape Fear Valley Medical Center emergency medical service director, agreed that firefighter safety was a primary consideration. Pearce administers regulations of the county medical director and said the final decision was the fire chief’s.

All city firefighters are trained EMTs.

“The Fayetteville Fire/Emergency Management Department wants to help to mitigate and reduce opioid overdoses in our community,” Major said. “Our first responders assist with a wide range of emergency response, and we are happy to use naloxone as another tool to help save lives.” He added that supplies and equipment were evaluated in December and were purchased earlier this year, saying, “Departmentwide training began this month.”

The Fayetteville Police Department was among the first law enforcement agencies in the state to issue naloxone to patrol officers. The department says nearly 200 lives have been saved since then.

The VA names new Fayetteville director

The Department of Veterans Affairs has named retired Army Col. James Laterza the new director of the Fayetteville VA Medical Center. He succeeds Elizabeth Goolsby, who retired last year. Laterza will oversee delivery of health care services to nearly 74,000 veterans in a 19-county area of southeastern North Carolina. The medical center specializes in general medicine, surgery and mental health. It also operates 10 community clinics and the new quarter-billion-dollar health care center on Raeford Road.

Laterza’s most recent appointment before retiring from the U.S. Army was commander of Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany.

“He has more than two decades of health care experience with The United States Army, and his passion to serve our veterans is unmatched,” said DeAnne Seekins, Mid-Atlantic Health Care network director.

Updating the Homeless Initiative Program

Cumberland County Community Development and City of Fayetteville Economic and Community Development departments are seeking proposals for sponsorship of services for the Fayetteville/ Cumberland County Homeless Initiative Program.

The program provides support that addresses gaps in housing and supportive services for homeless people and those at risk of becoming homeless.

City and county community development departments hope to contract with an applicant that demonstrates the capacity and performance record to provide supportive services to homeless families. The maximum local funding amount available for services is $200,000. It would target homeless families lacking stable housing. The deadline to receive proposals is 4 p.m., Friday, April 6.

Lafayette Society adoption

The Lafayette Society of Fayetteville has adopted the Noncommissioned Officer Academy of the JFK Special Warfare Center & School at Fort Bragg. The society developed a medallion (Medaille de Lafayette) to honor the city’s namesake. It is awarded to the NCO Academy noncommissioned officer selected by his peers as embodying the best example of “patriotism, generosity and leadership.”

SFC Jacob Foxen received the medallion during the graduation ceremony this month for 22 students in the most recent class.

The Lafayette Society was founded by the late Martha Duell in 1981 with the goal of raising funds for a statue of the Revolutionary War figure to be erected in Cross Creek Park. The statue was dedicated in 1983 as part of Fayetteville’s bicentennial celebration.

Local water treatment issues

Fayetteville’s Public Works Commission says its system “did not meet the treatment technique requirements at our water treatment plant on January 6, 2018.”

Low water pressure resulted from numerous water main breaks during the coldest eight-day period this past winter. Local temperatures were well below freezing during the week. A boil water advisory was in effect during the period. Tests taken at the time did not indicate the presence of bacteria in the water. N.C. state law required that PWC advise the public of the information.

Fayetteville State University presents celebrates its history at the Founders’ Day Convocation, Thursday, April 5, at 2 p.m. at J. W. Seabrook Auditorium.

“Founders’ Day is the time that we like to reflect on the men that came together and decided that providing advanced education was important for the upliftment of the black community in this area,” said YaKima Rhinehart, senior director of alumni affairs. “So it’s a time that we celebrate our founders and how they came together in 1867 to bring about an institution that has survived for 150 years.”

Rhinehart added that for some, it may not be that important, but in the age that some institutions have had to close their doors, FSU is extremely proud of that milestone.

The keynote address speaker is Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. “He is a very well-known African-American historian who has authored several books on race and diversity here in America,” said Rhinehart. “He has also come to be known here lately because of his work on tracing our ancestors through DNA or records and also having his life documented that way for the world to see on camera.”

Founders’ Day is the beginning of the wrapup of FSU’s sesquicentennial activities that the institution held this year in celebration of its 150th anniversary.

“We will visit the founders’ monuments, and it is also a time that we acknowledge alumni and alumni who have made significant contributions to the university by way of financial and philanthropic support,” said Rhinehart. “This is one of the only ways that we are able to do as much as we have and maintain that rich legacy for 150 years.”

FSU is an institution that serves many firstgeneration students. “There is something about being amongst your own that allows you to thrive, so we can prepare you for what’s to come next in the world,” said Rhinehart. “We really are proud of the fact that we are a historically black college or university, and students are able to come here and share in that rich heritage.”

“We are looking forward to seeing our community come out and share with us in this,” said Rhinehart. “This is the hometown university that is named for the city, and there is never a reason that this town should not be painted bronco blue.”

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call 910-672-1661.

Photo: Renowned scholar, historian and educator Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. will serve as guest speaker for Fayetteville State University’s 151st Founders’ Day on April 5.

Once the bugs get worked out, the regular meetings of the Hope Mills Board of Commissioners will be coming to a television set near you.

At a March meeting of the board, the commissioners voted unanimously to start a trial run beginning with the March 19 meeting and continuing until June to show tape-delayed broadcasts of their meetings.

Mayor Pro Tem Mike Mitchell, who made the motion to start the broadcasts, said the idea had been discussed by the board on previous occasions but voted down for various reasons.

“This time we are partnering with the city of Fayetteville,’’ he said.

Fayetteville agreed to air the Hope Mills meetings at no charge during the current budget year to allow Hope Mills to give the plan a test and see if it’s worth the investment.

If the town likes what it sees, the cost to air meetings on the Fayetteville Government Access Channel, Channel 7 on Spectrum TV, will be $15,264 for a year.

Mitchell said the tape-delayed broadcast would air on Wednesday each week, two days after the scheduled board meeting, from 6-10 p.m. If the meeting doesn’t fill the full four hours, Mitchell said the town could possibly run infomercials about the town in the leftover time.

Mitchell likes the idea of airing the board meetings for a number of reasons.

“It’s a convenience factor,’’ he said. “We have a lot of seniors and disabled who have trouble driving at night or getting out of the house. This gives them the ability to know what’s going on in the town with the information provided in our meetings.’’

Mitchell doesn’t think having the commissioners on camera will cause the board to change anything about the way it does business.

“The current board seems to be working well together,’’ he said. “We don’t always agree, but we agree to disagree. We don’t hold grudges or anything like that. We respect each other’s opinions about what the constituents might want.

“Once a motion is made and approved, we get behind it whether we voted for or against it.’’

Deborah Holland, the town’s interim clerk, said one camera angle will be used to capture the images seen on the broadcasts. The camera will be directed at board members and possibly the town attorney and town manager, she said. “Hopefully we’ll be able to capture any Power Points up on the screen,’’ she said.

The lone camera will be mounted in a corner of the board meeting room, and no one will be operating it once the meeting starts. “We’re just taking baby steps here,’’ she said.

Holland said they’ve tried some practice runs and still have a few bugs to work out of the process. “If we’re satisfied with that, we’ll go with the taped broadcast,’’ she said.

The town has been doing audio recordings of the board meetings dating back to 2016 that are posted on the town of Hope Mills website. Holland said the video recordings won’t be loaded to the website, but the audio recordings will continue and still be posted there.

As a Tar Heel born and bred, stories about what is going on in our state jump out to me. Two such stories recently caught my eye. They reflect not specific events, what is sometimes called spot news, but trends that shape North Carolina’s present and its future.

Native North Carolinians of my generation remember a state of small towns where many of us lived our entire lives. Even Raleigh and Charlotte were not the metropolises they have become, sporting populations of 65,000 and 134,000 respectively in 1950. Tar Heel Andy Griffith romanticized and memorialized this North Carolina when he created Mayberry, where people were always kind and the right way always won the day.

Those days, romanticized and otherwise, are long gone.

The UNC Carolina Population Center released data earlier this month showing that 43 percent of North Carolina’s population was born somewhere else, including 49 percent of adults.

Says demographer Jessica Stanford of the center, “This growth reflects how attractive North Carolina is to migrants of all ages with a range of educational, employment and retirement opportunities.” U.S. Census data show that North Carolina remains the ninth most populous state, with 10.3 million folks now calling North Carolina home.

All counties, however, are not equal in the migration department.

Three quarters of Currituck County’s residents came from elsewhere, probably because of its coastal location just south of Virginia Beach. Brunswick County, once a sleepy place in southeastern North Carolina just north of Myrtle Beach, now has a non-native population of 53 percent, including many retirees, and Union County, now a bedroom community for Charlotte, reports that 51 percent of its residents were born outside North Carolina.

The military has brought thousands of non-natives to our community as well.

The flip side of this urban change is North Carolina’s rural areas, where people tend to stay put. Edgecombe County, in eastern North Carolina and whose large town is Rocky Mount, has the highest percentage of Tar Heels born and bred at 80 percent. Patterns are similar throughout rural North Carolina, both east and west.

The demographic and economic divide between urban and rural areas of our state and nation is not new, but it is growing and is profoundly threatening to North Carolina as we have known it. If you subscribe to a “rising tide floats all boats” philosophy, then you can see how a booming knowledge-based economy concentrated in our urban hubs coupled with fading economic models of manufacturing and small farming in our rural areas threaten our overall well-being.

Rural communities face significant challenges in funding public education, handling high unemployment, improving access to high quality medical care, securing access to high-speed internet connections, and creating transportation options to get to more prosperous urban areas, among many.

These are not issues to be solved by local economic developers or creative educators who can make do without financial resources. These are issues that require thoughtful and innovative state and federal government policies, not just robbing Peter’s urban areas to pay Paul’s rural bills.

They are also issues to consider and to put to candidates running for Congress and the North Carolina General Assembly in 2018. If they do not see the urban-rural divide as an issue and have some ideas to address it, then they probably should not be setting public policy and spending public money.

State Sen. Erica Smith, who represents eight rural counties in northeastern North Carolina, put it bluntly to The News and Observer. Smith said, “We are not going to be the thriving state that we can be until we close this gap.”

She is correct.

The myth of Mayberry notwithstanding, life is composed of change, and North Carolina is in the throes of significant transition, both positive and negative. Not addressing it serves no one, neither Tar Heels born and bred nor people who chose to come here for whatever reasons.

As the sun sets over Fayetteville on Saturday, March 31, the streets around Festival Park will be filled with the illumination of the Shine Your Light 5K winding its way through downtown. The 5K run/walk is to benefit ShineLight, a local organization that provides valuable support and services to individuals who have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, an estimated 1 in 68 children have ASD. ShineLight was founded in 2006 by Nikki Creecy to help those individuals in the southeastern part of North Carolina find stability and normalcy in life. According to the organization’s website, ShineLight seeks to “provide a wellness environment for individuals with Autism through radiating dedication, purpose and devotion in our daily service.”

Creecy said her passion for helping those who have been diagnosed with ASD developed when she was in college at UNC-Chapel Hill.

“I graduated with my bachelor’s in psychology from UNC and worked with the Autism Society of North Carolina for six or seven years,” she said. “Working with that population inspired me to do more.” ShineLight was born out of that desire to do more.

Now, ShineLight offers housing as well as community and job support to those who have ASD. The organization has two residences in its small community – an adolescent home and an adult home – and offers a variety of assisted living services to people in need across southeastern North Carolina.

“We cover a lot of ground,” Creecy said. “Cumberland, Hoke, Robeson, Harnett and more. We have a large service area.”

With such a large service area and intensive services being offered, Creecy and her team have organized the Shine Your Light 5K to benefit those who depend on ShineLight’s services. According to Creecy, “The race is about raising awareness in the Fayetteville community about what we do as well as raising awareness about Autism in general. We also have things we would like to do for our residents that we just don’t have the funds for right now.” One hundred percent of the money raised by the event will go toward helping ShineLight provide those services and experiences.

Participants in the run/walk can expect medals for the top overall finishers as well as the top finishers in each age bracket. All finishers will receive a medal. The first 300 people to pre-register will be guaranteed a T-shirt. There will be additional T-shirts available on-site.

The evening will conclude with a glow-in-the-dark party in Festival Park, complete with a DJ, a rock-climbing wall courtesy of The Climbing Place, food and more. The event is family-friendly. Children and strollers are welcome, but event organizers ask that the only animals on the course are service animals.

Visit www.shine-light.org for more on the mission and work of ShineLight. For specific questions concerning Shine Your Light 5K registration or volunteer opportunities with the organization, contact the ShineLight corporate offices at 910-323- 1335 or by email at info@shine-light.org.

The Shine Your Light 5K is scheduled for March 31 at Festival Park in downtown Fayetteville. Participants can pre-register online at www.active.com. Additionally, race-day registration will run from 3:30-4:30 p.m. on-site. The event kicks off at 4:30 p.m. with welcoming remarks, and the race begins promptly at 5:30 p.m.

Reader, do you seek answers to the Great Mysteries of life? Are you on the road to find out like Cat Stevens once was? Allow me to point out the modern location of the Delphic Oracle who has the answers to all your questions.

Most of the wisdom generated in the real world originates in barber shops. If you want to find out what is really going on, go to a barber shop and sit for a while. I don’t visit the barber very often due to inheriting my grandfather’s hair line. When I do go for sentimental reasons, I always go to the Haymount Barber Shop, which is presided over by Donnie Barefoot, the Philosopher Barber King. I have been going there since 1978 when I had hair.

Entering the Haymount Barber shop is stepping back in time into the late 1950s. Donnie has seen more stuff in Haymount than anyone else. He has the answers to your inquiries. If he doesn’t know the answer, he knows someone who does know the answer.

Once upon a time, I asked him once why he charged me, a follicle challenged American, the same amount that he charged someone with a full head of hair. He did not miss a beat responding, “I have to charge a finder’s fee.” I never asked again and have been cheerfully paying full price ever since.

As I child I went to the Suburban Barber shop on Raeford Road, where the Culbreth brothers held sway. They had a stuffed large-mouth bass on their wall and checkerboard black and white tiles covering the floor under a thick layer of someone’s hair. My friends and I always asked for GI haircuts back then because that was what you did.

Thinking about barber shops got me to pondering the patron saint of all Barber Philosophers, the esteemed William of Ockham. William analyzed the mysteries of life in the early 14th century. He came up with the theory now known as Occam’s Razor.

I assume he was a barber because back then barbers used razors to give haircuts and shaves and perform surgeries large and small. The cureall for what ailed you in the medieval period was bloodletting. Barbers began bloodletting in 1163 after Pope Alexander III stopped priests from doing it. In medieval times, most people couldn’t read, so barbers used the red and white barber pole as advertising for their business. European barber poles have red stripes to represent blood and white stripes to represent bandages used to bind up wounds after the barber had performed surgery. American barber poles also have a blue stripe, which either represents the veins which were opened for bloodletting or just as a patriotic tip of the hat to Old Glory.

Back to Occam and his razor. Occam came up with a theory about problem-solving, which says if you have several possible answers to a problem, choose the solution that makes the fewest assumptions. I will spare you the Latin version of Occam’s razor because I don’t understand Latin, but one version of his theory is “Entities are not to be multiplied without necessity.”

The reason Occam’s theory is called a razor is not because Gillette has anything to do with it. The razor reference means if you have two or more possible answers, shave away the ones that have the most assumptions. Choose the simpler of the answers and you may be correct. Occam’s Razor holds that “It is futile to do with more things that which can be done with fewer.”

If you want to get deep into the philosophical weeds, consider a version of Occam’s Razor called “ontological parsimony.” This has nothing to do with parsley – that useless, green, leafy material that blocks access to your dinner. Ontological parsimony in a barber shop means the rule of simplicity. If a simple answer is available, don’t choose the answer that requires the most complex series of events to occur. Simple is good.

My favorite explanation of how Occam’s Razor works is the Zebra version used in medicine. According to our friends in Wikipedia Land (who may or may not be Russian trolls), in making a medical diagnosis, doctors should refrain from coming up with a really “exotic disease diagnosis” when a more common disease is likely. A fellow named Theodore Woodward came up with the Zebra medical explanation. “When you hear hoofbeats, think of horses, not zebras.”

The hoofbeats could be coming from a herd of zebras. However, if you are in Texas, it is much more likely that the hoofbeats are from horses.

So, what have we learned today? Barbers are wise but shouldn’t do surgery. Occam and his razor believe the simplest answer is usually the correct one. The sound of a herd of zebras resembles that of a herd of horses but betting it’s horses instead of zebras will make you more money.

Johnny Mercer channeled Occam when he wrote the lyrics “You’ve got to accentuate the positive/ Eliminate the negative/ And latch on to the affirmative/ Don’t mess with Mr. In-Between.”

Finally, as Roger Miller once sang, “You can’t roller skate in a buffalo herd/ But you can be happy if you’ve a mind to.”