The Fayetteville City Council members must pause and decide, in the overall, what end they are pursuing. That is, as decisions are made regarding policy, budgeting, personnel and myriad other matters, what will be the overarching aim of all they do? I hold that the aim should be to govern this city in a fashion that serves the best interest of all citizens. More and more, council’s laser-like focus on ensuring diversity, even forcing it, disregards the best interest of the totality of Fayetteville citizens.

My contention that council is seriously digressing from serving the best interest of all Fayetteville citizens shows through in how the possibility of opioid litigation is being addressed. Without doubt, our city is in the midst of an opioid crisis. That fact is obvious in the following segments from a post on WRAL.com headlined “Fayetteville fights back: Radio stations host conversation on opioid crisis.”

“The Fayetteville area is 18th in the nation for opioid abuse. In 2015, emergency responders in Cumberland County administered 458 doses of Narcan, the drug designed to reverse opioid overdose. In 2017, that number nearly doubled. Fayetteville police administered the drug 14 times in 2015, and last year they administered 66 doses.”

Even further, the ever-increasing annual number of deaths from opioid use makes it clear that there is a horrendous problem across America. Tammy Grubb writes this in an article titled “Orange County joins growing push to make drug companies pay for opioid crisis.”

“Drug overdose is now the leading cause of death for Americans under age 50. Nationwide, more than 64,000 people died from opioid poisoning in 2016. In North Carolina, there were 1,518 deaths – 90 percent more than in 1999. Half died from commonly prescribed medications, state reports show.”

Given the cost to governmental entities of addressing this situation, some states decided to bring lawsuits against various drug makers and distributors. An article by Wesley Young headlined “Winston- Salem joins lawsuit against opioid manufacturers” summarizes the basis for these lawsuits.

“The premise of the lawsuit, as stated in the city’s resolution approving the action, is that opioid manufacturing and distributing companies may have violated state and federal laws that are designed to prevent the diversion of prescribed medication into the illegal drug market.”

As the number of lawsuits increased, it became apparent that an efficient and effective arrangement for addressing the expanding number of cases was required. In an article titled “Can This Judge Solve the Opioid Crisis?” Jan Hoffman explains how this need was addressed:

“In December, a judicial panel gathered all the prescription opioid cases filed in federal court across the country and plopped them into Judge Polster’s lap. The consolidation of large numbers of similar cases is called a multidistrict litigation, or MDL; it’s usually done to enhance efficiency and reduce costs.

“The panel cited several reasons for selecting Judge Polster. Ohio has been hard-hit by the crisis and is also centrally located to the defendants. And Judge Polster has MDL experience. He mediated settlements in some 700 cases involving a medical contrast dye.

“This type of litigation is inherently unconventional, but the consolidated opioid lawsuits may be even more complex than most.”

Beyond the action reported in the Hoffman article, note the statement made regarding the complexity of these lawsuits. Also, the judge referred to is Judge Dan Aaron Polster of the Northern District of Ohio.

After the MDL was put in place, Polster provided guidelines for how the litigation would proceed. He was clear in saying that he would not hear from every attorney representing a client. The result was the formation of a consortium of these attorneys with defined rules and responsibilities. The organization approved by Polster is detailed in Case: 1:17-md-02804- DAP Doc #: 37 Filed: 01/04/18 1 of 1. Page ID #: 362.

That organization calls for three counsel co-leads, co-liaisons, an executive committee and steering committees. Concerning co-lead counsel, the approved petition says, “Lead Counsel is charged with formulating (in consultation with other counsel) and presenting positions on substantive and procedural issues during the litigation.” The petition also includes biographical information on attorneys who are filling all the positions except on steering committees. A review of that biographical information provides a very good feel for the high level of expertise and experience among those attorneys driving this effort.

At present, there are some 400 plaintiffs in this case. During a conversation with attorneys Billy Richardson and Keischa Lovelace of the Richardson Firm in Fayetteville, they explained that this is not a class-action lawsuit where any person or entity can, based on having a similar grievance, join the lawsuit. In this case, the consortium decides who joins. The process is that an interested party may request representation by the consortium or engage local counsel. If local counsel is engaged, that attorney must be acceptable to the consortium. Upon acceptance, a contract is signed with the consortium. In the event local counsel is not found acceptable, the plaintiff is not allowed to join the lawsuit. The selected counsel would then have to pursue the case independently and absorb the financial cost of doing so. The plaintiff could engage another attorney.

The consortium arrangement is that attorneys work on a contingency basis. Plaintiffs pay nothing for being part of the lawsuit. Attorneys involved will, under their agreement, divide 25 percent of any settlement, with the remainder going to plaintiffs.

Polster has been clear in saying he wants settlement of this case expedited. In fact, there are reports indicating some settlement discussions have already started.

At the bottom line: Fayetteville has an opioid crisis that is worsening and costly to city government; a well-organized lawsuit is underway. It is a complex case requiring experienced attorneys with proven records in this kind of litigation. This is expensive litigation that is conducted on a contingency basis; attorneys must be able to financially meet the demands of this process. Time for joining as a plaintiff is quickly expiring.

According to City Attorney Karen McDonald, the city of Fayetteville was approached by two local attorneys and invited/encouraged to join as a plaintiff in the litigation being conducted by the consortium. The first offer was presented to McDonald by attorney Terry Hutchens. Fully understanding the tremendous positive possibilities in signing on as a plaintiff, and having not been approached by any other firms, she discussed this offer with city council. Based on council’s consensus, McDonald engaged Hutchens’ firm to represent the city of Fayetteville.

Later, McDonald was approached by State Rep. Billy Richardson, D-Cumberland, who, in his capacity as an attorney, offered/encouraged having Fayetteville join the lawsuit as a plaintiff. Given that McDonald had already committed to Hutchens, she suggested that Richardson talk with him. In my conversation with Richardson, he confirmed that he did call Hutchens and they agreed to work together. A contract with the city was finalized, and the process was moving ahead.

As has been widely reported, Mayor Mitch Colvin then sent an email to McDonald, the city manager and members of council, indicating the action taken by McDonald was “unacceptable” because she used a “no bid” process. The city attorney has repeatedly stated that solicitation of bids is not required for legal services. I have not seen nor heard any contradiction of that assertion. The heart of the matter for Colvin is his contention that, under the city’s policy of seeking the inclusion of local and minority businesses when contracting, this service requirement should have been opened for bids. He put the item on the agenda for reconsideration at council’s March 5 work session.

In that meeting, Colvin made his minority inclusion case. There were several comments that deserve summarizing as follows: Councilman Crisp – The matter was settled by consensus in a February work session. Given that the city is not expending funds, this contract is below the $30,000 threshold requiring bids; Mayor Pro Tem Mohn – The city attorney has always had authority to select law firms in legal matters; Councilwoman Waddell – Could a firm approach Hutchens/Richardson and ask to work with them? Yes.

In the end, the consensus was to withdraw from the agreement with Hutchens/Richardson, and within a 15-day period, do a Request for Interest, or RFI. That means firms will have an opportunity to submit information that will allow them to be considered to represent the city in this matter. A committee of council members will review submissions and select a firm. This process moves the selection decision from a trained lawyer who has, for 16 years, served, I believe, with distinction as city attorney. Even further, she understands the caliber of firm required for this task and that there is no guarantee the firm selected by this RFI process will be acceptable to the consortium. Mohn and Councilwoman Tisha Waddell voted in opposition to this action. Councilwoman Kathy Jensen had departed when this matter was addressed. Colvin and remaining council members voted in favor of the course change.

Sadly, given that the litigation is moving quickly and there is no guarantee that the consortium will accept a firm selected by council, Fayetteville might miss this opportunity to recoup funds already expended because of this crisis. There is also the possibility of a monetary award due to projected future expenses. Given the tremendous risk associated with the course chosen by council, this action is definitely not in the best interest of all Fayetteville citizens.

The Student Learning Center at Fayetteville Technical Community College offers students the opportunity to be in charge of their own learning with the support of qualified, talented instructors. The center provides students with academic assistance and resources to further their comprehension in various subject areas.

The SLC, formerly known as the Learning Lab and the Success Center, has been serving students since the 1960s. It has been a focal point for numerous students across campus, having served thousands every academic year. Over the decades, the SLC has evolved into a place where students gravitate to receive one-on-one assistance and to focus on their individual academic needs.

Instructors of the 12-member faculty staff who tutor at the center strive to provide a friendly environment. A staff member welcomes the student with a smile and assesses his or her needs for the visit. A plethora of resources available to students includes computers, laptops, calculators, textbooks, subject-specific handouts, small rooms for study groups and comfortable tables and chairs. Staff at the SLC want to help all students succeed and accomplish their educational goals.

One of the center’s commitments is to bridge the gap between learning and understanding. Everyone learns differently, and the SLC’s staff members assist students who need additional help interpreting course material. Students are encouraged to come to the SLC as soon as they have questions or need help comprehending a concept.

Three specialized labs that offer detailed assistance on core subjects are located on the same floor as the main SLC. All students are welcome to use the SLC, but they may wish to take specific questions to the math, science or writing and communication labs. These labs are equipped with additional resources to help deepen a student’s understanding and are staffed with instructors who have achieved a master’s degree level of educational expertise.

To take advantage of the many academic aids available at the SLC, a student must simply be enrolled in an FTCC curriculum course and present his or her student ID at the center’s front desk. An SLC staff member will help with the quick and simple enrollment.

In addition to the one-on-one tutoring offered in the SLC, FTCC also provides NetTutor Online Tutoring Service for face-to-face and distance learners. NetTutor is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and is a terrific resource for students who are not able to visit the center on campus.

The SLC is located next to FTCC’s Paul H. Thompson Library in the Harry F. Shaw Virtual College Center, Room 232. To learn more about the center, visit www.faytechcc.edu/ campus-life/academic-support/#slc. Students may contact the center at 910-678-8266 or learningcenter@ faytechcc.edu.

In 2017, approximately 442 people in Cumberland County were identified and met the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development definition of what it means to be homeless. It continues to be difficult for the homeless to find shelter, food, clothing and stability for a variety of reasons, including economic factors, job loss, mental illness, addiction and life’s struggles. Many others in the community are only one paycheck away from poverty. Each year, All About Fitness, Inc. hosts a hygiene drive that takes place January through May. The drive assists individuals in the Fayetteville, Raeford and Spring Lake communities.

“The hygiene drive is one of four drives that we have every year to help out the communities where we have our chapters,” said Dewayne Webb, president of All About Fitness, Inc.

Hygiene items that are needed include toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant and soap.

“The reason we do this is because there are a lot of men, women and children who live on the streets and in shelters,” said Webb. “We put these items in bags and take them to shelters that we are partnered with and pass them out to people who live on the streets.”

Webb added that there are a lot of people who go inside local businesses every day after they have slept on the street, under a tree or under a bridge to wash their face and brush their teeth.

Webb’s passion for helping those in need comes from his personal life and the economic struggles his family endured.

“I grew up without a lot of money, and my dad was in the military and people automatically assumed we had a lot of money, but we didn’t,” said Webb. “He was a low rank in the Air Force with five dependents, and my mom was a stay-at-home mom.”

Webb added these conditions forced him to grow up very quickly and take care of his brothers and sisters, which in turn taught him leadership skills and responsibility and laid the foundation for putting others before himself.

His nonprofit All About Fitness, Inc. came about in 2012 by accident. Today, the organization has over 15,000 followers from all of its social media platforms and continues to grow. There are eight satellite locations; the main location is in Fayetteville. There is a free fitness class for men, women and children every day of the week in the spring and summer and Monday through Friday in the fall and winter. Once a month, there are other types of free “fitness” workshops that include legal fitness, financial fitness and mental fitness.

“I truly believe that God has his hand in this because I never expected the impact of All About Fitness to be at the level it is today,” said Webb.

Hygiene items can be dropped off at the three workout locations: College Lakes Recreation Center, Spring Lake Recreation Center and Rockfish Community Center. For more information on how to join All About Fitness, or to make a donation, call 318- 918-8580 or visit www.allaboutfitnessfamily.org.

Photo: Dewayne Webb, president of All About Fitness, Inc. hosts a hygiene drive to benefit the homeless each year

As almost a lifelong resident of Fayetteville’s Haymount neighborhood in six different houses and on both sides of Morganton Road, I am delighted that the city continues its assessment of the historic area. Haymount is an imminently livable neighborhood at the heart of an urban area. It deserves not only preservation but enhancement.

In our community, the sprawling residential developments that serve our military families address a real need for proximity to Fort Bragg. But Haymount and several other older neighborhoods are the backbone of Fayetteville, and they welcome and embrace military families who choose them for their unique quality of life.

Haymount boasts homes built in the early 19th century to homes built for World War II soldiers starting careers and families to Mc- Mansions built in recent decades. Sidewalks line many of its streets, making Haymount an outdoor community with children playing in the fresh air as parents watch. Residents do yard work, exercise outside, walk dogs and regularly commune with each other. The small but vital commercial district houses one of the best community theaters in North Carolina as well as boutique shopping, a large church, a post office and private offices, and neighborhood residents often walk to those places.

Fayetteville commissioned the Urban Land Institute in the Triangle area to take a look at Haymount. Its study suggests more and enhanced sidewalks, more trees and traffic and parking changes. The city has a great deal on its plate, as always, but enhancing a neighborhood that has shaped and continues to enliven our city deserves to be near the top of the list.

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American parents may be having changes of heart.

We, like parents around the world, have historically favored boy babies by a significant margin. Gallup, the polling organization, has polled on this question since 1941, and every time, until recently, found that 40 percent of us want a boy, 28 percent want a girl, and the rest are happy either way. Rightly or wrongly, there has been a worldwide preference for boys, and China with its long-running one child policy now faces a society with far more men than women.

In the U.S., at least, that may be changing.

The New York Times reported last week on a National Bureau of Economic Research working paper, indicating that having a girl first no longer means the parents will keep trying to have a boy. In fact, it means they are less likely to keep trying. Much remains the same, of course. Generally speaking, men prefer boys, as do first- and second-generation immigrants, less educated parents and Republicans.

Less clear is what has changed to lessen that preference.

The reality that American women’s roles in society have expanded dramatically probably plays into the shift. Women increasingly get further in schools and universities and do well in today’s jobs that require social skills and empathy rather than physical strength. There may also be a sense that girls are easier to raise and less trouble than boys, but experience tells me that every family’s childrearing experience is unique.

The Times story by Claire Cain Miller ends with this:

“The fading bias against girls should cheer all who desire a more equalitarian society. But there is a risk to society if what replaces it is a bias against boys.”

A hearty “Amen!” from this mother of both.

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If you have not discovered TED talks, you might want to give them a try. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design, but I find the talks are about most anything. Whether you agree with the speaker or not, the talks are intelligent and thought-provoking. Think Monica Lewinsky talking about being the world’s first victim of cyberbullying.

Hmmm …

One with more than 20 million viewers was done by Robert Waldinger, a Harvard professor and director of what is thought to be the longest-running study of adult development in history – 75 years. He notes that recent surveys find that millennials overwhelmingly hold money and fame as their life goals. Wrongo, according to Waldinger and the study.

What really makes and keeps us happy and healthy are good relationships with family and friends. When we nurture these, we protect our bodies and our brains. Reach out to those with whom you are estranged, angry or resentful. Chances are those feelings are taking a bigger toll on you than on them.

You will likely be happier for it – and healthier, too.

Sitting courtside broadcasting high school basketball games with Trey Edge for DK Sports, the itch to return to coaching just became too much for Bill Boyette.

After a two-year absence, the coach who guided Terry Sanford High School to its first state basketball championship in 50 years will return to the bench this fall when he takes over as head boys coach at Fayetteville Academy.

“The first year I was out, I didn’t miss it that much,’’ he said of his abrupt exodus from Terry Sanford. “Sitting on the sidelines sort of brought that passion back to me, which I never really lost.’’

Boyette doesn’t dwell on the topic, but he also had painful memories of his exit from Terry Sanford, the result of a controversy over keeping a player on the team who was facing criminal charges that were eventually dismissed.

Boyette said he chose to resign from Terry Sanford after being presented with a set of parameters from school administrators that he did not agree with.

“According to the North Carolina High School Athletic Association, we did nothing wrong,’’ Boyette said. “I chose not to go to the media because I did not feel the need to explain anything. “A lot of people thought I was fired. I was not. I chose to resign.’’

All of Boyette’s coaching experience has been in public schools, so he admits he’s got some things to learn about coaching basketball at the private school level.

“I’ve known (Fayetteville Academy athletic director) Chip Bishop awhile, and we have had a very good relationship,’’ Boyette said. “I’m not that familiar with private schools and I’ve got to sit down with Chip and find out what the main differences are.’’

Bishop is the former head basketball coach at the Academy and guided the Eagles to state titles in previous seasons.

“I don’t think my style will change, regardless of public school or private school,’’ Boyette said.

Boyette will not serve on the Fayetteville Academy faculty, which will allow him the freedom to continue two newer pursuits he has come to enjoy.

“They were willing to work with me,’’ Boyette said. “I did not want to give up my radio shows.’’

Boyette said he will continue to appear with broadcast partner Trey Edge Monday nights from 6-8 p.m. on The DK Sports Page talk show they host on WFNC, 640 AM. He will also continue to do high school football broadcasts for DK Sports, but he will have to give up broadcasting high school basketball with Edge since that would conflict with his coaching job at the Academy.

As soon as he learns the rules regarding offseason workouts for the private schools, he plans to start working with Academy players during the offseason.

“I want to sit down and meet the players, get to know them a little bit,’’ he said. “We’ll go ahead and start a few days a week with individual workouts. This is a situation where all I have to do is coach, there’s no teaching involved, and that fits right in with my schedule.’’

Boyette said he’s glad to be back. “I missed working with the kids,’’ he said. “I’m a competitive person. It’s in my blood.’’

Photos: Bill Boyette (right) and Trey Edge (left).

Once upon a time, there were two German brothers named Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. You may remember them from Grimm’s Fairy Tales, which once were read to small children before the advent of the iPhone ended most parent/child reading time.

The Grimm boys liked folklore from the Middle Ages. They collected these stories and published them as a series of books beginning in 1812. Many of our fairy tales originated with the Grimms, who brought us Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, Rapunzel, Snow White and Rumplestiltskin, among many others.

The original versions of the folk stories were not the sanitized versions that ended up in Disney movies. Life was rough in the Middle Ages. People lived in vast, dark forests. Wolves were literally at their doors. A lot of things happened in the Middle Ages. Not all of them were good.

For your consideration, kindly ponder the story of “The Juniper Tree,” which features things you would not be comfortable reading to your 5-year-old. If you are faint of heart, or not inclined to think of anything more unpleasant than the daily news, skip the rest of this column and go read “News of the Weird.”

If anyone is still out there reading this stain on world literature, allow me to commence with the unfiltered story of “The Juniper Tree.”

Once upon a time, there lived a wealthy couple who had everything they wanted but a child. They offered daily prayers to be sent a child, but for many years, the prayers went unanswered.

One winter day, the wife was standing in the snow peeling an apple under a Juniper tree. Why she chose to stand in the snow to peel the apple instead of remaining inside remains a mystery. Perhaps a case of cabin fever.

In any event, she managed to cut her finger while peeling the apple. Drops of her blood fell into the snow. Thinking this might be an omen, she prayed for a child who was white as snow and red as blood. That summer, the wife ate too many berries from the Juniper tree and became deathly ill. She made her husband promise to bury her under the Juniper tree if she died. As luck would have it, she gave birth to a son about a month later and died of happiness. Her husband kept his promise, burying her under the Juniper tree.

After a decent interval, the husband married a lady who brought him a series of casseroles, once again proving the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. The new wife, who is the prototype for the Wicked Stepmother of a zillion tales, had a daughter of her own, Marlinchen. Naturally, the Wicked Stepmother hated her stepson. She was mean to him. If the Department of Social Services had existed, she would have been hauled off to juvenile court for her abuse of her stepson. Stepmom wants her daughter Marlinchen to inherit the husband’s wealth instead of his son. You can see where this is going.

Stepmom lures stepson into the kitchen, promising him a treat from a cedar chest full of Honeycrisp apples. Stepson leans over the chest to take an apple. Stepmom slams the lid onto his neck, cutting off his head. Yuck.

To cover up her crime, Stepmom straps sonny boy’s head to his body, propping him up in a chair with an apple in his lap. Marlinchen, who knows nothing of Stepmom’s bad behavior, comes home from school and asks her brother for the apple. Stepson, being dead, doesn’t answer. Stepmom makes Marlinchen swat her brother on the ear, causing his head to fall off. Marlinchen thinks she has killed her brother and cries her a river.

Stepmom cuts up stepson and makes a tasty stew out of him, which she feeds to her husband. (I told you this was a rough story.) Marlinchen buries her brother’s bones under the Juniper tree to hide the uneaten evidence.

After burying the bones, a dense mist appears around the tree, and a bird flies out. The bird flies into the village, telling anyone who will listen that Stepmom killed her stepson. The bird’s story is so interesting that a goldsmith makes the bird a gold chain, a shoemaker makes a pair of red shoes, and a miller gives the bird a millstone.

The bird flies back home and delivers the gold chain to the husband and the red shoes to Marlinchen. This makes the Stepmom madder than a wet hen. She goes outside to cool off. The bird drops the millstone square on her head, killing her deader than a bug on a 60-mile-an-hour windshield. Flames break out, and the bird turns back into the son. Everyone is happy as a clam to be rid of Wicked Stepmom. They all go back inside where they finish off the stew and live happily ever after.

So, what have we learned today? Do not eat too many Juniper berries. Some stepmothers are better cooks than parents. If a bird flies over your head carrying a millstone, go back inside.

New E.E. Smith High School boys basketball coach Dontrell Snow has no trouble understanding the history of Golden Bull basketball. For the past few years, he’s worked with a man who lived it.

Snow, a 2005 graduate of Jack Britt and 2010 graduate of the University of Mount Olive, has both played and coached basketball with Ike Walker Jr., son of longtime E.E. Smith boys coach Ike Walker.

No one has to tell Snow how important tradition is at Smith and how crucial it is to expose today’s players to living examples of that rich history.

“A lot of guys have reached out, and I’ve reached out to a lot of guys,’’ he said, referring to former players from the Smith athletic program.

But returning the Golden Bulls to their former glory days will involve more than just reuniting today’s players with former stars.

Snow said that’s where he learned another valuable lesson working as an assistant coach with Walker for the past five years while he was serving as a health and physical education teacher at Reid Ross Classical.

Prior to joining the faculty at Reid Ross, he taught at South View Middle and Lake Rim Elementary. He’s been assisting with the basketball program at Jack Britt since 2012.

“Being around Coach Walker, we don’t necessarily have one emphasis,’’ he said, referring to specific offensive and defensive philosophies. “It’s basically based off the talent we have that year. One year we might be picking up full court and pressing. The next year the talent might change where we’re taller and bigger and have to go zone.’’

Regardless of the personnel he has available, Snow said he will lean toward being defensive-minded and high energy with a lot of communication taking place.

“You’ve always got to have something in your bag to change up,’’ he said. “It will change as players develop.’’

One thing that has changed a lot in Cumberland County basketball in recent years is the migration of players from public school to private school ranks.

Snow thinks a big reason for that is coaches heavily involved in Amateur Athletic Union basketball have taken roles on the staff at some of the private schools, and the result has been the funneling of some of their AAU players to private school teams.

“I know a lot of college coaches, so I know how the business works,’’ Snow said. “My biggest thing is about building relationships with kids in the community, not just at E.E. Smith but all over. Once you build a relationship with the kids, they are going to play with who they have a good relationship with.

“I adapt to any situation. If that’s the climate we’re in, then that’s what we’re in. If you build a relationship with the kids, it’s not going to matter.’’

Snow will complete the school year on the faculty at Reid Ross but will join the faculty at E.E. Smith in the fall heading the in-school suspension program.

He’s already scheduled a team meeting and plans to begin offseason workouts with his new players by the end of March.

Photo: E.E. Smith boys basketball coach Dontrell Snow

Sexual violence is a heavy topic, and raising awareness is critical to changing the societal paradigms that allow it. Every year, the Rape Crisis Center of Cumberland County invites local men to participate in its fundraiser Walk Awhile in Her Shoes to raise awareness for this cause, but also to have some fun. For the men, it means donning fabulous red high-heeled shoes and walking through downtown. For the Cumberland County Rape Crisis Center, it means being able to help more people throughout the year. Walk Awhile in Her Shoes takes place Friday, March 23, from 7-9 p.m. in downtown Fayetteville.

“This is our annual fundraiser and a really cool way to raise awareness against sexual violence in our community,” said Deanne Gerdes, executive director at the RCCC. “We primarily deal with sexual violence; last year we had 538 victims that we served.”

The victims range from very small children to adults. “We serve a lot of our active duty soldiers,” said Gerdes. “Our services are a 24-hour crisis line, support groups, individual counseling – and we respond to the hospital and any law enforcement leads 24 hours a day and seven days a week.”

Gerdes added that oftentimes women in the military do not want to report or obtain any services on Fort Bragg due to it affecting their military career or them not trusting their command. If they receive mental health services, she said, they are often afraid of this affecting their security clearances.

When a victim reports a rape, the Rape Crisis Center gives them options. “We leave it entirely up to the victim and we give them options and resources,” said Gerdes. “We are led by the victim. Mainly we want to empower victims to make their own choices, such as reporting to law enforcement, receiving medical services or using military resources.”

The walk will be led by drummers from the Fayetteville State University Band. Goldie from WFNC, along with the command staff from the special victims unit of the Fayetteville Police Department, will also lead the walk.

The walkers consist of men from all walks of life. “We have hundreds of guys putting on their shoes and wobbling around, strutting and peacocking,” said Gerdes. “The majority of them say the shoes are the wrong size, and I tell them they are not the wrong size – that’s the way highheeled shoes feel.”

The walk starts at the Market House and ends at the AIT building.

“Come out and join this great, fun, family-centered event,” said Gerdes.

There will be a reception, including refreshments, at the AIT building after the walk as well as an awards ceremony. On-site registration begins at the Capitol Building at 6 p.m. Registration is $25 for walkers and $15 for students. If you want to borrow a pair of red shoes, the cost is $10.

For more information or if you are interested in becoming an advocate, call RCCC at 910-485-7273.

Meetings

For details about all committee meetings, including location where not listed, call Deputy Town Clerk Deborah Holland at 910-426-4113.

• Lake Celebration Committee Monday, March 19, at 5 p.m.

• Mayor’s Youth Leadership Committee Monday, March 19, at 6:30 p.m.

• Hope Mills Board of Commissioners Monday, March 19, at 7 p.m. at Hope Mills Town Hall, Bill Luther Meeting Room.

• Lake Advisory Committee, Tuesday, March 20, at 6 p.m.

• Veterans Committee Thursday, March 22, at 7 p.m. • Public Meeting No. 3 Monday, March 26, 6-8 p.m., at Hope Mills Parks and Rec. The purpose of this meeting is to present transportation planning recommendations and to solicit public questions and feedback. To learn more, visit HopeMillsPlan.org.

•Parks and Rec Committee Monday, March 26, at 6:30 p.m.

• Appearance Committee Tuesday, March 27, at 7 p.m.

• Town offices closed for Good Friday March 30.

Activities at Hope Mills Parks and Recreation: 5770 Rockfish Rd.

• St. Paddy’s Bash for seniors 55 plus Friday, March 16, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. in the Community Room. Free. Bring a dish to share. Drinks and entertainment will be provided. Sign up to attend at the front reception desk. Only 100 seats available. Call 910-426-4109 for more information.

• St. Patrick’s Day Dance Saturday, March 17, 6-8 p.m.

• Easter in Hope Mills Saturday, March 24, beginning at 8:30 a.m. Breakfast with the Bunny: 8:30-11 a.m. Enjoy a tasty breakfast and get your picture taken with the Easter Bunny. Easter Egg Hunt: 11:15 a.m.-noon (broken into time slots for age groups). Hunt takes place in Municipal Park. Easter Crafts: noon. Tickets cost $6 per person and must be purchased in advance. Contact the Recreation Center at 910-426-4109 for more information.

Promote yourself

Email hopemills@upandcomingweekly.com.

The fourth Friday of the month is a special time in downtown Fayetteville. From 6-9 p.m., galleries open new exhibits, shops stay open late, and there are activities and performances throughout downtown. This month, 4th Friday falls on March 23.

The Arts Council is set to open an exhibit called “Impressions: More than Skin Deep.” Scheduled to hang through May 12, the exhibit celebrates tattoo artists and their creativity. It recognizes that these artists who create art on skin also create in other mediums. It is a juried exhibit. Mediums include but are not limited to drawing (pencil, ink, marker); painting (watercolor, acrylic, oil); photography; animation; sculpture (clay, stone, metal); mixed media (collage, assemblage); printmaking (linocut, etching, woodcut). Learn more at www.theartscouncil.com.

The 4th Annual Power and Water Conservation Expo is set to take place March 23-24 at SkyView on Hay. It is hosted by Fayetteville Public Works Commission and is designed to share ways to save on energy and water bills. Attendees will receive free tote bags along with conservation items like LED bulbs, a fat trapper and tree saplings. There will be updates about projects like LED streetlight installation and annexation installation as well as demonstrations and Q&A session on topics like stormwater issues, watersheds and more. It is free to attend. Bring a donation for the Pay It Forward Food Drive for Second Harvest Food Bank. This event runs from noon to 9 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. Visit www.faypwc.com/pwcexpo to learn more.

4th Fridays at the Market House make the historic landmark accessible to the public. Discover the permanent exhibit “A View from the Square: A History of Downtown Fayetteville.” There are rotating exhibits throughout the year as well. This month’s exhibit is “Civil War History.” Admission is free. Call 910-433-1457 for details.

Fascinate-U Children’s Museum opens from 7-9 p.m. for 4th Friday. Guests can enjoy free museum play and make a craft. With Easter right around the corner, guests can look forward to an “egg-cellent” activity. Learn more at www.fascinate-u.com.

At 7 p.m. in the Pate Room, the Cumberland County Public Library and Information Center presents The Parsons. For more than 20 years, Jon and Caroline Parsons and their sidekick Jerome Hawkes have performed string band music. It’s a unique sound the trio has perfected. They all sing, write songs and play several instruments. There will be light refreshments. Call 910-483-1344 for more information.

The Rape Crisis Center of Cumberland County will host Walk Awhile in Her Shoes at 7 p.m. This event raises awareness of sexual violence. Proceeds benefit the RCCC in combatting and preventing sexual violence.

Cape Fear Studios opens its Alpha Romeo Tango “ART” exhibit March 23. Military personnel and their family members and retires answered a call for art to put together this exhibit. There will be a people’s choice award for the beginner and professional categories. Call 910-433-2986 for details.

To learn more about 4th Friday and the many activities that take place downtown, call the Cool Spring Downtown District at 910-223-1089.

Each spring, children around the country anticipate a visit from the Easter bunny. The Airborne & Special Operations Museum Foundation takes things a step further, offering an entire morning with the Easter bunny to include activities and more. Breakfast with the Easter Bunny and Easter Egg Scramble is set for Saturday, March 31, at 7:30 a.m. in the lobby of the ASOM.

“This is a fundraiser to raise money for the museum, and it is a great way to get the kids involved in this family event,” said Jim Ryder, director of public relations and marketing. “We also have the Easter Egg Scramble, which typically draws up to 2,000 people.” Ryder added that for the egg scramble they put out thousands of eggs. Inside each egg is a toy or a piece of candy. The kids run out and pick up as many eggs as they can.

Breakfast will consist of sausage, pancakes and drinks. “The money we raise is used for the upkeep and maintenance of the museum as well as modifying any new exhibits we might have,” said Ryder.

The Easter Egg Scramble is broken down into age groups to keep things fair for younger participants. Children 2 and under hunt at 9:30 a.m. and 10:20 a.m.; 3-year-olds at 9:40 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.; 4- and 5-year-olds at 9:50 a.m. and 10:40 a.m., 6- and 7-year-olds at 10 a.m. and 10:50 a.m.; and 8- to 10-year-olds at 10:10 a.m. and 11 a.m.

“We look forward to this event and invite everyone to come out and enjoy breakfast and the egg scramble,” said Ryder.

ASOM opened in downtown Fayetteville in 2000. It tells the story of the airborne and special operations soldiers from 1940 to the present. It houses a permanent display that is designed as a self-guided tour on the main floor and hosts exhibits throughout the year in its temporary gallery.

Ticket cost for breakfast with the Easter Bunny is $10 for adults, $5 for children 3-5 and free with a paying adult for children 2 and under. The Easter Egg Scramble is free. The Easter Bunny will also be available for pictures.

For more information, call 910-643-2778. Registration is required. Visit http://shop.asomf.org to register online.

Some big names that were fixtures on the Cape Fear High School softball roster for the last few seasons are no more.

Stars like Haley Cashwell, Bri Bryant, Kaitlyn Knuckles and Kayla Molivas graduated, leaving Colt co-coach Jeff McPhail more than a few holes to fill this season.

“We’re probably going to go back to being young again,’’ he said after leading the Colts to the 4-A championship series with North Davidson last year. “It will be hard to replace Haley and Bri and all of them, but these kids have been at workouts over the fall and winter, really working hard at it.’’

The good news for McPhail is pitching returns intact – with an important addition. Both Katie Murphy and MacKenzie Peters are back for the Colts. They’re joined by a senior newcomer, Frankie Steins.

Steins was an All-State selection at J.L. Mann High School in Greenville, Sout Carolina, last year. Originally from Southern Regional High School in New Jersey, she’s won a United States Specialty Sports Association World Series title and the Pony Nationals. She has committed to play for North Carolina Central University.

I think she’s going to help us,’’ McPhail said. “With Murphy and Peters throwing the ball, we’re going to be loaded up with three pitchers.’’

Replacing all the offense lost with the exit of Cashwell and Bryant will be the big concern for McPhail.

Fortunately, some productive bats do return in the form of Sammi Jo Loney, Alyssa Goshorn and Sidney Gronowski.

Loney batted .450 and was second to Bryant in the county in RBIs with 48.

Gronowski batted .333 and drove in 32 runs. Goshorn had 28 RBIs.

“Sammi Jo is the leader of the crop,’’ McPhail said.

Loney said the feeling is a little different on this year’s team with all the graduation losses, but she said that familiar Cape Fear chemistry is there. “Everybody has gotten the feel for it,’’ she said. “We’re getting to know each other and working really good together.’’

She thinks with the addition of Steins, pitching will continue to be solid. “She’s a good pitcher and has pretty good movement,’’ Loney said.

Aside from the changes in personnel, the Colts will be facing some new opponents when it comes state playoff time. Realignment moved them into the 3-A classification, and in some ways McPhail thinks the road to a state title could be tougher than it was as a 4-A team.

“Hillsborough Orange is back and West Brunswick is bringing everybody back,’’ he said. Greenville D.H. Conley, a familiar Cape Fear playoff rival from 4-A, is also dropping down to compete at the 3-A level.

“If we do make it to the playoffs, the competition will still be there,’’ Loney said. “I think we’ll do well this year.’’

Photos: (L) Frankie Steins; (R) Sammi Jo Loney

Fayetteville City Council isn’t satisfied with the draft of a revised ordinance the city attorney’s office has proposed to deal with panhandling in the city. Police Attorney Brandon Christian outlined an ordinance that would fine occupants of motor vehicles for giving items to panhandlers in the roadway.

“There is ambiguity in the way the ordinance was drafted,” Christian admitted. He told council the U.S. Supreme Court has held that offering money to someone is a First Amendment form of protected free speech.

Council members urged the city attorney’s office to concentrate on dealing with beggars as a public safety issue instead of a panhandling issue. Six months ago, council member Jim Arp raised concerns about panhandlers disrupting business, noting that customers are often preyed upon in busy shopping areas by men begging for money.

Freshman Councilwoman Tisha Waddell urged her colleagues to stop referring to the ordinance draft as a panhandling regulation. “It’s about the safety of the streets,” Waddell said.

Others agreed with Waddell’s views, including Police Chief Gina Hawkins.

“We don’t have the manpower to enforce panhandling,” she said. She and others noted the existing ordinance and the new draft treat violations as civil not criminal issues. “I’m in favor of keeping safe streets for everyone, and right now it’s not safe with people in the medians,” Hawkins said.

Mayor Pro-Tem Ted Mohn said he wanted the administration to recognize enforcement differences along residential streets and thoroughfares. He said he would be in favor of changing the ordinance to allow the exchange of items between pedestrians and motorists on neighborhood streets that are not clearly marked as traffic lanes. That, he said, would allow ice cream venders to conduct business in residential communities. He cited it as one example of the difficulty of crafting an ordinance on panhandling.

Councilman D.J. Haire said he has concerns about penalizing people for giving money and clothing to panhandlers. Johnny Dawkins agreed. “I’m not going to support fining people for giving money,” he said.

The city’s original ordinance, which is still on the books, was adopted in 2008. It bans panhandling in the downtown area, and everywhere in the city after dark. It prohibits panhandlers from begging while standing on roadway medians and shoulders, but as a practical matter it is rarely enforced. Courts have declined to prosecute panhandlers.

“We have to deal with this in a comprehensive way,” Arp said. He and most other members of council want to undertake a massive public education campaign designed to discourage residents from giving money to panhandlers while at the same time keeping panhandlers out of the streets.

“We’ve missed the point … it’s not about giving; it’s where they give,” Arp said. City staff will continue efforts to perfect an ordinance.

When Robin Burnum relocated from Rhode Island to Hope Mills eight years ago, she’d never worked in a restaurant or experienced life in a small Southern town.

But operating her own restaurant was something that had been on her bucket list. After her mother passed away in 2010 and left her some money, she headed South toward Fort Bragg, where her brother was stationed.

“I was driving through Hope Mills while I was visiting and I saw a for rent sign,’’ she said. It was on the restaurant on Main Street in Hope Mills formerly known as Big John’s.

Burnum decided to take a leap of faith and opened Robin’s on Main. “All of it is a challenge,’’ she said. “Every day’s a challenge, just learning how to cook Southern. That was a big challenge.’’

She said it took her about a year to learn the ins and outs of preparing Southern favorites like grits and biscuits. She took tips from her helpful customers who showed her how to do it.

Those same familiar customers became the heart and soul of her business, everyday folks she said she would be lost without.

She’s currently open Tuesday through Friday from 6 a.m. until 2 p.m., Saturdays from 6 a.m.-1 p.m. and Sunday from 8 a.m.-1 p.m.

Beginning April 3, those hours will change. From Thursday through Saturday, her hours will be extended until 7 p.m.

That’s because of the long-awaited return of Hope Mills Lake, which Burnum has never experienced. When she arrived in town, the lake had disappeared for a second time when the repaired dam failed.

“It’s a beautiful lake,’’ she said. “People tell me I’m going to be extremely busy.’’

That’s not surprising, lake or no lake, with the offerings Burnum features on her menu.

A breakfast favorite at Robin’s on Main is something called the Fried Pan Pileup. It includes home fries with egg, cheese, bacon, peppers and onions, topped with sausage gravy and piled into a single bowl.

With the coming extended hours, Burnum is planning some menu changes.

A new dinner staple will be mashed potatoes, corn and chicken or steak with gravy for dinner. On Saturdays she’ll offer T-bone or ribeye steaks.

But Burnum isn’t just about making a profit for herself. She also gives back to the community during the holiday season.

On Christmas Eve she offers a free meal to first responders, including police, fire and emergency medical personnel. From 6 p.m. until 10 p.m. they can dine on a buffet that includes prime rib and shrimp among other delicacies.

On Thanksgiving, she opens her doors to provide free meals to the homeless and others down on their luck. “It’s for anybody that needs a meal,’’ she said.

At the moment, the person most in need of help may be Burnum herself. The building her restaurant calls home is old and in need of remodeling. Her grill recently went out, and as of this writing she’s been closed a little over a week waiting for it to be replaced. By the time this story is published, she hopes to be back in business with a new grill.

“I believe I’ll be okay,’’ she said of her regulars. “I’ve reached out to my locals and told them I’m closed.’’

Part of the reason she thinks she’ll be fine is the nature of Hope Mills.

“It reminds me of the ‘Andy Griffith Show,’’’ she said. “Mayberry. It’s a small town, and I believe everybody sticks together and is willing to help each other.’’

Photo: Robin Burnum

Jack Britt High School’s time to savor sharing last year’s first-ever share of a conference baseball championship with Cape Fear is over.

Not only do the Buccaneers no longer have time to celebrate, they won’t even get to defend the title. Realignment by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association moved Britt out of the defunct Mid-South 4-A Conference and into the realigned and powerful Sandhills 4-A Conference, where multiple teams, including Scotland, Pinecrest, Richmond Senior and Hoke County, have state baseball championships on their respective resumes.

But Britt head coach Dr. Christopher Dague is looking at the season ahead with anything but a negative attitude. “I feel we have a lot of positive pieces coming back,’’ Dague said. “The kids have had a good fall, and we worked hard. A lot of the reason we were successful last year is the kids bought in. I think if we do that this year, we’ll be fine.’’

The good news for Dague is he returns a solid core of pitchers who have already committed to play baseball at the college level. The group includes Brennen Herbert, Brendan Shea and Nick Lee. Herbert will attend Appalachian State University, Shea William Peace University and Lee Wake Technical Community College.

“Looking at it as a former pitcher, pitching wins championships,’’ Dague said of the trio.

Herbert was 7-1 last season with a 1.25 earned run average. Lee and Shea recorded 36 and 28 strikeouts respectively.

The big question for Dague is where the team’s offensive production will come from.

“We’ll have to see once the season starts,’’ he said. Herbert is also among the offensive leaders returning with a .337 batting average that included a double, two triples and two home runs. He was second in Cumberland County Schools last season with 25 RBIs.

“This year we’re going to try and win another conference championship and make a name for ourselves,’’ Herbert said. “We lost a lot of good leaders, but we can replace some of those guys. The seniors have got to do what we’ve got to do and leave on a good note.’’

Some of the younger players Dague will be counting on to take on bigger roles are shortstop Alex Reyna and catcher Chandler Cannon.

Cannon batted .314 for the Buccaneers last season. Reyna had five doubles and a triple and drove in 15 runs.

“We’ve got to have a couple of guys step up and replace those guys that left,’’ Herbert said. “We’ve got to stick together."

“We’ve got to be a team and listen to Coach Dague and all the other coaches. We’ll be fine.’’

Photos: (L) Brennen Herbert; (R) Dr. Christopher Dague

Fayetteville’s Dogwood Festival has been designated the best event in the southeast U.S. by the Southeast Festivals and Events Association. The honor was announced at the association’s annual conference in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Events in eight states were eligible for awards.

“We are beyond thrilled to bring home this prestigious award for our community,” said Carrie King, Fayetteville Dogwood Festival executive director. “The spirit of the Fayetteville community made the Dogwood Festival a natural choice for the award.”

The Dogwood Festival has received top honors from local, state, regional and international organizations. The annual event is a private undertaking committed to providing a variety of family-centered activities each spring and has done so for 36 years. The 2018 festival will take place April 26–29 in downtown Fayetteville.

Mayor concerned about racial inequities

Fayetteville City Council has withdrawn City Attorney Karen McDonald’s selection of two local attorneys in a nationwide civil action against prescription opioid manufacturers and wholesale distributors. Attorneys Terry Hutchens and Billy Richardson volunteered to represent the city of Fayetteville in cooperation with two national groups of lawyers who have taken the opioid manufacturers and distributors to court.

The lawsuit is being presided over by a single federal judge. The objectives of the legal consortiums are to recover the costs of dealing with opioid abuse and to eventually reimburse local communities for their costs of fighting the epidemic.

Mayor Mitch Colvin objected to McDonald’s awarding of the contract to the lawyers without going through the city’s bidding process. Colvin told Up & Coming Weekly that local attorneys Jonathan Charleston, Allen Rogers and Lila Washington, all black, had asked him why they hadn’t been offered an opportunity to represent the city.

“There needs to be local and minority inclusion in this city, and it has not happened for years,” Colvin said.

McDonald disagreed with Colvin’s characterization of events.

“This is a cultural change,” Colvin said.

City council revoked McDonald’s action and ordered the administration to invite other attorneys to offer their services. No money is at stake except that eventually cities and counties could receive damages and the lawyers would earn compensation.

Cumberland County Primary Election preliminaries

The 2018 May Primary Elections are just around the corner. Local and state primaries are May 8 this year. Early voting begins in mid-April. Six voting places have been established for one-stop voting.

The Board of Elections voting hours are:

Thursday-Friday, April 19- 20; 8 a.m.- 5 p.m.

Monday-Friday, April 23-27; 8 a.m.- 5 p.m. Saturday, April 28; 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Monday-Friday, April 30-May 4; 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Saturday, May 5; 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

Cliffdale Recreation Center, North Regional Library, Hope Mills Recreation Center, East Regional Library and Gray’s Creek Recreation Center voting hours are:

Thursday-Friday, April 19-20; 11:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m.

Monday-Friday, April 23-27; 11:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m.

Saturday, April 28; 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Monday-Friday, April 30-May 4; 11:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m.

Saturday, May 5; 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

Grove Street bridge closed for repairs

The Grove Street bridge over the Cape Fear River has been closed this month for repair and maintenance work that will extend its longevity. Concrete repairs are being made below the bridge. Deck joints on the driving surface are also being fixed. The bridge was built in 1974 and carries about 25,000 vehicles a day. Portable detour signs have been erected.

While the bridge is closed, locals are being detoured using Cedar Creek Road and Clinton Road, which becomes Person Street, and U.S. 301/Business 95.

For updates on the bridge closure or other realtime travel information, go to DriveNC.gov or follow NCDOT on Twitter.

PWC water changes may be noticeable

The Fayetteville Public Works Commission has temporarily stopped adding ammonia to its water treatment disinfection process. The North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources requires all water systems that add ammonia to their drinking water to discontinue its use for a one-month period annually. PWC will resume adding ammonia to the water treatment disinfection process April 1.

This month, fire hydrants are being opened frequently to flush the water distribution system. During the month, chlorine may be more noticeable, and some customers may experience discolored water because of the flushing.

FTCC hosts Fayetteville’s fourth annual Foodtrepreneur Forum this Thursday

Kent Hill, FTCC director of the Center for Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Small Business, is excited that the school, alongside the Center for Economic Empowerment and Development, is cohosting Fayetteville’s fourth annual Foodtrepreneur Forum Thursday, March 15. The conference and expo focuses on the rapidly growing opportunities for food trucks and other mobile food service options, such as pushcarts and pop-up coffee bars. The event will begin at 8 a.m. in the Tony Rand Student Center at FTCC’s Fayetteville campus, located at 2201 Hull Rd.

Attendees will be offered a variety of learning opportunities, including how to build a solid business plan for any food truck and how to collaborate with other local mobile businesses. There will be advice and testimonies from successful restaurateurs and food truck owners. Food industry experts will be on hand offering advice. There is even a tour of the successful “R Burger” food truck scheduled.

In addition, there will be a panel discussion about how to get started in the food truck business, managing costs, food truck public and trade relations and obstacles to avoid in food truck marketing.

Kent Hill and FTCC’s Center for Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Small Business is the go-to resource for helpful business seminars, one-onone confidential business counseling and expert guidance to assist entrepreneurs in launching new businesses or to help existing businesses grow their companies. All these FTCC SBC services, seminars and resources are free.

Online registration is required for entry to the free Foodtrepreneur Forum on March 15. Seating is limited, so early registration is highly recommended. Visit http://tiny.cc.ftccsbc to secure your spot.

 

The Fayetteville City Council voted 9-1 to approve $300,000 of city funds for the baseball stadium construction with the only holdout being District 2 Councilman Tyrone Williams.

What is that all about? The Fayetteville Observer reported that Williams’ rejection was because of his concern over the costs. Few people are buying that explanation, and many are hoping he will provide a more detailed and justified explanation in the very near future. After all, his District 2 includes the heart of downtown Fayetteville and is in the best position to benefit from the baseball stadium development project.

Another reason for disappointment in and skepticism of his vote is that the baseball stadium is the biggest economic development opportunity Fayetteville has seen in decades. And, even though being fiscally responsible with taxpayers’ money is the highest priority of every council member, the people expect the city council, including Williams, to know and understand all the short-term and long-term economic benefits and positive quality-of-life implications a project of this magnitude will have on the community.

Here are my thoughts about this major undertaking and why nine out of 10 council members did support the additional $300,000 of city funding.

The baseball stadium and the new development that will come to Fayetteville as a result will no doubt be a catalyst for future economic growth. We already have indicators predicting that. This means Fayetteville and Cumberland County will be able to recruit new businesses and industry to the community. This means new job creation and the ability to expand our tax base beyond residential property owners. What’s not to like about that?

In addition, the new baseball stadium will be the home of the World Series Champions – the Houston Astros. Fayetteville will receive national exposure as the country focuses on the Astros’ Minor League training and development of the superstars of tomorrow. All of this will be great for attracting new businesses and industry to Cumberland County. Fayetteville negotiated a $9 million, 30- year lease with the Astros. This is a longterm investment.

Another unique and encouraging feature of the baseball stadium project is that it comes with an immediate private commitment and investment of $65 million of new economic development, including renovation of the Prince Charles Hotel (again), a much-needed flagship hotel that will be named very soon, a parking deck, residential condominiums and corporate office spaces.

It’s all part of the master plan with a projected $7.2 million in annual economic output. The annual labor income is projected $1.7 million with 1,086 fulltime construction jobs just to build the stadium. In addition, we can expect new property tax revenue and increased sales tax revenues for both the city and county. More hotel beds, more restaurants, more shopping and more visitors.

If that’s not enough, consider this: No tax rate adjustments are anticipated for the stadium funding model. Lease payments provide 17 percent of the funding; parking revenues are expected to provide 8 percent of the funding; new development at the Hay Street site estimates city and county taxes to provide 15 percent of funding; and the savings from a variety of areas within the General Fund are expected to provide 60 percent of the required funding.

I am not well-versed in all the details of the baseball stadium project. However, everything I mentioned above provides national exposure and makes Fayetteville and Cumberland County attractive to newcomers and new business and industry. All of this works in conjunction with the prescribed city and county mandates to help retain current business, increase Fayetteville’s civic and community pride and improve quality of life for our residents.

I’m sure Councilman Williams of District 2 has a better understanding of the stadium project than I do. In the big scheme of things, $300,000 sounds like a pretty good investment to me. I hope he comes around. We need leaders with vision. This is no time to be on the sidelines playing it safe or being coy. This is the future of our community. We need to move aggressively forward with the baseball stadium master plan and do it in a way that fosters inclusion, enthusiasm, excitement and cooperation. In other words, it’s time for us to “play ball,” and we desperately need to win this game.

For the Fayetteville/Cumberland County community, this is our World Series. It’s the last inning of the final game, the score is tied, the bases are loaded, and (your name here) is coming up to bat.

Thank you for playing, I mean, thank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly.

Dr. Bob Kretzu, pastor at Hope Mills United Methodist Church, thinks there’s a connection between art and faith.

“Art is an inherently spiritual activity,’’ he said. “It’s like a meditative, creative process.’’

That’s why for the second year in a row he’s offering something called Paint and Pray. Every Friday from noon until four through Good Friday, all are invited to come to Hope Mills United Methodist Church at 4955 Legion Rd. and work on their own artistic creation while taking part in a time of prayer and meditation.

Before he got into pastoral ministry 25 years ago, Kretzu, a former resident of Honolulu, Hawaii, had extensive experience in the world of art. He started as a child, taking classes at the Honolulu Museum of Art. Eventually he got into industrial design, commercial art and computer graphics.

All that took place while he was out of the ministry. Painting is actually a late addition to his talents. He didn’t take that up seriously until 2012.

“It’s a really accessible way of using art in a pastoral setting,’’ he said of the Paint and Pray gatherings.

He especially likes doing portraits and prefers to work in oils, but for the purpose of the Paint and Pray meetings he tries to keep things simple for potential newcomers to the world of art.

“For working with kids or adults, teaching art, acrylics are so much faster,’’ he said. “They dry faster, are easier to work with and wash out with water.’’

He got the idea for Paint and Pray when he was pondering what to do for the Lenten season last year at Hope Mills. “This church didn’t have a tradition of Stations of the Cross,’’ Kretzu said. So instead of actually observing the Stations of the Cross, Kretzu decided to offer people the chance to paint them.

This year, he’s shifted the emphasis to the seven days of creation.

People from all over are invited to come and bring their own art supplies and take part. Kretzu said acrylic paint, inexpensive paint canvas and easels are readily available from a number of local businesses.

To keep purchases at a minimum, Kretzu said you can get by without an easel, although he prefers to use one. For colors, he suggests focusing on red, blue, yellow, black and white. He only uses two brushes, one flat tip and one pointed tip. For a palette, he suggests a plastic plate.

Some people have kept things really simple, he said, and just brought a pad of drawing paper and either pencil or charcoal.

“People make their own interpretation, and I think that’s a good process,’’ he said. “This year we’re each doing our own interpretation of creation.’’

Kretzu thinks the community aspect of the program helps encourage people both in exploring art and in developing spiritually.

“It’s easier to be in a fitness program if you’ve got an accountability partner,’’ he said. “Obviously, some artists do fine working alone, but I think there’s a significant number that need that kind of collaboration, encouragement and accountability.’’

For those with no background in art, Kretzu is glad to lend his guidance and expertise.

He shares advice on choice of colors and tips on how to create an image.

“We try to get it all done within four hours,’’ he said. “It involves simplifying the image. I go around and help people with color mixing.’’

Kretzu said he once read a story about a ballerina who was asked after a performance what it meant to her. He said the ballerina replied, “If I could have put it in words I wouldn’t have danced it.”

“When you paint, there is something spiritual I believe that happens, whether you are painting a sacred subject or not. There’s a spiritual dialogue going on. You meditate on the subject matter.’’

Newcomers are welcome to join the weekly sessions each Friday from now until Good Friday on March 30. For more information, contact Kretzu at the church at 910-425-0108.

Photo: Dr. Bob Kretzu 

Cape Fear Regional Theatre will bring Ayad Akhtar’s Pulitzer Prize winning play “Disgraced” to the stage March 15- 25. With special events planned to complement the production, CFRT is inviting local audiences to start a conversation on topics usually not discussed in polite company – religion, politics, immigration and racism.

“Any opportunity to discuss these topics in any local community would be a good thing to allow people to review their own viewpoints and challenge them,” said Dr. Andrew Ziegler Jr., professor and chair of the political science department at Methodist University.

Ziegler will serve as the moderator for a pre-show discussion March 18 at CFRT called “No Politics at Dinner: How Do We Discuss Difficult Topics.”

These hot-button topics will be on full display in “Disgraced,” said CFRT Artistic Director Mary Kate Burke. The story deals with how the topic of radical Islam affects public discourse on our differences in race and creed. It examines how we not only have preconceived ideas of other people, but also often struggle with our own self-identity.

“This particular show is taking on some tough issues,” Ziegler said. “But theater allows us to do that.”

In the play, two couples meet for dinner. As they exchange observations about careers, faith and politics, tempers flare and things get tense. Secrets are revealed and lives are upended.

Amir is a Pakistani-American lawyer working for a Jewish firm in New York. He is set for a huge promotion until he agrees to defend an Islamic imam accused of terrorism. Amir’s wife, Emily, is an artist about to book a major gallery showing of her work based on Islamic imagery. The couple hosts Isaac, a Jewish curator, and his wife, Jory, an African- American woman who works at Amir’s firm.

Director Dani Keil said the play presents complicated characters and enough action to pull the audience in before delivering a “gut punch” that will leave them with questions and conflicting feelings.

“I know the audience will like these characters and, at times, not like these characters,” Keil said.

As the story unfolds, our empathy for those characters changes, Burke said.

“There are no heroes and villains, just complicated people,” Burke said. “It’s really the best kind of family drama. The heart of the play is when people judge you based on some perception of who you are.”

“(The play shows) the importance of listening, the importance of being able to say ‘I was wrong,’ the importance of being a part of a community and still being able to challenge its notions,” she said.

Actor Raji Ahsan, who plays Amir, has performed in two productions of the play and said he learns more about himself and the characters each time.

“All the characters have flaws,” Ahsan said. “I believe everybody in this play does something disgraceful.

“This play really challenges stereotypes. The idea of identity is made up of myriad things, not just how you were raised.”

His character Amir is in a battle of identity and reinvention – wanting to fit in and find success, but unable to reconcile his culture with the American dream. He finds that even if you distance yourself from your culture, the outside world may never see past their preconceived notions of you.

The play presents an opportunity to address such notions and start a dialogue, said Burke.

“These characters are debating various issues around their lives and identities and who deserves success and not,” Burke said. “The experience of watching the characters going through it hopefully allows you to consider how you treat other people.”

Ziegler said his previous military service and deployments overseas helped him learn the importance of opening a dialogue to gain awareness of stereotypes in order to bridge divides among people of different backgrounds.

“The notion of acceptance and tolerance – it’s okay for people to hold different viewpoints but not to demonize people who hold different viewpoints than our own,” Ziegler said. “I think most of us do not confront beliefs and ideas that we disagree with. The theater gives incentive for people to go and creates an opportunity to hear and see things they might not face.”

Listening is the first step in recognizing some of these ideas, Ahsan said.

“Humans have a problem listening,” he said. “It’s the downfall of any sort of progress – personal or professional. Things only change when we accept a point of view we never really considered.”

Seth Shelden, who plays museum curator Isaac, said “Disgraced” presents no clear answers or assertions of right or wrong. “I couldn’t tell you what the author’s political affiliations are,” he said. “He’s showing us how hard it is to tell other people what your identity is.

“It’s human nature to define who we are, tell other people who we are, and decide who other people are.”

The problem arises when people attempt to speak for another’s identity, such as Lauren Mae Shafer’s character Emily.

“She is a white woman doing art based on Islamic traditions,” Shafer said.

Burke said “Disgraced” is being produced in an intimate manner, with the audience sitting on three sides of the stage.

“We want people to feel unclear about what their own preconceived notions are,” Burke said. It mimics voyeurism, she said, where the audience members will feel as if they are in Amir’s apartment, watching this story unfold right before their eyes.

This arrangement does limit seating on the already limited-run show, so audience members are encouraged to get their tickets early.

In addition to Ahsan, Shelden and Shafer, the cast includes Alason Little as Jory and Darius Shafa as Abe.

CFRT has a number of special events scheduled to support “Disgraced.”

Preview Night Art Fun

Friday, March 16, at 7:30 p.m. at CFRT. Be the first to see “Disgraced” and stay after for hands-on art making with dessert and tea.

Opening Night Celebration

Saturday, March 17, at 7:30 p.m. Stay after the show to celebrate with the cast and creative team.

“No Politics at Dinner: How Do We Discuss Difficult Topics”

Sunday, March 18, at 1 p.m. at CFRT

Discussing politics and religion in social settings is often frowned upon, but what are the benefits of talking about these topics? Break the rules of polite conversation as experts and journalists lead a pre-show discussion. The discussion will be moderated by Dr. Andrew Ziegler Jr. of Methodist University. Panelists include Dr. Naveed Aziz, Dr. JR Hustwit and Paul Woolverton from The Fayetteville Observer.

Military Appreciation Night

Wednesday, March 21, at 7:30 p.m.

Military members and family receive discounted tickets for the show.

“Disgraced” is a limited-run show March 15-25 with limited seating based on a new stage configuration. The play is rated R due to its language and violence. There are discounts for military, seniors and students. For tickets or more information on special events, contact CFRT at 910-323-4233 or visit www.cfrt.org.

I completely admire King Solomon’s prayer for wisdom. Nowhere is true wisdom more needed than with our city’s insistence that we halt our participation in the opioid litigation and that the local firms hired by the city meet the city’s often-ignored policy of promoting minority-owned businesses.

We should admire and respect our mayor’s resolve in enforcing this policy once and for all. So intent is his commitment to this policy, he convinced the council to rescind a lawfully executed contract the city had done through its attorney after the council had empowered her to act.

The signed contract involved my firm and the Hutchens firm as local counsel – after we were associated by the national firm of McHugh Fuller Law Group and six other national firms that are representing over 200 municipalities in seeking damages from four of the largest opioid distributors in the country. These distributors willfully violated our country’s schedule II law as it relates to controlled substance distribution after their own studies “proved” their premise that opioids are non-addictive when a patient is in pain.

This group has successfully won the first suit in West Virginia, and they are in good standing with the court that presided over that trial and is now in charge of the next round of litigation. In other words, with this firm, we are in the room with the decision-makers and with the court that will decide the merits of the case.

It is essentially a front row seat to the mediation settlement and our trial of this litigation.

The move to rescind this contract to promote Fayetteville’s ignored policy regarding minority-owned businesses, albeit a noble one, is a dangerous move. In doing so, not only are we not in the room, we are not in the suit itself. Given the current posture of the situation, neither the county nor the city has any designs to act promptly even though the judge in the case has issued an edict saying he intends to expedite the signup period and begin settlement negotiations as soon as possible.

My fear is that this delay will cause Fayetteville and Cumberland County to miss out on a potential eight-figure recovery, which we sorely need to augment our depleted budget. There is a Latin phrase used in the law, “Vigilantilous et non dormientibus jura subvenunt.” It means, “The law assists those that are vigilant with their rights and not those who sleep thereupon.”

My fear is well-founded, as this judge has made it clear that the train is about to leave the station. Thus, to delay signing up, we take a substantial risk of being left out of the chance to receive a substantial recovery. As the old saying goes, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.”

How did we get to this point? In October 2017, I was approached by a group of well-respected North Carolina attorneys who were hired by the six other national firms. Their job was to act as local counsel and to promptly engage as many North Carolina counties and larger municipalities as possible. This was because the court had recently ruled in West Virginia that the four major distributors were, in fact, responsible for the substantial uptick in addiction to opioids. The ruling and verdict opened the door for counties and cities to participate in recovering monies for the strain on services the opioid addiction epidemic has placed upon them.

The litigation is similar to the tobacco litigation of the ’80s and ’90s and is based on sound fact, legal authority and precedent. It was stressed to me that time was a rare commodity and the court was going to allow a relatively short time to sign up those entities that were damaged by this plague.

Toward that end, the group wanted Cumberland County and Fayetteville enrolled and asked if I would set up a meeting with the county officials, including the county manager, the director of the health department and lead counsel. I was glad to do this, and in late October of 2017, one of the lead lawyers in the case met with myself, the director of the health department, the county manager and several other top officials.

By all accounts, all agreed Cumberland County and the city have a substantial need to be involved in the case for many reasons.

1. Cumberland County is in the top 20 in the nation in opioid addictions.

2. The tobacco litigation has created a viable legal theory to craft a very winnable case. In fact, the case has been won in West Virginia.

3. Our county and city resources have been stretched to their maximum in no short measure due to the opioid plague. Consider 85 percent of our incarcerated population is in jail due to addiction.

4. To be reimbursed by those who helped cause this crisis is only fair. They caused the harm. They should help fix it.

Further, the evidence is overwhelming that despite knowing this addictive quality, they perpetuated a fraud on medical personnel and the public that “one cannot become addicted to opioids while in true pain.” Not only is it very possible to become addicted to opioids while in pain, but a person must with each succeeding dose take more of the drug just to reach the same pain reduction threshold. The strain on our hospitals, mental health professionals and law enforcement is extremely burdensome.

We left the meeting fully believing we had everyone’s support and that our county and city were going to rapidly take steps to get in the mix of the many cities and counties that have signed up to be involved in the case. Despite our best efforts to date, we are still on the outside looking in.

My deepest fear is that our effort to honor a very noble and much-needed policy will delay us to the point it costs us a seat at the table on this important litigation.

The solution: I believe we have a two-pronged approach that, if followed, can enforce a well-intended policy and still allow us to be seated at the table. But it requires deliberate and fast action on behalf of the county and the city. First, longterm, our businesses and firms doing business with the city and county should make every effort to reflect our community. We are stronger united. Toward that end, our firm is committed to honoring the mayor’s edict and has a stated goal that our personnel mirror our community. We have lawyers who are Asian-American, Hispanic- American, African-American and both male and female. Our staff has four Hispanic-Americans who are bilingual. I can honestly say I have never enjoyed a group of wonderful colleagues more.

But we are not 51 percent minority-owned. Therefore, do we comply with this policy or not? Frankly, it matters not. We certainly comply with a track record of success, and our dream is that we follow our mayor’s lead and show talented, committed diversity works.

Second, let’s select three firms to serve as local counsel. Let’s honor our previous commitment and add a third majority minority-owned firm to help with the litigation. But let’s do so promptly.

So, let’s open the doors of opportunity and promptly select firms to shepherd our community into this unique and complex litigation. As Mark Twain stated, “It’s never wrong to do the right thing.” But let’s make sure the road less traveled leads to prosperity and not despair. In pursuing equal representation for minorities, let’s not miss out on an equally important opportunity. We have the chance to reimburse our community for the monies expended and the misery caused by the distributors pushing pills onto a public and a medical community who were not quite ready to fully understand the ramifications of such a policy.

If our city and county officials will act deliberately and quickly, we can have both a meaningful policy of diversity in hiring local firms and be involved in the opioid litigation. However, if we delay and debate this issue ad infinitum, we could very well lose a seat at the table. It is time to put aside any disagreements on this issue and act in the best interest of the citizens of this community.

Toward that end, my firm stands ready, willing and able to partner with any other firm that the city chooses to have us partner with. I wish the city and the county the best in their efforts in weighing these two competing policies in hopes they can have both policies succeed at the same time.

Open season may be a good thing for a hunter, but for a bowler it’s about as bad as it can get.

In bowling, going open means not knocking down as many pins as possible in a turn or frame of a game. Pine Forest bowling coach Heidi Henry said her boys team had a lot of open frames during the regular season that caused her squad to struggle.

She repeatedly told her players if they could pull it together, nobody could beat them. They finally proved her right in this year’s state bowling championships at Fayetteville’s B&B Lanes. The Trojans battled back from being third seed to defeat No. 2 Lakewood 292-202 and No. 1 Gray’s Creek 295-241 to take the title.

Henry praised the performance of junior Jacob Ezzelle in the championship match as a key to Pine Forest’s victory.

“He had only one or two open frames during bracket play, which is really critical,” Henry said.

Ezzelle was bowling in the No. 3 position for the Trojans. “If he opened, that’s an open in the middle of the game, which is essentially where it could hurt you the most,’’ Henry said.

Having Ezzelle avoid open frames helped set up the fourth and fifth bowlers in the Pine Forest lineup to perform with more confidence in the closing frames, to score well and have a good game for the team.

Ezzelle has been bowling since he was a freshman, following in the footsteps of his brother who was also a member of the Trojan bowling team.

He called bowling a serious sport that is also relaxing.

While Ezzelle said he always had high hopes for a good season, he didn’t think this year’s Trojan team would make it as far as it did.

“It was little things here and there that hurt us,’’ he said of the team’s regular-season problems. “I wouldn’t say I was disappointed. I felt we could have done better.’’

Ezzelle said the team went back to basics and focused on practice at an individual level to overcome its earlier mistakes.

He thinks prospects for the future of bowling at Pine Forest look good.

“We’re losing one senior and we’ve got some young guys that are going to step up,’’ he said. “I think we’ll be fine.’’

As for Ezzelle, he said he plans to listen to Henry, not be as hard-headed and keep practicing.

Photo: L to R: Jacob Ezzelle, Dominik Lipari, Noah Hash, Justin Turner, Kendell St. Peter, William Bonds, Coach Heidi Henry, Jonathan Henderson, Manager Nakeithia Butcher

When it comes to safety from the danger of fire, the citizens of Hope Mills can breathe a little easier these days.

The town will soon replace a pair of fire trucks that have been in service a total of nearly 50 years. Two state-of-the-art vehicles built from the ground up by the Rosenbauer Group will take their place.

Rosenbauer, which is based in Austria, is one of three manufacturers of fire-fighting vehicles worldwide.

“They’ve been here for about 16 or 17 years,’’ said Hope Mills fire Chief Chuck Hodges of Rosenbauer. “We went with Rosenbauer because we’ve had real good service with the previous trucks we’ve had. I think it will do a good job for the town.’’

The two new trucks are priced at $499,000 each, Hodges said. They were built from the tires up to specific instructions provided by the town. It took about a year to build each one.

Both of these trucks are pumper tankers, Hodges said. “Basically, a tanker is like a mobile hydrant system,’’ Hodges aid. “There are some areas we respond to that don’t have hydrants. That extra water is helpful.’’

Each truck is also equipped with what Hodges called a jet dump operation. That means if they get to a fire scene where even more water is needed than the truck carries, they can offload the water in the truck in what amounts to a portable swimming pool and then go get water from another nearby source like a pond.

“The water in the pool can be drafted while they get more water,’’ he said.

The minimum crew to staff a pumper is three firefighters, Hodges said, but the truck can accommodate a crew of up to six.

Hodges said his firemen are currently preparing to put the new trucks into action as they transfer existing firefighting equipment from the old trucks.

The only new equipment that came with the trucks is the radios.

Items being moved from the old trucks include hoses, nozzles, axes and pike poles, Hodges said.

The oldest of the two trucks being mustered out of service was a 1986 model. The other is a 1998.

While the yardstick for determining when to retire most vehicles is mileage, Hodges said that’s not a good indicator of age on a fire truck.

Hodges said the typical lifespan of a fire truck in a moderately busy fire department is 15 to 20 years.

“When you’re dealing with fire apparatus, it’s not the miles, it’s the pump hours,’’ he said. That means when the truck travels to a fire scene, it may only go a few miles on the odometer. But the real wear and tear on the engine occurs at the scene of a fire when you calculate how long the motor had to run to power the firefighting machinery aboard when the truck doesn’t move an inch.

“You pump six hours, that’s still wear and tear on the engine,’’ Hodges said. “Anything mechanical, over time, just starts to wear out, and it costs money to repair.’’

He thinks the townspeople of Hope Mills should be pleased once the new trucks are fully operational, most likely before the end of February.

“It’s something we shouldn’t have any issues with,’’ Hodges said.

I walked out to the street recently and picked up my copy of The Fayetteville Observer. There was the headline, “2018 Dogwood Festival features rap, rock, country.” I was saddened, but not surprised, to see that rap artists will be featured at this year’s festival. In what follows, I explain the reasons for my sadness … and that sadness runs deep.

With a 13-year-old black girl who I mentor, I am reading “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens” by Sean Covey. Early in the book, Covey addresses the importance of paradigms in the life of a person. He writes, “A paradigm is the way you see something; it’s your point of view, frame of reference or belief. Sometimes our paradigms are way off the mark, and, as a result, they create limitations. For instance, you may be convinced that you don’t have what it takes to get into college. But, remember, Ptolemy was just as convinced that the earth was the center of the universe.”

Later in the book Covey says, “Paradigms are like glasses. When you have incomplete paradigms about yourself or life in general, it’s like wearing glasses with the wrong prescription.”

Therein is the reason for my sadness. With absolutely no reservation, I contend that the appearance of rap artists at the Dogwood Festival will likely substantially contribute negatively to the formation of paradigms by black attendees. This might also be the case with some whites, but my focus here is on black attendees. My concern, my sadness, is not only driven by the personal appearance of and lyrics employed by most artists in this genre, but also by how rap came to the Dogwood Festival.

In November 2016, I wrote a column titled, “Dogwood Festival Music Diversity: An opportunity for exercising leadership.” That column is available at www.karlmerritt.com/category/articles/page/3. I relayed how some members of Fayetteville City Council were pressuring the Dogwood Festival executive director and board of directors to diversify the music offerings. I think “pressuring” is a rather mild way of describing what was done. At the bottom line, they called for including music genres that appealed to blacks. Even beyond diversity in music, there was a not-so-subtle call for including blacks on the board of directors.

I saw this as local government making demands on a very successful effort that was started by volunteers, and with very minimally paid staff – it is carried primarily by volunteers. The formula for success, from my vantage point, was one that focused on country music, a family atmosphere, financially supporting worthy causes, helping make Fayetteville attractive for business and promoting economic growth. Then-Mayor-pro-tem Mitch Colvin, now mayor, argued that the city was providing police and other support to the festival. Read my November 2016 column to get what I believe is a thoughtful response to that argument.

have no doubt that what I have summarized here, and presented in detail in 2016, resulted in the Dogwood Festival adding rap to the entertainment lineup. Simply put, in the name of diversity, I believe that they were forced to do it. My observation is that any time there is a call for diversity, charges of racism immediately follow if white Americans do not instantly provide whatever is demanded. Although used routinely and far too often without foundation, the racism charge has great power.

Looking at all of this, I would argue that the message received by black Americans is: Do not invest in organizing, in building anything of worth … just force your way in on what others have built and organized. Even though implementing your desired changes might jeopardize the ongoing success of what is in place, demand the changes anyway – in the name of diversity. You have this right because of past discrimination, slavery, being disadvantaged, constituting a certain percentage of the population and a multitude of other reasons.

Let there be no doubt – the message described in the preceding paragraph contributes to creating paradigms in individuals. The resulting paradigm is the kind that allows one to believe it is acceptable to, in protesting, burn down businesses owned by people who had absolutely nothing to do with whatever started the protest. From the black perspective, this seeming license to force one’s way into what has been built by whites feeds a view of self as victim and whites as the enemy.

All of this is not only destructive to the individual, but also to our nation. I see the pressure process that, I believe, brought rap to the Dogwood Festival as a prime example of contributing to negative paradigms in people, especially black Americans. Seeing this process play out is a saddening experience for me.

Then there is how I believe the personal appearance of, and lyrics presented by, these artists will likely negatively affect paradigm formation among attendees. Consider Coolio, one of the rap artists scheduled to appear. What follows are a few lines from his rap “Is this me?”

Mossberg Smith and Wesson

Forty-five let me tell you how I learned my lesson

House party in the hood at some niggas I don’t know

But I had to go they had a house full of hoes

I stepped into that party with my nigga high off that head

The hoes is looking good so we try to make a friend for night

Let’s get it right let’s get it straight”

Then, the song ends with these lyrics:

“These streets won’t let me go

I can’t escape this life

That they got me trapped inside

This really really really ain’t me

But the streets won’t let me go

I can’t escape this life

That they got me trapped inside.

Granted, these are just snippets of a Coolio rap. However, they provide a sense as to what will likely be presented in what has been a family-oriented event. I do not see any reason to believe lyrics of this type help develop positive paradigms that are critical to successful living. Instead, just the opposite can reasonably be expected. That is sad.

Please visit coolioworld.com/photos and view photos of Coolio. Doing so is essential to understanding and appreciating the case I am making in this paragraph. In my estimation, except for one photo of him in a suit, Coolio presents himself in a fashion that does not inspire selfrespect, self-worth or any of the other attributes conducive to successful and responsible living. Consequently, personal appearance will likely be another negative input to the paradigms of many in the audience.

I have used Coolio in explaining my sadness regarding rap at the Dogwood Festival. However, be assured I have the same concerns in reference to rap artists in general. That is because all of them, that I have seen, pose the same threat to positive paradigms as I have presented here.

In the midst of my sadness, I find hope in knowing that I will do everything in my power to ensure that the kinds of forces described above do not influence the paradigm development of that 13-year-old black girl I mentor. If people across this nation do not take a similar stand, we will continue to see young lives destroyed due to failure-producing paradigms.

Photo: Coolio